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Why not purchase a re-usable cup for your caffeine fix and that way you will be contributing to less plastic lids landing up in landfill and oceans. These are often mistaken for food and ingested by sealife.
These cups can be found in kitchenware stores; markets; supermarkets; most coffee shops & online. If you're caught out without your re-usable cup then try and only support cafes that use bio-degradable cups.
Mostly either in landfill where they will sit for 200 years or in the ocean where some sealife will probably ingest them.
There are plenty alternatives to plastic straws. Either just not using one at all and saying no if offered one when out. Or you can purchase a variety of alternatives:
- steel straws
- glass straws
- paper straws
- bamboo straws
Soft plastics such as bread bags; biscuit packets; frozen food bags; rice and pasta bags etc etc (for an extensive list click here) can now be recycled at many Coles or Woolworths stores. Look out for the RedCycle bin as seen in the pic below and take all your soft plastics here to be recycled into outdoor furniture; signage; kids playgrounds; gym equipment & many other cool products.
park bench made from recycled soft plastics
These awesome bins come with a recycle and non-recycle compartment with separate bin bucket which can be lifted out of the bin and carried to the outside garbage bin, emptied and put back each time.
Recycling right means minimising what goes into your garbage bin. If food waste is kept separately in a small bench-top food scraps bin then your waste bin should stay relatively clean (and relatively empty), eliminating the need for a plastic bin bag.
It is no news that the human race is steadily creating a large, negative impact on our environment. Roughly 275million Metric Tons of plastic waste is produced every year, 8million Metric Tons of this lands up in the ocean, killing precious marine life.
So, more recently I have found myself becoming a bit of an Eco-Warrior and have spent the past few weeks researching and learning simple and effective ways to reduce my own personal impact on the environment. I used to think that simple recycling and re-using plastic bags was enough but after looking into it more thoroughly I realised that I was not even recycling 100% correctly and that re-using plastic bags still creates more plastic waste.
No matter how small you choose your efforts to be, it will make a difference. During the month of July there is a worldwide initiative, Plastic Free July, to bring awareness to the amount of plastic we consume in our daily lives and how we can reduce the impact of this. It started in Perth as a local community initiative and has spread worldwide since. More info on this initiative can be found here. The FAQ page has some handy answers and tips. You don't have to register if you don't want to, making small changes on your own will still have a huge impact.
I plan to share a useful tip each day of July on our facebook page to help you integrate some easy and effective ways to reduce the use of plastic, particularly single-use plastic, in your life.
Jackknife and Pike on a fitball or TRX. A great ab and core exercise for hitting the abs hard!
As mentioned in the previous Sit-up posts, you all know (unlike most personal trainers), I am no fan of traditional sit-ups. So here is the fourth and final of 4 alternatives that will hit your abs hard and give you that burn that you probably desire. As well as increase the function of your core area if done correctly.
4. TRX or Fitball Jackknife/Pike:
This is really two in one as the pike is a good progression from the Jackknife!
Using either a fitball or a TRX for the Jackknife.
Hands on floor in a pushup position with shins and ankles on fitball (or feet into TRX straps). Push your hands away from the floor to activate your shoulders, gently push your ankles into the ball and drive your knees towards your elbows. Make sure you brace your core and don't let your pelvis sag down or raise up too much. Keep your shoulders stable so there is no movement through them.
The pike is very similar but instead of bending the knees, keep them straight, push your feet into the fitball or straps and reach your butt towards the ceiling, whilst still pushing your hands away from the ground. Keep your neck neutral, I could probably have tucked my chin in a little bit more in this video.
Only lift your hips as high as is comfortable. Mine go pretty high but start by getting used to the movement first and making sure you’re moving through your hips and not your lower back.
These are both quite advanced moves so please only attempt if you have relatively good stability and strength.
As mentioned in the previous Sit-up posts, you all know (unlike most personal trainers), I am no fan of traditional sit-ups. So here is the third of 4 alternatives that will hit your abs hard and give you that burn that you probably desire. As well as increase the function of your core area if done correctly.
