Sweat Depot

The poo taboo – pooing for health and self defence

2012-03-13T22:58:00.003-07:00

It was with much despair that I recently read a facebook post by a female stating how “gross” it was that women poo while at work. Considering people travel and work on average 8-10 hours a day is confounds me when exactly when women are supposed to poo, and why poo hasn’t entered the realm of women's liberation yet? (Boys I am well aware how you freely poo and regal your co-workers with your pooing success.)

Not incredibly constipation and dehydration is closely linked to severe depression and mental illness. Further taboo subjects. So go figure that women in the workplace suffer higher levels of depression and admissions to mental facilities then men. So when do we women stop flushing the toilet to disguise toilet noises and start to embrace the second most natural bodily function (second only to breathing)? When will women realise that the failure to poo at school camp could be intrinsically linked to obesity, hormonal imbalance and infertility, and irritable bowel syndrome?

Beware the childless female sporting a moustache and rubbing a bloated pot belly whinging about office toilet etiquette… She may be a bill boarded surgeon’s warning stating “I AM A CONSTIPATED, MENTALLY ILL CHICK PREPARING FOR CANCER”.

Not to mention the potential role a poorly fed stomach can play in causing strokes and heart disease. My first autopsy in the Police was of a 35 year old women that had 5 years worth of compacted poo in her intestine that eventually caused an embolism that killed her instantly.... the smell of the dead woman's emptied intestinal contents and the knowledge the Pathologist gave me INSTANTLY changed my life and the way I looked at food and alcohol.

Here’s some more poo for thought:

What has poo got to do with self defence for god’s sake? Less then 1000 years ago female Buddhist nuns actively practiced vomiting and pooing on cue to repel Mongolian and other tribal invaders from rape. SAS soldiers have written about using nervous pre-combat poos in trench warfare. After all, it is a basic premise of the ‘flight or fight’ response in humans and animals alike to stop digesting and empty their bowels when under attack. So why not use it DURING the attack? (High school students usually cringe at this part of my session, it brings me endless joy.) And the next time you are picking up your puppies street walking poo in a plastic bag, consider the joy and surprise a trail attacker might get if he opens up his eyes and sees some of your puppy poo smudged in his hair… and nose… and eyes…

So what is normal pooing?

You should poo as many times as you eat main meals in a day. Or at least poo the same volume. What goes in must come out – right? Easy maths. Your body just needs to extract the necessary energy and micro nutrients and flush the rest out. So that should be traditionally about 3 poos or equivalent meal volumes in poo a day…

If you haven’t pooed in a day, you are constipated. If you haven’t pooed in over two days (unless you are a new born) you are chronically constipated = HEALTH THREAT!

What should your poo look like?

Sausage size, and it should be easy to pass with no straining and no stringy bits. You shouldn't need to sit there for hours (that one's for the boys!). You should have a virtually clean wipe.
Your rectum will always protestith if it has been straining too much by popping out hideous little hemorrhoids and tears. Your poo should have visible tiny pieces of vegetable to show that you are eating your 6-8 servings of veges a day. Not eating 6-8 servings of veges a day? If you are over 15 you are old enough to know better and maybe this article is wasted on you.

A the very least join us on facebook and see how to make your meals to the eighty/twenty rule. 80% vegetable and 20% meats and seafood, grains and fruit. Notice that their is NO SUGAR in this equation. Sugar = irritable bowel. Irritable bowel = constipation and/ or diarrhea and pain in joints, backs and tummys.

Poo’s shouldn’t smell too bad. Not musty (that means old poo). Not like you have giardia (that means you are ill and/ or that you have lost the war to bad bacteria in your tum) . And your toilet shouldn’t look like a war zone after you have been to it. But if we are talking about etiquette please clean up after your not so good poos… If you laid it, you spray it…
I recommend sphagnum moss as a non-toxic air freshener and anti-fungal and germicide.

How do I get my poo’s regular?

Get good bacteria in your gut in the form of probiotics (get a supplement) - eat sugar free natural yoghurts, loads of green leafy veges, drink miso soup and don’t be so scared to get your hands dirty and let your toddler eat dirt.

Try Aloe GEL Juice (beware cheaper aloe juice that contains the skin of the plant as this can irritate the bowel lining) to soften, cleanse and nourish the bowel. Drink about four capfuls in a glass of filtered water up to four times a day for as many days as it takes for you to get good volume, fluidy, easy to pass poos. Then you can take it down to a maintenence dose of about 2 capfuls pre-breakfast. I take the aloe gel that comes with the cranberry juice in it too so that my wee doesn't get jealous.... (You know, to take care of the urinary tract. I'm very technical.)

Take MAGNESIUM: I tell everyone to take enough to make you poo – literally (at least a 400ml strength tablet). We are all generally pretty magnesium deficient because of the lack of nutrients traditionally in Australian soil and because we all sweat so much. Magnesium basically relaxes muscles – including the intestine and bowels.

Compete or challenge yourself regularly! Even a competitive game of chess can replicate the bodies fright or flight response and get you nervous enough to want to expel the contents of your tummy. You only have to go into the public toilets before a 'fun' run to realise that a bit of pre-game jitters is a great little digestive detox (the pooing is sometimes more beneficial than the run).

Go visit an Asian country and poo in a ground urinal! Doing a 'trench squat' to poo (with your HEALS DOWN) is the perfect way to relax the bowel. If you don't want to wee on yourself (who does? don't answer that....) it is also great for joint mobility and building essential core strength as you concentrate on stabilising your hips and ankles. So the next time your Mum complains about her knees hurting suggest - Mum, you really need to consider squatting over a long-drop to poo.... and let me know how that conversation goes.

SIDE NOTE: Did you know that your bodies first introduction to good gut bacteria is in the birth canal? Yes, that’s right… blood and fecal matter (hopefully your mum had good gut bacteria to pass on). This puts a whole new spin on the benefits of natural birth and why c-section born babies may have higher incidence of colic (a term for baby pain with no medical reason). A baby with a clean gut (NO BACTERIA) is going to be in constant and chronic amounts of pain while it tries to digest – very distressing isn’t it?

Are you drinking enough WATER? No not coke, not V, not soft drinks, not sports drinks, not fruit juices, not freaking Vitamin Water. JUST WATER…. How can you poo if you don’t have enough fluid to flush it out? How can you poo if the sugar from alcohol, soft drinks and fruit juices invades your colon and makes an army of bad bacteria that turns your soft poo into a stringy, congealed mass of candida (yeast and fungus) infested unset cement? Now that is GROSS!

Also try drinking - green tea, warm water with organic apple cider vinegar and/ or warm water and lemon juice. We all know what a good warm drink does for toilet time, so why not drink these natural, inexpensive detox drinks first thing in the morning.

And exercise – 'if you don’t move it you lose it' also applies to the workings of the stomach. So ladies before you invest in expensive compression underwear for your tummy consider going for a brisk 20 minute walk to effectively release gases and get the digestive juices rolling. Exercise (the right sort, no the hour long treadmill sort) also promotes deeper breathing and reduces the infamous inflammatory stress hormone cortisol, thereby reducing that famous ‘sh!t-on-liver’ mood that plagues us all occasionally.

If this isn’t helping SEEK professional holistic help (starting with your GP for a check up and then invest in Naturopathic, Homeopathic, Ayurvedic or Chinese medicinal advice). You made need to be treated for parasites, candida infections, food allergies and intolerance's, or it could be a precursor to something far worse.

But the investment could also lead to tummy toning and weight loss, more energy, reversal of depression, clear skin, great hair and nails and a prolonged life. Bargain!

Once you have better poos THEN you can add more fibre.
But doesn’t fibre help you poo? Yes, but only if you have enough good bacteria to break it down and fluid to flush it out. If you have a inefficient system you are just backing up the pipe works and are going to suffer from more cramping, bloating and weight gain. Bugga.

What is good fibre?
Not the stuff that comes with your Terry White meal replacements, not the orange stuff in a plastic container… It is green leafy veges and fruit. Easy to digest whole grains eaten in moderation (like quinoa, rye, kumult, buck wheat, brown rice and spelt).

White flour… is… toxic.

