The Truth About Fasting

So, what’s a fast?

Simply put, it means you stop eating completely, or almost completely, for a certain stretch of time. A fast usually lasts from 12 to 24 hours, but some types continue for days at a time. In some cases, you may be allowed water, tea, and coffee, or even a small amount of food during the “fasting period.”

Turns out, we’ve been doing this for a while.

Fasting is common to just about every major religious tradition, like Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates believed it helped the body heal itself. During Ramadan, many Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, every day for a month. This has provided scientists with quite a bit of information about what happens to your body when you fast, and the news is mostly good.

What motivates people to fast?

Besides religious practice, there are several health reasons. First, as you might guess, is weight loss. There’s also research showing that certain types of fasting may help improve your cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, and other health issues.

Yes, You’ll feel like you’re starving.

Well, at least in the beginning. After a few days, however, the hunger usually gets better. Fasting is different from dieting in that it’s not about trimming calories or a certain type of food — it’s not eating at all, or severely cutting back, for a certain amount of time.

How safe is it to fast?

Brief fasting isn’t likely to hurt you if you’re a healthy adult, whether your weight is normal or you’re heavier. Still, your body needs good nutrition and fuel to thrive. So make sure to talk to your doctor first, especially if you have health problems or take any kind of medication. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or you have a history of eating disorders, you should avoid fasting of any kind. Kids and teens shouldn’t fast either.

What am I allowed to eat then?

When you’re not fasting, you can eat the food you normally would. Of course, you shouldn’t load up on lots of french fries and doughnuts. But studies seem to show that your health changes for the better when you fast, even if your diet does not. You should still add more fruits, veggies, and whole grains, too, if you don’t already eat enough of them.

“I’m likely to just eat more later”, you might reason.

You might. Still, you should try to eat a healthy amount of food and not stuff yourself after a fast. Quality still counts. But even among people who eat the same number of calories, those who fast tend to have lower blood pressure, higher insulin sensitivity, more appetite control, and easier weight loss.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

This is an off-and-on type of fasting. There are three main types that doctors have studied and people have used for weight loss and improved health:

1. Time-restricted feeding
2. Alternate-day fasting
3. Modified fasting

Time-Restricted Feeding

This means you do all your eating in a certain stretch of the day, often around 8-12 hours. One easy way to do this is to skip one meal. If you finish dinner by 8 p.m., you’ve already achieved 12 hours of your fast by 8 a.m. Make it to noon for lunch, and you’ve fasted for 16 hours. You could also stop eating after lunch until breakfast the next morning.

Alternate-Day Fasting

It’s sometimes called “complete” alternate day fasting because the time when you don’t eat lasts a full 24 hours. You follow that with one or more “feast” days when you can eat as much as you want. Even though the studies are very limited, the results suggest that alternate-day fasting can lead to weight loss and improve health. But it may be pretty hard to stick to it over the long term.

Modified Fasting

This type allows you to eat around 20% to 25% of your normal daily energy needs on scheduled fast days — just enough to remind you what you’re missing! One popular version, the 5:2 diet, requires 2 days a week (not in a row) of 24-hour “fasting” except for a very light meal. On the other 5 days of the week, you can eat whatever you want.

Too Tough?

Complete, alternate-day fasting could be very hard to stick with over the long term. But other versions of fasting seem to get easier over time. You and your doctor may want to look into the specific plans to see what might be best for you.

Diabetes

Some studies show that fasting might help people with diabetes or prediabetes control blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and lose weight. Other recent research looking at time-restricted fasting disputes some of these claims. If you have either of these conditions, it’s very important to talk to your doctor before you make any changes to your medication, insulin use, or eating habits.

Athletes

Weight training may help you shed more body fat — but not muscle — when added to any weight loss program. Aerobic exercise like running, swimming or biking while on a time-restricted eating plan might help your cholesterol levels as well as cut down on belly fat. Still, you need good fuel. Make sure you cover your nutritional needs.

