how to achieve a flat stomach

I'm frequently getting asked, 'how to achieve a flat stomach'. Most people want to know what's the best exercise for achieving a flat stomach?

The answer to that question is that there is no one single exercise that will magically get you a flat stomach in a matter of weeks. Achieving a flat stomach is a combination of 3 things,

1. Low body fat
2. Strong abdominal muscles
3. Good all round fitness

It's not possible to target fat loss to one particular area of your body. Imagine your body as being is like an ice cube. Turn up the heat and the ice will start to melt across it's whole surface area, not just in one particular place. The 'heat' is your metabolism and the 'ice cube' is your body fat. Increase your metabolism and your body fat will melt away, across your whole body surface area.

How to achieve a flat stomach in 3 easy steps;

1. Increase your metabolism by doing CV & resistance exercise
2. Strengthen your abdominal muscles by incorporating abdominal & core strengthening exercises in to your routine. Make sure that you also include exercises for your lower back so as not to create an imbalance in posture
   
3. Eat a healthy balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meats and fish.

Exercise Induced Asthma

Question:
I would love to improve my fitness, but I suffer from Asthma. I've started to put on some weight and generally feel unhealthy due to a sedentary lifestyle. I'm afraid of suffering from an exercise induced asthmatic episode, that's why I have never participated in exercise before. Someone told me recently that exercise can actually help to relieve the symptoms of asthma. Is this true? Can exercise have benefits for asthma sufferers like myself? What are the recommendations of exercise for asthma sufferers?

Answer:
Exercise definitely has lots of benefits for people who suffer from asthma. Asthma should not be a barrier from including exercise activity in your life. The plus factors far outweigh the negatives as long as you are sensible and know your limitations.

Some of the benefits of exercise for asthmatics can be;

• Increased strength and endurance of respiratory muscles
• Reduction in the feeling of shortness of breath
• Reduction in medication dependence
• Reduction in asthmatic episodes

Before you start any new exercise program, get checked out by your Doctor. This is sound advice for anyone, not just someone suffering from asthma or any other illness. Your Doctor can tell you whether you are fit to participate and can advise you how to cope with exercise induced asthmatic episodes.

Although exercise induced asthma can not be completely ruled out when participating in exercise activity, there are certain precautions that you can take to help prevent an asthmatic episode. Than main thing about exercising with asthma is you need to be aware of your current state before, during and after participating in an exercise session. Know what your personal best (PB) peak flow reading is and always check your peak flow prior to exercising. If your peak flow is less than 80% of your PB, then train with caution. If it's less than 60% then do not train at all as an attack may be imminent. Here are some guidelines before you start exercising;

• Take your medication
• Check your peak flow, before, during and after exercise
• Always have your reliever medication close to hand
• Never train alone

Exercise guidelines for asthmatics;

The focus should be around cardiovascular training (CV). Because this will help to strengthen the lungs. Asthmatics should always warm up thoroughly before exercising. This is the most important part of the exercise routine. Warm up gradually until the main CV session. The CV session should be performed at a moderate intensity (60 to 80%). For resistance training asthmatics are advised to avoid training with heavy weights. The focus should be on lighter weights, with higher repetitions and working until the last rep feels difficult to do. The cool down should be like the warm up. Always cool down and always stretch. This helps to relax you at the end of each session and helps to prevent injury.

• Warm up - Should be slightly longer. 10 to 15 minutes every session
• CV Training - 30 minutes at a moderate intensity. 3 to 5 times per week
• Resistance Training - Circuit format. Light weights, 1-2 sets of (15-20 repetitions)
• Cool down - Like warm up, slightly longer. 10 to 15 minutes every session
• Flexibility - Every session.

Asthmatics would benefit from exercising outside in a warm climate away from dusty gyms and air conditioning. The clearer the air the better. However colder days could cause problems. It's also advisable for asthmatics to stay away from swimming as chlorine can aggravate asthma.

Diabetes Advice

Over 1.4 million people suffer from Diabetes in the UK and that figure is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. In fact by 2010 it is expected that the figure will have doubled.

Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus to quote it's correct name, is the bodies inability to maintain normal blood sugar levels. It has been a recognized condition for over 3500 years. It is an incurable disease, but can be controlled by medication, exercise and diet.

