Obesity and Exercise: This blog will give the basic information required for an obese person to understand the need for increasing physical activity and identify the actions they need to take before getting underway. But first let’s take a look at some pretty scary statistics.
The National Health Survey England carried out between 1994 and 2003 revealed shocking increases in obesity for males and females in the UK.
* 9.5% increase of obesity in males between 1994 & 2003
* 6.1% increase of obesity in females between 1994 & 2003
If this trend continues then by 2010 over a third of all adults in the UK will be classed as obese, putting a huge strain on the already struggling NHS. In fact obesity is rising faster in the UK than in any other European community.
For the full article click this link Obesity & Exercise
Monday 25 February 2008
Wednesday 13 February 2008
Good Sources of Protein
Protein is used to repair tissue cells within the body and is an essential as part of a healthy balanced diet. You should eat some protein at every meal serve.
Protein is made up from Amino Acids. There are 20 amino acids in all, 9 of which are essential to our diet. The remaining 11 are manufactured within our liver, so are non-essential from dietary intake.
A complete protein is food source that includes all 9 essential amino acids. These are mainly from animal products with the exception of Soy.
Meat
Poultry
Fish
Dairy Eggs
Soy
Incomplete proteins are food sources that contain most of the 9 essential amino acids but usually fall short on one or two of them. These are mainly plant sources and include;
Grains
Cereals
Beans
Nuts
Seeds
Vegetables
It is possible to get the full compliment of amino acids by pairing up two or more of the incomplete food sources. For example baked beans on wholemeal toast would give the full compliment of essential amino acids. It's not essential to have both food sources at the same meal serve, as long as they are eaten within the same 24 hours.
How much protein do you need.
Daily protein intake depends upon two things. Your activity levels and your body weight. The average sedentary adult should be eating 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For example an adult weighing 80Kgs should be consuming 64 grams of protein per day.
This changes depending upon activity levels, so athletes and sports people should be consuming more due to the fact exercise damages body tissue, so additional protein is essential on top of the daily requirements to repair tissue damage.
The maximum amount of protein to be consumed in one day should be no more than 2 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Protein is made up from Amino Acids. There are 20 amino acids in all, 9 of which are essential to our diet. The remaining 11 are manufactured within our liver, so are non-essential from dietary intake.
A complete protein is food source that includes all 9 essential amino acids. These are mainly from animal products with the exception of Soy.
Meat
Poultry
Fish
Dairy Eggs
Soy
Incomplete proteins are food sources that contain most of the 9 essential amino acids but usually fall short on one or two of them. These are mainly plant sources and include;
Grains
Cereals
Beans
Nuts
Seeds
Vegetables
It is possible to get the full compliment of amino acids by pairing up two or more of the incomplete food sources. For example baked beans on wholemeal toast would give the full compliment of essential amino acids. It's not essential to have both food sources at the same meal serve, as long as they are eaten within the same 24 hours.
How much protein do you need.
Daily protein intake depends upon two things. Your activity levels and your body weight. The average sedentary adult should be eating 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For example an adult weighing 80Kgs should be consuming 64 grams of protein per day.
This changes depending upon activity levels, so athletes and sports people should be consuming more due to the fact exercise damages body tissue, so additional protein is essential on top of the daily requirements to repair tissue damage.
The maximum amount of protein to be consumed in one day should be no more than 2 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Monday 4 February 2008
Resistance Training
A good all round fitness program should incorporate the 3 following elements;
1. Aerobic (CV) training - Running, swimming, walking etc.
2. Resistance Training - Weight training, circuit training, palates etc.
3. Flexibility - Stretching, yoga
Including these 3 main elements will help you to get a good grounding in the 7 core components of fitness which are;
1. Aerobic
2. Anaerobic
3. Power
4. Strength
5. Endurance
6. Flexibility
7. Balance and mobility
For more information on the 7 core components of fitness, read our article 'Get Fit'.
Too many people only focus on one key area and that is generally the one that they feel comfortable with. For example, many people, run and never do weights. Or some people just workout with weights in the gym and never do any aerobic exercise. Very few people actually stretch before and after a workout session. The truth of the matter is all 3 are important for a balanced fitness program. Skipping any one element can end up being detrimental to your overall goals. To become all round fit, you have to incorporate a range of activities that will challenge all 7 of the core components of fitness. Progression of fitness is all about putting yourself outside of your comfort zone so that your body adapts to new challenges.
Resistance training is an essential activity that will help to develop, strength, power, endurance and balance. This in turn will promote good posture and fat loss, by preserving lean muscle mass. Lean muscle burns calories and will help to keep your metabolism on fire, thus preventing weight gain due to an increase in body fat.
If you are not doing so already, get started with a resistance program.
For more information read our article 'Weight Training for Fitness'.
For a great beginners all body resistance program check out 'Toning Exercises'
If you are not sure where to start with resistance training, have a chat with the Fitness Instructor at your local gym or hire a Personal Trainer to design a resistance program specific to you.
1. Aerobic (CV) training - Running, swimming, walking etc.
2. Resistance Training - Weight training, circuit training, palates etc.
3. Flexibility - Stretching, yoga
Including these 3 main elements will help you to get a good grounding in the 7 core components of fitness which are;
1. Aerobic
2. Anaerobic
3. Power
4. Strength
5. Endurance
6. Flexibility
7. Balance and mobility
For more information on the 7 core components of fitness, read our article 'Get Fit'.
Too many people only focus on one key area and that is generally the one that they feel comfortable with. For example, many people, run and never do weights. Or some people just workout with weights in the gym and never do any aerobic exercise. Very few people actually stretch before and after a workout session. The truth of the matter is all 3 are important for a balanced fitness program. Skipping any one element can end up being detrimental to your overall goals. To become all round fit, you have to incorporate a range of activities that will challenge all 7 of the core components of fitness. Progression of fitness is all about putting yourself outside of your comfort zone so that your body adapts to new challenges.
Resistance training is an essential activity that will help to develop, strength, power, endurance and balance. This in turn will promote good posture and fat loss, by preserving lean muscle mass. Lean muscle burns calories and will help to keep your metabolism on fire, thus preventing weight gain due to an increase in body fat.
If you are not doing so already, get started with a resistance program.
For more information read our article 'Weight Training for Fitness'.
For a great beginners all body resistance program check out 'Toning Exercises'
If you are not sure where to start with resistance training, have a chat with the Fitness Instructor at your local gym or hire a Personal Trainer to design a resistance program specific to you.
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