Health Related Fitness Tips

Too much food (January 31^st)
Recent research suggests that if you constantly overeat (ie each too high portions of food) you can trigger a heart attack, in fact overeating increases the risk by four times within two hours of a meal. The main cause of this is because eating too much puts the same strain on a weak heart as performing hard exercise when not fit or if you were in an emotional rage. Scientists recommend that something as simple as drinking 4 cups of tea a day may actually protect you against the risk of a heart attack, because the flavonoid antioxidants found in tea contribute to the strengthening of the blood vessel walls within the body, so drink more tea and eat less food.

Offset fatigue (January 30^th)
An excellent way to offset excessive fatigue is to actually exercise moderately throughout the day. There are lots of causes of excessive tiredness such as stress, poor nutrition, depression, poor quality sleep and in some cases underlying illnesses. Exercise can increase your energy levels and sometimes overcome the perception of tiredness due to slow metabolic rates as a result of being inactive. A poor night's sleep can often increase your daily calorie consumption and also leave you tired and less alert mentally and regular exercise can improve sleep quality as well as maintaining your immune system.

Water levels (January 29^th)
If you exercise vigorously for half an hour you could lose as much as 1.5 litres of sweat and fluid through respiration. Another benchmark of how much water to consume daily is to drink 1 litre of water for every kilogram of lost body weight from sweat during exercise. So being disciplined enough to weigh yourself before and after exercise can give you an accurate level of required fluid/water replacement that is needed following exercise. When the weather is cold during the winter you need to concentrate on avoiding dehydration just as much as during the summer months. If you lose only 2% of your body weight in fluids through sweating and respiration you can lose as much as 20% of your ability to sustain aerobic exercise.

Feel fruity (January 28^th)
Fruit is such a simple food that is energy and health giving especially if you are physically active and wanting to maintain a health related fitness lifestyle. Banana is an excellent health food as it stimulates the production of serotonin which is a chemical in the body in the body that assists in elevating mood. Bananas also contain potassium which are essential for efficient muscle contraction as well as fructose which is fruit sugar that gives quick energy. Bananas are also a slow release carbohydrate which are rich in vitamins, fibre and iron, which is important for the transport of oxygen in the bloodstream.

Logging your health (January 27^th)
If you are serious about maintaining your long term health, then why not consider recording your fitness progress and health status in a training/health Log? If you have been given a diary as a present over Christmas why not begin the new healthy year by recording your daily activity sessions and start logging your weight and resting pulse rate. Try and daily record what junk food you eat and look back over the week to see what the accumulation is. By recording your positive and negative food habits you can over time change to a more healthy and positive balance. So logging your health habits can assist in disciplining you to reaching your new health related fitness goals.

Give it up (January 26^th)
If you have given up smoking as a New Year resolution then you have gone past the 2 week point by now and you should consider a number of strategies to help you go all the way to a new healthy life. Plan exercise and activity at the crucial times when you may have previously smoked also avoid the shopping area where you used to purchase your cigarettes. Nicotine patches and gums can really help with the nicotine cravings and counseling can identify strategies to help with the cessation of smoking. Try and seek help from your local health centre on all the options available to you so that you can finally give up smoking for good to improve your immediate quality of life as well as prolonging its duration too.

Natural replenishment (January 25^th)
If you wish to maintain high levels of energy for an active lifestyle then you have to work towards the replenishment of fluids and foodstuffs that are as close to natural as possible. Vitamins essential for maintaining health and fitness are organic substances that are found in plants and animals and are better sourced through naturally produced foodstuffs. It is important not to over cook vegetables otherwise you will lose a lot of the beneficial health organic nutrients present. Most vitamins cannot be made by your body so it is important to consume plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables daily. Avoid fast food and processed package foods as much as possible as they often contain salt and sugar, over time you will see obvious fitness and health gains and experience higher levels of energy on day to day basis.

