Women and Confidence in the Gym by Jessica Singleton

The pressure on women to look their best is increasing, especially with summer on its way. If you were to ask the majority of active women their current goals, chances are their answers would all sound similar. The most common of these – ‘to tone my stomach, glutes, hips and thighs’ is a direct result of the bikini season coming up.

However for many women there are deeper issues than whether they’ll fit into last year’s swimwear. There are a number of concerns women are faced with when exercising that can affect their confidence in a public gym whether they be psychological or physiological.
 
For women, going to a gym for the first time can be quite confronting, embarrassing and confusing. Especially with all the buff males around watching their muscles work in the mirrors. There are women only gyms, and gyms that have “women only” sections, but rather than hide, you should have the confidence to workout in any section your gym has to offer. The gym shouldn’t be a place where you feel inadequate, you should feel empowered by your choices to get into shape and start leading a healthier life. Not all females will be able to complete the same exercises or lift the same amount of weight as men, but this shouldn’t lower your confidence, you just need to understand that men and women generally have different goals. For men common goals my involve building strength and muscle mass; meaning heavier weights and lower reps. Women’s differing goals of toning are achieved by using lighter weights and higher repetitions.  So don’t let the fact that you can’t lift the same amount of weight as the boys leave you feeling threatened.

Knowing the specifics of your training and the correct technique for the exercises appropriate to meeting your goals will ensure you feel more confident when training. Women can also mentally prepare themselves for their training session by visualising themselves performing each exercise. Focus on what position your body needs to be in, the muscles being used and the breathing pattern required as you complete each movement. Mentally seeing yourself complete each exercise and knowing you can do it is a great way to increase your confidence and start achieving your goals. So don’t feel intimidated by men in the gym, instead feel confident in your program, feel confident in achieving your goals and feel confident in yourself.

For some women, issues regarding confidence in a gym environment are physiological rather than psychological. Roughly 50% of adult women experience Urinary Stress Incontinence (USI) to some degree. The most common cause is from the stretching and relaxation of the pelvic-floor muscles, ligaments and fascial support after child birth. This involuntary loss of urine occurs with physical exertion such as coughing, laughing or exercise. This can be embarrassing, especially when exercising in public and can stop many women from exercising all together.

Contracting your core and pelvic floor muscles during exercise is important to ensure correct posture, protect your lower back and allow greater hip stability. Women with USI may be able to manage this contraction and reduce urinary loss during low impact exercises but will find it more difficult to control during higher impact movements such as running, jumping and skipping. Pelvic floor exercises can be performed to strengthen the weakened muscles to reduce the physical and emotion effects of USI and allow for greater quality of life and confidence in and outside the gym.  

To activate your pelvic floor muscles, lie on your back with your knees bent and hip width apart, focus on the muscles you use to stop urination and draw these muscles up. Once these muscles have been contracted up, engage your deep abdominal muscles by drawing your belly button in towards your spine. This activates your core muscles- transverse abdominis, obliques, erector spinae and other deep lower back/pelvis stabilising muscles. Hold these muscles on at full strength, focusing on holding them and breathing deeply. This should be completed 8-10 times in a row, 3 times per day, holding each contraction for 10-20seconds.
 
Along with holding this pelvic floor/abdominal contraction, exercises can be completed to ensure your pelvic floor muscles are strengthened to withstand movement and force. Some examples of pelvic floor exercises that can be completed include: Bridging, Supine leg lift and slide, Abdominal roll downs, Heel taps and Dead Bugs. Complete 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, once per day. Unlike the first pelvic floor exercise of contracting the correct muscles at full strength and holding, focus on engaging these muscles at only 25% of maximal effort while completing each exercise. This will allow greater control of the exercises and ensure that you continue to breathe throughout. This program may not be suitable for everyone, so contact one of our Exercise Physiologists for more information.

