Health Related Fitness Tips

Deprived of sleep? (October 31^st)
Regardless of your age or your lifestyle if you are burning the candle at both ends it will catch up on you short or long term to the ultimate cost of your overall health. If you don't have enough quality sleep you are likely to suffer from being more stressed, irritable and tired, however according to researchers on sleep at Loughborough University in England by taking a 15 minute snooze in the afternoon you can restore your energy levels and also be more likely to concentrate better. It is however important to try and stabilize your health with 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep a night on a regular basis which will give you a greater ability to perform endurance activities, also sustain your mental wellness and reduce your daily calorie consumption.

Food & health (October 30^th)
Health studies carried out in by the Department of Agriculture in the USA conclude that consuming daily fruit and vegetable drinks can have health benefits equal to if you have eaten them whole. Antioxidant levels in the blood 2 hours following the consumption of strawberry and green vegetable drinks showed an increase of 15%. A planned healthy diet should include foods that contain high fibre such as tomatoes that also have high levels of lycopene important for reducing stroke and heart disease risk and can lessen the risk by as much as 70%. So avoiding processed foods and eating fresh vegetables and fruit may actually save your life as you get older.

Exercise to stop smoking (October 29^th)
Even if you are a smoker try and exercise because it will be the first step to you stopping, smoking is the main cause of heart disease and lung cancer and if you can get free of the habit you will have a greater quality of life and live longer. Health experts suggest that if you seek professional help from your local health centre you are 4 times more likely to stop smoking, with over 11 million people having managed to stop smoking within the Britain then you can too. By smoking a packet of cigarettes daily costing approximately five pounds you spend in excess of thirty pounds a week. By regularly exercising you will not only reduce your heart disease risk, diabetes risk and risk of a stroke but also your chance of quitting smoking, if you start exercising and stick at it smoking doesn't seem so important anymore.

Lack of daylight (October 28^th)
A lot of people suffer from bouts of what might seem unexplained slumps in their mood during the winter months as a result of lack of sunlight/daylight. This can be as a result of a condition called S.A.D. Seasonal Affective Disorder which may need you to take some positive action such as exercising outdoors in the daytime hours. Another way to ensure you elevate your mood during the winter months is to regularly consume E.F.A.s Essential Fatty Acids often found in avocados, herring, mackerel, sardines, trout and nuts. The avoidance of foods such as processed sugary foods will ensure you don't hinder the production of serotonin a feel good hormone that can elevate and stabilize your mood. Varied fresh vegetables and fruit can ensure your energy level and vitality is high so that you can remain more active and avoid convenient comfort foods.

How to live longer (October 27^th)
There are various theories on how to achieve this much sort after status, "I want to live a long and happy life"." Some theories suggest by being happier you can prolong the duration of your life whilst also improving the quality of your life in the process. Some research shows that being married can lead to a prolonged life where married men live up to three years longer than their single peers and also that married women have a 46% lowered risk of a stroke than single women. Shared problems, eating more healthily and drinking less alcohol are believed to the contributing factors for a prolonged life and of course non smokers can live 10 years longer than a regular smoker, being more active on a regular basis greatly enhances your survival chances too.

Break the fast (October 26^th)
What is the ideal breakfast? Firstly the beginning of an ideal breakfast is to actually have breakfast, a lot of people still believe they don't have time or they may benefit from skipping this important meal, where in actual fact the opposite is true. If you miss breakfast regularly you risk increasing your body fat, you are more likely to have lower energy levels for the rest of the day and also a lack of 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, whole meal bread, bananas and fresh orange juice will stop the urge to snack processed foods throughout the morning. You will also have a higher metabolic rate and be therefore more likely to exercise given the chance and have more energy to actually do so.