Strength & Conditioning

We offer a personalized, 1 on 1 10-week exercise and nutrition program with a certified personal trainer, in our private, purpose-built gym. Sessions would be three times per week, at 30 minutes per session. Participants perform three to six different strength exercises in a typical session, doing three sets of eight to 12 repetitions (each set lasting 25 to 35 seconds) for each exercise. The exercises change from session to session, progressing in intensity from week to week. Your personal trainer will gradually increase your weight load, roughly doubling in 10 weeks.

This is an intensive program and participants are carefully supervised by a Certified Personal Trainer. As your personal trainer, I highly recommend that before you embark on a similar program you book a consult with me, an exercise specialist who can help design a program for your needs and make sure that you’re doing the exercises correctly.

I also cannot stress the importance of consulting with your doctor or healthcare provider before you embark on a new exercise regimen. As your personal trainer all programs I offer require you to undergo a physical activity readiness questioner as your health and safety needs precede all aesthetic goals.

Tiger Athletic is a modern, private, appointment-only gym in Sandton, Johannesburg using a rigorous, results-focused methodology we are passionate about helping you be the healthiest version of yourself, so you can lead a more fulfilling personal and professional life.

Our sessions are strictly 1 on 1 just you and your trainer. There is nobody else in the gym and all equipment used is sanitized at the end of each session for the safety of all my clients.

Let’s Workout.

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Strength & Conditioning for the management of chronic neck pain

Neck pain is something we all experience at some point in our lives. The most common cause is the overuse or misuse of muscles and ligaments. The modern workplace or method is dominated by the use of computers, this is especially tough on the muscles of the neck because of the long periods with shoulders slumped and heads extended toward the monitor.

Considerable study has been devoted to the treatment of chronic neck pain. Common interventions include medication, chiropractic manipulation, electrical nerve stimulation, massage, and various forms of exercise. Results so far have been inconsistent and difficult to compare, and the quality of research has been uneven. Still, there’s mounting evidence that certain exercises designed to strengthen neck muscles can help break longstanding cycles of neck pain.

A randomized trial has found that women with work-related neck pain experienced significant and long-lasting relief by regularly practicing five specific neck muscle–strengthening exercises. General fitness workouts, by contrast, reduced the pain only slightly. Results were published in the January 2008 issue of Arthritis Care and Research.

The Study

Danish scientists at the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen recruited women engaged in repetitive work, mostly at computer keyboards, at banks, post offices, administrative offices, and an industrial facility. All complained of neck pain lasting more than a month during the previous year. They were eligible for the study if physical examinations showed they had trapezius myalgia, chronic pain and tightness in the muscles that run down the back of the neck and fan out toward the shoulders.

Participants were divided randomly into three groups. One group received strength training focused on neck and shoulder muscles. The second group received general fitness training, which consisted of riding an exercise bike without holding onto the handlebars. The third group was given only health counseling. The two exercise groups worked out for 20 minutes three times a week for 10 weeks.

The women rated pain intensity in the trapezius muscles immediately before and immediately after each training session and two hours after each workout. The strength training group experienced a 75% decrease in pain, on average, during the intervention as well as during a 10-week follow-up period involving no workouts.

General fitness training resulted in only a short-term decrease in pain that was too small to be considered clinically important, although the researchers did suggest that even a little reduction in pain severity could encourage people to give exercise a try. There was no improvement in the health counseling group.

Observations

This study isn’t the final word on relieving chronic neck pain. The number of participants (48) was small, and most of the women were under age 60. The results may not apply to women who are older or have conditions that limit their ability to strength train.
Still, the findings suggest that performing specific muscle-strengthening exercises may be a helpful strategy for many women with chronic neck pain. (The researchers have investigated the effectiveness of each exercise with electromyography, which measures muscle-generated electrical activity. Results will be published in the journal Physical Therapy.)

The Strength & Conditioning Program For Managing Chronic Neck Pain

The strength & conditioning program for managing chronic neck pain is an advancement in the training used in the Danish study which consisted of only five exercises that involved the use of hand weights to strengthen neck and shoulder muscles, to include stretches and conditioning exercises to eliminate pain and weakness in the form and function of the neck.

This is a 10 week program with a certified personal trainer. Sessions are held three times per week, at 30 minutes per session. In a typical session participants perform three to six different strength exercises, doing three sets of eight to 12 repetitions (each set lasting 25 to 35 seconds) for each exercise. The exercises change from session to session, progressing in intensity from week to week. Your personal trainer will gradually increase your weight load, roughly doubling in 10 weeks.

