Monthly adventures are back now that the studio is up and running.
This month has been a very special adventure with Emily, Matt and myself climbing Mt Coolum to remember and mark Paul's 50th Birthday.
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This was one of Paul's favourite hikes that he liked to do with the kids and I when we went to Mt Coolum to visit his mum and dad. Very special memories of family fun!
Thinking about this day has brought up so many thoughts of a very special man who has changed my life forever. We met when we were kids, we grew up together, we had and raised our family together. Every birthday, every milestone we shared, celebrated and made each other feel loved and so very special. Spending this day without him has not been easy, but spending it with my family has meant much to me. Even catching up for lunch with Paul's parents who also share an unconditional enduring love for him.
If you have love in your life - please make sure that you take the time to tell them, spend time with them and to make the memories. It is a gift to find love but worst is to take it for granted and to let it slip away.

If you haven't found love but there is someone out there that you care about, who turns your head when they walk in the door, whose smile makes your heart skip a beat, or who can make you laugh till your belly hurts. Then reach out and ask them for a coffee or a catch up - maybe even tell them - you never know they might just feel the same way about you.

What I'm trying to say is life is about taking risk and chances and you never know until you try.
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I am so glad that I took that chance with Paul and I would never have changed it for the world - as love is an incredible experience.

All you need is love - love is all you need.
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Happy 50th Birthday Mr Paulie Myatt

​Last week we took a look at the benefits of daily stretching for the body, and how it can improve your movement, flexibility, increase blood flow, assist with exercise recovery and help prevent injury.  All important reasons to start to incorporate stretching into your routine.

This week I thought we could take a look at the use of foam rollers as a way to assist and enhance the benefits of stretching. As the foam roller also as similar and added benefits.
Foam rollers are an inexpensive, versatile piece of equipment that can help with releasing muscle tension and loosing those tight trouble spots in the body.

The beauty of using a foam roller is that it is an affordable way to give yourself a deep tissue massage. By rolling slowly of different parts of your body, you can help to break up the adhesions and scar tissue in your muscles, this can assist in the healing and recovery process, especially if you are regularly exercising.

Form rollers work by using the body’s response to pressure, so as you roll over tight spots, the muscles begin to relax. For those especially tight spots, apply extra pressure.
When to us a foam roller

• You can use a foam roller before any exercise as the first part of a warm up as it helps to get the blood flowing in areas that may not be receiving much blood and it also helps to release muscle tension.
• As part of your cool down after exercise and as part of your daily routine add in the foam roller before any stretching – this will help to flush out any pooled blood in the muscles. It will also allow nutrients and oxygen back in.
• I would suggest as that you try to use the foam roll for at least 5 min or longer to achieve the best results.

Here is how to use the roller
Position yourself on top of the roller and use the weight of your body to slowly roll back and forth over it (pretend you are a rolling pin and you are rolling out dough).  Try not to use your arms for support, but focus on your body weight and relax as much as possible to move over the muscle you are targeting.
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You can pick almost any muscle in the body and apply this method to relieve the muscle successfully, some of the more trouble spots in the body are usually the outer thigh or iliotibial band, calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and the upper back and neck.
Here are two roller exercise to help with tightness in your neck and upper back.

• Neck – Lie on your back with the roller under your neck.  Allow your head to rest on top of the foam roller so that you feel the gently pressure on your neck.  You can slowly turn your head to the side, or to the side and down (aim your chin down to your shoulder).  Hold the position for up to 60 seconds.
• Back – Place the roller under your shoulder blades and cross your arms over your chest.  Lift your hips off the floor and use your body weight to apply pressure on the tight area.  Hold up to 60 seconds.

You can use the foam roller on its own, but I always find that to get the best results, follow your roller workout with a long stretch.
Believe me your body will than your afterwards.  So keep on rolling on!

This week I thought it might be good to look at the impact of the winter months and address some strategies to combat the colder weather and maintain your mojo!

For many of us winter can completely change our  lifestyle and we create habits to suit the colder weather, health and fitness can for many of us can be placed on the back burner and replaced with lazy days in front of the television curled up under a doona trying to stay warm. We can also crave the warm comfort food of hot pots and partake in those little extra treats – anything to keep us toasty inside and out. But unfortunately they can have a negative impact on our health, weight, metabolism and overall general wellbeing.

If we aim to stay active and fit over the colder months  it will put you in good stead for the summer months ahead when you are ready for more activity and embrace the outdoors-including putting on the summer swim suit or bikini!

Here are six helpful tips to staying in shape over winter:

1. Create a seasonal timetable that suits your lifestyle changes over winter – if you are finding it a struggle to get up in the mornings and exercise then try finding another time of the day that suits you better, like lunchtime or straight after work.

2. Setting a winter training goal can often help to stay motivated – pick an event to train for and even get some friends on board to do it with you and  you can all work together to achieve your goal.  Register for an event or buy the tickets and that way you have already made the commitment.  It’s a great opportunity to try something new and have some fun.

3. Diarise your workouts – it is completely okay to set the bar a little lower during the winter months especially if you are looking to maintain the gains you have made during the warmer months.  Get yourself a diary and commit to a minimum number of workouts and mark them off once you have done them.  If you treat them as if they are an important meeting that you cannot get out of then you are more likely to do them.  Remember no excuses!

4. Go shopping and get yourself some new gear for the gym to keep you motivated – if you look good and feel comfortable you are more inclined to show up and stay on track.

5. Utilize your workout time better so that you can maximize your training and have more down time under the covers at home.  Try some high intensity training where you work harder in a shorter space of time – these workouts have been proven to get amazing results.

6. Have a backup plan for the mornings that you’ll wake up and it’s colder than usual.  Get some Personal training and make the trainer ring you to get you out of bed and to show up – if that doesn’t work then get a trainer to come to your house.   Arrange to meet a friend to workout with and you can even car pool it so that you have to get out of bed.
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Most of all exercise is a great way to combat those winter blues that we can suffer from over the colder months when the skies are a little greyer and gloomier and our energy levels become lower. 

So stay focussed and on track and before you know it our warm summer days will be back again and we will be ready.