HILLWALKING FOR HEALTH IN IRELAND

Hillwalking for health in Ireland with Damien McCarthy

Key West Island Gym members are familiar with the enchanting beauty of

Ireland and some are regular visitors enjoying the surfing, sailing, fishing and even a pint or two of Guinness. For those of you considering a trip to the great outdoors this Summer try the south west, the southwest of Ireland that is.

You may think the weather is not on your side when attempting to hillwalk in Ireland but even a rainy day in Summer cannot prevent the allure of the southwest of Ireland from shining through.

Hillwalking will make you healthier, give you "glutes of stone" to match your "abs of steel" of course, and counting calories is not necessary as anything you eat is quickly burned off.

There are many great hillwalking clubs to choose from which will suit everybody's taste and fitness level. I chose in my opinion the best club, the warm and welcoming Cork Gay Hillwalkers. This club challenges and conquers some of the highest, and more dangerous peaks, as well as less challenging peaks in Ireland. The clubs organizer's Tony Doherty and Paul Sheehan have decades of mountaineering and hillwalking experience behind them, Tony being a respected writer on the subject for the Irish Times Newspaper.

Check out their website www.corkgayhillwalkers.com for information and view a stunning library of scenic photographs taken mostly by the talented and charming Paul Sheehan.

When hillwalking in Ireland you will meet friendly curious people , view varied and remote places charged with mystical ambiance. The breathtaking mountains, lakes, waterfalls, green fields, and cliff scenery is truly captivating. Unknown to many people, the southwest of Ireland is also home to many types of sub-tropical plant life found in Key West, and the numerous palm trees will always take you by surprise. You may even pick up a few words of Gaelic or Gaeilge as it is known in the Irish language as many of the walks take place in the traditional Gaelic speaking areas.

From Key West Island Gym in the southernmost island city of the U.S.A. located in the Caribbean Basin to County Cork and County Kerry in the south west of Ireland you will experience natural beauty in it's purest form as well as a great hillwalking workout.

Slan go foill ........ Goodbye for now

Shape Up in 2009

Shape Up in 2009

By Damien McCarthy L.C.S.P.[Assoc] A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer

Wow! What a celebration it has been.Say hello to the year 2009 and no doubt to a few more pounds added to your festive waistline but do not worry as "for every up there's a down" in the positive sense of course.You will know for sure if you have gained weight if.....................................

1.When you get on the scale the zero passes twice.

2.Everything seems to be shrinking except the food bill.

3.You tell the waiter "I need everything in my mouth before noon tomorrow"

4.Your're unlucky enough to have a gun emptied into you, but none of the bullets hit a vial area.

If your heart missed a beat when reading any of these, then read on for some "serious" tips to help you eat correctly, at least until your Birthday or Thanksgiving.

1.Eliminate junk or highly processed foods.This is an obvious guideline.These foods contain lots of sugar, sodium, and fat, and so, lots of calories. NASTY STUFF.

2.Follow the 40% to 60% low fat rule.This means when you fill your plate you fill 40% to 60% of the plate with complex carbohydrates such as brown rice,vegetables,grain products,oatmeal, or wholegrain bread.The remaining percentage should be from lean protein foods such as chicken, fish, egg whites, or lean meats.Think low fat as fat contains double the amount of calories as carbohydrates or protein.There is fat hidden everywhere in food so read labels but don't assume accuracy.

3.Drink plenty of water throughout the day and try not to let your body get dehydrated as this can reduce your energy level and this may in turn affect your ability to metabolise fat.

4.Eat high fiber foods.High fiber foods assist the digestive processes and may help to decrease blood cholesterol levels.Available in fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and oatmeal.

5.Eat small frequent meals.Smaller meals are easier for the body to digest and absorb and is less taxing on your system.Eating this way assures a steady flow of energy and helps to stabilize your appetite.

6.Fit exercise into your everyday routine.When you have made some simple but effective changes in your diet,you can then plan your exercise program which should include some aerobic training and some form of a resistance program such as weight training.One of the most important things to remember before begining any program is patience.To get results that last takes time.Fad diets or programs that promise quick results may be unhealthy and can backfire with "temporary improvement" instead of "longterm improvement."

I will now explain and describe the best way to perform a circuit resistance routine which can help you reach a heartrate high enough to assist in the burning of fat.It can be performed before your 30 minute aerobic session or seperately on a different day or later on the same day.The circuit should be made up of around eight different exercises which will work the larger muscle groups of the body.Each exercise should be perfect in technique, and you should take little or no rest between exercises.Perform each exercise one after the other until all the exercises have been completed, and then repeat the circuit two or three more times.

If you have any doubts about begining any exercise program, get medical clearance first.This point can not be over-emphasized or taken lightly as the body is a very complex and sometimes delicate "machine."

The most important things in preventing an injury are 1.Proper warm-up.2.Proper training techniques.3.Proper nutrition.

