Health and Fitness

HEALTH AND FITNESS

THE KEEP FIT GUIDE by

Graham Kirkby

WHY DO IT? Health and strength are more than gold can buy.

In the late 1970s Roy Castle hosted a series of TV programs about keep fit which made many people think positively about the benefits of exercise. These programs coincided with the start of the running boom and it became a common sight to see red-faced people gasping for breath as they tried to emulate the athletes of the day. For some it was a major achievement to run from one lamp-post to the next before needing to stop for breath, and to run continuously for five minutes without stopping was an achievement akin to climbing Mount Everest, but miraculously it wasn’t long before these same people were running twenty or more miles a week, seemingly with little effort and afterwards enjoying the sheer luxury of jumping into a hot bath, having a meal and then resting up for the evening feeling fit, content, totally relaxed and at peace with the world. After following Roy’s advice they found the effects were more beneficial than they had expected, for as well as feeling fitter and healthier, they had more energy, they felt fulfilled, had more pride in themselves and consequently were happier as well.

Most of us walk a few paces to the car and then drive to work where we may spend the day sitting at a desk. The furthest many of us walk is round the supermarket. Our muscles only develop the strength they need for normal everyday living and if we become dependant on the internal combustion engine in the shape of the car and all the other modern labour saving devices we have in our homes we won’t be able to cope if our life style changes or we have an emergency.

People have died when they have become stranded in their car and if they feel unable to walk to the supermarket they may have cause to worry for their health. Those who make the decision to spend their lives in a sitting position may have no choice about it when they get older and might find themselves condemned to the chair for the remainder of their days simply because they haven’t kept themselves fit.

Health and fitness is the right of everyone and exercise is at the very heart of healthy living. It is as important as food, drink, sleep, warmth and emotional happiness. Most people know what constitutes a good diet and generally they have adequate amounts of sleep. They are also aware of the dangers of smoking, but exercise perhaps understandably, is the one thing missing from most people’s daily lives. The benefits of exercise are: -

1 Heart and lung fitness A strong heart and a healthy pair of lungs is our most important asset, much more important than material goods, and this is why the aerobic exercises which strengthen the heart and lungs are so important.

2 Improved appearance Weight for weight, muscles take up less room than fat, so if two people weigh the same and they are both the same height, the one who exercises will be the slimmer and better proportioned and better looking of the two.

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3 Emotional and physical health for all Provided we do not fall prey to some dreadful illness, every minute spent working out has the potential to improve the quality of our lives. The results are stronger bones, legs, heart, lungs, overall constitution, resistance to minor infections, more confidence, improved muscle tone which giving us better posture and support for the spine, and less body fat. Even the busy days at work become easier and so do routine jobs like digging the garden and mowing the lawn if that is what you like to do. Diabetics are encouraged to exercise, and somewhat surprisingly at first but not when you think about it, so are people who have undergone heart surgery.

4 Health in old age Exercise is the main weapon in the fight against osteoporosis, which affects one in two women over fifty years of age; incontinence in women is sometimes symptomatic of poor muscle tone in the pelvic floor. Elderly people who find it difficult to bend and stretch when washing their feet or hair also benefit from gentle movement and stretching exercises.

5 The cost Apart from the equipment, i.e. a pair of running shoes, a cycle, or a swimming costume and the price of a session in the local pool the rest is free unless you go to a gym. Clothes don’t make the man and the fittest people seem to wear the oldest, and scruffiest kit. We spend lots of money on the latest outdoor clothing, a breathable jacket can cost hundreds of pounds, but at a canoe slalom where it rained all day the driest person there was a little girl in an inexpensive plastic Mac.

6 Easier to Cope in an Emergency One dark winters night it unexpectedly started to snow very heavily. The traffic stopped; there were no taxis or busses the roads were impassable. A middle-aged man was at his parent’s house and had no option but to walk home from one side of Sheffield to the other. A little earlier a lady who had been visiting her son in Manchester boarded the train in bright sunshine to return home to Sheffield. On arriving in the city centre she was stunned by the white eerie quietness, the empty streets, and no possibility of transport home. She made the decision to walk the three miles to her home in several inched of snow on a dark winters night on her own and carrying two heavy suitcases.

