Newsletter December 2011

Finally, it’s summer…

It’s been a nice change training under a bright sunny sky over the past few weeks. We’ve been able to do plenty of pushups, bear crawls and burpees without worrying about our hands freezing off.

Below are the dates for the first few bootcamps of 2012. You can start sending me an emails to book in today.

2012 Bootcamp Dates:

Back to bootcamp (2 weeks only, M,W mornings and evenings, casual sessions available)

  • Monday 9th January – Wednesday 28th January

Morning classes (6:00am-6:55am, 7:00am-7:55am)

  • Monday 6th February – Friday 2nd March
  • Tuesday 13th March – Thursday 5th April
  • Monday 16th April – Friday 11th May

Evening classes (5:30pm-6:25pm, 6:30pm-7:25pm)

  • Monday 6th February – Wednesday 15th March
  • Monday 26th March – Wednesday 2th May
  • Monday 14th May – Wednesday 20th June

6 week bootcamps

As you probably noticed above, the evening bootcamps will now run for 6 weeks on with 1 week off. This will give the evening bootcampers the chance to really get into a cycle before having a week off.

Are you a Tough Bloke?

Registrations have opened for the 2012 Tough Bloke Challenge and we’re putting a band of awesome bootcampers together. Have a read below to find out what it’s all about.

What is the Tough Bloke Challenge?

I believe the course is around 6km long with several obstacles along the way. Some will require team mates so it’s best to go with the some friends. Participants are penalised for skipping obstacles so some upper and lower body strength will help (which you all have from bootcamp!).

Who can come?

You! I would love to see every single bootcamper and See Change client there. It will be an awesome way to test out your fitness and see just how far you have come.

Extra training

There is a 3km and 2km fire trail run during the bootcamp so you will want to be able to run 3km confidently. If you don’t feel that way now, don’t worry I will be running some extra free weekend sessions for those who want to improve their running, functional strength and confidence. We will also go out to the course in February to have a group practice of some of the permanent obstacles.

How to sign up

Register on the Tough Bloke Challenge website. Don’t leave it too long, I missed out on the wave I wanted last year. There are no formal teams so we are just recommending that you sign up for the Sunday 4th March 11am wave.

Thanks Steve for getting me onto this.

Christmas Drinks

The morning bootcampers had a great time on Wednesday sharing a few drinks at the Peacock Inn Hotel. I really enjoyed sharing a pint with you all. You are a fantastic group of people and I look forward to getting to know you all better in 2012.

Informal Christmas drinks for the evening bootcampers will be next Thursday (15/12) at a location TBA. Check your inbox as I’ve sent you an email about this.

Finally…

Merry Christmas to all and have Happy, Safe and Prosperous New Year!

Disclaimer:

Please note that Kyle Wood, FFS PT or See Change PT does not endorse or warrant the contents of any articles. Articles are provided as a source of information only and should not be not relied upon nor treated as a replacement for consulting a medical practitioner or specialist.

Want to stay up to date? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Newsletter November 2011

It’s less then 60 days til the end of the year?!

Greetings and salutations.

As we enter into the final days of 2011, let’s look back on some fond moments.

We have done 160 workouts this year between the morning and evening groups.

We lost Helen in the park and watched Maree bear crawl down the amphitheatre stairs.

Oh and remember that 2 degree morning when your fingers nearly fell off. And then when it happened again!

There are many pleasant memories that include jumping up hills, running with ropes around the oval and even a certain person telling me to f*** off this very morning.

Oh and did I mention wet shoes?

So why do we do it? Only you can answer that.

I do it because I love it. I love being outside, I love watching people get fitter, I love watching people work together and I love watching new friendships blossom. But most of all, I love that exhausted yet proud look on someone’s face when they have completed a particularly tough workout.

Next Bootcamp Start Dates (only 1 left for the year!):

Monday 21 November – Friday 16th December

Bootcamp News

Bootcamp for 2012!

I am happy to announce that I can reveal the bootcamp dates for next year. Here are the first few, the rest will be up on the See Change website in the next week.

