Define Fitness Canberra

There is something about a Monday that makes you want to hit something, and boxing is a pretty good place to put it.

Our boxing session runs Monday nights at 6pm at Cook Oval. You work through combinations on the pads with a partner while a coach walks you through your footwork and where your hands should be. It ends up being a full body workout without ever feeling like one, because you are concentrating on getting the combination right instead of watching the clock.

The part people are surprised by is how quiet their head feels afterwards. Hitting pads takes real focus, so the mental to do list you have been carrying since 9am tends to switch off while you are there.

It is an outdoor session, so August means layers you can peel off once you get moving. You warm up faster than you expect.

You do not need experience and you do not need to already be fit. If you are unsure what to wear or bring along, send us a message and we will sort you out before tonight.

Protein sounds like a simple thing to get right until you are standing in the kitchen at six in the evening, wondering what to feed people who all want something slightly different.

For most of us the problem is not effort, it is ideas. You already know eggs and chicken are good options, but by Wednesday you have had both twice and you are reaching for whatever is fastest.

So we put together something to solve the idea problem. It is a free guide with one hundred genuinely doable ways to get more protein into an ordinary day, built around food you can pick up anywhere in Canberra and meals a whole household will actually eat. There are breakfasts that take five minutes, snacks that survive a day in your bag, dinners that stretch across a family, and options for the nights when cooking is simply not happening.

It goes live here on Monday and it is free for everyone, whether you train with us or not.

Save this post so it finds its way back to you when we share the link.

Thank you for your continued support of Define Fitness Canberra, it really means a lot to our team and community.

Keep giving fitness a red hot go and exercising regularly because your body thanks you!

Onwards and upwards into the next month! Train hard and eat well.

Front-loading a bit more protein early makes the rest of the day sort itself out.

Comment PROTEIN and we'll send you 100 ways to do it.

Today is Stress Down Day, Lifeline's annual campaign encouraging all of us to take stress seriously and do something about it. A reminder that movement is one of the best tools we have for stress.

Here's a myth worth busting: being sore doesn't mean it was a good workout.

Soreness mostly shows up when you do something new or push a lot harder than usual. It's your body saying this is unfamiliar, not proof you made progress. Once a movement becomes familiar, you can keep getting stronger and fitter while barely feeling sore at all.

So if you trained hard and woke up feeling fine, you didn't waste your time. And if you're chasing that can't-walk-down-the-stairs feeling, you're chasing the wrong thing. Showing up regularly and gradually doing a little more is what actually gets results.

Train smart, trust the process, and stop grading your workouts by how sore you are.

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that movement only counts if it happens in a gym, but some of the most restorative activity you can do in winter happens outdoors, even when it is cold.

A brisk walk around the lake, a hike up one of Canberra's lookouts, kicking a ball with the kids, or even a long wander through a winter market all count. They get your body moving, your blood flowing, and your head clear, and they are a lovely counterbalance to structured training during the week.

So tell us, what is your favourite way to stay active outdoors in a Canberra winter? We are always looking for new spots, so share yours in the comments.

Swipe through for what's actually happening and the simple principle that gets progress moving again. If you'd rather have someone manage the progression for you so the only thing you need to think about is showing up, send us a message and we'll point you in the right direction.