Tag Archives: exercise

Is It Really ‘Cause For Concern’ When a Supermodel Loses Her Baby Weight In 2 Months?

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I don’t think it really has to be said that supermodels aren’t like normal people. They are taller for one. While the vast majority of the women in the world are under 5.6′, that is considered short in supermodel terms. Then they are generally thin and beautiful. The very top of the gene pool. So should we compare ourselves to them? In some ways, yes. Controversial I know, but the training regime of the Victoria Secret Models would put some athletes to shame. I never thought there was anything wrong with aspiration. It is a models job to be thin and fit. Which is why I don’t get the controversy surrounding Russian supermodel Elena Perminova who stripped off for Vogue Russia two months after giving birth to reveal a stunning post-pregnancy figure.

Supermodel-Elena-Perminova-before-andafterpregnancy, pregnancy, post birth body,

In the first image, Elena is eight months pregnant. The second image is two months later. (Credit: Russian Vogue)

I am seven-months pregnant at the moment. I didn’t look like Elena before I was pregnant, and I won’t look like her after being pregnant. The truth is, genes play a role, but I will exercise and eat well. I have lost weight before, for my wedding last year. I had put two stone on after a back injury and despite having a full-time job and writing a book amongst a million other things, I exercised five days a week for at least an hour and lost all of the weight within months. I didn’t diet or deprive myself but I put the work in and pretty much hated every second. But is Elena being irresponsible? A debate started online with some people saying that she was promoting a lifestyle that was unrealistic for new mothers. The 28-year-old model is married to Russian millionaire businessman Alexander Lebedev and this was her third child. She started a hardcore 7-days-a-week exercise regime a mere two weeks after having her baby by caesarian last year. The article also featured advice to Russian women on how to get their figure back after pregnancy. Elena said in Russian Vogue, ‘Normally doctors say “yes” to sport only three months after giving birth. ‘But I started earlier, just two weeks afterwards, even though I had a caesarian. The doctor allowed me to do it because I felt very well. Naturally, at first I was not exercising a lot, or there was a risk to breastfeeding. And the main thing – I did not exercise my stomach. It is dangerous to do it right after birth.’

Elena did simple repetitive exercises while her daughter Arina slept, and jogged for two hours a day with her husband while on a holiday in Cyprus. He mother-in-law looked after the baby. She said the jogging got rid of her baby weight and the water in her body by helping her ‘dry out’. She ate ‘simple homemade fare, for example, steamed fish with lemon juice.’ Many Vogue readers praised her hard work but many others said she was promoting an unrealistic example. But does a supermodel have to set realistic examples? Is there anything wrong with being aspirational or losing weight quickly, especially when it is part of your job? The truth is: the average new mum doesn’t need to lose weight quickly as our career does not depend on it. We get to eat cake and be tired. We get to sleep and just watch TV when we have time. So is it irresponsible? Let us know your thoughts below.

 

 

Taking Small Steps To Improve Your Health

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Many of us whose waistline is on an expansion mission know there are simple solutions to rein in weight gain. In many cases, a healthy lifestyle is seen as being too much effort, but the truth is that just a few small changes to lifestyle and diet can see a massive difference to health and wellbeing and in most cases you will hardly notice a difference to daily routine.

health, health tips

 

Why is it important to stay healthy?

 

Eating properly and having the right amount of exercise are key to your ability to fight off illness and disease.  The immune system needs the right amount of nutrients to remain strong in order to work efficiently, but it is also hampered when you are overweight and out of shape.  Additional factors to consider if you want to improve your health include the damaging effects of smoking and alcohol consumption.  Both of these can lead to illness and also reduce the effectiveness of your immune system.

 

A healthy diet

 

Following a healthy diet will mean that you are providing your body with all the nutrients that you need to stay in good health.  With plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet it will be much easier to get the right nutrients.  The recommended daily amount is around five portions a day, but some scientists are now recommending that people extend this to seven portions a day, with just two of those as fruit.  However, if you are one of those people who rarely eats fresh fruit and vegetables, the first step is to include just some each day.  Over time, you can build this up to the right amount.