Click on this link to read the full article;
http://www.kickstartfit.co.uk/articles/article_diabetesadvice.htm

Get Rid of Body Fat

Well it's that time of year again. We all want to look good because it's party time, yet we feel obliged to go out an indulge in rich food and alcohol. Then when Christmas is over, it's a mad manic rush to start fresh and get rid of the excess pounds of body fat we have accumulated over the holiday period. It's crazy, but most of us go thorough the same cycle year after year. Take a minute and look back over the years. Is this something you have been doing for the last few years? Has it almost become a habit? Why not try and make 2008 and different? Don't do what you have always done, try something new. After all, if you always do what you have always done, then you will always have what you have always got! Ring any bells. Don't start tomorrow, start now.

I'm off to a Christmas party tonight, not my first and certainly not the last. But I have decided, that I'm going to do things differently this year. I'm still going to enjoy myself, have a drink and eat some nice food, but what I am going to do is think about what I'm doing to myself. So I'm going to be sensible and that means, not drinking too much and eating sensibly. I want to be able to get up tomorrow, without the hangover and feel fresh enough to get out for a long morning walk. That will be my exercise for the day Then I can have a relaxing day and not feel guilty about over indulging the night before.

One of the main problems about todays society, is that we are too busy running around doing things for other people and not taking enough time to do things for ourselves. Just take some time to sit back and think about what you are doing to yourself and how it will effect you in the future. Don't do what other people say or do. Do what feels right to you. How many times have you heard someone saying, 'Oh go on, it's only one more drink, what harm can one more do you?' Well, the truth is, it can do you harm. The problem is, if you've heard that saying too many times, then it's not one more drink is it? It's 5, 10 or even 20 over the years.

Based on this, here's a few tips on how to try and prevent and even get rid of body fat over the holiday period, just so you can be in a better position for the new year.

1. Cut down on the alcohol. Alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks
2. Don't fill up the buffet plate until you can't fit any more on it, take a few bits and eat them slowly. Wait for a few minutes, if you are still hungry, go back and get some more, but the secret little and often.
3. Fill up on salad, vegetables and meats. Leave the pork pies, sausage rolls, crisps. These are the things that don't fill you up and are high in processed fats, sugar and salt.
4. For a sweet, opt for the fruit salad and creme fresh rather than pies and cheese cakes.
5. Dance the night away. Dancing is great exercise and helps burn off those excess calories.
6. Hydrate. Make sure you drink water, before the evening begins. Alcohol dehydrates you and that is what gives you the head ache in the morning.
7. Eat an apple before you go out. It helps to suppress hunger and will stop you pigging out at the buffet.
8. Mix with like minded people. If you are on a fitness campaign, find people to talk to who are doing the same thing. Stay away from those who are likely to sabotage your efforts.
9. Take some exercise before you go out. It will put you in a positive frame of mind, so you will feel more relaxed, better about yourself and less likely to want to get drunk to feel relaxed.
10. Make an effort to get up early the next morning and go for a long relaxing walk or cycle ride to get some fresh air. It'll clear your head. You'll feel better for it and it will help to erase the calories form the night before.

Remember; losing body fat is about 3 things;
1. Setting a goal
2. Eating a healthy
3. Getting active

Weight Training - Understanding weight training and how it can help you to achieve your fitness goals.

The image of training with weights has long been tarnished by the vision of sweaty gyms populated with huge muscle bound steroid abusing hulks. I can tell you now, all that has changed. More and more people are including weight training into their exercise regimes and quite rightly so. Here are some of the reasons why.

If you have never trained with weights before, then I suggest that you seriously reconsider. Weight training has so many health benefits it’s hard to list them all. But, recent research by the American Heart Association has suggested that adults should complete at least 2 resistance-training workouts per week. Other research suggests that regular resistance training with weights helps to improve strength and appears to reverse the signs of ageing in muscles. As little as 2 hours per week is all that is needed. Both these studies help to give credit to the value of exercise.

Believe it or not, your muscles do not know your age! They will respond to regular exercise whether you are 18 or 80, by becoming stronger. Your goals at 18 may be completely different from someone who is 80. But muscles are meant to be used and as the age old saying goes ‘Use it or lose it’ that is exactly what happens as you get older. Remember that your heart is muscle and that a sedentary lifestyle may increase the risk of having a heart attack. Regular exercise is one way to help reduce heart attack risk. Exercise can easily be adapted to target several different health concerns. Whether you are in a wheelchair, use a walker, need to be seated for exercise, or can dance the night away, exercise should be a part of your life.

In a nutshell weight training (or resistance training as it is also referred to), is beneficial at any age. Some of the main benefits are; to assist you in completing everyday tasks without difficulty, maintaining muscle mass, increasing your metabolism by helping you burn more calories, maintain strength and improving posture. And you are never too old to start.