Energetic life (January 24^th)
If you regularly participate in endurance based events and train on a regular basis to prepare it is important to schedule in recovery phases and pay special attention to your diet to ensure that you replace energy. Complex carbohydrates have a slower longer lasting energy release which is excellent for people who participate in endurance and stamina based exercise such as jogging, swimming, rowing, walking and cycling. Carbohydrates such as brown rice, wholemeal bread and pasta also contain vitamin B which is an essential catalyst for the release of energy. It is also important to ensure that you drink plenty of fluids to maintain your blood volume and the more carbohydrates you eat the more fluids you need to consume.

Always warm up (January 23^rd)
Before any exercise session or competition always warm up, ensure that you have enough clothing on to keep your muscles warm then start very steady aerobic exercise to create heat within your large muscle groups and to increase your heart rate gradually to get the blood pumping faster around your body to the expected working muscles. Once warmed up and ready to go do not remain inactive too long otherwise you can lose some of your core body heat and your muscles may become cold again. Try to work towards a minimum of a 10 minute warm up for an hour long session also include some light static stretching exercises once your muscles are warm. If you are competing on a cold day always leave it to the last minute to remove your extra clothing so that you remain warm and ready to go.

High nutrition (January 22^nd)
Heart decease is Britain's biggest killer causing approximately a 250,000 deaths a year and so sensible consideration should be given to the types of food you consume as part of your daily diet. Foods such as tomatoes and peppers are high in nutrients and contain antioxidants that are extremely good for your general health and wellbeing. Recent research has shown that garlic is good for your heart and can significantly reduce your chance of a heart attack. Garlic supplements were found to reduce the risk of blood clots. Garlic contains allicin, a cholesterol-fighting substance that inhibits the retention of the negative cholesterol in the blood. Vitamin C found in broccoli, citrus fruits and bananas is not easily stored within the body and can pass through your body within one day so should be consumed as part of your daily dietary intake.

Good fats, bad fats (January 21^st)
Fats as part of a balanced diet can be good or bad dependent on how much you consume. Often packaged processed foods can contain high levels saturated fats, salt and sugars. However some fats have many positive functions as part of a well balanced diet such as being a carrier for fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K. Fatty acids are essential for the formation of cell membranes and are an excellent source of energy for long distance endurance events. Fats that come from a natural source such as olive oil, avocados and nuts can be very beneficial to maintaining optimum health. Fish oils are also a very a positive source of fats important for offsetting coronary heart disease risk and also for good general joint and bone health.

Excessive tiredness (January 20^th)
There are a variety of causes of excessive tiredness and if it continues it should not be ignored in case there is an underlying illness such as depression or stress. Other causes could be lack of sleep, stress, poor diet and in some cases exercising too late in the evening before bed time. Depriving your body of essential nutrients and vitamins can lead to excessive levels of tiredness that can leave you lifeless and sluggish. Poor quality sleep can not only leave you less mentally alert but can also cause you to consume more calories with as much as a 10-15% increase more than usual as well as a lowered immune system due to lack of sleep. Overtraining can also cause chronic fatigue and continuous muscle soreness.

Give up smoking (January 19^th)
Everyone knows smoking can is addictive and can leave you susceptible to all manner of serious life threatening diseases, so if you are a smoker and considering giving up there is a lot of assistance available to help you try. Nicotine patches and gum can help with the nicotine cravings and behavioural counselling can identify strategies to avoid situations and routines where you had previously smoked. Avoiding the shop where you used to buy your cigarettes is a good starting point for change. Also you are more likely to quit smoking by seeking advice from your local health centre that will have numerous programs and methods to help you get clear of smoking for good.

