jaime hughes

Over the past 12 months I have been incredibly fortunate to have witnessed many exciting transformations. SO many people have achieved positive health goals and the journey of Jaime, below, is no exception. Delighted with the way her story has unfolded - here, is Jaime.

Jaime Hughes 94cm gone, 15kg lighter and fitter than ever!
After seeing photos of myself from a night out with friends I realised I had really let myself go and needed to do something about it.
Being very active at school playing in football comps to years of a mining lifestyle and using the excuse “I work to many hours a day to come home and exercise” the weight slowly started piling on.

a dirty weekend

Interested in a different challenge and a road trip? - 5km run/walk/crawl with lots of muddy obstacles
If you would like to join us on the road to Emerald for a dirty weekend adventure then now's the time to put your hand up! Will place you in a team of similar fitness early in the new year once we have numbers for those who are after a 'team' but you can also create your own team or - enter individually if you want a challenge of your own!
We will organise a bus if there is enough interested parties that don't wish to drive - leaving late Saturday morning, camping overnight and returning Sunday afternoon after everyone has completed the event!
Pop your name down here to join in and receive updates, or email me at ann.parrott@optusnet.com.au
Let's get training! What a great new year goal to work towards for the early year :)

did you reach your goals?

How quickly the year has flown. Santa is ho ho ho’ing wherever we go and everyone is frantically shopping as Christmas and the New Year are upon us.
It’s already that time where we theoretically start setting a few fitness or health goals for 2013. But how did you do throughout 2012? Did you achieve what you set out to do at the years beginning? Are you smarter, fitter, healthier, stronger? Yes - then congratulations! If not, what stopped you? Fear? Laziness? Lack of motivation and determination?
Health and fitness are tomorrow problems - people notoriously put them off unless sickness knocks directly on their door with a wake up and they have to face consequences of unhealthy choices.
When it comes to exercise or eating healthily I hear endless excuses why someone can’t, that seem logical to that person as they explain. “Don’t have time, too busy.” Fear of something new. “I can’t do it.” Their reality is, being healthy just isn’t a top priority to them. But what could be more of more important than your health?

sunday brekky

Absolutely sensational  session - huge thanks to Wendy for helping with the food and setup yesterday afternoon, to Jaime - our resident grinch, who smiled, a LOT! - for the pumpkin muffins (YUM!), to kerrin making us a delicious fruit platter, Nicola the champers - cheers, and EVERYONE for dressing the part and bringing such an energy and sense of fun that it created another great memorable session to our 2012 training!
All photos

the festive season

Christmas is just around the corner and we all now find ahead of us a party or three to attend! Life is scattered with plenty of opportunity to overeat - be merry, add in alcohol - and boom, you have over indulged, feel physically ill and mentally drained.

Over the festive season we have brunches, long lunches, late night binges and weekend parties, all fostering refined rubbish and alcohol. And, we feel we have a reason to justify indulging.

All this stuff plays havoc with your metabolism, not to mention your waist and butt! There goes all the hard work you have put in throughout the year to get yourself looking and feeling sensational!

christmas brekky session

Christmas brekky session this Sunday 7am at Fitness Venue in Prossy ... send me a text or email or let me know on facebook if coming along - oh. and dress 'chrismassy' ;)

incentive

message from my daughter "This is my new wallpaper for my phone . So far is helping me to remember to eat healthy"
awesome! maybe we all need the reminder :)

november ramblings

Hi everyone

The year, has flown! Here we are already at its end. There has been some fantastic results and achievements along the way by so many - I have to say I am a super proud and lucky trainer. Everyone has such individual goals and when you see people work towards them and achieve great personal objectives, even with the knocks and bumps we all get along the way, there is nothing more rewarding. Tenacity, has a big wow factor! A big thank you to you all for the trust you put in me for guidance and motivation. I'm in a very fortunate position within Fitness Venue getting the opportunity to meet and chat with so many individuals with such diverse backgrounds and life tales that every day I am inspired by 'someones story'.

Some dates to mark in

Can you believe we have already completed 6 weeks of the latest Weekend Warrior sessions. Only 2 to go!

