1) Involve a friend. Making exercise a social event with a friend or partner will make it more enjoyable and increase your motivation.

2) Add some intervals. Interval training is a great way to get some extra intensity in a manageable way

3) Try something new. From wake boarding to circus training, there are millions of ways of staying active. Try something new and your body will thank you for it!

4) Try different times of the day. Your energy levels will fluctuate throughout the day. From a physiological perspective it is likely you will get the best from your body in the early evening. People are different. Experiment.

5) Give yourself a break. Rest is the most underrated component of performance. Schedule your rest and then work hard in preparation. If you do it this way round you will do what you need to and then enjoy total rest. Schedule!

1) What is a posture assessment?

a) Setting up of your desk space

b) Measuring of body size using a tape measure to help decide what clothes fit best

c) Analysis of joint angle and positioning for promotion of optimal movement and reduction of injury risk

d) Classification of body type into endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph

2) How does stress effect weight loss goals?

a) Helps it, means you burn more calories because you are worried?

b) Plays no part its totally unrelated

c) Hinders it, the production of stress hormones encourage the body to store body fat due to the increase in blood sugar

d) None of the above

3) Can work count towards over-training?

a) Yes it can, work and training if not carefully scheduled put continual strain on the body and lead to overtraining, injury and sickness

b) No it can’t, the performance of high intensity exercise even when tired gives you energy and renews your vitality

c) Only if you work in a physical job role

d) Only if you are a lawyer

4) Walking is just as good as running for weight loss?

True or False ?

From a physics point of view this is true. It requires the same amount of energy to move a mass from point A to point B. In reality running holds far more benefits for most then walking. Running will increase your cardiovascular fitness which in turn will increase your energy levels and your exercise capacity. So add a little into your walk - not only that but you will get from point A to point B quicker!

1. Your profession?

Building a successful business- based on business services.

2. Where do you work?

Dedicated Bookkeeping, based in Toowong

3. Years in business?

4 years in Dedicated Bookkeeping and numerous working for large corporates

4. What is a typical client?

A small to medium business that wants quality service and agreed deadlines met.
They also like our “Happiness Centred Business” principles.

We don’t have a,b or c class customers we work on having “Happy” customers only

5. Do you have long standing clients?

Yes we have a number of clients who have been with us from commencement

6. What do people say about you?

Focused on meeting deadlines, abundant thinking, positive, proactive.
Happy and enthusiastic

7. What does no one know about you?

We can leave it that way…

8. If you weren’t doing what you do now what would you be doing?

Exactly what I am doing now, only further down the journey

9. If you had one key skill, what would it be?

Commitment to meeting agreed dealines

10. How long have you been training?

Approx one year

11. What do you like about training with us?

The variety and changes and the results that The Lab have achieved

12. What made you start with us?

Alex is a fellow BNI member and as we had established a business
relationship it seemed natural to use The lab

13. What has been your biggest training achievement to date?

Fitness level improvement and resultant weight loss

14. What would you say to others to get them moving and start training with the lab?

If you would like to be fitter than you are now why wait & arrange a Lab gift voucher for them

15. Do you have any health and fitness objectives?

Loose a few more kilos and keep improving my fitness and vitality level

16. Any words of wisdom to share with the rest of our clients?

Just keeping turning up and let The Lab worry about the rest

By Alex Cox-Taylor

Indoor Rock climbing a technical perspective

So why is indoor rock climbing gaining in popularity faster then many other sports and why has this trend been consistent over the last 10 to 15 years?

As an exercise physiologist the sport of rock climbing is fascinating. Rock climbing requires full body integration, strength, flexibility, power, endurance and is totally addictive.

Climbing would be one of the most comprehensively demanding physical activities going and many people are flocking to experience the benefits such a holistic sport brings.

The Science

You can expect to burn approximately 7-9 calories per minute whilst climbing which is a staggering 420 -550 calories an hour depending on the intensity of the climb and your physical attributes. This is up there with a serious 60 minute run or about an hour and a half of weights work.

The clincher is the variety involved with climbing. Climbing involves so many movements and full body (kinetic chain) co-ordination. The result is, no two climbs are the same and there is always more then one way to scale a wall.

When you are learning to climb, (like me) you tend to put all your effort into strength and holding on. In fact so I’m told, this is the worst thing you can do. Climbing is all about technique and maximising your force production through body positioning. In Exercise Physiology we call this functional training. Through the use of your musculature in a smart way, a bio-mechanically correct way, rather then simply applying maximal force, you can multiply the ease of every day activities and drastically reduce your risk of injury. Climbing is highly functional, it is full body integration and challenges the mind and body simultaneously.

The fantastic message here is, climbing has it all. From core to power and flexibility, through to training your body to maximise functional ability. The physiology of climbing is something I have only recently come to appreciate. However I should have guessed that climbing was such high quality exercise  I mean, have you ever seen an out of shape climber. I rest my case…………….Neither have I.