Have you ever wondered why old people often stoop over?

Read the full article online.........Weight Training - Understanding weight training & how it can help you achieve your fitness goals.

10 Fitness Tips for November

1. Starting a workout campaign with a friend increases motivation. Monitor each other’s progress and organize a competition to see who achieves the best results. A small incentive like the loser pays for dinner or pays for the drinks on a night out etc. can add a new dimension to a fitness regime.

2. One of the best all round exercises is the squat. It strengthens all the major muscles in the legs, buttocks and core abdominal's. It also helps to improve balance. If you are new to squats, start with little or no weight and get the technique right.

3. How many times have you pulled out from your workout because you don’t have enough time? Is this really a valid excuse? Just because you can’t do your usual 60-minute workout doesn’t mean you should give up because you are 15 or 20 minutes late. Exercising for the available time is better than not exercising at all. If working with weights, just do 2 sets instead of 3. If you are doing aerobic exercise, cut short the time but increase the intensity. Variation is good; it won’t do you any harm to have a short intense workout some of the time.

4. The key to healthy weight loss is a combination of physical activity and proper nutrition, no magic formulas, pills or machines. Keeping it simple will help you to succeed. So remember, eat a sensible healthy diet with a variety of fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables and keep active.

5. Do you know what you are eating? Before you start a healthy eating plan to aid weight loss, it’s important to know exactly, how much, what and when you are eating. Many people eat sub-consciously without really thinking what is going into their mouths. Think about what you are eating. It helps to write everything down for at least 7 days. You’ll be surprised at what you find.

6. Running is one of the best exercises for weight management. 30 minutes running burns on average 300 calories at a light intensity. Increase that intensity to moderate and you are averaging 400. So, if you want to get slim, start running. It doesn’t have to be hell. Start at your own pace and build up. Combine running and walking together and go for time rather than distance.

7. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast slows down your metabolism and encourages your body to store fat. If you want to get slim and stay slim then eat breakfast without fail.

8. Junk food is empty calories. Junk food consists mainly of refined carbohydrates and trans fats, both of which are extremely bad for you. If you are hungry skip the burger and go for the healthier option, like a jacket potatoes with baked beans or tuna


9. Your health is paramount and should be your number concern. How can you be expected to live a happy life or support your family with poor health? The chances of developing serious illnesses like Heart Disease, Diabetes and some forms of Cancer can be drastically reduced by improvements in your lifestyle. Take a long hard look at your lifestyle and identify areas where you can make positive changes.

10. Having a positive mental attitude is also a vital component of health and fitness. Often failure is due to not believing in ones self. Having a definite goal, a good plan and faith in yourself is half the battle to success. Drive, motivation and enthusiasm encourage you to take action and strive towards your goal. Decide what you want, believe you deserve it and go get it.

Body Hydration

A recent study has shown that even experienced athletes under estimate how little they need to drink to stay hydrated due to sweat loss. The study looked at eighteen experienced runners who competed in a 10-mile road race. It looked at how the runners estimated their sweat loss and fluid consumption. The results show how much the runner’s dehydrated and how little fluid the runners had taken in. The runners had under estimated their sweat loss by 46 percent and fluid intake by 15 percent. The result showed the runners had only replaced 31 percent of fluid. The data showed that even the most experienced athlete could under estimate the amount of fluid lost due to activity. The potential for dehydration for the average exerciser could be more severe. It is important to hydrate the body before, during and after physical activity. The body cannot rely on thirst to keep the body hydrated.

The effects of dehydration

There are a number of drinks on the market to help the body absorb fluid into the body. Water alone is not the best way to hydrate the body due to the rate at which it leaves the stomach and absorbed by the intestines.

Isotonic drinks quickly replenish the fluids lost by dehydration. This drink is mostly favoured by middle distance, long distance athletes and sports teams. E.g. Lucozade Sports and Boots Isotonic. The drinks also contain glucose the body-preferred source of energy.

You can make your own isotonic drink very easily. Here is a simple recipe;

> 200ml of concentrated orange juice
> 1 litre of water
> 1 gram of salt

Mix all the ingredients and chill.

Artificial Sweating

The 'Coolie' is a new innovative device on the market to help reduce dehydration during physical activity. It is an ingenious device to replicate sweating.

Once the body starts to warm up it needs to rid the heat by means of convection, the same way a hot drink losses heat.

The Coolie once activated with water is worn around the neck. It starts to release heat from the body before the onset of sweat which in turn reduces dehydration.

The Coolie can also be chilled before use, therefore reducing the onset of dehydration further.

