1) Does a Cats purr have the same romance-enhancing frequency as Barry White? True or False?

True - Barry White and a Cat’s purr have been tested as the same sound frequency…!

2) Never hold your nose and cover your mouth when sneezing, as it can blow out your eye balls. True or False?

True - The force generated from a sneeze could easily pop out a persons eyes!

3) 1 person in 5 can’t lick their own elbow. True or False?

False, no-one can. If you are an exception to this please contact us for a free prize, worth $420! (enquiries@the-lab.com.au)

 4) As a group, 35 to 45 year-olds deprived of sleep suffer more from impaired performance than other age groups. True or False?

False - people between the ages of 20-35s performance suffers more with sleep deprivation.

This time of year it seems as though every second person is fighting a bad case of the flu or a chest infection; resulting in time spent away from the office curled up in a blanket on the couch.  Apart from not being much fun, this results in a large increase in stress and a drop in our productivity affecting our corportate health.

 So what can we do to give ourselves the best chance of avoiding illness?

There are the obvious few.  Don’t go out in the rain and cold in your underwear; try your best not to get coughed on; and don’t share coffee mugs with everyone else at the office.

A less known fact is that regular moderate exercise can boost your immune system and decrease your risk of catching the flu.

Moderate Exercise:

·       Reduces the secretion of stress related hormones (shown to have a close relationship with the onset of the common cold); and

·       Increases the body’s circulation.

When the body’s circulation in enhanced, it causes an increase in the distribution of immune cells; allowing them to better kill bacteria and viruses.  Although it seems that your immune system returns to normal after a few hours, recent research has found that repeating this exercise on a near daily basis has an accumulative affect on immune function.  This same research has shown that those who walk at 70-75% of their maximum heart rate for 40 minutes per day have half as many sick days due to colds and sore throats as those who don’t exercise.

Although exercise is an important factor in maintaining immune function it is important that we also remember the other factors contributing to good health and well being.

Eating a balanced diet; keeping work and personal stress levels to a minimum and getting ample rest are all weapons against the flu that we have in our arsenal.  Add exercise to these and the battle against the common cold is all but won.

In terms of muscle hierarchy your legs generally don’t rate that high when compared to the more “showy” muscle groups such as the chest, back and arms.However, were you aware that by increasing your leg strength and mass you are laying down the foundation to sculpting that perfectly toned athletic body!!Your legs including your gluteals are your largest muscle group in the body, meaning that by increasing the size of your legs you are increasing your lean muscle mass and in turn increasing your metabolism and therefore energy. Furthermore when you train large muscle groups (like legs) with heavy weights your body responds by releasing testosterone and growth hormone.  Both hormones aid in stimulating muscle growth all over the body.

Additionally, the condition of your leg muscles determines how much strength, agility and power you have in your movement. With these three reasons in mind you can note that by increasing your leg strength you can have a positive benefit in burning more fat and laying down more muscle right in time for summer.

Here are some of my favourite exercises to really get those legs pumping!!

1. Jump Squats:

-  Start standing upright with the dumbbells (pick a weight that you can do multiple jumps) at your side

- Begin the movement by bending at your hips (keeping your back straight) and then bend at your knees

- Maintain your weight through your heels and keep your knees behind your toes

- lower yourself and at the bottom of the movement explode upwards by pushing your feet into the ground and jump so that your feet leave the ground.

- Land softly and repeat, do three sets of 6 reps.

2. Lunges:

- Start the exercise standing upright, with the dumbbells at your side,

- Step forward with one foot and then bend your knees. Lower your body until your front leg is at 90 degrees.

- Push through your feet and stand back up to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.

For a more intense work out, you can combine the lunge with a bicep curl or a shoulder press.

3. Squats:

- Starting position is similar to the jump squat start, except the weight is on a bar held across the shoulders either in front or behind.

- Begin the movement by bending the hips and the knees, lower yourself to the end and then push through your feet to straighten up.