Environment fit (October 25^th)
Studies carried out at Staffordshire University conclude that the immediate environment where you live can greatly influence the levels of physical activity you are involved in. Having natural, formal or urban parks and open spaces close at hand can provide people with the obvious opportunity to recreate, incidentally exercise, consciously be active and regularly be involved in sport or a health related leisure activity. Having an outdoor amenity such as a country park, canal or river side pathway and urban open green space near your place of work provides health promotion officers with the ideal tools to motivate employees to exercise within their lunch break, after work and in some cases before work as long as there is changing and shower facilities within the workplace. Where you live can to some extent determine how much you exercise but the motivation to do so is from you as an individual.

Run to live (live to run) (October 24^th)
Running as a way of keeping fit can become a very personal lifestyle habit and everyone is different in their approach to training, some people prefer to train in the mornings and some wait until later in the day. Running can be done as part of a group which is often beneficial and can help with motivating you in a collective way to continue training and some are loners who enjoy the obvious solitude of running to escape their hectic life and of course some runners are a combination of the two who perhaps use group running to help them through the longer endurance runs. Anyone who runs for fitness on a regular basis overtime will tell you that they started running to keep fit, lose fat, look better, fit better into their clothes, run a marathon, 10km, 5km and sometimes because of the camaraderie of running in a social setting. Every runner, jogger or beginner will tell you that you will feel better, look better and eventually can't live without running as it gradually becomes a positive life habit.

Calories to burn (October 23^rd)
By regularly exercising you can greatly increase your ability to cope with every day life whether running, cycling, lifting weights or swimming, but everyday life can sometimes be the actual way to maintain your health status just by being more incidentally active. By doing the gardening (weeding, grass cutting & digging) for 30 minutes you can burn 100 calories and washing the car for half an hour can burn 40 calories, so all kinds of everyday activity accumulated can lead to high level of calorie burning. Make a positive and conscious change such as walking to work once a week, going for a walk at lunchtime and taking an evening stroll weekly which can all result in a high accumulative caloric burn and a more consistent optimistic outlook on life. Outside of calorie burning regular activity protects and enhances joint health and increases tendon and muscle strength as well as a reduction in anxiety and stress.

Stress (October 22^nd)
Your body is designed to deal with stress for survival and this is called the flight and fight response, so that when faced with frightening situations the adrenal glands begins to release stress hormones into the bloodstream such as cortisol and adrenalin that causes the heart to beat faster and there is also an increase in blood pressure. This in turn causes the muscles to contract in readiness and there is also an increase in the breathing rate to get more oxygen to the expectant muscles. Being regularly stressed without the physical release of exercise can seriously harm your long term health leading to back ache, headaches, indigestion and colds and also more serious illnesses such as heart disease, strokes and breast cancer in women.

Improve digestion (October 21^st)
There are different ways to ensure that your digestive system stays healthy and efficient. Some experts believe that something as simple as chewing your food properly can help maintain good digestion, recommending you chew each mouthful 15 to 20 times so that the food is almost liquidized prior to swallowing it. Avoid eating big meals when you are stressed, as eating when you are too anxious means your digestion slows down which can hinder the absorption of foodstuffs. Eating a little and often is a much more healthy approach to maintain good health and consuming high fibre food with your regular diet is important for ensuring there is a more efficient passage of food through the gut at all times, brown rice is particularly good for this.

Core exercise (October 20^th)
Whether you are training for the Olympics or training to improve your health related fitness your core strength cannot be neglected as lack of attention can impede the progress of your overall training. Exercises that involve your back, abdominals, external oblique muscles and hips can be performed without equipment other than an exercise mat standard press ups and sit ups and lying on your back and raising your legs to 90% will all exercise the main central supporting muscles that will often be recruited during more demanding resistance training or full exertion running. A combined core strength exercise routine performed regularly three times a week for a ten minute a duration can not only ensure that you are less likely to suffer from structural injuries but can also give you a six pack abdominal look as long as your body fat percentage is between 8 and 12%.