Flour in any form is NOT easy to digest. It just irritates the bowel. Pre-processed grain comes with an outer husk that contains a digestive enzyme required by the stomach to break down the white, gummy part of flour (starch). Without the whole grain enzyme it is virtually impossible for the body to break down white breads, pasta, and cakes. Which means you are left with a cement like paste clogging up your gut. Which means that food that should have been digested over 24 hours before could be in gumming up your tummy for years and years. Decades... and this is commonly why every 10 years we seem to stack on another couple of kilos 'for no reason at all I tell you!'

So ladies, before we pass judgement on poos in public, which is the greater evil?

Mental illness and bowel cancer from years worth of poo in your stomach?

Or having a quick, pain free, tummy toning poo at work?

A little explosive relief for the day.

Poo for thought, that's all I'm saying...

Big Marn's SEE YOU SOON send off... Your invited...

2012-03-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

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APRIL 14th
6.30 Drinks
7.30 Dinner

The Villager Hotel
185 George Street, Brisbane, QLD, 4000
E: info@thevillager.com.au

Get you love gear on and RVSP before the 6th of April.

Beach Boot Camp April

2012-03-01T18:29:00.002-08:00

We are sucking out the last sip of Summer with these April Beach Boot camps…

Would you like this to be your training ground?

So would I.

Join Erin and Jules (and any of my other trainers that like a good beach training session, swim and coffee/ cocktail as much as we do) for:

BEACH SPRINTS AND RELAYS
SLAM BALL DRILLS
COMBAT DRILLS
SAND BAG WORKOUTS
WATER RUNNING CIRCUITS

Beach Boot camp

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Then we are going for juice, coffee, all-day-breakfast, and or cocktails after…

All day breakfast after Beach Boot camp

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WHERE: Meet beachside of Mooloolaba SLSC to train on harbour side of the beach

Click here for Google map and directions

WHEN: TWO APRIL SESSIONS!

Sunday 22nd of April 9.30am
Wednesday (ANZAC day) 25th of April 4:00pm

COST: $20 per casual session, or part of the ELITE APRIL BOOT CAMP package.
Bookings essential. Email ERIN.

Ground and Pound is coming to boot camp and Samford…

2012-02-28T17:45:00.001-08:00

We have been building up your core strength and technique for this moment.

With core bags and open finger MMA gloves you will go from running, squatting, axe throwing, rowing and hauling your weighted core bag to pounding it with partner flow drills or individual ground work. It is the ultimate in strength endurance skills training… and it is not for the feint hearted.

What will you need for these sessions?

We will provide a limited number of PVC open finger MMA gloves until you get a feel for it and purchase your own. The gloves come in sizes small to extra large and we will have new gloves available for you to have a proper fitting and be given personalised advice.

Leather MMA gloves $70 (yellow and black), Synthetic leather MMA gloves $40 (Black and red)

Gloves are size specific – small, medium, large, extra large.

We can give you personalised advice and fit you for these.

We will bring the core bags…. 10 kilos, 15 kilos, 20 and 25 kilos.

We can also purchase one for you. Core bags are THE EASIEST most effective way to set up a home gym.

10 kilo $77; 15 kilo $92.40; 20 kilo $107.80; 25 kilo $120.00

Core bags mean -

No bag hanging
Fully transportable
Can be used in partner or individual work
Perfect for single ladies, unit dwellers and families that don’t want to leave dangerous weight laying around

And we will teach you how to use them.

Boxing MMA and Cross Fit training products

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Click here for products and prices.

Email Erin to order!

See you on the sweaty side….

Sore shins? Shins splints? What it is... what to do

2012-02-26T20:45:00.001-08:00

A question from Katia aka Little One..

Also...what do you know about shin splints??

I seem to get them regularly - i did a booty camp session with Julies where we did olympic long jumps and jump squats and all that kinda stuff on the netball courts and i had the shin splints for 3 weeks after that....it was crazy....i would prefer to train bare foot but jumping like that on bitumen would hurt.....do you think i should ask Julies if I can train on grass or is it my shoes?

Shin splints are a really poorly diagnosed term. They usually apply to runners who average 40 kilometres of running per week (through inflammation and minuscule tearing from repetitious foot strikes). Another reason why I think endurance sports have a limited shelf life....

Shin splints and resulting fractures and compartment syndrome are also attributed to muscle imbalance, over-pronated feet and flat feet.

Did you know that shin splints are more likely to occur in women than in men?

What your describing sounds like muscular soreness in the shins, which could lead to "shin splints' without a little bit of tweaking...

To build muscle you have to tear it (which always causes pain, otherwise you are taking some excellent mild altering drugs), but you also have to stretch it so it doesn’t contract (which is the pain you may be feeling). You would need some good stretching, massage and heat lotion.

Now onto shoes - everybody is talking about bare foot running as the new orthodic. The reasoning is simple - if you want to walk upright, stop leaning on a walking frame. If you want to develop proper musculature of the feet, legs and buttocks stop relying on shoes that someone else sold to you. NOW when you first run bare foot it going to hurt - not just your soft little work deprived feet, but also your shins. Because you are developing muscle that has been wasting away in your $200 running shoes. So you have to start slowing and in short bursts. And consider buying 5 finger toe shoes (Vibram companies EMAIL me if you have a good offer for my clients.... mmmmmm).

And walk at least 30 minutes a day. Religiously (even if your 120, giving birth and dying of cancer). Otherwise you muscles are atrophying (contracting and dying – which causes pain). Walking is the best way to move along lactic acid (which causes pain) and increases blood flow (which promotes healing). On a side line it is the cheapest way to treat constipation and gas. How do I always get to that?

Muscle soreness is not something to avoid. Jules and I are in pain most days... (well me more than Jules). I am usually a bit happy if I have soreness because it means I have done something right, and I am building muscle. I just know that I have to do my homework (stretch, heat lotion, magnesium) so that I can front up the following day and do it all again without complaining too much.

A message from our resident family Doctor Sharon:

Hmmmm

as we know, shin splints (correct in poorly used term) is a vague description of mid shin pain, more often medial (inner side) of tibia, where the bone meets the bulky calf muscle.

Shin splints (correct term tibial periostitis) develops after repetitive muscle contractions, often due to "loading" the bone by jumping or landing heavily. Running and all other forms of weight bearing training, have been linked to the development of shin splints. That means that if you pretend to ski on one of those eliptical trainers or something like that, you'll never actually load your bone. If you jump (olympic long jump or jump squats) a little bit, your bones will appreciate it. If you jump excessively, or do TOO MUCH TOO SOON for your muscles to acclimatise to that form of training, you will overload the bone at the site where that main muscle originates.

Shoes - yes, if you were wearing dunlop volleys, you'd get them sooner than top notch asics trainers, but ultimately, it's the form of exercise that marks this problem.
Barefooted jumping would cause even more bone loading, probably ensuring tibial pain sooner.

To settle shin splints, everything you have said works - new footwear, stretching +++, heat packs and rubs/linament etc. The most important thing is to rest from the aggrevating activity - NOT from all activity. SO - jumps would be minimised, but kicks, squats, core work, upper limbs - no problem.

Just a quick reply whilst i sit at my desk and think.....

(If you want to get details of Sharon's Stafford practice and hours click here to email...)

Erin's market shopping checklist...

2012-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

This is what I buy from the markets weekly/ fortnightly and with them I can produce any of the facebook deliciousness that Shannon serves out.

If you haven't already loved us on facebook

this is what you could be missing out on....

Prawn stuffed squid

Roast vegetable and quinoa warm salad

2 minute sugar free banana berry ice cream

My fridge comprises of 80% fruit and vege (If I designed a fridge it would be ALL crisper). The other 20% is milk, cheese, olives and left-overs. I NEVER throw out left-overs. They are far more delicious then any take away I have ever tasted.

I recommend buying a small food processor to grate/ chop if you don’t like it.

I CANNOT love this little beauty enough, and for as little as $68 if you do the leg work. There is no fiddling around with components and it is EASY to clean.... (ps: no one is paying me to say this. But Tefal, just email me if you would like to...)

Tefal - MB750 - Fresh Express

I always roast/ fry/ BBQ about 4 times what I need every meal so it become the basis of tomorrows lunch or night meal (ie: frittata, vegetarian lasagne, soup, salad, vege stack).