The two people met later, she was sitting where kerb should be and she was exhausted fortunately he was able to help her home, if she had stayed there she might have fallen asleep never to wake up again.

A fitter person would have completed the journey without too many problems, and as luck would have it someone came along who could help, but it does illustrate the need to keep fit because you never know when you might need it.

7 Slows down degeneration Back problems are a source of worry, and many of us use the spine as a lever when lifting, instead of letting the muscles do the work. As the muscles strengthen a subtle change takes place, the posture changes, the back straightens and people walk taller. All the joints benefit, including the hips and the number of hip replacement operations are rising at an alarming rate, again demonstrating the link between our modern sedentary life style and the progressive debilitating illness’ society seems to be suffering since the introduction of the car and other labour saving devices.

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8 Prevention is better than cure The body is our closest personal possession, we live in it twenty-four hours a day, and while it is working properly we take it for granted. It is a self-supporting package with all it’s component parts working efficiently together and it contains all our strength and energy. Unlike machines, which wear out with use, the body thrives on activity enabling us to do more the fitter we become. If we don’t look after ourselves no one else, not even the doctors with all their pills and potions can keep us fit, and bearing in mind the adage “prevention is better than cure” exercise is the best insurance we have, remembering however it is not the panacea for all ills.

9 Better recovery from illness.

People who undergo major heart surgery are told to walk between two and four miles a day, every day within six weeks of the operation. If the patient is unaccustomed to this they will have great difficulty achieving it, whereas for anyone who was used to walking prior to the operation it is a relatively simple step.

10 Family life Ill health affects job prospects and if a person unfortunately comes out of work for whatever reason it can bring a family to it’s knees both financially and emotionally. It increases stress on family members who have to take up a caring role and everyone suffers including the children. A healthy life style may prevent this from happening, and if you do things together as a family will improve family life no end.

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WHICH EXERCISE There are three components to a healthy body (1) Heart and lung fitness (2) Flexibility (3) Muscular strength. The best form of exercise is that which strengthens the heart and lungs and the rest of the body will also improve. The heart and lung exercises are called aerobic exercises and the three main ones are running, cycling and swimming.

While muscular strength is useful, not many of us want to emulate the strong men we see on TV who pull a lorry along with a rope grasped between their teeth or lift a barrel of beer over their heads. Press ups, sit ups, leg raises and similar style exercises which use our own body weight are good for strength, and Yoga style exercises are very good for stretching and suppleness. Special equipment is not needed and the daily session need not take long.

Walking Walking is excellent in the fight against osteoporosis and this insidious weakening of the bones. Walk quickly enough to make yourself slightly out of breath and make this part of your daily routine (thirty minutes per day five days a week) Walking to work or the shops is ideal and so is walking the dog and it’s nice to be able to stop and chat to your other dog walking friends. There are lots of local rambling groups who know the best routes around the countryside and they are also good for making friends.

The Ramblers Association and The Long Distance Walkers Association are the two national societies. The addresses are: The Ramblers’ Association, 1-5 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 2XX. Long Distance Walkers’ association, Wayfarers, 9 Tainters Brook, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1UQ.)

Running Improves heart and lung fitness still further and some people run to and from work, which frees them from the bondage of the car without the worry about cycle maintenance or punctures.

They are often able to take short cuts by running through parks, woodland and one-way traffic systems. Lots of country lovers enjoy the freedom of Cross Country and Fell Running and it is absolutely wonderful to run on the hilltops with the wind and sun on your face and the moors stretched out in front of you.

Swimming Is a good family or social activity, and because of the buoyancy of the water there is not the impact stress associated with running on hard roads and this makes it possible for people with rheumatism or joint disorders to participate. It uses all the muscles in the body and is excellent for strength, stamina, and flexibility along with all round heart and lung fitness.