Adhering to a gym program, especially the pelvic floor exercises, is going to be the greatest factor in achieving your goals. Research has shown that adherence is the key to improving USI and is a more significant factor than age or severity of incontinence. So be confident when training, visualise yourself completing each exercise and doing so without the embarrassment of urine incontinence. Follow the above guidelines, think positive thoughts and you’ll be on your way to the body and confidence you want for this coming summer. 
 

Staying Motivated by Steven Nichols

So you’ve started to exercise? Joined a gym, started riding, walking or running? Excellent…but are you going to be able to keep it up? Finding motivation is a reoccurring problem throughout life, not just in exercise. Finding the motivation for your job, your studies, to eat healthily and to continue to exercise is vital. Around 50% of people who start an exercise program will drop-out within the first six months. So how do you stop from falling into this 50%? Here are some simple tips for you to follow to improve your adherence to exercise.

Firstly, take a step back and set yourself some realistic goals. Studies show that people who set realistic goals are more like to modify their behaviour in a positive way. The goals should be hard enough to challenge yourself but also make them achievable. Set yourself a goal you’ll be able to visually see and set yourself a time to have reached your goal by. For example, ‘I want to drop a dress size in 8 weeks.’ Write it down and keep it somewhere you and someone else (partner, family) are likely to see it daily so they can support you. The important part is to continually re-evaluate these goals and to not just stop when you reach one of your goals because a loss of focus will be the most likely result.

One of the reasons 50% of people who start an exercise program will drop-out within six months is that they try and do too much too early. Start at a lower intensity and duration. As you feel yourself getting fitter slowly begin to increase both these variables. Regularly talking with your Exercise Physiologist is a good idea as they can monitor your progress. Don’t be discouraged if your goals aren’t being reached like you’d hoped. Take some time with your EP and they’ll be able to establish why and adjust your program accordingly.

Missing a workout is not the end of the world (but don’t make it a re-occurring habit). When your motivation dips (which it will) and you don’t feel like doing a run or a workout agree to yourself that you’ll do a short session. Often once you start, that is the kick you need to get you through your normal workout. Some good ideas to stop you from missing your training sessions is to set an alarm, write it in your planner or leave your clothes out to change into when you get home from work. Something small like this may be all you need to get you going.

Lastly and most importantly, make your workouts enjoyable. One such way is to exercise with a partner. As Barry has discussed in his article ‘Power of 2’ the benefits of training with a partner include an increased likelihood to engage in routine physical activity, more likely to try new and unfamiliar physical activity, workouts that are longer in duration and harder in intensity, social interactions and more enjoyable workouts. Studies have shown that spouses influence the dynamics of each other’s health habits. So why not encourage your spouse to come along on your workouts with you?

You don’t need to follow all these ideas to keep your motivation, you may have your own that work well for you. Everyone is different and no one thing will work for the whole population. Find the one that works for you, use it, and continue to enjoy your exercise.
 

Functional Training

Functional Training is the use of exercises that mimic every day activities that we do, however we must wonder; do we perform these activities correctly or in the most efficient manner? One of the purposes of functional training is to improve our performance in everyday life in order to avoid injury and allow for greater activities throughout the day.

Furthermore, the nature of functional training allows for improvements in generic sports related activities, this means that by undertaking some functional training as part of your regular physical activity program you will notice benefits in strength, balance and endurance. The number of exercises that is encompassed by functional training is to vast to list but it will be revisited in later articles; today I will be covering three of the basic exercises.

1. The Squat.
The squat is an essential exercise that should be practiced by everyone, and it is whenever you are getting up from a chair or sitting down you are in fact performing a squat!! However, you can make sure you are performing it correctly by ensuring that you lead with your hips, concentrating in keeping your chest/torso tall and bending your knees with the majority of your weight through your heels.
 

2. Single Leg balance with arm movement
This exercise is great for improving your balance and hip control; additionally this exercise can be done anywhere. To begin with while brushing your teeth, stand on one leg and brush the opposite side and then switch legs and brush the other side making sure to balance.