 

In addition to fresh fruit and vegetables, it is a good idea to make a few swaps so that your unhealthy choices are suddenly much better for you.  One example is fries.  Replace these with jacket or boiled potatoes and you will cut your fat intake dramatically.  White bread can be swapped for wholegrain and you can opt for brown versions of rice and pasta instead of the standard white.

 

For some it can be difficult to get the balance right, particularly if there are underlying health issues.  Herbal and nutritional supplements can be useful here.  A good multivitamin can help to redress the balance, but you can also incorporate herbal teas as an easy way to add the benefits of herbs to your diet.  Jasmine Tea, for example, is considered to be very calming and perfect for those who suffer from stress and anxiety, both of which can have a negative effect on health.

 

Don’t forget exercise!

 

Finally, make sure that you get regular exercise.  The jury is still out on just how much exercise a person needs but the good news is that you only have to go for a good walk a few times a week to see a difference.  Exercise does not have to be hard work or boring – take up cycling with the family or even try something like ballroom dancing.  You will be having so much fun you might not even notice the pounds and inches slipping away!

 

 

Ageing isn’t just skin deep – Muscular Ageing

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Nexus PR hosted a magnificent event at 34 restaurant, with equally amazing people w, experts in their field, discussed about the myths and recommendations regarding our own bodies.

It’s no surprise that the media control the way people think about their bodies, as it is always in plain sight, no matter where we go and they don’t always tell the full story. Top physiotherapist Sammy Margo spoke about Children & teens, 20’s & 30’s getting into good habits and the Hot & Cold heroes. Double world champion British rower and personal fitness trainer Toby Garbett spoke about Middle Aged spread and Exercise = Independence. Angus Hunter from Stirling University spoke about Structures, Stretching and the science behind it. Colin Brown speaking on the relevance of Deep Heat and Deep Freeze as the Hot and Cold Heroes!

Credit: Wikipedia

Credit: Wikipedia

As you would expect with the Grosvenor Square restaurant, it was amazing and the food was perfect… I can’t jump ahead, as so much happened before the meal, which has relevance to the actual event.

Sammy Margo, started off with an intro, as expected and went on to speak about the relevance of Collagen. It is more in our muscle than given credit! A decline in Collagen creates sagging skin, but also takes its toll on our muscles, hair and nails. Muscle wastage and loss of power impacts our daily lives. A lack of exercise, modern technology and increased obesity are fuelling a surge of muscle problems, whatever your age!

Sammy’s stats sound like a horror story and it is more frightening because these stats are backed up with facts, but the solutions are there! As a custodian of your body, you have to take more responsibility of it and your children, as they follow by example, more than what you teach. This is reflected in the teenage and young adult stats that show a decline in exercise and more reliant on technology and being unsociable by being on social websites!

The numbers increase as the age increases, as aches, pains and stiffness are all far too common ailments. An incredible 71% (7 out of 10) people didn’t know that we lost muscle mass as we aged. The medical term for age related muscle mass loss is, Sarcopenia. The rate and extent of muscle loss is down to Genetics, diet and lifestyle. The adage, “Use it, or lose it” is wholly relevant.

Sammy highlights that whilst “growing pains” are a reality, our good habits are supposed to be habitual by the time we are in our 20’s and 30’s. It is imperative to encourage children to be more active by setting the example yourself. They are more likely to do it because you are and not because you force them to, whether it is for the betterment of their health, or not!

30 to 40 year olds are likely to take up new sports, but more likely to fail to follow through with that sport! Failure to warm up is a common failure and leads to stiffness, injuries and could be a cause of turning people away from sports and training. However, simple things to help alleviate bad posture and stiffness at work could be standing whilst on the phone rather than sitting. Also, not leaning back on the chair and tilting the pelvis to maintain posture will help also.

Sammy pointed out that preparation for pregnancy can lead to a smoother post natal recovery. A strengthened core is something worth considering for the load bearing on the area as a whole. And learning to lift correctly will always stand you in good stead.

As extensive as her talk was, it covered a vast amount of things that should technically be standard knowledge to us! It’s our bodies, so some care in making sure it’s maintained is the least we can do for it.

