Melbourne Boot Camp

While waiting at the airport I noticed a lot of people weighing their luggage before checking in to ensure that they didn’t go over the allocated 25kg.

So I though it was a good opportunity to try some bicep curls while we were waiting using the luggage measuring device. To actually use this device requires quite a bit of strength if you are nearing the allocated weight allowance.

Provided that you have the core strength to correctly brace to protect your lower back, these bicep curls can be a great way to utilise the time spent waiting in the queue.

Utilising the weighing device adds an additional dimension to the degree of difficulty as the handle from the device moves around like a seesaw which requires the use of your core muscles to stabilise, especially bracing with your transverse abdominus. By merely trying to suspend the suitcase off the ground, you can activate those core muscles.

At all times ensure you have the correct posture, ie a straight back, chest out and shoulders back. If you cannot sufficiently brace from below the belly button, you will transfer the load to lower back using the external lower back muscles such as the Erector Spinae and the internal lower back support muscles such as the multifidis.

You can either hold the suitcase or weighing device with a clenched fist with your fingers tips and palm facing the ceiling to perform a traditional bicep curl or by holding the handle or weighing device with the fingers tips and palm facing down, you can perform a reverse bicep curl.

The bicep curl predominately uses the large bicep muscle (bicep brachii) while the reverse bcep curl uses the bicep muscle (bicep brachii), Briachiradialis as well as the muscles just below your elbow (all the wrist flexing muscles – Extensor digitorum, Extensor carpi radialis brevis).

So this suitcase actually weighed 21.5kg so maybe start trying this with your cabin luggage first:))

A recent study reveals the correlation between overweight/obese parents and the incidence of childhood obesity.

A study published in the international “Journal of Obesity” based at the University of Queensland found a strong link between a parent’s BMI (Body Mass Index) and his/her child’s BMI.

While the study didn’t conclude whether fathers or mothers had more impact on their children’s weight problems, it did discover that a mother with a BMI in the healthy weight range combined with an overweight or obese father  resulted in a significantly higher rate of children (age between 8 – 9 years old) being overweight or obese.

The study done by Dr Emily Freeman found this may be the result of fathers who are poor role models when it comes to exercise and dietary habits.

While the issue of childhood obesity is a complicated one, other studies have revealed that – by their teenage years – an overweight or obese child will set his or her body’s blueprint for life.

This means that if a person tries to lose weight later in life, they will be subjected to a yoyo style of weight gain and loss as the body seeks to reach its original position of equilibrium.

No matter what studies are undertaken, it’s imperative for the future health of our children that this global epidemic is given more attention.

While traveling in Asia I came across a group of people performing the ancient Chinese art of Qi Gong – designed to improve your health, longevity and vitality.

Originating 4000 – 5000 years ago, Qi Gong involves similar techniques to Tai Chi, which focuses on slow breathing and co-ordinated movements.

In Qi Gong, the main focus is on a breathing technique that helps stimulate the organs through improved oxygen flow, which in turn aids the kidneys, lungs, liver, spleen and the heart.

Benefits include better management of stress-related disorders, chronic fatigue, headaches, intestinal problems, chronic pain, high blood pressure and even the treatment of cancer.

By focusing on the body’s alignment and movements, it is claimed Qi Gong formed the basis of many martial arts techniques, although it has no self-defense element itself.

By improving the body’s self awareness and proprioception (the co-ordination of all 5 senses in concert), Qi Gong can also improve your balance.  This has ongoing benefits for the elderly who are often more prone to falls that lead to broken bones.

When incorporated into a healthy lifestyle – a balanced diet, regular exercise and a positive attitude – Qi Gong practitioners experience an overall improvement in their wellbeing.

There are many myths surrounding dietary fat – some are good and some are bad.

In general many believe that eating fat is bad for you. While it’s true that an excess of anything (be it fat, alcohol, take-away, even exercise) can be bad for you, eating fat is not always a bad thing. In fact, a certain amount of fat is necessary to keep your body healthy.

Saturated fat is bad for you
If you ask most people they will tell you that saturated fat is bad for you, that it causes heart disease and cancer and increases your cholesterol levels.

While this is true to some degree, saturated fats alone are not the sole cause of these problems.

In years gone by we ate a lot of saturated fats (think bread and dripping) – roasts and other meats with hunks of fat, bacon and eggs for breakfast, cakes and biscuits made with butter, eggs and whole milk, butter or dripping on everything.

Yet, compared to today, our grandparents were healthier. Back then, wholefoods were the order of the day, as was regular exercise gained housework, manual labour and walking to your destination.

Although eating too much saturated fat can raise your cholesterol levels or contribute to heart disease, it’s more likely to be a problem for those who also consume a lot of take-away food, drink too much alcohol, avoid exercise and smoke.

