Are you ready to Exercise Your Potential?

What can we do for you?

• Improve your health and fitness regardless of your age and fitness level

• Lose or gain weight

• Recover from an injury or medical condition

• Improve your body shape, especially after pregnancy

• Sports strength and conditioning and Injury Prevention

Do you get the warm, fuzzy feeling?

I had an experience this week. It brought up feelings that we don’t get to feel all that often. It was the kind of feeling that lets you know, even though you know you’re a drop in the ocean, you’ve still made a bit of a ripple.  

So after putting out a friendly request to clients for testimonials to update the Exercise Your Potential website, I received a few really good ones that really made me stop and think. You can guide people through the training sessions day in and day out and after a while it almost seems like a real job – and then after reading how much of an impact you can have on someone’s life, the passion came flowing back for me. (Although it was really always scratching just below the surface.)

This is a testimonial from my longest standing and one of my hardest working clients AJ: 

“I began training with EYP in January 2010. Before I began I was only ever motivated to complete short spells of healthy living. IE a few weeks of the gym here and a couple of days of good eating there. I always found it so difficult to maintain any sort of ‘normal’ lifestyle change or to set goals and actively work towards achieving them.

EYP is different to other approaches I have taken or I have heard of. In my experience EYP gives insight into what it takes to live a healthy life as opposed to selling an instantly gratifying health or weight loss solution. More to the point EYP is quite the opposite, teaching you that there is no quick or easy way to improve your health and fitness, more so that improvements to health and fitness are achieved over time and through education.

Before working with Kyle from EYP it became apparent to me at the age of 24 my weight and unhealthy lifestyle was becoming an increasingly severe health issue as opposed to merely a cosmetic or “can I fit in to these jeans” issue. I was always incredibly worn down and was frequently struck with colds and flus and any other bug that was going around, I led an inactive lifestyle with an office job, smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, washing those smokes down with a case of beer on the weekend and would break into a sweat walking through a Westfields’ Car park in Winter. Since I commenced working with Kyle from EYP twice weekly I have:

1. Lost 35 Kg’s and counting

2. Been smoke free for four months

3. Ran the City to Surf in under 100 minutes.

4. Decreased my Health age from 33 years old to 23 years old.

I used to think that I could achieve these things later in life and that I could keep going with my unhealthy lifestyle. EYP drives you to think differently and recognise that small steps can lead to big steps and big steps leads to big achievements not that a small step can simply lead to overnight improvements. Also EYP teaches you that there is no better time than right now to Exercise.

For an environment where you are taught to exercise and reach your own potential rather than just being driven for a really tough one hour of training which is what a few colleagues have advised me that other trainers are like I wouldn’t go past recommending Kyle from EYP.“

Thank you to AJ and all my other clients! Your dedication and commitment have made my job so enjoyable and rewarding!

To see what others said about EYP, check out: The Testimonial Page

The answers you need to know! Is your health lacking? Take these short quizzes to find out…

General Health

BMI – Body Mass Index

Most people have heard of the BMI and although it is far from a gold standard test, it can still be an indicator of poor health. Generally, the higher above 25 a BMI score is, the more chance there is of developing a Chronic Disease.

Take the test: http://www.wfubmc.edu/patientsAndVisitors/healthCalculators.aspx?cid=1

Waist To Hip Ratio

Because we know fat held around the waist is more damaging than fat held around the hips, if you can get someone to take your waist and hip measurements you’ll be on your way to knowing how at risk you are of developing a Chronic Disease. Men should aim for < 0.9. Women should aim for < 0.75.

Take the test: http://www.wfubmc.edu/patientsAndVisitors/healthCalculators.aspx?cid=6

Getting enough exercise?

Take the test: http://familyfitnessexpert.co.uk/are-you-doing-enough-exercise.html

Getting enough sleep?

Take the test: http://www.wfubmc.edu/patientsAndVisitors/healthCalculators.aspx?cid=18

Too stressed out?

Take the test: http://www.wfubmc.edu/patientsAndVisitors/healthCalculators.aspx?cid=19

Psychological

Self Esteem

Something that everyone has had trouble with at one time or another but correlates well with amount of exercise being done by the individual.

