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Your Guide to Eating Over the Holidays

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The holiday’s are a time to get together with friends and family to celebrate the year that was. More often than not these celebrations involve tasty food, alcoholic beverages and from time to time can be followed by a hangover. The catch with tasty food and alcoholic beverages is the sugar spike that it gives you, leaving you tired later after eating.

So, should you feel guilty about diverging from your usual eating and exercise regime over the silly season? Absolutely not. These holidays use our guide to eat smart, ditch the guilt, and enjoy some good festive food.

Eat Smart

Social gatherings often involve grazing platters full of cheeses, dips, crackers and processed meats. These platters can also be very high in calories and make it easy for you to eat over your daily energy requirements unknowingly. If you know that you have a tendency to set up permanent residence near the grazing platter, position yourself away from the food table to avoid continually snacking. Instead, grab a few of your favourites on a plate and walk away.

To help avoid overeating at parties have a meal rich in protein and/or complex carbohydrates before leaving home. This will have you feeling satisfied and less likely to overeat when out. This is also useful when alcohol is involved. After a few drinks, our best efforts to avoid high calorie foods (midnight kebabs I’m looking at you) can be diminished. Ensuring you’ve had something substantial before going out will help reduce those cravings.

And finally, when trying to eat mindfully over the holidays and confronted by many different food options, my golden rule of thumb is veggies first. Loading up your plate with vegetables or salad at social events is an effective way to ensure the meal stays relatively healthy and keeps you fuller for longer.

Ditch the Guilt (and Goals)

The more we restrict ourselves from something, the more we will want it. Ditch the guilt and indulge these holidays with a mindful approach. That is, eating well the majority of the time and enjoying that food or drinks that you normally wouldn’t eat. By allowing yourself these foods and not telling yourself no, you open up the doors to a healthy relationship with food that allows you to enjoy these treats a whole lot more.

While you’re at it, ditch any weight loss goal you may have over this period. The average individual gains 0.8 – 1.5 kg over the festive season according to Nutrition Australia, so chances are any weight loss goals you have in place during this time will be unsuccessful. The good news is, you can solve any weight gain after the holidays.

My Go-To Festive Foods

What if I told you that two shortbread biscuits has the same amount of calories as twenty prawns? Will the biscuits fill you up? Probably not. However, twenty prawns is a high protein option that will leave you feeling satisfied until your next main meal.

When making food decisions this festive season, take a “more bang for your buck” approach. Choose foods that will keep you fuller for longer than their low volume counterpart. A plate full of salad with a few slices of ham and a piece of bread is a far more substantial option than a slice of grandma’s Christmas cake or snacking all day on nuts and chocolate.

Summer salads are always a crowd pleaser and a simple, easy to prepare way to make sure there’s always a healthy option on the food table. Pair your salad with some lean meats or seafood such as barbecue chicken or roast turkey and you have a well-balanced healthy meal. Processed meats such as salami, prosciutto and chorizo have been shown to be carcinogenic and should be eaten sparingly.

For dessert, instead of reaching for high calorie treats that only provide short term satisfaction, fill up on seasonal fresh fruit such as watermelon and cherries.

Happy Holidays

The festive season only comes around once a year. Follow these tips to keep your health in check whilst still indulging guilt-free so you can come back from holidays refreshed and re-energised. If you want to get a better hold on your nutrition and achieve your goals in the New Year contact me. Don’t forget to get back into your routine as soon as you can, maintain your group fitness classes and make sure you are still going to your local gym. If you live in the Sutherland Shire, try out our Caringbah gym membership in 2023.

Written by Madeline Parsons, BNSc

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.

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How Strength Training can Lead to a Healthier, Happier You

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When you think of strength training you may think of beefed up gym junkies around a squat rack holding protein shakes. This is taking strength training to another level. But what if we told you strength training can play an important part in your life and lead to a healthier, happier you? Resistance training (aka strength or weight training) can increase muscle mass, reduce body fat, increase bone density and boost your mood. This type of training holds a place for all ages and fitness levels, here’s why.

 

Increase your strength and muscular endurance

As the name suggests, a major benefit of strength training is that it will make you stronger and increase your ability to train harder for longer. This is beneficial in the gym and also in day-to-day life. Performing resistance exercises and weight training regularly will help those daily tasks like housework, carrying groceries or picking up the kids become easier.

 

Strength training can help you maintain or lose weight

All exercise boosts your metabolism and assists in weight loss over time. With strength training, excess post-exercise oxygen consumption is higher than in aerobic (cardio) training. While it sounds counter-intuitive, this means your metabolism stays active and continues to burn energy (and therefore calories) after exercise. Because of this, strength training can help boost weight loss more than just aerobic exercise alone. When combining strength training with a well-balanced diet, a healthy weight and proportions can be easily achieved or maintained.