As some of you may already know, evening classes will now run for 12 sessions before a break. That means 6 weeks on, 1 week off. Morning classes will still run 4 weeks on, 1 week off.

Back to bootcamp (2 weeks only, M,W,F morning and M,W evening)

  • Monday 9th January – Friday 20th January

Morning classes (6:00am-6:55am, 7:00am-7:55am)

  • Monday 30th January – Friday 24th February
  • Monday 5th March – Friday 30th March
  • Monday 9th April – Friday 4th May

Evening classes (5:30pm-6:25pm, 6:30pm-7:25pm)

  • Monday 30th January – Wednesday 7th March
  • Monday 19th March – Wednesday 25th April
  • Monday 7th May- Wednesday13th July

Bootcamp Break Up, Movember and Christmas Party

Something awesome is going down on the 26th November. Well actually 2 things are.

  1. Free charity bootcamp session. At 11am on Saturday 26th Novmeber I will be running a free bootcamp at Westfield Reserve, Fairfield to raise awareness for Movember, Beyond Blue and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. By then my Mo should almost look like a real Mo.
    I say free but donations are more then welcome and encouraged. In fact, I will donate $5 for each person who participates. If you wish to donate now, you can do so online here.
  2. After the bootcamp there will be a free BBQ with sausages and socializing at the same spot for the See Change Christmas Party. Drink some beer and champagne and reminisce on the good times spent running up the grass hills.
Guys, this is a great chance to spend some social time with other bootcampers. You are all a bunch of fun, interesting and cool people and I know personally that I’d love to hang out with you sometime when I’m not making you do bear crawl and you’re swearing at me. Come along and let’s treat this is an informal bootcamp break up.

Congratulations Emma!

Emma Wilkinson-Beards, who does our 6am bootcamp, is getting married on Sunday 13th November. Emma was a complete star as well, continuing bootcamp right up to the weekend of the wedding. Be sure to congratulate her when you see her at next bootcamp.

Client Profile – Tamara ‘Tamm’ Hyde

Tamm has been making evening bootcamp awesome for a whole year now. She is always enthusiastic and up for a good challenge bootcamp workout. She is also a rock star in her spare time and packs a mean set of guns (her arms, not real weapons).

How long have you been doing bootcamp?
Tamm: Since October 2010

What is your favourite exercise?
Tamm: Favourite single exercise: The Gravedigger; Favourite “Routine”: Team/partner complete x number of reps in a session (don’t know what this is called?)

The gravedigger is a side plank with an elbow touch to the ground. The workout she is talking about is usually called an Ironman or Decathalon workout.

Favourite quote?
Tamm: There are two types of people in this world: those who can extrapolate from incomplete data…

What is something that not many people know about you?
I’m secretly a bit of a nerd (if you can’t tell from the quote)

What inspires you when you are not in mood for exercise?
Music is good, but reminding myself how much more energetic I’ll feel after a session is the best motivator for me.

Best Alcohol Choices this Summer to Avoid Insidious Weight Gain

To most Australian’s, summer means beaches and drinking and BBQ’s and drinking and Christmas parties and drinking and and New Year’s Eve and drinking and eating and drinking. Oh, and did I mention drinking?

I therefore accept the fact that you are going to have some drinks over your summer. There is no point trying to deny it so let’s just move onto damage control.

Control your drinking

Wipe that smirk off your face! I know that the words control and alcohol don’t normally go together.

The first thing to do is to set some limits. Just like you don’t eat McDonald’s for dinner every night (I hope), you need to avoid drinking every night over Christmas.

Continue reading article

Disclaimer:

Please note that Kyle Wood, FFS PT or See Change PT does not endorse or warrant the contents of any articles. Articles are provided as a source of information only and should not be not relied upon nor treated as a replacement for consulting a medical practitioner or specialist.

Want to stay up to date? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Bootcamp Newsletter September 2011

Activities Galore

As we head into the final 3rd of the year, it’s time to start thinking about summer, New Year holidays and all that stuff you planned on doing this year but forgot.

Below I’ve got heaps of information on events that you will really enjoy. Also, don’t forget about the super awesome Anglesea Adventure Weekend in October.

