Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Fresh Faces

This past round of our exercise classes (The Morning HI-5 and Evening Circuit) we have a handful of new faces. Its quite exciting because for the longest time it was the same people coming in. Not that I don't like the people that have been faithful and consistent to either class, but new faces are those of new students. These new people are very excited to learn about how their body operates both on a daily basis but also on a much larger scale. They are learning about the acute effects of exercise but also the effects of chronic exercise.

They are learning how their body moves, what muscle groups are involved and how their daily lives are effected by the function of these muscle groups. It is a wonderful thing for them to learn how to perform movement patterns that allow them to lose fat and increase muscle. They are getting stronger and are much less likely to get injured or having nagging pain that can be so debilitating.

They are learning about steady state exercise compared to non-steady state exercise and the effects and benefits of both. Most of all, they are learning how to maintain and live an active lifestyle. They are learning that having muscular strength makes daily chores and tasks much easier. That is all we are trying to accomplish.

They are learning what foods to eat and which to avoid. They are learning how to eat and why it is so important to eat so frequently. I love watching people learn. When they get it, when they have changed their eating, exercise and sleep habits. Now we get to watch them change.

To all the people that are in these classes, you've been really putting out a lot of effort lately. Keep it up. One day you will look back and be amazed at the progress you have made. For anybody not in our classes, feel free to call and sign up. Their relatively inexpensive, times that are accomadating, have a very encouraging setting and are led by a person who has education, certification and experience (that would be me).

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Back in Action

So I just got back from Hawai'i. If you like California beaches, I recommend staying away from Hawai'i because California beaches will not compare to Hawai'i at all. While I was there, I did not formally exercise much. I had the intentions to, but when time came in the morning I was just too wiped out from the activities of the previous day.

For example, the first day we were there we swam around in the lagoon in front of the resort. The lagoon opened up to the open sea. Most of the Whisnand clan and myself made it out past the break and into open ocean. Only they had fins on. I was swimming around out there with only my size 14 feet to propel me around. We were out there for roughly an hour. Swimming agains a current and then trying to keep up with Seth Whisnand with fins, is not an easy task. The guy is a maniac!!!

The second day we made it up to the north shore. Famous for its massive wintertime waves, we played in the giant swells and ripping current for about 3 hours. Sprinting into giant waves then trying to high jump over them is high energy. But then try swimming back in against a current trying desperately to pull you out is simply exhausting.

The next day we went to Waikiki. One word: over-rated. Although Seth and myself did rent surfboards but it took 20 minutes of paddling just to get to a place that you might be able to catch a wave. Anyway, I am horrible at surfing and that day simply confirmed my suspicions. But after Waikiki, we went to Sandy Beach.

If we thought North Beach had big waves, this beach was scary. The swells must have been 10 feet and the waves were 6 foot tubes that broke into a foot of water. This was fun. But not that gleeful smiling fun. We are talking, "there is a slim chance I might die excitement" fun. That beach was quite possibly my favorite part of the trip. This beach beat up the whole family!!
Other activities throughout the rest of the week included hiking up Diamondhead which is an inactive volcano, hiking up to Waiamea Falls and snorkeling in Sharks cove. We were involved in so much activity, it was simply unbelievable. But I enjoyed every second of it.


So I write this to encourage you. There is no need for a gym if you lead an active lifestyle. Simply doing a variety of activities will boost your metabolism, develop strength, build muscles and lose weight. Putting plenty of effort into the activities you enjoy doing will ensure that you lead a healthy lifestyle and make exercise fun, encouraging and educational. You will learn things about yourself that nobody ever knew!!

Special shout out to mom and dad Whisnand for everything they supplied during this past week. They were generous, supportive and made sure that everybody had an awesome time. Thank you so much!!!