Mary-Ann Moller's Fitness and Nutrition Blog

If you are a "younger" person, working on improving your fitness, you might want to follow my daughter's blog about her

quest to become super fit.

"My plan for this blog is for it to be a way to share my progress with my friends and family and also to motivate and keep myself on track. I will be posting my goals, photos, progress, training sessions, nutrition, motivational quotes and random thoughts!"

Mary-Ann is at home, here in Wellington, training as hard as one ever could, ably partnered by Step-Mom, Alofa.  Mary-Ann has one year to complete at Otago University to become a nutritionist.

She already has written many articles which help the reader make sense of training and nutrition, including how to keep healthy.

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About this website

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Have you thought about setting up a home gym?

If you are paying up to $1,000 per year or more for a gym membership that you do not use often enough, have you ever thought about setting up a home gym?

Unless you are a groupie a home gym makes a lot of good sense. The kids, your partner, the Mother-in-law and friends can all benefit from the convenience. That's a lot of potential gym memberships you are saving!

I can now supply just about all the equipment you need for an amazing and compact home gym that you can install in that spare room or in the garage. What I can't supply, I can usually direct you to the best source. Get hold of me if you are considering setting up your own gym.

Go here to see the great range of exercycles, elliptical trainers, spin cycles and rowing machines that I am now selling.

I have an LG4 Firefox spin cycle that I won at the Gentle Annie Mountain Bike Ride last month. I loved the styling and the silent and smooth magnetic braking, so decided to sell them!

Starting running for the first time

Before you run out the door, let’s get real about running:

• Running is a high impact activity:
• it has high injury rates as compared to low impact activities like swimming and bicyclingNot everyone is suited for running
• Just as there are “horses for courses” the same can be said of people.
• The person best suited for running is a lightly muscled, light boned person with little body weight.
• Most durable runners are less than 75kg body weight
• Get fit before you take up running
• That means ensuring that you have a strong heart and circulation
• That you have strong, flexible foot and leg musclesThat you are not carrying too much excess body fat
• Start injury free
• If you have any injuries affecting your lower back or lower, then deal with them before you take up running

How to get fit to run

• Do at least three months of a mix of the following:
• Walk before you run
• Brisk power walking for 30 minutes 3 times a week (this is your most important exercise)
• As fitness improves, jog a few minutes, gradually increasing the jog in relation to the walking.
• Swimming 2-3 times a week
• Aqua jogging using the combination of Kermitts and Aquafins
• Bicycling
• Gym workouts, including weights and cardio equipment – go for a hydraulics circuit workout if you can find a gym with it
• Stretch yoga style each evening

Seek professional advice about any injury or health issues (You may contact Gary Moller to discuss any injury or health issues)

Footwear and clothing

• As a general rule of thumb, if you have good feet and weigh less than 75kg, you can go for a lighter shoe that has less shock absorption
• A heavier person needs a shoe that has more shock absorption
• Ensure that the shoe has a flexible forefoot and not an inflexible board (the most common fault in running shoes), otherwise the Achilles tendon and calf will be under enormous strain
• Seek a firm heel counter that cups the heel bone securely and does not slowly collapse as the weeks and months pass
• Wear a soft fabric against the skin on very long runs to reduce chafing of sensitive part like the nipples and armpitsIf chafing of the inner thigh and crutch are a problem, try wearing a pair of bike pant style lycra underwear against the skin

Nutrition on the run
Start early with good nutrition to build up your body's reserves before the big distances and high intensity training kinck in.

• Read the pages on this website about nutrition and the various training guides and E-publications
• Consider taking a quality sports multi such as Nutra-Life Sports Multi
• Contact Gary Moller for more specific advice, if need be.

Aquafins for effective cross training

“Aquafins are addictive! Besides providing an excellent strengthening workout they feel so naturally good in the water that pool running takes on a whole new dimension.
I have always been an advocate of pool running for athletes as a low impact, full-body resistance cross-training exercise. Aquafins enhance every aspect of deepwater workouts and shallow water exercising. They are a valuable aid not only as cross-training for serious athletes but also to those looking to increase their fitness, strengthen, tone, lose weight or who are recovering from injury or surgery. I recommend Aquafin water workouts as an essential inclusion into any fitness programme.”

Lorraine Moller, Running Coach, Boulder, Colorado (Four-time Olympic Marathoner representing New Zealand; Bronze Medallist, Women’s Marathon, Olympic Games, Barcelona 1992; Three Time Avon Women’s World Marathon Champion; Boston Marathon Winner)

For more information:
Gill Gray and Don Christe, Aquafins New Zealand, 50 Glen Road
Wellington aquafinsnz@xtra.co.nz
04 479 7474 or 04 970 1188
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Gary Moller comments:
Lorraine and I don't have any financial ties with the people who sell these training aids, nor are we being paid to say this: We simply think these are great for cross-training for sports like running and for general fitness, including weight loss and muscle toning without the usual wear and tear.