Take the test: http://discoveryhealth.queendom.com/self_esteem_abridged_access.html

Depression

Also closely related to exercise.

Take the test: http://www.wfubmc.edu/patientsAndVisitors/healthCalculators.aspx?cid=15

Nutritional

Daily Fat Intake

Take the test: http://www.wfubmc.edu/patientsAndVisitors/healthCalculators.aspx?cid=9

Getting enough Fibre?

Take the test: http://www.wfubmc.edu/patientsAndVisitors/healthCalculators.aspx?cid=10

Poor Attitude to Eating

Take the test: http://testing.river-centre.org:591/fmi/iwp/cgi?-db=EAT&-loadframes

For the Smokers

Nicotine Dependency

Take the test: http://www.wfubmc.edu/patientsAndVisitors/healthCalculators.aspx?cid=16

Cost of Smoking

Take the test: http://www.wfubmc.edu/patientsandvisitors/healthcalculators.aspx?cid=14

Don’t forget, these quizzes are at best estimations and guides. For a comprehensive Health or Fitness Assessment and Report speak to Kyle: kyle@exerciseyourpotential.com.au . Assessment and Reports, (along with 1 extra session, an exercise program and a consultation) come free when you purchase a 10 Session Pack with Exercise Your Potential!

Pic Source: http://www.komonews.com/news/consumer/83312442.html

Inspiration – 5mins, 120 pounds, this may just change your life too…

 

So, I don’t know if it was the cool breeze coming through the window or a piece of something that got caught in my eye, but I had shivers and got slightly misty-eyed watching this great video..

Watch now: http://wimp.com/beinspired/

Is drinking water really the key to weight loss? A new study could have you reaching for a glass more often…

 

The Article

Anyone who has ever ventured into a health kick or weight loss journey would have been given the advice to drink more water. Often, this is given to them blindly as it seems logic that filling your stomach with something that doesn’t have any calories, is surely better than filling your stomach with something that consists of calories which could potentially get stored as body fat if unused.

With this advice, the very next morning you get your water bottle filled up and ready to go, pack half the usual food that you’d take for the day because, really when you’ve got this magic weight-loss formula, why would you need so much food! So you get to work starting and everything is going fine, you’ve had a snack or two as usual, then lunch time rolls around you eat another snack and you’re still feeling hungry, but that’s only because you haven’t been drinking enough water! So you’re finishing off you’re 2nd litre of water at 4pm and by this time, you’re starving. You’ve got huge cravings for some absolutely terrible foods. What happened? You drank the water like they said - the daily recommended amount before dinner!

What happened, was what is supposed to happen! Water gets digested differently to food. So here’s some info on digestion and hunger that may help you understand how it all works:

• When foods are ingested through the mouth and esophagus, the first port of call is the stomach.
• The stomach holds onto larger, more solid objects longer than water which passes straight through. Everything else must travel through the intestines before it gets digested.
• As soon as food or liquids are digested, the body sends a signal for your appetite to start increasing.
• The more complex something is, like whole-grain products, the longer it takes to get through the Gastro-Intestinal organs and the longer you stay full!

So, back to the study- over a 12 week period they found that people who drank 500ml of water prior to eating a meal had more advanced weight loss than the people who didn’t (an extra 2.3kgs over the study period). 

So a helpful tool for portion control and weight loss could be to consume water before eating to help with satiety and possibly leading to not eating as much during that meal. 

Lastly, studies have also been done to identify the differences between a standard plate of food, or the same food blended and consumed as a soup and surprisingly, the soup has the upper hand! Read more: Soup vs Standard Plate 

Thanks for reading. I’d love to find out how you are going with any weight loss, health goals or water drinking experiments. Feedback is more than welcome via:

kyle@exerciseyourpotential.com.au or Exercise Your Potential on Facebook

How getting off your bum can help you achieve a longer, healthier life..

Sitting down while reading this? You may want to stand up...

The links: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-07/acs-slm072210.php
               http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34209499/

The shortened version: (for those who are still seated) A new study from American Cancer Society researchers finds it's not just how much physical activity you get, but how much time you spend sitting that can severely affect your health.