Coolies can be obtained from http://www.cooliecreations.com/

How many calories do you burn during exercise?

I get many questions asking, which exercise burns the most calories? The amount of calories you burn during any physical activity depends upon several factors. Here are a few of the main factors that determine the amount of calories burned during a physical activity;

Your weight:
The heavier you are, the more calories you will burn. The simple reason is because your body requires more energy to move if you are bigger. For example, a 40-ton truck would burn more fuel than a family sized car even if it travelled at the same speed and distance.

Intensity:
How hard you work during the activity. The harder you work, the more calories you will burn. Just like a car will burn more fuel when you go faster. Intensity is usually described as light, moderate and vigorous.

Duration:
How long you keep up the activity for. The longer you go for, the more calories you will burn. You will have to adjust the intensity at which you perform the activity to enable you to keep going for longer. Many people are able to complete a marathon. But you have to run the distance at a light to moderate intensity. A one hundred metre sprint would be performed at a vigorous intensity.

The following statistics were taken from a study published in USA Today. Click the active link to read the full article.

The average weight for a UK adult;

Female: 147lbs (10 stone 7 lbs) or 67kgs
Male: 176lbs (12stone 8lbs) or 80kgs

Below, I have listed some of the main activities people do for recreation and to keep fit.
Depending upon your goals, you can pick an activity that suites your lifestyle or interests. Keep in mind that it’s best to perform a variety of activities to enhance the range of your fitness. Most people combine an aerobic activity, such as running or cycling with resistance exercise, such as weight training to achieve all-round fitness. Of course you can do activities like Circuit Training or Rock Climbing, which has an element of both. It’s always important to include flexibility exercises to help improve & maintain the range of movement in your joints.
If you are aiming to lose weight, then you need to do something that will help you to use energy and burn fat. So it’s best to perform the activity at a moderate intensity for a period of at least 30 minutes.

The calculations for the number of calories burned are based on the average weight for a UK adult and a duration of 30 minutes. The figures for each individual will vary depending upon the factors mentioned above. Take into consideration each of these factors to obtain a more accurate personal calculation.

All these figures were compiled using the Calorie Counting Tool at www.maximuscle.com. For more a more accurate assessment using your own personal vital statistics click on the link above.

The tables show the number of calories burned during each activity performed at a light, moderate & vigorous intensity for the average UK adult.



Using these tables will give you a very general idea of which activities will burn the most calories and will help you to devise a plan for weight loss. Remember, it’s important to take into account the extra number of calories you will need for physical activity, so that you don’t fall short on energy.
Creating a 500-calorie per day deficit (250 from diet and 250 from exercise) will give a healthy weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs per week. Make sure you discount the extra calories for days that you don’t do any physical activity.

What's the easiest way to lose weight?

This is a question I get asked very often. One certainty is that their is no healthy way of losing weight fast. Weight loss should be achieved by a steady reduction of 1 to 2 pounds per week. The way to do this is with a healthy balanced diet and regular exercise. Firstly, don't get hung up on weight loss. The aim should be to reduce body fat, which in turn will reduce your weight. From here on in I will only refer to fat loss and not weight loss.

So what is the easiest way to lose body fat and do I have to count calories?

There is no easy answer to these questions. It really depends upon your current circumstances. I tend to put people who want to lose body fat in two categories.

1. People who want to get fit and reduce body fat due to an unhealthy lifestyle.
2. People who are already fit, participate in exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet but want to lose that last few stubborn pounds of body fat to achieve a great toned physique.

I would approach people from each group in a different way and give the following advice.

If you fall into category 1, then I wouldn't advise counting calories, unless you want food issues to totally dominate and take over your life. You are obviously at a point where you realise that your current lifestyle needs to change and that you seriously need to lose body fat before it starts to drastically effect your health.
In your situation, their are probably a lot of changes that can be made to your diet and lifestyle that will have a major impact on fat loss. You need to take a long hard look at your eating and lifestyle habits. A good way to do this is to keep a diary for at least 7 days. Keep an accurate record of everything you eat and the activity you do. The next step, is to look at areas where you can improve. For example; Do you really need that piece of cake just before you go to bed? Is it really necessary to have 3 teaspoons of sugar in you tea? Could I have walked to the shops instead of driving? Identifying areas where you can make small changes will go along way to helping you to lose fat and get fitter.

How can I tell I'm losing body fat?
The simplest way to monitor fat loss is to take measurements of the areas of your body that are holding the most fat. Waist, hips, thighs, chest etc. This will give you a good indication of progress. The other way is to measure your Body Mass Index. Click the link below to go to a simple calculator for doing this. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/.