I bought this lot for $38 to last the week

Erin's market shopping list:

Onions and Garlic

Tomatoes/ eggplant/ zucchini

Mushrooms

Avocado

Sweet potato

Carrot

Capsicum

Spinach/ mixed leaves

Wood smoked free range bacon

Fresh fish

Olives and antipasto

Herbs - basil/ parsley/ coriander/ dill

(they are my bunch of useful gorgeous smelling flowers)

SEASONAL FRUIT AND VEGE

(tip: if it costs more than $3 a kilo, it's usually not seasonal)

Nuts and free range eggs

More colour = more nutrition

So get thee to your local markets, grab a coffee and enjoy this divine and inspiring experience. AND FOR THE LOVE YOUR CHILDREN, TEACH THEM WHILE YOU SHOP and get them involved. This is better than any movie, water park, or activity centre.

SAMFORD -What to expect: Box. Cross. Boot camp.

2012-02-07T17:47:00.001-08:00

Energy Depot Samford

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Never boxed or kick boxed before? Never done ballistic weight bearing training?

Want to train hard to get real strength and speed but don’t know where to start?

Now is the time to get a personal taste of Sweat Depot. For the next four weeks at Samford Sweat Depot classes we will be stripped back to the sweaty basics.

When you arrive you will be given complimentary spring water and be kitted out with loan cotton inners and hit-mitts. Please have your Sweat Depot Health Questionnaire completed prior to class (emailing it to us ensures we workout, rather than do boring admin). After technique we will do 40 mins of flow drills with the hit-mitts. We then finish with a 300 challenge (don’t be frightened).

Here’s the best bit…. after you are saturated with sweat and realise that you should have been training this hard ALL your life, we supervise stretching drills, apply heat rub and lymphatic draining and muscle lengthening techniques. Then we give you some quick advice on what food you should be eating and vitamins you should be taking to optimise muscle growth.

With your email address you will form part of our VIP troupe and get ongoing motivational and nutritional support. And our small community will keep you accountable for your health and resulting hotness…
We are trialling the current Sweat Depot Samford timetable, so your feedback and support is crucial and appreciated!

In one month we hope to step up your training… this will involve MMA (mixed martial arts) combat mitts, core bags and some pretty intense ground-and-pound interval training sessions.

Gloves and equipment are a really personal thing (a bit like underwear). So when you are ready we will give you personalised advice on what ounce gloves, wraps (an essential CHEAP protective measure for your hands), MMA mitts and other equipment you will need to protect and strengthen you during your workout.

Personal equipment for sale

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Here is some of the high quality equipment we have for sale at wholesale prices.

So, what are you waiting for?

Book in for one of these times (starting the 20th of February) and experience for yourself why we have over 100 Sweaty converts each week…

Mon 6pm

Wed 9.15am

Sat 8am

Email Erin.

We CANNOT wait to train with you.

Jo's Story blows FATTEST LOSER out of the water

2012-01-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

No one can argue that losing weight IS HARD WORK. It takes years of habitual poor eating and inactivity to put on weight. The success of THE BIGGEST LOSER could be the drama that surrounds the efforts of the over weight contestants, and it could also be the thrill of their achievement.

But here are the BIGGEST LOSER facts:

Contestants don't have to go to work and don't have to worry about paying the bills
Contestants are removed from addictive environments (family and friends get fat together.... have a truthful look around....)
Contestants are motivated to train all day with an experienced trainer, for FREE
They have their fridge stocked and an on site caterer
They have a handsome unit of a man telling them to stop being a fat pig and put down the cake....
The whole nation is watching so it makes it a whole lot harder to chuck a tanty and make pitiful excuses (but they still do!)
Because they could potentially win a whole lot of money and fame
Because they get to watch the play-back of the personality weaknesses that have lead them down path of morbid obesity (holding a mirror in front of you all day long is a life changing experience).

So how do normal people beat the staggering odds of failing to lose, and keep, weight OFF.

Jo Johnson, our wonderful Monday evening Sweat Depot Hills PCYC instructor is a real life example of beating and not retreating back to morbid obesity (I know, I know.... I would never have believed it in a MILLION years).

Jo could have kept this her little secret, because it is painful revisiting a time in your life where you had to turn the mirror on yourself and ask yourself to change. But this amazing women wants to give us the gift of personal experience, and she shares it in her usual graceful and humble way.

It isn't easy to put down on paper things in your past that you weren't happy with or make you cringe with the memory. I can't say that I have regrets about anything because the things that happen through your life mould you into the person that you BECOME.

I went through early childhood with exuberant energy and couldn't sit still and had to be on the move all the time. My physicality was due to the great genes that I inherited from my father. Lean as a gazelle with everybody telling me that I was too thin (which I hated).

I grew up in an unhappy home and it's not surprising that I found myself pregnant and married at sixteen. We had a real go at marriage and bought our own milk run. It wasn't an easy life for a couple with a small child. All our friends were going out having fun and we were working our butts off seven days and nights a week. My husband would do the milk run at nights and I would stay home and record the milk orders during the day. My nights would consist of sitting up until midnight and then wake him to do his run. It was very hard to stay awake but I found that food became my friend - it would keep me company and keep me awake.

Slowly the weight crept on, and on... and on. I knew that it was getting out of control but I felt trapped. Exercise was not an option because I was tied to the phone during the day and stuck at home at night with a sleeping husband and baby. Before I knew it i had reached 110 kilos. The only way I knew was that the doctor weighed me worried about my weight. I went into denial. I started making excuses. All the ones that I have just written about. I avoided cameras. Then I avoided people. I was embarrassed and ashamed.

Jo in the 70's (she is on the right). I'm too busy looking at the 70's style to notice if she is overweight?

Then I started to watch what I ate. But I only lost a small amount of weight and thought "What was the good of that. It hasn't worked," and I would fall back into old habits. It wasn't until I saw a photo of a friend's wedding and wondered who the 'fat chick' was and realized it was me.

That was the turning point. I had had enough of feeling sick. I felt as if my body had slight food poisoning all of the time.

Close up of young Joey

I started out by pushing the kids in the pram three kilometres to the kindy. Then back again in the afternoon. Then I started to go to exercise classes once a week. I then joined a gym, but they didn't have classes so I asked if I could start them if we found enough people interested (no qualifications needed those days).

I was feeling good about myself for the first time in a very long time. I started to eat healthy as well. I stopped drinking milk when I was thirsty and stopped pouring cream onto my cereal. I vowed that I would only eat REAL food i.e. food that grew or grazed. I bought a steamer and lightly steamed my veges or grilled my fish or chicken. The weight slowly moved from my body, but it was more the way that I felt. I stopped feeling ill, I stopped having trouble sleeping. I felt great when I woke up in the morning.

I liked myself for the first time in a long time. I didn't realise who lonely I had been.

Food is not a substitute for friendships and confidence.

Joey - 50 something fabulous

The rest is history. But it's my life history and my journey and I am proud of how dam hard I worked to get that weight off. It wasn't easy and it's still not easy. People look at me and say how fit and healthy I look for my age. It is a choice. A choice I make in every decision I make. Whether to eat that or whether to sleep in. Believe me, it isn't the easy choice. It's all about making an effort. Get off the coach, get out of the house and get off you arse. No one can do it but you.

Remember to treat food as fuel, The better the quality of the fuel, the better your body will run. I am in this industry because I am absolutely passionate about health. It is your wealth. The way to make a difference IS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Enjoy your life....

Jo.

Killer in your child's lunch box...

2012-01-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

We all worry about the big, bad boogie man coming to snatch our babies from our backyards while they play, but the reality is that our child will die at our hands.... and we will kill them with love - and ignorance.

This is a fact -
one in FOUR of our children are overweight.
one in EIGHT will die before their parents due to obescity related illness.
(see more at the 2006 Australian Parliamentary Library e-brief)

And last year we officially became the fattest nation on earth (Happy Australia Day!).

The reason is simple. If we eat more calories than we burn, we get fat. Not big boned.... not thyroid challenged. Just fat.

You don't wake up 'fat' one morning. It takes hard work and perseverance to get fat, and it is a hard lesson we also teach our kids. It's statistically correct to say if you are fat, your children are fat, or will be fat.

