New year resolutions one
month on...
 It's that time of the year.
In January everyone sits back. We take stock of our expanding waistline and regret that extra helping of double cream.
We make resolutions are made, hastily apply for gym memberships and trawl trawled the
Internet for advice on dieting and exercise. But a month
later... it's all gone out the window. That's why Personal Trainer Mike Wood and Eleanor Balchin
of Pachesham
Agility in Surrey have developed AgilityFIT, an exercise regime based on martial arts specifically for those who compete in dog agility.
Mike tells you how to use AgilityFit for a fitter February.
Truth be told the majority of people who make this
perennial New Year's resolution to get in shape (again) will most likely fail to do so - and
that includes agility handlers. They may have come charging out of the blocks, all good intent
and promises, but very few keep up the regime. This applies to both the myriad new gym users as
much as it does the faddy dieters jumping on the latest bandwagon of mass-marketed, misleading
weight loss schemes aimed at stripping away the fat by emptying your pockets quicker than Fagin
and a whole school of Artful Dodgers.
Once the honeymoon with the gym is over, it can be
difficult to get up from the comfort of the sofa to spend an hour or more drilling the same
monotonous exercises you’re body has become conditioned to repeat. At this point, many seek
simpler, less challenging alternatives to achieve the original coveted results. However the
truth is, like most things, without putting in the effort, the outcome will most likely not be
what was originally intended.
Be wary of adverts claiming 'get a gym body without going to the
gym' by applying a cream to your forehead daily or 'lose inches from your waistline' with an
untested, holistic-style pill made from bat droppings and moon dust. Very recently, a number of
US companies making similar claims have been charged with
fraud, having to refund customers to the tune of more than $34,000,000.
Sit back and ask yourself what
it is you want to achieve
Ignore the yapping of friends and machinations of others,
however well meaning. Do you just want to be able to run round an agility course without
puffing like a burst balloon, or do you seriously want to qualify for Olympia? Set a realistic target and then look at how to accomplish
this without resorting to spending more time and money than necessary.
The key to maintaining motivation is to keep
changing your routine. Never let your body get used to a particular set of exercises or
techniques. Keep yourself guessing. People often claim to be fit where their regime has
remained consistent and rigid. This may appease your mental well-being but you will never improve.
You
will probably plateau no matter how much you train.
Rather than setting the bar higher, adding more
weight or running further and faster, throw everything into a blender and mix up things. Train
different muscles, use a different machine, find something else to use you may never have
considered using before that will challenge you both physically and mentally. Change your methods.
For instance, instead of running five miles, do interval training for ten minutes or run at the
end of your workout instead of at the beginning. There's a huge number of possibilities, but it involves trying new ideas, not being afraid to fail and not being lazy
with your time which is, by far and away, the most precious commodity of your fitness activities.
 There is no panacea
Remember everybody is different and has different requirements to accomplish their goals. These goals
must be realistic, too. If you've smoked for years or haven't run more than 100 metres since you
were at school - assuming you went to school a while ago and not last month - then even after a
few weeks of expercising, don't expect to be able challenge Usain
Bolt or beat your dog to the finish.
If you're training for agility, do just that. The
buzzword in contemporary PT circles is 'functional' which simply put means adapting your
training to purpose. Agility requires short bursts of speed with both humans and canines being
able to twist and turn at pace whilst maintaining orientation.
About AgilityFIT
A system of training I've developed specifically for the sport of dog agility, AgilityFIT is based on the
skills you need in order to have a successful run with your dog.
The basic principles are:-
-
Train functional
-
Train
practical
-
Listen to your own body
-
Start gentle
-
Don't overtrain
Diana Lowe went to an AgilityFIT session and came home
a fan!
She said, 'You might wonder what martial arts have in
common with running an agility dog? Whether we compete in a ring, on a court, on a field or
a track we all have one goal – to win. And whatever the discipline we need to be 'fit for
function' as the Kennel Club would say!
She continued enthusiastically, 'An AgilityFIT session is first of all good fun. It
also caters for all ages, shapes, sizes and levels of fitness. You work at your own pace and
if an exercise gets a bit too challenging, you can just drop out and catch your breath. You
will come away more motivated and focussed and, most importantly, with a range of exercises
that can be done any place and any time.
Do a bit while waiting for the kettle to boil – and
the dog can practice his waits as the same time. The daily dog walk gives plenty of scope to
run through a few of the activities. In theory you could fit in a small session whilst stuck
in the queue at the supermarket but, on the other hand, maybe not or the manager might come
along and ask you to leave! Seriously though, the benefits are huge.'
If you want to know more, get in touch to find out when
and where the next AgilityFIT session is taking place, or book Mike to run an AgilityFIT
session at your own club.
Email him at
agilityfit@gmail.com
 About
the author
Mike Wood was introduced to Agility when he met Eleanor Balchin who owns and
runs Pachesham Agility. Still a rookie in the sport, Mike has yet to compete but is enjoying
learning. He says it's not as easy as it looks, training oneself as well as a dog to jump
through hoops, wait on command and generally listen to commands at all. With the help of
Pachesham Agility and Eleanor, he hopes to at least get around a full course once in his
lifetime - even if it's just for fun.
Mike has been involved in fitness and training since
the age of eight. He is a qualified and insured instructor, an ex-pro Cage fighter and expert
martial artist and fitness specialist. He walks around at a comfortable 75kgs and cuts weight
to 66kgs to compete... that's 19.2 lbs.
First published 13 February 2014
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