This week we lunged into our fitness and for many, including myself, walking took on a new meaning!
Learning to use the gluteal (bottom)and quadriceps (thigh) muscles when we walk is vital in protecting the health of our joints, in particular, the knee joint.
The muscles help create space between the joints so that the lubricating fluid (synovial fluid) can flow between the knee cartilage and be used to reduce friction and impact during movement.
We learnt the secret to a great lunge was simply not being afraid to take a big step.
The big step placed the knee joint directly over the ankle. In this position, the gluteal and quadriceps muscles have to engage to get you back to standing.
Fitness often depends on putting yourself in situations where body mechanics can naturally be engaged to condition the body.
The “situation” can be a resolution to exercise twice per week on specific days, at specific times.
This week we got back our resolution cards we created in mid-December 2015.
To our delight, those who wrote resolutions that were specific, for example, exercising on a particular day, or having designated sugar-free days, easily achieved their resolutions with pride!
Resolutions are a mechanism to finding a solution to a particular struggle in a person’s life. Therefore, it makes sense that the solution needs to be specific to the struggle.
If your struggle were to lose weight, then an example of a solution would be to remove 200 calories per day from your diet and to swap one processed food with a whole food.
A food swap can be as simple as replacing three squares of chocolate for an apple.
The apple has the same number of calories as the chocolate squares. However, the apple also has fibre, vitamins and minerals that are used by the body to nourish, repair and rejuvenate.
Chocolate calories have little nutritional value and, therefore, are directly stored as fat.
This Easter, Square Box Fitness will help you swap chocolate for fitness.
In the week following Easter, bring to class any or all your Easter chocolate for a chance to win a 10 class Shape-UP pass valued at $100.
If you do not have any chocolate to swap, take it from your children, your grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Ask your friends for their excess chocolate for greater chances to win!
Consider the chocolate swap as your effort in promoting fitness and nutrition among those you love.
In addition, refrain from buying chocolate this Easter (and this competition) to help discourage the commercialisation of love with an unhealthy indulgence in low-grade, artificially processed confectionery.
The winner of our chocolate swap will be drawn at Artarmon on Friday 1 April at 6.40 am.
I leave you this week with the thought of making wise food chooses this Easter.
Live well and eat well
Anna
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