Strength training as an older adult is essential! The power of "Use it or Lose it!" For many older adults, growing older seems to involve the inevitable loss of strength, energy and robustness. But this need not be so! The inevitable physical decline with age leads to such things as: ● Decrease in muscle mass after 30 years of age ● Decrease in bone mineral density ● Change in production of hormones and receptor effectiveness ● Joint degeneration and pain ● Cognitive decline ● Decreased balance, mobility and increased fall risk (PERCEPTION OF FRAILTY) HOWEVER Multiple studies from many diffe ..read more

There is more to getting fit than just getting sweaty. Knowing your heart rate (HR) during exercise will help you get the most out of your training! In this short article we will explore some easy ways you can measure your resting and active HR. I will teach you how to measure your HR during exercise. I will then elaborate on the HR zones and what they mean for your training.  Resting HR vs Active HR To measure your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) I would recommend checking your pulse in the morning before getting up. This is the time of day you are your most relaxed or rested, therefore ..read more

Alright, let's talk about "The Wall." You may not know what I am referring to, but I'm willing to bet most of you soon will. It's that quirky eyesore tucked away behind the squat rack, the boxing bag and weight plates. The wall across from the basketball hoop at Central Fitness Cromwell. Come on, you must know the one now! It's a 4x2.5 meter oddity that looks like it took a wrong turn on its way to a fancy cocktail party. If you know what I'm talking about, you probably think it shouldn't be anywhere near a fitness centre. And I'm with you on this, it's weird! Let me take the opportunity to e ..read more

Kaikoura Community Gym was a community-owned gem, weathering through earthquakes and pandemics, the gym's survival was a testament to the community's resilience. New equipment was a luxury when keeping the doors open was priority. When we stumbled on Kaikoura's community gym we knew we could turn it into something special if given the opportunity. We were lucky enough to be entrusted with this opportunity. In this short but sweet write up we reflect on how much has been achieved since taking over less than two years ago and how the help of the community helped make it happen. The Handover Wh ..read more

Welcome to the virtual fitness jungle, where six-pack abs reign supreme and promises of overnight transformations flood your feed. But hang on to your kettlebells, pals, because not every bicep-curling enthusiast is a trustworthy Sherpa on the mountain of wellness. Just because their gym selfies astonish you doesn't mean they're holding the map to a healthier human. They most likely don't even have your best interests at heart – just your dollars. Now, let's chat about whom to trust and who's just flexing their way to fame. Some folks wave more red flags than a bullfighter in Spain. The ones ..read more

Paris is one of Central Fitness Picton's OG’s (Original Gangsters) and a volunteer firefighter (keep reading to understand why this is relevant). We first met Paris back in 2019. Although “we inspired” Paris, there was “no chance” she would have agreed to climbing 51 flights of stairs, that's 1,103 steps as a part of the Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge. Fast forward to now, and this is exactly what she is doing in one week. What changed in those 3 years? Well, everything. In this article Paris shares a snippet of the challenges she has faced, what she has learnt about herself and how it ..read more

There is so much advice out there about how to tackle the holiday season stress-free and guilt-free. Have a question? Throw it in Google and you are bound to get an answer, probably many and if you search long enough you will likely find the answer you want. Like most things, there are many "ways to skin a cat". It is not often you find one idea or piece of advice that suits everyone. So, we asked some of the crew at Central Fitness what their best piece of advice was for their members, clients, friends, family and readers. Consider this article your Google search engine, keep reading and you ..read more

Running is great exercise and can be a lot of fun. If you don’t typically run, a jog around the block can seem impossible, but even a beginner can train to run a 5km race in just a few months. Follow these tips for to achieve 5km success. Thinking of smashing out a 10km or even a half marathon? You'll likely find aspects of this article helpful also, so keep on reading. Start off slowly If you lead a sedentary lifestyle and rarely run, if at all, you aren't going to be able to run a 5km course next week. Start off slowly by walking every day for 30 minutes for four weeks. Then, for the next t ..read more

Like any other public place, the gym comes with a set of written rules visitors need to follow. Those are simple enough. But have you ever wondered about the unwritten rules? In other words, what are some rules you should follow to appear experienced and save yourself some nasty looks from others? It can be tricky navigating your way around a new gym space. We want to help you out, so let’s review. 1. Ask Before Using One of the most important things to remember for public gym training is to ask before taking equipment that’s not in its place. For example, if there is a pair of dumbbells on t ..read more

Health Hack with amysfitnessandnutrition From what I am witnessing the current pandemic of uncertainty, confusion and mental illness has gone way beyond our expanding waistlines. Did you gain weight during lockdown? What about since we’ve got back to ‘normal’? And now as omicron ventures ever nearer to everyone we know - how are you getting on? Recent studies show that over 40% of US adults were unhappy with their weight gain during the pandemic. And from what I can tell a hell of a lot more people are suffering in other ways. It’s no surprise that regardless of your demographics, location, c ..read more