10k versus a marathon / goal setting

Some people when they start training set themselves unrealistic / unachievable goals and when they’re not progressing as fast as they would like to they give up and go back to doing what they were doing before.

It’s better to set yourself short term achievable goals which give you a goal to tick off before progressing onto the next goal.

The short term goals will come around a lot quicker than long term goals and will help you to stay motivated and follow your programme.

Some people aspire to run a full marathon (26.2 miles) which for most people takes at least 6 months of discipline and hard work to train for properly to run the whole distance.

Whilst the marathon is a great event to complete it might be too far for some people who haven’t got the time to put the training in.

A shorter and more achievable distance is a 10k run (6.2 miles) which some people find more enjoyable as they complete it a lot quicker and there are more 10k runs throughout the year then marathons which are good if people are trying to beat their previous times.

You can use a Google search to find all swimming, cycling, running, rowing, triathlon events etc in your local area and you can choose the ones that interest you the most and you think you can work towards to complete. Good luck for any events you enter :)

Commitment = Results!

Try to maintain a regular exercise routine. One week off soon leads to two weeks then three weeks etc and you'll be back at square one which isn't good physically or mentally. There's 168 hours in a week so hopefully you should be able to find 2-3 times a week to train. If you go on holiday try to do some walking, swimming, cycling, climbing, kayaking or use the hotel gym. If you get a leg injury try to do some upper body training whilst sitting down and watching TV, if you get an upper body injury to do some leg training as long as it doesn't aggravate the injury.

Half Day Boot Camps (4 hours)

Personal Trainer Rob Dale BSc (Hons), Director of Get Fit Boot Camp has recently introduced a new service helping people of all ages and abilities reach their health and fitness goals whilst having a fun and interesting workout in the fresh air

The new service is a Half Day Fitness Boot Camp.

They last for 4 hours and cater for all ages and abilities as everyone can work at their own pace.

The venue is Sutherland Memorial Park, Burpham, Guildford, Surrey (just of the A3 motorway).

The afternoon will consist of 4 different exercise periods lasting 45-50 minutes so you get some rest and recovery time before the next one starts. Example timings:

- 1pm - Meet at the venue / administration time
- 1.15pm - Run / brisk walk around the River Wey in Guildford (water supplied)
- 2.15pm - Circuit training / boot camp session (squats, lunges, press-ups, sit-ups, tricep-dips etc)
- 3.15pm - Teamwork / game based exercise (tug of war, boxing, relay races etc)
- 4pm - Snack / refreshments time (isotonic energy drink and a selection of fruit supplied)
- 4.15pm - Core conditioning, long cool down and stretch session / depart at 5pm

For full details or to secure your place for next month please visit www.getfitbootcamp.co.uk

Best Posture for Desk Work

Most people nowadays work at a desk or use a desk top computer / laptop at home so it’s important to know how to set up your work station correctly to improve your posture and reduce strain on your body.

The following NHS website has some very useful tips and a short video clip too:

http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/workplacehealth/pages/howtositcorrectly.aspx

The Summertime is finally here!

The summertime is finally here and April has been a very warm and dry month which has been fantastic for outdoor circuit training.

At Get Fit Boot Camp we do lots of different press ups, sit ups, squats and lunges etc.

I'll add a video clip soon but in the meantime if you can remember any of the basic press ups, sit ups / crunches or squats you could work on them by yourself along with some light cardiovascular (CV) work such as walking, cycling, jogging or swimming.

Find out how many repetitions you can do in one go (your endurance maximum).

Then work out roughly what 75% of your maximum is and perform 3 sets of them:

3 sets of 15 if you're trying to improve your general stamina.

3 sets of 12 if you're trying to improve your general strength.

Then after a few weeks of doing them yourself and attending the boot camps you should start to find them easier and you can either increase the repetitions, sets of move to a harder version of the exercise.

How to Exercise Early in the Morning

Early morning exercise is a great way to kick start your day and has many benefits:

- Avoiding air pollution, which climbs as more cars hit the road
- Missing the heat of the day or evening in the summer
- Can lead to clearer thinking and increased energy levels during daytime activities
- A positive start to the day will inspire you to keep up the good work and eat well
- You won't need an additional shower in the middle of the day

The following website has some very useful information / tips about morning exercise:

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_2192789_exercise-early-morning.html

It also has other useful sections about developing and sticking to exercise routines under the photo of the women stretching. You can click on ‘From Quick Guide: A Fit Lifestyle’, scroll through the numbers or click ‘See All Articles In This Quick Guide’.

Boot Camp Boxing / Boxercise

Over the Easter holidays I will go to Sports Direct or order online enough boxing pads and gloves for everyone to do boxing at the same time.

Then when the weather is good I'll start introducing boxercise into the circuits.

Boxing is good for upper body strength and cardiovascular as well as self defence and stress release.

People will take it into turns to hold the pads (do the pad work) and wear the gloves (do the boxing).

If there is an odd number I'll hold the pads for someone and go in the middle of the group so I can keep an eye on everyone.

They will be quite simple drills more for fitness training then technical boxing and will include jabs, hooks and uppercuts. In between boxing you'll do leg exercises and sprints etc before changing the pads and gloves over.

For some of my one to one clients I use boxing straps with them to strengthen their wrists. They take a little time to get on but the next best thing is wrist sweat bands like the ones pictured.

You can put the gloves or pads on and move the sweat bands down a little bit if need be and they will help to strengthen your wrists and help to absorb some of the impact. Also handy for press ups, tricep dips and wiping down your brow in the summertime etc.

You can buy them cheap online or from any sports store ranging from £1 - £6 a set depending on how fancy you want to go (Umbro / Nike / Puma / Adidas / Lonsdale etc). You can buy them brand new on eBay and also from SportsDirect.com

I should have them ready to use the first week back after Easter so be good if you could buy some sweat bands by then (likewise you might be fine without them).