Owning a gym membership shouldn't be seen as a luxury

We live in a time when our wages have either only increased a little over the last few years or not at all but the price of everything has steadily gone up! During these trying times we may need to revaluate our finances in order to make ends meet but unfortunately a gym membership often is one of the first causalities to be hit, as more often than not it is seen as a luxury, rather than an necessity. This is a bit short sighted as if you think about it, it's a form of insurance that if you exercise regularly you can reduce the risk of getting certain diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and certain cancers. A gym membership can help lay down the foundations of a strong body both in mind and spirit, helping you cope with stress better and reduce the risk of getting depression and anxiety or controlling it better if you already have these, as during exercise the body produces hormones that make you feel better in yourself and during exercise you're focused on the task at hand rather than dwelling on more negative thoughts sitting at home. You are strengthening your body to be able to cope better as you age and reduce the risk of falls and continue to enjoy a good quality of life. Also the social side can be great and all that support from your fitness instructors and fellow class/gym buddies shouldn't be underestimated. So if you're thinking of ditching that gym membership to save a bit of money, maybe it's time to reconsider as you maybe losing out more than you will be gaining in the long run.

Avoid the Snakes and use the Ladders

I was playing that classic children's board game the other day with my 6 year old daughter, Snakes and Ladders and it got me thinking. The game was designed back in the Medieval times to teach children about the highs and lows of life and enjoy the good times but be prepared that life can take unexpected turns and one should have the patience and perseverance to carry on regardless when it happens. So this is similar when people start a new healthy routine, whether that's starting to exercise, give up smoking or go on a diet. They start off so well and start moving along nicely, going up those ladders of life and starting to feel better for it than bam- something happens, they get ill, a family crisis occurs, have that cigarette after a few too many or have that greasy burger and chips and they go down that snake of life. But unfortunately too many people believe once they 'fall off the wagon' that's it and they give up. The different stages of change that a person goes through from before starting a new behaviour and finally doing it without even being aware of it is called The Stages of Change Model. The 6 stages of change are not being aware you need to change, being aware of the need to change, preparing to change, the action of change, then maintenance of that change and finally Termination, where the person has gotten into such a habit that they do the behaviour without thinking, it becomes natural for them. The other component that completes this model but is shown outside of these stages is relapse. Relapse can occur during any stage of these changes but should never be seen as the final stage. It should be seen as a snake and after you go down it you should dust yourself down and go find another ladder and get back up again. A person only truly fails if they finally give up, so before giving up for good, think about the game of Snakes and Ladders and try using patience and perseverance and keep on going and never give up until you have achieved your goal and finish that game.

Love your Heart for Valentine's Day

Valentine's day is this Saturday and so it's an ideal time to talk about the heart and how we can look after it better, helping to reduce heart disease that can occur in later life. Heart disease is the leading killer in this country, with 1 in 5 men and 1 in 8 women dying. It's responsible for 82,000 deaths each year in the UK, that equates to 224 people dying from heart disease each day! So here's my top 5 tips on how to keep your heart healthy and help reduce your risk of getting heart disease 1.) Stop Smoking- Quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for the health of your heart. Smokers are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack compared to someone who has never smoked. The good news is that the risk of heart disease is dramatically reduced soon after you quit. The NHS has many ways to help you quit from nicotine replacement patches to support groups-contact www.nhs.uk/livewell/smoking for more details. 2.) Exercise- If you do moderate exercise or activity for 150 minutes a week, then you reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by 30%. Inactivity increases the risk of death and developing a lot of diseases that can reduce your life expectancy and quality of life such as heat attacks, stroke, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis and mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Government guidelines suggest we should be active for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week to get our 150 minutes. The good news is that 10 minute bouts can contribute to your daily 30 minutes if you're strapped for time. Ensure you are slightly out of breath and perspiring in order for it to count as moderate exercise. 3.) Have a healthy BMI and waist circumference- by keeping to a healthy weight and having a BMI (Body Mass Index) of between 18.5-25 and not having a larger waist circumference than you should for your gender, no more than 102 cm for males and 88 cm for women, you greatly reduce the risk of getting heart disease in the future. 4.) Go Mediterranean - research has shown that following a diet like this can help reduce the risk of heart disease. The Mediterranean diet consists of plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, peas and beans, with moderate portions of chicken, fish and red meat. Most of the fats come from unsaturated, such as fish and olive oil rather than saturated that is found in meats and other animal products, which are not so healthy for the heart. 5.) Get married- since it's Valentine's and it's good for your heart, you have the perfect excuse. A study of nearly 15,000 people who had a spouse, had a strong social network of friends and family and socialized regularly had significantly lower BP and other heart disease factors than those who lived alone. So on this Valentine's Day love your heart and try to adopt some if not all these tips(if you're not doing them already of course) to help reduce the risk of getting heart disease and increasing the chances of living a long and healthy life. Have a very happy St Valentine's Day and see you next time x.

Are Scales the Best Way to Determine Fat Loss?

In my day to day job as a fitness professional the weighing scales in our gym office is constantly in use with sweating, wild eyed members coming in and desperately hoping that they've lost those all important pounds for that week. But is this really the right way to truly measure fat loss? Well the scales can only show you your total body weight and so can only tell you half the story. The best way to use the scales is in conjunction with other tools. Scales can't differentiate muscle mass, bone structure and the amount of fat you have. I see people who are upset that they haven't lost as much as they thought they would but when I ask them if their clothes are loser they tell me that they've dropped a dress size! Because of this the scales shouldn't be used in isolation and you should use other methods to get a fuller picture of your body composition. The BMI scale (Body Mass Index) takes your height and weight and tells you if you are underweight, normal weight, Overweight, Obese or Morbidly obese. Again like the scales they only tell you half the story and doesn't take into consideration if you are carrying excess body fat or have more muscle. As you exercise you lose body fat and some of this fat is replaced by lean muscle. Because muscle is denser than fat you can have two people who are exactly the same height and weight but one can look like Arnie and the other can look like Mr Blobby. This is all down to body composition and the scales and BMI should be used alongside body fat % and the simple tape measure. You can find out your body fat % by using electric scales. After putting in your personal details such as gender, age and height it will calculate your body fat % and tell you if you are in the right range or not. The tape measure is really good and will show if you have lost size around your waist and therefore body fat. You do this by putting the tape through the belly button to get a true reading. Men shouldn't have a waist circumference greater than 102 cm and women no more than 88 cm, otherwise they run the risk of getting heart disease, stroke, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Men often get caught out as their trouser size is often smaller than their waist measurement. That's because men's trouser size is really their hip measurement and not their waist at all. That's how you can have a guy saying he has a 34 inch waist and have it buckled up under a huge belly, Jeremy Clarkson style, where he's clearly bigger round the waist than 34 inches. So next time you get on the scales don't get too upset if it doesn't look like you've lost much weight as you may find that you've lost size and body fat and are on the way to a smaller fitter you. So grab that tape measure and find out.