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Cycling Is good for stamina and leg strength. It enables the cyclist to cover longer distances quicker and with less effort than walking or running. Cyclists often get through the rush hour traffic quicker than car driving commuters while at the same time they go slowly enough to enjoy the sites and sounds of the countryside. Many families drive to the cycle trails for example in the Peak District where they can hire bikes or use their own, undisturbed by traffic and it’s pollution.

Golf Surprisingly energetic involving a walk of three to five miles in the fresh air pulling a trolley often up hills and on soft grass, also good for suppleness.

Racquet Sports Badminton, Tennis, Squash, all include lots of bending, stretching and leaping. They are good for flexibility, leg strength and heart/lung fitness, often in a club atmosphere with the opportunity for socialising.

Martial arts Includes Karate, Kung Fu, Jiu Jitsu, Aikido and Kendo. Good for stamina, strength, flexibility, (lots of stretching exercises) and skill learning. Excellent for self-defence, and at that level there are few injury worries but you can expect the odd knock. Good for character building and self-confidence.

Aerobic Classes, Dance, Line Dancing etc.

Very good all round exercise often with an excellent social side.

Orienteering Is a good family activity and is one of the few sports in which you can compete in the same race as elite athletes. There is nothing quite like running through the forest with the sunlight glinting between the trees, the scent of the woodland and the soft ground under foot. It is called the thought sport because you need to have your wits about you as you plan your route and read the map while you run, relating what you see on paper e.g. hills, depressions, knolls and changes in vegetation features to the ground around you, while you take particular note of the line features like ditches, streams, paths and fences as you come across them. It heightens your awareness of the terrain and allows you to get to know the woodland better than most. There is a strong competitive aspect in orienteering and the results can be sent to your home, enabling you to compare your performance against others of the same age and gender as yourself. There are regular badge events, which culminate in national and even international events.

There are different courses for all ages from white, yellow, and orange for the children, while the adults walk or run the green, blue, or brown course, (The courses follow a similar colour coding to that in judo.) The children trot off quite happily armed with only a map, compass and a whistle for emergencies, navigating on their own or sometimes in pairs around the woods or moor-land in the nearest we have in England to un-spoilt countryside. Little wonder that orienteers cannot wait for the weekend and the next event.

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HOW MUCH TO DO? He who has health is rich and does not know it.

The “experts” recommend brisk exercise for half an hour, five times a week doing it at a speed, which makes you slightly breathless. Don’t worry about taking a break from training during busy periods at work, or when tired, or during bad weather, but keep records which show what you were doing the previous year and try to do a little bit more in the same month the following year.

A car mechanic may tune an engine using the latest electronic tuning equipment and when he is finished he might like to take it for a final road test. We need a guide against which we can measure our fitness, and as a rule of thumb, anyone who is “sound in wind and limb” should be able to run, swim, or cycle at least half the speed of a top athlete, or in other words take twice as long. For example if you take the standard for the mile as being four minutes then you should be able to run a mile in eight minutes. Top racing cyclists taking part in the Tour-de-France average between twenty five and twenty six miles per hour in the hilly sections (faster on the flat) so half that speed is a good target for the average cyclist.

SELF TEST See how long it takes to run one and a half miles, cycle three miles or swim eighteen lengths (less than 0.3 mile) whichever is the sport of your choice and compare the result with the table below.

Time taken.

Plan of action.

1 hour

The original couch potato, start walking to the pub instead of driving there.

54 mins

Start walking away from the pub as well.

48 mins

Try walking for fifteen minutes per day, preferably nowhere near the pub.

42 mins

You are getting fitter and could manage to walk twenty minutes a day.

36 mins

By now you will be feeling the benefits and you should be able to walk for twenty five minutes without stopping most days of the week.

30 mins

Most people can manage the self assessment test in under thirty minutes and should be able to walk for half an hour most days.

24 mins

By now you will be getting fitter and when you can do the self test in under twenty four minutes you will be able to begin JOGGLING, which very simply is walking interspersed with jogging.

18 mins

When you can do the self test in under eighteen minutes then thirty minutes jogging per day is the target to aim for.

12 mins Target to aim for, about 30 mins running per day or twenty miles per week.

