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We are right in the middle of the flu and cold season in Canberra. Many of us have had our kids or work colleagues coughing and sneezing around us. But did you know that by exercising regularly you can help to keep your immunity up and colds to a minimum. The following article provides details about this.

Exercise provides immunity boost
Exercise, the miracle that puts the spring in our step (and keeps us employed), may even prevent the common cold.

Researchers from the Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina, found that the more we exercise the less likely we are to get sick in the winter.

The study followed a group of approximately 1,000 healthy adults aged from 18 to 85 years, over a 12-week period during the US autumn and winter seasons of 2008. Throughout the study participants reported any symptoms of respiratory infection. Those in the top quarter for fitness levels – exercising for five or more days per week – experienced 43 per cent fewer days of cold-like symptoms than those in the lowest 25 per cent of fitness levels, who exercised for one day or less per week. Not only was the incidence of a cold less likely, but when they did get a cold the fittest participants had the least severe symptoms. Cold-like symptoms were 32 per cent less severe in the top 25 per cent of exercisers compared to the bottom 25 per cent.

‘As a general rule, the healthier you are, the easier you’ll find it is to fight off infections’ Associate Professor Stephen Turner from the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Melbourne said; ‘We know that people who exercise regularly have lower levels of stress hormones in the blood, and there’s a definite link between low levels of stress hormones and improved immunity’.

Source: The Journal of Sports Medicine

What a busy few weeks the beginning of May was. The end of the Crossfit Games for me and then straight into final preparations for the 2011 Mothers Day Classic. And what an exciting and fantastic day it turned out to be – huge successes for the Lifestyle Fitness Training team and all the individuals that were part of it. 

I would like to say a big thank you to all those that supported the Lifestyle Fitness Training team, whether that was through running, walking or donating money. The day was a huge success and the team did so well, especially winning the trophy for the largest team in the ACT. A huge achievement by everyone involved. I was totally overwhelmed by the love and support given by so many people.

The highlights for me included the glorious weather (mind you it was very cold at 8am for the 10k runners!!!), the numerous PBs posted by most of the runners (and some walkers), and the kids that blitzed us all in their runs (9yr old Isaac Torpy came 12^th in the under 15s for the 10k, and my 10yr old niece Jaimee came 16^th in the under 15s for the 5k). But most of all I loved the family atmosphere and the chance for us all to get out there together, young and old, fit and not so fit, and have a great time. Thank you for that.

 Of course, most importantly, I have to mention my gorgeous sister. What an inspiration she is to us all. She was out there doing the 5k a day before going through her last round of chemo. You’re amazing and I love you to bits.

 I had thought to myself that next year I would have a sleep in for Mothers Day. However, I have had so many people approach me to say that they want to do it again (with many wanting to either run when they walked this year, or beat their time from this year). How could I say no to such a fantastic cause. So make sure those running shoes don’t gather too much dust. We’ll be back bigger and better next year!!!

In a previous post I mentioned how I had started Crossfit training. 5 months on and I am absolutely loving it. I can’t believe the difference it has made to my strength, cardio fitness, mobility and agility. I never get bored with the workouts of the day (WODs) – there is always something new to challenge me.

My good friend Pip at Crossfit 2600 approached me a couple of months ago and asked if I would like to be a part of the Crossfit 2600 team competing in the 2011 Crossfit Games sectionals. It was to be a chance to experience what the games are all about. To say I was nervous about it would be an understatement. I had only been doing crossfit for a few months at that stage. But hey, what the heck, what did I have to lose.

If you want to see how the sectionals and the games work then go to http://games.crossfit.com/.

We are now coming up to workout 5 of 6 in the sectionals and I have had such a good time getting through each of the workouts that are released each week. Some of them have been a real struggle for me but I am hanging in there. There were originally about 500+ women in Australia that submitted scores for workout 1. It is now down to 325 and I am sitting at about 245. I will be so happy if I can get through the last 2 workouts and say that I had a go at every event. Next year, the sky’s the limit!!!!!

