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A big part of what our team do each week is make sure that you (the members) have good attendance, we do this by checking your attendance records. We know that for a member to achieve great results they need to exercise three of our coached group personal training sessions per week.
But what else are you doing outside of exercise? Are you still drinking the water? Keeping your nutrition on point? I know many of you are not.
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For me the word ‘mediation’ and ‘mindfulness’ have been a turn-off, for a long time I conjured up images of slightly condescending people asking me to take a deep breath and relax, always seeming to know better than I did about what was going on in the world. (Perhaps the do?) Even after I started opening my mind to anything that might be able to move me away from illness and ‘un-wellness’ towards optimal well-being and performance. I still resisted anything to do with meditation or mindfulness. That was until I found myself on military deployment in the desert talking with a SAS soldier, he showed me a video which changed my perspective on what mediation actually was which I will share with you at the end of this email. I thought to myself… if this guy meditates… then so should I! So I watched the video and gave it a go, during my deployment my unit was living in a small compound for 4-5months at a time (which I did twice over 2 years), given that there was an insurgency going on, there was nowhere to really go out to relax. So this became another reasons to try meditation. During that time I became very aware of how my mental health and mood were being affected negatively and meditation seemed to give me an outlet and some relief from the day-to-day pressures of deployment. Science has in fact shown that there are real health benefits for people who use mindfulness and meditation. Before we dive in, first let’s just get clear on what “mindfulness” and “meditation” actually are: “Meditation” is the ancient practice of connecting the body and mind to become more self-aware and present. It’s often used to calm the mind, ease stress, and relax the body. “Mindfulness” is one of the most popular ways to meditate. It’s defined as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” You can be mindful when you exercise, cook, garden, write etc, or you can do the full monty and try a still, eyes closed meditation practice. If you ever walk into Witterings Fitness you will be met by a lovely group of non-judgmental members, who I would say on the whole, are quite a mindful bunch! Because they are mindful, they are conscious of what it is like to complete your first fitness session, particularly if you haven't been in a gym before. They all know what it is like to walk into a gym for the first time. Let's face it, it is scary and can cause more stress! There are a staggeringly huge amount of doctor visits due to stress. Stress causes inflammation in the body, and that subsequently causes health problems. So, it makes a lot of sense that anything that can reduce stress can also reduce health issues. Mindfulness reduces inflammation and the level of cortisol, a hormone released when the body is stressed and also improves sleep. All good important stuff as far as your well-being is concerned! The most immediate health benefit of mindfulness is improved mood. I know when I am in a better mood, I work much better and am a better partner. In one study, people who took an 8-week mindfulness program had greater improvement in symptoms according to the “Hamilton Anxiety Scale.” They were compared with people who took a stress management programme that did not include mindfulness. It seems that the mindfulness training was key to lowering symptoms. Other studies show that mindfulness has similar effects as antidepressant medications for some people with mild to moderate symptoms of depression. While mindfulness isn’t a full-fledged cure, it can certainly help to improve moods. Studies also show that people who use mind-body practices, including mindfulness, have lower BMIs (Body Mass Index). How can this be? As mentioned mindfulness is linked with reducing stress, which may also then reduce stress-related and emotional overeating. Another way it can work for weight is due to “mindful eating.” Mindful eating is a “non-judgmental awareness of physical and emotional sensations associated with eating.” It’s the practice of being more aware of food and the eating process. It’s listening more deeply to how hungry and full you are. It’s not allowing yourself to be distracted by other things while you’re eating, like what’s on TV or your smartphone. People with higher mindfulness scores also reported smaller serving sizes of energy-dense foods. So it seems that more mindful eating = less junk. Mindfulness about food and eating can have some great benefits for your weight. Positive improvements in gut health and a reduction in IBS symptoms have also been linked with mindfulness practices. Again this is likely due to the reduction in stress. Science is confirming some amazing health benefits of the ancient practice of mindfulness meditation. For moods, weight, gut health, and more. Do you regularly include it in your life? If so, have you seen the benefits? Would you consider trying it? Here is a video for you to watch, which is the one I mentioned was sent to me by the SAS soldier who changed my perception on meditation. I hope you enjoy it.
Sometimes it can feel like there is not enough time in the day to get everything done, but prioritising, rather than sacrificing your sleep will give you more energy to get things done and allow you to thrive.
No excuses, own your sleep! Quality and Quantity are important. Train hard, sleep harder  Squats are great, we can do them anywhere in multiple ways, in this guide we will cover a bunch of variations that we use which allow you to balance your body and squat using different equipment.
We cover many types of squats, from weighted ones to goblet squats to jumping squats, there are benefits of doing the variations as well as keeping things interesting. Good squat form allows for the exercise to be fully effective, as well as preventing injury. Consistent bad technique can become a habit and reinforce poor movement patterns which can wear joints, ligaments and muscles in a way which can cause injury. At Witterings Fitness we focus on technique first, then once we can consistently do that technique, we can increase intensity (speed or weight). Light weights are used when learning so we can master the basics, no need to go too heavy too soon. Not being able to anything because of injury is far worse than lifting a weight too light, having said that it is good to be able to push yourself. Getting a good coach is a great way of knowing if you are pushing yourself enough without risking injury.
 We just watched 'The Social Dilemma' a Netflix documentary highlighting issues with social media, phones and the effects it has on our lives. With a huge increase in the use of social media and the clear links with mental health, we thought we would share some of the issues with you so you can be aware of how social media and your phone can affect your health. We will of course be sharing it via our own social media channels, hopefully in a responsible way! In the documentary ex-employees of various social media companies shared past experiences of how they worked and how they encourage 'user' engagement. Almost everybody had ethical issues with how the company ran their app, most of which was the reason why they left the business. Some employees wouldn’t let their children use the apps!
A Double-Under is when the jump rope passes under your feet twice between the time it takes for your toes to hit the ground when skipping and is a skill highly sought after yet elusive for many. However, you’d be surprised by how quickly you could master the exercise by setting aside perhaps just 5 minutes each day to practice it.
Many of the principles covered in THE SQUAT also apply to the deadlift such as the breathing, bracing and maintaining a neutral spine.
However, there are some key differences between the movements. Both are valuable exercises to incorporate into your training programme to improve your overall strength and conditioning. Please make sure you are familiar with the squat before moving onto learning the deadlift and recognise the differences between the two movements, to read our blog on the squat click here.
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AuthorBen Price Archives
December 2022
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