Twelve minutes to cover one and a half miles on foot represents only a moderately fit person and is the minimum you should be satisfied with. It is not hard to reach this target but you will need to practice, which is what training is. Once the twelve-minute target is reached in any of the activities you will be able to maintain that standard using the same training program that brought you to that level and unless you want to be competitive you can give yourself a pat on the back while congratulating yourself on achieving your target and reaching a good level of fitness.

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Do not go mad with strenuous sessions which leave you feeling exhausted, a short walk before bedtime may be all that is needed in the beginning and if you do it each day the benefit will be cumulative, the main thing is to be consistent. For example it’s very difficult to do seventy press-ups in one session and if you did manage to do it you might not attempt it again for a while, but if you do ten press-ups every day, that means in a week you will have done seventy and you haven’t strained yourself. In the beginning be content with a couple a day, it is the consistency that is important.

For an idea of what is possible the record for press-ups in 1993 was 46,001 in twenty four hours. (Guinness Book of Records) To illustrate the point still further it is far better to run one mile a day for a hundred days, than to run a hundred miles in one day and then not do anything for several months. By way of interest Ann Trason ran 100 miles in 14 hours 29 minutes. (Guinness Book of Records) sickening isn’t it.

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MAKING FURTHER PROGRESS Health and intellect are the two blessings of life.

This is for those who are jogging thirty minutes per day five times a week which is nothing compared to what we have just been reading about, so we need to consolidate our training. For starters measure out a three-mile course, which can be done very easily with a street map and a piece of string. Now run the course just once in the first week, this is less than previously when you were running five days a week but the plan is to build up from a rest period, then hopefully move you up to the next plateau. The second week, run the three-mile course twice until after five weeks you are running three miles a day five times a week. There is no hard and fast rule about this except to say that if you feel overtired, take a week off and then start again from week one till you are achieving your goal of running three miles five times a week.

Whether we like it or not we are creatures of habit and it works best if we create a regular routine to which the body becomes accustomed. Putting this in perspective a trained athlete runs about a hundred miles a week so you will only be doing a fraction of what can be done and at a much slower pace. As a matter of interest Gordon Pirie estimates he has run 216,000 miles in 40 years. Enjoy your workouts, do them with vigour, and let them become part of your lifestyle.

After a few weeks you will be able to extend your running to twenty miles a week, try running three miles on two days, four miles another two days and six miles on Sundays. If that is maintained week by week for three months you will be able to enter 10k road races and even a half marathons and enjoy them. Once a routine is established the day will not seem complete without a training session and after about three months of running five times and twenty miles a week everything becomes easy and you just seem to float along in a very enjoyable way, but it takes a while for this to happen.

OVER TRAINING If you feel tired rest up, your body will tell you when you have had enough and as you get older it takes longer to recover. Restart when your muscles have stopped aching and don’t train if you are run down, for example if you have mouth ulcers, diarrhoea, vomiting, headache, a cold or flu, pounding in the ears, aching legs or inability to sleep. Other indicators that it is time to rest are: (1) PERFORMANCE Do a short standardised time trial every fortnight and if your times are constantly getting slower take time off.

(2) RESTING HEART RATE Take your resting pulse after waking and before getting out of bed. An increase of 10 per cent or 10 beats per minute over several days indicates it is time for a rest.

(3) PERSONALITY AND DISPOSITION Rest if you feel grumpy, tired, angry, depressed or there is a decrease in your sense of vigour. Your family may help in diagnosis here and you will know they are right when you bawl back at them that you are not irritable.

The training diary for the previous year will be a good guide as to what you can expect to achieve. It is best to concentrate on improving the weeks you did not do much, while maintaining the good weeks so that if you were to draw a graph of your training, it would show a gradual rise, perhaps peaking in September. This way you can set your target for a particular race in the autumn, which gives good weather in the spring and summer for training.

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MIDDLE AGE No citizen has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training.

When we reach our early twenties our bodies are more or less developed into the way they will always be, but with time, effort, patience and determination the mould can be broken and improved upon and like many other people you may find yourself becoming fitter than you were at twenty-one.