3. Reach outs
This exercise focus on controlling your shoulder blades, standing against a wall you bring your arm up to shoulder height and attempt to reach as far forward as you can without leaning with your upper body. Then you bring your arm back to the starting position, making sure that your shoulder does not rise to meet your ear.

These exercises are just a sample, talk to your Exercise Physiologist about incorporating similar exercises into your weekly exercise routine.
 

Ultimate Frisbee

Ultimate Frisbee. Yep, that’s right – there’s a real sport based on throwing a frisbee. From its hippie roots, created on the east coast of the USA and spreading through college campuses over the following decade, Ultimate has developed into a serious and competitive team sport played around the world, including at the World Games, where Australia recently took bronze (try Youtubing "crocs world games 2009").

WHAT IS ULTIMATE?

Ultimate (sometimes called Ultimate Frisbee) is a fast, free flowing game that combines elements of netball, soccer, gridiron and touch footy. The basic idea of the game is very simple. The aim is for the team with the frisbee to pass it up the field without dropping it and catch it in an end zone, which scores a point. The other team tries to intercept the disc or knock it down, allowing them to take possession. The sport is non-contact and can be played either single sex or mixed, with men and women playing together on the same field.
The other important aspect of Ultimate is that there are NO REFEREES. The players are trusted to make all decisions by themselves. Unique to Ultimate, and central to individual and team conduct, is the underlying Spirit of the Game, which embodies the sportsmanship which has sadly been lost from other sports. Players undertake to be competitive but fair and truthful, physical but careful, intense but friendly and courteous.

WHAT’S THE APPEAL?

People play Ultimate for many reasons. Some find the variation and elegance of a flying disc infinitely more pleasing than ball sports. Some are drawn by the level of athleticism required to compete at high levels, and others by the simplicity of a sport that can be enjoyed by all. Many people are tired and disillusioned by the lack of sportsmanship and enjoyment in other sports, and find great relief in the Spirit of the Game that underlies all of Ultimate, as well as the openness and friendliness of the Ultimate-playing community.
Ultimate has many special characteristics, and those willing to give it a go rarely leave without beginning to understand why this sport is continuing to grow in size and popularity.

IS IT GOOD EXERCISE?

This is, after all, what The Lab is about, and I’m pleased to report that Ultimate requires and develops a range of physical characteristics. Good Ultimate players need to have excellent speed and power to get open for a pass, spring for an errant throw, or chase their player on defence. This must be combined with the endurance to maintain their play for long games and tournaments, and the fitness to recover quickly between points and between games. Agility and balance are vital to play defence and respond to the movements of other players, and this also makes good movement control and coordination necessary.
It’s also worth noting that Ultimate has some great benefits to interpersonal skills. As players must arbitrate their own games, the sport forces the development of self-confidence, a willingness to accept and work through differing viewpoints and conflicts, and emotional control and consistency.
Don’t worry if you feel that you’re lacking these things! Like anything, while these physical abilities are required to play at the elite level, playing the sport is a fantastic way to develop them all, and Ultimate players are always happy and excited to see new people giving the sport a go.

GETTING INVOLVED

Ultimate players are always keen to help new people get involved with the sport, and are very welcoming of new players, so feel free to have a go.
The following links will give you the info you need to get involved:
http://tinyurl.com/ybgxmna (a general description of how Ultimate runs in Brisbane)
http://tinyurl.com/yawkdhm (specific contacts/details for current options to play Ultimate)
Alternately, you can email either the Queensland Ultimate Disc Association at info@quda.org or you can contact John at The Lab, in person or at john@the-lab.com.au
 

Fit From Home

It is never too early to get started on the journey towards your New Years health and fitness resolutions.
If you’ve been struggling to find the time to get into a gym and join up, don’t despair – start your journey from home.  There are many benefits associated with exercising from home; it can be a good idea if:

