SmallWONDERS

15/09/2026

“You’re not too late. You’re not too old. You’re not incapable. You just need to START.” 💚

15/09/2026

🌸 SPRING IS HERE! 🌸
Just like that, we’re into September — and there’s still plenty of time to make 2026 your healthiest, strongest and happiest year yet. 💪✨
Maybe you’ve been waiting for the “right time.”
Maybe you’ve told yourself you’re too old, too unfit, too busy or that it’s too late.
It’s none of those things. ❤️
You’re not too late.
You’re not too old.
You’re not incapable.
You just need the courage to start.
At SmallWONDERS Fitness Centre, we believe the right tools can change everything — especially when you have a plan that fits your actual life, supports your intentions and gives you the guidance and accountability to keep going.
🌱 This spring, don’t just think about change. Start it.
Your stronger, healthier, happier self is waiting.
📲 Ready to take the first step? Get in touch with SmallWONDERS today and let’s make a plan that works for YOU.
You’re never too late to start. 💚
Book a FREE Initial consultation now

📱027 2916149
💻www.smallwonders.co.nz

14/09/2026

I See You.
There is a certain walk, a look, a je ne sais quoi
I’m not talking about the elite Instagram models
I’m talking about everyday people who you know have a plan.
They have a specific plan every day, every week of the year and they are unstoppable.
It’s a pep in the step
It’s confidence exuding
It’s the shuffle with hustle
It’s that smile on the dial
It’s the breath they take
It screams good habits!

We all people watch. We wonder what they do in life. We try to guess the age, job, ailment, sport they play etc. Interestingly you are always judging vitality.
What would people say about you?

No matter what the circumstances of the day, the stress of life, a well-planned person has decided how they are going to move their body. They have prepared for a food day that fits their goals. They know how to pivot if the day goes sideways. They have decided to regularly do the things that need to be done to live a healthy life.
Are you going to be one of them?
If yes, how?
“The way you do anything is the way you do everything”

How this helps is by understanding the character you have or are building. If you get the basics in very good order, then other areas in life seem to follow.
Be clean
Speak clearly
Dress smartly
Get to bed at a sensible hour
Clean your house, make your bed, mow your lawn
Brush your teeth
Be kind
- Exercise daily
- Plan and eat a healthy diet
- See a health professional regularly
If you have an issue with any of these, hire a coach to help you.

Hopefully you have four score and 10 to enjoy life as much as possible.

Hop to it!
If you want help
Book a FREE initial consultation at SmallWONDERS Fitness Centre
📱027 2916149
💻www.smallwonders.co.nz

07/09/2026

Do it for the kids
It’s a gauge, a litmus test. Your physical ability to keep up with your kids and grandchildren is the ultimate measure of your overall health, aging and vitality.
Measuring functional fitness rather than just gym metrics is an interesting way to look at aging. You get to test multiple areas of fitness at once, including raw strength, mobility, stamina, and quick reflexes.
You get instant feedback such as whether your knees ache after sitting on the floor, or you get winded by chasing a ball or running around the playground.
“Don’t let the old person in”. A great quote I remember a couple on the verge of retiring dictating to one another. They reminded each other daily that if they stopped moving adequately old age would come in and claim their mobility, independence and quality of life.
This message is not just for the 70-year-olds. I’m also talking to 40++ people (potentially even the 30+ person who woke up one day and started groaning and limping unexpectedly)
The question is “what would you love to be able to do”?
Chase, carry and lift, get up and down with ease, balance react??
If you are playing like a child and consistently, and daily dosing in sport, general fitness, jumping, running, wrestling, and climbing you may just have enough movement in the bank to stay healthy.
The truth is, most of us sit way too much, do not achieve adequate steps, and lack all the functional movement patterns necessary to maintain an optimal body. This is called the modern world and our bodies are suffering.
This is where we come in to help!
It is not about how much you bench press or how impressive your biceps are. It’s about cultivating skills in the form of gym exercises that truly matter.
A warrant of fitness is required.
Can you jump with confidence?
Can you drop and roll?
Can you get into a deep squat position?
Can you explode up off the floor?
Can you tie your shoe standing on one leg?
Can you run 100m with haste?
Can you hang from a bar for 60s?