The study observed significant differences in risk of death when comparing men and women who sat more than 6 hrs/day and less than 3 hrs/day. The differences are more significant for sedentary women, with the 6 hr+ seated group 37% more likely to die (during the 13 year study period), while men who sat for a majority of the day were also at a higher risk at 18%.

And according to Institute for Medicine and Public Health (U.S.), it's likely that we spend around 56 hours a week seated. By doing the maths: 6 hrs/day x 5 working days = 30 hrs a week. If 30 hrs is all it takes and it seems we achieve around 56, a majority of us should be running (or wheeling our office chairs) out to get a will kit. Better yet, parents of teens/tweens - show your children these statistics and guilt them into doing a bit of housework before you depart for the escalator to heaven and approach the automated, motorized pearly gates.

Jokes aside, it has to be a little concerning for people who work in more sedentary occupations like admin or data entry. From research, most people know the way we are living is damaging to our health, but not many people understand the reason for it being so bad for us. James Levine, M.D., Ph.D, reflects my opinion on the matter: "Our bodies have evolved over millions of years to do one thing: move. As human beings, we evolved to stand upright. For thousands of generations, our environment demanded nearly constant physical activity."

"Electronic living has all but sapped every flicker of activity from our daily lives," Levine says. "You can shop, pay bills, make a living, and with Twitter and Facebook, even catch up with friends without so much as standing up. And the consequences of all that easy living are profound."

So you're wondering how to combat this non-moving epidemic? Answer: Move. Move all the time, move as much as you can, move. Every little bit counts. Stand up to take a phone call, walk to the furthest watercooler, take the stairs, throw a soft ball around in a brainstorming session, balance on one leg during a meeting, the list goes on. Be creative.

Studies show (see article)  that obese people, on averge, move 150 minutes/day less than non-obese people.

So get moving!


Like some ideas to get your workplace more active? EYP offers fun exercise ideas, games and health and fitness sessions to make your workplace more active and enjoyable. Get in touch with Kyle - kyle@exerciseyourpotential.com.au to find out more.

An update on EYP..

Just thought I'd let everyone know all the exciting things that EYP has been up to and has on the cards for the next couple of months.

First of all, I've got a feeling we're about to see some great results with a few clients due for assessments in the upcoming week. Everyone's been training really hard and making big health and fitness improvements so I can't wait for it to show on paper!

The Professional and Business development that Brendan Shih (BStrong Strength and Conditioning) and I have been doing has been paying dividends with everything we are doing. From sharing tips on how to get the best out of equipment suppliers (and we've both been buying a HEAP of equipment lately) to the technical stuff like how different medications can effect the physiology of certain structures in the healing process. I'd actually recommend anyone in any industry to be conducting some sort of development or discussion groups to stay on top of their game. There are considerable benefits for everyone involved.

Besides that, there's been plenty of planning for new EYP programs like Fitness Boost group training sessions to hopefully take place on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings -more on that in the upcoming weeks.

We've also started the process with the Australian Sports Commission to develop our Active After Schools Community Program. So look out if you have any involvement with after-school care, EYP are bringing some of the best sport, games and fun you've ever seen!

As you know, the end of the season for many young athletes, in many sports is rapidly approaching. The only way to improve is to work hard in the off-season. We plan to combine all the lastest Strength, Conditioning, Plyometric and Injury Prevention strategies into a top-level athlete-creating machine that we call the Athlete Advancement program. This will begin in late Septemeber/early October, so make sure you get in contact with all the aspiring Lebron James's or Israel Folau's and get them to sign up for EYP's Athlete Advancement Program.

** Lastly, if you've ever wondered what training with EYP would be like, be sure to check the EYP blog in the upcoming weeks to see the latest client results and reviews!**

When food is more than fuel...

I came across this article by past 'Biggest Loser' Host and recovering Food-Aholic AJ Rochester that I think unfortunately, would hit a little too close to home for many people.

Why Food is not your Therapist (Article)

Although I know the message in the article is ALWAYS easier said than done, I enjoyed this because of the thought process in decision making that she speaks of and I also preach. But then again, who doesn't enjoy when someone agrees with them?

It's just the tougher decisions that end up separating the strong from the weak.

Spending 20mins creating healthy chicken wraps for dinner will never be able to compete with the convenience of a drive thru KFC Ultimate Burger meal in our short-sighted lives. It's what we want NOW.. without any hassle!!.. and sheesh, what could be more important than right now??..