Next Bootcamp Start Dates (only 2 left for the year):

Monday 17th October – Friday 11th November (Dates may change slightly due to Cup Weekend)

Monday 21 November – Friday 16th December

New Bootcamp Times

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the new bootcamp times by filling out last month’s poll.

The new times are 7am and 5.30pm in addition to the existing 6am and 6.30pm classes.

Kids Bootcamp

At least that’s what the kids called it. We’re calling it the School Holiday Bootcamp. All of the kids had an awesome time last school holidays (some between tears and tantrums).

If you have kids and are looking for activities for them to do these school holidays then look no further then Westfield Reserve. We will be running fun, kids based training sessions at 11am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of both weeks of the school holidays.

I’ll be running the kids through a whole heap of drills to help with their coordination and basic movement skills. All of the drills are in a game like format so that the kids get right into them.

Book now.

Christmas Party

See Change and Take Shape are running their annual Amazing Race Christmas Party. Take on or team up with other clients from bootcamp and their families.

The is a free barbeque (come on, who doesn’t love free food) and you will get to see me with my hair down (very figuratively).

More details to follow on this, I can tell you though that the date will be 27th November 2011.

Client Profile – Brendon Booth

Brendon has been quite an inspiration to me over the past few months as I’ve watched him slowly but steadily shrink before my eyes. He very graciously allowed me to do a profile on him this month.

1.      Favourite quote… 

You’re money, baby, and you don’t even know it – Vince Vaughn to Jon Favreau in Swingers

2. The silliest thing I’ve done…

Just last weekend – yelling over the phone to Optus about my internet connection being down, hanging up and then realising that I in fa ct have an account with TPG.

3. My favourite bootcamp workout was…

The cross-country run just the other week!

4. Most proud achievement…

The birth of my little boy Noah. Not that I did much, mind you.

5. A few of my favourite things are…

Books, Movies, Cecil the Sausage Dog, my coffee machine, and of course KB!

Bonus: What was the one biggest thing that you found key in the success of your weight loss goals? (more exercise, consistancy, etc)

Motivation – you can have most or all of the elements right, but if you’re not motivated to change then you never will.

When I asked Brendon about what exactly motivated him to change he said:

My 30th was fast approaching and I knew that I didn’t want to enter the next phase of my life overweight, unfit and unhappy with my appearance. Plus I’d already committed to a date and I don’t like to lose!

Oh, and I want to look great at the party!

While ideally health and exercise should always be a priority, sometimes having a specific goal to work for can help with changing your life. What’s something that could motivate you?

Get a load of this (Things to read)

SALT: Salt is bad for you, or is it?

TIME: We all want more time, Scott Dinsmore shares with us some tactics for freeing up more of it.

FATTY LIES: If you only check out one thing this month, watch this video on fats and conventional wisdom. Also have a gander at this post on Eric Cressey about fat and the government.

VULNERABILITY: This is not so related to fitness as it is to overall well being of the mind. This entertaining speech on TED changed my life and my relationships. If you have family or friends that drive your crazy, you need to watch this video.

ADVICE: Don’t forget to check out Steve’s quick advice column on nerd fitness.

WEEKEND: I had a bit of fun on a weekend away in August putting together some exercises you can do while on holiday. Be sure to check them out.

BAKED APPLES: Awesome for kids and adults. Just make sure you let the apples cool before eating.

OATMEAL: Oatmeal is a healthy staple for many people’s breakfast. If you choose to eat it though, make sure you are preparing oatmeal properly or you will miss out on many of it’s benefits. Also, just say no to quick oats!!

Monthly Recipe – Grilled Lemon Chicken

This recipe is pinched off Elana’s Pantry. It is super delecious and lemony. You don’t need to eat it with the sauce. Tastes great in a salad the next day too.