 

Assists with healthy bones

For older adults a decrease in muscle mass is a natural part of the ageing process. Less muscle mass means increased weakness and lower mobility, raising the risk of injury. Making strength training a part of your exercise regime increases bone mineral density in all ages to reduce the risk of arthritis and osteoporosis later in life.

 

Boost your energy levels and improve your mood

It’s no secret that physical activity elevates your endorphins, boosting your energy levels and lifting your mood. By building muscle, getting stronger and noticing changes to your body over time, strength training has been proven to boost confidence and self-esteem in men and women, leaving them to feel better about themselves. Not to mention that post workout pumped feeling!

 

Where do I start?

Does strength training sound like something you’d like to add into your routine but have no idea where to start? Getting help from an expert Personal Trainer is a good starting point. Your trainer can develop an strength-based exercise program tailored to you and your fitness level so you can progressively build your strength in a safe and supervised way. Many gyms also offer strength based classes in a group fitness environment. This option gives you regular sessions usually over 45 minutes with a range of equipment and focus day on upper or lower body.

 

The Body Factory’s team of Coaches and Personal Trainers are ready to help people of all fitness levels achieve their training goals. If you would like to find out more about strength training at The Body Factory, contact us via the information below.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.

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Do Fitness Challenges Work?

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Need to ramp up the intensity with some added accountability to make a real change? A fitness challenge over 8 weeks or 28 days could be the place to start.

3-Fold Effect

Fitness challenges have a three-fold effect, they allow you to take your workouts up a notch as well as giving you the chance to try a new gym and classes, they provide much-needed motivation. And most importantly they focus you over a shorter timespan to hit your goals and make change.

Clear Goal

Rather than aiming to simply ‘get fit’, to get the most from your challenge have a clear goal in mind be it losing weight or improving your cardiovascular strength. Signing up for a fitness challenge will help make you accountable over a measurable time frame with motivation to build the new habits that are vital to crushing your goals, habits are the fundamental to change.

Group Fitness Classes

Challenges are individual pursuits while training as part of a wider group, the good news is because of your personal your goal and effort they are suitable for all fitness levels. If you’re a beginner, start with 3 – 4 workouts a week and manageable weights, before increasing their weight and classes intensity as you feel fitter. If you’ve already got a solid workout routine, push yourself to increase your weights, or cardio throughout. Every week focus on a mini goal. For example, trying a different class, reducing the cheat meals, trying a morning class instead of evening. Or increasing your rep count in each class. This can help you push yourself to get a better result.

No Excuses

There are a lot of excuses why people can’t start or maintain a fitness routine. Common ones are I don’t want to commit to a gym. I don’t have enough time. I wouldn’t know where to start. Those are all concerns and why fitness challenges are an ideal way to start with the aim of boosting results and added advantage is you get to see and try a new gym, and the most popular classes and equipment knowing it’s for a shorter period.

Nutrition

If you genuinely focus during a challenge they can be very beneficial as they give you the opportunity to set and achieve physical or nutritional goals. A challenge can help to get the ball rolling, but it may not be enough to make lasting change with some suggesting it takes an average of 66 days for a new behaviour to become ingrained.

 

At The Body Factory, our Sutherland Shire fitness challenges run in spring, summer and winter each year with prizes up for grabs and a lot of other cool stuff. There are 55 group fitness classes are on every week with a range of different class types including HIIT, strength and boxing that are led by a variety of instructors.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.

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Taking the Plunge with Personal Training

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If you are a beginner to exercise or need a shakeup from your usual regime, investing in a personal trainer (PT) may be what you need.

Working with a PT is a great step towards achieving your health and fitness goals regardless of where you are in your health and fitness journey, here are our top reasons why.

  • They Are Your Chief Motivational Booster

PT’s live and breathe motivation. If you are feeling tired, unmotivated, or flat your PT is here to encourage you every step of the way.

If you’re a fresh face to the gym scene it may feel like you don’t know where to begin. Booking in with a PT is a great way to introduce you to the gym as well as boost your confidence and exercise knowledge.

Not only this but having a PT is also a commitment. Knowing you’ve booked in for a session each week will help you maintain motivation with your weekly exercise.

  • They Will Hold You Accountable

A PT will help you set weekly goals to work towards and check in with you regularly to see what you’ve done throughout the week to achieve these.

Knowing that you have someone checking in on how your tracking will help you stick to your program in and outside the gym.

  • They Will Push You Past Your Limits

It’s not uncommon to slip into the comfort zone when doing the same exercise regime for a while. In this zone, we often don’t see results because we aren’t working as hard as we could (or should).