Added to the list would be :avoid silly stunts or showing off, don't use excessive amount of weight in any exercise, get enough sleep and rest as fatigue can cause injury, break into your new program gradually and carefully, and also use "common sense."

Some examples of types of exercises to use in the circuit routine would be:Squats and lunges to work leg and buttock muscles:Push-ups and dips to work upper body muscles such as the chest, arms and shoulders:Chin-ups or pulldowns to work the muscles of the back but also the muscles of the arms and shoulders:Stability ball crunches to work the abdominal muscles.

All of these exercises can be done at home or at your local gym but make sure you get proper instruction before you start on your routine.Have a fun workout, but remember to have a safe one also.SHAPE UP IN 2009.

Winning the Battle of the Holiday Bulge

By Damien McCarthy

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer

L.C.S.P. [Assoc] London and Counties Society of Physiologists

Certified in C.P.R./First Aid [American Red Cross]

Welcome. By taking a few minutes to read this article you have taken an

important step towards a healthier and more attractive body

and maybe have a laugh at the same time, so let's get started.

First of all we'll forget about the New Years Resolution Diet, the

First Real Date in Two Years Diet and last but not least, the It Can't be Summer, I haven't lost any weight yet Diet. The only way we can get leaner and healthier and stay that way is by following a year round health and fitness plan.Don't get me wrong, you wont have to be miserable and give up all of those scrumptious treats, or all of those beers or the occasional night out on the town. After all there is more to life than being "perfect" and pouring yourself into a 30 inch pair of jeans or a tiny little dress. I must admit however I have seen numerous plus sizes successfully, but uncomfortably, squeezed in there "somewhere".

Seriously, in the past 25 years of training people on a one-to-one basis,I have seen some remarkable transformations in my clients and not by fanatical means, but by using simple guidelines that anybody can follow.

In this article I will not address nutrition as the Holiday Season is approaching and I'm sure everybody is going to eat , drink, and be merry.I will save that topic for the next article in the New Year which will also include a super basic weight-training circuit routine that will help melt the fat away but I will outline the first simple steps you could take when starting an exercise program.

The first step towards a healthier and more attractive body is to include aerobics [cardio] of some form in your schedule.But wait...this does not mean getting into your best "lycra-spandex performance wear"[The shining yellow one-piecer with the hot pink running stripes] and being barked at by some hop-till-you-drop aerobocop dictator in tights.No Way.

It could be a brisk walk along the waterfront, swimming in the ocean or your local swimming pool or the second most popular cardiovascular activity in Key West, riding a bicycle.Three 30 minute sessions are ideal, but you can perform up to five if desired.Cycling to work is an easy way to squeeze these sessions into a busy day.These activities are excellent for stimulating fat metabolism and can continue to burn fat for hours after the activity is completed .The next step is to include a resistance or weight training program into your schedule.But wait... This does not mean trying to hoist hundreds of pounds over your head until your face matches the colors on your "lycra-spandex one-piecer.No Way.

It simply means performing some sort of resistance training using weights or your own body.You can use light, medium, or heavy resistance, depending on your personality and what you wish to achieve with your program.This can be done at home or at your local gym.Three sessions of 30 to 45 minutes are ideal for the beginner or for somebody just getting back into shape.Weight training assures that you maintain and build muscle tone and shape while at the same time burning fat.

If you are patient with your fitness program you may be unveiling a new you sooner than you think. Getting, not pouring into those jeans may just be over that Key West sunset.

Holiday Season 2008

Key West Island Gym is collecting sporting goods

and toys for the annual Toys for Tots Christmas

gift drive. Donated items should be dropped off

at the gym, 1119 White Street.

The toys will be wrapped and given to needy

children throughout the Florida Keys.

Gym staff and members are participating to

encourage children to have a happy holiday

season and a healthy new year

Special Olympics Of Monroe County

The gang from the Special Olympics was presented a check for $3,087.98 by Damien McCarthy of Key West Island Gym which will cover all expenses for the Athletes to travel to Miami to compete.

The presentation was a result of the August fundraising events by Key West Island Gym and the Special Olympics of Monroe County.

Special thanks to Sam Riek and Debbie Blair of Key West Island Gym and Phyllis Tanner of the Special Olympics of Monroe County.

Welcome to Key West Island Gym

Key West's newest and most modern fitness facility

Key West Island gym almost shimmers with a healthy energy

Brand new state of the art equipment

Hammerstrength/Lifefitness/Matrix/Hoist resistance & cardio

Full range of free weights/multigrip bars/lifting frames

Sport specific "Vertimax" training platforms http://www.vertimax.com/

Numerous sport and fitness accessories

Both indoor and outdoor training areas

Impeccable hygiene with sparkling lockeroom/shower areas

Flat screen TV's with headsets

Fully air conditioned

Great location & free parking & large bike rack

Friendly atmosphere and helpful staff

Personal Trainers/Free instruction available