Snacking and momentum

Psychologically it's easy for us to get out of the pattern of being active and into the pattern of being inactive. When we do that, we no longer 'see' ourselves as being an active person so we take the lifts, park as close as possible and sit down to watch TV.

Our bodies too, lose energy and forget how to be active so we sit and drive more. These tips below to ''exercise snacking'' reminds our brains and bodies that we are designed to move. Because we start to do little snacks here and there, we get into a pattern of movement. This slowly becomes normal and eventually our first reaction becomes to move, not sit.

Circuit Busters

The best way to rev up your fitness is to slip in simple cardio circuits of 5-30 minutes. Research shows that, if you are starting out, you can get the same benefit from doing three 10 minute cardio bursts in a day as doing one 30 minute session.

The Advert blast

Here's a 5 minute cardio blast to do during a TV ad:

• As soon as the first advert hits the screen, jump up and pump your hands up in air 10 times 
• then do 30 knee raises (alternate each leg, 15 on each) 
• 15 squats with your legs out wide 
• 10 lunges (5 on each leg. Step the leg out in a big step in front of you them back to standing for one rep) 
• repeat till the adverts stop 

The Quickie

Here's a 10 minute quickie to fit in when you're short on time:

Find a flight of stairs and

• Walk up and down 2 times smoothly and gently then, 
• At the bottom, do 30 Step Ups (step up on your right, bring your left up and step down). Lead with the right 15 times then the left then, 
• Walk up and down the stairs 2 times at a faster pace then, 
• At the bottom, place your right foot on top of the 2nd step. Keep your weight on the right foot and bring your left foot to touch the right then quickly back to the floor. Do 10 on each leg. 
• (you're working thighs, butt, abs, back and arms here)
• Finish with walking up and down 2 times smoothly and gently

The 'I'll only be stuck in traffic so I might as well get fit' blast (about 20 - 25 minutes) 

Here's a circuit that you'd spend big money to get in a gym, but to you, this week only, it's free! Do it with a friend. Pick your pace, start slow and build up if you feel like it.

• Find a park, car park or playground and start by powerwalking or jogging 3 laps
• Head for a bench and do 10 step ups on each leg
• Do 1 lap round at pace
• Back to the bench for 15 dips
• Do 1 lap at pace 
• At the bench do 15 press ups (flat, with your hands on the bench or feet on the bench for extra load)
• Do 1 lap at pace 
• Feet up on the bench for 20 crunches 
• 1 lap at pace 
• Last one! Find an overhanging bar or branch and try to crank out a chin up or 5 - Do 2 laps at pace getting faster as you go round till the 'sprint' finish

Don't stop, gently warm down by walking 3 - 5 laps till your breathing's back to normal (don't stop till it is)

Guest Bloggers: ACC Activesmart – My experience

We spoke to Ansonica Botha, a project manager for council, on how she's trying to incorporate exercise in to her lifestyle as part of the challenge. Find out how she got on.


I recently signed up for the “Healthy Lifestyle Challenge” and an important part of a healthy lifestyle is getting some exercise. But where to start? I didn’t want to sign up to a gym or join a class and felt a bit lost. Tina sent me the link to a very interesting site. It’s run by ACC and can be found here www.activesmart.co.nz

ActiveSmart provides free online and customised training plans that have been designed by experts for all levels of fitness and goals. You can set up a training plan to walk, run cycle or a combination of any or all of them. It covers beginners to advanced sports people. You can even train for a specific event and make sure you peak at the right time. The plans have been designed by expert fitness professionals, so it must be better than anything I can come up with on my own.

First thing I did was register. This was quick and easy. Next you pick your activity and goals. I picked the “Introduction to Running” plan. This plan guides you, over 6 weeks, to where you can run continuously for 20 minutes. That remains to be seen as I’ve never been much of a runner. A health questionnaire follows to make sure that the plan you picked isn’t too advanced for you and that it is safe for you to exercise.

From this information the website created a training plan for me.You can customise the training plan to fit your needs in the Training Plan view. In my case the plan showed my training days as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I don’t like exercising on Fridays, so I just dragged the sessions to Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. On training days you automatically receive an e-mail with information on your session. You record and track your progress and achievements on the website.

Once you have a plan, the site looks different when you load it. You are directed straight to your own personalised Dashboard with information and links relating to your training plan.

I have completed my first training session and I am looking forward to the next one.