The 2011 Mothers Day Classic is fast approaching with less than 3 weeks until the big event. A big thank you to all those that have registered in the Lifestyle Fitness Training team. We are almost at 100 members in the team – what a fantastic turn out.

Registrations are still open and you can do this via the following link http://mothersdayclassic.com.au/. If you want your race kit mailed to you before the event then you need to have registered by 29 April. Otherwise, if you register after this date you will have to pick up your number on the morning of the run/walk. Any registrations on the day will not be allocated to a team, so make sure you register before then.

If you are unable to take part in this event, then you can still donate by going to my fundraising page at https://s.eventarc.com/sponsor/view/7712/nicola-mcgovern. Thank you to all those that have donated so far. We are currently the number one fundraising team in the ACT. Ford Australia have said that they will match dollar for dollar the highest fundraising team in each state. So keep those sponsorships coming in!!

My lovely sister that is currently undergoing chemo for breast cancer has inspired me to get this team together and raise as much money as possible. She would also like to say thank you to everyone that is taking part in this event or has donated money. It all goes to helping others like her battle this disease.

Well today was the day of the Women and Girls 5km fun run/walk. There were 16 participants in the Lifestyle Fitness Training team. It was a nice and sunny, but windy, morning and everyone did well to get there early on a Sunday. Everyone was excited in anticipation of the first running event for many of the participants in the team.

A mass warm-up was conducted for the 1000 entrants in the event and we all had a bit of a giggle at the 1980’s style aerobics session – good fun!! And then it was time. The starter yelled “Go” and we were off, some running and some walking. Unfortunately one of our girls stepped over the start line and into a hole twisting her ankle. It was a quick rush to first aid for some spray on ice and then she was off and sprinting, working her way past the walkers to catch up to all the runners – massive effort by her to still do an excellent time after all the early drama.

The run to the Carillion wasn’t too bad. We turned there and headed back and that is when the fun began. We started running straight into a strong headwind. Not fun at all. A small slope challenged us for the last 100m and then there was the finish line. A sprint to the end and it was all over. The whole team cheered each other over the line. A fantastic effort by all team members, with everyone feeling pretty good about themselves. As the trainer, I was certainly very proud of each and everyone of them.

So the next challenge – the Mother’s Day Classic. Only 4 weeks away and the option of either 5 or 10 km. Time to start training again!!

For many of you Easter would have meant lots of chocolate and maybe a trip down the coast like many other Canberrans. For me it was full of clearing of the garage, painting and assembling storage units. But wow, doesn’t the garage look good now and it really is starting to look like a gym studio. The wonderful guys at Gymquip will be delivering the flooring and other equipment on Monday. After that just a few finishing touches and the studio will be up and running.

This studio will be a great addition to my business, particularly for personal training clients and for days when the weather is so bad that we are unable to train outdoors. Along with a nice big grassy area next to our house, you can be assured that you will get both a great strength and cardio workout.

There are a number of group programs that will be commencing at the end of April 2010 (see calendar for days and times). If you are interested in attending any of these make sure that you let me know soon as these are starting to fill up. If you sign up and pay a $50 deposit by 11 April you will go in the draw for a free personal training session.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the group programs.

Congratulations to all my clients on the Mon/Wed program who completed their final fitness tests last night after 6 weeks of hard work. I was blown away by the improvements in everyone across the board. In particular, I was stunned at the percentage decrease in times for the 1km run. Most had decreased their time by 12-13%, however the highlight was the client who was able to cut her time by 22% – well done!

Other highlights included increases by everyone in their 1 min sit-ups and push-ups, some almost doubling previous results. But a special mention should also go to the two challengers up for the squat hold title. They managed to keep going for a staggering 4 mins while their bodies started to shake more and more. Great encouraging by everyone to get them to that time.

Thanks to all my Mon/Wed group for an enjoyable and rewarding 6 weeks. You always had a go at whatever I asked you to do, mostly without complaint!! Look forward to seeing you all again soon.