-    You don’t have a gym close to home
-    You don’t have time to get to the gym
-    The cost of a gym membership is too much
-    You don’t feel comfortable going for a walk after dark alone
-    You want to exercise when it suits you best and at short notice

Although there are many positives to exercising from the comfort of your own home, there are some considerations to take into account before you begin.
-    You will require high levels of self motivation (it is easy to put off your work out till ‘tomorrow’)
-    There is no instructor to develop your program and teach you correct technique
-    It is very easy to get distracted/sidetracked when in your own home

Don’t be disheartened by the above points; as a little bit of good planning can go a long way.
-    To help keep your motivation high it is important you set an achievable goal, with a timeframe.  Mixing up the content of your exercise sessions, and buddying up   with a friend are other strategies you can use to keep it interesting.
-    For a small investment you can get a qualified exercise physiologist to develop and run through a home program designed specifically to suit you and your situation.
-    To avoid getting distracted simply remove any objects that may distract you (phone etc.) from the area you are exercising in.  Also remember to keep referring back to the goals you set, and the feelings associated with achieving those goals.
Whether you’re trying to lose weight, or just get fit and healthy; training at home may be just what you need to help incorporate exercise into your daily life.  Remember – the most important thing is that you feel comfortable with regular exercise.

Here is a general home program suitable for most people to help get you started. Please note that if you are feeling unwell or have an existing medical condition then this program may not be suitable for you.  Contact our friendly Exercise Physiologists to find out if you are suitable.

Exercise        Repetitions
Push-ups         12 – 15         (on knees or toes)
Squats            15 – 20
Crunches        12 – 15
Bench Dips        12 – 15
Walking Lunges        10 each leg
Plank            45 – 60 seconds

Complete each of these exercises in order 2 to 4 times, with a 3 minute rest and water break between each circuit.

If you would like more information on the exercises involved then email us at The Lab – enquiries @the-lab.com.au

Exercising for heart health by Gareth Foot

You are probably aware by now that exercise is incredibly beneficial for your heart. But why is it so important to exercise, I mean there are plenty of older people that don’t seem to do much exercise. In 2006, cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounted for 34% (almost 46,000) of all deaths in Australia, with the disease killing one Australian nearly every 10 minutes. It affects 1 in 5 Australians and 2 in 3 families. Hopefully by the end of this article you will have a better understanding of some of the risk factors that are involved with CVD and how you can control some of them, because it is largely a preventable disease.

The risk factors for CVD can be broken up into two categories; modifiable and non-modifiable. These categories refer to risk factors that you can do something about (modifiable) and those you can’t (non-modifiable).  Let’s start with the non-modifiable; if you are male, are increasing in age (i.e. the older you are, the higher your risk), being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and if you have a family history of CVD (the more immediate family members, the higher the risk).  The modifiable risk factors can all be manipulated by your lifestyle and a reduction in these reduces your overall risk of CVD. Smoking (both active and passive), having high blood cholesterol or blood pressure, having diabetes, physical inactivity (not doing enough exercise), excessive alcohol, being overweight and depression/social isolation and a lack of social support. If you look at these modifiable risk factors, you can see that if you just improve your diet and get enough exercise, then you can positively affect almost all other risk factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, being overweight, physical inactivity, having diabetes, and being socially isolated).  Ok so if you have one or more of these risk factors what starts to happen?

The heart is the pump that circulates all of the oxygenated blood around the body every few minutes. Being a muscle that is constantly contracting (between 50-210 beats per minute); the heart needs its own constant supply of oxygen. As a result of this, the heart has blood vessels that surround it (3 main ones branching into many smaller ones). This can be where the problems occur. Excess cholesterol or fat in the blood can clog up the arteries surrounding the heart. This is a gradual process which generally starts in your late twenties or early thirties and how quickly or slowly it progresses depends on your risk factors. This build up narrows the arteries, causing less blood to get through, resulting in the heart having to work harder to supply enough oxygen to the rest of the body and to get enough for its own needs.