Age is no barrier in the search for fitness but if you become breathless walking upstairs or you have other doubts check with your doctor first although the least fit will have the most to gain. Starting an exercise program for middle-aged people is undeniably hard but the potential rewards are well worth the effort. Avoid the temptation not to bother because choosing to sit on your bottom while young may mean you have no choice later in life. Do not make excuses about varicose veins or asthma etc. The author had asthma and exercise cured him, other people may have underlying heart conditions, and should anything unpleasant happen, no doubt neighbours and friends will be very quick to comment that exercise hadn’t done them much good, without knowing the full story.

For elderly people many community centres have keep fit programs and dancing is also good. If a little is done each and every day, like walking up stairs instead of taking the lift or getting off the bus before the normal stop our bodies will become accustomed to this and because it has become part of our normal daily routine we do not suffer the stresses we would if we suddenly decide to dig the garden or clear the snow from the drive which are the kind of “one off” activities that could precipitate a heart attack or aggravate back problems, also if we find a sport which is fun and helps us to make new friends, see new places and improve our social lives we will be all the richer for doing it.

An elderly athletics coach I once had the privilege of meeting ran many miles in his youth, built up a good base of fitness and coached athletes to international level. He retired from active running as planned on his seventieth birthday, but continued coaching, an example to us all.

Another coach explained it like this, “think of running as an investment, if a mile is worth a pound, then for every mile you run, the wad gets thicker”. This was when there were one-pound notes. And although a pound is not much on it’s own, a wad of them is well worth having. This is the kind of wealth money can’t buy. Below are some figures spanning thirty years, which show the effect of the ageing process.

SIX MILES RUNNING MEN

WOMEN

Forty years old

41 mins

49 mins

Seventy years old

60 mins

69 mins

To run six miles in sixty minutes at seventy years of age is good even though it is only ten min/mile pace (6 MPH) bear in mind these are average figures for “ordinary” men and women.

Monty Montgomery, an American ran the marathon (26.2 miles) in two hours fifty three minutes age 65 years which is 6.6 min/mile pace (9MPH.) This was in the early 1970s and the age record may have improved since. (Three hours for a marathon is what most “average” runners aim for)

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THE DANGERS OF OVER TRAINING Health is better than wealth At the start of the jogging boom in the late 1970’s there was an upsurge in running magazines and books which gave training schedules for running half and full marathons, they were written by experienced coaches and club athletes who were used to high quality training and they were not really suitable for novice runners and most people fell by the wayside.

Sometimes, when performance drops, a rest would do the athlete the world of good, but not realising this they train even harder still and then they go into a downward spiral. This can have a devastating effect and people have ended up with symptoms very similar to M.E. The American James Fix boasted he had never missed a days training, the consequence was that his body did not have the opportunity to recover from the constant stress and he died of a heart attack while out running. It can take years to recover from excessive over training and it is just not worth pushing yourself to the edge of exhaustion simply to complete a training schedule, which may have been written for a fitter person.

For ex-sportsman and footballers etc. the danger of suddenly getting back into full training can also be devastating. Don’t do it, build up to it gradually, we are not invincible. The increase from doing nothing, to taking up an activity like running, cycling, or swimming is quite incredible when thought of in percentage terms. We need to keep within the bounds of our own abilities, and to improve our fitness gradually. Top athletes will train three times a day and average a hundred or more miles a week for a runner (three or four hundred miles a week for a cyclist). It takes years of training to build up this foundation of fitness, which becomes the jumping off point from which they can train for a particular event, often incorporating a series of races beforehand to sharpen up. If you are interested only in good health, five times a week once a day is sufficient remembering half an hour a day is better than one session of two and a half hours once a week.

The new runner in his enthusiasm thinks that all he has to do is run a hundred miles week to be as good as the best. They do not seem to realise the top runners have been running about five thousand miles a year (as far as some motorists travel in their cars) for several years and the physiological changes and muscular development has taken years of dedicated training to achieve. So train at a level you are comfortable with and do not become dispirited if you fail to emulate the top athletes of this world straight away, but if you are young, who knows what may be possible.

