3 Exercises Every Woman Should Do!

These three simple moves offer body benefits for every woman—and they don't require much equipment so you can do these away from the gym. Make them part of your fitness routine on a regular basis and you'll be looking and feeling better in no time.

Squats

Why they're effective: Squats are the go-to move for everyone who strength trains because they engage more muscles than any other move. Squats work the thighs (quads, hamstrings, and outer thighs), glutes, and core (abdominals and the muscles that support your spine). You don't need any equipment to perform squats, but always have the option of adding dumbbells and/or a stability ball to add challenge. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.

Starting Position
Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width apart and your toes slightly turned outward.

Action

INHALE: With your abs pulled in tight and your weight in your heels, slowly lower by bending at the knees and slightly from the hips. Keep your back as upright as possible (don't lean forward from the waist). EXHALE: Straighten legs and come up to the starting position to complete one rep.

Special Instructions
Make sure your knees don’t cross the plane of your toes. Try to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor. If you have difficulty performing this exercise you can also use a chair or wall to help with balance and the movement until you build sufficient strength.

One-Arm Dumbbell Rows (Can use large bottle of water/bag of rice)

Why they're effective: Did you know that the easiest way to look longer and leaner is to improve your posture? Rounded shoulders are common among women when the weight of the breasts pulls the shoulders forward and upper back muscles are weak. Most people only train what they consider to be a "problem" or what they can see in the mirror (muscles on the front of the body. But strengthening your back muscles, particularly the lats (which give your back its "V" shape), can help improve posture. This exercise also targets several other muscles at once: the biceps, shoulders, and other back muscles (traps and rhomboids), which will help improve your overall upper body strength. Aim for 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.

Starting Position
Grasp one dumbbell/weighted item in your right hand, palm facing the body. Step forward with your left leg as if you were going to lunge. Bend the left knee and straighten your right leg back. Rest your left elbow your forward (left) leg. Try to create a flat back. Keep upper body steady with the abs pulled in tight.
Action
INHALE: With the right palm facing the body, "row" the dumbbell up as high as possible (towards the armpit) as the elbow points backwards. EXHALE: Slowly lower dumbbell back down until arm is straight, but elbow does not lock, to complete one rep. Finish one set and switch sides.
Special Instructions
Keep your spine in a neutral position. While lifting focus on the muscles in the back, visualizing your shoulder blade moving towards the spine, and coming back out as you release the weight down.

Bicycle Crunches

Why they're effective: There has been a lot of research on the effectiveness of various abdominal exercises. Most experts agree that while crunches are good, adding some simple elements can make them even better. That's where the bicycle crunch comes in. The bicycle crunch is one of the most effective core exercises there is, working the abs, oblique’s, and hips. You may want to lie on a mat, but no equipment is necessary. Aim for 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.

Starting Position
Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent, in line with the hips. Place hands behind your head and neck for support. Pull the naval in towards the spine throughout this movement.
Action
Bend your left knee in towards your chest while you crunch up and twist, bringing your right elbow towards the knee. Without resting, lower the left leg back down to the floor as the right knee comes in, twisting to the opposite side to bring your left elbow towards your right knee to complete one rep. Repeat continuously until you complete one set.
Special Instructions
Breathe steadily throughout this exercise

Get Results!
Remember that there is no such thing as "spot-training." While these exercises will help strengthen and tone the muscles that they target, only cardiovascular exercise will burn the layer of fat that covers those toned muscles in the first place. Try this program 2-3 times per week, resting at least one day in between each strength workout, in combination with a moderate cardio program (30 minutes a day, 3-4 days per week). You'll notice you'll feel stronger, stand taller and look better in just a few weeks!

For more information on how to perform these exercises, see any of the team at your next visit to Contours Manukau

Leap Over Diet Hurdles

It’s the time of year when the social calendar starts to boom and healthy eating plans are going straight out of the window! As the weeks leading up to Christmas go by, more obstacles start to creep in. Don’t be dismayed! The good news is that there are plenty of helpers to get you over those diet hurdles.

Hurdle #1: "I don’t have time to cook."
Helpers:

• In anticipation of busy times, prepare batches of food on the weekends and freeze them until needed.
• When preparing food, purposely make extra for leftovers.
• Plan your meals for the upcoming week and make one weekend trip to the supermarket.
• Buy foods that are pre-prepped: bags of chopped vegetables, pre-cut fruits from the produce section, canned beans instead of dried.
• Throw all your ingredients into a Crockpot and voila! A healthy, home cooked meal awaits your return from work.
• Buy healthy frozen entrees, and meals that take only a few minutes to cook. Examples include: stir fry (look for pre-cut veggies), soup, instant brown rice, oatmeal, and sandwiches on whole wheat bread.
• The night before, plan your next day of food, pack your lunch, and plan what you’ll do for dinner.