1st December and 8th December. We will continue on if enough interested for the 15th and 22nd - will get feedback and see. Six keen and we will go for it! No reason we give up now!! J

weekend warriors #21

"twentyone!!'

pioneer park, proserpine

our 21st weekend warrior session - how quickly time flies ... '21' the theme... resulting in two hundred and thirty one pushups and stepups between everything else, before time ran out. wet, wonderful fun

all photos or interact on facebook

 

 

weekend warriors #20

"great for a saturday!!'

les stagg oval, proserpine

the weather has sure started heating uplready but we proved once again persistance pays off and feel great when it's finished! :)

all photos or interact on facebook

weekend warriors

Weekend Warriors - bootcamp - meet at Proserpine Fitness Venue every Saturday at 6am, meet at Cannonvale Fitness Venue every Sunday at 7am (pending on participants)

To join in contact Ann 0412 753 899 ~ you don't need to be a member of the gym to participate.
photos album #04   photos album #03   mud session photos

indoor warriors

Indoor Warriors small group training - Proserpine Fitness Venue every Tuesday at noon, Thursday at 11.30am.

To join in contact Ann 0412 753 899 ~ you don't need to be a member of the gym to participate.
photos

karen dachs

I’m always impressed when someone does something great in the gym - when they lift some crazy amount or achieve an insane time in a run. I’m equally impressed when I watch a person struggle and fight to complete whatever they are doing physically, knowing they want to stop but refuse to quit. Being fit isn’t always about being the fastest. It isn’t always about brute strength. It’s about courage, persistence and determination as well. And this inspirational lady and her family I have been training for a handful of months has all that - plus some.

Karen Dachs - 20kgs lighter and excitedly changing her life
When did you start at the gym/what motivated you to join?

weekend warriors #19

'impetus!!'
pioneer park, proserpine

relentlessly moving - great introduction to the weighted vest :) great going everyone!

all photos or interact on facebook

wendy hinschen

The easiest part to any lifestyle change is making the decision to do so. You’re motivated, you’re excited and the concept of a new, healthier you is enough to propel you. The hard part is following through with your plans. People often try to tackle a strenuous program right away thinking it will bring results faster but if it’s been a long time since you have exercised, slow and steady is the most effective and safest way to begin.

Over the next few weeks we are going to explore how some of our Whitsunday locals began their health and fitness journey’s and become inspired by the transformations they have been establishing for themselves.
Wendy Hinschen - regular gymgoer 10 months
What motivated you to begin a regular exercise routine?

hamilton island escape

Only four weeks away!!!

~ Hamilton Island, Whitsundays

Friday 23, Saturday 24, Sunday 25 November 2012
Included in cost:
Accommodation on Hamilton Island - Friday and Saturday night
Return transfers to and from Hamilton Island

october already!

Hi everyone

What a fast paced year it has been. It has been a couple of months since I have sent out a newsletter, ok, maybe three or four? ;) Flying!

Over that time there has been some great new clients starting out on their fitness journey's - always super when someone introduces such a positive step into their lives and we all get to witness their changes, both physical and inwardly as time passes...  I really AM in a most fortunate role where everyday I get to train and smile with so many wonderful people. Welcome to you all.

heading indoors

by request ... 'indoor' warriors - starting this Thursday (25th) at 11.30am. And next Tuesday (30th) at 12.15pm. Fitness Venue in Prossie.
With summer just around the corner there will never be a better time to start than now. And there's no better way to start, than to just start. Stop getting ready, start being ready. Start doing.
Take ACTION towards your goals today.

weekend warriors block 02

The next block of weekend warriors, beginning this weekend...

Saturday - 6am - yes, that bright and early proserpinarians! Meeting at Proserpine Fitness Venue at about quart to 6. This one is definitely going ahead with 7 people booked in, very exciting to have a couple of apprentice warriors starting with us! :D three spaces still available.

Sunday - 7am - Meeting at Cannonvale Fitness Venue - a little sleep in this time! Still after two more participants for this one to go ahead so please share with others if you know anyone who may be keen to explore/increase their fitness capabilities.

warrior MUDders

When we were young we loved to climb, run, jump and swing - to play. It’s part of who we are, yet the majority of us allow it to be absent from our adult lives. We have evolved to expect, and to endure, a little physical hardship every now and then, but we place limitations on what we do and rarely venture out of our comfort zone. The fact is that we feel and act much better when we push ourselves - and play a little too.

Early in the year I was excited when I discovered photos from an obstacle race, Tough Mudder, that included doing these things, as adults - without appearing to be a wally! Since then all the races I have been exposed to have excited me no end - Spartan, Stampede, Kokoda Grunt, Beach Bash, Viking Challenge... plus many others. There is an obstacle race somewhere in Australia nearly every other weekend. Their popularity has grown with thousands of people eagerly lining up to enter each one.
Physically, the running is broken up with with belly crawling, wall climbing, monkey bar traversing, huge slip n’ slides, cargo nets - hills, mud, water, ropes - but moreso, these events are designed to really push your mental toughness. They will leave you exhilarated - great camaraderie and mutual respect brought forth by friendly competition, whether you finish first or last. And an adrenalin rush that will make you soar!

you can’t change your life by sitting on the couch

Six Reasons to Wreck Your Life for Good

Life is often complicated and unpredictable; it’s impossible to control. But of course, that doesn’t stop us from trying. What we need, though, is less smooth sailing and more hardship.