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
  • 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, halved (not butterflied) and skins removed
  • 1 head Romaine lettuce, remove bottom and chiffonade leaves
  • 2 large carrots, grated or juilenned
  • Almond Sauce

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme to make marinade
  2. Chop chicken breasts into small pieces.
  3. Place chicken breast pieces in a bowl, then pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate for 6 hours to overnight
  4. Heat pan or barbecue and cook chicken breasts for 10 minutes on each side until cooked through.
  5. Cool chicken.
  6. Place chiffonaded Romaine on a serving platter, then top with julienned carrots
  7. Place chicken over vegetables and serve with “Peanut” Sauce

Disclaimer:

Please note that Kyle Wood, FFS PT or See Change PT does not endorse or warrant the contents of any articles. Articles are provided as a source of information only and should not be not relied upon nor treated as a replacement for consulting a medical practitioner or specialist.

Want to stay up to date? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Bootcamp Newsletter August 2011

Sunny Skies

It was only 2 months ago that I commented on how cold it was in the morning with temperatures dipping down to 2 degrees. Now it appears that after a cold winter, spring has come to us early.

Make sure you are taking advantage of this weather by getting outside and soaking up some much needed Vitamin D.

Next Bootcamp Start Dates (only 3 left for the year!):

Monday 12th September – Friday 7th October

Monday 17th October – Friday 11th November (Dates may change slightly due to Cup Weekend)

Monday 21 November – Friday 16th December

New Bootcamp Times

It looks like we’ll be adding at least one new bootcamp time slot next month seeing as we are full up in the morning. We want to pick a  time that suits you so please help us by selecting your preferred days/times below. You can select multiple answers.

What is your preferred bootcamp time?

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What are your preferred bootcamp day(s)?

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How To Eat To Improve Your Health and Lose Weight

Starting next month I will be taking a group of Beta testers through a 12 week guide to improving your diet and awareness of food. This is to help me gain some feedback on improving the guide. Here is some further info in neat dot point form:

  • We will be working towards following the eating guidelines featured in The Primal Blueprintby Mark Sisson. This means:
    • Reduction in harmful processed foods
    • Better selection of fruit, vegetables and meat
    • How to take the guidelines Mark sets and put them into action
  • Each week you will receive one email from me with your goal for the week
  • Testers will be encouraged to check in weekly on a private Facebook group to discuss weight, energy levels, recipes, etc
  • Testers will need to complete a few feedback surveys but they will get a free copy of the completed guide at the end
  • I’m only wanting people who are serious about improving their diet, but don’t let that put you off. Maybe it’s finally time for that change?

If you are interested, please send me an email and I’ll pop you on the list. I’m limiting this group to 15 people so that I can make sure no one falls off the wagon. It will be first in best dressed.

There is currently 15 9 spots left.

Client Profile – Gabe Freeman

Gabe as Princess Beatrice

If I held bootcamp awards, Gabe would probably take the cake as the coolest. Always good for a joke, Gabe brings great energy and a fun spirit to our bootcamps. I asked her to share with you a few things you probably didn’t know about her.

1. Favourite quote…  “Augustus sweetheart, save some room for later!”  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2. The silliest thing I’ve done… It’s a stacks on story.  I dove on the back of a friend who I thought was wrestling another friend at a Wolfmother gig I yelled “stacks on!” and belly flopped on his back, some guy dragged me off my friend and asked what the hell I was doing, stacks on of course I said, he looked at me with horror that’s when I realised my mate was giving a guy who’d collapsed CPR. True story, I’m that stupid.

3. My favourite bootcamp workout was… Probably the recent adventure run with circuit stops along the way, I think it was because I got to wear a head torch.

4. Most proud achievement… Finishing Kokoda trail with only 5 weeks to train, my brother convinced me I was going to be airlifted out so I’m sure I only did it to prove him wrong.

5. A few of my favourite things are… Chilli boy and Ivy doll, favourites in the whole-wide-world!!

Get a load of this (Things to read)

Bodyweight exercises are back in fashion. They are sweat inducing and muscle engorging. Jason Ferruggia has compiled a comprehensive list of the top 20 bodyweight exercises.

Do you think you don’t have enough time for exercise? Or do you have a different favourite excuse? Prepare to be schooled by fellow nerd Steve Kamb.

