Bodytech Denise health and fitness

Do you carry excess fat around your waist?
Did you know that belly fat can have a greater impact on your health than fat stored in many other areas of your body?
Excess abdominal fat is often a sign that you’re also carrying visceral fat the fat you can’t see that surrounds vital organs such as your liver, pancreas and intestines. High levels of visceral fat are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and other chronic health conditions.
Unlike the fat you can pinch under your skin (subcutaneous fat), visceral fat is metabolically active and can affect hormone function, inflammation and overall health.
I’m so proud of my client, who not only lost body fat, increased lean muscle mass, she became fitter, stronger and healthier. Most importantly, she significantly reduced her visceral fat.
How do we know? Her DEXA scan measured the changes and confirmed the results.

your goal should be about more than just looking good on the outside. It’s about improving your health from the inside out. 💪❤️

Thought for the day 😘

A positive mindset creates the foundation for positive outcomes in your life.
The way you speak to yourself and the value you place on your own worth have a far greater impact on your wellbeing than the opinions of others.
Wake up each day with gratitude. Appreciate the life you have, and expect wonderful things to come your way. When you focus on what you already have, you open yourself to receiving even more.
Take a moment today to repeat these affirmations:�✨ I am worthy.�✨ I am strong.�✨ I value my life, my health, my family, my friends, and my work.�✨ I am truly fortunate. ❤️

Benefits of stretching
🧘Stretches can be held from between 20 seconds up to 3 mins. Don’t forget to relax slowly into the stretch and focus on your breathing ..

1. Improves your flexibility
Regular stretching can increase your flexibility, or range of motion, which is essential for your overall health. Flexibility allows your body to work efficiently and effectively—helping you perform day-to-day tasks with relative ease and even delay the reduced mobility that comes with aging.
2. Decreases risk of injury
Performing dynamic stretches before you exercise can help prepare your muscles for the activity and reduce your risk of injury. To give you an example, if you tried to squat without warming up first, you’d struggle to sink as low; as a result of this shortened range of motion, you might lean forward or turn your knees in, both of which could cause stress on your back and joints. Dynamically stretching beforehand, however, gives you a better chance of efficiently executing the move.
3. Improves your performance in physical activities
Going off the last point, stretching before you partake in physical activity can also improve your performance when you move. This means you can make the most of, and reap the full benefits, of the activity.
4. Calms your body after exercise
It’s important to let your body cool down after you exercise. Static stretching, combined with deep breathing, can help you more quickly ease you out of the heightened state you were in while exercising.
5. Increases circulation and muscle blood flow
Getting the blood flowing to your muscles is essential for delivering oxygen throughout your body. Regular stretching can improve circulation which ultimately increases blood flow to your muscles, reducing your recovery time and muscle soreness.
6. Enhances posture
Stretching and strengthening specific muscle groups can reduce musculoskeletal pain and encourage proper body alignment. This, in turn, can enhance your posture.
7. Improves achiness
Sitting for long periods of time can cause certain muscles, like your hip flexors, to adaptively shorten and feel tight. Consistently stretching may help reverse that adaptive shortening and alleviate achy sensation by increasing flexibility in the muscle. Moving more in the day, even with little bursts of five minute stretching, can go a long way to improving achiness.
8. Relieves stress
Muscles tend to tighten when you’re feeling stressed. Stretching the areas where there’s tension, such as your shoulders, neck and upper back, can help alleviate stress and make you feel a lot better.
9. Calms your mind
Stretching is a great opportunity to practice mindfulness and give yourself a mental break. The key is to focus on your bodily sensations, including your breathing, to help keep your awareness in the present moment.

Make time to stretch.

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Whats for dinner? Cook up some extra for lunch or freeze some meals
Meal prepping will help you reach your goals.

Do you love or hate the sled ?
Why you should incorporate the sled into your workout. It’s a great all over workout particular the muscles in your lower body. It will defiantly Increase the overall intensity of your workout. Benefits to sled training include: Increasing your overall power, muscles will improve in strength, tone, weight loss and more.
Exercises Sprint sleds
This is where you pull the sled behind you and sprint as quickly as you can for This exercise will develop the power in your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps.
Push sprint sleds.
You lock out your arms and you push the sled as quickly as you can with the weight in front of you. You want to make sure that the weights aren’t too heavy as you want to focus on having a quick explosion and doing the exercise with a high intensity.

The last month and a half has been very challenging.

Between illness, and a series of unexpected setbacks, there were moments when I felt completely pi**ed off and overwhelmed.

But looking back now, with a clearer mind and a healthier body, I've realised something important.

Sometimes life forces us to slow down when we refuse to do it ourselves.

As someone who has spent decades in the health and fitness industry, I'm always moving, always helping others, always pushing forward. Yet my body was sending signals that it needed rest, recovery, and time to heal.

What felt like a setback and was actually a lesson.

A reminder that recovery is not weakness, rest is not laziness and taking care of yourself is just as important as training hard.

Sometimes true strength is accepting where you are, trusting the process, and giving yourself permission to heal.