A very important note, when using heavy weights the risk of injuring the back is increased, therefore the importance of maintaining good technique and a strong core is paramount. If you have any questions about technique or weights your Exercise Physiologist at the lab is always there to help so don’t hesitate to ask. 

 Here are my Top 5 tips to get your energy levels racing and you highly motivated to smash through an exercise session and really ramp up your weight loss and toning!!!

1. Keep hydrated. Regular drinks throughout the day and a big class of water 15-20 minutes prior to a work out can improve your performance by over 20%.   The extra hydration will help to provide more oxygen to muscles as well making you feel ready to tackle your workout head on.

2. Set realistic goals. ‘getting fit’ is a very broad term and without setting clear goals may leave you unlikely to stick to a routine,. Having clear objectives and a challenging, yet achievable goal—such as losing half a stone before holiday—will motivate you to get to the gym or take that afternoon walk on days when you just want to toss out your trainers.  Don’t forget to set short term goals as well, in order to provide yourself with regular challenges. One way to encourage yourself to keep a fitness commitment is to sign a contract with yourself stating your goals. 

3. Choose a workout you enjoy. Thirty minutes on the treadmill is torture if you’d rather be strolling outdoors or taking a spinning class. ‘It’s imperative to make exercise something you like doing, otherwise you’ll dread making it a part of your life,. If solo sport-orientated exercise like skiing or running is your game, go for that over class-based workouts

4. Find a Buddy. Meeting and working out regularly with a friend, especially one who is at about the same stage as you, will improve your attitude immensely! This is one strategy that has helped many to stick to their program. Watch each other, help and encourage each other, rejoice and commiserate together and enjoy the company. You will begin to rely on each other for moral support and accountability.

5. Think of all the benefits of exercise!  Increased energy, increased mental focus, increased self-esteem, increased sense of control over your life, reduced chances of heart attack, osteoporosis, breast cancer, increased strength and stamina, reduction of stress…etc…etc…Why not make up a list of these benefits, stick that list to, or near something you see regularly like the fridge or tv and you will be reminded on a regular basis of how good exercise is for you.

 Five exercises tips that will have you maximising your weight loss, stopping bad posture and back pain as well has decreasing your stress while maximising your energy levels everyday. All of the exercises that I have chosen can be done anywhere anytime!!!

1. Best Kick-Starter/All Rounder 

Gentle Burpees

Wakes up your arms, shoulders, chest, trunk, butt and legs. 

This exercise is great because it’s not as high impact as the traditional ‘burpee’, but still works many major muscle groups all at once. Perfect for squeezing into all those spare 5 minutes time slots while you are waiting for the bathroom/ the kettle to boil/ the ad breaks to be over etc…

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Squat down and place your hands on the floor directly in front of your feet. Jump your feet backward and land in a pushup position. Do one pushup, then jump your feet back toward your hands and push back up using your legs to return to standing. Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds. Rest for one minute, then repeat 3 times.

2. Best Butt Blaster

Bridge And Heel Push Up

Works core, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves

This one is very versatile. If you don’t have a fitball, use the edge of a chair/sofa/stack of books or even the footrest on the bottom of a stool instead. 

Lie on your back with your feet on a fit ball which is against a wall. Press your heels into the ball. Raise your hips until they’re aligned with your feet and shoulders. Slowly lower hips back down to the floor and push back up again. Repeat for 12 to 15 reps. To make it harder, raise one leg off the ball. Do three sets, resting for 30 seconds between sets.

3. Best for Summer

Cross Over Crunch

Works Abs

Warm up for summer and remember that these muscles are the ones that get you out of bed in the morning-so they are in there somewhere! 

Lie on your back with your right knee bent so your foot is flat on the floor, your right hand behind your head and your left leg outstretched and raised just off the ground. Use your abs to curl your right elbow up and across at the same time as you use your lower abs to bring your left knee in to meet in the middle as you crunch. Repeat 10 times on each side. 

