Monthly Archives: February 2018

Free – Online Pilates Video Course Access **until Monday 5th March 2018** South Dublin, Ireland

Snow Feb 2018 No Morning Pilates Classes in South Dublin Rathfarnham Willbrook near Nutgrove Marlay Park WhiteChurch Dublin 14 Dublin 16You can get free access (the coupon code is “snowpilates” ) to my short Online Pilates Video Course until Monday 5th March 2018 (normally €39.99) in exchange for some feedback after using the course for a few days. I do this due to the weather conditions today – lots of snow, a bit of ice and the weather predictions for tomorrow/Thursday 1st March 2018 and Friday 2nd March 2018 here in Ireland / South Dublin.
This will allow you to keep doing your Pilates, Stretching and Mobilizing exercises, especially as some of you were or are missing the classes that or normally no at this time of the week, due to the snow and ice.
No excuses lets get moving, to stay fit and healthy!
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In the video below you see how to apply the *coupon code* and get *free access* to these videos until Monday 5th March 2018.
My Fitness and Pilates course website is http://courses.yourhealthhabitcoach.comYou can do these Online Pilates Video Sessions at (1) home or (2) on the go when travelling for work or leisure, in your (3) local gym etc.. You can use your tablet, phone, laptop or desktop to access the course video lessons.
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I was in contact with Taney Parish Centre, Sandyford Community Centre and Glencullen Community Centre / GAA Start of Erin Hall … all venues are closed on Wednesday evening, Thursday and Friday (28th February, 1st March and 2nd March) according to the centre managers.
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Take care, stay safe during this hopefully short cold wintery weather spell and keep active … and
maybe see you during one of my indoor or outdoor classes.
Martin


 

Snow > *no* Pilates Classes Wednesday morning in South Dublin Rathfarnham, Willbook, Dublin 14

Snow Feb 2018 No Morning Pilates Classes in South Dublin Rathfarnham Willbrook near Nutgrove Marlay Park WhiteChurch Dublin 14 Dublin 16 A quick note to  let you know that there will be *no* Wednesday Morning Pilates class today, 28th February 2018, in Rathfarnham, Willbrook in the “old Court House”, near Nutgrove, Whitechurch, Dublin 14, Dublin 16 – due to snow, icy roads etc.. I will keep you posted on my website and facebook, re next weeks Fitness, Exercise and Pilates that I teach in South Dublin, Ireland.

 

 

 

 

Snow Feb 2018 No Morning Pilates Classes in South Dublin live Pilates Rathfarnham Willbrook near Nutgrove Marlay Park WhiteChurch Dublin 14I might run a 20-30min online live Pilates Class for those who are interested later this afternoon, early evening or tomorrow morning for those who are interested.

Send me a brief e-mail if you are interested.
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You might check my short onlineOnline Pilates Course at http://courses.yourhealthhabitcoach.com/, allowing to do some of the exercises easily at home.
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Take care, be safe and do some of our class exercises at home – Every Little Helps!
Martin

Video No. 21 – Quote Stephen Covey – Food for thought, Digital Diet “Anything less than a conscious commitment …”

>> View a list of all videos. <<

In this video I’m referring to “Digital Diets” :o) , quoting Stephen Covey, author of books like
7 Habit of Highly effective people.” or “First things first.”.

Feel free to like and share this video via my facebook page.

Send me a message on facebook or e-mail me and let me know what
your thoughts are relating to this quote and the video below.
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_ Thanks – Martin, Your Health Habit Coach

The “No Brain, No Gain” Approach vs. “No Pain, No Gain” Myth to exercising and getting fit in 2018

Yesterday I got talking to one of the corporate gym members in Ulster Bank’s gym in Central Park, Dublin 18 during my work-shift.

Maura (I changed her name in this article) a South Dublin based mom of two active teenagers asked me what classes I’m teaching at the moment in their corporate gym. She was also wondering if I think she will be able to do the exercise classes with the shoulder issue, that she is having for over a year by now. My initial reply was …. it depends on yourself and that I can show her various alternative exercises during the class for movements that she is not keen on doing.

The original reason for her shoulder issue was that she herself or/and a fitness instructor in a class pushed her too much, so she overdid various exercises leading to a longlasting injury.

