Fitness Tools Trainers Love

Hey guys, here a some pics of my column in the national Good Health magazine which came out today.

The topic is Exercise equipment the fitness experts love ....

3121 Fitness Packages

Thank you for visiting 3121 Fitness.

I am excited to share with you some of my fitness packages that I am sure will have something for all fitness levels.

Please do not hesitate to contact me here to find out more about the listed packages or how we can better tailor a package to suit your needs.

Small group training  - Strength

Need to build muscle/tone up or simply feel stronger than this package is for you.

Small group training - Cardio

If you're looking to increase your aerobic endurance than this one is for you. Burn fat and get back your energy.

Small group training - Combo

A mixture of strength based and cardio training. Burn fat and sculpt that body!

Pet FiT 

Give your best friend an extra lease on life with this program that will get you and your pet fit together while spending some valuable time together too.

Strong Seniors

A exciting class developed for those over 60.

Family Fit

Especially designed for families who want to get fit together and spend more time together.
 

*All sessions come with discounts for larger groups/seniors and students.

**Options of 30/45/60 minute sessions.

5 reasons why sports drinks are not helping you!

Hey guys!

Here is my piece as featured on the Where the Wild Things Are website and social media channels. http://wherethestyledthingsare.com/sports-drinks/

From the website:
As asked by you, I have been working with a few health and fitness professionals to bring a range of answers to a lot of questions around the world today. Suzana Talevski from 3121 Fitness, has taken over the blog today to discuss sports drinks and how they won’t help your performance in the gym…

Suzana Talevski is a television fitness presenter and a Les Mills Body Pump instructor. She is passionate about real and affordable access to health and fitness and education around active living choices.

Fitness Tip: drink more water!

Unless you are an endurance athlete, “sports drinks” may contain very little benefit to the average fitness fan. In fact it may actually be harming your chances of reaching your fitness goals and here’s why…..
1.   Performance
There is debate about the use of sports drinks for performance enhancement because study results are mixed, but some evidence does show that the caffeine in many carbonated drinks may have positive benefits for endurance athletes. This is because caffeine may allow your body to burn fat for fuel, delaying the use of muscle glycogen, which allows for a longer exercise session; however, these benefits do not appear when consuming carbonated drinks for short bouts of exercise.
2. Bloating
Carbonation causes many people to feel bloated, particularly if consumed quickly or in large amounts. Drinking sports drinks causes excess air to build up in your stomach, resulting in bloating. Being bloated is likely to make exercise more difficult because that full feeling interferes with efficiency and may slow you down. In addition, that air in your belly may cause you to burp, creating more discomfort that may hinder your performance. Stick with water.

3. Lowered blood sugar
While sugar is likely to give you an initial rush of energy, the spike and subsequent crash in blood sugar may leave you feeling weak and tired, which will interfere with the benefits of exercise.
4. Weight
Working out regularly is a great way to control your weight, both for loss or maintenance; however, drinking large amounts of sugary/sports drinks, which are often high in calories, may interfere with this process and counteract the benefits of your exercise. To lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume, and many people forget to factor liquid calories into their daily totals.
5. By the numbers
Some drinks contain up to 16 spoons of sugar per bottle/can. To burn these calories you would need to:

• Walk for 1.5 hours
• Play a team sport like basketball for 1 hour
• Ride a bike at moderate speed for ¾ hours
• Jog for 45 minutes

Thank you for the guest post Suzana…In conclusion, I (Adelle) want to give you a few alternatives to sports drinks, one being after you work out – protein at it’s finest, look at a powder protein mixed with milk, or almond milk works, not to mention good old fashioned water but make it easier to drink by squeezing some orange lemon or lime in there.

Why we need to straighten up

All though you might not have heard of “Upper cross syndrome” before, the condition is more common than you think and it could be having a very real and significant impact on your training and life in general.

By Suzana Talevski

Paul Bulatao, National Vocational Education and Training Manager at fitnessU, explains it like this: The Upper Cross syndrome is “the number one common condition of desk workers who display the symptoms of tightness of the traps, shoulder, headaches, tension headaches, shoulder pain, upper back, and neck pain.”

Presenting at FitEx , the conference for the fitness and exercise industry in New Zealand, Bulatao said “from the beginner to the advance client, it is essential that you address how each client holds their posture both at the gym and outside the gym. Without this assessment, you may be exacerbating further conditions and/ or not prescribing the most effective exercise program to both your client’s postural, health and fitness goals.”

“It’s a matter of balancing the imbalanced.”

Bulatao says addressing poor posture is a key in reducing the likelihood of injuries.

 

 

“Fitness professionals need to identify exercises or activities that may further exacerbate any postural variance. The neck, traps, chest and upper back muscles interplay with each other.

It involves identifying joints, muscles and connective tissues that may require strengthening and or stretching,” he says.

Bulatao says a postural assessment should be part of any fitness appraisal.

“The information gleaned from a postural assessment will not only guide exercise selection but it then allows a person to change the way they sit, stand and carry on their day to day activities whether at work, home or at the gym.”

So what are some general recommendations for helping “balance the imbalance?”

 

 

Do more:

·         Strengthen lower traps and posterior chain muscles

 

·         Stretch and open the thoracic cage (chest, shoulders) more often 

 

·         Take walks/ stand up from desk

·         Yoga/ Pilates

Do less:

·         Overhead exercises. e.g. shoulder presses.

·         Any exercises that may switch on or over activate the traps. e.g. shrugs, shoulder exercises, chest exercises, lat pull down, chin ups, cycling, rowing.

 

"Being a personal trainer is more than just having the knack for doing the right fitness exercise or giving the suitable program to your clients," says Bulatao.

 

You also have to be appropriately educated and qualified in aspects of anatomy and physiology."

