How Too Much T.V. Can Cut Your Life Expectancy

According to The British Journal of Sports Medicine, couch potatoes who watch six hours of TV a day live five years less than those who don’t.
This research on health risks linked to TV viewing suggest too much time sat in front of the telly can shorten life expectancy, presumably because viewers who watch a lot of telly do little or no exercise.
Prof Stuart Biddle, an expert in exercise psychology at Loughborough University, said a lot of people in the UK now fall into the category of inactive or sedentary.
He said that aiming for 30 minutes of exercise a day on pretty much every day of the week might seem too challenging for some, but starting low and building up could be achievable.
"You can get good gains with relatively small amounts of physical activity. More is always better, but less is a good place to start."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14526853

6 Ways to Help Stick to Your Fitness Goals

These days there's tons of activity opportunities available to us, from gyms to fitness DVDs, from running a charity race to attending a fitness class there's something to suit everyone. So why aren't we all super-fit and enjoying a healthy life?
Dr Simon Evetts believes he's found the answer. He's worked as an exercise physiologist for NASA in California and now currently the Senior Lecturer in Exercise Science at Thames Valley University,
"I knew that something was fundamentally wrong with the world of fitness, because my industry had decades worth of experience and a plethora of effective services and products and yet 65% of our society was still overweight or unfit. We say we know how to get people fit and yet it doesn't happen. What is wrong?"
What he concluded was that it's not what's wrong, but what is missing - and what is missing from the health and fitness formula is adherence.
Says Evetts: "Adherence is the ability to stick to something until goals have been achieved. It is a multifactorial issue, which is being dealt with in parts by many people and organisations, but which as yet has not been clearly recognised or adequately addressed as a whole. Over the next decade we will see a revolution in health and fitness based upon 'adherence', but you can start today."

Here are six ways to help you stick to your new healthy lifestyle:-
1. Set yourself goals- Setting yourself goals are extremely important in order to help you to focus your mind and get to where you want to be. Try setting a set of short term goals with a time frame to be acheived in 6-12 weeks such as lose 1 or 2 stone before a holiday or to be able to jog on a treadmill for 20 mins. Have a long term goal of about 12 months such as running a long distance race for charity.
2. Find your driving force-Find out the true reason for your goal, It's not just 'to lose weight and look good', there is more. Find out from deep within yourself why you need to look good, feel good or be fitter/healthier. Identify this and your motivation will improve 10 fold
3. Find an activity/exercise you enjoy- It's no good choosing an exercise you dislike because the chances are you woen't stick to it. You stand a better chance of sticking to it if you enjoy it.
4. Life alignment- Look at the other aspects of your life (family, work) that will exist along side your quest for health and fitness. Will there be any conflicts along the way? Identify where your exercise programme might cause problems with other elements of your life and act to resolve these in advance.
5.Visual feedback- Research has shown that the most effective exercise programmes are those which include visual feedback. Graph the weight that you're losing or how fast you are running a set distance, this will help with your general motivation.
6. Relapse strategies - Be prepared if relapse happens. Tell yourself that relaspe is all part of the process of change and shouldn't be the end of trying to change yourself. Identify what might cause a relapse for you and how you can prepare yourself so that you have a good chance to fight it when it happens. Think about what could cause you to give up exercise and avoid these situations.

Double the Chances of Quiting Smoking by Weight Training

According to new research a weight training regime can help double the chances of smokers kicking the habit.

Research published by The Miriam Hospital in Rhode Island, USA, follow on from previous studies that aerobic exercise can reduce cravings for cigarettes as well as controlling weight gain after giving up.

The study followed 25 male and female smokers between the ages of 18 and 65 who reported smoking at least five cigarettes a day for at least one year.

The participants received a 15-20 minute smoking cessation counselling session as well as an eight-week supply of nicotine patches before being placed into two random groups.

For 12 weeks the resistance training group engaged in two, 60 minute training sessions per week.

The full-body routine involved 10 exercises, with researchers gradually increasing weight and intensity every three weeks. Participants in the control group watched a brief health and wellness video twice a week.