Think about travelling down to the Gold Coast on the highway in a car; the highway is an artery that surrounds the heart and the cars are the blood cells carrying oxygen. It’s a nice wide highway and cars flow freely and quickly and they all get to where they need to go. Then as a result of the risk factors, fat builds up in the arteries (called a plaque); which is like road works being done so there is one less lane for a short distance. The cars still flow quite quickly and there is not much disturbance to the flow of traffic. But more fat is deposited and another lane on the highway is taken up, and then another. During the quiet times when there isn’t much traffic going down the highway (like when you are at rest) the traffic will still flow through freely. But eventually there is going to be an event that everyone is trying to get to the gold coast for (like when you exercise, there is an increased oxygen demand by the working muscles in the body and the heart), but due to the road works, a limited rate of people are getting past. It doesn’t matter how many signals the brain sends to get more blood through, there is a limit to the amount of cars able to get through.

The turbulence that the plaque causes in the blood flow may result in the plaque rupturing. When this happens, the ruptured plaque attracts things out of the blood that stick to it, like throwing a piece of chewing gum into sand, causing the blockage to grow in size dramatically. This may cause a partial blockage to become a complete one. This results in the heart cells becoming ischemic (a decrease in oxygen supply) and then they can infarct (becoming necrotic due to complete obstruction of the blood supply). Necrotic means dead and once cardiac cells die, you will NEVER get them back!!!

This, however, can be avoided by making a few small adjustments in your life. Exercising, improving diet, not drinking too much or smoking, all play a role in keeping the arteries around your heart nice and open.  Exercise also has the beneficial effect of making your heart and other muscles in your body more efficient so that after you train them they require less oxygen from the blood to do the same amount of work. It also has the added benefit of opening new back streets around the highway arteries so that more blood can go down the backstreets to get to the same point, which also lowers your risk of a heart attack.

Small improvements in your exercise and diet habits can make a big difference. Small things like walking up the stairs at work, parking a bit further away from where you need to get to so that you walk a little further, walking the dog more and when you do, start going up some hills. Small changes in your diet such as: change something you have regularly consume to a healthier option (low fat milk, butter), trimming some of the fat from meat before you cook it, or choosing vegetables instead of chips for lunch.  Every little thing you do counts so don’t worry if it feels daunting at the beginning, just start small and work from there. One of the best things about exercise is that it has what’s called a “dose-response” relationship. Basically it means that the lower your fitness is to begin with, the more improvement that you will get from it.

So start to make some small changes, to your life. The following points about changes will help you make your lifestyle better for the health of your heart:
    •    If you make them one at a time then they’re achievable.
    •    Think about climbing a mountain that has a cliff on one side and a gradual incline on the other. It seems almost impossible to climb up the cliff in one go, but it is much simpler to gently walk up the gradual incline and you’re more likely to reach the summit.
    •    Heart attacks are terrible things that cause drastic physical harm and psychological anguish that they can cause to the individual and their family and friends, if you survive them!!
    •    Talk to your GP about your risk for cardiovascular disease and get your blood tests done regularly.  A high reading doesn’t mean a lot if you have no idea if it has improved or gotten worse. Remember the more you know about your personal health, the more you can detect small changes (positive or negative) and can make adjustments to your lifestyle to address them.

Once you make a few changes, you will start to feel/get healthier, sleep better, and have less stress in your life, as a result of lowering your overall risk of a cardiovascular event. Remember, you only have one heart, so look after it!! For more information, check out the Heart foundation website: http://www.heartfoundation.org.au or call on 1300 362 787.

The fundamentals of the shoulder
 – by Kim Hart

This article will focus on the shoulder; how it works and why it is one of the most commonly injured body parts. Hopefully it can help you better prepare for exercise and prevent some activity and sport related injuries. This article will provide an introduction into what makes up the shoulder joint and how it works.
We use the shoulder to do so many simple tasks as well as complicated manoeuvrers such as climbing and throwing a ball. It is also the most unstable joint in the body. This is why it is very important to keep the surrounding muscles healthy and strong to prevent any injuries.

