Personal Training with MORPH FITNESS
What we offer
Personal training may be for you if you want to lose weight or if you just want to improve your general levels of fitness and wellbeing.
Weight Loss and Toning
Are you trying to lose or even gain weight?
If you are, then you probably plant yourself on a set of scales every day to check your progress.
But how do you know that the weight you are losing is fat and not much needed muscle?
In short, if you are using a set of normal scales you don’t. Research has shown that many of the “Fad” diets cause the body to lose as much lean muscle mass as fat mass. Once the diet has ended, individuals return to their pre-diet weight as a result of an increase in fat mass.
However, while they weigh the same as before, they now have a considerably higher body fat percentage but much lower lean body mass than before the diet began.
The important thing to remember is that you are not looking to lose weight – you are looking to lose inches!!!
Muscle tissue weighs considerably more than fat. So think about this scenario: a person weighs 70kg and has a body fat percentage of 30%. After 6 weeks, on an exercise and nutrition programme they weigh 68kg but have a body fat percentage of 26%. The result is a massive 3kg (6.5lbs) loss in body fat and a gain of lean muscle tissue.
So despite not losing a great deal of weight as seen on bathroom scales, you can lose inches by lowering your body fat and increasing your lean muscle tissue. And you ladies need not worry about looking muscular, as your testosterone levels are so low it is very, very difficult for you to increase your muscle size. By lifting weights you will simply tone and tighten the muscles giving a slimmer more aesthetically pleasing look. For the gentlemen looking to gain muscle size and mass, the same rules apply only in reverse. You need to be sure you are putting on lean muscle tissue not fat mass, and the bathroom scales cannot tell you that.
The best way to judge your progress is by how you feel in your clothes. If you’re aiming to lose weight then do your clothes feel looser or too big? If they do, then, despite not losing a great deal of weight, you are losing inches. If you’re aim is to gain weight, then do your clothes feel tighter in the right places? If they do then even though you haven’t gained pounds you have gained muscle size and increased your lean body mass.
So why not let MORPH FITNESS develop a programme personally tailored to your lifestyle likes and dislikes to help you reach your goals, no matter how large or small they may be. Whether you want to run a marathon, walk for one mile or lose an inch from your waist, we will help you get there.
General Fitness & Wellbeing
Regular physical activity has significant benefits for your health and wellbeing.
Just 30 minutes of moderate activity each day can improve health and reduce the risk of developing certain conditions and diseases.
Aim for at least 30 minutes a day.
Health authorities recommend that everyone should have at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, on all or most days of the week. This activity can be accumulated in bouts of 10 minutes or more if it's more convenient.
There are many opportunities to be active throughout your normal daily routine, such as walking to and from work, or walking children to school.
People who take part in vigorous physical activity (for example aerobics, netball or touch football) are encouraged to continue to do so – these activities can provide extra health benefits.
Guidelines for good health
To help you make physical activity an important part of your day, the National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians were developed. The guidelines refer to the minimum levels of physical activity required for good health. They are not intended for high level fitness or sports training. Try to carry out all the guidelines and, for best results, combine an active lifestyle with healthy eating.
The four steps to good health are:
- Think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience. See any form of body movement as a chance to improve your health, rather than a time-wasting inconvenience.
- Be active every day in as many ways as you can. Make a habit of walking or cycling instead of using the car, or do things yourself instead of using labour-saving machines.
- Do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days. Moderate intensity activity includes a brisk walk or cycling. Combine short sessions of different activities of around 10 to 15 minutes each to a total of 30 minutes or more.
- If you can, also try to enjoy some regular, vigorous exercise for extra health and fitness benefits. Vigorous exercise makes you 'huff and puff'. For best results, this should be added to your regular physical activity three to four days a week for 30 minutes or more each time.
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise is when your body uses oxygen to produce energy for physical activity. Aerobic means 'with oxygen'. Aerobic metabolism occurs when the body breaks down fat and glucose by combining them with oxygen. During intense aerobic exercise, your body uses more oxygen and your breathing and heart rate increases. Over time, regular aerobic exercise will improve your health and fitness and reduce levels of body fat.
Types of aerobic exercise
Whatever activity you choose to do, it should be something you enjoy. Different forms of aerobic exercise include:
- Walking, jogging or running.
- Swimming.
- Dancing.
- Aerobics classes and water aerobics classes.
- Cycling.
- Skating.
- Line dancing.
- Ballroom dancing.
Benefits of regular physical activity
If you are physically active regularly, you tend to:
- Have improved long term health.
- Be less likely to have a heart attack.
- Feel more energetic.
- Manage your weight better.
- Have a healthier blood cholesterol level.
- Have lower blood pressure.
- Have stronger bones and muscles (less osteoporosis).
- Recover better from a heart attack.
- Feel more confident, happy and relaxed, and able to sleep better.
An effective treatment for depression
Studies have shown that regular exercise can be used in isolation or in combination with other therapies to treat some forms of depression and anxiety. Even people who don't suffer from depression feel happier and more relaxed when they exercise regularly.
See your doctor first
It is advisable that you consult your doctor before starting your physical activity programme if:
- You are a male over the age of 35 or a female over the age of 45.
- Physical activity causes pain in your chest.
- You often faint or have spells of severe dizziness.
- Moderate physical activity makes you very breathless.
- You are at a higher risk of heart disease.
- You think you might have heart disease or you have heart problems.
- You are pregnant.
Tips for becoming active
Even if you have done no activity in the past, beginning some form of activity can set you on the road to improved health. Below are some tips to help you incorporate physical activity into your everyday routine:
- Choose an activity that you like, so that your enthusiasm doesn't wane.
- Vary your programme to prevent boredom.
- Try exercising with a friend to add an enjoyable social element to your programme.
- Start gently – let your body be your guide on intensity.
- Warm up thoroughly before you start, by going through the motions of the activity to increase blood flow to the required muscles.
- Start off with short sessions until your fitness improves. Multiple smaller bouts of 10 minutes will bring benefits. It's fine to start with even shorter sessions and gradually build up if you haven't exercised for a while.
- Start gently and progress gradually. If you are overly fatigued, rest for a day, but remember the key to health is regular physical activity.
- Warm down after exercise with easy stretches to let your body 'cool down' slowly.
- Give injuries time to heal instead of trying to exercise through them.