After a well deserved applause, Sammy made way for Toby to discuss our middle aged spread. Only a quarter of 30-40 year olds studied said they worked out at least 3 times a week. Unfortunately the amount was halved in the age group 41-50. This is reflected in the amount that suffer a daily pain, or discomfort. 13% for the 35-39 year olds and 22% for 46-49 year olds. Are we making excuses, or is it something to do with our age? Technically, as we age, we suffer a weakness of the skeletal muscle, but do we use adequate treatment for it? Hot and Cold treatment is probably the last thing we think of doing, when it should be the first!

In menopausal women, the loss of oestrogen can have a domino effect of increased weight, loss of muscle mass and strength and declining bone density. When the hot flushes occur this often makes women shy away from exercise. Almost one-in-three people over the age of 60 will suffer a fall due to muscle weakness. Skeletal muscle dysfunction in the elderly can be deadly.

Toby mentioned a couple of things, which should ring a bell, or two, for some people when I put it for you to read. “The moment we lose the ability to squat, we lose our independence to get on and off the toilet!” An exercise that keeps that alone is worth doing! Even if you did it for 5 minutes a day, I am sure you would be able to evaluate the extent of your need to increase, or improve your technique and exercise.

Another exercise worth considering is the rotator cuff. Even if you go to the gym, you have to ask whether, or not you cater for this exercise. The easier it is to take your jumper of and put one on shows how well your rotator cuff is. Yes, those are things we take for granted. Going to the toilet and getting dressed.

Angus Hunter covered an area I am an advocate for… Stretching! As I am a firm believer that there is no excuse forego stretching. Before your feet even touch the floor, you could have done a basic stretch that encompasses the whole body and takes about 5 minutes. However, it’s not about me, it’s about the presentation.

He has a quote from Shakespeare, which appeals to the actor in me, “… The sixth age shifts into the lean and slipper’s pantaloon, ith spectacles on nose and pouch on side; his youthful hose, well sav’d, a word too wide, for his shrunk shank…”

After we learnt the scientific word for the loss of muscle, we learn the word for the loss of strength, “Dynapenia”! The basics are without the muscle to support the strength, you will be lacking with increasing muscle loss. Granted Angus was far more scientific, but the statistics are the things that show how age and lack of muscle stimulus affects us as we age!

I found the fact that massaging and stretching have similar effects on the muscle interesting! They both lengthen the muscle and release muscle stress. Duration of both also determined the amount of stress alleviated and the length. There is no clear evidence on the most effective type of stretching.

Genetics play a part on the type of muscle you have and can help your sport dependant on the type you have. The 3 classifications are type I fibres, which are known also as Slow Twitch. Type IIa fibres, which are Fast Twitch. Type IIb/X fibre, which are also Fast Twitch, these have the shortest time to peak tension as opposed to the Slow Twitch which has the longest!

Collagen is considered the glue that holds us together, given it comes from the Greek word, Kolla, which means glue. Type 1 is the toughest and found in ligaments, tendons and bones. Type 2 is found in cartilage and the jelly (vitreous humour) inside the eye. Type 3 is the most thin and elastic found in the skin, lungs and blood vessels. About 25% of the body comes as Collagen and this declines as we age, hence the wrinkles, dry hair and brittle nails!

With all this knowledge, does it make it any easier to understand? Yes… and no. Always, the more information you have the better to make an informed decision it is! However, it means that the media have to get off their butt and make it so that it is something we read, not just whilst you’re waiting at the doctors, but actually as an everyday concept! It should be relevant to food, sunbathing, exercise, ageing and wellbeing! An article here, or there is great, but more of it makes it common knowledge and not a stranger to conversation with your doctor, personal trainer, neighbour, or child. It really is that important.

Even hot and cold treatment. How many people know the 4 distinct phases? Bleeding, Swelling, Proliferation and Remodelling… Just in case you had forgotten. Cold happens during the swelling phase and heat benefits the proliferation phase! Because those 2 phase overlap, there is about 72 hours after swelling and cold to treat it that heat treatment helps the proliferation phase.

