Me Time Fitness

Just like that we are back! Hitting Greenslopes and surrounds every Tuesday and Thursday morning.
The focus for term 1 is POWER.
Power is how much work or force that your muscles can generate over time. So it is more than just being strong. It’s the ability to quickly adapt, such as when you stumble on an uneven surface and are proud of the fact that you stayed upright. Power is important for human function and independence, but it declines more rapidly than strength when we age.

Power is what you gain when I includes hops and jumps (aka plyometrics) or short sprints. Medicine ball slams also build power with the added benefit of releasing frustration.

Since during exercise our muscles are asking our bodies for fuel (in the form of glucose) to power that post-meal movement, less of it stays in our blood. As a result, walking after eating not only helps keep our blood sugar in check, but can even help lower it. Research has also shown that the timing is also important with the greatest benefit being within 90 minutes of eating.

The benefits extend beyond blood glucose regulation to include improved mood and digestion.

For this challenge the aim is to move in any way for 10 minutes after each of the three standard meals per day. Movement includes cleaning, walking the dog, yoga/stretching or doing some exercises on the spot (squats, lunges, calf raises). Try involving your family by having them join you after dinner. This doubles the benefits and adds social connection (or tricks them into helping with the cleaning ;).

This challenge is about being present and relaxing your mind and body. It will take as little as 5 minutes per day but you should feel the benefits as the challenge goes on.

You have the option to either meditate or practice gratitude. Either can be done in a variety of ways - using technology apps or simply journaling in a book.

Having stronger muscles lowers your risk from all causes of death. Muscle is essential for healthy and independent living and longevity. Building muscle means not only doing resistance training, but we need to support that by eating more protein to provide the amino acids to increase muscle protein synthesis which results in building or maintaining muscle.

As we age our protein needs increase. This is because our ability to maintain muscle mass decreases as our s*x hormones change and this is even more important for women.

This challenge is to bring awareness to how much protein you are (or are not) eating. Aim for a fist size of protein portion at every meal.

More info? - https://www.drstacysims.com/blog/Why-Women-Need-to-Prioritize-Protein

We got through the digital detox and sleep challenges without too many issues but this one is going to step things up a little.

‘Don’t drink your calories’ is a phrase often shared by nutritionists and highlights the fact that we need to be mindful of the nutrient poor, yet energy dense drinks that we consume.

This challenge is similar in that I want you to set a target of drinking at least 8 cups of water per day which should replace some of the other drinks you consume. Coffee in moderation has many health benefits but there are also some benefits to be gained from cutting back your caffeine.

You set the appropriate challenge level for you.

For example, it might be that you start your day with lemon water instead of a coffee. You can have a coffee later in the morning, but overall, you have had less coffee in that day. Rather than having a protein smoothie on the go, you sit and enjoy eggs on toast, or at you could replace your wine with dinner for that 8th glass of water in that day.

My challenge is to have only 1 coffee during the week-long challenge and all other beverages will be water or herbal tea.

What will it be for you?

Poor sleep is linked to an increasing number of poor health outcomes and hence the reason for including this challenge.

For this challenge the aim is to sleep for 8 hours every night. Here are some strategies to help with your sleep duration and sleep quality.

- Avoid late-night snacking, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.

- Turn off electronics, TVs, and computers two hours before bed. The blue light from these devices causes your brain to stay active.

- Store all digital devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) in an area of the house other than the bedrooms.

- Sleep in a dark room that is on the cooler side.

- Use an alarm clock rather than your smartphone or tablet as a wakeup device.

- Aim for a consistent bedtime routine and sleep schedule to help your body stay on a regular track.

Challenge starts on Tuesday

Starts tomorrow.
This is not about locking up your phone or cancelling your Netflix subscription. Instead, it is a reflective exercise to look at your digital habits and create boundaries. This may only be a challenge for a week, but the activity is to inspire future change.

Everyone has different digital habits so this is not a one size fits all approach. Me Time Fitness members had to nominate one or more digital habits that they will make for one week.

Some ideas include:
1. Digital curfew – turn off your TV, phone or computer 90 minutes before bed
2. Sunlight before screen time – go outside upon waking and enjoy the light for at least 10 minutes before touching a screen
3. Screen free bedroom – no TV, phones or laptops in the bedroom
4. Social media switch off – do not scroll or post on social media. Better still log out of these platforms for the week so the temptation to go back requires ‘friction’ by requiring a log in
5. No more notifications – turn off all phone notifications or at least cut them down
6. No news is good news – do not turn on, or read news online
7. Phone cleanout – remove unhelpful apps, especially those that are procrastination fillers
8. Leave the phone at home – go out without your phone.

Curious for more?– I strongly suggest you read ‘Dear Digital, We need to talk’ by Dr Kristy Goodwin

During the next 10 week program we are undertaking six different one week challenges. Each challenge has been chosen because of the mounting evidence in favour of the health benefits gained from modifying your habits associated with the topic. They range from sleep 😴 and meditation through to a digital detox and a week without coffee 😵‍.
They are meant to be empowering and thought provoking. Allowing participants to put the spotlight on behaviours that they think are worth changing more permanently.

Program runs from July to September. Let me know if you want to join us, we start next week.

Loading a bone with exercise improves the strength of a bone. This is particularly important as we age and bone density declines. Resistance training is good for loading bones but jumping is better. Worried about pelvic floor and sore joints - this is why it is important to work with an exercise physiologist who can modify the exercise for you, whilst still gaining the benefits.

Flashback to Fehlberg Park. We returned today after having not been there for more than a year. The playground now has a basketball court!
Not that we used it because we were busy building muscles 💪 like we do every Tuesday and Thursday morning.