Jo Johnson, our Monday Sweat Depot PCYC instructor, and the BEST kindy teacher in the world, witnesses daily what parents pack into kids lunch boxes and she has something to say....

It is very difficult to write something when you worry that you may offend people, but I think if what you have to say makes one person stop and think, then it is very worthwhile.

I have worked in a Kindergarten for over 25 years and I am increasingly disturbed by what I see in children's morning tea and lunch boxes. Excuse me, but what has happened to real food? We have a food and nutrition policy in place that parents are supposed to adhere to, but we may as well have written "blah, blah, blah" on the paper.

The good

If you think there is an obesity problem now, we are in for a whole lot of shit in the future. I spend the whole lunch break opening plastic and wrappers from something that the children try and eat. Most of the time it is thrown in the bin because the child doesn't like it. We (the teachers) then have to retrieve it from the bin and place it back in their lunch box so that the parent can see that their child didn't like or want it. But then the next day the same food comes back in a fresh packet [this food is really expensive too - Erin].

Versus the bad

Some children don't even have any 'real' food in their containers at all. It is all pre-packaged food. And what is this stuff called "fruit bars?". Has anybody looked at the ingredients on the back?There are more numbers there than there are in my age. Ever since I have seen the introduction of the "fruit roll up" to the lunchbox I have also seen three year old babies getting their teeth capped.

It also seems to me that the more education we receive about excercise and nutrition the more we are ignoring it.

If I have one more parent say to me that obesity is hereditary in their family and their child is fat because they are, I think I will scream. I hate to think that they would deliberately make their child over-eat to fulfill that excuse.

We encourage children to play with technology and consequently they are becoming sedentary. Please don't use technology as babysitting tools. Encourage your child to go outside and play. Early childhood educators are always saying that everthing that a child needs to learn about life begins in the back garden. Join them. You might even enjoy yourself.

This Australia Day, pack a healthy picnic, a ball (and your kids) and go have some fun at the park!

Enjoy your life! Jo x

Want some healthy lunch box suggestions? Stay tuned to this blog and.....

For daily recipes, training programs and lifestyles suggestions

BOOT CAMP RESULTS...

2012-01-12T17:39:00.000-08:00

SGT Ballistic Boot campers....

Here are your January results. Of course, this is not about competing with others, but yourself (and getting the odd compliment or jealous stare becuase you look so good).

For those who are more competitive, did you know you can post this to facebook? Just click the little facebook F below the blog to share.....

BOOT CAMPS FOR MARCH - Mon - Thurs AM and Sunday wildcard

2011-12-14T20:27:00.007-08:00

Enlisting NOW for the March bootcamp.

We offer FOUR hard-core weekly bootcamps and a wildcard Sunday!

You have the option of high intensity, fight oriented training on:

Monday 6.00 am
Tuesday 6.00am
Wednesday 6.00am (bring ounce gloves if you have them)
Thursday 6.00am
Sunday WILDCARD session (Date/ time/location will be determined by bootcamp vote. Email to register your suggestion.)

Pricing:

ELITE level = UNLIMITED classes per month $150*

Athlete level = 8 classes per month $75*

Basic level = 4 classes per month $55*

Casual $15

*Elite/ Athlete / Basic package MUST BE PAID prior to month commencing or casual rates apply.

What’s in it for me?

With an ELITE pass Erin will keep you personally accountable via: text/email/Face Book with shopping lists, recipes, nutritional and lifestyle advice.

Elite members also receive

$5 voucher toward any Sweat Depot/ Sweat Diva merchandise or future bootcamps. You can save up your vouchers (i.e. 3 vouchers = $15 = cap? training singlet? crop top? $15 off next bootcamp?)

To view our fitness and boxing equipment click here

For women's Sweat Diva active wear click here

A comprehensive range available at PCYC studio.

What will it be like?

Pushing, dragging, pulling; lifting your body weight and odd objects (tyres,

ropes, fire hoses, sledge hammers, sand bags...)

All tried and tested elite military training crossed with boxing and MMA strength and conditioning......

Plus, there is monthly fitness testing. There is no use doing all this training if you can't gloat about how awesome your times and strength is....

Believe it or not numbers are capped so don’t miss out

Call or email Erin to ENLIST NOW

email: Erin (m) 0416 121 615

For casual class bookings text Jules (AKA bootcamp Frog) 0422 894 265

SUN LOVERS! TWO BEACH BOOT CAMPS ARE BEING HELD IN APRIL.

Hit me here to get more details...

Top 5 excuses for not training and poor diet - BLOWN AWAY

2011-11-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

Yes, he has a face...

Comments from the Big Man

We all get busy. Working long hours. Fast food meals to catch up. We delete things from our schedule which aren’t a high priority. Often that means skipping a workout. This pressure leads us to make excuses to justify OUR DECISIONS. It comes down to this; what motivates YOU to train and eat healthy? What gets YOUR blood pumping while YOU train (loud music, yelling, someone yelling at YOU, competing with others?) What does it take to get you to night sessions in winter?

Unlike cavemen, we no longer need a high level of fitness to stay alive (unless you are a special forces soldier in a war zone...). We train to: feel healthy, get fit, look amazing, be the best we can be, challenge ourselves, feel more energetic...

There are far more important reasons to train hard. Healthy humans survive illness and injury FAR better and recover quicker than unfit and unhealthy humans. I have witnessed astonishing recoveries of fit people as a paramedic in the military and civilian world and not just Aussies, I have seen this all around the world. Best example: a triathlete shot through both legs and walking the next day... The flexibility which comes from stretching after training is for life, e.g. if you strengthen your legs with squats/sprints and jump lunges then stretch after you are far less likely to experience lower back pain (especially if you train barefoot, but more on that next time) which cripples so many Australian adults who don’t squat down to lift everyday items and lack flexibility. And by the way the time for stretching is always after you train not before (stay tuned for my next blog).

Here are my top five favourite excuses (which people try to peddle to me) in no particular order, and suggestions for not letting them become your reasons for your diabetes or your stroke or your heart attack.

Excuse 1

Ran out of time

The Tabata protocol last 4 minutes (20 seconds work then 10 seconds rest x 8) and is designed to push you to exhaustion. Four sets of Tabata takes 16 minutes. All you need is a couple of metres of floor/ground space and with 4 minutes of push ups, crunches, jump lunges and air squats you have functionally trained your body with no equipment. You don’t even need shoes!

See the original study by Dr Tabata...

And check out our free 5 - 20 minute programs...

The Baby Jo 20 minute workout

5 minute NO Santa stomach! workout

Excuse 2

I can’t afford gym membership OR classes

Bodyweight exercises are free. Every park in this country has a place for chin ups. Its not just push ups and chin ups, you are limited only by your imagination...burpees, flipping/running with an old tyre. It never has to be the same workout. The undisputed legend of fight fitness Ross Enamait at www.rosstraining.com (also on Facebook) has specific designs for improvised home made boxing, strength and conditioning equipment.

With Sweat Depot programs and DVDs priced from $1.95 you really can afford to train (and let's be honest who wouldn’t want a DVD of Erin at home!). (hmmmmm?)

Click here to check out affordable programs and downloads

Excuse 3

I’m not fit enough to start a class yet

Our classes are purpose built for beginners AND advanced athletes. No-one walks out of a Sweat Depot session without burning fat. In fact you will be still burning fat hours and hours after you leave. All you need to do is start today and do your body a favour by following your session with a high protein, no (or low) carb diet with plenty of water/mineral water, NO SUGAR and YOU WILL SEE RESULTS. YOUR friends and family will see your results. Passers by at the shops will see your results.....DON’T wait til you’re fit enough we will get you there!

Excuse 4

I don’t have time to cook healthy meals

Let's look at a delicious lunch for home or work. One wholegrain tortilla with half an avocado (containing good fat which you will use in your next workout), some cold meat, some grated carrot, your favourite cheese and with some preparation from the night before some diced baked/boiled sweet potato (brilliantly packed with low GI energy and sooo tasty). Quick to make, inexpensive, and full of flavour without the need for sugary/salty sauce that will make it go soggy anyway.

Dinner: slap a steak on a pre heated BBQ, put a bag of snap frozen store brand veges in the microwave and in 5 minutes, your healthy fast dinner can be on the table.

LEFT OVERS (butt-in from Erin....)