The shoulder is a complex joint, but is actually only composed of 3 bones which make it quite unique from the other major joints of the body. This uniqueness makes it very vulnerable to injury which is an area we’ll touch on later. The three bones that encompass the shoulder are the clavicle (collar bone), the scapula (shoulder blade) and the humerus (upper arm).  The connection between the arm and shoulder blade is known as a ball and socket joint, the only difference being that in the shoulder, the ball is too large for the socket. This is illustrated in the diagram to the left which shows the large head of the humerus and the shallow depression of the scapula that it is supposed to sit in.
This disparity is often the big cause of injuries in the shoulder, with the ball slipping out of the socket far too often. A way to prevent this is to strengthen up the muscles that attach to these three shoulder bones to help keep them supported and injury free.

Exercise physiologists and fitness professionals often use the term “rotator cuff” when directing strength programs and stress its importance in shoulder stability. This is all well and good, but what does it actually mean? The rotator cuff is actually a group of muscles and tendons that act to stabilise the shoulder. The four muscles in the rotator cuff are the infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor. These muscles snugly fit around the shoulder and act like a glove to hold the shallow ball and socket joint in place.

Whilst the rotator cuff is of great importance structurally, it is quite easy to injure its muscles, so it is important to be careful not to over do it! If you do feel a bit of a pinch in your shoulder after lifting some weights, be sure to apply the RICE protocol (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and see a health care professional if it persists, as rotator cuff injuries can progress to very serious quite quickly.
The next article will focus on exercises that are used to strengthen the shoulder joint and rotator cuff and how you can incorporate them

 into your workout.
 

Cardio vs Weights by Alister Murray MAAESS AEP

In all the years I have been practicing as an Exercise Physiologists, one question I get asked a lot is; What’s better, cardio or weights? Let’s look a little deeper into this debate.
First of all cardio (Aerobic) training is a totally different form of exercise than weight (Anaerobic) training so its like comparing apples and oranges. Cardio training can broadly be considered as exercise that requires a constant delivery of oxygen to be used as fuel; this is why it’s classified as aerobic (in the presence of oxygen).  On the other hand, weight training is a type of exercise that fits into the anaerobic classification, which means that the fuel is delivered by other means than oxygen. Both types of training are important for healthy body function.

Cardio training is great for:
increasing stamina and endurance, promoting blood circulation, weight loss, improving metabolism and reducing risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol; the list goes on and on.
Weight training is great for:
increasing muscular strength and tone, increasing bone density (very important as we age), improving stamina, weight management, and reducing the risk of joint problems and injuries; again, the list goes on.
As you can see, both forms of training are equally important for normal body function and health. The secret is to get the right mix for your body type, health needs and goals.
Many of us enjoy one form of exercise or the other. Some like lifting weights, while others prefer cardio activities like running, cycling and swimming. Unfortunately one form alone does not meet all the requirements that our body demands so we need to get the right mix whilst maintaining our motivation and enjoyment in exercise.
The general health recommendations for each training type are:
Cardio – at least 30mins, 4-5 times per week
Weights – at least 30mins, 2-3 times per week
Considering this recommendation, in an ideal world we would train for at least 30mins each day and alternate our workouts between weights and cardio. With the pressures of modern day life this can be hard to achieve (and sustain) so which one should we choose to do and when? The answer will be different for everyone, as you need to consider your overall health needs, goals, motivation and ability. Given that both are vital for health and we all struggle to find time and motivation for exercise, perhaps the question should be; Can we do both at the same time? The answer is an emphatic yes.
You may have heard or read that you shouldn’t train cardio in the same session as weights. This is definitely not the case. Sure, certain training goals or health issues may dictate the need for only one form of training per session but for most of us, if the sessions are designed well then you can get enormous benefits from training both forms of exercise at once.
By combining weights and cardio in the one session, you can receive the wide range of benefits that both forms offer alone. One common way of combining the two is called circuit training. This is where you complete a sequence of exercises (cardio and weights) to a prescribed set of repetitions or duration. It’s a fantastic way of burning calories and improving your stamina, endurance overall fitness.
Another way is to complete a portion of the two forms back to back during a single session. This is most commonly done in gym environments when people do 20-30mins of weights followed by 30-40mins of cardio. Again, this is a great way to get the benefits of both forms but it also allows you to get the separate benefits from each form because of the way they are isolated during the session. For most people this is a great way to mix both forms of exercise and receive maximum benefit from the time they spend exercising.
So the long and short of it is that both forms of training need to be performed over the course of the week in order for us to maintain optimal health. Considering our hectic lifestyles, motivation, and health needs, one of the most effective ways to achieve this is combining the two together.
If you want to attain the best results possible then speak to an Exercise Physiologist about how to integrate a successful mixed session into your weekly exercise schedule.
To help you even further, The Lab is also running a brand new program which is specifically designed for you to get the most out of both forms of training whilst getting you in shape for summer. Its called Express Fitness and it’s a simple and effective way to get a complete workout on a Saturday morning. The program runs once per week for 10 weeks and starts on Saturday 17th of October at 8am. Call us today to book your place.
 