If you follow a diet that is rich in healthy, wholefoods with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrains and good quality meats, combined with regular/daily exercise and moderate amounts of alcohol, then it’s safe to eat foods high in saturated fat providing they are natural (eg. whole milk, eggs, butter, meats and poultry).

Cholesterol causes heart disease
This is a popular myth that has been circulating for over 30 years. It’s one of the primary reasons for the creation of low fat diets in the 1970s.

It’s true that cholesterol can increase the build up of plaque in your arteries. However, high cholesterol levels are often the result of an over-production of cholesterol by the liver rather than eating too much saturated fat.

Many are unaware that the body makes cholesterol in the liver and will match what you eat. Also, those with high cholesterol levels often (there are some exceptions to the rule) lead lifestyles that contribute to higher cholesterol levels – ie. they’re inactive, eat excessive amounts of highly processed foods and drink too much alcohol.

If you’re leading a healthy lifestyle – regularly exercise and a diet high in fibre, healthy fats, wholegrains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats – then it’s unlikely you’ll develop heart disease (unless it runs in your family).

Dietary fats make you fat
Fat itself is not a bad thing. In fact, fat contains fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and helps to protect your internal organs, lubricate your joints and keep your skin supple.

Although it’s easier for the body to convert excess fat to body fat, your total daily calories  are more likely to be the cause of excess weight then the amount of fat you eat.

Everyone needs a certain amount of calories each day to maintain their current weight. To lose weight you need to eat less/exercise more to create a calorie deficit each day. However, if you go over your required daily calories on a regular/daily basis, then you will gain weight regardless of whether the excess calories came from fat, carbohydrates or protein.

Fat myths are just that – myths.

While there’s always some truth to a myth, it’s important to remember that dietary fat (including saturated fat) is beneficial to your health. Rather than worrying about the amount of fat you eat, focus on eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly instead.

Written by Andrew Talati

In an age of information technology where we have a plethora of gadgets for this and that, a new study has revealed that more people than ever are working overtime.

This new trend is driven by employer purchased phones and laptops, which leave employees feeling pressured to remain on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Things are getting so serious that the study by the Australian Institute has created a new term: Time Pollution.

Time pollution
The Australian Institute study has shown that the line between personal time and work time is becoming more and more blurred, leading to a phenomenon it dubs ‘time pollution.’

According to the Institute, time pollution occurs when a worker’s personal time is eaten up or ‘polluted’ with work demands, driven by the creation of flexible work hours.

Workers on call 24/7
Despite our long-held notion of a 40 hour nine to five working week, many employees are now finding themselves on call 24/7.

As the demands of work and employer expectations rise, employees spend more time working from home in addition to the office.

The main culprits of time pollution and round the clock work hours are bosses themselves. The Australian Institute study found employees provided with  laptops or smartphones by their bosses  were more likely to feel they were constantly on call – often producing devastating effects on their health.

In fact, the study found that more than 6.8 million Australians are working during their personal hours.

Work life intrudes on personal life
One of the advantages of gadgets like smartphones is that they allow you to access emails anywhere, anytime.

The biggest disadvantage, of course, is that means you can access your work emails during your private time.

Thanks to technology, the line between work hours and personal hours is extremely blurred. We no longer start and finish at a set time or only have access to work information while in the office.

Technology now allows us to work from home or other remote destinations – which means we are more likely to work  in personal settings.

While the ability to work from home is certainly advantageous for some, for others it means always being at work.  It can therefore become difficult for employees  to distinguish between being at work and being at home.

The distraction of technology
Today’s technologies are often addictive and distracting. Email, SMS and phone calls, not to mention Facebook and Twitter, can make it more difficult for us to focus on our work, regardless of whether we’re working from home or in the office.

We’re regularly required to answer emails immediately regardless of the time of day, while the need to check our friends’ Facebook status can prove an addiction all of its own.

At no point in recent history has there been so many distractions fighting for a worker’s attention. This could be a primary reason why many employees find themselves working overtime at home in order to ‘catch up’ on work left unfinished during work hours.

Email over family
According to a study by Cambridge University, family life is taking a backseat to email and social media.

Gone are the days of family dinners to catch up on the family gossip – these days emails, SMS and status updates are used to keep family in the loop.

As a result, family members spend too much time each day catching up on personal emails and social media, distracting them from valuable family time.

Whether we like it or not, more of us are spending more time at work (unpaid) even when we’re at home. This not only impacts on our health but our social wellbeing too.

While it can be difficult to ‘switch off’ from work, especially if you’ve got a company phone and laptop, it’s important to do so for your physical, mental and social health.

So next time you find yourself checking your work email on a weekend, stop and tell yourself you’ll deal with it on Monday. You’ll be glad you did.

Written by Andrew Talati