Paul Pilgrim and Up North Apparel
A regular at Coast Fitness since 2015 , Paul Pilgrim like a lot of dad’s (and mums), has a busy schedule around family, work and a growing business, yet still manages to find time for a regular fitness regime and the great outdoors.
Check out Up North Apparel and read on for some insights into what drives a man like Paul Pilgrim.
Keep up the good work Paul and we’ll see you in the Gym.
Never pass up a photo opportunity in the brand
What inspired the creation of Up North Apparel?
It stemmed from some down time during COVID, I had been designing and making custom fishing shirts for fishing comps around Cairns in a previous job and decided there was a bit of a niche in the market for a more lifestyle/fashionable garment with some lighter/cooler fabrics for our climate and away we went.
What's the 5 year plan for the business?
To be working on Up North in a full time capacity, growing our stockists and also growing the custom side of the business which I have just started.
You are pretty consistent with your training, what's your motivation?
In a world that is very fast paced, it is nice to come to the gym and zone out for an hour. Training is great for the body, mind and soul. I feel like if you are disciplined at the gym you can take that discipline and apply it to your everyday life.
With a full time job, a business and a family it obviously takes some planning to fit a fitness regime into a busy lifestyle. Why is that important for you?
I feel like I am a better husband, Dad and person when I work out, so for me fitting it into my life is essential.
You're not long back from the idyllic round Australia trip. Did you stay in shape and if so how?
Haha, well I tried as much as possible to visit a few gyms along the way, however there were definitely a couple of beers in between. While we were travelling everyday life for me was more physical, whether it was swimming, surfing or just seeing the sights, there was certainly more opportunities for adventure and activity for me than during the everyday work/life grind.
How do you work on keeping your kids fit and healthy at a time when that seems to be getting harder to do?
My wife has a lot to do with that, we try to encourage healthy eating where we can and limit screen time as much as possible, however there is never going to be a perfect balance. The weeks are filled with the kids in dancing, swimming and gymnastics so that helps. We try to do outdoor things as a family together and develop a love of being active whether it is swimming, bike riding, paddle boarding or just camping and being outdoors and active.
Enjoying Fraser Island with the family in Up North Apparel of course!
Yoga Nidra
By Nicole Coffey
Yoga Nidra is a meditation technique that is more than a thousand years old. It can be thought of as meditation made easy. The Sanskrit word ‘nidra’ means sleep. Yoga Nidra works by taking you to brainwave states similar to those in sleep, where it is easier to disengage from thoughts. Meditation happens when you are able to disengage from your thoughts and observe them rather than believe them. However, many people find traditional meditation challenging, either due to the discomfort experienced from sitting for long periods or simply because of the difficulty in maintaining concentration.
Yoga Nidra has some differences to traditional meditation. It is typically practiced lying in a comfortable position on the back but it can also be practiced seated if lying down isn’t possible. It is composed of a series of body, breath and awareness techniques designed to effortlessly guide you into a state of non-doing. You can’t do it wrong. The hardest thing is to not fall asleep but even if you do you will still receive benefits.
Another unique component of Yoga Nidra is the use of intention (Sankalpa). Intention is the conscious placement of energy in the direction we want to go. When we use an intention while in a deep meditative state we can more effectively create shifts in our consciousness. We can then reinforce these subtle shifts and strengthen them through our choices and actions in the waking state.
Yoga Nidra is designed to guide the practitioner to recognise the silent place of being that always resides within us. You are resting in a space where thoughts spontaneously come and go without preference or pull toward any one thought. Here, even first-time meditators can enter states of expanded awareness and deep relaxation.
Yogis state that 45 minutes of Yoga Nidra is as restorative as 3 hours of sleep. The body needs to let go and rest so it can regenerate itself. Yoga Nidra is regenerative but it is more than a nap. It is a spiritual practice that, through structured and conscious movement through sleep states, takes you to a state of consciousness that is beyond waking, dreaming and deep sleep. This state of consciousness is sometimes referred to as witness consciousness.
Like there are different styles of yoga asana (postures) coming from different lineages, there are also different styles of Yoga Nidra. The Integrative Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra (I AM Yoga Nidra) that I am certified to teach, was developed by Gurudev Shri Amritji (Yogi Amtri Desai) and his daughter Kamini Desai, PhD. It focuses primarily on quieting the mind and boosting the energy flow in the body (prana). This released energy in the body increases the healing potential available during Yoga Nidra and typically takes practitioners into deeper states of meditation more quickly. That is why this style is often referred to as “the deep one”.
Make the Most of your Iron Man (and Woman) experience
If you are one of the growing number of people caught up in the excitement of, and actually competing during, the Cairns Ironman weekend and feel like you could use all the help you can get, then these tips from Andy Pinchen may be just what you are looking for.