Detoxification (January 18^th)
At this time of year following the festive season people often feel the need to put all their food and drink excesses behind them by doing a Detoxification phase (Detox) where they cut back on food and drink that can cause toxins in their body. This is achieved by cutting back on drinks and foods that contain or generate more toxins in your body. Drinks that contain caffeine, sugar, alcohol and soda should be avoided during the detox process and at the same time you should drink large amounts of water (a minimum of 2 litres per day) as this will help flush toxins out of the body. This process can also lead to an increase in energy levels and should be followed by a phase of increased activity so that you can reap the benefits of a week of the detox discipline.

Train twice (January 17^th)
A lot of top class athletes train twice a day to achieve high performances in their given sport, with a steadier less intense session in the morning to prepare the body for a harder session in the evening. Some health related fitness researchers have suggested that an effective way of reducing body fat is to exercise twice a day because exercise in the morning can elevate your energy levels so that you burn of more calories as well as being more alert. Your metabolic rate is boosted so that even when not exercising you consistently burn off lots of calories. If you don't have the time to train twice daily why not consider commuting exercise where you cycle, walk or jog to and from work which is of course a very time intensive way to exercise daily.

What is the best breakfast (January 16^th)
Firstly it is important not to miss breakfast as it is regarded as the most important meal of the day. People who skip breakfast regularly risk increasing their body fat and having low energy levels at crucial parts of the day as well as a reduced mental alertness. A high complex carbohydrate breakfast can help burn off as much as twice the amount of calories when exercising than doing without. Foods such as muesli cereals, fresh orange juice, whole meal bread and bananas can reduce the urge to snack on convenience foods throughout the morning. The increased energy levels will make you more likely to want to exercise and will enable you to exercise for a longer duration and therefore burn off more calories.

Older joints (January 15^th)
You may experience joint pain as you get older due to years of bad posture, incorrect seating arrangements at work and not enough regular exercise and in some case with sports people poor technique and style that can lead to possible injury. The classic mistake that people make is to become less active when their joints start to hurt and stiffen, however exercise and movement strengthen and improve your joint health. Problems often occur with joints due to lack of use, so by exercising muscle, tendons and joints you can become more bio-mechanically balanced, so the old idea of exercise being bad for your joints is in fact a myth. Eating oily fish on a regular basis can also help with joint health and keeping your joints warm in winter will help with the circulation around them.

Lack of activity (January 14^th)
The basic fact is that if you want to live longer and have a greater quality of life you have to keep moving, a sedentary lifestyle can only lead to hypokinetic diseases that can shorten your life. Hypokinetic diseases are illnesses that occur due to a lack of exercise, poor nutrition and an excessive diet. One of these is cardiovascular disease which affects more than 2.5 million people per year in the UK and is the one of the major causes of death. Lack of activity, obesity, smoking and stress are the main contributing factors of a sedentary modern lifestyle and if you are 11lbs/5kg in excess of your ideal weight then you can put your heart and health at risk. Exercising moderately twice a day can boost your metabolic rate and also make you more likely to be incidentally physically active and less sedentary.

Heart stuff (January 13^th)
The duration and quality of your life is dependent on the health of your heart and if you are a sports person wanting to achieve your best performance then your heart is the engine underneath the bonnet and your cardiac output and efficiency will determine your ability to achieve. To maintain a healthy heart regardless of whether you are an athlete or exercising to improve your health status it helps if you are an optimistic type of person because stress is a major heart disease risk factor. One of the main causes of a heart attack is the build up of fat in the arteries (atherosclerosis) which can clog up your blood supply to the heart. If the heart is then deprived of oxygen due to the arteries being blocked then the heart muscle stops working efficiently and this can lead to possible death. Reducing your salt, alcohol and saturated fats can greatly reduce your risk of a heart attack, so eating fresh vegetables and fruit as opposed to processed foods can greatly enhance your general health and your ability to perform in sport.