If you're going through a tough season right now, remember that not every setback is there to stop you. Sometimes it's there to redirect you, teach you, and prepare you for what's next.

Keep going your comeback is being built in the quiet moments.

This is an old post 2021 and a few things have changed for me regarding menopause example symptoms and treatment. I also have no problem talking to males and females about this topic.
I hope some of you may find some answers, clarity or just feel your not alone..

I have something personal to share this is my opinion and my experiences please don't judge me 💋
I have spoken to some of my female friends and clients about this horrendous thing I have but I don't openly discuss it around males.
Why because I feel like when I mention this word people instantly think of older women
I know I am not a young spring chicken and I am totally fine with that..
Another reason I don't talk about it is because no one else does I don't talk about it openly because I feel like I don't know enough and really understand what's going on my number one question is WHEN WILL IT END 🛑
I have read the books, I have watched the podcasts, I even went over to Queensland to attend a seminary that Dr Sam Beau Patrick held on menopause..
I was in my late thirties when a client came up to me after a spin class and said I think you are Pre menopausal anyone who knows me knows I don't really sweat much and I never get hot but this morning within the first 5 mins of the class I had a flush I felt hot and sweaty ..From my late thirties to early forties my symptoms where getting worse but never did I think it was menopause I was to young and healthy .. yes it was bloody Menopause .
Unfortunately I had more horrendous episodes most ladies will just get hot and sweaty, tired, brain fog, weight gain, sleepless nights yes I got all of that but I also got some unusual symptoms my cholesterol, anxiety, sad emotions increased significantly, my blood sugar levels would plummet and I would get the shakes, sweat and feel sick I was given a diabetic machine to measure my insulin reading whenever I had an episode the reading was always low I was hypoglycaemic to fix this problem I would have to eat asap. I would still randomly have drops in my blood sugar even after a meal it made no difference, also having a can of lemonade or anything sugary wasn't an instant fix sometimes it would take a few minutes this was the most debilitating symptom i had. So from this moment on I always carried a can of lemonade, glucodine tablets and a banana. This was by far the worst symptom I suffered I can remember walking down the road to the beach and I had a sudden drop in my blood sugar it would floor me I felt sick, sweaty, shaky I felt like passing out I had to call Dave and the kids on occasions to pick me up urgently.
I would cry for no reason often while watching TV and my husband would say denise that's a happy story no need for you to cry but I couldn't help the tears, even songs would make me cry.. I was taking time off work because I felt like I just couldn't work and face people. My beautful daughter also noticed a change in me and said I was grumpy and moody Dave agreed I personally couldn't see this change in me but they could.
The symptom I suffered the most was this redness and heat that would start from my chest and rise up to my face along with an intense heat. This would happen regularly on stage while I was instructing and In front of many people one day after class Kev
approached me and said I know your only young but what your experiencing is exactly what my wife went through when she was going through menopause.
Another time Dave and I where at Hogs Breathe for lunch and it happened, this time the heat was unbearable I went to the ladies and had to splash water on my head face and body I looked like I had been swimming. Thankfully the Resturant wasn't busy I was so embarrassed to get out of the toilets and after about thirty minutes Dave noticed me trying to get his attention he came to my rescue, the manager thought maybe I had an allergic reaction to the food maybe i was allergic to nuts (no I wasn't) I went straight to the doctors..
At the age of forty one it was confirmed I was going through the change WTF ... I tried all the natural remedies and unfortunately nothing worked so I went on HRT patches and they have been my saviour. I am sharing my story with you because you may be going through it or your mother, your wife, your friend someone you love and they may not be coping it sucks I hate it and there are other symptoms that I will not shar in here. (Dave would kill me)
I am still very confused and still feel like Iam not knowledge at all about this topic I also believe some doctors don't even understand it. Doctors don't want to recommend the HRT patches because there is a link to cancer, they will not prescribe the HRT patches if you have had cancer or someone in your family has.
I came off my patches in December I felt ok for the first month then by the second month I felt like s**t by end of march dave said he would leave me if I didn't go back on them.. I think he was joking well I hope he was 😔
I always say in class we are all individuals don't compare yourself to anyone else one training program may work for one person but not for another . Just like menopause it effects us all differently your genetics may give you some answers however in my case I have two older sisters that have both experienced different things. One of them is just going through the change NOW yes NOW and she is older then me and finding it ok OMG that's not fair I have been going through it for over 5 years. I love my sisters but i am the younger healthier one I thought I would breeze through it unfortunately that isn't the case ..
Ladies we gotta just hang in there and stay strong and solider on don't be afraid to chat to friends and medical professionals share your stories share what has worked for you and what hasn't.
Ps I know it doesn't sound very good and positive but hey that's life that the reality for me and this frigin menopause 😤 but I have so much to be grateful for I am alive I have a wonderful life I know I am one of the lucky ones
All my love ❤️
Feel free to share this post
The men in our life also need to know what’s going on with us so they can understand, be a little more sympathetic and compassionate.