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Are you in the
2% Club?
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A recent study showed that of 2000 people, only 2% chose the stairs when an elevator is available. Have we become too comfortable?
Exercise isn’t a new concept; we have simply adapted it with technology. At one point, there was no need for the regular structured activity we now refer to as exercise. As technology made our physical lives easier, many began to notice that they were feeling unwell due to a lack of movement. I suspect someone thought it was a good idea to schedule activity, perhaps using the machines we invented.
Unfortunately, for many, the idea of structured exercise can be challenging and unappealing, which is perfectly understandable. Ultimately, it wasn’t intended to be this way.
So, if organising scheduled exercise isn’t your thing but you’d still like to tap into some of its benefits, consider adding incidental activity to your week.
For most people, this approach does the job!
8 April Strategies
🫀 Stairs – everytime you see em, take em!
🫀 Park the furthest away from the shops – push the trolley, and find one with dodgy wheels - the ultimate workout!
🫀 Shopping bag farmers carry – pick up as many shopping bags as possible – really load up – make it a one trip maximum lift. If you reach the kitchen bench and haven’t broken the eggs, you win!
🫀 Standing meetings – heck – schedule a walking meeting (the response will be hilarious).
🫀 20 min stand-ups – set your alarm to buzz every 20 minutes – get up – stretch your back – sit back down again.
🫀 Mowing the lawn & gardening – within reason, take off the grass catch and bang out the rake workout. OMG, raking is so good for your core muscles.
🫀 Clean windows – manually – no squeegee – spray & hand towel. The ultimate shoulder workout.
🫀 Car Buff – “Wax on, wax off” Yep, get those elbows into it! And, while you’re at, ‘sand the floor’ and ‘paint the fence’. If you grew up in the 80’s this will make sense!
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Why Step-Ups & Hip Hinging Work!
Your strong hips are your hub! Your centre of mass – they matter!
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In fact, with aging, your hip strength & integrity become life-supporting. The facts are, if you fall and fracture your pelvis after the age of 60 years, which, let's face it, can happen easily enough, you face a 35% chance of dying within 12 months! Yikes!
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One of the best exercises for keeping your hips strong and healthy is step-ups.
Step-ups can offer a significant return on investment, and can easily tailored for your safe progression. Fitting step height, repetitions, stepping speed, and even the load you wish to carry, can all be adjusted to benefit you.
Step-ups - that are a life obstacle - are beneficial because they are simple, versatile exercises that strengthen the lower body muscles (quads, hamstrings, glutes), improve balance, enhance core stability, and promote functional fitness. They can also be easily modified for different fitness levels.
𓊍 Start with a small manageable step height.
𓊍 Practice 2 x 10 on each leg in 4/7 and build up to 4 x 15 on each leg.
𓊍 Be conscious to maintain balance and full control - oh, and be sure to hinge your knee 'behind' your 'stepping' foot.
𓊍 Be soft on your return to base.
𓊍 And be certain to brace and engage both your bum muscles and your core muscle groups.
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Returning to 1970’s metabolism.
1970s: flares, pastels, platform heels, catchy bassline riffs, cricketers with open-neck shirts and moustaches, and lean body shapes.
Why the leaner body shapes, especially when we knew little about carbohydrates, calories, and gyms were not common?
Economic factors limited excessive, wasteful, and unnecessary 'food' consumption. Preparing (real) food was a task - enjoyed more often in the company of others and free from screens - while heavily industrialised food remained primarily an American phenomenon. 'Food' advertising was limited.
With food being increasingly more widely available, heavily promoted, and cleverly industrialised—making it (palate-friendly) & cognitively appealing, addictive, and preserved—it's clear that food economy and accessibility are not going away anytime soon. Therefore, we need a better approach than simply advising people to “just don't eat and move more.”
For many, satiating the appetite for long periods of time seems like metabolic utopia. If one can live and energize in a healthy state of ketosis—where the body uses stored fat for energy instead of glucose—appetite regulation appears to occur naturally, leading to the consumption of the right foods in the right amounts.
Healthy ketosis explains why most people don’t crave chocolate upon waking; the brain doesn't need sugar when it's fueled by stored fat, thanks to the fasting state experienced during sleep.
My main strategy for naturally regulating my appetite is to prioritise protein first, then add some healthy fats, and only if I am still hungry, include some carbohydrates. Additionally, it's best to avoid any foods that have had their taste, colour, or aroma significantly altered or artificially created. These food-like options appear to throw the natural appetite to favour further sub-optimal choices.
Oh, and like the 1970's, don't store sub-optimal food in your house! If you return home from work frazzled, and there's no munch food in the house - you ain't getting in the car on route to 7/11.
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Digestion Time
~ give or take, and all things being relative.
Based on the article above, with extended satiation time being the best for most, note the typical digestion times listed below.
Soft Drink
3 mins
Fruit Juice/ Drink
10 mins
Fruit – like banana, mango & grapes
15 mins
Fish
45 mins
Egg
60 mins
Cooked Veggies
90 mins
Beef
2 hrs
Milk products like cheese
2 hrs
Avocado
2.30hrs
Nuts & Seeds
3hrs
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♀️ The April 'Respect Program' is loaded!
Again, if you hate gyms, can't get to pilates, and love the idea of practising safe, short & entertaining 'resistance' exercise in your own time, then you'll enjoy the 15-minute Monday, Wednesday, & Friday sessions this April. The focus is always on postural tone & strength, hormonal balance, and feeling great!
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♂️ Pampy's Man Club - April set is loaded!
With only 17% of blokes (40+) practising structured and fitting daily movement, it is clearly damn hard to hit routine. The monthly P Club routine makes it simple, lifestyle friendly, and fitting, and aims at keeping the joints greased & oiled, burning fat, and keeping you away from the Doctor.