Replace energy (January 12^th)
If you are regularly training for fitness or performance it is absolutely essential that you replace your fluids as soon after exercise as possible even in the winter when the weather conditions are cold. Whilst replacing the lost fluids from hard training it is an ideal opportunity to help maintain glycogen levels within the body and electrolytes to shorten the recovery time following exercise. So whether training, competing or sustaining a health related fitness program always follow the discipline of drinking fluids as part of your fitness regime. The first hour after exercise is crucial and is often called the carbohydrate window so by drinking sports drinks and eating quick release carbohydrates such as bananas in this hour you can help sustain more consistent energy levels over time.

Winter nutrition (January 11^th)
The temptation in the winter when the weather is cold is to eat large amounts of hot starchy types of food especially if you have been outdoors when the weather is bad. However a varied diet of fresh fruit and vegetables will assist you in maintaining a high level of immunity throughout the winter. Winter vegetables such as potatoes and turnips can be put into hot vegetable soups that can not only warm you up and hydrate you but also provide essential energy for keeping warm whilst exercising outdoors. It is of course better to cook potatoes with their jackets as they contain vitamin C and other nutrients. Carrots are often an underestimated food as they contain high levels of calcium essential for bone and teeth health. By drinking a glass of fresh orange juice with every meal you can increase your resistance to colds and viruses as well reducing your risk of heart disease by 33%.

Walking fitness (January 10^th)
If you want to increase your bone strength, decrease your heart disease by a half, tone your leg muscles, improve your circulation and elevate your general mood daily then get outdoors and start walking 5 x 30 minutes a week as this is the minimum standard recommended to achieve a positive health status. Regular walking can reduce the risk of diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis and blood cholesterol levels. It is important to wear comfortable supportive shoes with an adequate grip to reduce the potential risk of injury. If you are capable of more do it and try and challenge yourself to walking hills and more briskly when you walk to raise your heart rate consistently, also try to walk more incidentally by taking the stairs and not the lift throughout your everyday life.

New Year Motivation (January 9^th)
New year is an excellent time to eliminate some of your negative health habits and exchange them for positive ones, people who embark on New Years resolutions often think that they may be unable to maintain them but recent statistics from Gyms within the U.K. suggest that a great number of people actually sustain their activity levels and adherence to the task of staying healthy. If you can sustain a health related fitness program for 3 weeks you are more likely to continue because it can become a physical and social habit, so set yourself short term targets and then medium term targets that can motivate you to continue until it becomes a life time health habit. Visualize yourself as a healthy, happy individual that has a great immunity to illness and then set off on the journey to be that person.

Stay fit in winter (January 8^th)
You have to work on staying fit all year around and the challenge is obviously greater in winter due to the colder outdoor conditions and in some cases there is a reluctance to go outdoors when the weather is wet and cold. A very famous American track coach once said there is no such thing as bad weather just soft athletes so in order to remain as active in the winter as you are in the summer regardless of the cold and wet weather you have to get out there and challenge yourself and your body, so wrap up warm and step out of the door. From a nutritional aspect try to regularly consume fish as part of your weekly diet for the vitamin D for mental well being, bone health and your immune system.

Fit ski (January 7^th)
If you are fortunate enough to be planning a Ski holiday as part of your winter lifestyle it is important to not only prepare your accommodation, Ski gear and social schedule but also your physical preparation for the demands of the 'Piste.' Your physical conditioning is an important factor to your actual enjoyment of the whole experience of a ski-ing holiday and there are a number of specific physical areas where you need to focus prior to your trip. Your upper leg strength is essential so doing resistance training such as leg press exercises will ensure your thigh and buttock muscles are prepared for long periods of ski-ing on the slopes all day. Rowing is an excellent exercise to ensure that you also maintain the strength and flexibility of the upper leg as well as your local muscular endurance. Sit ups and exercises involving your core strength and flexibility will help with the constant hip and lower abdominal twisting whilst ski-ing and don't leave it too late to start preparing.