Maybe fulfillment doesn’t come with trying to tame the wild parts of life. Maybe our tidy tales need to get a little unraveled in order to find a larger story. Maybe we need to learn to live more in the tension between what is and what should be.

cold turkey

 
How to go cold turkey from chocolate
To help you start your month giving chocolate the boot on the right foot, here are our top tips to prepare for your break-up.

Clear out any chocolate stashes (including emergency ones). If it’s not there, it can’t tempt you to relapse with its sweet, chocolate'y ways!

Practice your break-up speech in front of a mirror. That way, you’ll be less likely to cry when the moment comes.

break up with chocolate for a month

It's not you, it's me.

Could you break up with chocolate for a month to help change the lives of people battling mental health problems, addiction and social isolation?

real benefits

fit·ness / ’fitnis

The state or condition of being physically sound and healthy, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition.
A state of general mental and physical well-being.
I am amazed regularly that I am in a most wonderful position everyday of assisting people to create positive, life changing habits for themselves.  In turn however, the people I get to train also affect me in a most positive way. I am continually uplifted, inspired and motivated by the journey’s of many individuals and the life altering changes that people choose to create that transformation for themselves.
I absolutely love virtually every aspect of being a trainer. It’s incredibly rewarding. I get great satisfaction everyday training and conversing with interesting people who own powerful life stories.

everyday ways to burn calories

To burn calories we need to expend energy. And to expend energy we need to move! Here are ten every day ways you can burn calories ...

1. Take the stairs

At every opportunity, take the stairs over the lift or escalator. Next time you’re at the train station, a shopping mall, a friend’s apartment block or work, pick the stairs to get to your destination. You’ll be using big muscle groups of the lower body, which burn a higher amount of calories, so keep moving.

obstacle challenges

so many obstacle events to choose from ... and all look pretty exciting .. below is a full list of all the events that are planned or in the pipeline over the next 12 months ...

Date	Event	Location	State
22 & 23 Sep 2012	Tough Mudder	Sydney	NSW
30 Sep 2012	Stampede in the Valley	Perth	WA
13 Oct 2012	Raw Challenge	Central Coast	NSW
27 Oct 2012	The Stampede	Melbourne	VIC
10 Nov 2012	Warrior Dash	Brisbane	QLD
17 Nov 2012	The Stampede	Sydney	NSW
17 Nov 2012	Viking Challenge	Melbourne	VIC
01 Dec 2012	Mud Run	Sydney	NSW
02 Dec 2012	MS Mud Run	Adelaide	SA
01 & 02 Dec 2012	Hidden Warrior	Melbourne	VIC
19 & 20 Jan 2013	Tough Mudder	Melbourne	VIC
02 & 03 Feb 2013	Beach Bash	Central Coast	NSW
09 Feb 2013	Warrior Dash	Sydney	NSW
09 & 10 Feb 2013	Tough Mudder	Sydney	NSW
23 Feb 2013	Kings of the Sand	Sydney	NSW
02 & 03 Mar 2013	Spartan Race	Melbourne	VIC
03 Mar 2013	Samurai Challenge	Melbourne	VIC
16 & 17 Mar 2013	Raw Challenge	Barrington Tops	NSW
16 & 17 Mar 2013	Spartan Race	Sydney	NSW
TBA Mar 2013	The Kokoda Grunt	SE Qld	QLD
TBA Apr 2013	The Stampede	Adelaide	SA
17 & 18 Aug 2013	Tough Mudder	Brisbane	QLD
26 & 27 Oct 2013	Tough Mudder	Perth	WA

a must read

everyone should read and understand this ...

why you're still fat ...

weekend warriors #10

     

'mixing it up!!' 
pioneer park, proserpine. (front end)

oh. what fun :D introduce a rope and anything is possible! and some good ole fashioned tug o' war at the end - friendly like. right?!

all photos or interact on facebook

weekend warriors #09

             'circuit breaker!!'  island drive park, cannonvale
             a few away this week doing the stampede down in brisbane but a great session regardless -
             hard and fast and some tired bodies at the end ... :) perish or persist? indeed :) they persisted!
             all photos or interact on facebook

the right time to start?