Winter colds (October 19^th)
Increasing your resistance to the common cold especially in winter needs a lot of work and discipline on your behalf. By just simply washing your hands with soap you can reduce the spread of the cold virus and a simple sluice under the tap is not enough. Moderate regular exercising can increase your immunity and some health scientists actually recommend cold showers daily to shock your body into increasing the core temperature which can destroy cold and flu viruses, cold showers can also assist in recovery following very hard training. Consuming onions and garlic within your daily diet also increases your resistance against colds as can drinking green tea can also stimulate antigen production which can benefit your immunity.

Hidden calories (October 18^th)
Some food manufacturers claim that their foods are healthy and often there are hidden empty calories or saturated fats contained within the prepared foods. Some Muesli brands contain sugars that are added such as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), North American researchers found that people who regularly consumed HFCS were more at risk of heart disease and diabetes. Fruit smoothies can be an excellent form of replenishment of energy and high nutrition however some of the additions to a smoothie (sugar & yoghurts) can massively increase the calorie content of what is essentially an excellent source of quick energy and nutrition.

Bench press (October 17^th)
The bench press is an upper body exercise using weights to build the local muscle strength around the chest, shoulders and upper arms. The exercise involves lying flat on a bench with a solid frame support that holds the bar and weights and if you are considering lifting very heavy weights always have a training partner (spotter) to catch and guide the bar back to the frame on completion of the reps. It is recommended that you use a double-overhand grip on the bar with your hands placed just wider than your shoulder width. When exercising always exhale as you push the bar towards the ceiling and take a big deep breath as you lower the weight.

Healthy kids (October 16^th)
Your child's lifetime health is dependent on being and remaining active from a very early age, recent health experts recommend that 60 minutes of incidental or scheduled activity a day is needed for the physical and mental health of your child not only whilst they are growing up and developing but also for their health in later life. If your child doesn't exercise enough and eats too much saturated fats as a result of consuming processed foods on a regular basis, then you put them at risk of heart disease, type two diabetes, having a 70% greater chance of being an obese in later life and also a higher chance of osteoarthritis. A recent study showed 9 out of 10 young children ate junk food as a result of a greater consumption of simple sugars and saturated fats. Being active yourself will not only set the example to your children but will enable you to keep up with them when they are having fun playing too.

Circulation (October 15^th)
The general health status of your overall circulatory system is dependent on a number of factors. Keeping your heart muscle active and fit to enable it to pump the blood constantly around the body at all times and this is achieved by regular exercise and training and is a non negotiable fact, use it or lose it. Your diet plays a major role in avoiding heart disease and the risk of a stroke, simply by drinking a glass of orange juice with every meal will ensure you stand a greater chance of maintaining a healthy circulation. Consuming foods that contain vitamin C (citrus fruits, avocados, broccoli, berries and cherries) not only improves your immune system but also the elasticity of your blood vessels. Keeping well hydrated throughout the day especially if you are exercising regularly is important for topping up blood fluid levels and therefore reducing the viscosity of the blood which if ignored can lead to blood clotting.

Adapting (October 14^th)
If you are serious about your training and reaching high levels of personal health related fitness then you have to be consistent not only in the frequency and intensity of your training but also enabling your body to adapt to the physical stress imposed through regularly exercising. Your body will adapt to the demands of increased training and will change over time to increase your fitness and performance levels. This positive physical adaptation occurs during the scheduled rest and recovery phases that should be systematically set in a progressive training program. Most top class athletes will take scheduled breaks in some cases of up to one month at the end of a hard competitive season to enable their body to recover for the necessary ensuing lengthy off season conditioning training phase, which acts as the base for the annual competitive and training cycle required to improve or maintain performance year upon year.

Fit brain (October 13^th)
Recent health research has concluded that very young children are less likely to thrive intellectually and socially if they are not active enough whilst they are growing. As their brains develop exercise can stimulate greater intellectual capacity and the brain cells are stimulated as a result of incidental exercise and experts recommend a collective duration of 60 minutes of activity everyday for growing children. This occurs as a result of improved cardiac efficiency, with approximately 750 ml of blood pumped through the brain. It is important that children and adults maintain their fluid levels throughout the day especially as the brain itself is made up of 75% fluids. North American studies have suggested that regular aerobic exercise can stimulate memory brain cells.