What ever you have left over from the night before always tastes better the day after if you make it into fritters (just add egg, some garden or dried herbs and a little spelt flour)

Or lasagna... just line a baking dish with canned tomatoes or paste, add wholemeal sheets and layers of left over meats and veges. White sauce is as easy as ricotta cheese (or ANY cheese) and egg...

Excuse 5

I can’t afford healthy meals or protein shakes

If you calculate a week of meals as 21, following a simple plan like the one listed below for 19 meals per week (and maybe hitting some well deserved carbs in the 3 remaining meals) will SAVE YOU MONEY, help you SHRED BODY FAT, and provide the appropriate minerals you hard working body needs to aid recovery. You will also find that you don’t crave the foods you used to survive on (greasy take away, soft drink and chocolate being the main offenders)

Brekkie: rolled oats (<$2) with full cream milk

Mid morning snack: a piece of fruit, a few handfuls of mixed unsalted store brand nuts and some mineral water

Lunch: wholemeal wrap mentioned above and mineral water

Mid afternoon snack: yoghurt and some more nuts

Dinner: baked chicken drumsticks with a variety of veges

Protein shakes can be delicious and are handy but are extremely expensive. They generally provide up to 30 gms of protein which is the most our bodies can digest at one time. The menu above provides the same amount of protein as a shake with each meal including each snack.

If you still need convincing that YOU need to be eating healthy from the moment you finish reading this onwards, take a walk through you nearest major hospital emergency department (take it from a former QLD paramedic). Count how many fit, lean and healthy patients you see lying in a bed. More than likely you will see overweight heart attack, stroke and diabetes victims. Then hit the outpatients department and say hi to the adult onset diabetes patients who have lost limbs to the disease due to excessive sugar intake. It would be silly not to stop in at the dental clinic and smile at the patients who have lost teeth to SUGAR.......

CAN YOU AFFORD NOT TO EAT HEALTHY FOOD?

Train hard, eat well

Charles

we've also got 27 strategies to motivate you to GET TO TRAINING...

My words of wisdom? for graduating high school students - Ferny Grove SHS

2011-11-15T01:58:00.000-08:00

So, I sat here just like you... wide eyed, proud and excited, 21 years ago... 3 to 4 years before you were even born... I had JUST chosen my QCAT preferences which veered radically from physiotherapy, to graphic design, to cartoon drawing to speech and drama and then landing on the option of business. This decision was balanced on what I thought my Mum really wanted, what was easy for transport, and what my girlfriends were doing at the time. I also did the letterbox dance, like you will, in weeks to come, waiting for my TE score. When I received the score along with my uni preferences my neighbours where entertained with my dramatic cries of failure. I only got into Business Admin, not communications as I had first hoped. See business communications was WAYYY sexier. But I believed I had failed. My life was over.

So you may realise that my story is neither remarkable or earth shattering, but it is completely honest. So I have a heartfelt wish to spare you from some of false beliefs that I held at your age and give you 12 lessons in honour of 12 years of your education.

Ferny Grove SHS formal 1990

Kara Kara House Captains 1990

So my first lesson is:

There is more to you than just your marks and your O.P. score, it is how you choose to live your life and treat others that really matters.

And you are probably smarter than I was and realise that with good marks changing between higher education courses is a breeze.

So my second lesson is:

It doesn’t matter what you do, just DO SOMETHING, and do it well. And tantrums you chuck today are going to be embarrassing when you recall them later....

I did graduate from Public Admin at the tender age of 19. I found it a little lonely and boring actually... not the animal house of toga fun that I had imagined. But it fuelled my desire to work, but I also wanted my first job to pay over $40 000 a year, because I believed I deserved it.

So my third lesson is:

A university degree is rarely a meal ticket. Hard work and initiative trumps paper every day.

So naive, over ambitious little me started interviewing for PA jobs to Politian’s and Governors and was politely, and deservedly, knocked back because I not only looked 13, but I had the equivalent life experience as well. So I showed them all... I dyed my hair blonde and joined the Police.

Lesson 5: Your ego will be your toughest teacher.

At the Police Academy I looked like a pint sized Yosemite Sam in my over sized uniform. My pre-academy training regime of Karate and aerobics videos proved to be just as time wasting as you are currently imagining, and for the first time in my life I was expected physically to perform equally amongst men... as it should be. Being height challenged I often boasted that at least I would have a gun... but I was a terrible shot and suffered embarrassing remedial training at 6am while my squad slept. I even suffered a huge anxiety attack and through sobs tried to convince my Mum to ring Mr Murphy formerly from your Speech and Drama Dept to see if I could join a circus troupe.

QPS Graduation PROVE Intake II 1994. Yes, I do have a head.

So here comes lesson 6: Nothing worth achieving comes easily. And if it does come easily, you will pay the price somewhere else...

The passing of exams and physical gates worked well in re-priming my young ego, so when I graduated with my squad at the age of 21... you guys were newborns.... I started a job where you’re often awake when others are asleep and not many people like you. I suffered no illusion that I was special, and the first thing my partner said to me when I got into the car to start my shift was...

“If we are in a car chase, or you get shot, you NEVER scream into the radio, or I will break your neck.”

Lesson 6: Be cool, even if you are bleeding to death, because no one respects a whiner.

In the Police I always gravitated back to Ferny Grove SHS. I was an under-achieving adopt-a-cop, and later did schoolies talks when I was in the PSRT, and at 27 years old I donned a Ferny Grove school uniform while acting as a covert for the paedophile task force.

The police were my family, but Ferny Grove High was a lot like coming home, and I hope that this is how it stays in your memory too.

When I was in high school I used to laugh A LOT. So much I embarrassed my friends. But after 12 years in the Police I stopped laughing as much as I used to. And then I had an 'Opera' light bulb moment. The Police was no longer my dream, it was probably never my dream, so it was time to move over to let the real dreamer in....

Lesson 7: The hardest lesson. Sometimes you realise you did things for the wrong reasons. But the wrong reasons can still leave you in the right place...

I didn’t quit straight away, I thought sitting still was a weakness... so I threw myself into my life. I competed in boxing and kickboxing, got my detectives appointment and promoted to Sergeant, and studied fitness while working as a boxing coach on my nights off.

Lesson 8: Where you are right now is the perfect place to get you where you need to be...

One night the universe, and my temper, conspired to change things for me. Everything that I was, and had learned, crashed into one defining temper tantrum. While training I had dropped my gloves in the boxing ring and then unknowing wiped someone else’s blood and spittle from a previous class into my mouth. So I loudly, and venomously, declared, that I would open the best, cleanest, non sexist, boxing studio in the world... and dam it everyone had to come....

Lesson 9: Jump in the deep end and you forget what you were scared off...

So now I have a fitness and personal protection training system, boxing studios and a women’s active wear label. It’s a bit of a change from the nerdy, uncoordinated, unfit girl who designed really ugly Kara Kara cheer squad uniforms and didn’t want her plum dyed hair to run in the pool at swim carnivals.

Evidence of my first fashion design attempts as seen on Kara Kara House Captains

I have also changed my taste in boys in the last 21 years... When I was in grade 8 I had a horrendous crush on a 3 foot, red haired, ruggers wearing boy nick named ‘Fudd’. When he was cajoled by my girlfriends to

“go out” with me he snorted, “I don’t go out with stiffs.”

But time is the ultimate leveller.

Lesson 10: In 20 years time the cool kids are no longer cool.

Most importantly, I have changed from being the first one to make excuses to being a cruel martyr against excuses. My skin prickles over people whining why they don’t have time to exercise or to prepare and eat fresh fruit and vegetables. And FYI... if it is out of a jar, bottle or packet it is not FRESH. It is an incredibly frightening prediction that 1 in 8 of YOU HERE TONIGHT will die before your parents because of obesity related illnesses. So I have two lessons here for the price of one...

It is hard work being overweight and sick.

Lesson 11:

If something is important to you, you will find a way, if it’s not you will find an excuse.

So now whenever I hear an excuse I think, it’s clearly not important to you. So please, don’t ever think your health and safety is not important. Don’t ever think YOU are not important.

But I want to finish with congratulations...

Congratulations to all who graduate tonight and to every hard working and talented student that has received awards and accolades. But I also need to acknowledge and congratulate every student who has used the most powerful word in their vocabulary... the word YES.

