Author: Eileen Bach-y-Rita, GCFP submitted by: Lyn Kennedy

Your brain loves to learn. In fact it thrives on acquiring new skills such as playing a musical instrument, learning a new dance or a new language. Your brain also thrives when engaged in an inner awareness activity, like meditation or a Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® lesson. In order to learn anything, you need to focus and pay attention to the task at hand. You need to move slowly and deliberately and think about what you are doing when learning a new motor skill. Without this focus and attention, you wouldn’t acquire…

I know I'm not alone in my concern for the health of Australians and I'm not the first (by any stretch of the imagination) to report on the seriousness of the issue. However, I believe that right now we are facing a 'critical' period that requires attention. Let me explain: As an owner of a Personal Training and Exercise Physiology studio in Adelaide I have on one hand experienced the effects of a tough economy over the first half of this calendar year, and unfortunately you probably have too. The combination of a number of factors have led to two…

We have all heard the statements ‘no pain no gain’ and ‘if it doesn’t hurt you’re not doing it right’. There is a mentality related to physical training and conditioning that has given us the belief that you can’t achieve any benefits from your training unless it’s hard work. What we’re not reminded about the injuries and other lasting physiological problems that can occur as a result of training too hard, for too long.

What is overtraining?
Overtraining is basically the result of excessive training combined with inadequate recovery which causes long term physical and emotional fatigue. There are various…

Muscle strength is of vital importance to keeping a healthy body. Your muscles have a variety of roles in your body including protecting your bones and keeping your body moving. In past decades the majority of people used their muscles on a daily basis with manual labor employment and lifestyles that required the use of more muscle activity. These days our lifestyle has become easier with the reliance of machines, remote controls and computers so as a consequence our muscles don’t get used like they used to. The effect this is having on our population and the western world is…

Lots of reasons, firstly walking is the most natural thing that we do, and from those first tentative steps we take at around 10 months old we strive to improve our mobility and go further, we are animals designed to travel long distance on foot and we carry instincts from our ancestors to explore, hunt, and gather. Some of us more than others, but who has not felt the satisfaction of climbing the hill to drink in the view. The second reason, is simply practicality, what do you need to begin walking? ... Just a door too open and a…

South African Callanetics is simply one style of Callanetics itself. It is a highly effective low impact exercise program that tones, shapes and slims the body. It creates leanness and strength without the bulky muscle build up. South African Callanetics is the most developed form of callanetics in that it has been adapted to be anatomically correct thanks to the work of Dr Christian Larson in Germany and is in keeping with national and international body science standards.

There is no stress on the joints or muscles and the results are seen remarkably fast. Most people see the difference in…

The human body undergoes extreme stress when undertaking regular and extreme exercise regimes. The stress response on the body involves deterioration in our immune defenses and overall recovery time between training sessions. Each type of sport or activity has varying degrees of strain placed on the body with varying recovery rates. However, there are ways in which the body can be stimulated to improve overall performance and decrease the occurrence of infection utilising an herb called Siberian Ginseng.

Many studies have been performed on athletes to decifer the way Siberian Ginseng enhances peak performance and enables the body to…

Jill Healy-Quintard of Body and Balance Pilates and Fitness answers Frequently Asked Questions.

Q(1) I have put on weight over Winter. Will I lose weight doing Pilates?

A. I am often asked this question and my honest answer is not with one Basic Pilates class per week being your only exercise. There needs to be some heart rate increasing activity and an increase in frequency of exercise to at least 3 times per week. A combination program such as walking/running and Pilates, swimming and Pilates or cycling and Pilates is excellent and when any fitness program is combined with the…

Three sure- fire excuse busters:

Are you finding it harder to get out of bed as winter sets in? Colder days make it harder to step outside and get moving and winter wardrobes can hide the effects of hearty warm meals. But it doesn't have to be like that.

1. Favourite Excuse No. 1 - It's too cold: - In winter we are tempted to look for all kinds of reasons to "Squib out" one of the most common reasons for giving up exercise is blaming the weather this takes the responsibility off your shoulders. After all, it's not your…

Over the past few years there have been more and more studies into the health and fitness benefits of regular, sensible strength training. Key researches have provided a wealth of information on the positive psychological responses to basic programs of strength exercises. Here are 10 reasons to strength train:
1 Avoid muscle loss. Adults who don’t strength train lose between 2.2kg and 3.2kg of muscle every decade. Cardiovascular exercises improve fitness but do not prevent the loss of muscle tissue. Only strength training will maintain muscle mass as we get older.
2 Avoid a slow metabolism.
Because muscle is a…

More than any other time in the year, throughout Spring, Australian TV is filled with advertisements for weight loss shakes, ab-machines and diet programs. And while many Australians guzzle diet drinks and slog it out on a treadmill to get into shape for Summer, one Australian weight loss coach says it’s all “goobeldegook”. In the lead-up to national Walk to Work Day, she asks: what ever happened to good old fashioned walking? Weight Loss Life Coach Maz Maclean, says put simply - if you want to burn fat, walking is the most convenient and most effective exercise available. And she…