Tag Archives: exercise

Why You Should Shake Up Your Exercise Regime

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fitnessenergySo Easter as come and gone. If you are anything like me you ate too much. So now it is time to hit the gym again and start behaving. But we all know that exercising can be hard and boring. That is why you want results from your workout.

I know it is not known for burning a lot of calories, but I love walking. On days that I don’t workout I always try to fit in a walk. It is very good for you and your circulation.

Functional training does whole body training and conditioning. Whether using slings or blackpacks it will condition your body into the dress size you want, and also up your fitness level. Far from being something that will just help you burn a few calories, it will also build up your muscle, and muscle burns more calories than fat.

Zumba is another favourite of mine. It may be the new craze that everyone is doing but don’t discount it as a fad. I did dance in drama school and I love a reason to just dance around. It burns an amazing amount of calories too. Something like 400-500 per hour.

The Tracey Anderson Method is famous among celebrities. Gwyneth Paltrow (who is in business with Tracey) and Jennifer Lopez are fans. I have the DVDs and although the cardio workout is too hard to follow for some people, the mat workout is really good at toning the body. It is not for wimps though. Tracey likes people to do her method for an hour six days a week. That is quite a commitment.

I have been on a bit of a fitness kick and will shortly be doing a serious of articles on how I am getting along. So keep reading and also join in by letting us know about your fitness regime.

What is your favourite exercise? What are you doing to get in shape? Let us know.

Mark Anthony’s Quick 5 Minute Workouts: Get a Better Body

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free workout videosCelebrity trainer Mark Anthony has created some quick 5 minute workouts that you can do when you wake up in the morning – one for arms, one for legs and one for stomach.

Florida grapefruit teamed up with Mark in an attempt to get the nation starting their day the Florida way, these quick workouts can be done first thing in the morning. Enjoy. www.facebook.com/floridagrapefruit

Back Exercise

Abs Exercise

Chest Exercise

Free Fitness Workout Videos For A Better Body In 12 Weeks

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Sick of your workout? Really want to get in shape? Frost has teamed up with the 2013 USN Makeover Challenge to bring you five free workout videos. They guarantee a better body in 12 weeks. Enjoy and let us know how you get on.

1. The Perfect Exercises to Firm up your Legs and Bums

The 2013 USN Makeover Challenge presents to you their legs and bums workout video. Taken from the highly proclaimed work out challenge, these exercises will tone your legs and bum in a routine that will take you less than half an hour.

2. Lose those love handles and firm up those Abs – exercises from the USN Makeover Challenge.

Taken from the 2013 USN Makeover challenge, these ab and love handle exercises guarantee results. The USN Makeover Challenge is a weight loss programme that will help you shape up and get fit fast.

3. Be Proud of your Arms with these must-do Exercises from the USN Makeover Challenge.

Taken from the 2013 USN Makeover challenge, these bingo wings and bicep workouts guarantee results. The USN Makeover Challenge is a weight loss programme that will help you shape up and get fit fast.

4. USN Present to you the Full Body Workout from their 2013 Makeover Challenge.

Fitness Challenges don’t come more rewarding than this. These full body exercises combine cardio and strength and are taken from the USN Body Makeover Challenge where the exercises and health benefits guarantee results.

5. The Best Circuit Training for your Body from the USN Makeover Challenge

These full circuit training exercises are taken from the USN Body Makeover Challenge and can be performed anywhere which is perfect for people always on the go. The USN Makeover Challenge is a proclaimed weight loss programme that will help you shape up and get fit fast through a series of exercises and diet plans.

For more information visit www.usn.co.uk

Beat the Winter Blues With Exercise

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Just because you’re confined to being indoors because  the roads are too dangerous for running or cycling in the dark, doesn’t mean you should halt your fitness regime.

 

 

 

At ICON, we know that working out over the winter months can be a challenge but it really doesn’t need to be. Here they share their top five, ultimate workout tips, which are sure to get you motivated.

 

Follow their simple steps to get the best from your workouts and maintain your fitness routines.

 

Tip 1: Winter Weight gain

The winter often leads to winter weight gain. The cold can make us develop extra excuses when it comes to our motivation to exercise.  Plus, many people suffer from mood changes during the winter months and turn to food for comfort.  The bitter truth is that you will only be wearing a big woolly jumper for a few months and soon you will have to face summer clothes again.  Try to maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine during the colder months and getting into shape in the summer will be much easier.

