On Tuesday 15th October our very own Tas and Michelle ran a competition to see who was Mill Park’s Push Up King and Queen. We had 3 categories that participants could enter.
Male – Traditional Push Ups
Female – Traditional Push Ups
Female – Knee Push Ups
On the night we had a great turn out with everyone keen to show their stuff.
Our top 3 for each category were:
Male – Traditional Push Ups1. Tom - 67
2. Kristian - 57
3. Rick - 54
Female – Traditional Push Ups
1. Alison - 50
2. Mary - 34
3. Gayle - 26
Female – Knee Push Ups
1. Mary - 100
2. Erica - 52
3. Brooke – 20
Well done to everyone who participated and great effort by all!
Friday, 25 October 2013
Interview: Michelle Sellick - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor at Mill Park Leisure
What do you do?What don’t I do?! I’m a 47 year old fitness fanatic, mum of 2, working in an industry I love!
What is your definition of success?
Success to me means being able to say that you have achieved what you have set out to do, regardless of how large or small the goal
What are your thoughts on the parallels between business and sport?
I have no head for business at all but have recently become actively interested in the various ways that we, as PT’s, can use our (often limited!) business skills to attract more clients.
I think we can sometimes learn more from the mistakes we make. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made along the way? And what did you learn from this?
Quite possibly the biggest mistake I’ve made was not coming into the fitness industry until later in my working life! Having said that, my many years as a secondary school teacher set me up with a sound knowledge but more importantly, how to communicate effectively with people.
What do you think has enabled you to achieve success with the health and fitness industry?
My English charm! That and a hard work ethic, a willingness to learn constantly and my love of my job.
How do you consistently sustain performance in your business/career?
I believe that, in order to do this job successfully, you need to be able to practice what you preach. I stay fit, run almost every day, teach group fitness, eat well (mostly!) and get lots of sleep.
Tell me your thoughts about developing a
successful team culture.People need to be able to work alongside each other in the knowledge that we are all working towards the same goal. Our team at Mill Park is, in my view, successful because we have a great understanding of how we work and how all of us as individuals can contribute to the success of our goal – to help people achieve their own health and fitness goals.
Who has had the greatest influence on your career and what lessons did they teach you?
Many people have contributed along the way – my mum for encouraging me to keep fighting for what I wanted when the odds were against me attending university many years ago; my coach when I played netball at international level back in England; currently my partner Cleo for keeping me honest and ensuring that my massive ego is kept in check!
After a great result, how do you celebrate?
My family are everything to me – to spend time with Cleo and our kids (The Brady Bunch – there are 7 of us!) and a few close friends having a bite to eat, a few drinks and much laughter is a perfect way for me to spend my time.
What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve ever
done and why?Without a doubt, having my children. India and Harry entered this world in an unconventional way through donor insemination. They lead active, honest, full lives and continue to teach me on a daily basis – my life would surely have been incomplete without them in it.
What do you do outside of work to relax and wind down?
I RUN! Running for me helps me unwind and cheers me no end – when I’m inside however I love to watch a good movie with a nice glass of wine, Cleo lazing next to me, Archie snoring on the floor (Chocolate Labrador!) and Trevor purring on my lap!
-
What is your favourite song? Going Under – Evanescence
- Favourite athlete? David Beckham
- Movie? Jaws
- Food? Lamb’s Fry and bacon with mash and mushy peas! (I know…don’t judge me!)
- Holiday destination? St Lucia to visit my sister Debs
- Most recently read book? Gone Girl
- What really annoys you? The sound of my alarm!
- If you could do anything you wanted; what would it be? Ensure my kids have a safe, stress-free life
- The one thing you’d like to change in the world right now? The distance that separates me from my UK family; Cleo to return to full health after surgery
- Where would you like to be in 5 years time? In the absence of a lottery win, I’d like to see myself just as content as I currently am in both my working and personal life. At present, I could not be happier!
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Have you experienced back pain?
How many of you have experienced back pain? I bet 80 – 90%
of you answered yes, I too have suffered back pain.
The reason I ask is because I recently read a very
interesting and somewhat controversial article which featured on The Age
website titled ‘The truth about back pain’ written by Aviva Lowy.
In the article Professor Chris Maher, Director of the
musculoskeletal Division at the George institute for Global Health, talks about
back pain. He explains that in the majority of cases when there is no specific cause
for the pain, patients are misinformed from various websites and/or are over
treated and over medicated. What individuals who have back pain should be
making sure they are physically active and start off by only taking paracetamol
for pain relief.
In late 2012, patients were administered epidural steroid
injections for back pain, some of those were contaminated and caused an
outbreak of fungal meningitis in the US.