The "No Brain, No Gain" Approach vs. "No Pain, No Gain" Myth to exercising and getting fit in 2018This was a year ago, and since then she wasn’t able to exercise regularly at all. She finds that very very frustrating, and as a side-effect, she put on a good bit of weight. That weight gain frustrated her even more, plus she just doesn’t feel mentally right if she can’t exercise on a regular basis. She described being physically active and exercising regularly very important to her mental health, as it allows her to switch off and recharge. Plus exercising regularly gives her the energy to face a lot of day to day challenges in work and with her teenage children with a clear and calm head.

I hear similar stories, like Maura’s, disappointingly often from various class participants, personal training clients, friends and neighbours.

A certain amount of exercise and fitness class instructors, as well as the general population, believe they have to push, challenge and exhaust themselves so much during exercise that they have to be in agony and pain the next day or after the class. Following the old and in my opinion outdated phrase “No Pain, No Gain”.

I recommend the following approach “No Brain, No Gain”. Followers of the “No Pain, No Gain” way of doing things – sometimes can’t walk down or up the stairs, can barely raise their arms or their stomach/abs hurt when laughing (due to overworked abs) after one of these extreme classes or training sessions.

To what does the “No Pain, No Gain” way often lead? To injury as in Maura’s case above, to more missed exercise sessions (as you just aren’t able to work-out due to agony and pain), to frustration, sometimes even weight-gain and “fitness loss”, because you just can’t be active after a “No Pain, No Gain Session”.

My approach in working with individuals is to challenge personal training clients and class participants so that they feel and recognize that they have done an exercise session or class. There might be a slight niggle or a small bit tension in certain body parts, but even that shouldn’t be there if you did a proper cool-down, a bit of stretching and loosening at the end of your training.

At the same time the personal training clients or class participants can
(1) work out again and improve their health and fitness the next day or two days afterwards and continue to do so,
(2) even more importantly they can do the things they have to do throughout the next one to two days in work or at home e.g. playing with your kids, going for a social walk with your parent or friend, bring your dog around the block and
(3) they have the energy and enthusiasm to do all those things.

Here – 5 ACTION STEPS – that you can take now, to apply my “No Brain, No Gain” approach:

1. Plan your exercise or physical activity week in advance e.g. on a Sunday afternoon or Sunday evening. Write fixed appointments into your weekly diary e.g. Monday evening 6-7pm Jog / Run for 20mintues in the local park, Wednesday morning 7am do a 30min Body-Weight Training Session at home in the garden or the living room. Tick those activities off – once done and be proud of yourself once you have done your exercise.

2. Think about, choose intentionally with which intensity you do your activity, exercise or group class. Don’t get lured into pushing yourself over your current limits (to avoid unnecessary agony) and stick to your initial plan. Only you know what the right intensity is for you.

3. Pick an exercise environment that allows you to switch off, get mentally and physically away from work or things that are going on at home. This might be a local park, a nearby gym, a relaxing garden, a quiet room in the house.

4. (This is what work for my and various clients for over two years) Try exercising without a headset, music or other distractions and try to focus on your exercise, your intent for exercising e.g. getting fitter, healthier, boosting your energy levels – switching off. I even go so for to put my phone on silent (if I have it with me at all 🙂 ).

5. Always stretch, cooldown for at least five, ideally ten minutes after exercising. This reduced the likely-hood that you are sore and allows you to relax even that small bit more.

6. Pick an activity or type of exercise you enjoy, as you are most likely to stick with it and do it regularly if you enjoy it.

7. Keep a Success and Progress diary in which you keep a record of your exercise intensity, what you do e.g. reps, sets, duration (e.g. bike, jog, run, weight, swim, play tennis, do bodyweight exercises), when you do, maybe even how you feel pre or post exercising. This will allow you to recognize progress and that you are getting better, that you are improving – as you review what you have done and achieved, on a regular basis.

Let’s get going and get
(1) your Success diary and
(2) start planning your next week(s) to get healthier and fitter!
(3) even do a 5-10min exercise session or at least go for a walk, jog or run 🙂

I hope you found this article useful, please like my facebook page to stay up to date with other articles and posts, leave a comment below or send me feedback so I can improve the services and classes that I offer you and others.

