Clare

Clare
The first time i beat ten boats in the nationals!

Saturday 8 December 2012

Warrior Mummy Smashing It

For those of you reading this on the Collaroy Plateau, there is some truely amazing and inspirational people living amongst us. I thoug today i would share a quick note, briefly telling their stories, and directing you to where to find more info ot to help out.

Firstly is Curtis Palmer, who broke his back when he was 15yrs old in a rugby match, and has been a quadreplegic ever since. He has competed in four Olympics for wheelchair rugby, and is currently working as an inspirational speaker. On his website was an event that truely astounded me, which was him tackling Alexander St (uphill, althoug i imagine downhill in a wheelchair would have been equally challenging!). See his website www.smashingit.com.au for more on Curtis.

Secondly, i met some friends of the ever-positive Lisa, who has been battling cancer on and off since she was 22yrs old. She has two kids, a successful career, and a bright and cheery blog: www.diaryofawarriormummy.wordpress.com.  She has been diagnosed with motor neuron disease, and more recently brain cancer, but refuses to go out without a fight (and a sense of humor). Lisa has such a noble attitude in the face of devastating tragedy, that she makes me count my blessings twice.

These are real people facing real adversity. I often think about the general population spending so much money on takeaway food, make up, holidays, cosmetic surgery, etc (myself included), and think that we do not know how lucky we are. These people are sent into financial ruin just to stay alive, and rely on charity for the rest of it.

The lesson is to appreciate the scent of the air you breathe today, the warmth of the sun on your face, and the company that you are in, because it may be drastically different tomorrow.


Friday 14 September 2012

And one more idea!

This one was a variation on the pull up - modified because our client Willo is so freaken strong!! Even so, a simple piece of beach furniture was enough to wear him out.

Simply hook your legs around the top, weave your fingers together, and pull up. Alternate sides or repeat the same side, then swap on the next set.


Remember: train smart!! What are you doing, and why? Exercise should be effective, efficient, and enhance your life.

Friday 7 September 2012

More Sandbag Ideas

 This is fabulous Louise who is well on her way to her goals! The first picture is a pull-up, and you can use anything that is chest high - like a tree branch, playground equipment, etc.

Push ups with the hands elevated is slightly easier on the back, if there is weakness.
 This exercise is great for cardio, if running is a problem. You can use any old piece of rope, but if you want it to last make sure it is thick, as you burn through them pretty quick! Basically you row as hard and fast as you can.
 Below is a version of the woodchop, with a sandbag and an extra squat in the middle. You load the bag up onto your shoulder, squat, then unload it. It gives the back an extra bit of oomph and will get the heart rate sky high too!


Monday 3 September 2012

Return of the Sandbag

Today was my first day of outdoor training. Since the old gym has closed, and the new one is two weeks from opening, me and a select bunch of super keen clients have taken to DY beach. I remember why i liked Sandbags now, and have had a wonderful day inflicting them willy nilly!

The following exercises are so simple, yet work every muscle in your body, including your heart and lungs:
1) pulling the bag behind you- arms, abs, and legs. Tones and develops power, as well as burning lots of calories.
2) walking backwards and pulling the bag- more emphasis is placed on the butt, back, and thighs.
3) sideways works your butt and waist more.
4) squat and press- with two hands or one, this exercise is a kettlebell exercise that is much harder (and more effective) with a sandbag, precisely because it is so unstable. It takes alot of effort to control the momentum, which means lots of muscles used, lots of strength gains, and lots of training effects!

Got more in store for tonights clients, and will post more ideas later in the week. The weather has been sensational, and if you have not been outside yet, do it today!










Saturday 25 August 2012

And the Moral of the Story Is...


So we finished our stay in Savaii with a trip to the markets,

and me giving my bike away to Tala, who toured us through the Dwarf Caves back in Manase. He turned up on the bus (would have taken a few hours) and caught us on our way back from a spending frenzy. He was pretty stoked about the bike, and i was relieved not to have to lug it back to Oz!

Once in Apia, we spent the day at Apia Flea Market, lunch at Aggie Gray's, then a tour of the Robert Louise Stevenson memorial.
 
The memorial was surprisingly excellent, this gorgeous sprawling house in it's original condition (although mostly with replica's, because his wife sold all his things after he died). The little one was exhausted, but we dealt with it the usual way!
Unfortunately we couldn't contact the pre-school we rode for! We are not sure if the number was old or incorrect, but we never got to see them, which was very disappointing.