Do I really need to exercise?
If you seriously want to lose body fat then regular exercise is a must. Simply by being more active and exercising you will use more calories. This along with a healthy diet will help burn body fat. The key to exercise is to make sure you do an activity you enjoy. Despite the benefits many people find exercise too much like hard work and abandon it before making a serious commitment. There are many reasons for this. Most people who start exercise try to do too much too soon. If you haven't done any serious exercise for a long time then you need to ease into it gently. Any increase in activity, be it only 10 minutes per day is an improvement on what you were doing before. So start slow and build up.

If you fall into category 2, I don't need to tell you to eat healthy and take exercise because you are already doing it, which is great. However, if you are asking the question, 'What's the easiest way to lose weight?' I'm assuming that you are still holding on to a few excess pounds of fat. Getting rid of this is probably just a case of making small changes to your current diet and exercise routine. The last few pounds is always the most difficult to get rid of. This is really frustrating if you are spending hours per week in the gym and trying your best to eat healthily. Think about this statement. 'If you do what you have always done, you will always get what you've got!' Unfortunately, human beings are naturally creatures of habit. Most people I work with in this situation are doing the same or similar exercise routine they have always done and are eating the same diet and let's face it making the same mistakes. Your body is the master adapter and will very quickly adapt to what ever you throw at it. So the key here is to keep it guessing. Often just making small changes to your normal routine and diet will give great results for fat loss. Making changes will kick start your metabolism and help you to lose body fat.
In this situation, then counting calories is more relevant. It's necessary to know how many calories you can eat during the day. I often find that most people in this situation are eating a maintenance diet (enough calories to maintain weight) or too little calories, in which case their metabolism has hit rock bottom and their body is doing everything it can to hold on to that last little bit of fat.
First find out how many calories you need in a day. Then create a calorie deficit of about 500 from your maintenance allowance. Second, change your workout routine. If you have always done aerobic exercise, try adding some resistance training into your workout or vice versa. If you already do both, try some variations of other aerobic activities or resistance exercises.

We can learn a great deal about fat loss from body builders. Body builders are constantly tweaking and changing there work out routines and diet and are masters at reducing body fat when it is needed to do so. A great book that explains the principles and methods used by natural body builders to achieve such low body fat levels is call Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle by Tom Venuto.
Don't be put off by the title, the principles and methods used can be applied by anyone. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned pro, Toms book has helped thousands of everyday people achieve their fat loss goals.

10 Fitness Tips for October

1. Replace a coffee break with a brisk 10-minute walk. Ask a friend to go with you.

2.The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that training with weights (resistance training) can help patients fight disease if performed in a controlled and correct manner. A reasonable program of resistance exercises can help the heart to lower the risk factors related with heart disease.
Read more online at http://circres.ahajournals.org/

3.Some of the benefits of exercise for Asthma suffers
a.Builds muscular strength & endurance for respiratory muscles
b.Increases effectiveness in extracting oxygen therefore increasing the body’s work capability
c.De-sensitises the airways in relation to triggers, which results in less aggravations
d.Reduces reliance on medication

4.The recommended advice is 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day to remain healthy. Only 27% of the population are eating at least 3 portions.

5.Weight training could be the key to fat loss. A study at Ball State University in the US found that people who participated in a regular weight-training program (combined with aerobic exercise and diet) experienced weight loss due almost entirely of body fat. Where as people participating in purely aerobic exercise (and diet) experienced a weight loss due to a combination of lean muscle and body fat.

6.If your muscles cramp during exercise it could be that you are not properly hydrated. Make sure that you drink enough water before exercise and always have a drink on hand whilst working out. If you are doing long CV workouts it’s a good idea to have an isotonic sports drink to replace electrolytes lost during exercise.

7.Remember, if you are new to exercise or thinking of getting started, then start slowly and build up. Any exercise that is above and beyond your normal level of activity can be seen as a positive step, even if it’s only 10 minutes.

8.If you don’t relish the thought of joining a gym, then why not get started at home. Get yourself a set of dumbbells, a stability ball and an exercise mat and you get started right away. Do your aerobic exercise outside by walking, jogging or cycling. 30 minutes a day is all you need to get started.

9.People who want to get fit generally fall into 3 categories;
a.Improve quality of life or health
b.Improve physical appearance
c.Training for a specific activity
Which category do you fall into? It’s important for you to realise why you want to improve your fitness.

10.Green Tea helps to encourage the immune system to fight disease, but research shows that White Tea extract can actually destroy organisms that cause disease.