This is an intensive program and participants are carefully supervised by a Certified Personal Trainer. As your personal trainer, I highly recommend that before you embark on a similar program you book a consult with me, an exercise specialist who can help design a program for your needs and make sure that you’re doing the exercises correctly.

I also cannot stress the importance of consulting with your doctor or healthcare provider before you embark on a new exercise regiment. As your personal trainer all programs I offer require you to undergo a physical activity readiness questioner as your health and safety needs precede all aesthetic goals.

Tiger Athletic is a modern, private, appointment-only gym in Sandton, Johannesburg using a rigorous, results-focused methodology we are passionate about helping you be the healthiest version of yourself, so you can lead a more fulfilling personal and professional life.

Our sessions are strictly 1 on 1 just you and your trainer. There is nobody else in the gym and all equipment used is sanitized at the end of each session for the safety of all my clients.

Let’s Workout.

Gym After Gastric Sleeve Surgery: Timeline, Workout Plan & Options You Can Follow.

Congratulations on taking a massive step towards regaining control over your health. Now that you’ve had gastric surgery, you’ll probably be chomping at the bit, wanting to start working out so you can really start shedding weight. One question you might be asking yourself, ” When can I get back to the gym after gastric sleeve surgery and start exercising again?

An awesome question with a simple and straightforward answer, you just need to get the timing right. Often, your healthcare practitioner will tell you, to start exercising in some capacity before your surgery to help get yourself ready, as well as try and establish the habit of exercise that you will need to have post-op.

For our post-op programs at Tiger Athletic, we follow guidelines from, The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) which recommends mild exercise (including cardiovascular exercise and light resistance training) 20 min/day 3–4 days/week before having your surgery, to improve cardiovascular fitness, reduce the risk of surgical complications, promote healing and enhance postoperative recovery.

Our personal trainer-led programs will help you establish this habit before surgery which will make it much easier to get back into your regular workout routine once your surgery has been completed and you have been given the go-ahead to start exercising again by your surgeon.

How long should I wait before going back to the gym after bariatric surgery?

As your personal trainer, I cannot stress how important it is important to understand that after your surgery, you will need to be careful not to overdo it with exercising or perform any exercises that could be damaging to your incision as this will cause more harm than good.

It’s a general rule of thumb that you wait at least 1-2 weeks before starting to exercise, which will just be walking.

For the first 6-8 weeks, you will want to stick to just walking to allow your body to recover and heal properly as well as help you get used to your new changing body.

We offer a free resource, Get moving by joining the Tiger Athletic 10 000 steps per day challenge

Timeline for exercise after bariatric surgery

1 Month

Light walking starts at 10 minutes per day and working your way up to 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week. If you find it difficult to walk for long durations at one time, you can split it up into 2-3 sessions throughout the day totaling 30 minutes. If you need guidance, support, or just a hand, join the Tiger Athletic 10000 Steps A Day Challenge.

2 – 3 Months

Once your body has adapted to walking and you have worked up to 150 minutes a week, you can start to add in some more variety. If you go to a gym you can try some different types of cardio machines like the elliptical or stationary bike.
You can also start aqua aerobics (as long as your incision is completely healed). This is especially great because you can work the whole body while also keeping the stress off your joints.

4 – 6 Months

This is where you can start to add resistance training (weights) to your weekly routine. Always start with light weights and lower volume and then progressively work your way up as your tolerance increases.
It should be noted that exercises that require more experience can be more difficult since you are still getting used to your changing body and rapid weight loss.This can affect balance and coordination which will make it more difficult to perform these exercises. Please use caution or avoid these during this period.

6 – 12 Months

You should now be able to perform both cardiovascular and strength training regularly without issue. You still want to be mindful and make sure you aren’t doing anything that your body can’t handle but you can absolutely start pushing yourself harder.

12+ Months

As your personal trainer, one-year post-op, I’ll start increasing the intensity and frequency of which you work out. Also, I’ll start adding core/abdominal exercises to your routine as long as your surgeon or exercise physiologist gives you the go-ahead, to avoid doing any damage to the incision site and possibly causing any hernias near or at the incision.