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MAKING STEADY PROGRESS In this modern age we expect everything to happen instantly. Nature is not like that and the body needs time to adjust to the new life style, slowly becoming stronger and gradually the whole physique changes as you become fitter. After exercise there is the recovery period, which can happen overnight for a young person then the gradual development process that takes much longer for example a weight lifter does not develop large biceps overnight.

A cyclist, runner, or swimmer is not too interested in sheer strength and the muscles they develop are usually stamina muscles, which are longer and have less bulk compared to a weight lifter but take as long to develop. Adjust the amount of training so that you are fully recovered before the next session. Even super-fit people benefit from taking a rest occasionally, perhaps training for twenty eight days every month which gives two or three spare days to make up for any lost training sessions, then a weeks rest every thirteen weeks and two weeks rest at the end of the year.

A top athlete may start at ten or twelve years old, perhaps by running to the shops, playing sport at school, not taking it too seriously at first, then joining an athletics club and becoming stronger and fitter as his body develops naturally during adolescence peaking at about twenty five years of age, this means it has taken about twelve to fifteen years of training to reach maximum performance doing it while young which is best, so here is a reason for parents to encourage their children. Anyone starting later in life can expect to take longer; so do not be disappointed at the seeming lack of progress. As a matter of interest world record breaking mile runners if they are going to make the grade will progress at roughly the rate shown in the table and as you can see will take about nine years to reach the four minute mile bench mark providing they start at the right age and have the correct training.

Thirteen years

4:45 mins.

Nineteen years

4:03 mins.

Fourteen years

4:38 mins

Twenty years

4:00 mins

Fifteen years

4:31 mins

Twenty one

3:58 mins

Sixteen years

4:24 mins.

Twenty two

3:56 mins.

Seventeen years

4:17 mins

Twenty three

3:54 mins

Eighteen years

4:10 mins

Twenty four

3:52 mins

TIPS 1 If after a training session you feel overtired and you don’t feel much better the next morning, take a short break, listen to your body, and when you feel ready to recommence start at slower, shorter distances and maintain that for as long as it takes till you come back feeling invigorated. If that happens and you are feeling so good when you have finished that you feel as though you could do it over again you have reached the correct training level at that point in time.

2 Try to do a little every day. After all you wouldn’t spend two or three hours in the shower hoping to make it last all week, it doesn’t work that way, ten minutes every day is much better.

3 To improve your speed, increase the training distance slightly, this makes you stronger, and fitter and you become faster. This is called LSD running (long slow distance) and it still holds true.

4 When stamina training (LSD style) just relax and take it easy, don’t worry about time just enjoy the feeling of movement.

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5 Simulate racing by interval training. Short sprints for about twenty seconds, have a rest then repeat. Stop when you start to tire and your speed begins to drop.

6 Every month do a time trial over the same course. If you were slower decrease the training, if quicker increase the training. Lots of people enter the same race each year to get a benchmark.

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It is easy to over train. Use last years training diary as a guide.

8 Never say you can’t, if you have a problem like hill climbing on a bike go looking for hills and conquer them because: - (a) They are there and we can’t bulldoze them flat (b) You will improve when you conquer (c) It will help your self esteem no end. (d) It is a challenge and has to be beaten.

9 If you have a short break from training and your muscles start to ache during the rest period, don’t start training again till your muscles have stopped aching. (Don’t be afraid that you might not re-start).

10 To calculate how many miles you need to do in training for a long race, i.e. a marathon, take the distance and multiply by three. That becomes the weekly training mileage for two months prior to the race. So for a marathon you would be running eighty miles per week although people have done it on less. If you cannot maintain that mileage it would be better to do the half marathon or a ten-kilometre race (six miles).

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KEEPING A DIARY Our performance might fall off for several reasons: 1

Not training hard enough.

2

A plateau has been reached needing an increase in training.

3

The athlete has become stale and needs a change in training methods.

4

Too much has been done and the athlete is overtired.

Referring back to what you were doing last year can often revel the problem. Walking to the shops instead of driving can be as much of a work out for a beginner as the Sunday morning club run for the athlete, so keep a training diary by your armchair and enter everything into it.

