It's going to have to wait.....
I have just come home from my last session for the evening and was going to give you all some simple but important information about cholesterol.
But...as it says above - it's going to have to wait.
You see....I am going to head to bed early now because in the morning I am going on an expedition with one of my clients - Mary.
Mary has put in a lot of hard work since starting to train with me and has lost almost 14kg in 3 months. Shortly after she had lost the first 10kg we decided that she is now fit enough to tackle a bigger challenge....climbing Mount Warning in Northern NSW.
So in the early hours of tomorrow morning (I'm talking real early.....like 2.30am early!!!) we are going to drive to the base of the mountain and hopefully get to the top in time to see the sunrise.
I will have my camera (and some strong coffee!!) packed so stay tuned for an update.
Goodnight
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer
Shout out to Varsity College!!!
Today I had the pleasure of meeting some of the students at Varsity College.
The guys and girls there are currently studying their Certificate 3 in Fitness and I went along to help them work through some Group Fitness ideas.
What a great bunch of kids....well mannered and enthusiastic about getting involved in the health and fitness industry.
Keep up the great work Varsity.
Cheers
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer
Chisel Fitness welcomes Lorna Jane
Today Chisel Fitness has joined forces with another Gold Coast business to provide our clients with the very best in active wear.
As yet another bonus to training with Chisel Fitness, all of our clients will receive 10% off all the fantastic products at the Lorna Jane store in Pacific Fair Shopping Centre.
The staff at Lorna Jane are passionate about inspiring and promoting an active lifestyle and are committed to excellence in their brand, product quality, and customer service.
So pop into the store and check out some of the latest gear!
Cheers
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer
It's everywhere....just have a look!
There must be something in the air today because everywhere I seem to look, inspiration is right there glaring back at me.
It started this morning as I drove towards Currumbin Beach. It was dark and still quite cold. Not a real inspiring morning for training, yet there were still the familiar faces out walking the dog or pounding the pavement.
Included in this group is a guy I was talking to yesterday who is having terrible trouble with his knees lately....so much so that he is booked in for an arthroscope tomorrow. On a cold dark morning it would have been very easy for him to stay in bed, but he chose to get up and start his day with some exercise. Nice one!!!
Next was my session with Mel. Mel is a superfit 42 year old lady who would put most 22 year old girls to shame. Although she loves to train hard, every now and again her enthusiasm results in a lack of co-ordination (no offence Mel!)
Today as she was completing an exercise with some dumbbells she managed to drop one on her head. It was exactly like one of those scenes out of a cartoon. You know the one where the lump comes up straight away and the character has stars dancing around their head.
Anyway...being the true champion she is Mel came back to consciousness and kept going. Great work Mel!
Last but not least, I have just returned home after a morning of training and got an email off a mate telling me to check out the following video.
Seriously people....if you can hear and see all this and still offer me an excuse as to why you're not exercising....I don't want to hear it!!!
Cheers
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer
More Testimonials...
Here are a few more testimonials from satisfied Chisel Fitness clients.
Today our readers get to meet Justin and Angie who have both been training with Bronwyn. I am sure you will see from the following 2 videos that Bronwyn is a fun trainer who loves to get the most out of her sessions!!
Enjoy...
Cheers
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer
Alcohol - The not so good, the bad and the very ugly!
I am constantly amazed at the number of new clients I meet who are in denial. Something that is very common in my line of work is meeting someone who wants to change their lifestyle, is prepared to make most of the necessary changes (at least for the short term), has a new body shape as one of their main goals, but refuses to acknowledge the effect that alcohol has on their body.
Now I'm not saying that everyone should give up the grog forever, but please people, be a little more realistic about the effect that alcohol has on your body.
Don't keep turning up to train week after week if you are going to tell me about your huge weekend in one breath, and complain that you are not getting results quick enough in the next.
Here is a few home truths about alcohol and the effect it has on your body.
The truth about alcohol
1) Organ Stress: Alcohol puts stress on your kidneys, liver and adrenal glands
2) High in Sugar. Alcohol spikes your insulin levels, increasing your body fat storage
3) Diuretic. Alcohol increases the production of urine, leading to dehydration
4) Digestive System - Alcohol irritates the stomach and intestines, causing inflammation of the stomach lining and intestines
5) Calories: Alcohol contains 7 calories/gram. This is a lot when you consider carbohydrates are 4 calories/gram and fat is 9 calories/gram.
