Boot camp Melbourne

Although the fitness industry is booming, it’s still merely a minuet part of the overall success in achieving our ideal body. Therefore it’s important that we establish a healthy balance between our exercise routine and our behaviors beyond the training field. In this article I would like to share with you what I believe are some key elements in fast tracking your personal fitness goals.

Firstly, Nutrition 

Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet. Obtaining a healthy diet is like anything we do in life, it has to be balanced appropriately. Research suggests that the ideal ratio of nutrients within our diet should be distributed as follows; Carbohydrates 60%, Fats 20% and Proteins 20% - by doing this we are optimizing the potential to reduce our excess weight, based that our calorie intake is below calorie expenditure through maintaining consistent exercise.

Listed below are some basic principles that I believe will improve your chances of reducing your body weight and leave you feeling fantastic.

• Drink 500mls of water before each meal – Water has the ability to delay hunger, therefore by drinking water before our meals we tend to feel fuller earlier and therefore reduce our calorie intake.
• Bigger doesn’t always mean better! – Psychology is a very powerful tool and we can use it to influence how we perceive food. Try serving your meals on a smaller plate, by doing this you are creating an illusion. Your mental processors are accustomed to seeing what’s on your plate and gauging that against hunger. If the plate were to be smaller (smaller food portion) this mental perception would still apply even though our calorie intake remains low.
• Complex Carbs are the way – A complex carbohydrate is to consume foods in their most natural state such as oatmeal, beans, bran and brown rice. I generally follow the rule that if it’s white, it’s generally not right –i.e. white bread, caster sugar, potatoes, pasta(after 4pm) etc.
• Greens will keep you lean – Often anything green tastes horrible, but honestly it’s often the best source of nutrition. Green foods supplements can support most bodily functions, boost energy levels, and eliminate toxins such as heavy metals, which can weaken our tissues and lead to disease over time – it also boosts our complexion, leaving your skin glowing.

The title, “you are what you eat” is so very true, people who disrespect their bodies with processed foods and fast foods “junk” are highly probable to feel exactly the same way – horrible! It’s basic; if you can respect your body through a healthy diet I can almost guarantee you will feel a million dollars. The improvements won’t just be that of internal satisfaction; it will also show through on the outside – and trust me people will notice.

Secondly, Recovery

Often the neglected aspect of any training routine due to societies heightened perception of time management, whilst simply dismissing basic prioritization. Yet this lack of priority towards our health (recovery in this case) is often the most common course of absenteeism from our working lives. Isn’t it ironical that people’s perception of work as the essence of our livelihood is so heavily impacted on our health state, not just mentally but physically – this continues on with the statement that a “healthy body equals a healthy mind.” So why do we contradict ourselves by striving for that “perfect body” with poor health management? This issue extends beyond appropriate recovery, it stems to the overall treatment of oneself. So this leads us on to how can we actively improve our recovery without sacrificing vital time needed to complete the most t complex of tasks.

Musculoskeletal injuries are without a doubt the most prominent injuries in the fitness industry (damage to muscle tissue: strains and tears).The main cause of these injuries can stem from poor exercise preparation, previous injury management and more commonly overloading, due to the ever increasing perception of “body image” and the psychological construct that forms within that individual.

Listed below is the R.I.C.E principle, which is the most effective way to counteract injury through effective and efficient management should soreness appear after your Bootcamp session. (Elizabeth Quinn, 2011)

• Rest – If you are injured, stop playing, get medical attention if necessary and rest. Resting an injury is important immediately after injury for two reasons. First, rest is vital to protect the injured muscle, tendon, ligament or other tissue from further injury. Second, your body needs to rest so it has the energy it needs to heal most effectively.
• Ice – If you are using ice, choose a cold pack, crushed ice or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel to provide cold to the injured area.
• Compression – Compression helps limit and reduce swelling, which may delay healing. Some people also experience pain relief from compression.
• Elevate - Elevating an injury help control swelling. It's most effective when the injured area is raised above the level of the heart.

So hopefully this article has explained and demonstrated some key elements that will not only leave you feeling fantastic but ensures that your physical functionality dramatically improves through a healthy balance of nutrition and physical maintenance. Peoples adherence to fitness and exercise should not be influenced by external pressures (media perceptions etc.) it should come from within us – it should be a desire to change, to enjoy your exercise and ultimately achieve your personal goals.

Reference:

Elizabeth Quinn (2011) RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation Soft Tissue Injury First Aid; Treatment Tips for Immediate Sports Injury and Soft Tissue Injury First Aid)