New Zealanders have the fourth-highest cancer rate in the world and it’s the country’s single biggest cause of death. Research suggests that a third of cancers could be prevented by healthier lifestyles and regular exercise is an important contributor. Your body is designed to move and physical activity helps support optimal functioning.

Exercise reduces the risk of cancer in several ways. It’s a good method of keeping body fat levels under control. Fat cells in the body are active and can produce hormones and proteins that promote the growth of several types of cancer. Exercise also helps regulate insulin production. Insulin can turn on signals that tell cells to multiply, so lowering insulin levels can help stop cancer developing. Physical activity balances estrogen levels, lowering the risk of breast and endometrial cancers. Exercise helps move food through the digestive system, reducing the time bowels are exposed to potentially harmful chemicals such as when you’re drinking alcohol. This lowers the risk of developing bowel cancer.

After a cancer diagnosis many people slow down. Stress and illness from treatment tend to make people less active. Unfortunately, fatigue can lead to less activity which can spiral downwards into more fatigue. Light aerobic activity at a manageable intensity can improve energy levels over the long term.  It can enhance circulation and help the heart operate more efficiently. Blood flow to the brain improves cognitive function and mood. Light resistance activity is also important. Cancer treatments combined with inactivity can lead to muscle wasting and loss of function. Maintaining strength can make you less dependent on others for help with daily activities. Muscle wasting can also lead to lack of flexibility so stretching is important to maintain range of motion in the joints. Light stretching is a great way to stay active if you’re not ready for more vigorous exercise.

Many factors will influence ability to exercise, for example the type and stage of cancer, type of treatment and fitness level prior to illness. The goal of an exercise program is to gain the benefits without exacerbating the discomfort. Your doctor and your own intuition will be the best guides on how to strike this balance. The gym is a great environment to exercise in a way that minimizes risk and maximizes enjoyment. It’s well-lit with even surfaces and friendly assistance is always on hand. You can attend at a time of day that suits your energy level and there are lots of exercise options to fit your condition. Cancer treatment can be very isolating so it’s often helpful to enjoy a common interest with other like-minded, health-focused people. 

Cancer isn’t something that only happens to other people. It’s becoming increasingly common and it’s important to take proactive steps to reduce your risk.  Fortunately cancer treatments are becoming more effective all the time and The Cancer Society estimates that one in three New Zealanders diagnosed with cancer make a full recovery. Life offers no guarantees but prioritizing your fitness gives you the best possible chance of enjoying health, wellbeing and independence.  

Most exercisers have experienced DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) in the days following a workout. So what is DOMS, what affects the level and what can you do about it?
 
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is your body’s normal response to being pushed beyond it’s comfort zone. When you exercise you create tiny tears in your muscle fibres which lead to an inflammatory response. The damage causes muscles to respond by laying down new muscle fibres so there is more tone, strength and resilience the next time you train. Some people experience DOMS more than others. The extent will depend on four factors.
 
The first factor is the nature of the exercise.  The more intense / frequent / different it is from what you normally do the more sore you will be. Even if you’re really good at your regular BODYPUMP classes you could find yourself super-sore if you try out a CXWORX class. A different activity recruits different muscle fibres which creates greater adaptations. If you want to keep a lid on your DOMS it’s important to start your fitness journey gently and push out very gradually with your frequency, intensity and variety of exercise. 

The second factor affecting DOMS is your personal physiology. A lot comes down to genetics – different people get sorer sooner and more severely than others. Some of my clients experience 24 hour DOMS, others experience 48 hour DOMS. Some clients look at a dumbbell and get DOMS, others can push very hard and achieve great results with very little tenderness along the way. People under a lot of stress will hit overload sooner. There is no “right” amount of muscle tenderness. Some people like the soreness, it gives them a feeling of accomplishment. Other people dislike the soreness, it gives them a feeling of soreness. Customize the intensity of your routine to achieve the level of discomfort / pace of results that’s appropriate for you. 