Finally, i know many of you think "wow, good on you guys, but i could never do that", and i thought i would share with you the four diverse women who completed this trip:
1) Me: obviously i am in my 30's, one baby, and fairly irrepressible. most people would consider me the exception to humankind - but that is a myth when you consider these three wonderful women...
2) Sally: she has 3 kids from around 12ys to 7yrs. Sally had never really ridden a bike (outside the occasional spin class) and she whooped us.
3) Jen: she has two teenage boys, had done a little riding, but trained her ass off. She carried our food for the entire 300km trip.
4) Diana: who is riddled with chronic pain caused by a variety reasons, and has never let it stop her. If Diana can ride 300km in that state, why couldn't you?!

I think it is okay not to do these things if you do not want to. However if the only thing stopping you is that you think you can't - then that is not good enough! We can all do anything we wish, we just may have to figure out how first. And that is what these girls have demonstrated in this trip.

The moral of the story is:
Wish it
Plan it
Do it
and don't hesitate long enough to let doubt (or as i like to call it, your inner chicken) slow you or stop you.

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Oh My God My Lady-Garden is Wrecked


I know I have been harping on about the distances, but you have to feel sorry for us today, when we expected 45km, and got 55.7km. After yesterdays tired and grumpy ending, we started today with a fresh face, stayed together, even drafting eachother as need be, and crossed the finish line together. It was a fantastic achievement, and I think we are all absolutely knackered.

 
The day started plesently enough, however I slowed everyone down. I knew it was a long day, and had packed 4 litres of water, plus my computers (distrusting the taxi driver), plus the tools, first aid kit, Evie's paraphernalia, sunscreen and aeroguard, plus the 30kg that is Evie + pram. Needless to say, I was SLOW! Eventually Di and Jen stopped, and took about 10kg of stuff from me, and it made all the difference.

We stopped to see the Taga Blowholes, which were spectacular and scary. I thought to go stand under one, but was a little too freaked out. Once we got close I didn't dare go any closer (and Evie was freaking out anyway!!).

 

Sally was the next one to go down, and after 3hrs we were only half-way. I started to stress about getting to the Chalet's before our bags, because I didn't know what the driver would do if he arrived and we were not here. Would he take off with our bags? Would he wait and demand an exorbitant price? I ran out of money today so I was worried. A bit of revolting cordial fixed Sally right up, and we starting making better time.

The plan now was to grab some bread, cycle to the waterfall, and have lunch. We stopped at store after store, none of which had bread. We resolved to have biscuits for lunch, still at the waterfall

 The waterfall was a long time coming, and every local said it was 50 metres. Eventually we gave up,pulled over on the side of the road, and ate lunch in the gutter. Sally rode back to another town (50 metres!) and got bread and butter (a luxury!!).

The next challenge was finding the right street to turn down to get to our hotel. We found what we thought was the correct one, however it was a ghost street, and it was an anxious 5km until we turned a corner and found our blessed hotel!!
We turned in the driveway together, and it was with great euphoria that we ordered a room upgrade, and settled in for the afternoon. I am well and truly exhausted.

I am also very proud of these women!!

We Can Do Anything


Faleolupo was extremely isolated, with no running water, conservative use of the lights, and no other villages within 5km. The point was hit fairly hard by a cyclone (I think in 1992), and the road has still not been repaired, which cuts them off. We saw the “monsters footprint”, which is a huge footprint in the lava (as tall as I am). It was a quiet night, and strange being so far from everything.

Today finally went our way in terms of kilometres! Supposed to be 40-50km, we got here in 35km. Jen had a flat at the first few K, at around 8km we stopped and changed it. Thanks to Chris for the bike lessons!

It was tough going, with lots of hills, and Jen was ill fairly early on (I think dehydration and fatigue took it's toll). She showed amazing courage and pushed on (with copious amounts of gastrolyte and cordial) and got through an extremely tough day.


If you saw some of the hills we made it up, you would see we are amazing. Diana said "Clare can do everything", and i think the same is true for everyone here - it's just we have to learn how to do it first ;-)
Satuiatua is a top surfing spot in Samoa. There is a reef about 3 metres from my front door step, and once the sun goes down a bit I will get Evie out to play in the sand (we may even use her little reef shoes).