Hurdle #2: I’m suffering from a case of "Portion Distortion."

Helpers:

• Know serving sizes and be accurate in tracking food choices.
• Order smaller-sized or lunch-sized portions when eating out.
• Ask the server to box up half of your entrée before it arrives.
• If you are thinking about going for seconds, wait at least 20 minutes to decide if you are truly still hungry.
• Avoid buffets and all-you-can-eat dining options.
• Educate yourself! When you learn what proper portions really look like, you won’t have trouble knowing when to stop.

Hurdle #3: I’m an emotional eater.
Helpers:

• Plan ahead and keep busy during downtime to avoid eating out of boredom.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day. You might actually be thirsty instead of hungry.
• Don’t keep sweets and junk food on hand at home.
• Give yourself occasional food rewards, and build them into your plan. Decide ahead of time, and portion out how much you will have.
• When you’re about to eat, ask yourself if you are actually hungry, or if you’re upset, sad, lonely, or bored. If your emotions are driving you to eat, find a healthy way to deal with them: write in your diary, allow yourself to cry, call up a friend, go on a short walk, or read a book.

Hurdle #4: I don’t know what to do when I eat out.

Helpers:

• Share an entrée or dessert with someone.
• Order dishes with lots of veggies.
• Drink water while you are waiting for your meal.
• Enjoy a healthy snack before you go out so that you aren’t too hungry
• When eating out, decide what healthy option you are going to order before you look at the menu.
• Don’t be afraid to make substitutions and special requests. Ask for dressing on the side, tell the waiter you'll pass on the bread basket, and ask for your veggies to be steamed instead of fried.

Hurdle #5: I don’t know what to do at family gatherings, holidays, or on holiday.
Helpers:

• Eat on a regular schedule. Don’t skip a meal in order to "save room" for the next meal.
• Plan ahead for exercise. Find out if the hotel has a fitness centre or if there are any parks or recreation centres nearby. If not, bring your own travel-friendly equipment, like a skipping rope or resistance band.
• Enjoy the company and activities more than the food.
• Plan physical fitness activities for the group.

Hurdle #6: I don’t eat breakfast.
Helpers:

• Prepare a large batch of healthy options (fruit salad, porridge, whole grain pancake batter) at the beginning of the week and use it throughout the week.
• If you aren’t hungry first thing in the morning, pack a healthy snack and eat it around 9 a.m.
• Shop for quick, healthy foods once a week.
• Eat a piece of fresh fruit every morning.

Make options instead of excuses- keep on track and you will look amazing at the beach this Summer!

Myth: Women who lift weights will bulk up.

Truth: While on a weight lifting program, the right hormones (testosterone) are necessary in order to bulk up. Women’s testosterone levels are much lower than men’s, so in most cases, they are not capable of building large muscles. In fact, since muscle takes up less room than fat, women tend to lose inches when they strength train. So in addition to the physical benefits (increased metabolism, decreased risk of osteoporosis, increased strength), strength training will help you slim down too!

Rosanna Tafatu- Member of the month: October 2011

6 weeks ago I felt tired, lousy and had absolutely no energy to keep up with my kids. Enough was enough; I picked up the yellow pages and found Contours Manukau- I needed to lose weight.

Despite exercise always seeming this scary, daunting and ‘too difficult’ thing I was focussed and determine to succeed. Since I have joined I have loved every minute! I now get excited for my time at the gym 4-5 days each week.

The thing I love most about Contours Manukau is seeing women of all different shapes, sizes, ages ethnicities and cultures- (especially Pacific Islanders) all getting fitter and enjoying the gym.

The staff here have been so awesome, helping me stay motivated and educating me along the way with both my training and eating habits. A special thank you to Kerryn and Joy who are my amazing trainers!

So far I have lost 9.5 kilos, I am so proud of myself!

I have got so much more than I expected from Contours- I feel so much healthier and happier. I can’t wait for more great results to come!

What's so motivating about numbers anyway?

Pretend for a minute that gravity doesn’t exist. Everything is weightless- yes everything! Yet it all manages to stay on the ground. You don’t know how much you weigh because there are no such things as scales. How would you define ‘healthy?’ You wouldn’t be able to say "I need to lose 10 kilos" or "I weigh 100 kilos, so I must be overweight."

What would be your goal?

You might still not like how you look. You might be tired of just being tired all the time. You might need to take care of that blood pressure problem. You might want to avoid diabetes.

In a gravity-free world, those are all still good reasons to create healthy eating and regular exercise habits. Who knows, you might decide "Hey, I feel good, I look alright, and I’m healthy. If I can just maintain the habits I have, I should be okay."

The point is, you can decide for yourself what shape you’re in. You don’t need the scales to tell you. Unfortunately, many times we get down on ourselves simply because something as trivial as gravity tells us we’re out of shape. Some people feel and look fantastic in every respect, but if the number on the scale doesn’t match expectations, they’re miserable. This doesn’t make sense. Gravity should not be able to wield that kind of power upon us, so stop dwelling over the scales!

