How Music can help give you better workouts

According to a study by Sweatband.com the average workout lasts 19 minutes longer if you are listening to music. The poll surveyed 1,621 regular exercisers and asked whether they listened to music while working out. Many from the 61% who did, said they saw noticeable benefits from using music while exercising such as being 'distracted from the pain/intensity' of the work-out and helping to 'break up the monotony'. Researchers also asked them how long they spent working out for. The results showed that those who didn't listen to music exercised for about 39 minutes, while those who used music worked out on average for 58 minutes. Maz Darvish, CEO of Sweatband.com said, "We tend to unconsciously pick up our pace and exercise rate if listening to a fast-paced tune that we enjoy but it also helps to pass the time quicker." The study also found dance music to be the most favoured genre with 31% choosing that over other styles of music. Personally I prefer a bit of rock and metal to get me moving, but whatever gets you motivated is great.

New Gym Ideas

Are you bored with your gym routine? Than try these new moves to keep your routine fresh and bore free. Dry Tri:- Try rowing for 1.5km, bike it for 6km and run for 3 km. Note your total time and try to beat it next time you visit the gym. Cooper It: Named after a fitness test, do a 10-minute warm-up then run, cycle, cross train or walk as hard and fast as you can for 12 minutes and make a note of how far you went. Next time you do it try and beat the distance. Go Hard or Go Home: Pick six machines and work as hard as you possibly can on each of them for five minutes. Because it seems like a short workout, you’ll work more intensely than if you aimed to do 30 minutes straight.

Moderate Exercise can help and prevent Depression

According to recent research from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, moderate exercise can not only help treat depression but can prevent its development in the long term. In the first study of its kind to focus exclusively on the impact exercise has in maintaining positive mental health and its role in preventing depression later on in life, Professor Guy Faulkner and PhD candidate George Mammen's reviewed 26 years of research findings and discovered that even minimum levels of exercise can help prevent depression across all age groups. They acknowledge that other factors can influence the condition such as genetics however there was enough evidence found from the study to conclude that regardless of a person's predispositions, there was a clear implication for everyone. Mammen commented, "It's definitely worth taking note that if you're currently active, you should sustain it. If you're not physically active you should initiate the habit. This review shows promising evidence that the impact of being active goes far beyond the physical."

The Differences between Self Defence and The Martial Arts

Recently I was invited to run a self defence course at a local academy for a group of students. I started the class asking what they thought they were to expect and hope to gain from attending such a class. The feedback I got was that they expected to get fit, lose weight and learn some 'kick-ass' kicks and moves. I explained to them that they'd come to the wrong class as true self defence has nothing to do with the 'Hollywood' version of a street fight with flashy kicks to the heads of the 'baddies' and spectacular multiple strikes that are eye catching and pleasing. The techniques in true self defence are short, sharp and brutal, just like a real street fight. Their expectations has made me wonder if many people out there think the same and confuse the glamorous fights of the silver screen as a true reflection of the real world. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although there are many techniques taken from the martial arts that can be used effectively on the street, such as elbow strikes, punches, knee and low kicks, these have to be stripped down to their raw basics in order to work in the 'real world.' There are some exceptional martial artists who due to years of training can perform wrist locks and the like under pressure but those with less skill or allow the pressure to get to them will be in trouble when they try to put a complicated move on an unwilling opponent on a street late on a Saturday night outside a kebab shop, far removed from the safety and the rules of the dojo. In self defence techniques must be basic but effective and can be performed even under pressure. The objective is to get out of the situation that you have found yourself in as quickly as possible. You are not there to have a 'prize fight' or impress anyone. Why try to kick someone in the head (which could be caught)when a simple straight punch or a head-butt would do? Your thoughts and comments on this matter would be most welcome. Incidentally I will be doing a Boxercise class from now on at the school as I think that is closer to what the students want.

It's Christmas!!!!!