Fighting fit (October 12^th)
Traditional physical training carried out through the military establishments concentrate on standard areas of fitness and strength such as endurance training not just for specific purpose but also to build character and mental fortitude. Shoulder and upper arm strength is a particular aspect of attention with the standard press up being performed as part of all basic training. Marching and long hall hiking over multi terrain in different challenging weather conditions with a full pack is an expected prerequisite of military training with stamina, core strength and upper body strength to assist with this specific requirement. Resistance training will not only improve all round body strength, muscle tone but also the reduction of body fat because an increase in muscle mass will also lead to an increase in calorie consumption even at rest.

Natural immunity (October 11^th)
Your natural immunity against the common cold and viruses in general is something that is important to maintain all year round health and fitness for the physical and mental challenges of every day life. Most people now know what a healthy diet is and by adhering to a balanced common sense approach which includes fresh fruit and vegetables and avoiding too much processed foods also the excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine drinks which can suppress your ability to absorb vitamins. Drinking fruit juice with every meal and eating whole meal bread, pasta, nuts, pulses, beans and rice will not only give you more energy but will also help maintain a natural immunity. Regular weight bearing exercise outdoors such as walking and jogging will if combined with 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep a night lead to a very robust natural immune system.

Eat fish (October 10^th)
Eating fish as part of your regular diet can not only reduce your heart disease risk, improve your bone health and strength but also help you offset depression. One of the best ways to offset stress and depression is of course to be regularly active as well as ensuring that you consume (E.F.A.s ) essential fatty acids found in oily fish, avocados and nuts. Avoiding processed foods that often contain high levels of saturated fats and salt will help maintain healthy body fat levels and regularly consuming oily fish is also extremely beneficial for the health of your joints. Fish contains high levels of vitamin D excellent for elevating mood levels which can also be boosted by regular sunlight so being active outdoors for longer than 20 minutes a day is important for your health and mental wellness.

Recouperation (October 9^th)
Following regular rigorous and challenging exercise it is important to systematically plan recovery and recouperation phases of either active or absolute recovery in order for the body to go through the adaptation phase. Adaptation is where your body adapts to the structured physical stresses of a balanced exercise program so that you can improve your fitness or sports performance. Recovery or recouperation phases can be short term following a hard day of physical exertion or can be a longer recovery time after a long season of training and competition. Top class athletes/ sports people often take a month off regular training to mentally and physically recouperate, the result of this will be a greater ability to train harder and hopefully improve the long term performance. The recouperation phase may mean an active recovery phase of doing a different type of exercise or in some cases the same type of exercise but with a drastically reduced amount or intensity load.

Daily diet (October 8^th)
Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer in Britain causing 250,000 deaths every year, so careful consideration should be given to your daily diet. Garlic can significantly reduce your risk of a heart attack and garlic supplements were found to reduce the chance of blood clotting as it contains allicin which can reduce cholesterol in the blood. By varying the type of vegetables and fruits you eat you can improve your general health by simply eating lots of different coloured vegetables, tomatoes in particular contain antioxidants that are very good for your eyesight. Vitamin C is not easily stored within the body and health experts recommend that you consume 1000mg of vitamin C every day and if you are taking vitamin C supplements you should take 500mg twice daily to have a better effect. Vitamin C is more effective in a natural form and can be found naturally in berries, citrus fruits, broccoli, spinach and bananas.

Smoking kills (October 7^th)
A recent health study carried out on 19,000 men by the BHF (British Heart Foundation) has shown that middle aged smokers who have a combined high cholesterol level and also high blood pressure reduce their life duration by 10 years. Also smokers with other health issues such as obesity could lose as much as 15 years off their life span, due to the combined smoking, lack of exercise and excessive poor diet. These health negatives can be drastically changed by stopping regular smoking, indulging in regular exercise and making more prudent health choices even if you stop smoking after the age of 50 years old, my father who was a chain smoker who stopped after 35 years and was given cigarettes as part of his daily ration whilst he was in the Army during World War II, his quality of life improved and he lived to be 87 years old, so it is never too late to stop.

