10 Minutes to Change Your Life

Coronary heart disease is the UK's number one killer and The British Heart Foundation for over 50 years has through their pioneering research helped transform the lives of those people and family members affected by coronary heart disease. 

Their work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are helping with the fight against heart disease.

The heart is a muscle and it needs oxygen in order to work properly.  If the tubes that supply the heart with oxygen are partially blocked than the heart has to work harder to push the blood through and this can cause pain in the chest area, which is called 'angina.'  If there is a full blockage than that part of the heart that isn't getting any oxygen will start to die and this is known as a heart attack.

The British Heart Foundation have set up a 10 minute a day challenge in order to make changes for the better, to help reduce the risk of getting heart disease. 

Take 10 minutes out a day for a week to track how many portions of fruit and vegetables you consume, how much food you ate that contained too much salt and saturated fat.  To start to make small changes towards a healthier heart.

Here are 5 health tips on helping to keep your heart healthy and reducing the risk of getting coronary heart disease.

1.) Cut back on saturated fat:- this is the fat that comes from animal and diary products and is solid at room temperature. Eating too much of this fat can increase the levels of cholesterol in your blood and increasing the risk of your arteries clogging up.

 Reduce the amount of cheese, butter, lard, fatty red meats, sausages, pies and cakes.  Replace with chicken, leaner red meat and fish.  Avoid or reduce the amount of oil you use during cooking.

2.) Eat your 5 a day:- If you consume 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day you will not only get vital vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function and stay healthy but will help maintain a healthy weight, as these foods tend to be high in water and fibre and low in calories.  Therefore you will feel fuller for longer and are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods during the day and help maintain your energy levels.

Portions for example are 1 piece of fruit such as an apple, orange, banana or pear.  Smaller fruits will be 2 plums or 2  tangerines or 2 kiwi fruit. 3 heaped tablespoons of carrots or peas, 4 broccoli florets, 1 bowl of salad, 1 handful of grapes, 7-8 strawberries or 3 whole dried apricots.

3.) Eat less salt:- reducing your salt in your diet can help reduce your blood pressure and in turn puts less stress on the arteries and therefore reduces the risk of them getting clogged up.  Reduce the amount of take away foods you're consuming as they tend to be high in salt, saturated fats and sugar.  Avoid adding salt when cooking and when you're eating.

4.) Maintain a healthy weight:- maintaining a healthy weight which is a BMI (Body Mass Index) of between 18.5-24 and to have a waist less than 80cm (32 inches) for women and 94cm (37 inches) for men. In doing this the heart doesn't have to work so hard and therefore puts it under less strain.  Therefore it will help reduce  the risk of getting heart disease and other medical conditions such as diabetes type 2, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and certain cancers.

5.) Be more active:- Get the heart pumping in order to strengthen it.  A strong heart is a healthy one. In order to get the health benefits of being more active you need to do it for 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week.  However this can be broken down into 10 minute slots.  Try getting off the bus or train a couple of stops earlier and walk, cycle to work or ditch the car and walk instead. Go for a swim or visit the gym.

If you want to down load a food diary or learn more regarding the 10 minutes to change your life challenge please go to www.bhf.org.uk/ten

For any more information on eating healthier, Herbalife nutritional products or Personal/small group training please get in touch or go to my website at www.titanfreestyle.com

Exciting New Energy Drink By Cristiano Ronaldo

Herbalife one of the world's leading nutritional companies has teamed up with the world's top footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo.

I'm really excited about this great new product as it's been formulated for the professional and  serious sports people, to help drive them to become the best that they can be.

Originally engineered for Cristiano Ronaldo, CR7 Drive rapidly fuels your workouts and enhances hydration with natural flavours and colours.

It comes in berry flavour and at only 100 cals per 500ml serving, it will give you the energy to power through any demanding workouts without the extra calories found in many of the other energy drinks on the market.







Herbalife's 24 range, which includes this fantastic new product, is now registered on Informed Sport (check out link below) so you know you can trust this product and are reassured that every batch has been tested for any banned or illegal substances.

Prices are great value too at only £10 for a box of 10 sachets or a tub containing 20 servings for £18!
Please see link below for further details on this great new product.

Please get in touch if you're interested in this or any of the many other Herbalife products.


http://www.bestsportdrinks.com/

http://informed-sport.com/en/registered-products

How to Stay Younger for Longer

What is the secret of youth?  As in my job I come in contact with a lot of older people many of them still going strong in their 70's and 80's!  This week the subject of keeping one self as young as possible for as long as possible came up a far bit.