Please note that immediately after surgery, your body is going to rapidly change while also trying to heal from the procedure, so as your personal trainer, I have to make sure you are not overdoing it. Making sure, that you start out very light, and then you can increase the intensity over time, once you have had time to heal and allow your body to adapt.

Example of Walking Progression

Week 1: Monday – Friday Walk 5-10 minutes 2-3x day Week 2: Monday – Friday Walk 10-15 minutes 2-3x day Week 3: Monday – Sunday Walk 15 minutes 2x day Week 4: Monday – Sunday Walk 30 minutes 1x day

The importance of exercise after surgery

Exercising after bariatric surgery will not only improve your quality of life but will also help you reach and/or maintain your weight loss goals quicker and more efficiently.

Here are some of the benefits you can expect to see from exercising post-op:

• Increased cardiovascular endurance
• Healthier heart
• Decrease body fat
• Increase lean body mass (muscle)
• Increased mood
• Decrease chances of disease and illness

Tiger Athletic is a private sport and rehabilitation practice in Sandton, Johannesburg. We offer personalized 1 on 1 fitness programs with a highly qualified and motivated personal trainer.

The following are just a few examples of the options we offer, they have also been set out as a free resource to guide or help people who may be on the fence or unable to train at Tiger Athletic. but you can see that exercise has wonderful benefits and will absolutely help you in the long run!

Real exercise plans you can start today

Walking (starting 2 weeks after surgery)

• Walk 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times per day (30 minutes total) or you can walk the entire 30 minutes at one time
• Start with 5 days a week and work up to 150 minutes per week
• Walking is a great way to get your heart rate up, burn calories, and you can do it anywhere

Resistance Training (4 to 6 months after surgery)

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends the following as general guidelines

• Exercising 2-3 days per week (Non-consecutive)
• Performing 8-10 total exercises per workout
• Completing 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise
• 30-60 seconds of rest between exercises

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Pick one exercise per body part and perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps

Example

• Bodyweight squat – 2 x 8-12
• Incline pushup – 2 x 8-12
• Cable low row – 2 x 8-12
• Standing dumbbell shoulder press – 2 x 8-12
• Standing dumbbell curl – 2 x 8-12
• Dumbbell triceps kickbacks – 2 x 8-12
• Machine seated hamstring curl – 2 x 8-12

This is just an example but it is important to note that each body part is being worked in this workout. If you feel one of these exercises doesn’t work for you and think that you can’t do it, try your best to find a good substitute.

You could do this exact workout right now and use it for the next 12 weeks before you need to change any exercises. Yoga Yoga is an ancient practice that uses breathing techniques, balance, and focus to achieve health and happiness. Incorporating this into your weekly routine could be a great idea.

• Join a yoga class or find a good yoga video online and do this 1-2 times per week
• You can always work up to more days

This will help with balance, flexibility, and core strength. People also find yoga to be a good way to clear their minds while also being able to engage in physical activity. Dancing/Zumba Zumba combines dancing/rhythm and movement with exercise to help elevate heart rate and improve cardiovascular fitness. Consider doing a Zumba class as part of your cardo one day and see how you like it.

• Join a Zumba class or find a good video online and do this 1-2 times per week
• You can always work up to more days

One thing that seems to really appeal to people when it comes to Zumba is that it usually involves being a part of a class where you are with other similar people who can use each other as motivation and accountability.

Important Nuggets

Make sure to always get clearance from your surgeon before starting any kind of exercise program. They are best suited to know when it will be best for you to begin. You want to always start with lower intensity and gradually work your way up as your body adjusts to the new lifestyle and rapid weight loss. This will help you avoid injury and other issues that can come with pushing too hard too soon. Your Tiger Athletic personal trainer conducts a continuous assessment to effectively manage both your safety and the effectiveness of your training program.

No matter what, make sure you are doing some kind of physical activity. This will play a huge role in your long-term success as well as your overall health. Some people believe that it has to be all or nothing, and that is not the case, and as your personal trainer, ill be able to show you how with lifestyle tips, recipes, nutritional advice, and motivation.