When we got to Satuiatua, i found a Labrador Dog book in their used book library. I showed Evie, and she said "dada" ("toby") and proceded to hug the dog book. I felt a bit bad, she was so excited to see a dog, she is obviously a bit tired and homesick. It was very cute nonetheless. and i am sure she is happy being a naked baby for a few weeks.

Tomorrow is our last day of riding. Everyone is tired, sore, and grumpy. I hope we can hold it together for one more day, and cross the line together.

Chardonnay in a Farl-laye




This “short, easy, 17km” was actually 17km, however our Australian friend who put the itinery together, neglected to mention 8km of steep uphill riding!! It was so steep that we had to ride sideways and zig-zag up, always thinking “that must be the top” before rounding a corner and seeing another section. Got to thank Jen for the concept "you're only doing circles with your feet”, which got me to the top.
In the end we negotiated about 2km of sand road, to come out at the remotest part of Samoa, the Faleolupo point. There is nothing but sand and palm trees for kilometres, and this random Fale business at the end of it. Luckily your accommodation includes dinner and breakfast.

Sally and I both have blocked ears, so we are crossing our fingers that they do not get infected. I am sure I didn't help things by hitting the reef with a snorkel, but hey, you only live once!

We have our last and hardest two days of riding ahead of us, then back to the main island to visit the preschool.

Manase to Vaisala


Today's ride was 40km, although we were not sure how accurate that distance was given the discrepancies of the previous days. We google mapped the villages, and it said 75km, but then we realised it was using another town (not the one we were in). The guestimate was 42-45km. We knew there was a hill, and I had in my mind something like the twisted road that goes through the Kangaroo Valley. I was psyched and sugared and banana'd up and I reckoned I would make it to the top.

15km we still had not really started climbing, and thought it must have been overrated.


I cannot tell you when the hills started, it was like a slow and steady ascent that creeped up on you. We stopped for coconuts at around 25km, convinced that was it. Then had an immediate climb into the next climb (even on the plateaus I was in my smallest cog at the front). At 30km, and after some fairly solid climbing, we took photos of ourselves as champions at the “top”. Even then it was another 5km or so before we em barked on what you could accurately describe as “downhill”. By then you have been climbing for 15km, and legs, lungs, and spirit is completely obliterated.

Only one more village until our hotel, and the ground jutted up for a steep and grueling final hill, just to wipe us out. I was pretty happy to have stayed on my bike the whole way, and towed Evie as well. We maintained a steady 15km/hr pace, which is a bit slower than our 20km/hr of previous days. Having said that, including breaks, our speed was about the same. We must have rested less!!

We had occasional bike trouble today, but one of the silver lining's to our bike mechanic pulling out (not very many of these), is that we have learned to take care of stuff on our own. We are even starting to look like we belong on a bike, with out set-up looking good, and our style too!!

Sally is officially our Queen of the Hills, and Di is Downhill Champion. And I have to thank Jen for drafting me the first 10-15km, I think I buggered her out though ;-)

Little bit of drama with our bags going to the wrong hotel, but that was all taken care of before we realised what happened!

We have our own hotel rooms, complete with shower and air conditioning (but curiously no hot water jug). There is a tropical reef only a few metres from shore, so I am bummed that my “underwater” camera has given up the ghost! Even sitting in the same today, there were little fluro fish darting about the place.

Still no-one mucking about in the wind. It is unbelievable, that a place with such consistent, and honking winds, has absolutely no boats!

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Four Women and a Baby

So we have had two "rest" days in Manase, a thriving town with 10 bus stops, 4 resorts, and one shop/petrol station/bank, which, incidentally, ran out of petrol today!


Yesterday we spent the morning lazing around the beach, before popping back onto our bikes to check out the women's craft market in another village. The market turned out to be one fala and one lady, weaving baskets and place mats. It was cool though, the only retail therapy available on the island so far. Jen bought a bag, we handed Evie off to another enormous Samoan lady, and we went to lunch satisfied.

We are starting to recognise people, and be recognised in turn, because i suppose we are rather remarkable! Certainly the chariot makes us stand out.

There is a reef right out the front of our Fala's, which has little blue fish and starfish, and is responsible for the demise of my camera (so photos here on in will be from the others!!). What is amazing to me is that a honking sea breaze comes in right on 11am everyday, and the water is completely empty. It would be rocking windsurfing. But there are no boats whatsoever!!