Healthy walking (October 6^th)
One of the best ways to start getting fit again after you've been inactive for some time is to start regularly walking at least once a day for more than 30 minutes. Purposeful, brisk or power walking as part of your daily health related fitness program can have very positive health gains such as mental well being, improved lower body muscle tone, fat reduction and reduced risk of heart disease. Walking outdoors will enable you to stimulate the production of vitamin D in your body which is excellent for bone health especially as you get older and walking over hilly and mixed terrain will improve your stamina, leg strength and tone your abdominal muscles that get recruited as a result of striding up and down hills. Regular walk sessions can reduce the risk of diabetes, strokes, osteoporosis and can help lower your blood cholesterol levels.

Prolong your energy (October 5^th)
If you are training regularly and you want to improve your stamina you have to very gradually increase the duration of your training sessions and also your intensity levels. In order for the body to cope consistently with the increased workloads you have to consume more complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables, it is also important to increase fluid consumption to assist with the absorption of the carbohydrates. Fruit and fruit drinks consumed soon after endurance exercise will help you speed the recovery time, bananas are particularly good for replacing glycogen levels in the muscles and also contains potassium essential for muscle contraction. It is important when increasing your overall training loads that you schedule recovery phases in your program to enable your body to adapt to the increased physical stress and therefore improve your stamina.

Headaches (October 4^th)
If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from regular headaches you may need to make some changes to your everyday lifestyle. There are various causes of headaches such dehydration, stress, muscle tension around the neck and head area, by exercising regularly you can reduce some of the underlying tension from a stressful sedentary lifestyle. Headaches can also be caused by poor posture, too much time spent working at a computer screen without a break, faulty eyesight and in some cases smoking can cause a headache. However if your headache continues despite some of the above interventions then you may need to seek some medical advice.

Circuit training (October 3^rd)
Circuit training is an excellent way to tone up the whole of your body and challenge your cardiovascular system. There are staged points in a sports hall or outdoor sports area where you perform a set exercise for a set time (30-60 seconds) such as press ups, fast shadow boxing, sit ups, star jumping, skipping or running on the spot. Once you perform the exercise then you move on to the next stage whilst taking a short recovery, usually an instructor controls a group circuit session using a whistle and stop watch to determine the recovery and work times. The beauty of this type of training is that everyone can individually improve their fitness over time whilst training as part of a mixed ability group. This type of training is an excellent conditioning base for any type of sports performance or basic all round health related fitness standard.

Interval running (October 2^nd)
Interval running is a very structured way of training to improve and can be systematically increased over time to increase your performance and fitness levels in a very gradual way. Interval training enables you to run fast and then take time to recover for the next effort, how many you do, how much recovery you have between efforts and how far you go depends on your current level of fitness. Interval training first became noticed in the late 1940s when the great Emil Zatopek (from Czechoslovakia) a world leading athlete began dominating distance running due to incredible amounts of interval training. Interval training can be done during a run or on a running track but the main thing is that you control and record the efforts you do so you can log your progress over time. This training is excellent for cardiovascular fitness, muscle tone and fat loss because the intensity often means you burn calories long after the completion of the session.

Restricted food intake (October 1^st)
Embarking on a self imposed restricted calorie diet unfortunately has limited results as the body's reaction is to shut down by slowing the metabolic rate. This is often known as 'yo yo dieting' where people drastically reduce their food intake and so the body slows down to cope with the unexpected starvation and when they eat normally again the fat storage can often be more than before the diet was started. It is not enough to just control the amount of calories you consume you have to actually adjust the type of calories you eat as some types of foods may have a higher energy potential due to vitamin and nutrient values. 100 calories of fresh organic broccoli will of course deliver more quality nourishment than 100 calories of refined sugar.