... I know - all the future "nows" - because there will come a time when the KFC and other short-sighted choices add up and you can't fit into your old clothes, or you're struggling to get up the stairs, or you're feeling crappy from poor nutrition and then one day, it gets to the point where you're seeing the GP because the blood pressure meds you're taking aren't doing the trick anymore and you're being booked in for cardiac surgery.

And I'm fully aware of how dramatic this all sounds! But at least I'm not killing 1 Australian every 11mins - you can thank poor lifestyle choices and Cardiovascular Disease for that!

Anyway.. Take a read and tell us what you think!

P.S. For those of you who are wondering why I am scouring cleo.com.au looking for AJ Rochester articles - it was a link from another site... I SWEAR!!

The ever-attractive 'get slim quick' MYTH...

Thanks to the marvels of modern media, people are very aware of the Obesity epidemic, but somehow, the media seems to have failed to make the public aware of something they make millions off every year which also happens to be the flow-on from the Obesity epidemic - the 'Quick Fix Weight Loss Non-Stop Advertising Everywhere Epidemic.' 

I believe there are two types of people who fuel the fire for these make-money-at-any-cost advertisers (there are far worse names I'd prefer to call them than make-money-at-any-cost advertisers but I'll try to keep this as positive as possible.) I believe these two types of people that, I'm sorry to say, ruin it for the rest of us are causing these advertisers to actually believe that by bombarding us with lies, false hopes and annoying spellings of 'lose' - as in - 'loose weight fast' they are doing a good job! Which couldn't be further from the truth - there is no permanent quick fix to weight loss - NONE, well that is a lie, I suppose cutting a limb off will definitely provide you with permanent weight loss and it definitely is a quick fix, the only trouble is, it's one less limb that you have to exercise and burn more energy to lose further weight so it's really not that feasible.

So, short of cutting off a limb, there are no magic pills, secret exercises, 'cutting edge' exercise equipment, 2000 year old chinese herb remedies or no/low-carb diets to help you lose weight fast and permanently. So this would tell us that the only weight management solutions we should be looking at would use terms such as SAFE, PERMANENT, BEHAVIOUR CHANGE and LONG TERM etc. That should take care of the problem for 1 of the two types of people - THE UNEDUCATED. 

Four reasons why quick fixes will not work:

• The things that need to be changed to lose weight are too drastic to be sustained for the rest of your life. eg. low-carb shakes or drinking lemon with hot water will ultimately cause extreme sickness or death if maintained for a long period of time.
• They rely upon extreme will-power instead of small, easy decisions. Eg. No carbs when carbs are the staple of a nutritional diet, when fats have more energy per gram and can easily be limited to reduce energy intake, thus preventing further fat storage.
• They don't incorporate variety or take a hollistic approach. Eg. Having 1 piece of equipment such as cardio twister, solely responsible for your future weight loss will become extremely boring, (even if it did work as they claim) isn't actually functional or relevant from a daily living and biomechanical standpoint and can never address any of the poor eating habits or psychological problems that may be contributing to the problem.
• They can be dangerous and actually create more problems than there were to begin with. Losing weight quickly, only to gain it back again repeatedly (Yo Yo Dieting) has shown to hinder further weight loss efforts and even decrease Immune System function.

If this was you, you are now educated! No longer will you need to go through the false hopes and hurt when yet another product that claimed to be the solution left you lighter in the wallet and nowhere else.

This brings us to the other group of people - THE IGNORANT. This group of people are educated. They know deep down from their research on the facts that there is no quick fix or special detox diet that will help them long term. But they choose to ignore the facts in hope that maybe someday, they will find this one special product that will give them the easy way out they've been hoping for. They all know at least 5 people who have succeeded with the quick fix fail or even had a quick fix fail of their own, but somehow, they believe that next time it will be different! Are the marketers for these terrible products really that good? Or is it the fact that these people will do anything rather than exercise and eat well? And if it's the latter, have these same advertisers and marketers contributed to the resentment people feel towards exercise and eating well? At the start of almost every infomercial they like to ask if we are tired of slogging away on the treadmill - as if to say that is the only exercise anyone does or can do, or even implying that 100% of people dislike the tready.