6) Cortisol: Alcohol stimulates the release of the hormone cortisol. Increased cortisol levels increase blood sugar levels and increase blood pressure
7) Sleep: Alcohol disrupts your sleep patterns. A lack of sleep can lead to a decrease in leptin leaving you feeling hungry and an increase in ghrelin stimulating your appetite.
What does this mean?
If you're working hard during the day or week to boost your metabolism, you're literally drinking away all your hard work when you reach for that glass (or 5) of wine or schooner (or 1000) on the weekends.
Cheers
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer
Meet Bronwyn
Today Chisel Fitness welcomes Bronwyn Jones who has joined our training team. Bronwyn has been on board for a little while now but we've been so busy that we hadn't updated her profile information.
Check out Bronwyn's profile here
Bronwyn is a fantastic and fun trainer who will ensure that you have fun whilst achieving a balanced lifestyle.
If you would like to book in for a free session with Bronwyn, or would like to know more about training with Chisel Fitness just email us or give us a call.
Cheers
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer
I couldn't help it....it was contagious!
On the weekend I traveled down to Port Macquarie to watch the 2008 Australian Ironman event.
For those who don't know, an Ironman event is a long distance triathlon that is made up of a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2km run (a marathon).
Competitors start the swim at 6.30 in the morning and take between 8 and a half hours (that's the professionals) and 15 hours to complete the event.
Men and woman of all ages compete in the grueling event and train for many months in preparation for it.
It was my first time
This was my first time as a spectator at one of these events. I had watched them on TV before, but to actually be there and see the enormous effort that these people were putting in was truly inspirational.
Throughout the day I took a few videos and pictures, and over the next 12 months I intend to take a few more videos as I train for the 2009 Ironman (bit like a video diary).
Me carrying on like a goose.
But you are going to have to wait a little longer for the first installment of the video diary. For now you will have to put up with this small video of me carrying on like a goose.
Let me set the scene.
Today I want to show you just a small snippet of what this event really is about. Let me set the scene....
On Sunday morning I woke early and went down to watch the start of the race (3.8km swim in very cold water). From there I positioned myself to watch the first little climb of the bike leg, and traveled around for the next 6 hours watching people ride at various points on the course. Then it was off to follow competitors as they pushed their bodies through a marathon.
Towards the end of the day I went to the finish shoot to watch the first of the competitors cross the line. People were cheering, clapping, screaming...encouraging all these amazing people as they finished what is one of the hardest tests of endurance that the human body can be put through.
I didn't want to leave. Like I said above...I was really inspired by these people and I felt that it was my duty to give them the support and congratulations they deserved.
So I just kept clapping
So I stayed until the end and got really excited. As I was clapping and cheering for people that I hadn't even met, my fiancé took a small video of some competitors finishing.
The athlete in this video is Peter. He finished the race at about 10.30pm. I have never met Peter...probably never will. But as soon as the announcer called his name I wanted to cheer for him and bring him home.
Have a look at me being a goose on the finish line. Hopefully there will be plenty of geese returning the favour for me next year.
Cheers
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer
The perfect workout
Yesterday afternoon I took some clients out for a training session in Currumbin Creek.
These clients have been training hard for the last 4 months. They are preparing for a big event in September so they have plenty more hard work in front of them as well.
To break up the training routine a little I decided that for yesterday's session, we would take some canoes out into the Currumbin Creek. Not only was it a chance for us to change environment and keep motivation levels high, it also provided us with some beneficial cross training.
Even though there were some "super human efforts" that took place as we raced our canoes between bridges (as spruked by Brendon in the winning boat), the most spectacular part of the session came as we rested and took in the afternoon sun.
Our canoes were drifting about 10 metres apart when all of a sudden a dolphin appeared on the waters surface and continued to swim in the shallow water around us.
Those of you who were out yesterday afternoon would know that the weather was perfect. After putting in some hard work in the canoe, this was a spectacular way to finish off the session.
We live in one of the most amazing places in the world. It's no wonder that so many people are out and about each day, taking in the environment as part of their training.
I don't know about you but I can't get enough of it!!!
Cheers
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer
Jess recommends....
Today we give a big thank you to Jess who kindly jumped in front of the camera to tell us what she thought of training with Chisel Fitness.
Jess was with us for two weeks whilst visiting family on the coast and trained with us almost every day.
Great work Jess!!! Have a great trip back to London and see you again next time!!
Cheers
Chris van Hoof
Chisel Fitness Personal Trainer