These are the sort of things that show us whether you are fit for play.
The skills that are lacking can quickly be remedied with some regular training. There is a huge range of skill levels that can be described. The rating I use is the 1-20 range. 20 being an elite level, and 1-5 being a beginner’s level. For each and every movement skill/ exercise you can start at the safe zone close to your level and progress up the numbers relating to more complex exercises as you gain strength and tolerance.
As an example, if your squat pattern (relating to what looks like getting out of a chair or crouching in the garden) is at a 1-5, then we may start you on a floor exercise parallel to the ground and perform a basic bridge exercise. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions with a 2 second hold at the top. This can be trained 2-3 times per week. 3-4 weeks later you are ready for a 5-10 level exercises with bodyweight squats holding onto a pole, leg press, and swiss ball wall squats. We now start to see a huge carryover to real-life scenarios where gardening, lifting and tramping all seem easier.
What would a 15-20 level look like?
Let’s say 6-12 months down the track you have progressed to this level of squat skill. The options are now endless in the gym. Barbell back squats, D/B clean and press, heavy hack squats. The ability to squat more than your bodyweight added to your lift. This is what I would call gold standard. The ability to now fear no movement with the kids and grandkids.
Imagine having a squat, lunge, push, pull, bend, twist and run pattern all at this level.
We try to inspire people and let you know it’s about playing the long game. You are going to require really good routines and habits if you are going to achieve a 40,50 60+ body that keeps up with a life of hard knocks.

Don’t just guess your number, assess your number!
Figure out where you are lacking. It may be why you have pain, low energy or walk a little wonky.
If you are not in our fitness centre on a regular basis, why not??

Let’s help you.

Jump on board and do it for the kids

Book a FREE initial consultation

📱027 2916149
💻www.smallwonders.co.nz

03/09/2026

29/08/2026

Go weird
Look at how kids move. (Not the ones who sit and game all day)
Perhaps think back to when you were a kid. Yes, I’m generally talking to the Gen X and maybe the slightly surrounding gens.
Your parents had no idea of your whereabouts a lot of the time, they just knew you would be back for dinner. The times when the local parks were full and the BMX bikes and Rally 20’s were the mode of transport. We ran, we biked, we wrestled, we always had a racket or a ball in hand. At home we jumped over elastics, skipped rope, swam in a para pool, played on homemade obstacle courses, and mastered the art of roller skates and pogo sticks.
What all these things have in common and is the topic of discussion is the variety of movement.
To jump, twist, run, dodge, fall, climb, skip, throw and react. It is what our bodies are made for. And it is also with each decade starting to decline. To dimmish variety of dexterity takes you from a 3-dimensional parkour pupil to a 2 dimensional more robotic like mover.
This could be why you hurt?
This could be why chronic physical dysfunction is one of the largest money industries in the world? Physical therapy, pain medication, natural remedies, healing devices, faith healing??

How do we safely put weird movements back into our week?
The problem is, if you suddenly jump back into indoor netball or try to keep up with your kids on a 5 km run, then you are going to get a very quick lesson in tissue tolerance.
The great thing about daily doses of a huge variety of movement with high impact, varied speed, multiple joint coordination and conditioning is the amount of tolerance your muscles, tendons, bones and joints adapt to and create robustness.
Of course we are the fitness centre people, so I will give you the safe journey back to being a functional weirdo.
I will list some of the cool things that our 40 and 50+ members do at our centre.
We have a movement room with judo mats and loads of challenging pieces of equipment:
- Rock climbing wall
- A throwing rebounder catch zone
- Balance boards
- A forgiving boxing bag. Great for kick training
- Soft floor mats for rolling, jumps, handstands, crawling core work
- Swiss ball exercises for balance, coordination and strengthening
- Bar hanging and gymnastic ring bodyweight maneuvering
In the main gym areas, we also encourage some weird type movements outside the normal strength routines. Pushing and pulling sleds, Kettle bell getups, where you must get from the ground to stand with a single arm loaded vertical position.
How about hand grippers and rolling fat handles for the cable attachments.
Some things that 40,50 and 60+ people avoid are speed and explosive work. There are very safe machines that can develop these skills slowly and safely. A ski Erg for upper body speed and power, a Bean treadmill that is great for developing a good run or sprinting speed again, even the simple device of a skipping rope to play with.
If you really want a paired exercise to develop some serious, weird strength skills then come in and ask for a stick wrestling lesson or even an arm-wrestling lesson. Surprisingly these both have the most stringent safety protocols.