I started writing this column back in January, aiming it at those who were sedentary, hopefully encouraging them to become active and those who were overweight, hopefully encouraging them to become healthy. Spring is now upon us with summer knocking on the door. The layers of clothing that have been protecting us throughout the winter are already starting to be peeled off. Do we like what we see? Are we enjoying how we feel?

I don’t believe in focusing on a ‘number’ weight. It can be detrimental to an extent and very limiting as there are too many factors it doesn’t take into account. Yet most wanting to ‘shed fat’ are focused on losing ‘x amount of kgs’ rather than saying they want a healthy and functional body. So based on that, do you realise since I started writing, if you had taken change on board, losing weight at the rate of half a kilo a week, right now you would be 16 kilograms lighter.

weekend warriors #08

              'let's get wet!!' rotary park, proserpine

              after last week's tough session a more fun approach this week. still warrior worthy training.
              but water involvement. oh what a ton of fun!
              all photos or interact on facebook

weekend warriors #07

'burning butts!'
cannonvale beach / beach rd hill

97, 98, 99 ... yeah we love 100's! we love lunges. we love ANYTHING - specially with a hill involved.

all photos or interact on facebook

lets move more

Most Australians will spend 22-23 hours each day sitting or lying down. Shocking - for our health, plus very fat producing. Driving, office work, watching TV, computer time - it all adds up, and the more we sit, the more detrimental it is for us. We really aren’t moving very much at all! Only a small minority of us actually get outside and actively take in all the Whitsundays has on offer or head to the gym to work up a sweat.
In a typical 24 hours most people sleep around six to eight hours each night, get up only to then sit to eat breakfast or read the paper, sit to drive to work, sit at their desk all day, then sit to travel home again. Most will then sit on the couch after a hard day to watch television or sit again at their computer, maybe get up to make some dinner if they haven’t driven through that convenient takeaway, back to the couch and the cycle continues. Does that surprise you when you look at the big picture? Are you sitting for more of your day than standing? Sitting for great lengths of time may appear harmless but in reality it’s a silent killer.

stephen vinson

i don't know this guy .. i came across his blog a few months ago and every now and again head in to have a read, and he doesn't cease to inspire me. what a long journey and what a progressive outlook he has for his months and years ahead. and oooooh what a long way he has come.

his blog whoatemyblog.com

weekend warriors #06

'cardio coma!'
tree lines, taylor street, proserpine

each session is only ever as good as the energy that all participants bring along and today everyone sure brought it! :) fabulous!
yeah it was tough cardio. absolutely super stamina and amazing intensity from beginning to end by all!
all photos or interact on facebook

weekend warriors #05

 

'holy legs!'
cannonvale beach
a few away today but wow, what a superb morning ... perfectly mild weather wise, arrived at the beach to warm up just as the sun was rising, always magical. a tabata to start, a jog to the new botanical gardens area, grabbing a rock, (ok, some think 'small boulder') on the way for the weight work. a combination of running mixed in with a handful or three of lunges and jumping squats - little rest throughout. nicely exhausting
all photos or interact on facebook

a winner

Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can not do something. All my life I heard that I couldn't do something. My mom was working 2 jobs and going to college. I was an African American kid in an all white school. They tried to say that I couldn't....but I did. I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. They said I couldn't because I was too big and couldn't hardly swim....but I did. They said I couldn't go to Ranger School because my schedule as a SEAL wouldn't allow it....but I did.They... said that I couldn't run 100 miles because I had never ran a marathon...but I did. They said I could never complete the Ultraman because I had never done a triathlon...but I did.
Now they say I can't do RAAM because it's too soon. It's not safe....but....

qotd

You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one. ~ Henry David Thoreau

weekend warriors #04

 

'OUCH, it's gonna hurt!'
les stagg oval, proserpine

cool foggy start, hot by the end - outdoors hit prossie for some great butt work on the stairs!
so, DID it hurt? uhmmmm.  ;D

all photos or interact on facebook

weekend warriors #03

'lovin' logs!'

cannonvale park

super morning with a couple of new people becoming friends with the sunrise, such a gorgeous way to start the day eh!
great spirit and tenacity by all

all photos or  interact on facebook

just one?

