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THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Don't walk, don't run. Swing! By Helen Hawkes
January 7, 2008
Did you promise yourself on New Year's Eve that you would be fit in 2008?
The good news is this doesn't have to mean spending hours in the gym. Helen
Hawkes meets four people who have found their own fun ways to develop
health and fitness.
Samantha Wills, 26, jewellery designer
Exercise of choice: trapeze
If the rough and tumble of sport doesn't appeal, why not take up an
exercise that tones your core, strengthens your arms and reeks of glamour.
For Samantha Wills, that sport is trapeze, now her favourite form of
exercise.
"I love the feeling of being free, soaring through the air," says Wills,
who started trapeze lessons in September. By the end of this year, she aims
to do a flip "where, hopefully, I am caught by someone mid-air". But, if
not, there's always the safety net. Wills became intrigued with trapeze
while researching a circus theme for a jewellery collection. "At the same
time, I saw an episode of Sex And The City in which Carrie takes trapeze
lessons and I thought, 'Why not?'"
A trapeze training session starts with a lesson in safety procedures and
basic body positions. Then it's time to put on a safety harness, climb the
high platform, attach the safety ropes and swing. After a few swings, most
can master the "release and catch" (you let go; someone catches you). This,
in turn, leads to flips and more advanced manoeuvres.
Wills says it's a great workout. "Trapeze is about core strength - you have
to use those muscles to climb the ropes and hang onto the swing." And she
likes the mental challenge. "It is a bit daunting to be up that high.
Although I'm not afraid of heights, you have to have your wits about you."
Wills has also noticed changes in her shape. "I've become more toned,
particularly in the tummy area. Trapeze allows me to combine creativity,
fitness and wellbeing. It challenges me and is the perfect distraction from
work."
Health benefits: Trapeze works the upper body and core, says Rodrigo Tapia,
head instructor for Quasar's Sydney Circus Arts trapeze school. He says it
can also build balance, co-ordination and self-confidence.
Risk factor: People who have vertigo should avoid trapeze. "Specialised
instruction is mandatory and well-maintained equipment and safety
procedures are crucial," says Phil James, managing director of adventure
company Adrenalin.
Commitment: Once a week, mixed with stretching exercises, such as yoga, and
cardiovascular activity, such as jogging or tennis, says Tapia.
Kilojoule burn: About 500 kilojoules during a 20-minute session.
Availability: In Melbourne, try Flying Trapeze Australia, 0417 073 668; in
Sydney go to www.adrenalin.com.au.
John Stone, 76, retired teacher
Exercise of choice: bushwalking
It was a heart scare that prompted John Stone, a retired history teacher
from James Ruse Agricultural High School in Carlingford, Sydney, to start
moving.
"I had bypass surgery 12 years ago and my doctor recommended I partake in
regular exercise. Before that, I was a bit of a couch potato. The
competitive side of sport never really appealed to me. That's what I like
about the bushwalking. It's social, not competitive." Stone, who lives on
Sydney's North Shore, found the Ramblers club via a newspaper ad. Two to
three times a week, he would walk up to five hours in the Blue Mountains,
Ku-ring-gai Chase or the Royal National Park.
The only equipment he needed was "a good pair of walking shoes, a backpack,
a broad-brimmed hat and a packed lunch". He adds, "You can do marvellous
walks close to the city. There are 4 million people in Sydney but you
wouldn't know it walking near Lane Cove River or Georges River National
Park."
Stone, who isn't married, warmed to the social aspect of bushwalking. "I
liked meeting the people who went walking and I liked the exercise." He has
since left the Ramblers but still walks with friends made through the club.
His regular walks now last two to three rather than five hours but his
cardiologist is "most pleased. My heart capacity has remained fairly stable
over the past 10 years."
Health benefits: Bushwalking is good for building stamina and
cardiovascular fitness, if you include hills, says Melbourne-based sports
coach Mark McKeon. The peace and quiet offer stress relief.
Risk factors: It's possible to twist an ankle or to meet an unfriendly
snake. However, good shoes and basic bush knowledge will lower the risks.
And don't forget the sunblock.
Commitment: McKeon says that if walking is your exercise, you need to
commit to at least one hour five times a week, which isn't always an option
with bushwalking. A four-hour walk once a week will still go a long way
towards overall fitness, says McKeon. If you're aiming to lose weight,
increase the length of walks and choose routes that offer hills and
valleys.