If it takes you a little longer to get into a routine or habit of exercise, that is perfectly fine. Just make sure that you are always looking to improve and never let yourself give up! As your personal trainer, I’d like you to know that I fully understand if somedays you feel less motivated than others to work out, especially in the beginning 12 weeks, we call this time, ‘the resistance phase’, so named because of what your mind has set out to achieve and how your body may be feeling may be incongruous. It takes time for thought and physical action to be on the same page, relax, be patient, and kind to yourself.

Tiger Athletic is a modern, private, appointment-only gym in Sandton, Johannesburg using a rigorous, results-focused methodology. We are passionate about helping you be the healthiest version of yourself, so you can lead a more fulfilling personal and professional life.

The Origins Of Karate

“You may train for a long, long time. But if you merely move your hands and feet and jump up and down like a puppet, learning karate is not vastly different from learning to dance. You will never have reached the heart of the matter; you will have failed to grasp the quintessence of karate-do.” – GICHIN FUNAKOSHI

In 1916 Gichin Funakoshi introduced Karate into Japan from Okinawa. Karate means Empty Hand. Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍, Funakoshi Gichin, November 10, 1868 – April 26, 1957) is the founder of Shotokan Karate-Do, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a “father of modern karate”.

Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato, he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1922. He taught karate at various Japanese universities and became honorary head of the Japan Karate Association upon its establishment in 1949. 

Karate is thought to have been started in India by a Buddhist priest called Bhodidarma, who wished to take Zen (a sect of Buddhism) to the Chinese. The Buddhist priests learnt how to fight to defend themselves from bandits and wild animals as they wandered.

In about AD 500, Bhodidarma reached the court of Emperor Wu at Chein-K’ang in China, where he was warmly received. He left the courts, eventually reaching the Henan Province and went into seclusion in the Shaolin temple (Shorin in Japanese) to teach Zen. He also taught his system of unarmed combat called Shorin Kempo.

Forms of Chinese combat have been recorded as far back as 3000 BC. Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍, Funakoshi Gichin, November 10, 1868 – April 26, 1957) is the founder of Shotokan Karate-Do, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a “father of modern karate”. Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato, he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1922.

He taught karate at various Japanese universities and became honorary head of the Japan Karate Association upon its establishment in 1949.  is credited with being the founder of Chinese Kempo, mainly because he added the meditative practices of Yoga and Zen, making it a more complete system, as we know it today.

Zen is inseparably linked with Karate and every Master of Karate seeks a more enlightened experience by studying Zen; in fact, all the developments in Shorin Kempo were achieved by various priests, through the years. Finally, the close connection between priests and medicine resulted in the discovery not only of vital spots on the human body where cures could be applied but also where Kempo attacks could be directed for the best results.

From China, Kempo spread north to Mongolia, east to Korea and south-east to Okinawa. Eventually it reached Japan, where it became extremely popular after the Kamakure era (about AD 1200). The soldier class, the Samurai, welcomed both the combat forms and the Zen philosophy. The morality and mysticism of Zen Buddhism appealed to their sensibilities but the real attraction was the way it provided them with a discipline which made them capable of great endurance and excellence in fighting, through the development of insight into both themselves and their opponents.

At various times in history – for instance in 1400 and again in 1609, in Okinawa- the authorities forbade the populace to use arms. As a means of protection against the bandits, and sometimes against the authorities, unarmed combat became widely taught. The schools, themselves usually confined to the temples, were nevertheless kept secret, because if discovered they would have been immediately wiped out by those in power. It was not until 1901 that Karate, as we now know it, was brought out of secret study and taught openly in Okinawa.

In 1916, Master Gichin Funakoshi came from Okinawa to Tokyo and pioneered the modern system of Karate in Japan. There are many schools of Karate today, born from many origins, each with its own merits and perhaps its own faults.

Tiger Athletic is the future of fitness. A modern approach to fitness, a private gym where sessions are strictly by appointment. You never share equipment, workout space, or your trainer. Sessions are completely private, in fact, it’s just you and your trainer on the floor during your appointment.