This raises numerous questions in my mind but won that comes
to mind is why do we suffer from back pain if there are no evident causes? In
2010 Global Burden of Disease claims back pain is the most disabling health
condition in Australia, the study showed in terms of years lived with a
disability, lower back pain was ranked number one.
Professor Maher states the triggers of back pain is not
clear but there seems to be a strong genetic component. When different risk
factors such as vibration, lifting, smoking or being overweight, the findings
have been inconsistent.
Most of us have experienced back pain at some point not
knowing the cause and to think there may be a genetic cause is ground breaking.
There is often this thought that if you experience back
pain, don’t do any exercise, relax on the couch and rest. This isn’t the way to
manage a bad back, make sure you keep active, it will help relieve any back
problems you may be experiencing.
If you would like to read the article for yourself the link
is attached below.
Tristan Simmons
Healthy Living Director - Mill Park Leisure
Friday, 4 October 2013
Pre and postnatal exercise guidelines – The latest information out now
Once
upon a time, pregnant women were told to rest and put their feet up. Today more
and more women are continuing to exercise, some right up until the day before
they deliver. I’m not suggesting this is for everyone, personally I was sick
every day (literally sick and throwing up) and sadly I did not have much energy
for exercise. However, for most women training through pregnancy is an achievable
goal that provides huge benefits for both mum and baby.
A
main point that we emphasise throughout the guidelines is that every pregnant
woman is different and there is no one size fits all for exercise prescription.
Pre and postnatal trainers need to be educated and know how to deal with common
problems such as pelvic instability and pelvic floor weakness. In addition,
these new guidelines also explain that women who are pregnant can safely start
exercise, even if they had not exercised before becoming pregnant. A previous misconception
was that women should only exercise during pregnancy if they had done prior to
becoming pregnant. It’s all about doing the right kind of exercise and seeing a
qualified trainer.
0-3
weeks
3-8
weeks
8-12
weeks post-natal
Dr Denise Furness, PhD BSc RNut REP
Registered Nutritionist & Personal Trainer with Mill Park Leisure
The
main challenges for pregnant women include their changing shape, stability and
back pain. The key to continuing a regular exercise routine, despite the added
challenges, is to modify the type of exercises performed through all stages of
pregnancy. Last week Fitness Australia released the National Pre and Postnatal
Exercise Guidelines:
(http://fitness.org.au/visageimages/Fitness_Australia_Pre_&_Post-Natal_Exercise_Guidelines.pdf).
(http://fitness.org.au/visageimages/Fitness_Australia_Pre_&_Post-Natal_Exercise_Guidelines.pdf).
I was contacted late
last year by Fitness Australia and asked to be part of the expert reference
group to help oversee and produce these national guidelines. Along with Fitness
Australia and two women’s health physio’s, Lisa Westlake and Dianne Edmonds, we
came up with a clear set of guidelines to help trainers and group fitness
instructors ensure they are taking proper care of new mums and mums to be.
A
main point that we emphasise throughout the guidelines is that every pregnant
woman is different and there is no one size fits all for exercise prescription.
Pre and postnatal trainers need to be educated and know how to deal with common
problems such as pelvic instability and pelvic floor weakness. In addition,
these new guidelines also explain that women who are pregnant can safely start
exercise, even if they had not exercised before becoming pregnant. A previous misconception
was that women should only exercise during pregnancy if they had done prior to
becoming pregnant. It’s all about doing the right kind of exercise and seeing a
qualified trainer.
0-3
weeks
- Pelvic floor exercises and post-natal specific core exercises
- Walking
3-8
weeks
- Walking
- Swimming (once bleeding stopped)
- Gym programs - maintain posture, light
weights, no breath holding
- Pelvic floor exercises and post-natal
specific core exercises
- Low impact aerobics or a post-natal
class
- Low intensity water aerobics classes (once bleeding stopped)
Note: Check for abdominal muscle separation.
8-12
weeks post-natal
- As for 3-8 weeks, increasing
intensity/weights
- Progress post-natal abdominal bracing and
pelvic floor exercises.
- Abdominal and pelvic floor muscle testing
prior to return to higher impact exercise / running / sport, and
commencing regular abdominal exercise programs.
- Return to previous activity if pelvic
floor muscles and core control is back to normal.
Finally
some tips for new Mums. As a Mum, of an energetic one year old, I still feel
the effects of sleep deprivation. Harrison did not sleep through the night
until he was 10 months, it took its toll on me, but it did feel like heaven
when he finally slept through. However, heaven didn’t last long, with teething
and recent bouts of colds and flu we are often up during the night. So my tips
are…
- Rest, rest, rest! Don't underestimate sleep deprivation, you will be a better mum, wife and human being if you take time out for yourself.
- Don't stress about housework. If you can afford it, get a cleaner (I wish I had one!) If you can't afford a cleaner make sure your partner or the rest of the family pulls their weight.