The third factor affecting DOMS is your foundation habits. The process of muscle building actually happens in the resting phase, not the working phase. This means that sleep and stress management have a large role to play in gaining condition. Appropriate hydration and nutrition, particularly protein, are also very important in getting the most out of your workouts. If you’re getting your fuel and your recovery right you’ll be able to push your body harder and create adaptations faster. 

The fourth factor affecting your level of DOMS is your response when soreness strikes. It’s inadvisable to do the same exercise that created the soreness. You’ll not only prolong discomfort, you’ll also put yourself at risk of injury. The best exercise when you’re super-sore is low intensity cardio to flush oxygenated blood through your recovering muscles. A brisk walk can be a great active recovery. Go easy on stretching and rolling if you’re already sore – inflammation makes muscles sensitive and stretching doesn’t make them recover any faster.

A bit of muscle soreness and tightness is a good sign, it shows you worked hard and that means your body needs to adapt and change. Your routine should ultimately make you feel better not worse. It’s important to remember that exercise is a tool to improve your health, vitality and quality of life. If you aren’t achieving those things then your approach might need a tweak.

​The best time of day to exercise is a hotly debated topic and like most hotly debated topics, the answer is “it depends”!

There’s a lot to recommend early morning exercise. It’s done before the day gets in the way and you increase your metabolic rate for the hours ahead. The morning provides the opportunity to do fasted cardio, often a good way to burn body fat. But morning exercise doesn’t work for everyone. If you already have an early start for work then later in the day may be the only practical time for a workout. Strength, flexibility, co-ordination and stamina often improve as the day goes on, making it a good time for weight training. A lot of people find it helps to have a couple of meals on board prior over the day before intense exercise. 

Exercising somewhere between early morning and post-work can be a great way to break up the day, particularly if you have a sedentary job. Getting blood circulating to your brain can improve your cognitive functioning and help avoid a late afternoon energy slump and the associated snacking.  A middle of the day workout is even more efficient if you can time it for off-peak gym times (late morning or early afternoon). Then you can zip around with minimal interruptions and be back to work for an efficient afternoon. 

Your personal temperament plays a big role in the ideal time of day for exercise. We all have an individual chronotype or body rhythm. Some people are natural larks and easily get out of bed for their morning exercise.  They find it puts them in a good frame of mind to make healthy choices for the rest of the day.  Other people are natural owls and find it more difficult to rise early, often they enjoy an evening workout to blow off steam after a busy day at work. 

Going against your natural temperament can make it more difficult to maintain intensity, motivation and general good health, particularly if you’re losing sleep to do it.  Rest is necessary for your body to renew, repair and regulate hormones. If you’re under stress and sleep-deprived then getting up early could be counter-productive. It could also potentially overstimulate your appetite for the remainder of the day.  If you’re somebody who struggles to wind down at night then getting your heart rate and adrenaline up close to bedtime could make it more difficult to get a restful sleep, particularly if you’re prone to overheating. 

All my clients have different temperaments and different responsibilities, so everyone’s scheduling solution is unique.  The important thing is to get a mix of cardio, strength and flexibility exercise in a sustainable manner.  Most people end up needing to exercise at a variety of times of day to fit everything in. There are always times of the week, month and year when it’s easier to push back against your natural inclination.  If you’re an owl trying to be a part-time lark it makes sense to experiment with the type of exercise you find least unpleasant. Save the more onerous components of the exercise mix for the times when you have the most energy.  

Ultimately, your fitness needs to fit in around your life, not your life around your fitness. No scheduling solution is perfect, but your wellness is worth the effort. 

Shin splints are a common issue for new exercisers. They are an overuse injury caused by stress on your shinbone and the connective tissues that attach to your muscles. This creates pain and inflammation which worsens if you continue impact activities.
 
Usually shin splints happen because of a combination of biomechanical issues that have been lying dormant underneath a sedentary lifestyle. They come to the surface when you start to increase the impact through your legs. Just when you thought exercise was good for you!
 