4. Best Core Exercise- modified

Plank with Leg Lifts 

The Plank is a classic old favorite because it works to hold you in nice and taught. Another great take anywhere, do anytime exercise. To make it a little different and a little harder, try this modified version. 

Hold yourself face down, balancing on toes and forearms. Once the original plank position is achieved by keeping the bum down, tucked under and holding the body in a straight line between the shoulders and toes, attempt to lift one leg a few inches off the ground while keeping the back straight and not allowing the hips to twist or drop. 

5. Best Stretch

Standing Scapular Wall Slide

This is great for posture as well as feeling good. However, you will have to be careful to restrain yourself from the endless opportunities that you will find to do this stretch! 

Stand with your back to a wall a few inches away from you and lean your head, back, and butt against the wall. Bend your elbows 90 degrees and raise them out to the sides so your hands (palms facing out) are at shoulder height. Keeping your arms pressed into the wall, lower your elbows as far as possible. Hold for a second, squeezing your shoulder blades together, then slide your arms up the wall as high as they will go without losing contact with the wall. When you start to lose contact, bring your arms back to the starting position. That’s one rep. Do 8 to 10.

According to einteins theory energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. Whilst this is a phenomenon in science it doesn’t quite add up when we consider the human body and the practical implications of energy.

So I have given Einsteis theory some thought and have come up with my own, I believe the actual equation should look something more like this when talking about energy and people:

E = (N + Ex) (EmM) R

So let me explain. To be energetic is to feel alive, to feel like you can do anything that is thrown at you comfortably enabling high performance. Most of the literature around at the moment is focussed on de-stressing or managing stress or even time. Unfortunately this is impossible; time is constant unless you are travelling at high speeds (according to Einstein who believes it actually lengthens the faster you travel, but that’s another story). Stress is unavoidable; and in fact, in many situations it can be desirable, giving urgency and heightening the senses.

Not only is it impossible to control time and stress it is not actually what is needed to produce optimum performance, well not exclusively anyway.

People are looking to distress for a purpose or manage time for a reason and that is normally to enhance performance, the quantity of things they get done and the quality, in whatever field of life they are concerned with.

The thing that affects performance directly and has an impact on everything we produce as human beings is energy. Energy is required to live, to breath, to move, to focus or to think. When someone is lacking in energy their performance will obviously suffer as will the quantity and quality of the things they do and experience.

Let us consider this: When was the last time you felt lacking in energy, did you perform at your best? Alternatively think of the last time you performed at your best, were you lacking in energy at the time?

The answer is a resounding no. Energy and performance in anything go hand in hand. If you are a sports performer you know you better have the necessary energy to complete your race or event, if you are an executive with a to do list that is expanding at an exponential rate, you know that you need energy to complete it. Zap all energy from your body and you will struggle to get through even the simplest of tasks in acceptable time periods. Furthermore if you lack in energy your life will be affected as a result, your relationships, your experiences and your mood will all suffer as you struggle to get through the events of your day.

There is no question severely low energy levels will result in poor or even non-performance. Low energy may be ok for a short period but if it is ongoing tasks will require more effort (energy) to complete then normal and results will be poor, leading to further energy deficits before once again you come to a standstill.

If you are bristling with energy it allows you to focus on the things you are trying to do, it frees your mind from effort and allows you to be more precise in your actions or your tasks. You move through potentially stressful events effortlessly with enhanced resilience and an increase in momentum that frees up time. High Energy = High Performance Potential.

HE = HPP

With this realisation I have decided to do a series of articles on energy production and how it relates to performance and health. You can expect to learn how energy is utilised in the body from foods and how it translates to movement. I will look at how exercise relates to energy, how emotions can fuel or drain energy reserves and the power of your mindset in driving up energy reserves. These articles will be released through our new e-weekly starting soon. So watch this space and contact me if you want to make sure you are registered to receive this new improved circulation aimed at improving performance one small step at a time.

Send me an email alex@the-lab.com.au