- No matter how tired you feel exercise is always going to make you feel better. Prioritise rest first, but then make time for physical activity.
- Weight loss should not be your focus shortly after having your baby, enjoy the precious moments with your new baby and be kind to yourself.
- Breastfeeding helps the uterus contract and brings your stomach back to its original shape. So, if you can do it, stick with it as long as possible for your baby's health and your belly.
Dr Denise Furness, PhD BSc RNut REP
Registered Nutritionist & Personal Trainer with Mill Park Leisure
Are you Time Poor?
How many of
you have used the excuse ‘I have no time to exercise’?
I’m putting
my hand up for that because I have done it before, and if I’m being honest with
myself I have used that excuse recently. Having no time is the number one reason
why people don’t exercise or they start but don’t continue for very long. Those
of you that have spoken to me around the centre or read my articles know my
wife gave birth to our daughter 6 months ago – since then I used the ‘no time’
excuse because I just wanted to get home and see the family. There is nothing
wrong with that, making family time is very important, but I was losing all the
results I had built up and I just wasn’t feeling good about myself.
Now I’m back
into exercise and starting to feel energised again. I made the time to train
and you can do it too, it’s all about prioritising what’s important to you and
making time for your health and wellbeing. Ultimately if you are healthy and
feeling good you are likely to be a better parent, partner and person in
general. So, stop the excuses!
One of the
best ways to improve your time management is by chunking your time. Plan out
your week and schedule chunks or blocks of time to exercise, but the trick is
you need to make sure you stick to them. Generally we find it easy to plan our
work time and work commitments, but don’t forget to add in family time, exercise
and time for yourself. When you chunk your time and stick to it – you’ll find
you will have a much more balanced week, you won’t feel caught up in everything
and most importantly you’ll get to spend valuable time with your family and be
looking after your health.
Another
strategy is to schedule / chunk some “spare” time, so that in case you
genuinely were not able to exercise in the scheduled time because family or work
commitments got out of control during the week you can make up the missed
exercise in your “spare” time. The truth is none of us have much spare time,
but if you block/chunk spare time you will be able to fit in all your weekly needs
without too much stress. The spare time can be used for exercise, family or
even added work commitments to help you try and maintain a healthy work - life
balance.
Tristan Simmons
Healthy Living Director - Mill Park Leisure
Healthy Living Director - Mill Park Leisure
Friday, 20 September 2013
How many of you work for a company that promotes workplace health?
There are
numerous ways workplaces can promote health. Some companies hire Personal
Trainers to run lunchtime training sessions and offer staff a discounted rate.
Others have regular workplace health checks, while some keep it simple and send
out nutritional advice.
A few years
ago I worked for a company who conducted yearly workplace health checks and
skin checks which I thought was fantastic. Here at the Y, we run a free group training class for all the employees
which includes nutritional advice and handouts.
According to
Work Safe Victoria, absenteeism due to illness and injury costs Victoria $440
million every year. That is quite extraordinary. Research indicates that poor nutrition and physical inactivity, increase
exposure to Musculoskeletal Disorders and can slow down recovery.
In our last eNews,
I talked about men’s health and how Cardiovascular Disease is the number one
cause of death in Australia and how changing your lifestyle can make a
difference. Most chronic diseases are preventable or their onset can be delayed
through regular exercise and good nutrition.
You’ll spend
about 100,000 hours of your life at work, which equates to about 1/3 of your
life, so workplace health is imperative.
Are you an
employer of staff? How much do you think you would save on leave and how much more
productivity would your company gain if you invested in a workplace health
regime?
If you don’t
have anything set up and are interested in getting something started for your
team please give me a call on 9404 4811.
Tristan Simmons
Tristan Simmons
Healthy Living Director - Mill Park Leisure
Interview: Michelle Fisicaro - Personal Trainer at Mill Park Leisure
Hi all, my name is Michelle I'm one of the new trainers
on the gym floor, but an old face as I have been a member at Mill Park Leisure
for 10 years before doing my Fitness Certificates in 2012. But lets wind it back
a bit…
I was born in Parkdale so have a penchant for the beach and I don’t like winter at all!!!!!
I met my gorgeous hubby 21 years ago. After we got married, we moved to Sydney for a couple of years where I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. I find myself very fortunate to have gone through this process and have a clear health history in that area now, but it did lead to a couple of problems when we fell pregnant with triplets naturally. I delivered my first little boy Cooper at 21 weeks, sadly we lost him. We hung on tight to our other 2 babies who were born at 24 weeks, another boy and a girl. We lost Tyson at 8 weeks of age, but I have an amazing 14 year old daughter Mackenzie with a clear health history, so we are extremely lucky. It was an ordeal but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Within the next 2 years we decided to have another baby, this is with much decision as it meant I was to have an Trans Abdominal Suture through my uterus, to be able to carry another pregnancy. So cut a long story short, there was a joke should we put a zip in my abdominal region, for having had 9 operations in a matter of a few years.