Walking for Fitness

Ask yourself this question, ‘Why do you want to get fit?’ There are so many advantages to improving your overall fitness it’s hard to think why anyone would not want to do it. When we refer to ‘fitness’ in general everyday terms we are normally talking about aerobic fitness, the fitness of our heart and lungs. Our heart is a muscle and like any other muscle it will get stronger the more we exercise it. Our lungs will become more efficient by increasing the functional capacity.

If you are looking to start fitness then walking is a great way to get started.
Lets look at some facts & health benefits of walking for fitness.

· Walking at a brisk pace of 2 to 4 mph can burn between on average 200 to 400 calories per hour
· Walking is aerobic so it will exercise your heart
· Walking can be done almost anywhere and requires no specialist equipment in most circumstances
· Reduces the risk of serious diseases such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression and high cholesterol
· Reduction in body fat due to an increase in metabolic rate
· Enhanced sense of well-being
· Helps improve balance and co-ordination
· Helps to strengthen leg muscles and core abdominals for better posture

One of the best things about walking is that it is easy to fit around your current lifestyle without making any drastic changes. If you just allow yourself at little bit extra time each day you will be able to fit your walk in to your daily routine.

· Go for a 30 minute walk in your lunch break
· Park the car or get off the bus at 20 to 30 minute walking distance from your place of work
· Walk to the shops instead of driving
· Go out for walks at the weekend to local beauty spots and enjoy the fresh air

If you are going to start walking to improve your fitness, then it’s important to do it at an intensity that will benefit you. You need to walk at brisk pace so that increases your heart rate and breathing rate sufficiently for them to be getting exercise. If you are breathing harder than normal, you are getting slightly hot and sweaty, but you can hold a normal conversation in reasonable comfort then you are walking at the right intensity. This should be around 60% of your maximum heart rate, otherwise known as the ‘fat burning zone.’
To be getting any real fitness benefits from your walking then you should be walking at least once a day for ideally 30 to 45 minutes. To progress your fitness, try walking at different speeds. Increase the time and or the distance that you walk. Also, try walking on different terrains, such as hills and surfaces like the beach for example. You could also try interval training, by increasing and decreasing your pace throughout your walk. This will vary your heart and breathing rates adding an extra variable to your training. This also helps to reduce boredom. Adding these variables will help to increase your overall fitness by preventing your body adapting to the same routine. This keeps your body guessing and that’s the key to increasing fitness.
As with any physical activity, it’s highly important that you prepare correctly. Always warm up before you significantly increase the pace. You can warm up by walking at a gentle pace for the first 5 minutes and then perform some light stretching. The stretching might not be convenient on your walk to and from work or to the local shops, but the 5-minute warm up most definitely is. It’s also advisable to incorporate a 5-minute cool down at the end of the walk. This could be achieved by decreasing the pace during the last 5 minutes. Stretching thoroughly afterwards is very important to help maintain flexibility and prevent injury.
When going out for a long walk take into consideration your route, wear suitable clothing and footwear. Make sure you know where you are going and how long it’s going to take you. If you are going off road into the wilderness, take the necessary survival equipment, a map, food, drink and mobile phone and let someone know where you are going. Common sense really! Always take some water or a drink with you incase of de-hydration especially in hot weather. If you are going in rough terrain, such as the mountains, then it’s highly advisable to get some sturdy footwear like walking boots and correct all-weather clothing.
Whilst keeping fit is important, it’s also important to do something you enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy walking then find something else you do like. The principles of getting fitter and keeping fit are the same no matter what activity you do. To keep yourself motivated follow this simple advice;
· Do something you enjoy
· Set yourself a goal so you know where you are heading
· Get a training partner
· Monitor your progress
· Join a club or group
· Set yourself a routine and stick with it
· Reward your success
· One you reached one goal, set another
· Variety is the spice of life, try something different
So now you have all you need to get started. Make a plan and just do it. Good luck.
The idea for this article was derived from ‘Tips on Walking’ at http://www.netfit.co.uk/walking-web.htm

Do we get enough exercise from our daily activities?

I was scanning the Internet the other day and I came across this really interesting article on a US health & fitness club site. 24 Hour Fitness is a large chain of health and fitness clubs that spread right across the US. If you are interested to have a look at other articles they have on the site you can visit them at
http://www.24hourfitness.com/FitnessArticles.do
What really interested me about the article is that it captures the state of the western world today and the fact that time saving devices are causing us to do little or no exercise in our daily routines. The situation is now the same in the UK as it is the US. Most of the population does little vigorous exercise at work or even during leisure time. Where as 30 or even 20 years ago, more people were doing physical jobs, fewer people had cars and there were less labour saving devices available, which meant that we had no option but to do more physical activity. Even our leisure time today is often spent in a sedentary way. People have more choice on the TV. Kids are playing football on a game console rather than kicking a ball around in the street.