A couple who are in their late 70's recently came back from a cruise and told me that they were dancing all night and other people were saying to them "I wish I could do that, but I'm too old!"  The irony was that they were much younger in age but both physically and mentally they were much older. 

This couple jokingly say that they were going on holiday with the 'oldies'.  Despite their age they didn't consider themselves as 'old'.  That is the key I think to staying as 'young' as you can be.

I see a lot of people who just because they've turned 50 or 60 have decided in their own minds that they are 'old' and should start acting and being like that.

If you start thinking you're getting old than you will become just that- a self-fulfilling prophecy.

My Mum is now 76 and she is still doing loads of running, entering a 10K or half marathon nearly every week, wearing trainers and jump suits, there seems no stopping her despite a lot of her so called elderly 'friends' telling her that she 'shouldn't be doing all this at her age'.  These are the same people who are 10 years or so younger than her but look older and act older than her, all over weight with health problems because they've just been sitting on their arses since retiring, drinking and eating far too much.

Scientists in search of the Fountain of Youth have found in their research the 'superaged'.
These are people who despite their true age act and look a lot younger.

"With aging, we've always studied things that decline," says Changiz Geula, PhD, research professor of neurology at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. But now she and other experts are looking instead to unlock the secrets of the "superaged," those lucky individuals who seem to stay vital well into their 80s and beyond.

 Here's some of their latest research, with advice on how you can add years to your life.

Stop Eating So Much

In Okinawa, Japan—home to some of the world's oldest people—centenarians stop eating when they're 80 percent full, says The Blue Zones author Dan Buettner, who studies longevity all over the planet.

 Scientists at St. Louis University found that, while both exercising and eating less led to weight loss in the study's volunteers, cutting calories also lowered production of T3, a thyroid hormone that slows metabolism. The researchers believe that lower T3 levels may also slow down the aging process.

Use your brain

Dr. Geula, who has studied 80-year-olds who perform at the same level as people in their 50s on neuro­psychological tests, has found that the superaged have fewer brain tangles—deposits of protein linked to Alzheimer's—suggesting that their brains have some sort of protection that normal brains don't. While scientists puzzle this out, there's a lot you can do to keep your own synapses firing. Learn Italian, take up the cello—even driving a new route to work can wake up sleepy brain cells.

Eat more Plants

In a study of centenarians, researchers found the longest-living people tend to eat less meat and more plant based foods, such as beans, soy and nuts.

Lose the Belly

In one large study published in 2009, researchers who tracked 6,583 people for more than 30 years found that having significant belly fat in midlife can nearly triple your risk of dementia.

Now you know in order to stay 'youthful' it's best to don't act and think 'old',  eat less calories, lose the belly, eat more plant based foods and use your brain more.

Count Down To Christmas

There are now 3 months left until Christmas is upon us and so if you seriously want to look your best during this seasonal period, than you need to act now rather than a month before, otherwise it will be too late!

Here are my top 5 tips to get you into the best shape you can be.

1.) Mix up your fitness routine- your body adapts very quickly and if you've been doing the same programme for a long time you are no longer getting the benefits that you did when you first started doing it. Try something completely different to shock your body into responding and improving.  Try new exercises, classes, increase reps/sets, decrease rest times etc.

2.) Train with a buddy- If you train with a buddy you are less likely to skip work outs and you can help push each other further.

3.) Include resistance training- in your fitness programme ensure you include some form of resistance training, either weights or body weight.   Use compound movements (exercises that include a lot of muscles at the same time-squats, push ups, shoulder press, rows and dead lifts etc).  This will help give you a lean, strong and toned body.  Adding a bit of muscle will help you burn fat at rest as your metabolism speeds up.

4.) Drink plenty of water- lack of water will make you feel sluggish and may cause weight gain, migraines and constipation.  Topping up throughout the day with water will ensure you keep yourself hydrated and you will have the energy and motivation to exercise.

5.) Eat right- 80% of weight management is nutrition.  So if you don't get this right than forget it.  Ensure you eat every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism sped up.  This breaks down into 3 main meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner and 2-3 healthy snacks in between.  Try a Herbalife Formula 1 protein shake for breakfast or lunch and a Formula 1 24 Sport shake for a recovery drink after your work out.  Have a piece of fruit or Herbalife protein bar for a healthy snack.

Start your routine now and you will be ready to look your best this Christmas.  If you're interested in any of the Herbalife products or want a FREE Wellness Assessment to see where you are and what needs improving then get in touch.

All the best and see you next week.