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The unexpected happened at Michael’s Moonee Ponds class.

During the Monday morning Mums & Bubs session, baby Jarves was sitting on the rug with his older brother Casey (sons of Michelle M).  Both were enjoying a snack. As the younger sibling, Jarves copies everything that Casey does.

As the mums started boxing in close proximity to the bubs they could hear the sound of boxing gloves making contact with the focus pads.

The tune of the gloves hitting the pads morphed into a rhythm that got Casey bobbing his head as if he was dancing to a beat.

Not wanting to miss out, Jarves also starting bobbing his head in time to the delight of the group.

Perhaps a pair of musicians in the making?

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 recent study in the International Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has shown a positive correlation between the number of times people shopped and their health. Men who shopped on a daily basis had a 28% greater probability of living longer while women’s probability increased by 23%.

The study suggests that men have better results due to the psychological benefits of increased interactions with other people and engagement with their community, which traditionally men are less likely to do. Social engagement leads to greater happiness, which plays a big part in longevity.

The study used data obtained from 1,841 elderly Taiwanese people taken between 1999-2000. To get a true perspective of the health benefits of shopping the data set included the frequency people shop as well as their physical, social and economic status and their cognitive functionality. As one would expect the younger people in the group shopped more often.
Many of the benefits derived from shopping come from getting around and being on the move. Given the size and geographic distribution of many retail outlets in the shopping centers, shoppers often have to travel greater distances to reach the desired shops.

Of course, shopping is not the only way to get these great benefits and you shouldn’t rely on this exclusively for your exercise.

An alternative solution to the documented benefits of companionship and exercise you get in a modern shopping center with all the artificial light, devoid of anything natural, is to go for walks outside of these environments. Although it’s great that shopping can provide the motivation to engage in some form of physical exercise it can also be expensive.

It is far better for your wallet if you get healthy by enjoying your local neighborhood. We live in a day and age where we have the most advanced apparel to manage every conceivable weather situation be it heavy rain, extreme heat or freezing temperatures. So there really isn’t any excuse for not getting outside and going for a gentle walk with your friends, family or neighbors – and not just to the shop!

Shopping has evolved into a leisure activity with the modern shopping center operators happy to encourage increased patronage with glitzy and surreal surroundings. While the old adage “retail therapy” can be a bit of tongue and cheek, one can argue that there are more health and psychological benefits that provide a cheaper option than the stimulus provided by these artificial environments.

Very funny seeing some guys doing some Christmas dancing in the park in preparation for a surprise performance at their primary schools annual concert. With nice balmy weather conditions and plenty of enthusiasm will surely make this a big hit.

While there are many different activities conducted in the park I haven’t yet seen the West side story style dancing, well I would have to give hundred and 10% for their enthusiasm and attitude.

I guess a little alcohol may help to ease the nerves of practicing in public however this is not the recommended or ideal way of overcoming stage fright. Perhaps I can adopt some of their moves for one of our Fitstyler boot camp sessions:))))

Our local park has seen many activities recently, including the annual dogs Christmas party that saw a massive turnout.

With open space options becoming a scare commodity as increasing urban density places pressure on land usage, it’s great to see people out and about enjoying our magnificent parks.