Fortunately, it’s usually easy enough to identify the problem and solve it in a way that leaves you stronger than before. The five most common biomechanical issues, starting at the foot and working upwards, are the way your foot moves (too much pronation or supination), tight calves, weak ankles, weak hips/glutes and a weak core. 
 
Several user errors create and prolong shin splints. Increasing exercise intensity too soon is the most common initial cause, particularly impact involving quick changes of direction or running on hard, downhill or uneven surfaces. Warmups and cooldowns are important to prepare your body for impact activities. The right shoes matter too - old or inappropriate footwear can make it more difficult to maintain good foot posture. It’s important to wear shoes that fit your foot and purpose. 
 
When you feel the twinge in your shins it’s time to take off the load and apply RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). Sometimes anti-inflammatories can be helpful but it’s important not to use them to mask the pain while you continue to do the damage. While you’re in the resting phase it’s a good opportunity to focus your exercise attention on your core strength – then you’ll return from your injury with a stronger base to move forwards. If you’re not getting results from RICE it’s best to see a physiotherapist for an individualized recommendation.  
 
Even if you are able to DIY rehab your shin splints it might be worth seeing a physiotherapist anyway for some pre-hab. Your unique combination of biomechanical issues that caused the shin splints probably as the potential to cause other injuries in the future. A specific, personalized stretching and strengthening program will improve your technique in all areas. Then you can make fast progress down the road to your goals without annoying detours for injury management.

If you want to create changes in your body you need to challenge it in different ways. There are four fronts you can push out on. It’s called the FITT principle – you can manipulate Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type of exercise.
 
Frequency means exercising more often. Most beginner exercisers benefit from 2 or 3 sessions per week, and most experienced recreational exercisers need one full rest day a week. So the right frequency will be somewhere between. Increasing exercise frequency is a good strategy if you have the time and you enjoy what you’re doing.
 
The second front to push out on is intensity. If you’re walking then try running. If you’re doing resistance training add more weight. This strategy works well if you enjoy intensity and the components of your body can accommodate more of it. 
 
Another way to challenge yourself is with increasing the time of each exercise session. If you do 30 minute exercise sessions then try 45 minutes.This can be helpful if you don’t have much time or emotional energy – another 15 minutes doesn’t make much difference to your day and you don’t need to think too hard if it’s exercise you’re already familiar with. 
 
The forth front to push out on is type of exercise. This strategy works if there’s a type of exercise that’s convenient to add, for example add a different type of class at the gym. If you enjoy walking try swimming.  If you’re somebody who likes variety then adding different types of exercise is a fun strategy to challenge your body and reduce boredom.
 
If you’re not sure whether it's right to make  a change then check out my post on the five ways to know if it's time to dial it up. You’ll know you’ve gone to far if you find yourself experiencing the symptoms of an overtrained state – increased injuries and illnesses combined with decreased performance, results and enthusiasm.  

You’ll know you have it right if you’re moving towards your goals and enjoying the process. It’s a delicate balance that’s always shifting, the better you know your body the better you can make appropriate choices to maximize your condition and vitality.

The more you do something the easier it becomes, and that’s certainly the case with exercise. Every time you repeat an activity your body is improving it’s ability to handle that stress. This means you burn fewer calories and build less muscle with every workout. If you want to keep making progress you need to keep introducing new activity.  


The first factor influencing how often you need to make a change is how frequently you do a particular exercise activity. If you’re doing your weights program three times per week you’ll need it updated more often than if you’re doing it once per week plus two classes. It’s the number of times you do the program, not the number of weeks you do it for.       


Factor number two is your level of fitness. If you’re new to exercise it will take your body more time to adapt. Your muscles will need longer to get used to the load and your brain will need time to learn the new movement patterns. The fitter you are the more you need to challenge yourself to make continued progress.  

