Melbourne Boot Camp

In a major step forward, we’re seeing fast food companies finally taking some responsibility and removing novelty toys from children’s meals.

With childhood obesity spiraling out of control we’re faced with the very real threat that, by 2020, 65% of our children will be overweight or obese.

What we’re seeing is a new generation of parents accustomed to the frequent consumption of takeaway food during their own childhood.

The placement of toys, novelty items and other pester-based items in children’s meals has long proven hugely successful in increasing patronage of fast food outlets. For instance, McDonalds has branded children’s play sets that include hamburgers and french fries.  Such  strategies are designed to build brand loyalty for life.

Until now, there has been  a great deal of resistance to the removal of such influential merchandising – a highly contentious issue for government health strategies. The bottom line? Removing novelty toys has a negative effect on profits.

But now it’s great to see things changing. Corporate Affairs Manager at KFC, Zav Rich, has lead the way, saying it was, “the right thing to do.”

What we’re witnessing is the slow realisation by  large multinational companies that their current model of using pester power to boost profits   not sustainable in the future. The time is nearing when the government will legislate to regulate those industries that sell food high in sugar, salt and fat.

I would be surprised if the other fast food players don’t foolow suit. Any reluctance to act responsibly will lead simply to government regulation.

What we need is for the government to follow recommendations from the National Preventative Health Task Force and ban the sale or promotion of toys and other novelty items to drive sales of products targeted at children.

Written by Andrew Talati

Your body’s performance is similar to that of a car.

We all know a higher quality of fuel gets better results.

Think about your car’s engine. If you use low-grade fuel (which blends additives and non-petroleum products with regular fuel) over a long period it affects the performance of your engine.

In time this leads to additional wear and tear of your engine parts.  This was experienced first hand  in Victoria some years ago when service station operators used non-petroleum based fuel blended with regular petrol because the product attracted less excise duty.

Try this simple (but potentially expensive) experiment.  When you purchase a new car use a higher grade fuel/petrol from day one.  After  12 months, switch to a lower grade petrol and see if there’s any noticeable difference in performance or reliability.

You’ll see that when you use a better grade fuel with higher octane you get greater performance.

Like your car, your body also works optimally when you put the right fuel in. Put garbage in and you get garbage out. To get greater performance  eat a healthy balanced diet filled with plenty of fruit, vegetable and lean meats, and minimal processed food.

And, like a car engine, we can initially fill up with lower grade fuel during the early parts of our life and everything appears to be okay.

But as we get older things start to break down. We become more susceptible to illness and  predisposed to the high-risk groups for developing certain diseases – cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or Type II diabetes.This is the cumulative effect of slow bodily deterioration over a long period.

The secret is to never become complacent.  Even if you’ve eaten a poor diet all your life without detrimental effects, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

Think of it like small deposits in a bank. In the short term there’s no noticeable improvement in your balance. But at some point, you will  get to a critical mass, particularly after the compounding effect of interest over time.

And if you decide later in life to open a bank account and start saving, you can still accumulate money.  However, there’s no guarantee you’ll have as substantial a balance after 10 years of saving compared to a lifetime of steady habits.

Written by Andrew Talati

Inspired Cadel’s second place rides in 2007 and 2008, and his 2011 Tour De France win, there’s been an increase in people getting on bicycles.

This is more evident with the creation of a new acronym – MAMIL, or Middle Aged Men In Lycra. While not the world’s most flattering term, it does highlight a growing trend.

While there have been many references to cycling being the new golf, you can’t ignore the blistering facts.  Cycling is currently undergoing a revolution in Australia.

The local distributor of BMC, maker of Cadel’s winning bike, has sold out of all the BMC paraphernalia like cycling jerseys and caps.

Gaelene Snelling, Vice President of St Kilda Cycling Club (SKCC), said, “There has been an explosion in the last two years.” The club has swelled from 350 in August 2009 to 650 in August this year.

Cycling Victoria – the governing body for both recreational and competitive cycling – has also seen a dramatic 300% increase in club memberships since 2007.  They now boast a staggering 8000 members.

It was amazing to see the huge crowd that turned out to honour Cadel when he made a brief detour to Australia before heading to the US for further racing. Usually such large crowds are reserved for footie parades or Olympians.  We’ve never seen them turn out for a single individual from a foreign cycling race.

With obesity and overweight numbers increasing, cycling offers an awesome way to keep fit, socialise with your friends and get outside the house or office.

At the turn-of-the-century cycling participation rates were extremely high as bicycles represented the primary means of transportation around Melbourne. With the advent of the motor vehicle and improved public transportation, the poor old bike was relegated to being a children’s activity.

We can look forward to continued growth with increasing participation in those riding bicycles and hopefully a corresponding decrease in those diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle )

Written by Andrew Talati

The weight loss equation is a fairly simple one, yet we all struggle to maintain a healthy weight range. Ultimately it comes down to sensible eating and making time for regular exercise.

Unfortunately, with our busy lives time is the one commodity that is always in short supply. However, here’s some simple strategies you can adopt to help”

1. Energy intake

a. Eat a balanced diet filled with plenty of fruit and vegetables, preferably locally grown rather than imported.
b. Start the day with a healthy breakfast, unprocessed muesli, fresh fruit or toast.
c. Avoid fast food for lunch. Take your lunch to work and put it in the fridge or office esky (as friend of mine in a senior position does).
d. Try cooking at least 4-5 meals at home per week, but avoid frying your food or using oils.
e. Eat at the dinner table rather than in front of the computer or TV.
f. Eat smaller portions more often
g. Have a snacking plan. Keep nuts and fruit at close quarters in case of emergency. This will help you keep on track when the vending machine seems like the only option.
i. Change your eating patterns. Avoid associating certain activities with eating, like watching TV or working on the computer. You can consume quite a lot in a short time when you’re not fully conscious of what you’re eating.
j. Avoid drinking sugary drinks such as flavoured waters and exercise recovery drinks.

2. Energy Expenditure

a. Become less sedentary. Walk to public transport, join a sporting team, catch up with friends by going for a walk rather than a coffee.
b. Incorporate exercise into everyday life. Take the stairs (make sure you don’t trip the fire alarm doors), park your car at the furthest point at any car park.
c. Get outdoors. Less couch/chair time means more activities outside of the house.
d. Buy a bike for local commuting and travel. It’s two benefits for the price of one.

Finally, the key to any energy expenditure or intake plan begins with the commitment that this is what you really want to do. If deep down you’re really quite happy keeping the status quo, then any attempts to change will always be an up hill battle.

Written by Andrew Talati

A funny fitness story emerged during the usual volleyball game – Michael’s pre-session warm-up at Moonee Ponds Bootcamp.

“Before each session, we play volleyball until everyone arrives,” Michael explains.

“Last night we were mucking around and a Fitmate, Paul Hammond, arrived, dropped his keys off as per usual and got ready to join in. As soon as he moved into the field of play, a volleyball accidentally deflected and hit him in on the side of the head. It swiftly rebounded to Fitmate Belinda who managed to keep the ball in play. We ended up getting the highest score for the night!”

Even a ball to the head couldn’t stop these Fitmates from achieving a win during a Fitstyler workout!

There have been some very funny incidents recorded about unusual things happening. One of my favourites was during an amateur 400m sprint.  As a school kid was running, the cap he wore  blew off, performed 2 somersaults and landed on the head of the guy behind. No body missed a beat and the kid went on to win the race.

Written by Andrew Talati