 

Tip 2: Feeling fit and using an indoor training kit

We suggest investing in functional training equipment that you can use in the comfort of your own home. Then you’ll have no excuse to avoid exercise – you won’t have to go to the gym or step outside into minus temperatures.  Plus, the introduction of an exciting new fitness gadget into your life will actually make you want to exercise. We recommend our ICON Health and Fitness range which includes a wide variety of home fitness equipment that will help you through every workout. We especially love their iFit Live™ programme, which is compatible with models from the ProForm and NordicTrack range.  This state of the art software allows you to run anywhere in the world all from the comfort of your own home, thanks to Google Maps™ technology.

 

Tip 3: maintain motivation

If you can imagine attaining your fitness goals, you will soon start to feel more positive, motivated and feel-good endorphins will be released.  As you start to see and feel the results then your motivation will be improved.

 

We suggest setting yourself small realistic goals.  By breaking your goals into smaller, more easily achieved steps, you can work towards your larger long-term goals. Start by walking a mile, then try jogging – build up the distance until you can tackle a marathon!

 

Tip 4: Train like an athlete.

You may not be an athletic hopeful, but adopting the physical and mental approach of an athlete will give you a positive approach to workouts and achieving your goals.

  • Athletes see direct results from their training and you can too. Try treating training as a task at work i.e. something on your to do list that must be completed by the end of the day.
  • Be smart with your exercise choices and get the most out of every workout. Mix your training up and keep your weekly programme varied.
  • Try short sprints, intervals and distance workouts on different days. When you begin to feel the benefits of all your effort then you will become more energised and motivated to continue. Prevent boredom…plan your week with sets, reps, distance and routes to keep your training interesting, challenging and fun.

 

Tip 5: Don’t freeze to feel fit!

As the days become shorter and the nights draw in, remember you can adapt your workout routine so you don’t have to freeze to get fit. Try circuit training in the comfort of your own home, or invest in a static bike or treadmill so you can maintain your cycling or running routine.  We are so impressed by the new ProForm Tour De France Bike. Boasting a 20% motorised incline and decline, Real Road™ resistance technology and iFit Live™ Technology, which is powered by Google Maps™. It has to be the ultimate in cycling workout kit.

 

You can also try booking a ski holiday, and embrace the fact you burn more calories in the cold.  When training outdoors however, make sure you adequately insulate your body and avoid sweat-absorbing material close to the skin and don’t forget a hat!

STEP UP MIAMI HEAT: DANCE WORKOUT

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An all-new, super-charged series of four fun dance workouts featuring moves from the hit film, Step Up Miami Heat. Learn the energising moves, step by step, before putting the entire routine together for an all-out performance to the actual songs from the movie. Once you’ve got it, turn up the volume and shake your hips to Latin Groove and Latin Hip-Hop Fusion, and get funky as you work it out to Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop Jam. From the living room to the dance floor, these are moves that you can do anywhere – and no partner required!

HIP-HOP JAM
Sweat it out to a fusion of various dance styles from the movie for a heart-pumping cardio hip-hop workout

LATIN HIP-HOP FUSION
Featuring an energising mix of Hip-Hop, Afro-Cuban and Samba, you’ll work your entire body with arm and body combos and core-firming moves

LATIN GROOVE
Spice up the dance floor with Salsa and Mambo-inspired moves that work your core, hips and thighs

HIP-HOP
Get your heart pumping with this fun fusion of Hip-Hop and street dance that sculpts your core, arms, legs and booty


·         Released: 26th December 2012
·         RRP: £15.99
·         Run Time: 87 Minutes Approx.


Breast Movement Changes As We Age

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Miss Debbie Risius of the Research Group in Breast Health


Older women are less likely to experience vertical breast bounce when exercising than younger women, according to the surprise results of a study at the University of Portsmouth.

The study, the first to study breast movement in women aged from 45 to 65, also measured breast ptosis (sag) but found that the amount of sag did not have any bearing on the amount of breast movement.

Miss Debbie Risius, of the Research Group in Breast Health has presented her findings at the Royal Society of Medicine’s Helal and Harries prize meeting.

Miss Risius said: “I was surprised by these results which clearly show the more mature breast moves in a completely different way to a younger breast.

“The findings may indicate a need for a sports bra to be designed specifically for mature women.

“Specially designed bras may help support mature breasts more effectively and also encourage older women to exercise more regularly. Our earlier studies show older women are less likely to own a sports bra and less likely to take part in energetic exercise than young women.“

Miss Risius’s study looked at movement in the breast when subjects walked bare breasted on a treadmill for two minutes. Miss Risius initially thought that older women would experience more breast movement, and therefore associated breast pain as a result of exercising, than younger women.

