Run for fun

MARTINUS EVANS started running after a doctor told the 36 ­ year ­ old New Yorker that he was fat.

“Lose weight or die,” he warned Evans, who then weighed 300 pounds (136 kilos) told a New York Times interviewer that he immediately went out and bought a pair of trainers.

Although he lost 90 pounds (40.8 ki ­ los), he realised that he wasn’t 90 pounds happier, and decided to stop counting calories and run for fun.

He has since founded the Slow AF Run Club whose first rule is that members may not talk about their weight or weight loss.

Runners move forward however they can, Evans said, even if it requires “delusional self ­ belief.”

THE NHS recommends between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for adults.

Nevertheless, stress and worry, a bedroom too hot or too cold, loud snoring, external noise or uncomfortable bed means many Britons are sleep deprived.

For those who believe snoring ought to top the list, Russell Foster, professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Brasenose College in Oxford suggested couples get rid of ear plugs in favour of sleeping separately.

Crisps win

A SALT tooth does exist. A recent YouGov poll found that 40 per cent of Britons preferred crisps to chocolate, which could explain why the British Heart Foundation recommended following the World Health Organisation’s salt limit of five grammes a day by 2030.

“The result would be up to 1.4 million fewer new cases of high blood pressure and 135,000 fewer new cases of coronary heart disease,” the foundation said.

“There would also be up to 49,000 fewer new cases of stroke and more than 450,000 extra years in good health.”

Flips flop

FLIPFLOP weather is here, but a podiatrist advised against them.

Paul Macauley, a medical professional who treats of disorders of the feet and ankles, said that on putting your foot through a flipflop’s loops, you have to grip the sole with your toes.

“This can cause clawtoeing, when the joints in the toe bend like a claw and become inflexible. Constantly wearing flip flops can also lead to tendonitis which causes pain and stiffness, he said.”