Three Rs

Great news! It's getting colder, which means it's time for Winter Warrior! Below are the key dates for your diary and next week's newsletter will be dedicated to how it will work.

Sunday 16th June: Afternoon drinks to kick off the competition

Monday 17th June - Saturday 11th August: Opportunity to show up, stay fit and strong, and win prizes!

Friday 16th August: Dinner to celebrate and announce the winners

If you're in the habit of showing up for yourself 2-3 times a week, we encourage you to hold onto that habit. Be clear on your goals and create little routines that get you there. Some days this means making a hard decision, but you won't regret it. Its much easier to show up on a cold day, than it is to rebuild the habit when the weather is warm again. Just look what you could be missing - working alongside these guys! 

The final point from our body composition overview looks at rest, refueling, and re-hydration. 

Rest - Adequate sleep and rest are essential for muscle recovery and growth. Lack of sleep can increase stress hormones, which can lead to muscle breakdown and fat storage. Rest can also be considered in the context of periodised exercise, which we will consider in greater depth in a few weeks. 

Refueling - After workouts, your body needs nutrients to repair and build muscle. Consuming a balanced meal or snack with protein and carbohydrates within two hours of a workout, helps replenish glycogen stores and supports muscle recovery.

Re-hydration - Hydration is key for optimal performance and metabolism. Dehydration can impair exercise performance and hinder muscle recovery. Drinking enough water throughout the day is vital for maintaining hydration levels.

Overall, prioritising these aspects ensures that your body has the resources it needs to build and maintain lean muscle mass while minimizing fat storage, leading to improved body composition.

Poppy would love your company in Balmain tomorrow morning. Here's the week in pictures. Have a great weekend!

Exercise Review

Glute Bridges

Another one for the runners (and everyone else): Glute bridges are excellent for activating and strengthening the core and lower body, promoting better posture, hip extension and power generation from the glutes. By stabilizing the core and lower back muscles, they reduce the risk of injury, offer relief from back pain and enhance athletic performance.

Glute bridges are one of the best exercises for counteracting the effects of prolonged sitting, and can be done anywhere with no equipment!

Aerobic AND Resistance Training

Happy Friday everyone! 

This week we're pleased to officially welcome newcomers Evan and Elyse to the Balmain group. We look forward to training with you in the park, and including you in this fun and supportive community. 

Andy has been informed that the NEW t-shirts will arrive next week. He'll get them out to you asap. 

Its great to see some beautiful clear mornings, even if they're a little fresher. Make sure you're making a training plan for the week and sticking to it as much as you can. Prep yourself (and your gear) the night before, so there aren't any decisions to make in the morning, and just get it done. You won't regret it. 

Back to body composition! Aerobic (cardio) and resistance (strength) training are both essential for improving body composition. Here's why:

Aerobic Training

1. Fat Loss: Aerobic training is effective for burning calories and reducing body fat. It increases your heart rate and energy expenditure, which helps create the calorie deficit necessary for fat loss.

2. Metabolic Rate: Regular aerobic exercise can boost your metabolism, helping you burn more calories even at rest. This can contribute to more significant fat loss over time.

3. Mental Health: Aerobic activities can reduce stress, anxiety and depression, which indirectly supports healthier eating habits and lifestyle choices that benefit body composition.

Resistance Training

1. Muscle Growth: Resistance training is crucial for building and maintaining muscle mass. More muscle mass increases your basal metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories even at rest.

2. Body Shape and Tone: Resistance training helps shape and tone your body, creating a more defined and muscular appearance. This contributes to a lower body fat percentage as muscle tissue is denser than fat.

3. Bone Health: It increases bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. This is especially important as you age.

As illustrated above, both modalities have a significant role to play in altering body composition, and the combination of the two can lead to greater fat loss than either form of exercise alone. A varied exercise routine that includes both aerobic and resistance training is also more engaging and sustainable over the long term, helping to maintain consistent exercise habits. Together, they provide a holistic approach to fitness, enhancing overall health, physical appearance, and functional capacity.

Andy will be at Balmain tomorrow, bright and early! Not too many photos this week, but it's great to see the battle ropes out again. Wishing you all a warm and relaxing weekend! 

Exercise Review 

Running

Even if you have no plans to put your hand up for a half marathon (or triathlon) any time soon, chances are you are doing a small amount of running when you turn up to Daybreak. Improving your running technique can obviously increase your speed, but it can also make a big difference to how you feel while doing it. If you want running to feel more natural and effortless, this is a good place to start.  

Back to Basics

That's another week wrapped and only two weeks left until winter... I'm sure there'll be something fun in the works, so watch this space!

It looks like many of you were enjoying the session on Tuesday. I love this photo - smiling through the pain?  

Last week we looked at crowding, cloaking and the importance of water in assisting you to achieve better nutritional outcomes, eating more of the good stuff and maintaining stable blood sugar. This week we'll wrap up our food-based chat with some basics:

• Eat slowly and mindfully to improve digestion and pay attention to fullness cues. Try putting cutlery down between mouthfuls and avoiding screens at mealtime (TV, computer AND phone).

• Hunger vs appetite: Hunger is the hollow feeling that signals a physical need for food and may be accompanied by reduced energy. Appetite is the psychological desire for food, often linked to emotional comfort, celebration, distraction etc. An example is when you've had enough dinner but you'd still like dessert. The latter is appetite. If you'd love a pastry with your coffee but would turn down an apple, then you probably aren't actually hungry. This is not to say you should forgo the pastry, it's just helpful to be able to tell the difference so you can make choices that align with your goals. 

• Know when to stop: If fat loss is your goal, try to stop eating when you are satiated rather than full. Look for 7 out of 10, at which point you should feel comfortable to get up and move right away. If your goal is muscle gain you'll need to eat a bit more. Look for 9 out of 10. You should be less comfortable and keen to rest after eating.

• Protein portion sizes: While hunger cues should be guiding the amount of food you eat, it can be helpful to know how much protein to include. As a general rule, a protein portion should be the size and thickness of your palm.

Lastly, perfection is the enemy of progress. Enjoying food, friends, family, holidays etc are all important and should be embraced. Sometimes being really busy or stressed might mean its not practical to stick to a program for every meal. Making good choices as often as possible, is enough to effect change over time. Many suggest an 80/20 approach, where 80% is aligned with your goals and 20% is grace to enjoy life. The more you adhere to healthy eating habits, the faster you're likely to see the changes you hope for. It's all about balance. 

Poppy will be on deck in Balmain tomorrow! Photos below as always. I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Exercise Review

Plank

This highly effective full-body exercise targets the abdominals, obliques and lower back, while also engaging the shoulders, arms and legs. By strengthening the core, planks improve stability, posture and spinal alignment, reducing the risk of back pain and enhancing overall balance and coordination. The video below does a great job of illustrating good technique, and offers a regression as well as a number of progressions - something for everyone!