Factor number three is your general health. If your body is in a stressed state then you may not be equipped to adapt to higher loads, you’ll end up in an overtrained state going backwards not forwards. A stressed state could mean a personal crisis, a large load at work, recovering from an illness or experiencing sleep difficulties. If all is not well then you’re better off keeping a familiar program than trying to tackle something new. 

Factor number four determining how often to change an exercise regime is the degree of the change.  Putting up the weights on your gym program is a much gentler change than adding a class you’ve never done to your fitness regime.

Factor five is your exercise temperament. Everyone is different. If you are a creature of habit there’s no point in pressuring yourself to adapt to constant changes. You’ll just get frustrated that you never seem to master the exercises. Equally, if you’re somebody who enjoys variety you will get bored quickly if you don’t change it up a lot.  

In many ways program design is as much an art as a science. The right balance of predictability and unpredictability will give you a program that is enjoyable as well as effective.   

Menopause is a transition to mark the end of the reproductive period.  It usually occurs between the ages of 42 and 58 and lasts for around 4 to 6 years. But it can begin at any age, last for an unpredictable time and bring with it a variety of challenging symptoms.

Menopause can cause weight gain due to the drop in estrogen. Adequate levels of estrogen support appetite regulation and enable the body to use insulin properly, meaning you can shed fat in an orderly manner.  This means that when estrogen levels drop you’re driven to eat more, and what you do eat is more likely to convert to fat, particularly around your middle.  This is the most dangerous place to store fat so it’s important to approach menopause with a willingness to make positive health changes.

Exercise is an important tool in the toolbox to counteract some of the health challenges that menopause can pose. Cardiovascular exercise is important beyond just burning calories.  Declining estrogen increases the risk of heart attack so regular cardiovascular exercise to strengthen your heart becomes critical. Resistance training is also really helpful through menopause. Muscle mass is the key to metabolic rate, and it naturally declines with age which causes the sneaky kilo creep. But resistance training does more than just support weight management.  Estrogen is needed to help lay down bone, so during the menopause period you become more vulnerable to osteoporosis.  Resistance training strengthens bones and builds muscle around joints to offer extra support. Flexibility is also compromised by the menopause process.  Decreased estrogen causes a loss of cartilage around joints, creating a sense of muscle stiffness.  Reduced range of motion makes daily life more challenging and places you vulnerable to injury.  Regular gentle stretching is important to protect functionality and independence.

Menopause creates many difficult symptoms, most can be partially relieved by exercise.  Regular movement helps foster all the foundation habits that contribute to weight management but get compromised by the menopause process.  Appropriate exercise can help with sleep, stress management, appetite and cognitive function.

Transitions are never easy and unpleasant ones are particularly difficult.  The right mix of appropriate exercise can be a helpful tool in the toolbox to minimise the disruption and maximize long term health and vitality.

There are many great benefits of being flexible, both for fitness performance and everyday life. However there is a lot of confusion about whether and how to stretch. Stretching fell out of favour about 15 years ago when studies found that stretching prior to sport can reduce performance by up to 20 percent. A lot of people still avoid stretching entirely because of uncertainty about best practice.


It’s important to understand the difference between static and dynamic stretching and the role of timing. Static stretching involves placing a muscle in it’s most lengthened position and holding for at least 30 seconds. Dynamic stretching involves stretching movements performed at a gradual speed. It is now generally agreed that prolonged static stretching before explosive exercise can be counterproductive because the loosening of muscles can temporarily weaken them. It’s a grey area whether there is a place for short-duration static stretching prior to some exercise activities.

What we do know for sure is that flexibility is important, and it can be safely achieved with dynamic stretching prior to exercise and static stretching post-exercise and in general.  Recommendations vary but you should definitely be stretching at least a couple of times a week. Stretching should be preceded by a full warmup.  Warming up prepares the body for physical activity – it prevents a rapid increase in blood pressure, improves blood flow to the heart, increases muscle temperature and makes muscles more pliable.  Stretch in a smooth movement, without bouncing. Bouncing as you stretch can cause injury to your muscle. Hold each stretch for about 30 seconds.  In problem areas you may need to hold for around 60 seconds. Breathe normally as you stretch. Expect to feel tension and discomfort but not pain.   