Of course you giggle and laugh at it now
but it took a toll on my exercising - this is why I like to keep in shape, as you
never know what is around the corner. We also now have a gorgeous hazel eyed son Dante
who is very cheeky and full of character. I wouldn’t change anything about my
life…
Having had a few hiccups over the years, I have always known I wanted to be a Personal Trainer and so I decided to take myself back to school last year, after not having been at school for 30 years. I found this very daunting but it was last year or never…
So here I am at my second home! Instead of being a member I'm now here to help all our members with any health issues they may have or if its just to have a chat get something off their chest…
1. What do you do?
I also work on Reception as well as Gym floor and Personal Trainer.
2. What is your definition of success?
Success is to see my clients walking out of here happy but knowing they have had an awesome workout and how we are training is working specifically for them and their needs.
3. What do you think has enabled you to achieve success with the health and fitness industry?
Being of a mature age has given me life skills to be able to talk to all types of people from all levels.
4. After a great result, how do you celebrate?
I spend time with my family because they are my greatest influence.
5. What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve ever done and why?
Having my children is the most satisfying as there was a stage we though we may not have children but also going back to school has helped me overcome some of my own hurdles with which I put up…
6. What do you do outside of work to relax and wind down?
Spending time with family and friends we like to be social on the weekends and especially when the warm weather comes….
7. Where do you see opportunity in the health and fitness industry in the next 5 years?
My goal is to learn as much as I can about the industry and to turn this into helpful information for our patrons…
8. Now’s the time for what we call the Turbo 10. Ten quick questions…
I was born in Parkdale so have a penchant for the beach and I don’t like winter at all!!!!!
I met my gorgeous hubby 21 years ago. After we got married, we moved to Sydney for a couple of years where I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. I find myself very fortunate to have gone through this process and have a clear health history in that area now, but it did lead to a couple of problems when we fell pregnant with triplets naturally. I delivered my first little boy Cooper at 21 weeks, sadly we lost him. We hung on tight to our other 2 babies who were born at 24 weeks, another boy and a girl. We lost Tyson at 8 weeks of age, but I have an amazing 14 year old daughter Mackenzie with a clear health history, so we are extremely lucky. It was an ordeal but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Within the next 2 years we decided to have another baby, this is with much decision as it meant I was to have an Trans Abdominal Suture through my uterus, to be able to carry another pregnancy. So cut a long story short, there was a joke should we put a zip in my abdominal region, for having had 9 operations in a matter of a few years.
Of course you giggle and laugh at it now
but it took a toll on my exercising - this is why I like to keep in shape, as you
never know what is around the corner. We also now have a gorgeous hazel eyed son Dante
who is very cheeky and full of character. I wouldn’t change anything about my
life…Having had a few hiccups over the years, I have always known I wanted to be a Personal Trainer and so I decided to take myself back to school last year, after not having been at school for 30 years. I found this very daunting but it was last year or never…
So here I am at my second home! Instead of being a member I'm now here to help all our members with any health issues they may have or if its just to have a chat get something off their chest…
I also work on Reception as well as Gym floor and Personal Trainer.
2. What is your definition of success?
Success is to see my clients walking out of here happy but knowing they have had an awesome workout and how we are training is working specifically for them and their needs.
3. What do you think has enabled you to achieve success with the health and fitness industry?
Being of a mature age has given me life skills to be able to talk to all types of people from all levels.
4. After a great result, how do you celebrate?
I spend time with my family because they are my greatest influence.
5. What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve ever done and why?
Having my children is the most satisfying as there was a stage we though we may not have children but also going back to school has helped me overcome some of my own hurdles with which I put up…
6. What do you do outside of work to relax and wind down?
Spending time with family and friends we like to be social on the weekends and especially when the warm weather comes….
7. Where do you see opportunity in the health and fitness industry in the next 5 years?
My goal is to learn as much as I can about the industry and to turn this into helpful information for our patrons…
8. Now’s the time for what we call the Turbo 10. Ten quick questions…
- What is your favourite song? Over The Rainbow- Judy Garland
- Favourite athlete? Cory Everson
- Movie? The Way We Were
- Food? Everything - Chocolate
- Holiday destination? Bali
- Most recently read book? Women's Health
- What really annoys you? Housework
- If you could do anything you wanted; what would it be? I'm doing it!!!!!!!
- The one thing you’d like to change in the world right now? A cure for cancer!
- Where would you like to be in 5 years time? Still here having a wonderful time with my
friends at Mill Park……
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