Our overall fitness and health can be improved by including some low to moderate intensity activities into our lives on a daily basis. Everyday simple activities can have both short and long-term health benefits. Walking to the shops, mowing the lawn, climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Also, household chores, such as cleaning, ironing and vacuuming etc. All these activities help to raise your heart and breathing rate improving your heart and lung fitness.

However, you can achieve a greater level of aerobic fitness by introducing regular vigorous exercise activities like swimming, circuit training, brisk walking, running or cycling. Performed 3 to 4 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each session at a high enough intensity will make a considerable difference to your aerobic fitness. Doing activities like these on a regular basis will help to reduce the risk of serious illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and many others.

A statement in the article I particularly like is, “You don’t have to train like a marathon runner to become more physically fit! Any activity that gets you moving around, even if it’s just for a few minutes each day is better than none at all. The trick is to at least get started. Start by taking a 10 to 15 minute walk during your lunch break.”

This is so true. A lot of people today have a poor vision of exercise from PE lessons at high school. They think you have to train like Rocky to see any results. Exercise doesn’t have to be hard. It’s as hard as you make it and you have the ability to be the best you can be. It’s important to push yourself a little so you make the necessary progress. But let’s face it, if you do nothing at the moment that 15-minute walk at lunch is going to do you the world of good.

There are so many benefits to regular exercise. You will feel and look better. Exercise helps you to relax and cope with stress. It improves your self-image and helps you to make new friends. Exercise also helps weight loss by increasing your metabolism, so you burn more calories at rest. It builds and tones muscle, which improves, posture and will help you to cope better with day-to-day activities.

Did you know that you have to burn 3,500 calories to lose 1lb of body fat? Before you can seriously start to lose weight you have to know how many calories you burn in an average day, this is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and this is the amount of calories your body will use just to function normally. A good BMR calculator can be found at http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/. It doesn’t take into account any additional daily physical activity. A rough guide would be adding on another 25% of your BMR to get an idea of your daily caloric needs. For example, if your BMR is 1800 calories per day, then your approximate daily calorie needs would be around 2250. This is a very rough guide. It will vary by the amount of physical activity that you do. Some people will need more or less calories than others.
Each type of physical activity burns a number of calories. So for example, if you carry on eating the same number of calories per day, but add a brisk 30-minute walk everyday, by the end of the year potentially you could lose around 16lbs in weight. The more vigorous the activity the more calories you burn. But increasing the duration is often more efficient than increasing the intensity.
Combine an increase in activity with a healthy balanced reduction in calorie intake and you can achieve the results much sooner.

Take this into consideration; Consider the benefits of a well-conditioned heart: In 1 minute with 45 to 50 beats, the heart of a well-conditioned person pumps the same amount of blood as an inactive person's heart pumps in 70 to 75 beats. Compared to the well-conditioned heart, the average heart pumps up to 36,000 more times per day, 13 million more times per year.

Isn’t it worth getting fit?

If you want to read the full article on line click on the link below,
http://www.24hourfitness.com/FitnessArticles.do

15 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Fitness

This is just a few things that you could be doing if you want to start on a fitness campaign. Not all of them apply to everyone, but read through them and see if you can apply some of these strategies to your campaign.

1. Give up smoking

I’m not going into the reasons why you should give up smoking; my aim is help you to do so. Make a plan, stick to a day when you decide to stop, remove all temptations, and don’t smoke socially. Keep yourself busy and make full use of all the free help, support and advice that is now available from the NHS. This is best thing you can do to kick-start your fitness campaign and even if this were the only thing you succeed in doing then you would have made a significant contribution to your health.

2. Cut down on alcohol

Whilst alcohol can have some health benefits if consumed in moderation anything over the Governments recommended daily allowance of 3-4 units for men and 2-3 units for women would outweigh the benefits. If you are going to drink, make sure you are sensible and stick within the guidelines. Binge drinking is extremely damaging to health and should be avoided.

3. Reduce your salt intake

High levels of salt are a major contributor to high blood pressure. Reduce your intake by not adding salt at the table, cut down on processed food with hidden salt. Try replacing salt with fresh herbs in your home cooking.

