Archive for February 2009
Do you take on board enough fluid?
26/02/2009 by admin.
Water serves many purposes. It is dispersed by the body through sweating as a natural method of reducing our body temperature. We also lose water through urination, from our bowels and when we breathe. So, without water, our bodies would struggle to function.
Somehow we need to replace the water we lose through daily functions. We can obtain fluid through food as well as drink, this can account for approximately 20% of our required intake. For example fruit and vegetables contain water.
There are various guidelines. Here are 2 of the most common suggestions:
w Consume the equivalent water to the calories you consume. Therefore if you consume 2,500 kcals a day, you should consume 2.5 litres per day.
w Consume 8 glasses of 8oz of fluid per day.
You need to consider that if you are participating in sport and therefore sweat a fair bit, you will need to replace that fluid but you will also need to replace the lost body salts. You therefore should consume a fluid which contains electrolytes. All good sports shops would sell these, along with many chemists. A good guide of whether you are over hydrated, correctly hydrated or dehydrated is the colour of your urine. If your urine is clear, you could well be over hydrated and need some electrolytes, if you urine is straw coloured then you are correctly hydrated and if you urine is deep yellow or orange coloured you are dehydrated.
Be careful as although coffee is fluid, it contains caffeine so has a dehydrating effect. However, as tea has less caffeine, it can be considered as part of your daily intake of fluid. You should drink before you are thirsty, normally if you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated.
Bad news for women
25/02/2009 by admin.
The hot topic of the day relates to a recent study which involved over a million women. The study concluded that drinking the equivalent of one small glass of wine a day significantly increased the risk of common cancers such as breast, liver and rectal cancer amongst women. It appears that the increase in the risk of cancer was the same whether they drank beer, wine or spirits.
For every 1,000 women, drinking once a day was linked to 11 additional breast cancers, one additional case of rectal cancer and one further case of oral cancer each year. In addition to this, cases of oesophageal, liver and laryngeal cancer all rose by 0.7 extra cases per 1,000 women per year.
I guess the bad news is that even drinking in relative moderation seriously damages your health. So what about the antioxidants in the likes of red wine I hear you ask? Well, are these are the same antioxidants you get in grapes?
Next Saturday’s Boot Camp
24/02/2009 by admin.
Firstly, well done to everyone for their efforts at tonight’s boot camp. I worked you hard and there was plenty of heavy breathing going on (and that was just from me).
Saturday’s boot camp will be at Fort Richmond near Graham Ogier (the pool company). Perry’s Guide Map reference Page 13 F3. There is limited parking at the end of Route de la Marette and more at the end of Vazon.
The secret of long term weight loss
23/02/2009 by admin.
So you want to know the secret of long term weight loss? How do I break this to you? There isn’t one!
It’s pretty simple really, to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. Sounds easy doesn’t it but in reality that is not the case.
Eating fruit and vegetables not only fills you up due to the fibre and water content but provides important vitamins and minerals. Don’t forget your complex carbohydates, protein and ‘good’ fats. These are all needed to help with metabolism and keep you healthy.
Exercise not only has health benefits but speeds up your metabolic rate and delays the onset of diseases associated with old age (read my active ageing post).
Therefore you need to combine the two - eat a well balanced diet of sensible portions and exercise regularly. Quick fixes using fad diets don’t last and you learn little about proper nutrition and how to change your diet going forward. They just aren’t sustainable. The weight didn’t go on overnight so don’t expect to lose it overnight. If you take that into consideration it is a start in changing your thinking towards a healthier lifestyle.
Have patience and be sensible with your food and exercise programme. Have the ‘occasional’ treat by all means. Weight loss and maintenance take commitment but it can be done.
Are you getting your 30 minutes a day?
22/02/2009 by admin.
Standards set by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for health and fitness are widely followed in the UK. The ACSM guidelines regarding ”health” suggest that we all do 30 minutes of “activity” a day. This can be accumulated over the period of the day, eg 3 periods of 10 minutes.
So what do we mean by “activity” I hear you ask? This could be household chores such as hoovering, gardening or could be shopping, walking or washing the car (preferrably not sat in the car whilst it goes through the car wash).
Now, surely getting your 30 minutes in can’t be that difficult. C’mon make a conscious effort. Doing this won’t make you particularly fit so does not replace exercise but it will help keep you more healthy.
Have you reached a plateau?
21/02/2009 by admin.
When you follow the same exercise routine for a period of time, you tend to reach a plateau. This is when you don’t feel you are making any gains, perhaps in terms of weight loss or fitness (or both).
What can you do about it? Well you need to change what you are doing to cause a reaction by your body.
Most people work to a moderate level every time they exercise. Moderate exercise = moderate results. You need to spend “some time” working to higher levels. Those that are coming to boot camp will be sampling those higher levels of intensity.
By working at those higher levels your body is shocked into action. You burn plenty of calories and in terms of time spent exercising gives you the most rewarding bangs for your buck.
Make sure you intersperse the high intensity with periods of low intensity. Still continue with some moderate exercise a couple of times a week.
Seek doctor’s advice if you have not exercised for some time or are unsure whether you should embark on an exercise programme (or more intense exercise programme).
Try an Intermediate Session For Free
20/02/2009 by admin.
I have limited free spaces for those that wish to try an intermediate boot camp session. Get in touch if you want to give it a go.
You need a focus for exercising
20/02/2009 by admin.
One reason people drop out of exercise programmes is that they don’t have a focus. Having a focus provides motivation and leads to a higher level of commitment. Set yourself a SMART goal:-
S = Specific (be specific about what you want to achieve, eg walk 2 miles in 30 mins in 3 months time)
M = Measurable (our goal is measureable as we have a distance and a time that we want to achieve it in)
A = Achievable (assuming that currently we are walking 2 miles in approx. 32 mins I would consider that a sensible achievable target)
R = Recorded (write it down - that way you are more likley to commit). ‘R’ also stands for Realistic (it would not be realistic to aim to reduce your time by 10 minutes in 3 months).
T = Timed (we have set 3 months to achieve our goal so we have a time limit).
Now what next? You need to set yourself a schedule so that you can work towards that goal. Also, every so often walk the two miles and time yourself so see how close you are getting to your target.
What happens when you achieve your goal, esp. if you achieve it before the set time limit? Good question - you set another goal. Simple huh.
Active Ageing
19/02/2009 by admin.
Hi Folks,
Apologies for being quiet for the last two days but I was in London attending a course on active ageing. It was extremely beneficial in going more in depth on the issues affecting older people and their participation in exercise.
I am been inspired seeing some of the older participants on my boot camps and their enthusiasm not to mention their competitiveness at times.
One key issue that I took from the course is how important it is to continue to be active as we age. We can do so much through being activity and through eating a healthy diet to delay and even prevent the onset of certain diseases and illness.
So the message for today is an important and serious one……keep exercising and eating well - it really does make a difference!!
Ditch the crisps and chips….
15/02/2009 by admin.
Ditch the crisps and chips for a more healthy option..…potato wedges. They take little effort to prepare. All you need to do is peel the potatoes (or leave the jackets on) and chop them into large chunks. Apply pepper and if you want to spice them up add some paprika (if you add salt - go easy). Place them on a baking tray covered in foil then put them in the oven for about 15 minutes at 200°C.