 

Troublesome Teens

If the teenage years fill you with dread with the idea of mood swings, tantrums and ongoing arguments of what is considered ‘fair’ than you are not the only one.

In addition you are probably well aware that obesity amongst children is a huge issue (excuse the pun) and one that causes many serious health risks later in life, with the onset of teenage years comes accessibility to junk food, often coupled with a decrease in physical activity. Children in their teenage years are susceptible to many potentially harmful lifestyle risks, parents can often be heard complaining of their ‘teenagers’ behavior. Unfortunately this potentially troublesome time is crucial in a child’s development, with exams, finishing school, the building of social networks and independence all occurring at the same time.

Sport is widely recognised as a positive activity for teenagers to be involved in, with many benefits, both physical, psychological and social, none more-so than climbing.

The Physical

A 60kg person climbing for an hour will burn approximately 700 calories, a massive amount when compared with other activities. The great thing about a sport like climbing is the emphasis can be in the participation and enjoyment of the sport rather than with the act of losing weight or improving fitness which can easily become boring.

Climbing uses full body movements, stressing major muscle groups in the back, for example the latissimus dorsi and trapezius. The all important core musculature is utilised in shifting the body in space and repositioning the climbers centre of gravity. The core (summary of muscles around the abdomen and spine – transverse abdominus, multifidus and inner obliques) is widely recognised as crucial for stability and in the prevention of lower back pain, another common ailment affecting 90% of adult Australians at some point in their lives.

Climbing demands strong leg musculature for pushing the body up the wall, at the same time requiring high levels of flexibility, for hooking feet over holds or balancing in seemingly impossible positions.

The unique combination of full body strength and flexibility is unlike most strength exercises. Usually a set of dumbbell curls will take 45-60 seconds and will work only one major muscle, the biceps, in almost isolation. Isolation exercises are not very transferable to everyday life, it is not very often that you will use your biceps in this manner in everyday tasks. However climbing in comparison is very functional; muscles are stressed in groups and over much longer time periods. They are often stressed in multiple planes of movement, again meaning the correlation with everyday living is high, resulting in the person becoming physically very capable.

Climbing can often mean maximum exertion, pushing the muscles beyond lactate threshold, this benefits muscular development encouraging the release of growth hormone into the system more than many other sports. Growth hormone is crucial for development, particularly in the formative years of childhood.

The Thinking

Another interesting reason for children to climb is when you consider the benefits to learning and brain development.

Exercise and new experiences are known to promote neurogenesis (brain development) due to neuroplasticity, through the release of various chemicals, in particular BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) whilst also regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin that help with cognition, learning and the control of stress. Climbing also engages the prefrontal cortex, responsible for high level cognitive functions including self knowledge, memory, mental imagery and incentive reward processing. All invaluable in the developing teenager!