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Championship Boxing

It takes many hours of regular workouts in the gym to blast the 8 000 calories it takes to burn just 1 kilogram of fat from your body. Championship Boxing is a fun, challenging 1 000 calories per session that will engage you, push you and teach you totally new and practical skills as you move faster than ever towards your goal weight and aesthetic.

Each session is run like a championship boxing match, consisting of a 3-minute dynamic warm-up followed by 12 x 3-minute’ rounds’ comprising of 12 strength and conditioning exercises, for a total body workout. Each round is 3 minutes of all-out action with 1 minute of active rest and hydration between rounds for the best in class workout experience to rapidly sculpt and tone your physique.

This is a super-fast, super easy workout, designed for everyone from someone who has never thrown a punch to the professional athlete. Each dynamic workout is in a modern, private, appointment only facility where you can work out undisturbed and even bring your training partner at no extra cost for your first full month with us. The aerobic nature of many of boxing’s exercises leads to a high-calorie burn without a significant shock to your joints.

Championship Boxing is a brilliant all-round exercise choice for all fitness goals. Each workout increases the rate at which your heart pumps blood around your body, strengthening your heart’s muscles and lowering your chances of developing cardiovascular complications such as heart attacks and strokes.

It takes more than just jumping on a treadmill or lacing up and ‘hitting’ the road and hoping for the best. If you want to get the most out of your body, then you need to work it the right way through a variety of different forms of exercise and keeping your heart rate at the right level.

If it’s overall fitness you’re after, you need to get your head around both aerobic and anaerobic exercise present in boxing estimated to be 70-80% anaerobic and 20-30% aerobic. Boxing as a workout helps maintain the heart rate at 75%-85% regular heartbeat which is the recommended range if you are exercising to burn body fat and tone your muscles.

Championship Boxing is a high-intensity workout that burns a LOT of calories. You are looking at up to 1 000 calories through workouts that will challenge every muscle in your body, especially the core, shoulders, abs, and obliques.

Championship Boxing workouts will strengthen and tone your legs, arms, chest, shoulder, and back – pretty much everything while you get a massive endorphin release in your body from hitting a heavy bag, doing pad work with your personal trainer or going through our signature strength and conditioning routines.

Finding a gym or a great workout in Sandton City can be just as overwhelming as seeking out a new restaurant or bar in the City of Gold, here, you’re seemingly spoiled for choice. Tiger Athletic is modern, private, and strictly by appointment. Whether you’re looking to diversify your workout regime or find a new way to sweat, we have you covered.

Together Changes Everything. Let’s Workout.

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Obesity and How To Get Help.

If at your initial consultation your personal trainer tells you you’re obese, they’re not trying to make you feel bad. They’re using a specific medical term, ‘obesity’, to talk with you about your weight. Simply put, the word “obesity” means too much body fat. It’s usually based on your body mass index (BMI).

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measurement of a person’s weight with respect to his or her height. It is more of an indicator than a direct measurement of a person’s total body fat. BMI, more often than not, correlates with total body fat. This means that as the BMI score increases, so does a person’s total body fat.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), defines an adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 as overweight – an adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese – a BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight, and between 18.5 to 24.9 a healthy weight .

How does being obese affect my health?

Obesity can help explain some conditions you may have, such as:

1. High blood pressure
2. Heart disease and stroke
3. Type 2 diabetes
4. High cholesterol
5. Joint problems caused by extra weight
6. Trouble breathing, including sleep apnea (you briefly stop breathing while you’re asleep)
7. Gallstones

Modest changes go a long way!

The great news is that you can take simple steps to lose extra weight. Losing even a little weight can make a big difference to your health, how you feel and your personal well-being. You really don’t have to lose a lot of weight to start seeing and feeling the health benefits.

Begin with a weight loss goal of 500 grams to 1000 grams a week. Overweight adults or obese adults should try to lose 5% to 10% of their current weight over 6 months, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of America.

If you’re ready to get started with a weight loss program, ask your personal trainer to help you set personal goals and refer you to other professionals who can give you medical advice if necessary and help you reach your goals safely. For example, a Registered Dietitian can help you with meal planning and a Chiropractor can address your muscloskeletal issues affecting your training performance and general quality of life.