When there is nothing on TV pick your diary up and see what you did on the same day last year and do it. If you did not do anything then go for a short walk or bike ride and the graph will gradually rise.

Part of the trick is to be consistent and we know from our daily routine of eating, sleeping and toiletries etc. that our bodies require a regular rhythm and when it comes to training our body will adjust more easily if we do it at roughly the same time each day and approximately by the same amount.

Training goes hand in hand with rest periods and we need to know when we are genuinely tired, stale or just feeling lazy. It is a little like walking a tight rope, we need to do enough to make progress but not so much that we become overtired and our performance falls off. The training diary can be a good guide.

There is only one thing remaining, and that is to go and do it. Armchair athletes never won any races and reading won’t make you fit. They say actions speak louder than words and all that remains, is for me to say enjoy the wind on your face, the feeling of motion, new sights, and new faces. Join a club and do it with others, they will help you and if you are young talk to a coach if he doesn’t talk to you first. If you have the aptitude and the right attitude who knows we might see you on TV. I certainly hope so and good luck.

EXAMPLE TRAINING SCHEDULE OF A GOOD CLUB ATHLETE SUNDAY

Two hours slow (runners)

Six hours steady (cyclists)

MONDAY

Rest.

TUESDAY

Half an hour hills (runners). Ninety minutes hills (cyclists)

WEDNESDAY

Half an hour slow (runners) Ninety minutes slow (cyclists

THURSDAY

Sprints or Interval training (with a gentle warm up and warm down)

FRIDAY

Rest

SATURDAY

One hour racing speed. (runners) Two hours racing speed (cyclists)

This schedule is for experienced runners and cyclists who will modify it depending on their fitness. It can be repeated week by week till the time of the race when it is best to start a taper about four weeks before race day.

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FOOD Anthropologists studying tribes in remote parts of the world have noted that although their diet is very simple, comprising as it does of roots, berries and the fish and meat they are able to catch and hunt they are amazingly fit even into old age with the elderly apparently having the blood pressure of young people. The difference between their life styles and ours seems to be natural foods, lots of physical activity and little emotional stress.

We have a wide variety of food in this country and we do not need to worry about these vitamin deficient illnesses but it is best not to overcook food as vitamins and minerals are destroyed in this way. Vitamins are essential for life and there are thirteen of known importance to man. They are found in all foods and without them we would become ill. The main ones are A, B, C, D. Lack of vitamins can cause: -

Night blindness This is due to lack of vitamin A which is found in milk, yellow and orange fruits, green vegetables, liver, carrots.

Beriberi This is caused by lack of vitamin B, which is found in meat and cereals. It can cause difficulty in walking due to damaged nerves and the heart is also affected.

Scurvy This is due to lack of vitamin C, which is found in all fruit and vegetables. Early symptoms are hair falling out. When Vasco-da-Gama sailed round the Cape of Good Hope a hundred of his crew out of a total of one hundred and sixty died of scurvy.

Rickets This is due to lack of vitamin D, which is found in eggs, butter, sardine, tuna, and pilchards. It causes the bones to be weak and you may have seen pictures on TV of children with bent legs.

MINERALS Lots of different ones are needed but only a few are likely to be in short supply, these are iron, calcium, iodine, and zinc. Low iron causes anaemia; good sources are liver, curry powder, black treacle, and cocoa. Calcium is best found in milk and cheese but you need sufficient vitamin D to ensure absorption. Low iodine can cause the thyroid glands to swell (goitre) fish is good.

Low zinc can affect fertility and delay sexual development in young men. Good sources are meat offal and shellfish.

PROTEINS Help build strong muscle, good sources are: - Nuts, Cheese, Meat, Fish, Milk.

CARBOHYDRATES Give energy, Good sources are Bread and Breakfast Cereals.

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FATS Good for stamina, Found in Cheese, Butter, Milk, Red Meat, Oily fish and Bread. (Do not go out of your way to increase fat consumption as you will get plenty in the normal course of events and there is concern we have too much fat in our diets for example fried fish and chips.)