The element of perceived risk also activates the brain’s reason and imagination capacities. Teenagers are not averse to risk taking behavior, this is due to the chemical reactions that this kind of behavior causes. By channelling this desire you can help your child satisfy the natural urges during teenage development, whilst limiting their exposure to more harmful forms of risk taking behavior.

Social

More broadly children can develop their confidence levels through overcoming challenges and working through problems with their peers. Climbing is very social with two people always required to work together, one climbing whilst the other belays. Through climbing children can develop trust in each other, trust in the safety equipment and procedure and trust in their own ability as they see the rewards of their effort.

Unlike sports such as soccer or rugby, climbing is great for gender equality with both genders able to enjoy the sport equally throughout physical development right through into adulthood, with girls easily making up for any strength deficits with flexibility!

Summary

There are few sports that offer such a well rounded developmental benefit for children across, the social, physical and psychological benefits, not to mention it is great fun. During a period that can cause great distress for parents as they experience their child going through these changes, it is well worth giving an activity like climbing a go for the host of benefits that it can bring. Even if your child is lucky enough not to experience any difficulty through these years, climbing can be a fun pastime amongst friends right through to adulthood.

Alex Cox-Taylor
Accredited Exercise Physiologist

P.s.

I would recommend checking out Urban Climb…
Armed with this knowledge Urban Climb runs a climbing program specifically for teenagers. Known as Spiders this program incorporates technique training for climbing, strength and conditioning, fun games and competition, two times per week during term time, aimed at 13 to 17 year old girls and boys. If you would like more information, please contact the gym on 38441544, or visit the website www.urbanclimb.com.au

No Sweat – Stay Cool This Summer

The recent weather we have been experiencing is a good indication that summer is arriving a little earlier this year.  With summer comes longer days, and a chance to enjoy those warmer weather sports such as swimming, surfing, etc.
Although this increased daylight allows us more time everyday to exercise; summer also brings with it extremes in heat, humidity and UV.  Listed below are 3 strategies we can use to decrease the chance of any side effect related to exercising during summer.

Stay Hydrated
85% of heat loss during exercise is through sweating.  During summer the body must try and dissipate more heat when exercising.  This results in an increased amount of sweating and therefore fluid loss.  It is recommended that you drink water 15-20 minutes before beginning exercise, and every 15 minutes during.  If you are feeling thirsty chances are you are already dehydrated, ensure you drink before you feel the need.
Too much water loss can lead to dehydration and symptoms such as cramps, dizziness, heat exhaustion or even heat stroke.

Minimise Increased Stress on your Cardio Vascular System

When exercising during the summer the cardiovascular system is placed under increased stress.  It is important that we minimise any of this increased pressure.
Acclimatise yourself slowly – decrease the amount and intensity of your exercise; and gradually work your way back to your current level.
Increased humidity results in less evaporation of sweat from the skin.  This lowers the body’s ability to dissipate heat.  To counteract this try not to exercise in temperatures above 32o and humidity above 80%.  Also try to wear loose fitting clothing that promotes evaporation.
When first beginning to exercise at higher temperatures remember to rest early and often, this will help reduce the risk of developing any adverse effects.

Be Sun Smart

When exercising in the sun it is important to minimise your exposure.  As well as being bad for your skin and dangerous to your health; sunburn also hinders the body’s ability to lose heat, increasing stress on the CV system and fluid loss.
Try your best to avoid exercise between the hours of 10am and 3pm.  Although this will minimise your chance of getting sunburnt remember – any time the sun is out you can get burnt.
Other important things to remember are to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes against the UV rays, and light coloured clothing to deflect the sun’s rays.

Summer brings a whole range of new and exciting exercise options.  If we make smart choices when we are training in the sun and heat, the long days can be just the helping hand we need to reach our health and fitness goals.