Now heres the part that most of you have been expecting from the start:

Exercising and eating well is the only way! Effectively. Permanently. Safely. Trust me - I've learnt it and I've lived it!

In saying that, a person may take 5 years till they are considered to be exercising and eating at an appropriate or recommended level. But every tiny little change that they make for the better along the way is going to help them to feel better, look better, be happier and be more successful at everything they do.

If you'd like some help on making small, easy changes for the better, contact me on: kyle@exerciseyourpotential.com.au 

Thanks for reading - I hope you got something out of this!

Alcohol - my experiences and the effects on healthy living.

Alchohol, at one time or another has been most people's best friend and worst enemy and often these roles can be played within 12hrs of each other. I certainly, have many stories to prove this theory right in my case, but overall I felt that the occassional tipple, or the weekend get-together (with alcohol) was getting the best of me.

After weighing up the benefits and detriments I came to the conclusion that even though I did enjoy a beer (and not at a rate of a local bar fly or a typical NRL player) 1-2 times a week, I could do with out it and it really wouldn't kill me. The internal argument went something like:

I can give it up because:

• I was still trying to lose weight and it wasn't helping (It wasn't just the extra energy consumed from the alcohol, but the way it made me crave bad food for days after)
• My life isn't that bad that I need to partially escape from it twice a week
• Saving money is never a bad thing for someone who is looking to get a mortgage and pay off a Uni debt in the upcoming years.

I can't give it up because:

• *Sounds of crickets chirping in the backyard*

So, I made a decision after my new years getaway, that for the benefit of my physical health, alcohol wasn't going to have the same involvement in my life that it previously had and I couldn't be happier with the results. I've lost around 10kg, (almost 30kg in total since a couple of years ago) I feel like I've gained a whole lot more control over my life, and am loving the compliments on the slimmed down body from friends and acquaintances. I can't exactly put all 10kg down to reducing my beer intake, although I think it's been a big part of it.

I've had a few drinks since, very occassionally, and usually never at a binge level (except for a party on the weekend and my Uni graduation) but I'm definitely happy with the changes I've made over the last 5-6 months.
 
Another good thing is that my girlfriend, Elle, has also decided to drink less and along with some other healthy changes she's made, she's lost almost 5kg in the last few months.

And if my experience retold isn't enough to make you think twice before ordering the schooner or dropping into the bottle-o on the way home, here are my top 5 facts about alcohol that will hopefully lead to healthier changes for you in the future.

1. Excess drinking can cause diseases which lead to things such as Liver Failure, Brain Damage and Kidney Damage
2. As well as being addictive, alcohol consumption also clearly increases the risk of some cancers (including lip, tongue, throat, oesophagus, liver, and breast cancer
3. Six out of every Ten drowning incidents are caused by Alcohol
4. Alcohol is ranked second to tobacco as the most preventable cause of health-related problems and death. Alcohol costs our Australian community about $7.5 billion every year!
5. A standard drink is defined as one that contains 10 grams of pure alcohol.
10 grams of pure alcohol = 70 Calories = 280 kilojoules

Which means, energy consumed in alcohol in:

• 6 stubbies of  regular strength beer = 550 Calories (2300kJ)
• 6 glasses of wine (150ml) = 630 Calories (2650kJ)
• 6 standard spririts = 420 Calories (1764kJ)

To put this into perspective, an average, healthy adult requires around 1800 Calories per day.

And by the way, these numbers don't even take into account the energy from Protein, Fat and Carbohydrate that are found in beverages!

Lastly, I've always told everyone I'm a trendsetter and I read something last night that either proves me right about setting trends or proves me wrong about saying that I didn't drink that much early on in this post.

Take a look: Beer drinking at an all time low.

Thanks for reading and I hope you got something out of this blog.

For more on health and exercise, check out my other blogs on Exercise Your Potential - Blogspot.

The fun theory!

The fun theory is something I experienced first hand around 6 months ago while in training for a program that helps overweight and obese children and their families become 'fitter, healthier and happier'. As exercise delivery is 50% of the program, myself and the other 9 health professionals (at an average age of 25) were taught and had to participate in a variety of different games and options to make exercise more fun for kids, obviously for adherence reasons.