Today we were back on the bikes, to visit a lava cave about 5km west of here. We got there easily, but then had to hike up a 2km fire trail which was so steep the bikes got pushed. Once up there we entered a hole in the ground which opened up to this cavernous area which the locals belive is inhabited by Dwarfs. On the way there we ran into some men collecting coconuts. They obliged us in cutting a couple open for us to drink and then came along just for fun into the caves. They had this odd habit of pulling their shirts off
everytime a camera came out. Eventually they told us they were Kiwi's, over here for 3wks helping out their relatives. Chris would have had a field day bagging the all-blacks.


Anyway, we have been warned about the hills on tomorrow course. so it will be an early night.

Monday 13 August 2012

Day 3 Lano to Manese, supposedly 28km.


So today was actually 32km.

The first 20km or so were really tough. It was undulating but mostly uphill, in the blazing sun. We stopped at a coconut stand that appeared out of nowhere. and when i stopped i almost passed out. it was a good wake up call!! the coconut juice is the perfect electrolyte, and the lovely Samoan lady cut them as well so we got to eat the inside.

A highlight today was the lava fields – we saw
where volcano lava had spilt through a church, and miraculously gone around a young virgin's grave (she was the daughter of the village chief, who died at 18yrs old of an illness).

 
We swam with Turtles, but that was a bit of an anticlimax. It was a turtle pond that you are invited to swim in – but no-one does. It is a bit dirty.

Again, our accomodation is in absolute beachfront fale's. We are here for 3 nights. I started Evie on antibiotics today because she has a nagging cough and is clutching her right ear. So I think the flight might have exacerbated her symptoms (she had a cold before we left).



Riding today was really tough, and I have to thank the girls for sticking with me. Faulty gears meant I couldn't go fast downhill or uphill, and they kept checking on me the whole way, which made me feel like part of the crew. This is shaping up to be a fabulous trip.

Day 2 – Luisa's to Lano 17km


Well, so we thought, we made it to Lano in about 23km – but more on that later!!
The sights for this day were the markets and the John Williams memorial. We somehow missed the markets. But we got to John's memorial! JH was a missionary who brought Christianity to Samoa, so all the Jesus Loves Us is his fault ;-)
More interesting was the volume and spectacle of churches. i took photos of every single one until i realised that they are all magnificent and there is one on every corner.

Remarkable things happend -at the memorial, my derailer (the thing that changes your gears) fell completely to pieces. We had to search the road for the bits, happily found them, then spent the next hour or so figuring out how to put it back together.

We had the assistance of a few locals.

The Samoan's love babies. Everywhere we go Evie is coddled and cared for. For the most part she is happy to oblige. We spent the last 6km asking every person on the side of the road where Lano was, which entailed some slight anxiety but we made it in the end.



Our accommodation in Lano was Lauiula's Beach Fale's. Complete beachfront Fales with authentic dinner and breakie provided. We got to help cook it, but were a bit disspointed when the pig ran away and we had curry instead.

My bike held together ok, however I can no longer change gears with ease.

Samoa trip day 1


Today we cycled 3km from the Airport Lodge to the Ferry, then 1km from the Ferry to Luisa's Lagoon Chalets. It seems pretty piddly, but when you consider we breakfasted at 8am (5am Sydney time) and rode our bikes completely loaded up with ALL our gear, it was actually quite an accomplishment! It is super humid too – but I think everyone is enjoying that considering what we left.


We have settled in for the afternoon at Luisa's, having enjoyed a complimentary coconut, and a dip in the rock pool (which was a little chilly). I think everyone is enjoying an afternoon nap, well deserved.
Evie is absolutely delightful. Relaxed and cheerful, I hope it lasts.

It has come over cloudy now, with a rocking wind. I hope if it storms it does so tonight while we can watch it, then clears up for tomorrow. Although I cannot quite figure what I would prefer – riding in the rain, or riding in the blistering sun...

Thursday 9 August 2012

Pre Samoan Jitters

So for the next couple of weeks this blog will take the form of a diary, as me and three other women cycle 290km around the Samoan island of Savaii to raise money for a little pre-school in Apia.

At first it was to be a family trip, but due to our renovations (yay, new gym!!) Chris has been forced to stay behind, leaving me to tow our 10kg 11mth-old behind my bike. The trip has gone from being a pleasant, achievable, ride, to something a little scary!!