Generally you can tell if it’s a swelling, as you can touch it and feel it! Calor (heat), Dolor (pain), Rubor (redness) and Tumor (swelling)… Loss of function is easier to determine. I can throw more science and figures into the hot and cold therapy, but ultimately, it showed that biology is something we should know better than we do! A basic knowledge of our own body, symptoms and maintenance is sorely (!) lacking. Many injuries reoccur when we return to strenuous training too soon and when care and recovery has been hurried, or ignored.

The amazing speakers were justified in coming together for the presentation and Deep Heat and Deep Freeze were amazing to have advanced their products from the pain inducing prank of my youth. As much as I have left out, I could go on and put all instances verbatim, but the onus is on us to be more proactive, knowledgeable and honest about how we look after and maintain our own bodies. We also owe it to the next generation not to sell them short that knowledge, as it should be as common as going online to chat to our friends on Facebook.

To end this, I am going to go through the amazing high protein meal that was relevant to the event as a whole.

Starter, Smoked Salmon and Brown Bread. Main, Roast Saddle and Grilled rack of Cornish Lamb, with a Pea Polenta Croquette and Sautéed Girolles. That is a wild mushroom, to save you Googling it. There were also some New Potatoes, which cover the high carbs for the meal. Dessert, was a light Peach Melba Meringue.

All were delicious and appreciated, as we all partook in a small demonstration of posture exercises before eating.

My appreciation of all that was presented to me at 34 Restaurant by Nexus PR and respective speakers was far more than this article can put into words and there are a lot of them.

Nicki Waterman’s Sport Relief 7 Day Diet Plan

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Sport Relief is back again in March 2014 and promises to be even bigger and better. For the first time ever the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games will take place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd March 2014.

The public can join in with the fun and games by running, swimming or cycling their way to raising cash at over a thousand venues around the country, including the landmark events at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Celebrity fitness expert Nicki Waterman has created a diet plan to help those training for the Games.

For those wanting to prepare for the Games, whilst sporting the new look in the kitchen, the specially designed Emma Bridgewater apron as worn by The Great British Sport Relief Bake Off ‘Star Bakers’ is available to buy from HomeSense and TK Maxx stores, for £12.99 with at least £6.50 going to Sport Relief.

Celebrity fitness expert Nicki Waterman says, “All the money raised from Sport Relief will be spent helping some of the most vulnerable people in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries – who wouldn’t want to be part of such a brilliant charity.”

nikkiwaterman
Emma Bridgewater has created two limited edition aprons for Sport Relief available from HomeSense and TK Maxx stores

Main meals need to be based on slow release energy foods. These help to provide the energy needed to re-fuel exercised muscles.

In practice this means having things like porridge for breakfast, or other oat cereals like, sugar-free muesli or a couple of slices of granary bread with two boiled or poached eggs and a glass of fruit juice.

For lunchtime, it is a good idea to use tortilla wraps and pitta bread as the basis of your meal, adding to them some lean fillings like roasted chicken, reduced fat hummus or some avocado or cottage cheese; all with lots of salad.

At dinner-time, pasta and noodles or new potatoes make a great base to your meals. To these you can add some baked or grilled fish, lean meat like grilled steak or vegetarian options, or stir-fries with a meat substitute.

The next part of the plan is to ensure that you have the right snacks before, during and after you exercise.

About an hour to 30 minutes before you train, try to have a banana and a glass of juice or a handful of dried fruit and some water or a cereal bar.

When you are actually exercising, have another small snack once you are 30 minutes in. This can be an isotonic sports drink, which will give you a little energy boost to keep going beyond an hour.

Once you have finished, try to have another snack like a banana sandwich or a cereal bar within 30 minutes of finishing. This will start the process of beginning to refuel your muscles.

This may sound like a lot of food and if you try this pattern and find that you are actually putting on weight, then cut back on serving sizes at main meal times.

If you find on the other hand that you are shedding too much weight, have slightly larger servings at meal times.

Remember, it is quite common for female runners, cyclists or swimmers to end up with iron-deficiency anaemia. Try to include foods like bran flakes, baked beans, wholemeal bread, prunes, cashew nuts and lean red meat.

