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.