Andy Pinchen back in the day
Before embarking on a stellar career as a Spin Instructor at Coast Fitness and other Gyms in and around Cairns, Andy spent the early 2000’s jetsetting around Europe as a professional Triathlete and Cyclist. Check out what he has to say about race day prep below.
No doubt you have invested a lot of money and time in the lead up to the Cairns Ironman and 70.3 event, the following are some tips that will make you racing experience better.
Tips for Ironman Race Day
The Swim
1. Make sure you’ve done an open water swim in your wetsuit before race day. Swimming in the ocean is not the same as swimming in a crystal clear pool with a black line to keep you straight. You could go up to Lake Eacham or Tinaroo with like-minded swimmers before the big day and try out that wetsuit.
2. Don’t assume the person in front of you knows where they’re going or is swimming in the most efficient line. Practice sighting a buoy (land mark or tree) or in the pool look up at the end more than you would normally.
3. Practice bilateral breathing. You might do this already as part of your swim training and on race day you will likely breathe on your favoured side. This isn’t going to be ideal if you have to turn and the chop of the ocean is on the other side now.
4. Relax…..the swim is about conserving energy (unless you’re on a team, then go hard). Don’t let all those pool drills go to waste just because it’s a race and you’re in the ocean. Be efficient, swimming is about technique and efficiency; you want to come out of the water feeling good and not panicked.
The Cycle
1. Have your bike serviced prior to race day. Not just a squirt of oil but a full going over. Slightly wider tyres will provide more comfort on the road and can roll faster than thinner ones. Try 25-28mm tyres and know how to change them if you get a puncture. There’s no assistance on course, you have to do it yourself.
2. Have your bike racked in a gear that is suitable for starting. If you’ve just come out of the water you don’t want to be in 53-12 !
3. Spin your legs for a couple of km’s at the start before you settle in to a bigger gear and again in the closing km’s before the run. Keep your RPM between 80 and 100.
4. Practice riding on your aero-bars at speed well before race day.
The Run
1. Do not use new shoes on race day! Remember to insert orthotics if you use them.
2. Practice transitioning from bike to run (‘Brick’ session) in the weeks before the race. Going from bike to run is a huge adaptation for your body. This training technique is often forgotten.
3. Try to maintain a high leg cadence, think ‘glide’ rather than ‘stomp’.
4. A ‘stitch’ is caused by irregular breathing, focus on your breathing and stride speed.
Nutrition
1. Don’t try anything new on the day. Ensure your stomach is familiar with whatever you are going to drink and eat on race day. Find out who the drink sponsor is for the event and if you’re not carrying your own fluids all day then get used to using theirs before race day.
2. On the cycle and run set your watch to beep every 15-20 minutes to remind you to take in some liquids (250ml) that’s only a cup so it’s not that much.
3. Gels can be very sickly (even the ones that say they don’t need to be taken with water) and cause gastric upset, particularly at race pace, drink water after each gel.
Have a plan and stick to it don’t get caught up in the excitement of the day by trying to keep up with faster competitors. You know roughly what time you can swim, ride and run the distances from all the training you’ve done in the lead up to race day.
Know the event rules, read them, listen carefully to the briefings on the day.
Changes to Class Cancellation Policy
Our Small Group Fitness programme has been a really popular addition for members especially since we’ve revamped the last remaining squash court to create a dedicated group fitness area that has allowed us to increase the number of sessions available. Our limited group fitness space combined with COVID social distancing requirements has resulted in fairly limited class numbers (between 10 and 15 people per class). On the positive side, small class numbers mean participants receive more attention and guidance from instructors. However, the challenge is that classes often book out, usually making it necessary for people to pre-book a spot. Naturally no shows and late cancellations cause frustrations all round. We’ve been able to provide the classes with no additional cost to members and to this point have taken a fairly “soft” approach to late cancellations and no shows but in the interests of members and instructors we will be introducing the following.
From 1 July 2021 no shows and cancellations made with less than two hours notice will incur a $10 fee. Further class bookings cannot be made until the fee is paid. You may still attend classes if a space is available but pre booked clients will take precedence.
To accommodate this change the online booking system has already been adjusted to allow for cancellations up to 2 hours before the class. As a courtesy to other members we would request that you notify reception if you need to cancel within 2 hours of a session as we may be able to offer that spot to someone who has been waitlisted.
A big thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding.
There's now an app for booking our classes!
We have some great news! There’s now an app you can use to make booking into our classes and keeping track of your bookings much easier.
You can get the Acuity Scheduling Client app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store
Once you’ve downloaded the app to your mobile device you can add Coast Fitness by entering the following URL - coastfitness.as.me - and then tap add business.
Through the app you can book in for classes as you usually would on our website. Under the appointments tab you can view all the upcoming classes you’re booked in for. To cancel a booking simply open the relevant booking and tap cancel.