 

For more information about a career in fitness visit www.fitnessu.com.au

 

 

Move it or Lose It is now online!!

Article  from  Gippsland media
Functional strength training for our senior population is now more accessible with one of Australia's most popular fitness programs Move it or Lose it going online.

The program, aimed at the elderly, combines body weight, free weight and chair exercises designed to keep our elderly population active and functional.

Suzana Talevski presents the program which also screens every Tuesday morning on Channel 31 at 8.30am.

"Being fit and healthy isn't just about weight loss or looking a certain way. It is so much more than that," the fitness presenter says. "It's about having a better quality of life, being more independent as you age and generally feeling good."

The program focuses on exercises that help us in every day function," explains Suzana who presents the program without fees.

 "For example core work, working with your abdominal muscles, will assist in getting up out of bed easier, it helps in sitting up properly and with greater ease. We need strong triceps and biceps to lift every day item such as grocery bags or to reach for something in the cupboard. It really is a pleasure to be able to reach so many through the television show and make a difference in those who need it most. It is very exciting to launch the program on line so even more people can access it not only in Australia but now right around the world.''

Ten episodes are now online and can be found on You Tube by searching Suzana Talevski

The tough love guide to gym etiquette ....IN PLAIN LANGUAGE

We’ve all been there before. We have all met them before. Maybe we have even been them at some point. Those people that seem to have absolutely no regard for anyone else expect themselves. But here’s the quick guide to gym etiquette in a bid to assist in minimizing “gym rage”.

By Suzana Talevski

·         Lack of personal hygiene

It really isn’t too difficult to find your way to the deodorant aisle in the supermarket. Familiarise yourself with its location pronto. Another big one here is the expelling of certain other body odours. Especially in a group fitness room where there may be minimal chance for escape by those around you…particularly for the instructor on stage who may be at the point where they need an oxygen mask.

 

·         Wipe off the equipment you just used

Although you may believe your sweat is a golden shine of fitness envy, the simple truth is most people won’t see it that way. Newsflash: No-one wants to bath in your fluids. It takes 10 seconds to wipe down the machine and keep the place a bacteria free zone.

 

·         Personal space

There is absolutely no reason at all to stand so close to someone that it looks like you are about to do the waltz together. If someone “pinched” your “space”, it really isn’t the end of the world. There have not been any scientific studies to prove that standing in “your” space will get you fitter, stronger, slimmer, etc.

·         Put your phone away

There is no reason for you to be staring at your phone for the duration of your work out. Unless it’s a medical pager or similar, there is every chance that you will survive the next 45-60 minutes with-out it. Be strong, you know it’s a fight you can win.

·         Dumping of equipment followed by loud grunting and then walking away

Breaking news: There is no magical gym fairy that will come and put all your weights back after you have used them. I’m sorry but they don’t exist. Do the right thing and do it yourself. Also, dumping your weights as hard as you can and grunting like you are doing a wild boar impersonation doesn’t necessarily demonstrate strength. Sometimes it just means the weights you are lifting may be too much for you and you’re on your way to injury-ville.

 

Yes we can go on and on but those who the top five results after an extensive survey (about as extensive as its gets when asking for input on Face Book)

Share this with your friends and let’s all have a happy and productive time at the gym.

 

Follow me on Twitter @SuzanaTalevski

 

Until next time,

Suzana xo

 

Taking it to the next level

You’ve hit a wall. Bumped your head on an invisible ceiling? It’s just not working anymore. What’s the difference between you right now and the image of a “better version of you” that you pictured when you started your fitness journey?

Let’s have a look at my Top 5 Training Tips for taking it to the next level of fitness…

1. Mix it up
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results – Albert Einstein
Mr Einstein makes a very good point here and one that cannot be overlooked. Tweaking your workout can be paramount to reaching your goal. Make sure you have include both cardio and strength training in your program as both have different benefits and a well measured program means you will be getting the most out of yourself. If unsure about how to do that speak to personal trainer who will devise a program for you. Throw in something different to the mix, something you haven’t tried before. Body Combat? Body Pump? Indoor rock climbing? As long as you are building up a sweat and the heart rate is up, you are burning calories.

2. Change your diet
Unfortunately just because you go to the gym most days doesn’t mean you can shovel whatever you like in your mouth. Sadly it doesn’t work that way. Regardless of your fitness goals you must factor in your diet and the small changes you can implement today that will ensure you start seeing differences again. Aim for fresh and natural food products and reduce sugars and processed foods. If unsure speak to a dietician who will devise and map out the best eating plan that matches your workouts and lifestyle.

  Try and get outdoors as much as possible on days off from the gym and STAY MOVING!

3. Enter a competition or team sport
This way you have a goal other than “changing your body”. Preparing for a competition, whether it’s a marathon/fun run or a weight lifting competition, means you will be adjusting your routine for a specific purpose and you don’t have to come up with new challenges for a while. Team sports are great as you will be motivated by your team mates and will push each other to new and exciting levels.

 

4. Write it down
You could be missing something really simple in your approach to your daily life that is having a serious impact on hitting that next level in your fitness journey. Keep a journal for a fortnight and record everything you are eating, drinking, the amount of time exercising, how you are exercising (and when) and how your energy levels are performing at various times.

5. Hire a trainer
There’s nothing like a fresh pair of eyes to reinvigorate and shake up a routine. A personal trainer will keep you accountable for what you commit to and can be a great motivator.
Let’s face it, you are more likely to turn up and try something new if you know someone is there waiting for you, expecting you to turn up and you are paying good money for it.

That's from me for now. If there is anything you want covered fitness wise let me know via your comments below. Love you to hear from you.
Until next time,
Be the best you can be and take care xx