You’ll want to go for steady progress over time, and to make lifestyle changes that work for you for the long run. That way you can start losing weight and feel better.

Tiger Athletic is a modern, private, appointment only gym in Sandton, Johannesburg. We use a rigorous, results-focused methodology we are passionate about helping you be the healthiest version of yourself, so you can lead a more fulfilling personal and professional life.

Our sessions are strictly 1 on 1 just you and your trainer. There is nobody else in the gym and all equipment used is sanitized at the end of each session for the safety of all our clients.

Together changes everything. Let’s work out.

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Boxercise

Boxercise is designed to be fun for children and to enrich their lives with physical literacy and basic life skills taught through  self defense & age appropriate exercise  with a personal trainer.

Improve your child’s mental awareness, coordination, strength, confidence, leadership skills, organization, speed, agility, and self respect! It all come from learning how to value and protect yourself through awareness, movement and boxing.

Boxercise is a safe, wholesome, useful activity for your child. Children have a progressive and positive alternative to television, electronic games and junk food. This program impresses upon your child the value of being able to set and follow through on goals by developing personal growth and self discipline in a .fun, supportive environment.

It is continuing education for kids. If your child is new to self defense training or  if your kids have found other ‘martial arts’ classes to be repetitive and boring, they HAVE to try Boxercise, this is a great place to learn valuable, age appropriate life lessons and get some healthy exercise. The advantages of this program are endless, for starters, it builds confidence, commitment and coordination.

Children are taught one on one or as a pair, in a manner that builds their self image and teaches them patience, focus and self discipline, that will help them become functional, successful adults. The best part of the program is that, IT’S FUN!

Children will learn valuable life skills, like, how to handle themselves in emergencies as well as daily situations. They learn about supporting one another, being aware of the environment and controlling their bodies while they learn self defense and environmental awareness techniques.

Boxercise teaches children basic blocks, footwork and punches as well as falls, rolls and escapes. Your child is not a ‘small’ adult, mentally or physiologically. They have specific characteristics that are consistent with other children in their age group, or stage of development; physically, mentally, socially and intellectually and the program delivery is sensitive to your particular childs’ stage of development. As children achieve higher levels of proficiency technically, the program follows an age appropriate program of physical activity taught at an age appropriate pace.

This program gives your child a large variety of physical and mental drills and practice on their life skills. Each class includes stretches, warm ups, drills, important skills and discussions of a personal development issue. Classes are tailored for children, keeping them interested and focused. Motivation is a key concept they learn in class and apply to the rest of their lives.

Tiger Athletic is a private, appointment only strength & conditioning gym in the heart of Sandton. We offer tailor made, goal oriented  fitness programs based on an individualized approach to health and fitness assessment, motivation, goal setting, coaching science and client education.

Your personal trainer is a coaching science graduate and holds a 6th degree black belt in Karate with 25 years experience as a high performance athlete and coach. He designs safe and effective exercise programs and provides the guidance to help clients achieve their personal goals through one on one’ or small group training.

Our ‘Fit for Life’, health first approach helps us to help you reach your goals safely and effectively through health and fitness assessment, best in class coaching, modern resistance, and cardio equipment, calisthenics, and boxing to provide a pragmatic, extraordinary 50-minute workout that is simple, efficient and effective.

Together changes everything. Lets workout.

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Make Your Home A Slimmer Place

If your home isn’t setup correctly, it may be encouraging bad nutrition habits, your home should serve as a break from the constant lure of the fast food drive-thru or the office canteen.

If your cabinets are so stuffed that you need to put food on your counters, fridge, or exposed shelving, you’re setting yourself up to trigger a craving. A bag of potato chips or chocolate out in the open will put the food on your radar when you walk by. The minute you see that visual cue, you want it.

Clean out your pantry on a regular basis. Get rid of expired food and stuff you bought that you don’t like and won’t eat even if it’s healthy. Or, come up with alternate storage plans, like a cabinet in your basement.

If healthy food is hidden, you’re less likely to eat it. That’s especially true if you keep fruits that don’t need to be refrigerated like apples or oranges or whole veggies tucked away in the crisper drawers.