Yes to auditions, musicals, bands, competitions, student representation, fundraising and events. Saying yes to late nights studying when what you really want to do it watch Twighlight or go to a party. For saying yes volunteer work or having a quick chat to an elderly neighbour. And importantly for saying yes to your parents and teachers as a simple sign of respect.

But there is another powerful word that needs recognition... the use of the word NO. I congratulate those who have courageously said NO to drugs, sex and other short term highs. Saying no to peer pressure and bullies. No to graffiti, stealing and senseless acts of destruction. For it is the use of this wise and brave little word that defines people.

Lesson 12, my final lesson:

Two simple words, yes, and no, will form your future and who you are as a person. Use them wisely and well. And NEVER dumb yourself down in a quest for love and acceptance, because one day you will want people to listen to you and you will have forgotten to use your words.

So tonight my dream for you is to begin your journey and develop your own list of life lessons that will blow mine out of the water. I wish for you a future so extraordinary that you will look back and realise that the universe had plans for you that far surpassed your imagination. And I thank you, for letting me be a small memory on one of the first nights of your adult lives.

Mr Popplewell - current Ferny Grove SHS PE teacher


Mr Kernovske - also a current teacher at Ferny Grove SHS.

I am always prattling on about something... so if you want more lessons that I will be teaching my toddler Thomas when he is old enough to understand my send of humour click here...

Would your child survive an attempted abduction?

2011-11-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

Are you confident that your child could fight off an attacker like this BRAVE 7 year old girl from suburban Brisbane did? Follow this link to read how this little hero prevented a tragedy http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8373422

At SWEAT DEPOT Self Defence BOOTCAMPS a growing number of children are learning simple techniques to prevent abduction, whilst getting fit and staying healthy in a safe and fun environment. Kids are trained by world class instructors who as parents of young children are passionate about your child’s safety. Erin is a former Child Protection Police officer and Charles was trained as a bodyguard by Special Forces operators in Europe.....

For 8.30am Saturday morning bootcamp and self defence click here..

For school holiday self defence classes click here...

Charles' Rant - a sugary white death

2011-10-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

Take this blog any way you like. Get DEFENSIVE or AGREE, take it however you take it. But just do one thing when you have read it....

Take a step back from your life and your family and even friends lives and take a long hard look at how you live. Maybe you don’t need to make any changes. But I've got news for you...WE ARE ADDICTED TO SUGAR.

We are at a point where we are so addicted to sugar and we have such easy access to sugar that we HAVE TO MAKE AN EFFORT if we don’t want to eat it. We have to shop away from mainstream shops to get healthy reasonably priced whole foods. From an early age we were told that fruit juice is a healthy drink for example. Kids meals at our favourite take away joints have the healthy option of choosing fruit juice. Syrupy sugar laden fruit juice. Bad for your teeth, so so bad for the rest of your body. Yet this is what we teach our impressionable kids that instead of soft drink, drink some liquefied sugar with a picture of fruit on it. Newsflash fruit juice producers: FRUIT IS SWEET. Have you ever been thirsty and juice or soft drink made you thirstier? Sugar draws fluid from within your body to dilute it. Thirst is your body’s way of replacing the fluid required to dilute the excessive quantity of sugar consumed. If you really want juice, get a juicer and make it at home.

The kids we are raising have an opportunity to stop the vicious downward public health spiral we are currently riding. As our population ages, it is so common to succumb to heart disease, strokes and adult onset diabetes. I could be wrong but I find it hard to believe that cavemen (and cavewomen) would have had a high incidence of heart disease and diabetes. For this reason we can feel secure in sticking to a diet which emulates the caveman. It is going to take a lot of work but we can change this downward spiral. Humans are creatures of habit but we are also brilliant at adapting to change.

Can you imaging a healthy lean strong population which doesn’t become a burden on society with excessive public health expenditure? It starts now. Right after you finish this blog. Start small. KIDS MEALS CAN COME WITH WATER as the REAL healthy option. Water gets boring, so fill your fridge with mineral water.

Take a look around your work and watch how many sugar loaded drinks your friends are drinking every day. Do they know where all that sugar is ending up. Our society is so used to over eating sugar that we are no longer shocked to see someone who has lost a limb due to diabetes. How can we honestly be eating so much of this stuff it destroys body parts. Really humans?? We can do better than this, we have to!

Does my bum look big in this?

If you have a truck that comes to your work every day with deep fried junk and sweet sweet drinks, ask for healthier options and mineral water. Why are they even serving deep fried sausage etc? Why are we eating EKKA side show alley food every day at work? It’s time to make these places take responsibility and sell healthy options with minimal junk. How easy would it be to serve a high protein chicken and veges skewer?

There is no reason for this not to start ASAP. YOU can effect that change. A healthy diet should be tasty and affordable. I challenge you to find an expensive untasty recipe on the Sweat Depot Facebook page. A final note on diet: I've said it before and I won’t stop saying it until it changes. If you are a forty something white male, and you smoke and you don’t exercise and you don’t eat right you are more likely than anyone in this country to have a heart attack. If you didn’t already know this heart attacks kill. You may think ‘I know people who have survived a heart attack’ but guess what, the younger you are when you get that crushing chest pain the less chance you have of surviving because as we age our heart can develop extra blood vessels to carry blood in the event of blockages. This doesn’t occur in young people. Time to make a change.

Charles

Can't lose weight because fruit & vege are too expensive?

2011-10-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

BOLLOCKS!!!!


$35 of fruit and vege lasts us a week of mainly vegetarian meals and we don't need TINS/ CANS/ PACKETS

We purchased this at the Eagle Farm Markets for $35.

Yes, there are bananas and mangoes there (OMG! We must be rich..)

This is what I did (and am still doing with it...)

grilled mushrooms for breakfast
eggplant and zucchini casserole and BBQ eggplant lasagne sheets
whole roasted capsicum for salads, blend and add dill for spreads
Slow roasted tomatoes for spag bol and homemade pizzas
BBQ's corn for salads and fried rice
avocados for spreads and salads
fried leek for fritatas & soups
Roasted pumpkin

I always try to include 2-4 veges every lunch, and 3-5 veges every dinner. With very few exceptions.

This is why is has got me buggered that our lower socio economic class are the fattest in the world? Families will spend $35 on McDonald's for one or two meals.... when this could feed them for a week. Plus I can cook this faster than it takes to drive to Macca's and watch the kids vomit in the playground.

I'm not sure whether this can be blamed as a a lack of education? Let me know your thoughts..... change doesn't happen if we keep doing the same thing every day and complain when nothing is changing....

ERIN'S RANT - chow down on what I think about "FAT"

2011-09-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

It's official. The most offensive word for a middle age white woman to use isn't For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge or even the use of a common pre-industrial term to describe the female genitalia... No, it's the noun and the verb "fat". Even children's books now describe people as skinny or "wide". Gay, bi-atch, mole.... that's cool, even jovial. Fat... no. That is down right despicable. And it's completely subjective..... and here begins my epic tale.

Here are the undisputed facts of Australia (a proud sporting country built on the greatest show of military courage and resilience in the World Wars) being the fattest nation in the world:

We are the first generations to:

1. defy the 'survival of the fittest' continuum that Darwinism is based on (due to advancements in resuscitation, antibiotics, organ transplants and fertility treatments).

2. have difficulty grasping the concept that something taken directly from the ground has more nutritional value than from a supermarket aisle (and it is unequivocally affordable if you cut it and cook it yourself).

3. personally consume the equivalent of a small room of sugar in a year.

4. have the fattest lower socioeconomic population in the history of the world (poverty once meant a reduction in calories).

5. most disturbingly.... bury 1 in 8 of our children in our lifetime due to obesity related illnesses.

Is it the job of our bureaucrats to solve this problem? And it is truly enormous, because it means that we will in effect have no youth left to entrust our nation. Who will run those Jenny Craig workshops and manufacture and sell Terry White meal replacements? Worse still, when we are dribbling on ourselves in a nursing home who will wipe our bottoms? Or fork lift us out of our homes?

Check out this Courier Mail article...

Do we want politicians and public servants dictating how we should monitor our weight? And when does it become a matter of self responsibility and teaching our kids that life's not always going to be easy and someone will not always be there to pick up the pieces?