If you know that you do not eat these foods regularly, it may be worth considering a multivitamin and mineral supplement with around 10mg of iron a day to help keep levels topped up.

 

The Best Exercises For A Pert Bottom

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Pert bottom exercises by British Military Fitness Instructor

Want a perfect bottom like Pippa Middleton? Then all you need to do is master the squat. The squat is commonly known as the “king of exercises”. It is a fantastic exercise; it targets all the muscles in the legs whilst also adding some strength and stability to the abdomen and lower back area and really targets the core. The squat also gets a large amount of upper body muscles engaged too. Here are just a few benefits to show why everyone should be including squats into their training routine.

pippa-middleton-butt

Increase strength & power

Squatting should be one of the fundamental exercises for anyone looking to increase their strength. They have been proven to significantly increase lower body strength and power. This can have a whole range of benefits from those looking to improve sporting performance to those just looking to improve their lifestyle so that everyday tasks such as climbing stairs become easier.

Run faster

If you want to run faster, whether you are a distance runner or a sprinter, then you should be squatting. The speed at which you run is heavily influenced by your ability to apply force into the ground. To run faster, you need to apply more force. The best way to do this is to strengthen the lower body. Using squats to train the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes will allow you produce more ground reaction force. For those who are distance runners, if you increase you 1RM on a squat then you will also improve you run time. Think of it this way. If you weight 70kg and have 1RM back squat of 70kg then you are going to have to recruit more motor units in order to propel yourself forward when running compared to someone who also weights 70kg but has 1RM on a squat of 120kg.

Increase muscle size

Squats are a great way to increase size of muscle tissue, not only in them legs but all over the human body. Developing muscle mass heavily relies on hormonal responses from exercise. Testosterone and growth hormone are two of the major muscle building hormones in the body. Squatting heavy and engaging the large muscles around the hips will mean you begin to produce huge amounts of testosterone. This release will also have a positive impact of other muscles as it flows through the blood stream. Combining this with some lighter load and higher reps will mean you start to feel a burning sensation within the legs, this burning sensation come from the build up of lactate and lactic acid within the muscle. When the body starts to get a build up of lactic acid you subsequently get a release of growth hormone. Theism just like testosterone is fantastic for this individuals looking to gain some muscle mass.

Torch calories and body fat

I want you to try something for me. After completing a thorough warm up, walk into a squat rack, load the bar with what is the heaviest amount of load you can possibly lift for 15 reps. Complete 4-5 sets of 15 reps whilst only taking around 60seconds rest between these sets and tell me how you feel. I guess you are going to feel extremely worn out and needing to sit down for a few mins ‘to catch your breath’. Completing this type of session will make the body move away from its safe environment of homeostasis and enter into EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption) meaning the body will need to take on additional oxygen to help you recover. This is accompanied by elevated consumption of fuels, particularly from fat stores. Using a tabata protocol for squatting (20secs all out / 10secs rest x 8) has been shown to elevate EPOC for up to 48 hours post exercise.

Here are list of squat variation exercises you can try to help you. Also included is a strength continuum chart to help you ensure you are working at the correct intensity, with the correct load, at the correct pace and with adequate amounts of rest depending on what you goal is.

 

Training Effect

Reps

Load (%1RM)

Rest

Strength

1-5

80-90%

3-5min

Hypertrophy

6-12

60-80%

1-2min

Endurance

15+

>40%

30-60secs

Front Squat

Take a grip on the bar slightly wider than shoulder width.
Position the bar so it is just behind the clavicle and close to the throat.
Ensure the chest is high and push your elbows up and in.
Foot stance should be shoulder with apart or slightly wider.
Once in position sit back onto the hips slightly as the hips and knees simultaneously flex.
Push the knees out to ensure they track the toes and stay on the heels at all times.
Once you have broken parallel drive the heels into the ground extending the knees and hips.

Back Squat

Take the narrowest most comfortable grip on the bar for you range on movement.
Position the bar high on the back.
Pull the shoulder back and keep the chest up.
Pull down on the bar and push the elbows forwards.
This should create a natural ledge surface for the bar to sit on.
Once in position sit back onto the hips slightly as the hips and knees simultaneously flex.
Push the knees out to ensure they track the toes and stay on the heels at all times.
Once you have broken parallel drive the heels into the ground extending the knees and hips.

