Exercising twice a week for
just 20 minutes at a time can
lead to significant fitness gains.The Coach
He won’t cop bullshit from anyone!■OK, you stuffed up big
time, but don’t make it
worse. You only want
to tell her to unburden
yourself of the guilt so
she can share some of
the emotional pain you’re
feeling now. You think
that’s fair, dipstick? Your
mistake causes her hurt.
No way, sunshine. This is
what you do: STFU! You
are taking this one to the
grave. And every time
your sweet, faithful,
understanding wife does
something nice for you,
remember what a twit youADULTERER’S REGRETCoach, I had an affair with a younger woman. It
lasted four months and now it’s over. My wife
never found out. It made me realise that I do
love my wife and I want to stay with my family,
but I feel I should come clean and tell her.
Should I? BRETT, NEWCASTLEwere to almost let the
whole thing go down the
toilet. Spend the next year
redeeming yourself, being
kind and supportive,
showing gratitude to her.
The guilt you feel will
diminish and you could
actually come out of this
with a better marriage.Got something health- or fitness-related to ask The Coach? Email
your burning questions [email protected].■Son, you’ve just
done the hardest part:
recognising the problem
and seeking ways to
address it. First off, see a
GP. There are drugs they
can prescribe that might
be able to help you wean
yourself off the stuff.
Secondly, there are
books you can read:Kick
the Drinkby Jason Vale,
and Allen Carr’sEasy Way
to Control Alcohol. And
then there’s Hello Sunday
Morning, a forum website
that encourages and
supports long breaksBOOZE BLUESCoach, my drinking is out of control. It went
from a few wines a night to a bottle, and now
a bottle and a few beers most nights. It’s
starting to affect my social life and work, plus
my training has fallen away. I’ve tried quitting
completely, but I keep getting dragged back. I’m
worried it’s going to escalate further. What can
Ido? ANDREW, SYDNEY— three and six months
— from alcohol. The
thing is, it sounds like
you haven’t gone
completely off the rails,
but it may happen. My
suggestions might help
you tame the beast
before you find yourself
with a serious bottle-of-
whisky-a-night drinking
problem. If things are
getting worse, you can
always call the AA
helpline at 1300 222 222
or go to:aa.org.au.
Good luck, fella. You
can do this.YOUONLYWANT
TO UNBURDEN
YOURSELF SO
YOU CAN SHARE
THE GUILT.phones) because they
suppress melatonin,
the hormone that
causes sleepiness.
Alsoinvestinblackout
curtains. Deeper
sleepatnightwill
boostyourenergy
during the day.”
When the dawn
arrives, embrace it
— sunlight’s the best
source of vitamin D.
“Take every chance
to get out in the
sun,” says Morjaria.
“A lack of vitamin D
can negatively affect
sleep, recovery and
appetite, which can
lead to fatigue.
03
I don’t have any kit
■Whether you
can’t afford gym
membership or you’re
frequently stuck in
cramped hotel rooms,
it’s tempting to write
off training because
you’vegotnoaccess
to a squat rack.
“Humans can squat,
lunge, push and pull,
and move in three
planes of movement,”
says performance
coach Tom Eastham.
“These are our basic
movements and you
can do them without
any specialised
equipment. You can
puttogetheraworkout
that combines these
anddoitanywhere,
while embracing your
newfound freedom
to move your body
as nature intended.”
For a training
session that will
pushyoutoyour
limits whatever your
environment, try
the classic CrossFit
workout known as
Cindy. This involves
doing five pullups, ten
pushups and 15 squats
as many times as
possible in 20 minutes.
If you haven’t got a
pullup bar, throw a
toweloverthetopofa
sturdy door (to protect
your hands, not the
door) and get to it.
04
Myfamilylifeisbusy■It’s tempting
to look at single/
childless mates and
conclude that they
must have unlimited
time to train. While
thatmaybepartly
true, it’s no excuse
if you haven’t, says
Neil Sinclair, a former
soldier and author
ofCommando Dad.
“Sacrifice
everything that you
don’tknowtobea
productive use of
your time,” Sinclair
says. “If you can’t
train because you
need to schedule it
alongside playing on
the PS4, you need
to re-evaluate your
goals.Andgainhome
support—Iexplained
to my wife why I
wanted to train, then
worked to ensure she
had as much free time
as I had training time.”
Finally , you cou ld
double up. “Making
your training a
family activity will
let you train during
normal hours and
setanexampleto
your children,” says
Sinclair. “Take them
toaparkanddo
some laps, and if you
can, take them towatch you compete.
Pictures of me doing
an obstacle race have
gained legendary
status in our house.”05
I’m carrying
an injury■If you don’t want to
letitpreventyoufrom
getting fit, you need
to stop complaining.
“If an old injury
is bothering you,
chances are you
gave up and didn’t
bother doing proper
rehabilitation,” says
Eastham. “So the
firststepistofind
someone who can
guide you through
arehabprogram.
There’s always
something you can
do, but it’s usually
simple and mundane
so it puts people off.
Balance training is
challenging and will
test your stability
while strengthening
supporting
musclesthat are
oftenthecauseof
injury or pain.”Stub out bad habits
Have a word
Got an unhealthy craving? Talk to yourself
in the second person. Going over the pros
and cons in your head as a friend would do
helped subjects make healthier decisions in
a study at the University of North Carolina.Stop stressing
Stressed subjects in a diet study faltered
before non-stressed colleagues, according
to the New York Obesity Nutrition Research
Center. Identify your biggest source of stress,
then take steps to minimise its impact.Eat a snack
Self-control is at its lowest ebb when our
blood sugar levels are low and our brain is
short on fuel, according to research from Florida
State University. Next time you wobble, grab
a banana or some nuts to feed your brain fast.Cut out your
unhealthy
behaviour today
by building cast-
iron willpowerDisciplinedilemma.
Some things you
just can’t resist!