However the study actually found that older women experience less vertical movement than younger women. Miss Risius suggests this is due to older breast tissue being less elastic, and therefore having less bounce than younger tissue.

Miss Risius said: “If you imagine an elastic band, when it is new it is very springy and flexible, and when it is stretched it bounces back with a lot of energy. An older elastic band is less flexible, and is not as springy when it is stretched. This is similar to the differences between younger and older breast tissue.”

Twelve participants aged between 45 and 65 years were compared with twelve women aged between 18 and 25 years. All were a size 34D.

The University of Portsmouth has been studying breast biomechanics since 2005. This new research contributes to a large existing body of work carried out by the Research Group in Breast Health.

Previous research has found that breasts bounce to maximum levels of 21 cm during exercise. During walking, a woman’s breasts move the same amount in and out, up and down and from side to side (33 per cent in each direction). But when a woman starts to jog or run movement is split: 51 per cent of movement is up and down; 22 per cent side to side and 27 per cent in and out. The overall pattern of the movement is a figure of eight. It is estimated that more than 50 per cent of women experience breast pain when exercising.

 

Men’s Fitness deputy editor builds the body of an elite athlete in just 12 weeks

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As the world’s greatest athletes are winning gold to compete in the biggest sports spectacle on the planet, it’s easy to think that getting the body of an elite Olympian requires being blessed with great genes and dedicating every waking hour to exhausting training and sticking to super-strict diets.

But you’d be wrong. Men’s Fitness magazine, the UK’s best-selling fitness title, has proved that it practices what it preaches by putting one of its writers on the cover of the magazine following a 12-week body transformation challenge that saw him change his physique from an out-of-shape journalist into one that wouldn’t be out of place in the Olympic Village.

In the September issue, on shelves now, the magazine’s deputy editor Joe Warner proves smart training and sensible eating it all it takes to completely change the way you look in as little as 12 weeks.

Training for just one hour four times per week, Joe lost 8kg of fat – the equivalent to 16 large packets of butter – while building 10kg of lean muscle mass to build a body worthy of gracing the cover of Men’s Fitness magazine.

‘After turning 30 I decided to see whether I could get into the best shape I have ever been in,’ says Joe Warner. ‘I am just an average guy with a busy 9-to-5 desk job but I wanted to discover for myself how far I could push myself to achieve the “elite athlete” physique I’ve always wanted. By training right and eating well I burned off my belly and built a proper six-pack. If I can do it, anyone can.’

‘Joe has proved that training hard and eating healthily is all you need to do to transform your body into one that can grace the cover of the UK’s best-selling fitness magazine,’ said Nick Mitchell, founder of Ultimate Performance Fitness who oversaw Joe’s 12-week challenge. ‘A smart training plan, executed with 100% effort, really is the best, and most effective, way to build the body you’ve always wanted.’

Are You Suffering From Depression?

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Most worrying fact of the day: Depression affects 1 in 6 people. Mental Health is now no longer something people have to be ashamed about. Even Glamour launched a Hey, It’s OK campaign and Frankie from The Saturdays talked openly about her depression.

According to Beth Murphy, of mental health charity, Mind, one in four people will suffer from a mental health issue at some point in their life. Depression occurs in 10% of the population at any one time.

Are you depressed?
Lack of confidence
Feeling tired, irritable and tearful.
Problems with sleeping and your memory.
Negative thoughts.
Feeling of guilt or worthlessness.
Changes in appetite.
No longer being interested in thing you once liked.
Being self-critical
Losing interest in people and things.

Every one gets down from time to time, it is when it is continuous that you should seek help.

How to help yourself.
The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) say that the diagnosis for mild depression is diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and a talking therapy. Anti depressants are a last resort and you don’t have to worry about a diagnosis of depression being on your medical records, this is private and confidential. Your doctor will not tell anyone else.
Tell someone you are depressed. Don’t keep it all in.
Talk. It’s a cliche but it does help to talk. Try cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Get some fresh air.
Exercise. There is strong evidence that exercise improves mood. It also improves sleep, anxiety and stress.
Alternative remedies. Try St John’s Wort.
Antidepressants. If you are worried they are addictive, don’t. They are not.

For more help and advice
mind.org.uk
rethink.org
mentalhealth.org.uk
depressionalliance.org
bacp.co.uk
Samaritans 08457 90 90 90 (Hmm, the Samaritans is an 0845 number, not impressed) Samaritans.org