Personal Trainer South Sublin Foxrock Deansgrange Cabinteely Leopardstown Sandyford The Gallops Stillorgan Dublin 18 D16 D14 Martin“Your Health Habit Coach”
Martin

Review Lidl CRIVIT® Exercise Bars Unpacking and Assembly in South Dublin (Calisthenics Bar, Parallel Bar)

Earlier in the week I bought a set of Lidl’s CRIVIT@ Exercise Bar in South Dublin, Stillorgan,
which I unpacked and assembled earlier today (video to follow).

Review of Lidls Exercise Bars Parallel Bars Parallelettes Calisthenics Bars South Dublin IrelandThe Exercise Bars come with
(1) a small manual (four pages in Englisch, the rest of it is written in various other European languages).
(2) The two main horizontal bars and two t-shaped feet for each horizontal bar.
(3) 12 screws, 12 washers.
(4) One Allen-key (wrench – the phrase used in the manual) to screw everything together,
meaning you don’t need any other tools to assemble the exercise bars.

Review Lidl CRIVIT Exercise Bars by Martin Luschin Unpacking Assembly in South Dublin Parallettes Gymnastic Bars 3The bars
(1) are very easy to put together, it only takes 5-10minutes maximum.
(2) are sturdy and easily hold my weight 80kg (around 12 stone, 8.3 pounds) 
(3) are designed for a maximum body-weight of 130kg (per manual)  
(4) the horizontal part of the bars are padded with soft, thick bands to make gripping the bar more comfortable.
(5) have rubber feet to prevent unwanted sliding or moving around.
(6) measurements, dimensions are: 78cm high, 65cm wide, 47cm deep

Review Lidl CRIVIT Exercise Bars by Martin Luschin Unpacking Assembly in South Dublin Parallettes Gymnastic Bars 4I used the bars at home for various exercises on a thick carpet and outdoors on a stone patio. The bars didn’t move or slide on neither surface, which makes them safe to use.
There might be some restrictions for certain exercises depending on your height (I’m 5 foot, 9.3 inches or 176 cm) and could just about do tricep dips, without my bent knees touching the ground. The same applied to a “pull-up, rowing motion”, where I was just two or three inches, a small bit more off the ground when holding on to the bars with extended, straight arms.   

The manual shows you seven basic exercises with two simple pictures for each exercise and a very very short description of each exercise (mentioning the starting position and the end position for each movement).
The exercise description doesn’t get into to much detail and if you haven’t done those type of exercises it won’t be of much value for you.

The exercises include (I changed the names of the exercises, as the exercise description are not very descriptive, they are rather confusing in my opinion. It read a bit like a non-fitness person wrote that manual, very odd).
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(1) Tricep-Dips (strengthening & toning arms, triceps, a bit core)
(2) Straight Leg Raises (from a static holding position, core/abdominal strength, legs/quads toning and a bit arm strength)
(3) Raised Push-up (strengthening chest/pecs, a bit the arms)
(4) Knee Raises (from a static holding position, )
(5) Hip-Lift (glutes, buttocks strength/toning, a bit back/core strength)
(6) Rowing Movement (only one version, straight legs – back strength, arms/biceps strength and toning)
(7) Straight-Arm Side-Plank – Static Hold with lower leg lift ( shoulder stability and strength, oblique / core strength, adductors).

Conclusion:

Personal Trainer South Dublin Foxrock Deansgrange Cabinteely Leopardstown Sandyford-Stepaside Stillorgan Dublin 18 D16 D14Lidl’s Exercise Bars are solid and sturdy, easy to assemble and for €34.99 you can’t really go wrong (except if you are rather tall, as you might not be able to do some exercises without your knees or legs touching the ground).
I would definitely recommend these exercise bars, having used them a three four times in the meantime. 

I plan to post various short exercise videos in the next few weeks and months demoing different movements and exercises with these bars.

I looked up various other Exercise Bars, Parallel Bar and Calisthenics Bars on www.amazon.co.uk (make sure that the supplier delivers to Ireland, as not every Amazon.co.uk supplier delivers to Ireland, but you might try to use services www.parcelmotel.com ).
Most comparable bars were much more expensive on www.amazon.co.uk, prices ranging from £34.99 to £54.99 or more, plus you would have to pay postage and packaging as well.

I hope you found this review useful. Let me know what you think and if this review possibly made it easier for you to make a decision whether to buy or not buy these exercise bars.

Thanks Martin