When you’re busy, it’s faster to rip open a bag of chips than cut crudités. Buy a pretty fruit bowl or basket so you’re more inclined to fill it; display in plain sight so you’re more likely to grab a piece. Pre-slice veggies and put them in clear containers front-and-center in the fridge for easy snacking.

The fact that you can go anywhere: home, the office, the store and the temperature is set at somewhere comfortable is a surprising contributor to obesity. Your body simply doesn’t have to work to expend energy to warm itself up, suggests a 2014 study in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism. The result: your metabolism sputters.

Turn down your thermostat a few degrees. Being cold activates your brown fat, which spurs your metabolism and improves glucose sensitivity. If the change is too abrupt, start with one degree and gradually decrease the temperature. You’ll quickly adapt to the chillier temp.

Everyone wants to hide exercise equipment in case of unexpected guests. But how often does that really happen? Or, we hide it in rooms we don’t want to go in, like the garage. When your option is to go on an exercise bike covered in dust or sit on a comfortable couch in front of the TV, it’s not rocket science which option wins.

Keep your dumbbells next to your couch so you’re reminded to use them while you watch TV. Set up equipment like a yoga mat or exercise bike in a space in your home you want to be in, like by a window or on the patio.

You’re inviting the wrong people over – Look at who your friends are,” says James O. Hill, PhD, director of the Colorado Nutrition Obesity Research Center. “You’re going to behave similarly to the people you spend time with.” If your friends are more the type to sit around and drink beer and eat chips, then you will be, too. Okay, no one’s saying to lose your friends—no matter how bad their health habits. “Look for friends who are doing the right thing, and have them over, too,” says Dr. Hill. If they’re more active and like to eat nutritious foods, you’re more likely to adopt their habits. Conversely, their attitude can rub off on your less-than-virtuous pals.

When you don’t get enough sleep, your body scrambles hormone levels that control hunger, making you crave junk food. In one International Journal of Endocrinology study, sleep-deprived adults who were exposed to dim light in the morning had lower concentrations of the fullness hormone leptin, while those in blue light (the kind from energy-efficient bulbs) had higher leptin levels. When you wake up, open your shades to allow natural sunlight in and turn on lamps and overhead lights. You will also wake up faster.

It’s easy to take an extra scoop of pap or pasta when all you must do is reach across the table to get it, even when you’re not hungry. Dish out food straight from your pots and pans. This strategy decreased food intake by 10% for women in a Cornell University study or dish out dinner, then put the rest away. If you want seconds, you must go through the trouble of reheating, which most people won’t do, at the very least, it gives your body time to feel full, so you’ll take a smaller second portion.

You come home, put on sweats, eat dinner, and cosy up on your couch for the night with reality TV. Getting into that sleepy, sedentary, restful mode means you’re starting night time before its night time. Change into active clothes, turn on lights, and play energizing music after dinner. One study in PLOS One found that people walk at a faster pace to upbeat tunes compared to slower, more relaxing music. With higher energy, you’re also more likely to go outside for a post-dinner walk.

More TV watching is associated with a greater risk of being overweight or obese. Screen time is sedentary time. Besides, most of us watch things we don’t really like simply to fill up time. You don’t have to get rid of TV completely. However, consider removing the one from your bedroom (experts say to keep this area for sex and sleep only) and kitchen (TV encourages lingering and snacking). Cut down on your TV time and you’re more likely to be more active without even trying.

Plates that are as big as platters, wine glasses that are goblets, and bowls that may as well be troughs, large serving dishes play a trick on you: you subconsciously want to fill the space, so you wind up dishing out more. Cornell research found that adults and kids poured more cereal into large bowls and consumed 44% more calories. To decrease portion sizes, plates should be no more than 25 cm across and bowls less than 550g, recommends study author Brian Wansink, PhD, in his book Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life.

Tiger Athletic is a private, appointment only strength & conditioning gym in the heart of Sandton. We offer tailor made, goal oriented  fitness programs based on an individualised approach to health and fitness assessment, motivation and goal setting, coaching science and client education.

We use state-of-the-art plate loaded equipment and free weight circuits, high intensity interval cardio training, calisthenics and boxing to provide an extraordinary workout that is simple, efficient and effective in 45 minutes.

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