Global Fitness Trainers are Back in Town

Top-tier trainers from around the world are back to Asia now that Thailand is open again. These include London-based fitness guru, Wayne Lèal, described as probably London’s most innovative trainer. He will be at the Amanpuri resort in Phuket between November 2022 to January 2023. 

He has cheated death on more than one occasion, injured every major joint in his body, and had several invasive surgeries. Following an article in The Times newspaper, Google Analytics had nearly 40,000 searches for him and his training programs. On meeting Lèal, He has natural confidence that embodies his philosophy. Being a midlifer myself, I was keen to sample his training that he claims to reverse the typical ageing phenomena of muscle loss and fat increase. When I finished our training session, I immediately became a Midlife Fitness fan, and I think you will too. It’s brilliant. 

Q. What is Midlife Fitness

Lèal: It is the first of its kind exercise and dietary program specifically created for the 40+ body. It provides the intrinsic tools to improve fitness and slow ageing without demanding participants to run, lift weights or cycle. It also benefits by not putting undue stress on the joints during exercise.

Q. Who is the training for?

Lèal: Primarily for midlifers in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who need to rethink their fitness routines because they have found they suffer more injuries, are stuck in a fitness rut, or just aren’t getting the desired results from their workouts anymore. They often hire a trainer 20 years younger, who knows their stuff and can tell them how to build their biceps, but they can’t understand how it feels to be in an older body. What is needed is an entirely fresh approach for a completely different life stage. 

Q. How Do I start?

Lèal:  It is simple to say that you will exercise every day. But you will require a plan. As you develop your workout programme, consider the following:

• Consider your fitness objectives. Having specific goals might help you measure your progress and remain motivated.
• Develop a balanced schedule, including aerobic and strength activities. Short durations of exercise throughout the day can give health benefits.
• Start low and progress slowly. If you’re beginning to exercise, start cautiously and slow, gradually improving your range of motion, strength and endurance.
• Allow for recuperation time. Many begin exercising too long or intensively, resulting in soreness or injury. Plan recovery time between workouts for your body.

Q. How can I create a habit?

Lèal: Profit from your routine. A University College London study found that it takes 66 days to create a habit. Making minor behavioural adjustments does make a difference. If drinking tea at 3 pm is part of your habit, take a five-minute walk as your reward. You’ve increased your weekly movement time by 25 minutes, which is another slight improvement in being more fit.

Q. What is the training?

Lèal: There are two forms of exercise, the land-based JUMPGA and the water-based KUN-AQUA. Yoga Alliance Professionals endorse the JUMPGA mini rebounder training programme; it combines cardio exercises of high and low intensities with yoga. You will engage all 656 muscles in your body. Bouncing is exercising against gravity, strengthening the muscles, bones, heart, and lungs. Additionally, it relieves up to 80% of joint pressure. Your body experiences as much as four times normal g-force at the bottom of the bounce and total weightlessness at the top. It encompasses the five pillars of fitness: Cardiovascular – Stability – Strength – Mobility – Flexibility. Rebounding for 20 minutes is comparable to going for a long run and lifting weights; consequently, it provides the same fitness benefits as prolonged endurance training but in a much shorter amount of time.

KUN-AQUA is a total body workout. Water provides natural resistance in all directions, thereby developing the abdominal muscles that stabilise the body to maintain balance as the body reacts to the turbulence and buoyancy of the surrounding water—promoting balance in muscular development and increased cardio benefits. Water offers 12% to 18% more resistance than air, and it is the resistance that determines the intensity of a workout; by increasing your speed, you increase the power. The deeper the water level is, the more tough the training. Thus, moving through it is comparable to wearing weights all over the body.

Q. Do I need a diet?

Lèal: For me, diets mean deprivation, so I don’t have a special dietary recipe. You can lower your insulin levels and get your body to start burning fat by eating twice a day every eight hours and “fasting” for 16 hours. As decreased insulin levels impact the release of toxic proteins, this approach is also beneficial for maintaining brain health. I start my day with a fruit smoothie packed with nutrients around midday and have my main meal between 6–7 pm. I hydrate myself throughout the day by consuming water and foods high in water.

Q. Your message to the 40+ exerciser?

Lèal: ‘Over 40’s fitness is not about age but mindset. You will only achieve something if you want it. The desire to defy age and improve physical performance is as ancient as human history. The discipline to exercise is not necessarily there in people who need to do it the most. When you want to exercise but don’t, it most likely results from not being sufficiently motivated. Everyone can change. How you change will frame the person that you become.

Wayne Lèal will be at the Amanpuri resort in Phuket between November 2022 to January 2023.