A PT will break you out of your comfort zone, helping you to challenge yourself to keep improving and achieve some new personal bests.

  • They Will Teach You Proper Form

Learning proper techniques is critical in ensuring you get the most out of your workout. Performing exercises incorrectly can also put a strain on the wrong muscle groups and increase your chances of injury.

A PT will examine your movements and help you improve your form to maximise your progress and help prevent potential injuries.

  • They Will Help You Develop and Achieve Goals

Before your PT first session, they will help you decide your Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) goals.

Your trainer will use your SMART goals to develop a personal program, specifically for you. Developing SMART goals is a sure way to set realistic expectations for yourself and progressively work towards your fitness goals. These goals will change over time as you continue to progress in your fitness journey and your PT will adapt your program accordingly.

  • Yes it Costs, But…

These reasons are the great things that investing in a PT can do for you. Nothing is free but investing in your health is priceless.

Sign-up for personal training at The

Body Factory with our expert coaches and get 4, PT sessions and 4 weeks of group fitness all for $199.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.

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Sports Supplements for Athletes

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The world of sports supplements continues to evolve as the market broadens with new products hitting the shelves every day. Supplement companies aggressively bid for a slice of market share boasting bold marketing statements directed at results and superior quality. So what is the truth behind sports supplements and do they work?

Sports supplements were originally designed by pharmaceutical companies in order to provide athletes training and competing at the top level with an ability to grow, perform and recover at an optimal level. And also to sustain the demands of the physical demands associated with competitive sport.

Sports supplements define a category of products that support the naturally occurring components within our body and assist in driving processes internally such as muscular growth. For example amino acids can be described as the building blocks of muscle and contribute greatly towards growth and recovery among many other things. Although many amino acids are found within the body, supplements can also be taken to bolster their quantity for better training and competition.

Athletes are described as having a daily activity level well above that of the average person, in turn, causing far greater stress on the body with a higher nutrient content required to sustain activity at the desired level.

It is due to the training and competition load that suggests sports supplementation provides advantageous benefits, contributing to performance and recovery as a result of replenished nutrients required by the body to function efficiently.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.

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Are cheat meals ever ok?

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Well, here’s a topic that creates loads of confusion, plenty of debate and makes for a guilty conscience as though food murder has been committed.

So let’s tidy this one up and create some clarity around the cheat meal. As many of you can appreciate Monday to Friday can seem like an eternity when you’re limiting your calories, sticking to a plan and chasing a goal. You may be cutting carbohydrates, cycling macronutrients or perhaps a combination of a variety of dieting techniques that place pressure on the body both physically and mentally.

Regardless of your journey, that beloved craving at the end of the week draws closer as we approach the weekend. That ‘cheat meal’ becomes a reality through a response to temptation, perhaps a reward, or because you feel like you deserve it, and good on you!

So how bad is that meal for you? Given it’s a meal and not the start of a roller coasting day that finishes 48 hours later, it can only be positive. You’ve worked hard all week, you’ve seen progression and you have rewarded yourself as you said you would. Well done.

The reward aside, sanity through balance is everything. Your cheat meal serves as a great opportunity to find that balance, reset the system and draw a line in the sand prior to the start of another strong, successful block of consistent training and clean eating. There must be milestones and this is one of them.

Although they are cheat meals to some, to others, they are known as a ‘re-feed’. Equally as important the re-feed provides opportunity to activate and exercise important hormones internally like insulin (among many others). Insulin sensitivity is at all-time high, insulin responds rapidly and transports much needed nutrients to the muscle and other areas of the body, another win.

So – let us ask you, is the cheat meal negatively effecting you physically? Or mentally? If not then its is ok in our book.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.

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Why HIIT Training?

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Evolving Fitness Styles

There seems to be a new flavour every month when it comes to training fads and concepts. A new fitness institution or health club popping up on every corner or a coach preaching something new and improved to catch the attention of health & fitness enthusiasts.

A style and technique that continues to evolve is High Intensity Interval Training. A training method aimed at the passionate enthusiast is driving incredible results out of people right around the globe.

So what is all this fuss about, why HIIT? We’ll tell you why… As you can appreciate we have become impatient over time. We expect instant answers. Instant results. We want to sweat within seconds!

What is HIIT?

HIIT Training is a style that’s been designed to hit you square in the face from the first minute of the session, until you find yourself crawling out of the gym! A style of training that provides an interval window for maximum effort, followed by a break period to regather yourself prior to the next effort.

This method of training has proven extremely valuable and a sure thing for most of us time poor people – we are in the gym for 30-45 minutes and we leave like we’ve been hit by a bus – efficient right? Well sure it is, provided you manage and listen to your body. By this we mean the role the fatigue factor plays. Ensure that you balance your week by incorporating less intense sessions around the high intensity training and factor in adequate rest time.