But wait..... there's more to this epic tail of the continuous line of people driving into McDonalds and KFC with their kids are in the back playing DS and them dragging on a cigarette (recession? what recession?)....

It seems it's ok for parents to set these sort of examples to their children, but for me to use the word FAT? This has just set off a maelstrom of responses. I am completely surprised that a handful of retorts have been from people that either consciously or subconsciously labelled themselves as "FAT" and then said I should be a better role model. hmmmmmmmmm.

I can't resist quoting the angsty pop mistress Alanis Morissette:

I don't want to be the light from the fridge on your face at midnight. Hey! What are you hungry for?

(I'm not the Doctor)

This is a great car song when you get exhausted and feel like people are using you as an emotional crutch or as a verbal vomit bag as the case may be.

Which brings me to my next point. When did "leading by example" become someone else's problem? And has this resulted in the raising and nurturing of a population devoid of coping skills, pain tolerance, resilience and common sense? This was the very basis of our species becoming the ultimate rulers of this planet. So what will be our fate if we can no longer care for ourselves as individuals?

Paul Featherstone, the Paramedic famous for saving Stuart Diver, gives a really poignant motivational speech on this very subject. He has relayed a very personal and graphic account of how our youth and society do, or don't, cope with adversity. Paul talks of the unfortunate task of retrieving the body of a suicide victim from the Blue Mountains. The gorgeous teenage girl threw herself to her death after her boyfriend broke up with her. A parent himself, he spoke to the parents at the site in an attempt to ease their grief and understand why she killed herself when she was an intelligent private school girl whose beauty was evident even in death. The parents said, (forgive my recall of memory) "We tried to protect her from everything. Give her everything she wanted. Make her know how much we loved her. But we didn't teach her how to deal with the hard stuff. She just didn't know how to deal with the pain."

Arggggghhhhhh. That story never gets easy to tell.

But let me pop a feminist spin on this. For fear of sounding like Carrie from Sex in the City, I can't help wondering... if I were a 7 foot man with the nickname "Commando" would people be so quick to jump down my over-opinionated neck? And what sort of values are we teaching our girls if we punish them if their opinions stray from the literary prose of a Hallmark card and a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" sermon? Do we provide a safe haven for our children to test their opinions?

I am lucky to have a political science background. When I've previously made comment on the flawed logic of research suggesting that society pay a "fat tax" for people that can safely starve themselves for a year and save a truck load of money on takeaway, I don't hold a picture of a person in my head and imagine pointing at them and calling them names. It may surprise a few to know that most people are too busy to think of them every minute of the day. Or at all.... To assume this would be to say that I can't possibly be intelligent enough to think about the societal implications of fiscal policy and health. And a very few women, unfortunately, have been the worst offenders in reminding me that my opinion should only be shared if it leaves them feeling all warm and fuzzy. Some men (not all!!!! definitely not the more secure one's) have beaten their little chests to the tune of a drum that would leave Germaine Greer speechless.

And no... it's not LUCK and GENETICS and a 'free and easy' life that have saved me from obesity and poor health. It's because there is only one person putting food in my mouth and finding time to run a family, two businesses and exercise.... yes, that's ME.

This is forcing me to quote the Dixie Chicks...

And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter sayin' that I better
Shut up and sing or my life will be over...

(I'm Not Ready to Make Nice)

I'll interject some words from the Big Marn, a current serving Paramedic for the ADF, delicious Dad and awesome instructor.....

It's unfortunate that taking responsibility for our own health and our families health has to be taught to us. We are quick to get the flu jab or antibiotics at the first hint of the flu at work yet not enough of us consider what we mechanically put in our mouths at least 3 times a day. So much of what we eat (and drink) is PACKED with simple sugars. The convenient option is generally not the best one. it takes planning to eat healthy. PLEASE take it from someone who has treated too many heart attack and stroke and diabetes patients to keep track of, that you only need to witness the suffering they endure once to know you never want to be in their shoes. Maybe we all need to visit a stroke or coronary care ward or diabetes clinic to see this for ourselves and do something life changing like high intensity fitness. Watch out white overweight 40 something males with family history of heart disease cos if you don't change something statistically you are heading under lights and sirens to an emergency dept near you! Side note: Gotta love the motivation and energy of the SD client..... BM

I'll finish with this. I see my clients (past, present and future) as choosing a lifestyle that recognizes the avoidance of pain and hard work isn't the path to really living. They seem to embrace pain... and thrive on it. And in effect, their lives do become less painful because they are flexing a strong body and strong mind and reaping the rewards. With this we are all elevated to be better and want more. Is it because they have a mental disposition that our society needs to tap into? And when do we stop actively pandering to the squeaky wheel of the victim mentality?

I'd love to hear your comments..... after all, this entire rant is about self reflection and freedom of speech!

Stick and stones may break my bones... but sitting on your arse will more likely kill you...

Save $500 and lose 5 kilos in 5 weeks... AT LEAST

2011-09-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Check out this presentation on why we are getting it wrong with finance, nutrition and our everyday values

$30 program- 4 sessions - one week - KIDS/ TEENS and BEGINNERS/ ADVANCED -Sept school hols...

2011-09-01T00:17:00.001-07:00

SWEAT DEPOT EASTER SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM!

ONE WEEK ONLY!

Kids boxing... self defence... bootcamp 3- 9 years.

Your first step to peace of mind is a click away. Priceless

Beginners and Teens. Simple technique and circuit for a speedy and sweaty 30 minutes.

If you have a scaredy cat friend, an awkward teen, or if you have been making excuses that you need to "get fit before you start training" one click here will build instant muscle.

Advanced Sweaters... just book in and muscle up for four cheap, hard sessions. Lift that muscle bound finger to find out more .

Starts Jan 16	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Public Hol	Public Hol
Kids	4.30pm	4.30pm	4.30pm	4.30pm
Beginner	5pm	5pm	5pm	5pm
Advanced	5.30pm	5.30pm	5.30pm	5.30pm

The school holiday timetable overrides the current timetable!

The timetable goes back to normal 9.30am Tuesday the 10th of April 2011.

Bookings essential.... click here...

Keratin hair straightening special... a treatment for the sporty girls...

2011-07-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

I don't have time to be vain (and it shows), so this is my number one hair tip for fit women...

Haven't done Keratin hair straightening because you were put off by not being able to sweat or to put your hair in a ponytail?

Because of the expense?

Have you got damaged/ frizzy hair and don't have time to even run your fingers through it to TRY and make it look good?

This is two classes and a quick wash and finger dry later... It was 10pm at night so you were not seeing my full face for fear you have just eaten.

You could have perfectly STRAIGHT shiny, salon treated hair FOR MONTHS with one treatment, for the cost of a few blow drys!!!! You just finger dry and look HOT... AND! this is a new, organic treatment with high quality oils (like Moroccan Oil) that isn't using loads of formaldehyde as they warned on a Current Affair.

Oh!

SHORT HAIR: about $99

Erin Hair: about $250

LONG/ THICK HAIR: about $300

Benefits of bhave^TM smoothe^TM keratin therapy

· Softens curls and smoothes waves.

· Sedates frizz.

· Reconditions hair leaving it soft, shiny and sexy.

· Enriched with Keratin, Collagen, Argan oil (that's Moroccan Oil) and silk amino acids.

· No Formaldehyde/ Aldehyde, Thio or Sodium Hydroxide.

· Wash out with water only.

· No hair masks or neutralizers required to deactivate the treatment.

· It works effectively on all hair types, including very frizzy hair.

· Lasts between 2 to 4 months.

· Can be rinsed out after 1 hour, but gentle enough to stay in hair for up to 18 hours.

· Can be used on all hair types, virgin and chemically treated hair.

· MOST REQUESTED PRODUCT ON THE MARKET TODAY!

Available at:

Marcia Gibsons Hair Fashions

Rode Rd Shopping Centre

Stafford Heights

Ph: 33596505

Stop wasting your time worrying in front of the mirror, get this done and train more...

ASK FOR MY HAIRDRESSER LENE!!!!

ps: watch out, my Danish friend is a little psychic and may give you more than great hair...

pps: She is the best colourist in Queensland...