Kilojoule burn: 500 kilojoules during a 20-minute period (varies with speed
and backpack weight).
Availability: Bushwalking Australia has branches in most states. National
Parks and Wildlife has route information (www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au).
For walks in Victoria, see www.parkweb.vic.gov.au.
Ed Abel, 20, specialist pipe technician
Exercise of choice: boxing
"I haven't had my nose broken - yet," says amateur boxer Ed Abel, of
Warburton in Victoria's upper Yarra Valley. "I hope I don't, either, or Mum
will kill me. She doesn't like me boxing."
Abel started boxing two years ago and in November, he won silver medals in
the welterweight division (seniors) of the state and national titles of the
Australian Amateur Boxing League title. "I love boxing because it's not
just about one thing - it's about being fast, being strong and being able
to think on your feet," says Abel. "I'm pretty skinny but there's nothing
on me that isn't muscle. That's what boxing has done for my body." Abel
trains at least three nights a week - for up to two hours he spars, skips
and punches the bag or pad - but he also runs when he can and plays
basketball twice weekly.
Boxers need to be strong mentally as well as physically, says Abel. "I was
a bit of a hothead before but boxing has calmed me down. Mostly, I think it
stops fights. In the ring I'd hit someone but I'd go out of my way to avoid
a confrontation at the pub."
So far Abel has avoided injury. (Combative sports accounted for just over 1
per cent of sports-related hospitalisations in 2002/03, according to the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, while in 2004/2005, football
injuries made up 31 per cent of all sport and leisure-related
hospitalisations. However, these figures reflect participation and the
Australian Medical Association opposes all forms of boxing.)
Health benefits: "Boxing is about cross-training - working on
cardiovascular fitness, strength, endurance and skill work - so you reap
all those benefits," says Nick Lundh, a former Victorian professional
middleweight title holder who teaches at the Lilydale Youth Club in
Victoria.
Risk factors: "If you are boxing for fitness only, the risks are minimal,"
says Lundh. This is because you are hitting bags, or pads, not another
person. If you compete, you need a licence and a boxing league or
association in each state oversees the sport.
Commitment: An hour three times a week. "This will work on cardio fitness
and muscle strength and is the least you should do if you intend fighting,"
says Lundh. Additional training will build stamina and improve reaction
times.
Kilojoule burn: 1200 kilojoules during a 20-minute period (varies with
intensity and rest between rounds).
Availability: Many gyms, personal trainers and Police Citizen and Youth
Clubs (PCYCs) offer boxing for fitness. However, if you want a bout in the
ring, choose a teacher licensed by the boxing association or league in your
state.
Kate Farley, 25, real estate agent
Exercise of choice: ocean swimming
"I've always been a water baby," says Kate Farley.
"I started learning when I was three at my local pool in Moree [in north-
west NSW] and later I became part of the Moree swim squad." Farley went on
to represent her Sydney high school in the 50-metre freestyle and she also
played water polo.
Today, she's addicted to ocean swimming, she says, "because it is so
refreshing, mentally and physically. It's not like pounding a pavement. You
dive in the water and you feel so good. And there's nothing better than
when you turn your head out to sea and see the sun coming up."
She trains five to six times a week with a group and a personal trainer at
Bondi. "We swim laps in the ocean and run up and down the beach for an hour-
and-a-half from six in the morning. If I don't have enough time to train in
a group, I am in the Icebergs [ocean] pool first thing in the morning for a
session of my own."
Farley's goal is to compete in ocean swimming competitions such as the two-
kilometre Manly Cole Classic or the 2.4-kilometre Glass Island Challenge.
In Melbourne, there's the 1.2-kilometre Portsea Swim Classic and the 1.2-
kilometre Port Fairy Moyneyana Ocean Swim.
She swims solo and as part of a team of four in competitions. "You can win
prizes but mostly I enjoy seeing how my time and place compare with others
of my age or gender," says Farley. "I like to beat my own times, too - it's
always good to see if you are becoming fitter."
Farley trains in winter, "although sometimes I think I must be crazy. I do
have an Orca wetsuit that I wear occasionally. But other than that it's
just a cap and goggles and my swimsuit." Farley says she is terrified of
sharks, w