In this gravity-rich reality we live in, we have a fascination with the scale. While it’s good for giving you a general idea of your health, this can be the most discouraging and frustrating part of a diet. Your weight can fluctuate all the time and reasons why are never completely known. Time of day, temperature, the day’s activities, water level – all can skew the numbers one way or the other. In reality, you could be getting discouraged over something that’s not really that accurate.

To stay motivated, try finding other ways to measure your progress instead of jumping on the scales. Try some benchmarks that actually matter. Some may be tougher to measure than others, some are more subjective. But we think you’ll find that these measurements can still be a lot more meaningful and motivating.

Try this!

Body Measures – dress size, waist, hips, neck, arms, fitting into your favourite short shorts!
Performance – more endurance during exercise, doing them at a higher level, jumping higher, walking longer, keeping up in Body Step, running faster, playing a sport better
General Feeling – rate energy level, rate attitude and outlook, track how often you feel very sleepy during the day, rate your confidence level
Health – blood pressure, cholesterol level, blood sugar level
Intangibles – how you look, compliments you receive, how others respond to you

Take some of these regular measurements and stay motivated, and give yourself the credit that you deserve!

Gym Support - New Service at Contours Manukau

Do you ever get to the gym, grab your new program that your trainer has just written - you take a look at the new exercises and read through and think, yep, yep, all good...then suddenly you spot..."reverse dumbbell fly - 3 reps of 10 at 6kgs". You think... hmmm... interesting, don't seem to remember that one. You look around at everyone busily working out - at least they know what they're at - you look at the equipment, hmmm 6kg dumbbell, yep that's there ...what the hell is a "reverse fly"... sounds like some sort of weird genetic experiment gone wrong ...in a gym?!?!? 
You haven't got the foggiest what it is, let alone what it does.


You love Body Combat, it's fun, it's easy to get into, the moves are sweet and no-one cares if you stuff up. You like the look of Step, but it looks kinda complicated, all that jumping around, step boxes everywhere. You'd like to give it a go, but you're not into looking like an egg....maybe try another time.


You've seen your trainer, you've got your program, but you've got a question - you need to ask someone, but you're trainer is never free. You don't really want to book a reassessment, just just need a quick hand.


If you've experienced this then we've got the answer for you - Tania B.


Some of you may remember her - she used to be our reception manager - but now she's returned as a fully qualified trainer and wants to help you on the gym floor! Tania will be available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5pm and she'll have a very specific job.


If you've got a question about your program - she'll be there to answer and demonstrate.
If you've never done a class - she'll be there to go with you. She'll help you get set up, get you started and then do the class with you.
If you're finding it a bit hard to "get into" your gym program she'll work out with you and motivate you.
If you need some extra support if you just need to have a chat while you're working out - Tanz'll be there.


We understand that coming to the gym can be hard work, and sometimes working out by yourself can be a bit lonely. Hopefully this new service (and Tanz's help) will help you find the motivation you need.

So give it a go - and tell us what you think.


Tania B. - Gym Support Rep.
Every Tuesday and Thursday 5:00pm- 8:00pm 
Starts today: 25/10/2011

Tanz -Gym Support

BTW: She'll be wearing a nice bright pink shirt (not black as in the picture) with "ask me a question" on the back - so you cant miss her!!

How to endure and enjoy the long weekend… without feeling guilty!

So there’s a long weekend coming up (YAY!) and we are excited, yet a little concerned about the temptations ahead. We don’t want to undo our week’s worth of healthy eating and exercise… yet we want to relax, be social and have fun.

Don’t worry- we have a plan! Follow these 3 steps, and you will be fine!

Don’t Stress!

You have been good all week, so you can go to that social event! (GO THE ALL BLACKS!) You deserve to have some fun with your family and friends. Relaxing is part of being healthy, so actively relax! J

Plan your treat limit- and stick to it

You can have fun without eating and drinking everything! Think ahead and plan what treats you are going to allow yourself. This way you will avoid that guilty feeling before, during and after the treat! Here are some tips you may want to take on board:

1. Drink one glass of water, per glass of alcohol- this will help with the risk of a hangover!
2. Enjoy the treats you allow yourself to have- remembering this is a reward!
3. Don’t nibble, get a plate and remember your portion sizes. Seconds may result in a second class on Tuesday!
4. Dance! This is a great cardio workout. Be sure to come to Body Jam on Thursday this week if you need some new moves!
5. Sleep it off! Make sure you get your beauty sleep before the weekend is over. You don’t want to be feeling sluggish on Tuesday when you’re back to reality.

Enjoy, you can always make up for it!

If you do over indulge, (or just happen to “forget” that extra slice of cake in your food diary) you just need to work that little bit harder and longer the following week.