Tribute Page - some of our great moments

2011-06-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

After 3 years with Sweat Depot our tiny Frog Legs has left us to go South. Nothing made the men feel like boys more than seeing 50 kilo Jules squat more weight faster than them, and nothing will fill the void in our hearts and space at our bags with her new start.

In saying that, here are some testimonials of the video which I tried so hard to pay fitting tribute to my loyal little friend.

Erin... this is schmaltzy.

Matthew McQuaid

I hear you Matty.  Vomitus... 

Kelly Gurski

Riley (4 years) joins Dad aka 'Big Marn' doing Olympic Long Jumps... get your glasses out to watch my small little man collapse on the finish line. Good things come in the smallest packages.

Karen Stevenson started with us after the birth of her daughter Savannah at 6 week old. In just 3 months Karen has done her first chin ups (with perfect form). She is testament to the fact that you should do your push ups on your toes after training with us for six weeks, and chin ups in months. This is the strength of the human body... and spirit...

SHANNIE'S BACK... she'll be helping me out on Tuesday and Thursday evenings 6.30pm

This free picture collage made with Smilebox

My thoughts on diets, calories, sunburn and fat

2011-05-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

I get asked it A LOT... so let me write you a 2 minute article on my nutrition and training beliefs.... This is only A SHORT ARTICLE. If you want to debate it, comment below.... and I would love to expand on the reasoning and anecdotes.

1. I fundamentally believe that we should be eating (and exercising) the way that nomads ate thousands of years ago.

2. This includes a notable lack of calorie counting, treadmills, protein powders and unnecessary prescription drugs.

3. You get more benefit from 20 minutes ballistic and sprint drills (done properly) than a 3 hour run or bike ride.

4. Marathons and triathlons put incredible and unsustainable stress on your vital organs and limbs. Most endurance athletes die before 60 (or have a stroke or heart attack) and look 100 at age 40.

5. We DON'T HAVE TO EAT 3-5 meals a day....

6. Sugar and grains make you fat.

7. Fat is good - macadamia oils, fish oils, avocado, full fat dairy, the gooey fat on the bottom of a roast chicken, butter - NOT MARGARINE. The more the better. It's the quality of the mouthful, not the calorie....

8. Need more good gut bacteria to stave off flu? cancer? thrush? Eat and play in the dirt and stop taking antibiotics every time you get a sniffle...

9. Take your shoes off and sprint on the grass and sand.

10. If your back or knees hurt it's because you have a strength deficiency. (Everyone has Scoliosis... don't use it as an excuse.)

11. If you have been eating sh!t for over a decade it will take more than 6 weeks to look and feel good again... stop hoping for a quick fix.

12. One day people will be suing meal replacement companies because they have bowel cancer and a colostomy bag.... oh yes, and they are fat again.

13. Take your shoes off when you do weighted squats.
14. Caveman Grok didn't do ab work - he did chin ups and had better obliques than a fitness instructor.

15. Have you ever seen a really cut, fit Les Mills instructor (that didn't do Cross Fit or Sweat Depot on the side?)?

16. Get the f^@% out of florescent lights! It's why you can't sleep and you haven't ovulated properly in 7 years!

17. You CAN go out in the sun for short periods without sunscreen and without getting burnt... better still, train for short periods in the sun and you won't have to pay $40 for vitamin D tablets and a sore case of depression. Oh yeah.. it helps burn fat too....

18. Good fats BURN fat....

19. Rice cakes have less nutritional value than cardboard. At least cardboard has a bit of bacteria and cockroach poo on it...

20. mmmm this is going to be controversial... thyroid disease can be a terrible condition, yes... but did you see one poor sole walk out of those insidious WWII concentration camps fat? And I am sure there were more than a few of those poor, poor people that had hormone and thyroid conditions. Fat DOES NOT MATERIALIZE BY ITSELF....

Age 26 - soft, weak, sick, training 8 hours a week and consuming expensive protein powders & creatine to try and be competitive

11 years and one baby on. I squat and chin the same as the dudes, train only 4 hours a week, eat less and need less sleep.

Want to read more about living grain and sugar free? Try Mark's Daily Apple.com

Want to rev it up me? plllllleeeeaaaasssse comment and get my juices flowing!

Legs Eleven workout....

2011-04-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

LEGS ELEVEN WORKOUT

20 minutes of bum burning fun...

400 metre sprint

50 squat thrusts (weight to approximately one fifth of your body weight)

400 metre sprint

50 squat thrusts

400 metre sprint

50 squat thrusts

400 metre sprint

50 squat thrusts

To check out some squat thrust technique click here...

Can't run? Stuck at home? Want to mix it up?

Substitute the 400 metre running sprint for a 2 minute sprint with these options:

water running
on a spin bike
on a row machine
50 metre pool sprint
standing knee-up sprints
weighted boxing straights or giant heights

Tell me what you think Saucies.........

ADVANCED CLASSES FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS - Bookings Essential....

2011-04-10T18:43:00.001-07:00

ADVANCED Boxing Program

IMPORTANT: these classes override the normal timetable. ONLY FOR THE FIT and EXPERIENCED. Bookings essential.

Perfect for people who think Les Mills and Zoomba waste their time...

I'm assuming that you've done my classes before, have a level of fitness and technique that will allow yourself to train hard, quickly, loudly and love every sweaty second of it.... Nothing more than one of our normal classes but with less babysitting. Have your wraps on ready to go...

BEGINNERS... You must attend the 5pm class previously AND have prior bookings for this class. We run at capacity most sessions and cannot afford extra tuition and space without planning... You have been warned!

Easter School Holiday Program

ONE WEEK

2nd-5th April

Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs

5.30-6.30pm

$30 whole week for PCYC members!*

$18 a day non-members

PCYC closed public holidays.

*You must be a Statewide PCYC year member to get this $30 package price.
Remember you SAVE $$$ if you get a full family membership!
Click here for PCYC membership prices
AND you receive one FREE Sweat Depot timetabled class with every membership.

Start on any day but arrive 15 minutes early on your first day to become a PCYC member at reception. Then just come straight through to class on the remaining sessions (there's no need to revisit reception).

It is actually more expensive to use your PCYC ten pass or pay casually, so don't waste your money!

***BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR PROGRAMING... PLEASE CLICK HERE

Kids Boxing & Bootcamp

2011-04-04T03:28:00.002-07:00

KIDS BOXING and BOOT CAMP

3-9 years

School Semester Class 8.30-9am Saturdays

Week long program runs during school holidays

Would your child;

Get in a car with a stranger?

Know what to do if being dragged into a car?

Know who to call and what to say in an emergency?

Sweat Depot® and our little soldier training program teaches:

How to ring 000
Four simple protection moves if being abducted
How to escape a car boot
Alert systems to let people know they are in trouble
Learn the buddy system

Sweat Depot - The kids are alright from smilephotographics on Vimeo.

INCLUDES LITTLE SOLDIERS GOODY BAGS AND GIFTS

Run by world class qualified instructors: Erin is an ex-child abuse Detective, Jo a Kindy Teacher and Charles a serving soldier and paramedic - and we are all qualified fitness professionals with Blue Cards.

Our trainers incorporate left and right cortex brain development, simple boxing and kick boxing technique, strength and coordination exercises and circuits (to prevent joint injury in later life).

All that learning! And we burn off loads energy with our new little friends.

How much is your child's health and well being worth?

We love our kids as much as you do. The team at Sweat Depot will make it worth your while...

The only kids self defence training of its kind in Brisbane...

Easter School Holiday Program

ONE WEEK

2nd-5th April

Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs

4.30-5.00pm

How much is your child's health and well being worth?

**$30 members* $13 a day non-members**

PCYC closed public holidays.

Bookings essential for week long programs (you kids get name tags and goodie bags, if you don't book they miss out!).

Email Erin to book.

The team at Sweat Depot will make it worth your while...

WHAT SHOULD MY CHILD BRING TO CLASS?

A water bottle is a must!

We have a limited number of loan boxing mits available for kids.

Email Erin if you would like to get molded leather gloves designed to protect little hands and your order will be filled within a week.

Kids 2oz moulded leather gloves (not available in sporting stores)

$39

Discounts on gloves and wraps available for family purchases....

This free digital scrapbooking design made with Smilebox

Here's a personal testamonial from one of our clients...