It's that time of year again when it seems all your hard work in the gym, all the sweating in those classes and your diet goes to pot and you feel you've gained a few stone in only a few days! It doesn't have to be like that. Here are my top 5 tips in enjoying your Christmas without putting on too many pounds. 1.) Don't allow Christmas to last too long:- enjoy yourself eat what you want but only for 3-4 days. Don't allow to stuff yourself for over two weeks, which can easily happen if you just sit there and eat leading up to Christmas, than Christmas itself and go through to the new year. 2.) Don't overload the plate for your Christmas dinner-you want to leave room for pudding, and you will comfortably feel full not feel like an over-stuffed turkey! 3.)Take a walk after Christmas dinner-this will burn off a few calories, give you energy and avoid attacking those tin of chocolates too early. 4.) At parties and Christmas tea choose more natural foods such as sea food, lean meats and chicken rather than sausage rolls, spring rolls and pizza which are higher in carbohydrates and saturated fats and lower in good quality proteins. 5.) Get some exercise in between Christmas and new year:- go for a jog or visit the gym. This will make it much easier to restart your fitness regime in the new year rather than having two weeks off and doing nothing. I hope this helps so you can avoid some of the pit falls of the Christmas season. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year. All the best and I will see you all in 2014.

Exercise can help reduce brain damage caused by alcohol

According to new research carried out at the University of Colorado Boulder, regular aerobic exercise such as walking, running and cycling may help in reducing the damage alcohol can do to the brain's 'white matter' and even help prevent damage. The study, Alcoholism:-Clinical & Experimental Research, used, 60 moderate to heavy drinkers who all underwent a modified type of MRI scan to enable researchers to follow the position and path of water molecules travelling parallel to nerve fibres in the white matter as they travelled through the brain. "What our data suggests is that, beyond just giving people a different outlet for cravings and urges for alcohol, exercise might also help to repair the damage that may have been done to the brain," explained Angela Bryan, co-author of the study. "It might even be a more promising treatment approach for alcohol problems because it is both a behavioural treatment and a treatment that has the potential to make the brain more healthy." However she warns, "it is not our intention to suggest that a person can erase the physiological damage of heavy drinking by exercising.

How to get a flat and toned stomach

One of the main fitness goals for both men and women is to get a flat stomach. But unfortunately this goal is often never realised fully. To help us understand this we have to look at the reasons we store fat around the stomach. Belly fat is a result of too much processed food in the daily diet, inactivity & our body's hormonal response. For example, high levels of the hormone cortisol (which is elevated by stress, overtraining and lack of sleep) affects our response to insulin and encourages fat storage around the middle. So how can you get a rippling 6 pack safely & efficiently? It all begins with nutrition. First of all, if we look at the abdominal muscle group we will see that each of us has abs, and that it is the natural shape of the muscle which gives the appearance of a 'six pack', however in order to make these muscles prominent we must melt away the overlying subcanteous fat layer, & thicken the muscle. In order to do this you need to clean up your diet by reducing or eliminate processed foods, grains and wheat (it is thought 6-7% of the population are intolerant to gluten), as these can cause inflammation of the stomach & promote fat storage. Also drinking plenty of water to flush out any nasty toxins – another cause of fat storage. Processed foods can cause bloating, and too much salt in the diet can cause water retention which will affect the appearance of the midsection. Increase your protein levels by eating plenty of chicken, meat, fish, pulses, eggs and protein shakes. So what to eat? Try a nutritional shake for breakfast add some fruit for added vitamins and minerals and this contributes to your '5 a day'. For lunch chicken and salad and for dinner fish or meat with plenty of vegetables and a little bit of carbohydrates such as rice, pasta or potatoes. Have a couple of healthy snacks such as a protein bar or a piece of fruit to eat between meals in order to maintain a high metabolism and stop your body falling into 'starvation mode.' Although nutrition is about 80% of the battle you still need to exercise to achieve those results. What type of exercise is best? Exercising at a high intensity with compound movements, and bouts of high intensity cardio are a quick way to melt away excess fat. Be sure to get adequate rest & good quality sleep in order to reduce your cortisol levels. Try yoga or Pilates to help strengthen the core muscles and improve posture. Ideal ab exercises include woodchops, hanging leg raises, Russian twists, reverse curls, V-sits, medicine ball throws and plank. Once you clean up your diet and perform some of these exercises you will soon start to see a difference. Try writing a food diary to monitor progress - often people don't realise what they eat throughout the week until they see it written down on paper. Preparing food in advance is also a key way to stay on track. Try cooking extra when preparing a meal and freeze it for later this saves both time, money and stops you from grabbing something convenient yet unhealthy which will scupper your goals. Try following these tips and watch your abs emerge from that body fat.