After the grand final Monday 29th Sept 2008

It was a cool morning on the beach this morning with Annie, Lynette and Kathy heading to 9w stairs. It was Kathy's debut class and first time exposure to the 9w stairs. They are always a challenge!

Lois will be back with the 6.15am class on Wednesday 8th October. We also have a new BOSU balance ball and will be using it to improve on core body strength, balance, abs and lower back strength.

Annie is bringing her interval running times down between the sets of stairs and sets a new benchmark for herself each week. The rest of the week looks like great weather. See you at 12w.

PS Ali's camera has been playing up but is now ok so we will have some candid shots soon!

A different way to exercise

News at 12w.......Nicci and the girls have good numbers at the 7am class......we've seen Laura & Kate & Angela & Mal & Anthea & Caz & Arnia & Sandy & Sarah ............John's classes have also seen Baz & Phil return from skiing, Annie is up to 5 sets of 9W stairs, Evelyn is back from Cairns with a new grand daughter Caitlin..congrats to Andrea & Luke, Lois and Lynette are regulars at 8am on Monday & Friday mornings, Nola has returned from the Kimberleys with stories to tell, Liz has headed off to climb the Eiffel Tower and cycle the banks of the Danube and Pete and Jarryd are challenging each other with their workouts at 6am 0n Tuesday & Thursday. Pete is heading off to a uni exchange at Waterloo University near Toronto Canada next year. Seems like fitness minded breeds travel minded people! There is a fitness class or time slot for anyone whatever your level of fitness or whatever your fitness aim, so contact us and move out of the pre contemplation stage into the action stage.

Beach Volleyball

At 12w we have a beach volleyball kit. If you would like to join us for a social game of beach volleyball at 12w after work send us an email. We will set up the beach volleyball net at 12w for a social game on Friday nights after 5pm weather and tide permitting. If you are on our email list we can email you and let you know when we will be setting up. It's free to play, so come and get some exercise and have some fun.

Thought for the day " When we play tennis doubles, someone always keeps the score and the other three players just play. Those three players always ask the other player "what's the score?" and the other player always knows. Are you a player or a scorer?"

When you do personal training or group exercise, you never have to keep the score because someone else always does it for you. It's actually liberating entering into that unknown domain...sometimes scary, but hey..........why not live on the edge for once ...........or twice.......until exercise becomes your daily routine"......................a 12wism!

Nicci takes classes at 12W

Nicci O'Halloran also takes group exercise classes and personal training at 12W. She holds a Certificate 3 in gym instruction and a Certificate 4 in personal training. After a short stint in Noosa checking out exercise trends and of course sunning herself in the Queensland sun she has returned. Check out the pictures to see the girls in action on Wednesday 17th September. Classes are held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7am for anyone who wants a fun workout.

the girls punch the pads

Nicci, Sarah, Laura and Kate do their push ups on the beach

Nicci and Sarah work the arms

Nicci & Sarah and Laura & Kate at 12W on Wed 17th Sept

Exercising on the beach

Last Thursday at 12w, a pod of dolphins cavorted in the waves just 50 metres offshore as we exercised. The beauty of exercise at the beach is the lack of structure. Every day presents a different tide, a hard area of sand, a soft section of sand or clumps of seaweed to hurdle or sidestep. Exercise on the beach is akin to an amateur steeplechase ............minds and arms and legs and torsos testing their agility and decision making and the beauty of it is..................you rate yourself on your own performance and nobody knows how hard or how little you tried except maybe, that pod of dolphins watching from offshore.

It's not the loneliness of the long distance runner...........it's simply the best way to meet the new day.

Spring mornings on the beach

Pete, John and Liz perfect

their version of the morning three step.

Heading back to 12W after a good workout

Pushups on the beach

Double power squats by Pete and Liz

Liz follows up the right cross with a powerful left

Liz opens with a right cross

Fido joins Liz for a session

Pete does a ladder combo

The Pete Combo

Pete warms up for a boxing session

The day beckons at 12W before Thursday exercise class

Why don't we exercise when we know it is good for us?

Some tips

If you intend to exercise tomorrow, leave your exercise clothes and runners out the night before.

Make yourself accountable by telling someone you intend to exercise tomorrow.

Make a commitment to meet at a specific time so you know people will be waiting for you.

Remove the phrase "I used to" from your vocabulary. There's no such thing as "shoulda, coulda and woulda" If you shoulda and coulda you woulda.

Set an achievable target and mentally tick off your success when you achieve it. If you don't achieve it, mentally congratulate yourself for trying and resolve to achieve it next time.

Let's get started

A brisk walk from 12W to 9W steps and then 3 sets of the 9W stairs. The view from the top is awesome.

Stairs

Look upon stairs as a passport to fitness, not a thing to be avoided. Notice how the new DFO at the bottom of Bourke Street in Melbourne has traffic lights on Spencer St that take you directly across to escalators whilst just to the left are the stairs. Why aren't the stairs directly across and the escalators just to the left?

Take the stairs and feel the enjoyment of the climb!

Footsteps in the sand of those getting fit