Bulgarian Split Squat

For this exercise you are going to need a bench and some dumbbells.
Take a hold of the dumbbells in both hands.
Elevate your rear foot on the bench and take a step forward with your front leg.
Ensure that the chest is high and shoulders are pulled back with a neutral spine.
Bend at the knees so you body is moving in a vertical fashion until your reach 90degrees in the front knee.

At this point drive back up and return to the top.

Complete the required reps on this leg before changing.

 

Strength Training Exercises For Women Book Review

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January is full of the best of intentions, it is the time of the year when we are determined to get healthy and fit, but usually gym membership and exercise classes fall by the wayside. I know a lot of the time the effort to leave the house is what really gets me so it is exercise DVDs and books all the way.

Strength Training Exercises For Women- Tone, Sculpt, and Stay Strong For Life by Joan Pagano

My first thoughts of Strength Training Exercises For Women: Tone, Sculpt, and Stay Strong For Life by Joan Pagano is that it is knowledgeable and easy-to-use. It starts by testing your fitness and checking your BMI with a handy table. The introduction and chapter on why lift weights? highlights the importance of weight lifting for women. It then goes into your training programme, which includes information on equipment, muscles and exercise, posture and alignment. I learn a lot.

There are a variety of programmes in the book. One of my favourites is the 15-minute Workouts- perfect for the time starved. When I have more time, the focused exercises are brilliant. You can choose the lower body, upper body or core body programme.

The book is easy-to-use; each exercise has lots of pictures and tips. I was very impressed with this book. I think it is great for any women who wants to reach her physical peak, or has wanted to do weights but needed a dedicated programme. Highly recommended.

 

10 tips on fighting the festive flab in the New Year

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getfit lose weight10 tips on fighting the festive flab in the New Year By Garry Kerr, Head of Training and Operations at British Military Fitness

Nom, nom, nom…extra eating: During the winter and especially over the festive

season we typically eat more than we would normally and exercising is a great way

to burn those extra calories and keep yourself in shape so when spring finally arrives

you’re in tip top shape! Here are some tips to help you beat the Christmas flab!

 

1. Keep a fitness journal

 

A workout log can help keep your exercise routine on track when you’re

struggling to stay motivated because it will show you how far you’ve come

since you started, and therefore how worthwhile it is to keep going.

 

2. Commit yourself.

 

Get moving! Just do it! There is no time like the start of a New Year. You’ve

got the indulgences of Christmas behind but it’s important you commit. Why

not write all the classes you can attend in your diary so they are viewed as

actual appointments and you’re less likely to cancel.

 

3. Set short-term goals

 

Having something specific to aim for, such as losing a certain amount

of weight or entering a race / marathon for example the Major Series

in the Spring will help you stick to your training

plan. But make sure your goals are achievable. Setting and failing to reach

outlandish targets will put you off.

 

4. Find the fun in it

 

Exercise should not feel like torture. After all, you have made a conscious

decision to do it. You can take great pleasure from overcoming challenges

and progressing with your fitness alongside other people.

 

Does that mean that it will be easy? No. In order to change your body, you

need to experience ‘overload’. This means that you need to keep challenging

your body in order to increase your fitness levels. You will however improve

your fitness levels if you rest and recover properly after each workout.

 

5. Reward yourself

 

Once you’ve hit one of your targets reward yourself. By training and

committing to your training you’ve earned the right to spoil yourself. Whether

it’s a new item of clothing or fitness-related gadgets or clothing – enjoy your

achievements.

 

6. Use visualisation

 

If you don’t believe that you can do that final burpee or make it through

those final reps, you certainly won’t be able to but by picturing yourself doing

it before you try it, you’ll create a mental template that can translate into

success.

 

7. Eating right

 

Food is 90% of the health and fitness battle. You can make great changes

just through making small adjustments to your eating habits alone. While

changing any habits may seem like a daunting task, there is a wealth of

resources available to guide you. By eating a regular mix of proteins, fats and

carbohydrates you will reap the benefits of your physical training routine. You

will have both the energy to perform and the nutritional foundations needed

for recovery. This exercise and nutrition relationship will help you to achieve

your goals

 

8. Be realistic

 

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Unfortunately, while over-used, there is some truth

in that saying.