It’s not only a time factor that has HIIT training training popping up all over the world, it’s the increased demand for RESULTS around body transformation! Through HIIT’s ability to increase metabolic rate & capacity, increase insulin sensitivity, and the huge role it plays on the improved levels of one’s cardiovascular fitness. HIIT is a huge contributor in the fight against weight gain and obesity issues.

High Intensity Interval Training our five ‘F’s’

  • It’s FUN
  • It’s FAST
  • You’ll get FIT
  • You’ll burn FAT
  • Train with FRIENDS

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.

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Gym Hygiene at The Body Factory

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Gym Hygiene Guidelines

At The Body Factory the health and safety of our members is our highest priority. We realise the ongoing coverage about COVID-19 is potentially unsettling and we wanted to let you know about the steps we are taking to keep health and safety standards high. We have:

  • Installed signage with best hygiene practice across the gym including washing hands, avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth and to stay awayfrom training if you are unwell
  • We have increased staff cleaning and wipe downs of the facility and equipment
  • Introduced pre-and post-training equipment wipe downs
  • Introduced policy that you must train with a towel (towels will soon be available for purchase at The Body Factory) that should be for your body when laying on a mat and also a sweat towel
  • Flooring, turf and carpets are being professionally cleaned
  • Toilets and bathrooms are well stocked with soap and hand sanitiser units are being sourced
  • We are introducing outdoor training session as well as online, at home workouts
  • Staff and trainers are being regularly briefed and updated about hygiene requirements
  • We are monitoring the Australian Government recommendations on good hygiene practice
  • Communication are regularly being released on our social media channels such as Instagram and Facebook

Australia’s Chief Medical Offer has stated that gym training is fine provided you practice good hygiene. NSW Health have also reinforced this message but suggest additional hygiene measures are required. These both include the regular washing of hands, avoiding touching the eye, nose and mouth and training with a sweat towel which we ask of all members.

You can be assured we are doing all possible to ensure the safety and well-being of our members and staff. If you have concerns, please contact us on the information below:

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.

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Live Online Training

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The Body Factory is the gym for holistic health and fitness in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, and you can now access our group fitness and personal trainers at home or anywhere in the world through live stream! Our Online Training Membership is now available, bringing you over 20 classes every week live via Zoom. Live Facebook and Instagram streams share our top tip fitness tips, at-home workouts are posted daily to our Instagram, and our YouTube channel is live.

– Live Online Training: Group Fitness classes are now available by live stream from The Body Factory. Classes are available Online Monday to Sunday led by all your favourite instructors, and no equipment is needed. Classes include HIIT to keep lean and fit, strength to build and maintain muscle and boxing classes with more variety on the way.

Live Online classes can be accessed via Zoom. Simply download the Zoom Cloud Meetings app free from the App Store, and set-up your free account. Contact us for the meeting ID login used to access the classes by emailing getstarted@thebodyfactory.com.au.

Short Challenges to go with our Online workouts for home are available on our Instagram story. Please also subscribe to our YouTube channel for more workout content. Please check our timetable regularly for class updates and Live Facebook and Instagram streams with all our top workout tips.

– Online Personal Training: Online and Zoom personal training sessions are available with the coach of your choice. These sessions allow you to train from home or anywhere you like and programs are also available. Please contact your coach to book your session.

If you would like to find out more about online training contact us on the information below. Let’s understand your goals and what is the right classes and training for you.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.

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28 Day MyZone Pairs Challenge

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The 28 Day MyZone Pairs Challenge is the perfect way to jump back into your post-isolation training regime in a fun environment by pairing up with a friend to take on this challenge that has $1,000 up for grabs.

Pair into male-female, or female-female teams to score MyZone Effort Points (MEPS) using their MyZone heart rate monitor and compete together against other pairs in the battle for first place.

Amongst the fun pairs will build their fitness levels and improve their cardiovascular fitness while training in the green, yellow and red MyZone heart rate zones. The MyZone heart rate monitor is included and there are also weekly bonus prizes to be won in class, along with a 28 day nutrition plan, two Saturday MEPS sessions and an end of challenge BBQ.

The challenge costs;
$99 for exisiting members with a MyZone Heart Rate Monitor
$179 for existing members needing a new monitor
$279 for non-members who need a monitor.

The MyZone Pairs Challenge and runs from 3/08 to 31/08 and more information can be found here. Contact Coaches Lyndal or Dane or email getstarted@thebodyfactory.com.au to confirm your spot today!  and we will see you there.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are entirely an opinion by The Body Factory or representative thereof and do not take into account your individual health, circumstances or needs. For personal guidance, you should contact us or other qualified fitness or health professional.