At the end of the 12 weeks, 16 per cent of smokers in the weight training group had not only quit smoking, but had also lost weight and body fat.
In comparison, just eight per cent of individuals in the control group had quit smoking and also reported an increase in their body weight and fat ratios.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2024533/Pumping-iron-double-chances-quitting-smoking.html#ixzz1V52kpqHM

Official-Only a little time exercising can still help reduce Heart Disease

A new study shows just 150 minutes (2.5 hrs) of moderate exercise each week is enough to lower the risk of heart disease by 14 per cent.
The findings by Jacob Sattelmair, of the Department of Epidemology at the Harvard School of Public Health in America, corroborate current guidelines published by the Department of Health and also shows that the more someone exercises the greater the health benefits.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8675117/Even-moderate-exercise-cuts-heart-disease-risk.html

Slight change to Family Fitness for the summer

I'm pleased to say that Family Fitness will be continuing throughout the summer holidays.

Due to Lloyds Park Surestart Centre not being able to finance me during this time the price for each class will be £5.00.

If you have older children you can also bring them along for no extra charge!

Advert Workout

One of the main barriers to fitness a lot of people complain about is the lack of time. We all live such busy lives that it can feel almost impossible to find the time to keep ourselves fit. People can normally find the time to watch t.v. and so the 'Advert Workout' is a great way to combine watching the telly with exercise.

So next time the adverts come on instead of making a cuppa have a go at doing the exercises below. An average advert lasts for 30 secs so do an exercise for each one. Below are some suggestions and how to perform each exercise.

PUSH UPS:- This will work your chest, arms and stomach muscles. You can do this with knees on or off the floor. Hands should be about 1 and a half to 2 shoulder widths a part with hands directly under the shoulders. Keeping the back flat and stomach tight lower your body to the floor until your arms are in an L shape and are inline with shoulders. Remember to breath. Then raise body back to start position and repeat.

SQUATS:- This will work your bottom and leg muscles. Start with feet about 2 hip width across. Keeping your back straight and stomach muscles tight, take a breath in and bend legs as low as you can, no lower than a 90 degree angle and avoiding the knees going over the toes. Then breath out as you slowly return to start postition.

AB CRUNCH:- These will work the upper abs. Lay on your back, with legs about hip width apart. Either bring your arms across your body (easier version) or hold finger tips against temples with elbows sticking out to the sides. Slowly bring your head and shoulders off the floor and breathing out at the same time. Squeeze your stomach muscles at the top and then slowly lower your head and shoulders back to the floor-repeat.

REVERSE CRUNCHES- These work the lower abs. Lay on your back, arms laying by your sides, put your legs together and raise them until the knees are slightly below the hips, keep the legs slightly bent. Slowly bring the knees to your chest and lift your bottom off the floor, keeping the small of the back on the floor and arms relaxed. Then return to start position. Breath out on the lift and in on the lowering phase.

JOG ON THE SPOT- This works your heart, lungs and lower body. Just like it says, jog for the duration of the advert. For a harder version try sprinting.

THE PLANK:- This works all the core muscles-(avoid doing this exercise if you are suffering from high blood pressure). Place elbows and lower arms on the floor and lift body up until the hips are in line with your shoulders, knees and ankles. Draw your belly button towards the spine and avoid holding your breath. Hold for the duration of the advert. Easier version would be one or both knees on the floor.

Enjoy and let me know how you get on.

Stay fit & healthy cheaply

In these hard financial times it can be hard to keep yourself fit. Too high priced gym memberships or supermarket offers on high fat foods rather then the healthy can make it difficult to make the right choice at times.

Below are a few ideas to help keep you and your family fit and healthy.

1. Buy from the market- Pay for £ a bowl and freeze the fruit you can't eat. You can use the frozen fruit in smoothies.

2. Buy fruit and veg that is in season- These tend to be cheaper then buying fruit that is out of season and from abroad.

3. Make a stew/soup out of bits and bobs from the fridge- use any spare meat, chicken and veg that is in the fridge to make a tasty cheap nutritious meal for the whole family.

4. Train outside- instead of paying out for expensive gym memberships why not try jogging with a group of friends out in the local park.

5. Join a local community fitness class- these tend to be held in church halls or community centres and offers pay as you go rather then charging a monthy fee. Try my family fitness class on Tuesdays at 10.30 starting prices from only £1.50! Details @ www.titanfreestyle.com