Choose healthy food first (January 6^th)
So if you have selected healthy options of food after Christmas and are preparing yourself for the next food challenge New Year then try to choose foods that can reduce your risk of heart disease. By choosing foods that contain little or no salt you can greatly reduce the risk of heart disease or strokes, most processed foods contain levels of salt that can be harmful to your long term health. Foods that contain vitamin C such as berries, citrus fruits and green vegetables, are very good for your circulation and the elasticity of the blood vessels. Eating fish can help you achieve a positive blood profile and exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes for five times a week will help you maintain a good general health, however if you are looking to reduce your fat levels you may need to exercise longer, increase how often you exercise or train harder.

Exercise (January 5^th)
There may be little point in advising you to eat healthily at this stage of the Festive Season as the house is probably full of all the rich food temptations as well as the social pressure to eat, so try and concentrate on exercising so that you can quell your guilty conscience. So get out in the outdoors and start some habitual weight bearing exercise to offset the indulgence of Christmas. Exercise makes you look better, feel better and can stimulate your blood circulation whilst toning your muscles. It will reduce your body fat and lower the cholesterol levels in your blood whilst making you more optimistic and positive in your general outlook on life. It will also reduce the size of your waistline as there is a strong connection with the excessive size of your waist and your heart disease risk.

Why you should run? (January 4^th)
A lot of people exercise on Boxing Day to try and redress the balance of over indulging on rich foods over Christmas. If run you as part of your regular exercise programme it can be a very time intensive way to stay fit and by only running/jogging 30 minutes during one day when you may be awake for 16 hours then that is not a great sacrifice and totally does away with the excuse that you haven't got time to exercise. The benefit of running regularly is a drastic reduction in your risk of heart disease, a reduction in your body fat percentage and the obvious wellbeing gained from performing habitual endurance based exercise. Running doesn't require a lot of expensive equipment and as long as you have well fitted running shoes that suits your natural gait or running style then you can run injury free with the right level of advice from fitness consultant or coach.

Slow aerobic running (January 3^rd)
Running slowly can be the ultimate fitness training for anyone wanting to maintain their body fat balance, bone health, cardiovascular functions and mental well being. Slow aerobic (with oxygen) running is also sometimes called jogging which became extremely popular in the late 1970's worldwide with people stepping outside their front doors and jogging out in the fresh air. The important thing is to start slowly and always finish feeling as though you can do more to begin with and a lot of people who jog often find it is better to aim for participation running event to stay motivated. It is essential that you have a pair of well fitted pair of running shoes that are both flexible and supportive regardless of the surfaces you run on. Joggers often experience what is called the runner's high which is a release of endorphines into the brain that elevates your mood during and following endurance exercise.

Food for fitness (January 2^nd)
Being regularly active and paying attention to maintaining a varied and as close to a natural diet as possible will ensure that you have high energy levels and if you are training hard your diet should include at least 50% of complex carbohydrates in a natural complex form rather than a refined processed form. Complex carbohydrates contain minerals, fibres and vitamins that are essential for the release of energy and can be found in whole meal pasta, bread, cereals, vegetables and fruit. These types of carbohydrates are slow release high energy sources with all the essential vitamins and minerals needed for endurance fitness. By consuming apples every day you can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 25% and apples also contain fructose as well as natural roughage important for the efficient functioning of the digestive processes.

Winter foods (January 1^st)
With the low light winter weather and early dark nights comes the tendency to settle down for the evening in the warmth in front of the TV and comfort eat. So your calorie intake increases and your activity levels decreases to lower than your summer exercise levels. So try to do the opposite increase your vegetable and fruit intake before you start on the starching comfort foods and get out in the cold sometimes wet weather and exercise even though everything inside you is saying different. I f you have a regular training partner or group that can often be the catalyst to the consistency of exercise you need during the winter months. Vegetables are of course full of vitamins that will give you more energy without consuming lots of calories. It is also important to maintain fluid levels within your body so that you can maintain health and energy levels, so vegetable soups are a great way to achieve this natural health balance to last through the winter months.