Health Related Fitness Tips

Protect your back (February 4th)
If you have ever had back pain then you will understand the importance of looking after your lower back. A main cause of back pain is obesity with poor posture and weak stomach muscles due to a lack of activity which can lead to the spine to be misaligned. Back pain can seriously impact on your everyday existence and reduce your quality of life, with interrupted sleep, excessive pain and very restricted activity. Avoid the build-up of muscle tension if you have a sedentary job and move around every half an hour and go for a walk outdoors at lunchtime in daylight to stimulate vitamin D production. Always lift carefully by bending your knees when you lift and if the object is too heavy get some assistance.

Offset the effects of stress (February 3rd)
Your health and fitness goals are important as having clears aims and objectives can greatly reduce your ability to offset stress and anxiety. The key to success in this area of your life is by being consistent and positive and by being active daily even when you feel mentally tired. Try to stick to the discipline of moderate exercise on your recovery days as this will ensure you have a more balanced mental wellbeing over time. There are various stress reduction methods that are more effective following exercise such as Progressive Muscle Relaxation, this method involves lying flat on your back in a quiet and relaxed environment, then systematically contracting different muscles and then relaxing them starting from the top of your body and working down to your feet. Exercise is great stress reliever and even a brisk walk in the daylight for longer than 20 minutes can instantly elevate your mood, so stick with it for your mental wellbeing.

Improve your immunity (February 2nd)
Citrus fruit contains vitamin C that is essential for assisting the absorption of iron and the boosting of the immune system, one orange contains 100% of the RDA (recommended daily allowance) 60 mg of vitamin C. It is important to gear up your immunity and boosting your health by varying your nutritional consumption. To reduce your risk of catching the common cold supplements such as Echinacea and zinc are believed to boost your immune system along with foods rich in vitamin C. The fruit sugar contained in citrus fruits is an excellent quick energy source and citrus fruits also provide natural fibre for the health of the digestive system and contain large amounts of water so can help you hydrate throughout the day. Getting sufficient sleep is essential as losing 3 hours sleep can halve your immune response.

Enhance your mood (February 1st)
A health study published in 1999 found that aerobic exercise was as effective in alleviating depression as antidepressant drugs which proves that exercise can improve a person?s mood. Meditation has been proven to be very effective in helping people deal well with stress and promoting physical and mental wellbeing. If are generally a happy and optimistic person it becomes a very positive habit that actually affects your regular mood. There are neurochemicals in the brain that can affect your mood levels serotonin, epinephrine, dopamine and endorphin following exercise. However serotonin levels can sometimes get suppressed by chronic anxiety and stress. Endorphins act as natural pain killers during and after exercise and can often elevate a person?s mood for some time following exercise. Exercise also increases the opportunity to socialise as well as improving your physical health and dietary choices. ?Happiness is not a goal it is a by-product.? Eleanor Roosevelt