Spring!

Spring is here and it's time when a lot of people start to get outdoors and get active. There's heaps of charity events and programs starting up now too -

Canberra Dragon Boat Association have open days on Saturday 4 and 11 September - have a look, have a go.

The Angry Doctor mountain bike 50km or 100km of single track riding through Mogo. Coming up quick - 4th & 5th of September

Canberra Times Fun Run - 12 September - 5km Family Walk or 10km Run

Canberra Cycling Club - novice program (10 weeks) starts 13 September - if you want to get into club racing

Canberra Off Road Cycling Club - annual Women's Skills Camp 24-26 September (Amanda from Black Heart Events did this course and now she's unstoppable!)

Sri Chinmoy have a series of races

3 October is the Googong Challenge (run, kayak, mountain bike and run, shorter and longer course options)

4 October is the Labour Day 4km and 10km fun runs - these along the bike path from Acton Ferry Terminal along Lake Burley Griffin (out and back).

30 & 31 October - Triathlon Festival - Joyathon is great if you want to have a go at Triathlon and then there's Sprint Tri, Classic Tri and the Peace Tri.

Rotary Spring Cycle - 10 October - choose from a Family Fun Tour 22km around Lake Burley Griffin to 5 Peaks 100km and cycle up all 5 big hills in Canberra. Last year me and Coach Dave did the Lake and Rural with Mt Pleasant thrown in (54km), particularly memorable was riding through Weston Creek against a headwind of sleeting rain - the Devonshire tea stop at GG's went down a treat! This is a great training ride leading up to Fitz's Challenge!

Dragons Abreast Corporate Challenge - 23 October - fundraiser for local and national breast cancer organisations. This is a great way to have a go at dragonboating and find out if it's for you.

Fitz's Challenge - 31 October - choose hill climbs ranging from 50km to 207km - fundraiser for the Oncology Children's Foundation

And now's a good time to go skiing or cross country skiing or try out other snow activities like snowshoeing for example...

So get into training!
1. build up your cardio-vascular (CV) fitness
2. work on any muscular imbalances to prevent injuries and strains
3. do practice runs (or rides) using shorter distances leading up to the event

For others like me who suffer from hayfever it's time to get indoors into the gym and the pool.
Yes, I've spent all winter outdoors working on my CV fitness and shedding fat with only a couple of sessions a week on strength training. With Spring and Summer coming my focus will be on hypertrophy (muscle gain) and getting back into the pool. If you're like me & need to get indoors you can join Kata Professional social gym club at CISAC (includes the pool and spa and sauna) for only $50 a month (plus joining fee I think) - contact Trineti at fitnessclub@kataprofessional.com.au for how to join.

Goal Setting 103

You've set your SMART goals (see blog on Goal Setting 101) and are motivated and keen to get going but it's hard to find the time.

The ART (remember Achievable, Realistic and Timeframe in SMART) of making time to work towards achieving your goal is to stop spending time on those things that stop you reaching your goal.

Think about the balance in your life - there are 24 hours in every day:

• 8 hours for sleeping (allowing your body to rest, recover and release those fat-burning hormones)
• 8 hours for working (include both paid and unpaid work)
• 8 hours for enjoyment (that's heaps of time!)

Easy huh? How's the balance in your life?

So, my goal to achieve the NSW Bike Commute Challenge of 500km by 17 December is going well, I am still sitting on needing to ride an average of 3km a day (yes, I know some of you ride 500 km in a month easy!). I only need to ride my bike to work and back three times a week, it's a nice cruisy 15 minute ride that works great as a warm up for my gym program before work and as a good wind-down from my work day so I arrive home relaxed and happy.

Personal Training at CIT Fit and Well

I'm now offering personal training at CIT Fit and Well - see 'useful links' on the right hand side of my blog - it's a great space to train and there's also the option to be trained by one of the fitness students (who are under supervision by gym and teaching staff).

You'll see my personal training flyers and business cards there so go and check it out and give me a call if you're interested in training with me.

I'm still doing personal training outdoors and at DIAC gym (lower overheads so the fees aren't as high as at CIT) if you prefer either of those options.