Chris and i discussed leaving the baby behind with him, as we have completed other sporting trips and invariably i get tired, emotional, and start to crack towards the end. However i am going to take her, just because it's scary, and because i will crack, and because that it what makes a trip like this an achievement. You crack, but you also finish!

Stay tuned for pictures and more of our adventures!

If you want to donate money to the school also, go to www.cyclesamoa.com.au and use the contact page to get in touch with the Chief!!

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Post Natal Back Injury

There are a number of changes that happen during pregnancy, thd most relevant to this post are the release of relaxin and the separation of your abs.

Relaxin is a hormone that allows the normally fused pelvic muscles to open and flex to make it possible for a baby to come out. The complication is that all your other joints are also relaxed, which makes them more prone to injury.

The separation of the abdominals is obvious, and the consequence is that your internal organs and spine are no longer supported adequately. This is not a problem while you have a belly full of fluid, but oncd the baby comes out...

The most common problems i see in post natal women could have been easily prevented by adequate preparation. Proper strength training when pregnant means that when your baby comes, and you have less organ and spine muscle support, plus having to lift a 3-5kg baby 24/7, you will be better protected.

It does not make sense to enter into a physically demanding job (which childcare is) "cold turkey".

Five exercises i would ask a pregant women to perform every second day:
1) WALK- great for posture, well being, and pelvic floor
2) Seated row- this one is again for your posture, as well as your back and lifting muscles.
3) Upright row- as above but with greater emphasis on the shoulderx.
4) Hip flexor stretch- flexible hip flexors will make it easier for your abs to pull back together.
5) Clench release- your abs, pelvic floor, internal abs. Breathe through it, and don't stress about squeezing the baby, they are so well protected that it is not a concern.

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Hit By A Car

I have a story to tell about an incident that happened a few years ago.

I used to ride my bike from Cromer to Brookvale to work. At first i would take up a whole lane (i was always riding before 7am or after 7pm so off-peak) so that the car behind me would have to merge to get around me. But i stopped doing this as i was deliberately persecuted by the cars. They would cut close, stop suddenly, turn into a driveway and cut me off, etc. I got the message and tried to keep as close to the curb as possible, only to have my leg burned by an old lady who obviously had deteriorating periferal vision and came so close the engine seared my skin!

However the most resounding incident was when a P plater tried to squeeze past me without merging, knocked me from my bike, and left me on the road. Not only that, but the car behind them, that saw everything, simply drove around me and kept going, and the one after that too.

I can't help but wonder what people are thinking? I know that cyclists are anoying, but if someone irritates you at work, do you hold a gun to their head? Your car is a deadly weapon, and i cannot help but feel that the punishment for being anoying on the road outweigh's the crime. Being stuck behind a bike for 1km will hold you up about 2min from your destination, and how often are you stuck behind them that long? In addition, does someone deserve to die just because they held you up a couple of minutes?

I also understand that cyclists inflame the situation by breaking road rules and getting angry at drivers. But at the end of the day, it is their lives you are mucking around with when you get angry at them. And you cannot convince me that the resentment directed at cyclists who ride through red lights and skip the que isn't tinged with a squirt of jealousy... Because we would like to do the same in our cars! And plenty do.

This article was inspired by a story on Today Tonight. I didn't see it today, but the advertising was condemning the development of bike lanes in the city, because it "gave cyclists more power and forces cars to sit longer is traffic". If people ride their bikes, it takes cars OFF the road. In addition, they contribute less to pollution, as well as our health system. I do not know what TT meant by increasing a cyclists "power", but i believe that keeping vunerable and unprotected bodies separate to solid steel cars is sensible, no matter how much of an asshole the cyclist is.

Drivers have to get over their resentment of cyclists. It doesn't solve anything and at the end of the day, they are someones father, mother, sister, brother, daughter, or son. We all do stupid things when annonomous on the road, whether in a car or on a bike, or jaywalking. It will affect your life too if you hurt someone.

Sunday 29 April 2012

Exceptional People from the Fitness Expo

It was day three of the fitness expo today, and i am pretty tired. I did not work the hours of the other Powerplate people, though, as juggling the baby with my mum and husband away was a logistal exercise. The others must be exhausted, they are amazing. Anyway, i would not have missed today for anything, as i met some fantastic people, and thought i would share them with you.