We walked in that day- a bunch of sedate, mature, graduates trying to complete the necessary assessments to either break into the industry or make some money while we furthered our career in the field.

The scenes walking out that day could only be compared to home time after a 6 year olds mcdonalds party - the kids exhausted from running around, but still on a sugar high, begging their parents to stay for one more go on the slippery dip!

Never in my life had I had such a workout while having so much fun. And that's when I started thinking - how can we have an obesity epidemic when exercise can be this much fun?

I was brought back to a sober reality when I considered how many people aged 12 and over I had seen having fun at all lately, let alone while exercising.

I think we were all better for having taken part in that training and I'm glad to say I now promote the Fun Theory in almost every exercise I prescribe, especially in 'Fitness Boost' -one of the most enjoyable and easiest to partake in and adhere to exercise experiences you'll ever have!

Anyway, here's the vid that inspired this blog:




If you're interested in getting started in Exercise with EYP, contact Kyle on 0466 524 187 or via email: exerciseyourpotential@iinet.net.au

No Pain, No Gain - A discussion on the benefits/risks of Personal Trainers in the Fitness Industry

Hi All,

I came across this great video through an email from ESSA (Exercise and Sport Science Australia) last week.

No Pain, No Gain Episode - Insight (SBS)

I've haven't gotten the chance to catch 'Insight' on SBS before but this episode gave a fair and balanced argument on the benefits/risks associated with exercise and Personal Trainers.

It would have been excellent to include some thoughts from an AEP (Accredited Exercise Physiologist) but it still gives great 'insight' (try to hold back the laughs) for anyone thinking about investing their time and money into exercise with a PT.

Subscribe or Follow for more FREE updates to E.Y.P.'s blog!

First Blog

Hello and welcome to Exercise Your Potential's first blog post!


First of all, I would like to say thank you for taking the time to check us out. Whatever the reason may be, I appreciate that this is the third sentence and I’m still holding your attention! My colleagues and I would agree that when speaking about exercise without including a diet shortcut or an exercise secret, to last this long, is quite an achievement

My name is Kyle Cox. I’m a recent sports and exercise science graduate and I’ve created Exercise Your Potential with just one goal in mind: to facilitate in the improvement of people. I have always wanted to help bring out the best in people and help them improve in any way I can. This is now an avenue in which I can use my formal education and experience to achieve this whilst avoiding the flaws that I’ve seen in the industry. I have put together an approach for how I wanted to help people enhance themselves through exercise and the bottom line is: when the product (exercise) has so many benefits AND when you have the experience to help people obtain genuine results while making it fun, safe, enjoyable and relevant to the individual, it’s an easy sell!
 
My philosophy towards helping people become better is based around the fact that exercise can improve every single area of a person’s life in one way or another, whether it be improving body composition to help them improve confidence, productivity and outlook on life to changing mental state and the way they deal with stressors and improve sleep patterns whilst preventing acute infections and chronic diseases. And by the way, this can be enjoyable!

The second part of my service ethics, is that if I’m to help someone become better, it means that they will become better – eventually to a point where they are self reliant when it comes to anything to do with their health and fitness. By treating every session like it’s the last session we may have together and by passing on all the knowledge I possibly can, the client gets the most out of every session and is one step closer to being able to be in control and accountable for their own health.

The final part of my philosophy is simple – no gimmicks. No use of phrases like 6 second abs, meal replacement or warp speed fat loss. Everything that we do is scientifically proven and with your best long term health in mind. Unfortunately in the fitness industry, there is a quick buck to be made off some people, but it’s really not what Exercise Your Potential is about.

I would like to finish this first blog with a saying that I have found useful and may also motivate you with something that you are try to achieve:

‘If success was easy, everyone would be doing it.’

In saying this, no matter how hard it may seem to succeed we are still in control of our own destiny and every one of the millions of tiny choices we make each day can impact on our results, positively or negatively. The easiest example I can give for this is for you to think about the next time you go to reach for a tempting food that you really don’t need or choose the TV over the walk, ask yourself: are my choices leading me to where I want to be? Are they helping me reach my potential? The choices we make each day decide the lives we live.


Thanks for reading!

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