 

A healthy approach is to aim to improve on yesterday. By repeating this

process you will start to feel like you have made great improvements over a

course of weeks, months and years. It is also important to consider where you

want to be.

 

9. There is gain without pain!

 

While exercise should be challenging in order to encourage the body to adapt

and therefore improve, it should not lead to any injuries.

 

Many people, particularly those new to exercise can become over enthusiastic

because of the physical changes that they experience. Our bodies can only

truly complete exercises at 100% intensity for a number of seconds. Exercises

completed over the course of an hour-long session are performed below

maximum intensity. You should therefore focus more on your technique and

try to work as hard as possible but not push yourself to the point of nausea.

 

10. Abandon an all-or-nothing attitude

 

Don’t think of exercise with an all-or-nothing approach. If you unexpectedly

miss a session, don’t beat yourself up. Just get back on track tomorrow.

Remember; exercise and fitness is a way of life, it’s not a destination.

 

Top Tips For Joint Health

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1) Keep Moving

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), engaging in exercises or activities that improve your joint range of motion can help you reduce your joint stiffness, maintain or improve proper joint movement and flexibility and ward off the effects of osteoarthritis. Exercises that target your spinal segmental range of motion, such as Tai Chi, yoga and pilates, are particularly beneficial, as they help improve your posture and reduce unnecessary wear and tear on your joints. These exercises keep joints strong and muscles limber whilst erasing stress. Research shows that high impact exercises such as kickboxing and aerobics can be more damaging on joints. In contrast, low-impact activities like biking and walking that offer the same calorie-burning benefits without the painful pounding. Water based exercises, such as swimming and aqua aerobics, are also great as they allow you to exercise freely, while taking the weight load off your joints.

2) Maintain a healthy body weight

We all know that being overweight is bad for your health, however it is extremely bad for your joints, as they will be under the added strain of carry excess weight. Every extra pound you gain puts four times the stress on your knees. The flip side is that even a small amount of weight loss will give your knees relief. Research has shown that losing as little as 11 pounds may improve your joint health and cut your risk of osteoarthritis of the knee by 50 percent.

3) Stretch

Stretching before and after exercise is crucially important, and including a few gentle stretching exercises, as part of your day-to-day routine will make you to feel re-energized, and will help keep your muscles and ligaments flexible and strong and prevents muscle and joint stiffness. There are two types of joint stretching that are beneficial: firstly, static stretching, which holds the stretch of a joint usually for about 30 seconds; and secondly dynamic stretching, which involves moving your joints in their full range of motion repetitively in different directions. Perform dynamic stretching before your exercise to stimulate your nervous system and warm up your body, and perform static stretching after your workout to alleviate muscle fatigue.

4) Eat a good diet

Eat beneficial foods. Studies show the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can help not only reduce symptoms associated with joint pain but also change the levels of inflammation that may be causing some of the pain. Fish oil slows the production of inflammation-signaling cells. The best sources are fish such as salmon and tuna, or try taking an omega supplement such as VeEPA (£13.99 from www.nutricentre.com). Research also shows that vitamin D may help protect your joints, too, via an anti-inflammatory effect. Make sure you get 400 to 800 International Units (IUs) of vitamin D daily; one cup of milk contains 100 IUs, and three ounces of salmon has 300-650.

5) Use a warming joint spray to provide relief

When joint pain flares up, painkillers and anti-inflammatories can provide relief but they can also have contraindications with other medication and long-term use can cause other health issues. Phytodol® Joint Care spray is an effective, all-natural, topical treatment designed to help care for joints and muscles and maintain their health. Containing a unique combination of glucosamine, MSM, arnica, ginger, zedoary and cinnamon oils – all know for their beneficial effects on joints and muscles – it is rapidly absorbed, providing fast, effective relief. (Phytodol® Joint Care spray, £14.80 for 200ml. Available in selected Holland & Barrett stores)