I’ve talked a lot lately about going barefoot. Foot and calf strength is often a big issue when switching. I know personally that I took on some bad ass knee problems which came from a weak left foot. Don’t make my mistake, prepare yourself for the barefoot change.

I get a few questions about what I eat for breakfast if seeing as I don’t eat grains. Zoe has popped the recipe for our morning grain-free nut granola online. Try it out for something different.

Monthly Recipe – Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Modified from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam. Apart from the cream cheese this recipe is completely Primal.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Almond Meal
  • 2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp All Spice
  • 1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil (Macadamia Oil works well too)
  • 2 Tbsp Honey, heaped
  • 5 Eggs
  • 3 cups grated Carrot
  • 1 cup Raisins
  • 1 cup chopped Walnuts
  • 250g block Cream Cheese
  • 1-2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Tbsp Honey, heaped
  • 1/2 Lemon, squeezed

Directions:

Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 160 C
  2. Grease two 9 inch circular cake pans with butter
  3. In one bowl combine all of the dry ingredients (almond meal, sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice).
  4. In another bowl whisk together the wet ingredients (honey, grapeseed oil, eggs).
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
  6. Fold in raisins, carrots and walnuts.
  7. Scoop the mixture evenly into the two cake pans.
  8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
Icing:
  1. Combine butter, cream cheese, honey and lemon juice.
  2. Mix together well, you may need to leave it out for a while to soften.
  3. Spread over the top of the first cake and leave a dollop in the middle.
  4. Place the other cake on top like a sandwich. Use the rest of the icing on top.

Disclaimer:

Please note that Kyle Wood, FFS PT or See Change PT does not endorse or warrant the contents of any articles. Articles are provided as a source of information only and should not be not relied upon nor treated as a replacement for consulting a medical practitioner or specialist.

Want to stay up to date? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Bootcamp Newsletter July 2011

Cold Hands?

This winter has treated us kindly so far with reletively few wet mornings. We have however had some very cold and windy mornings. It’s important to wear gloves on these mornings to keep circulation to your fingers, you will also find it much more suitable. My mittens/fingerless gloves came from Kathmandu, they are great if you can keep them dry (and they are also like half price at the moment). Check what your favourite outdoor store has or alternatively check out Wiggle.

Next Bootcamp Start Dates:

Monday 8th August – Friday 2nd September

Monday 12th September – Friday 7th October

Monday 17th October – Friday 11th November (Dates may change slightly due to Cup Weekend)

More on Running

Earlier this week I popped up some pointers to remember while running to increase your efficiency and reduce your chance of injury. Since then we’ve discovered a great article by Vivo Barefoot on the importance of proprioception and form in running technique. I recommend having at least a flick through when you get a chance.

Client Profile – Traci Lourey

Traci has been kicking butt in the morning sessions at bootcamp since August last year. If you’ve trained in the morning you will know her well, she’s the other person beside you encouraging you to keep on going.

Traci brings an awesome vibe to bootcamp and it hasn’t quite been the same while she’s been away.

1. Favourite quote…

“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass… it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”

2. The silliest thing I’ve done…

Doing a flying leap in the air in the middle of Station Street, Fairfield whilst chasing my 3 year old daughter.  The result: broken arm, torn ligaments and not being able to do boot camp for 2 months!

3. My favourite bootcamp exercise is…

Pushups.  Let’s hope I can still do them effectively once my wrist has healed.

4. Most proud achievement…

I have 3 … my daughters.  Boring but true!

5. My favourite things are…

Reading, gardening, my family farm on King Island and of course starting the day with a solid bootcamp session.

 

Things to Read This Month

From the blog:

Facebook links:

Monthly Recipe(s) – Grain-Free Pizza Bases

Try out our Coconut Flour, Almond Meal and Zucchini Base Pizza’s. Even if you’re not into the grain-free scene, these topping mixtures are a win.

Disclaimer:

Please note that Kyle Wood, FFS PT or See Change PT does not endorse or warrant the contents of any articles. Articles are provided as a source of information only and should not be not relied upon nor treated as a replacement for consulting a medical practitioner or specialist.