Today, we hear a lot about the importance of losing weight, getting fitter but you do not know where to start? As an Ex-Iron man I understand that the right food and exercise is critical to success. I use the phrase "Look Good, Feel Great, Live Longer" and would like to pass this mantra on to you. I have created a program that will help you achieve this through simple changes that you can make to your daily routine. The program is tailored to your level of fitness (or lack thereof) and includes a suggested food plan. We start simple and as you become more active and fitter we increase the exercise and food requirements.

However, if you are thinking about starting an exercise program for the first time or commencing exercise after a long break and do not want to join our personalised program here are a couple of things you should do to ensure that your exercise activity is effective and safe:

Remember exercise doesn’t have to “hurt” to be good for you, in fact it shouldn’t. The key to an effective exercise program is consistency over time establish by a fitness and nutrition plan.

Aim to:

• Get some form of “aerobic” exercise 3-5 times per week for 20-40 minutes at a time (e.g. a brisk walk).
• Stretch at least 4-5 times per week. Aim to stretch all the major muscles of the body. Take the muscles to the point to discomfort (not pain) and hold for 20-30 seconds for an effective stretch.
• Aim to get 2-3 strength training sessions in per week – ideally with at least 1 day between each training session to allow ample recovery.
• Seek guidance from an appropriately qualified exercise professional – a university qualified exercise physiologist is your best option.

If you’ve been sedentary for a long period of time your first port of call before launching into an exercise program is discuss the matter with your doctor, particularly if:

• You are over 40 years of age.
• Have any history of dizziness, shortness of breathe, chest pain, heart palpitations, a heart condition, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels or any other medical conditions that may be of concern.
• If you’re pregnant.
• If you’re a smoker and/or over-weight.

Once you’ve got a clearance to start an exercise program follow some basic guidelines:

• Always warm up before getting into the main body of an exercise session.
• A warm up is designed to increase your body temperature and get blood flowing to muscles, tendons and ligaments to help avoid the possibility of strains and tears.
• Some stretching should be completed as part of a warm up to increase flexibility and range of motion around different joints.
• Keep your warm up fairly short – 10-15 minutes is ample.
• Once the exercise session is completed always cool down by doing some gentle exercise and some additional stretching.
• Cooling down helps remove waste products (e.g. Lactic acid) produced during the more intensive exercise bout.
• Cooling down helps return heart rate and blood pressure to resting levels slowly and progressively.
• Cooling down should only take about 10 minutes and helps to lower the possibility of post-exercise muscle soreness.

If you have any questions, please send us a question from the contact us.