Happy Friday, everyone! And congratulations to Ana, who got married last week and still turned up to training the next day. We hope you have a wonderful celebration in Brazil later this year.
Andy has altered the Red Lion booking for this evening, to accommodate those who've spoken to him during the week. The table is booked for 6.45 pm, but we're hoping to grab a drink beforehand with anyone who can make it. We look forward to seeing you!
Andy's confirmed that t-shirts and jackets are due to arrive ANY MINUTE. You should be looking sharp in your new clobber by next week!
I had to include this photo upfront, as well as a special mention to all those who turn up consistently, with a great attitude and the willingness to work hard. You guys are the reason Andy has stuck with it so long. Looking strong, Lisa!
Just a reminder to let Andy and Poppy know if you aren't going to make it to your session. It ensures they know how much equipment to set up (especially in the rain), and how to structure the session to best serve those who will be there.
This week's focus is gratitude. From improving mood and happiness to fostering strong relationships and resilience, research highlights the extensive benefits of regularly practicing gratitude. This naturally extends to helping you reach your fitness goals more efficiently.
Gratitude supports fitness by:
Reducing Stress and Improving Sleep
Gratitude lowers stress both psychologically and physically, enhancing sleep and helping you adhere to fitness routines. If you wake refreshed you are less likely to waver in your exercise commitments. Research found optimistic law students had more disease-fighting cells in their bodies, and gratitude journals have been linked to lower blood pressure and reduced inflammation.
Facilitating Process-Based Goals
Achieving fitness goals involves ups and downs. Practicing gratitude regularly helps you navigate challenges and stay committed. Focusing on process-based goals, like working out three times a week, leads to greater success than outcome-based goals, like losing a specific amount of weight.
Building a gratitude practice is something we likely postpone while other things take precedence, but it doesn't need to be big or time-consuming. Consistency is crucial in exercise AND gratitude, and small changes add up over time. So commit to a small, achievable goal and add a beneficial habit to your weekly routine.
Incorporating gratitude into your routine can bring numerous benefits, helping you stay motivated and achieve your goals while enjoying the process. Take a moment each day to reflect on what you're grateful for!
Here's the week in pictures. It looks like you covered a lot of ground, hopefully enjoying the opportunity to start your day in such a beautiful part of the world.
Exercise Review
Push Ups
Another compound, functional exercise! This time engaging the deltoids, pectoral muscles, biceps, triceps, hip muscles, abdominals and obliques.
Push ups can be modified to suit all levels. Starting with bent knees on the ground or inclined with hands on a raised surface, the goal is initially to build until knees can be raised off the ground. Once this is mastered, varying stability with a ball, decline with hands lowered or even clapping can increase the load to continue to build strength.
One of the most common mistakes usually relates to not bracing through the midsection, resulting in sagging or elevated hips (butt in the air). Another is improper neck alignment. Look directly forward, elongate your spine from the top of your head to the base of your heels.
I love the way the video below shows incorrect alignment and the corrections. Well worth a look.
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