The first guy was a certificate 3 trainer, in his 70's, who went to tafe a couple of years ago to get his qualification. He was so excited about learning, and helping others, open minded, and intelligent. It was a great conversation. I love these people who do things because they can, not constantly looking for reasons why not. He has a regular class at Ryde Leagues Club, where he takes a group of over 55's through their paces. I think it must be so nice for that group to train with a man in the same situation that they are in, that truely understands them, rather than a dewy-eyed 20-something with no real idea of what they face everyday (i can say that because that is exactly what i was 10yrs ago!).

Another man was recovering from a car accident. He was knocked into pieces from his bike a couple of months ago, after having been in the fitness industry only one week. The fitness expo coincided with the first weekend he was able to cycle again. Guess how he got to Darling Harbour for the expo? To me that seemed so brave. I was knocked off my bike once, not even seriously injured, and haven't really ridden on the road since. I ride my road bike on the footpath!!

The Fitness Expo is always an eye opener. Even the "freak show" - the muscle men (and women) in the supplement and bodybuilding stalls- have things to teach me, and lessons that make me a better trainer or human. I have no desire to put the work in to become one of them, my goal is simply to physically be able to do anything i wish to do. Still i admire the depth of their knowledge about nutrition and exercise, and what they achieve with this.

I like to share these stories with you, because people like this are living and breathing examples of what can be achieved when you set your mind to something.

What is consistant is this:
1) set a goal
2) work out what it takes to do it
3) do it

Tuesday 17 April 2012

My Top Tips for Cutting Calories Without Cutting Food Volume

You got to live!!

Diets often do not work because you are either cutting out a major food group (like "carbs") ore restricting your portion sizes. Both of these approaches lead to hormone driven cravings, which work against long term weight loss.

These tips are often simply exchanging "this for that", meaning you can eat the same volume, in a similar manner, and still lose weight.

1) Grated cauliflower instead of rice: It is actually quite delicious, and saves you hundreds of calories. Simply keep a cauliflower frozen, and when you are 5min from serving, pull some out, grate it with a cheese grater, and fry it up with a pinch of stock and butter (PINCH!!!). It works the same way as rice, soaking up the juice, and is sweeter and more delicious as a bonus.

2) Slim Pasta: this is a new kind of vermicelli-style noodle being marketed as pasta. It has 8 calories per serve... you read it right - 8 calories. Find it at http://www.slimpasta.com.au/
3) Corn thins instead of bread: theses rice-cake style patties have one quarter the calories as one slice of bread. In addition, corn has all that wonderful fibre in it, to keep your intestines healthy :-)

4) Eat green first: don't worry about eating "healthy" if you always order a full serve of salad (without dressing) or mixed vegetables (potato doesn't count) first. Simply eat until you are full, then go for the pizza or noodles - you will be too full to eat very much. Acceptable dressings include vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil.


5) Find the Low GI version: eat what you always do, but make sure it is the best version - the one that takes the longest to digest so you stay content for longer. Find out about Low GI foods at: http://www.lowgihealth.com.au/glycemic-index-list-of-foods/

Monday 9 April 2012

Common Myths and Fantasys

These are a list of the things i hear with new clients, and that i am aiming to obliterate from the common myths surrounding exercise!

1) If i exercise a certain body part, i will make it smaller: NO you won't!! The only thing you can do with over-exercising a body part, is INCREASE the size of it as the muscle adapts. Think of Anna Meares in cycling, or any of the 100mtr sprinter's leg size... If you want to make something smaller, you need to lose fat - and fat comes off everywhere all at once.

2) If i do weights i will get big: NO you won't!! It is mostly women who say this - and the irony is we have not got the hormones to make muscles big. If you want big muscles, you have to train them a certain way for hours a day, one session once a week ain't going to cut it.
3) Light weight means easy weight: NO it does not!!! Light weight is relative, it means you can lift it many times. But to get a muscle adaptation, you still need to work it. Light weights is still hard weights, just you lift it more times before the "burn".
4) I need to cut out foods to lose weight: NO you don't!! But you do need to educate yourself on what is in the food you eat. Simply cutting foods out teaches you nothing, and may increase your cravings.

5) I just need to eat healthy to lose weight: well, it is half-true. Eating for weight loss is not necessarily healthy, especially if you are using supplements. Conversely, you can still be overweight and eat a healthy diet if your portion sizes are too big. Chose one goal at a time, then seek advice from a professional.

If you have any questions on myths, things you've "heard", or others have "reckoned", email me at clare@beyourbestpt.com and i will attempt to address them!!