Despite the way it feels, losing weight isn’t a mysterious process. It’s a matter of burning more calories than you eat. Right? But, if it were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem. Would we? For some, weight loss can be such a struggle that we start to think we have to do something drastic to see results - diets, pills or those flaky fitness contraptions on infomercials that promise immediate success. Supplements, powders, vitamins - all of them are overpriced and have been proven to be mediocre sources of nourishment.
The answer to good health rests not in a magic potion solution, but in an integrated approach to good baseline nutrition.

weekend warriors #02

'tyre'ed frenzy!'

pioneer park, proserpine

first warrior session in prossy - the coooold morning was no longer a concern once the tyre frenzy began! fabulous way to heat up.

all photos or  interact on facebook

weekend warriors #01

'seriously sandbags!'
cannonvale foreshore

cold, sunrise, sand and sandbags - cool mixture. didnt take long to heat up. a couple of runs, a bit of crawling and a pushup or three and everyone was there. great group, great energy shared! and what great fun at the end eh! :)

all photos or  interact on facebook

aaaaah

Rest days are just as important as training days. This is the time when your body adapts to the previous day’s exercise. Make it an active rest day by walking to the shops, taking the stairs at work, parking at the far end of the parking lot, every hour take a 1-minute break and stretch. Eat well, remembering you aren’t exercising and burning all those extra calories!

make progress

If you’re unhappy or overweight, what are you getting out of remaining where you are? Nothing? The ultimate goal for most people is happiness and health so they can live their life to its fullest. Yet we all become so content in our set ways that few of us are willing to make the changes necessary to create what we wish for ourselves. We plod along in blind acceptance with brick walls built up around us. If you really want change for yourself, you have two choices. Make progress, or make excuses.

People are scared of change. Some will walk through their whole life and never do an iota of introspection. They will never truly question why their life is not going the way they want or question what they can do to improve their situation.

dare yourself!

Dare yourself! Leap outside your comfort zone and have a TUNNAFUN...

 

Outdoor Endurance Training
Starts this Saturday 6am

Meeting at Fitness Venue Cannonvale.

3 spaces left!

and this Sunday 7am
Meeting at Fitness Venue Proserpine. 4 spaces left!

sunday training @ prossy

oh what a SUPER session this morning. a lot of fun as always amongst tough grunt training. great variety... lively indoors and out!

the final one. bittersweet. next saturday and sunday marks the beginning of the weekend warrior sessions. some from todays session doing that, some not. so. a huge thankyou to all those that have supported me over the past eight months. its been a ton of fun and loved the brekkys and chats we had afterwards. certainly a good way to catch up.
for those doing it, lets head in and give our outdoor training everything we have as well. some beginners, starting their fitness journey. others more seasoned. a good mixture making for some fantastic sessions ahead.
a few are interested in both stampede, tough bloke and tough mudder events.  looking forward to getting ourselves strong. and ready.

all photos

logo thoughts

logo ideas .. feedback welcomed, or which you like the best... 1 thru 8? :)

Interact. Head to 'annpt' on facebook and hit the like button...

Questions/thoughts to

        • annparrott@optusnet.com.au
        • 0412 753 899

olympic fever

We are already a few days into the Olympics. Many of us will have watched at least some of the coverage. Fortunate if you have Fox or Austar. The rest of us with Channel 9 have plenty of advertising mixed in with some Olympic material now and again. Which is a shame really. At home, I am of the latter, and unfortunately, have been finding the advertising so prominent, especially the channels own cross promotions, it has turned me off watching for I am left simply frustrated at the lack of action. I am very aware by now that Big Brother is starting after the event. Along with many other shows! Perhaps many of you can relate to my disgruntlement. I absolutely love the Games and am still following progress of it all, just via other means.
Despite the constant barrage of ads though I thoroughly enjoyed the opening. It was thrilling and fun. I didn’t venture out of bed in the dark hours but watched the repeat later in the afternoon. Seven years in the making and what a grand production we were presented with - history, from the Industrial Revolution to present day via drama and comedy. Real people, real events. The celebration included everyone from the Queen to the community nurse. Very British. Very entertaining.
And super editing. We didn’t always get the full picture but closeups of faces to help share the emotion of the human experience. Kudos to those creating that montage for us.

mudder of a bootcamp

Fortify your workouts!

Long term goal will be working towards entering a team into the Tough Mudder event next year, but certainly not a necessity - not all joining in will want to do that but still love 'bootcamp'.
Outdoor endurnace training - it's about being strong, healthy, and fit, that you're capable of that, or anything you want to do in life! And, about team work, with everyone encouraging and motivating each other. Win win!

6am Saturday will be based in Cannonvale - 7am Sunday alternating between Prossy and Cannonvale. We will, however, also be having a couple of 'mud sessions' :D - which are out of town, but will organise car pooling when we have those.

Want to join in? Shoot me an email (ann.parrott@optusnet.com.au)
or txt 0412 753 899, there is maximum 10 spots for each one ...