As a PT I find it quite difficult to convince non-stretchers to start stretching. Many people regard stretching as time-consuming, boring and a waste of time. Often they need an intervention like an injury to get motivated!  But once you commit to working on your flexibility you’ll see the benefits for your fitness regime and your everyday life.

When planning out a fitness regime most people don’t give much thought to flexibility. It’s the often-neglected component of the fitness mix. Building cardiovascular endurance and muscle strength is exciting, especially when it’s accompanied by weight loss. Building flexibility is less exciting, and it doesn’t directly relate to shifting kilos on the scales so most people don’t prioritise it.

But being flexible is a key building block for a healthy body. Fitness and strength start out as a great partnership. The fitter you are the harder you can push yourself with your strength, and the stronger you are the harder you can push yourself with your cardiovascular fitness.  It’s an empowering upwards spiral.  However, the harder you work the tighter you become as the tendons around the muscles stiffen.   This reduces your range of motion and increases the risk of injury as soon as you go past that range of motion.  Another way flexibility helps reduce the risk of injury is by improving balance and co-ordination.   Freedom of movement around a joint gives you the ability to adapt to unstable surfaces and new movement patterns.   

Being flexible is important beyond fitness and injury prevention. Having a good range of motion is a great asset in daily life. If you have the ability to be in many different positions you can sleep more restfully and travel more comfortably. You can avoid muscle strains and tweaks from everyday tasks involving lifting, reaching and bending. A desk job that places you in a fixed position for most of the day can create short, tight postural muscles. Working on your flexibility can reverse this posture and reduce the risk of back and neck pain.   

Having a limber body does so much more than improving fitness performance and reducing the risk of injury. It makes everyday life more comfortable and contributes to general health, confidence and wellbeing. Check out my post on how to safely stretch for success.  

Fitness is an important component of health. But too much exercise can be a negative stress on the body.  If you’ve checked out my article on the five ways of identifying overtraining it’s time to address the five ways of managing it.

Number one is to build rest days into your exercise schedule, particularly if you’re already training in a weakened state. Rest means different things for different people but most recreational exercisers need at least one full day of rest from exercise each week. If you’re super-fit then rest might mean low intensity cardio, light stretching, strengthening or core work.   

Number two is to plan a variety of exercise types and intensities. A PT can help you create an optimal schedule for your fitness level and lifestyle. Keep an eye on little niggles and don’t hesitate to go to the physio for some pre-hab – tackle a small problem before it grows up!                                            

Number three is to take a close look at your diet. Are you appropriately fueled for the amount of exercise you’re doing? The most important nutrient for muscle recovery is protein, check out my article on how much and how to get it. Staying well hydrated both in and out of the gym is another way to optimize exercise performance and recovery.   

Number four is sleep. Sleep is the time when the body recovers and repairs the tiny microscopic tears in the muscle fibers created from strength-training. Sleep longer, waken stronger! Sleep helps you towards your weight loss goals in other ways too. It helps regulate your appetite hormones, speeds up metabolic rate and gives you the mental energy to resist the urge to overeat.                       

Number five is stress management. If cortisol levels are already raised due to factors outside of the gym then exercise can compound the negative effects, slowing down metabolic rate and encouraging the body to hold tight to fat.  Some people overtrain in response to stress. They find themselves obsessed with exercise and afraid to rest.  When you feel like you’re going backwards it’s easy to think that the answer is to push yourself harder, even when it’s clear it isn’t working. There are definitely worse outlets for stress than exercise, but if you’re somebody who uses it compulsively then make sure you maintain the support structure around your body and mind.  

Exercise programming is often more of an art than a science. The right mix will move you towards your goals while keeping you on an upward spiral of health and vitality.