If you wish to be a strong, fit, mobile, dexterous, resilient, and versatile human being all the way into your 70’s, 80’s and onwards then you have to do what I call front load. Every day you will have to care for your entire body holistically, meaning with a multitude of techniques, bespoke, functional and fun movement training.

This is not about anti-aging; it is about realistically empowering yourself to enjoy your days physically as we age and learning to put in the effort to earn a well-lived life.

19/08/2026

GRIT
We all have a varied tolerance for exercise stress. We react differently due to our unique genes, age, experience and daily habits. We could break training into aerobic and anaerobic styles. Aerobics require the heart, lungs and muscles to handle stress over a longer lower intensity. Anaerobic requires your body to handle stress over a shorter period of time with harder bursts. Your tolerance or performance enjoyment may be affected by the fast or slower twitch muscle fibres you have from birth.
It likely shows you migrate towards what you have more enjoyment for and are better suited genetically.
The fitness centre grit??
Generally, I recommend utilizing the gym for activities you may not be able to find as easily outside a facility. Strength training is number one choice in our opinion for getting the best bang for your buck.
How then do we all find more GRIT when it comes to improving our strength and conditioning?
What if I’m not that strong?
What if my body dislikes the feeling of high intensity conditioning?
What if I am prone to joints or muscle strains?
What if I am a poor responder to progress?
We hear this on a regular basis. First of all, you must create a foundation for energy and enthusiasm. Good sleep, healthy food and stress management all play a major part in getting to the gym and being able to perform at a high enough level to improve.
Your routine guidelines matter! Pick a time of the day and put a regular time in your diary. Set a standard for habit behaviour.
For those that feel really uncomfortable with the burning sensations in the muscles when partaking in higher intensity weight training, a few strategies need to be looked at.
The psychology of lifting:
Some people perceive certain physical sensations as a threat. A sign of danger or warning of injury. Linking the discomfort directly to achieving a highly valued personal goal is essential. This will require sitting down with a coach and mapping out ideas.
Discomfort is tolerated more when it is linked to a more positive experience. Think of childbirth, running a marathon, training to get in shape for a wedding.
If you can create an endorphin release which masks pain, a dopamine release that attaches to milestones you can push towards reaching higher performances.
There are similar pain thresholds in humans, but there are considerable pain tolerance levels which may need more attention. Genetically we may have variations in opioid receptors in the brain. This alters how we feel pain relief. We have nervous systems that in some are naturally more sensitive, amplifying physical sensations.
This may mean careful titration of training and monitoring needs to take place. Slowly adding more intensity in small doses, keeping a journal recording feeling, data and discussing with a coach or friend.
Linking strength to a longer more enjoyable life should be written into the goal portion of the journey. There has to be a pay off for such discomfort added on purpose to a regular routine. Some do benefit from adding a fear-based adage where they list what negative outcomes may occur with more limited strength and conditioning. This is obviously personal to each person.
Gym anxiety and self-consciousness:
Fear of failure, making straining noises, or dropping a weight can be issues for some people. This is why working out with a training partner, learning new skills regularly, and having more conversations about benefits and etiquette is important.

Boosting a workout for more grit?
Sports science has come a long way and now even for the everyday gym-goer there is fantastic research.
Caffeine: This lowers the perception of effort and pain in the brain. Any way you can get it is worth a try. 3-6 mg per Kg of bodyweight 30 minutes before working out.
Simple carbs. Getting a quick-fire dose of fast absorbing carb before the gym lets your body know it’s got instant fuel on board to utilize. This means pushing harder without triggering early exhaustion.
Creatine monohydrate: This maximises cell energy, speeding up regeneration of ATP (cellular currency used for strong movements) 5g daily works great.
Beta- Alanine: Boosts carnosine levels in skeletal tissue. It buffers the acid environment which delays the intense, painful burning sensations that cause people to stop short of the most productive repetitions of a set in training.
Not everyone is going to get super strong. Not many, after the age of 50 will keep up with people half their age.
SO WHAT!
Do it for you. Do it according to your own personal goals. If you have problems to solve, ask for help. If you are apprehensive and seem to always give up, it’s normal. You just require support and few good damn stories and a plan to push that grit.

📱027 2916149
💻www.smallwonders.co.nz

Small Talk is here! 🎙️
episode 1 - https://youtu.be/ixh3g8PpNNE