3. STIR THE POT:
This is a killer exercise for your abs and core!
Find a fitball, assume the plank position with a wide stance at the feet to begin with as this will be more manageable at first. Elbows on the ball but aim them to be just underneath the shoulders and about shoulder width apart.
SQUEEZE your gluts, PUSH your elbows into the ball to lift your body away from it. Make sure your butt isn't sticking in the air or lagging towards the ground (think good plank position).
If this is challenging enough then just start with a plank hold and work your way up to achieving 60seconds. Once this is manageable only then attempt the STIR THE POT.
Now you are ready to begin...whilst maintaining as close to zero movement through your torso as possible, gently make small circles with your elbows. Aim for around 6-8reps one way and then repeat the other way. You can then build on the reps as you get stronger or go for time instead.
This is a great exercise for training your abdominal region to stabilise your pelvis and lower back. If you find your pelvis is rotating with this exercise and you are struggling to control it then maybe go back to the pallof press for a while as it may be a sign that your obliques are not in good working order.
Fitball and TRX rollout exercise. A great way to functionally train your abs and improve core stability!
As mentioned in the previous Sit-up post, you all know (unlike most personal trainers), I am no fan of traditional sit-ups. So here is the second of 4 alternatives that will hit your abs hard and give you that burn that you probably desire. As well as increase the function of your core area if done correctly.
Using either a fitball or a TRX, kneel down, if using a fitball then place your hands on the ball about a foot or two in front of you. If using a TRX then grip the TRX about hip level. Slowly reach out (either rolling the ball out or letting the TRX push forward) whilst locking out your hips (you should feel your gluts & abs engage) so your knees; hips; shoulders are in a straight line.
Only go as far as you can without feeling any discomfort in your back, if you do, then back off a bit. Don't think you have to rollout all the way, start small and progress. You should be feeling it in your abdominal region.
Roll out and then back again for 1 rep, see how you go with the reps to determine where to start...don't push it at first though, only do what is comfortable and build on that. I'd suggest holding a good breath on the way out and breathing out as you come back to the start position.
Give it a go! :-)
As promised from our previous post, here is the first of four of our top abdominal exercises that won't harm your lower back.
As mentioned in the previous Sit-up post, you all know (unlike most personal trainers), I am no fan of traditional sit-ups. So here is the first of 4 alternatives that will hit your abs hard and give you that burn that you probably desire. As well as increase the function of your core area if done correctly.
Kneel down side on to either a light powerband or a cable (I would start with 10kg and go from there, this is harder than it looks!). You only need a small amount of tension if using the Powerband. Keep your hips locked out and hold the cable/powerband level with the bottom of your sternum. As you breathe out, extend the arms and lockout the elbows. The band/cable will want to pull you across to the attachment, the aim is to not let it, make sure you don't hold your breath or flex the hips, if you do then back off the band a bit or lower the weight.
Once this is manageable then try hold the arms out for a count of 5 seconds whilst still breathing.
A very clever and informative video clip showing the muscles used in sit-ups.
PLEASE NOTE I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND DOING THE FULL SIT-UP VERSION!
So your personal trainer gets you to do sit-ups to "strengthen" your abs and get that six-pack. And you think it's gonna happen...
The majority of the population are walking around with dysfunctional abdominal muscles which means that they either have a sequencing problem with the muscles that function to create flexion at the spine and hips or that they have an imbalance in strength/function of these muscles. Or both, which is often the case.
Yip, not a six-pack, not strong abs but more than likely a disc herniation somewhere down the track. It could take weeks/months/years to develop.
I refuse to let any of my clients do sit-ups and refuse to do them myself for the above reasons. There are multiple exercises out there that are heaps more effective than the sit-up in improving abdominal function/strength and they are 100x safer!
The curl up is an acceptable exercise if only your shoulders leave the ground and you exhale as you crunch, think about drawing your lower ribs towards your pelvis. Don't pull on the back of your neck but just support it loosely with your hands.
Even more ideally, I have my favourite Top 4 abdominal exercises I like to use in order to safely and effectively develop a functional central stability system.