4. Reduce sugar intake

Like salt, too much refined sugar is detrimental to your health. Increased sugar intake is linked to Type II Diabetes, where your body becomes insulin resistant.
Reduce sugar in the same way you would with salt. Cut down on processed food with hidden sugar and don’t add sugar unnecessarily, for example to already sweetened cereal etc.

5. Cut out trans fats, completely!

Trans fats or hydrogenated fats are extremely bad for you. They are produced by subjecting vegetable oil to high temperature and pressure during processing and then adding hydrogen. This alters the molecular structure of the oil making it more viscose. Some experts have commented that the molecular structure of a trans fat closer resembles a plastic than a fat. Too many trans fats promote the increase of LDL (bad) cholesterol and a decrease in HDL (good) cholesterol. Trans fats are found in many processed foods such as, margarines, cakes, crackers, biscuits, take aways and preprepared food. Make sure you read the labels and avoid any foods with Trans fats like the plague.

6. Participate in Aerobic exercise

Also know as CV (Cardiovascular) because it exercises your cardiac (heart) and respiratory (lungs) systems. Aerobic activity can be defined as an activity that improves the body’s ability to transport and utilize oxygen. It increases the efficiency of your heart and lungs and is associated with endurance activities such as distance running, cycling, walking etc. During aerobic activity your heart would be working around 60 to 90% of its maximum.

7. Keep a food diary

Keeping a food diary for at least 7 days will help you to see exactly what and when you are eating. It’s absolutely necessary when embarking on a healthy eating or fat reduction plan. You have to be very honest and record every mouthful. At the end of the 7 days, go through it and see where you could improve. It’s also a good idea to record your mood and energy levels 2 hours after eating. You will be very surprised at what you discover.

8. Set a realistic goal

Having a goal to aim for is vital when starting a fitness campaign. Not having a goal is like setting out on a journey without knowing where you are going. Decide on your goal and then plan your sub-goals. This will be your ‘road map’ to your final destination. Every successful person has a goal to aim for.

9. Stretch your muscles

Stretching keeps you flexible and helps keep the best possible range of movement in your joints. It’s very important to stretch before and after exercise as it helps to prevent injury. It’s especially important to stretch because as we get older we begin to lose flexibility in our muscles, which contributes to poor posture and decreased mobility in old age.

10. Do some resistance training

We talked about aerobic training to exercise your heart and lungs. Resistance (weight) training helps to preserve muscle. Resistance training can be used to increase strength, muscle size or muscle endurance depending upon how it’s applied. Most people will benefit from training for muscular endurance as this is more suited to everyday activities. Training for endurance will help preserve muscle, tone muscle and help to provide support to your skeleton, therefore improving posture and joint stability.

11. Train your core muscles.

Having a strong core (mid-section) is important for good posture. Your core abdominal muscles are working hard throughout the day to keep you upright, so having a strong core will help to support your back muscles and is vital for everyday general activities.

12. Drink more water

You should be drinking at least 2 liters of water everyday. Often people are dehydrated and they don’t even know it. De-hydration can also be mistaken for hunger. Water is vital for normal body functions. Your vital organs rely on water to function correctly. Not having enough can damage them. If you are feeling hungry, drink a glass of water and wait 10 minutes rather than eating the first thing within reach. If you are still hungry after 10 minuets then eat something.

13. Eat little and often

Believe it or not most people probably don’t eat enough. It’s what you eat and when you eat that can contribute to weight problems, not necessarily how much you eat. Healthy eating with regular exercise is the key to weight control. Eating little and often keeps your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day, raises your metabolism so you burn more calories and prevents you from being hungry, so you are not so tempted to snack on junk food. Remember these few simple rules; always eat breakfast. Eat fresh whole foods. Eat something every 2 to 3 hours. Don’t go to bed on a full stomach, have your last meal at least 2 hours before going to bed.

14. Have enough sleep

Your body does all its repair work during the night when you are sleeping. So if you have been working hard in the gym, then this is the time when your body is recovering and regenerating itself. So have at least 8 hours sleep a night and try to keep your sleep patterns as regular as possible. Also, sleep leaves you feeling refreshed and motivated so you don’t skip your exercise sessions because you are too tired.

15. Get motivated

Keeping up with exercise or healthy eating is hard. Get one thing straight in your mind, what is motivating you to be doing this? When you feel like you can’t be bothered, think about why you need to eat healthily or get your exercise done. Join a class where you can meet other like minded people or start your fitness campaign with a friend. Once you get into a routine it becomes much easier. So get to know your motivators and your de-motivators. Avoid the de-motivators at all costs.