The suggested daily dietary requirements for an active person: Calories Carbohydrate Fat Fibre Protein

Male 2550 319 grams 99 grams 18 grams 45 grams

Female 1940 243 grams 75 grams 18 grams 37 grams

You can find out from the many guides the calorific, carbohydrate or fat units of foods, to help you work out how much to eat, although I have made it easier for you by putting foods into categories on the next page.

Diets are often boring and worse still can be nutritionally harmful, for instance there has been a banana diet, bananas are good but they aren’t intended to be eaten all the time. It is nice to feel comfortably full but our stomachs adjust to the amount of food we regularly eat and we become used to that amount of food each day, the implication being that once we become accustomed to smaller portions the yo-yo effect of going on diets and then coming off them will stop, because quite simply we have become accustomed to smaller portions, and if we continue like that for the rest of our lives we won’t need to go on a diet every few months, which after all is simply an attempt to redress the balance caused by bad eating habits. For some strange reason when we start to exercise our appetite will sometimes decrease and our level of activity and the amount of food we eat may balance out naturally. Be careful though that after a training session you don’t reward yourself with a toffee, it may contain more calories than you have used in training. Remember, diets are to loose weight and exercise is to get fit.

Most people are aware which foods are high in protein and which are low in carbohydrates and are aware of the need to reduce fat, and added sugar perhaps replacing these foods with pulses, nuts, fruits and un-processed food which is so readily available and less expensive than highly refined processed food found on the supermarket shelves.

BALANCED DIET A balanced diet is so important and the rule of thumb is to eat as many different vegetables and fruit as is practicable each day. Coincidentally the colour of the fruit and vegetable can help us obtain this balance and the recommendation is to eat five different fruits or vegetables each day. The amount is unimportant as nature has a way of helping us by creating a desire for particular foods-but beware the desire for fatty foods. It does not seem to matter if the fruit or vegetables are fresh or tinned which is helpful in the winter or if you have storage problems. The cook can then add meat, fish, or dairy product as desired. Vegetarians will know what to do for their life style. One daily meal could be a salad; this helps to cleanse the system and leads to a natural loss of weight and a feeling of invigoration. As was said earlier I have put the foods into groups and by eating something from each group will give you a balanced diet.

In summary variety is the spice of life, keep away from stodgy and fried food and eat as much fruit and vegetable as you like remembering to wash, peal, top and tail it so you don’t eat the pesticides which may have been sprayed on. Add the meat or fish you prefer bearing in mind some people are Vegetarian or Vegan.

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THE FOOD SELECTOR A healthy body is the guest of the soul; a sick its prison.

Eat at least one item from each of the five groups every day. Groups 1, 2, & 3 could form part of your main meal, something from group four could be a midday snack, and something from group 5 could be part of your sweet course, but you can mix and match as you please.

1) GREENS (Vitamin C, E, Iron Calcium.)

Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Sprouts, Spinach, Peas, Avocados.

2) ORANGES AND YELLOWS (Rich in beta- carotene, helps prevent certain cancers.)

Carrots, Peppers’ Sweet Potatoes.

3) REDS (Rich in lycopene, protects against risk of pancreatic, bladder and cervical cancer.)

Tomatoes, pink/red grapefruit red peppers.

4) PLUS SOMETHING FROM THIS GROUP Apples, Pears, Mandarin / Orange, Apricots. Parsley Radishes, Lettuce, Watercress, Beetroot, Endive.

5) PURPLES (Rich in bioflavanoids, Vitamin C, elegiac acids, helps cancer prevention.)

Cherries, Blueberries, Black grapes, Blackberries

FOODS YOU CAN HAVE PLENTY OF: Vegetables, Salads, Fruit, Fish, Skimmed Milk, Low Fat Yogurts.

FOODS TO BE CAREFUL WITH: Bread, Breakfast Cereal, Potatoes, Egg, Cheese, Whole Milk, Nuts, Bananas, Figs, Prunes, Liver, Roast Beef, Lamb, Chicken, Turkey, Tuna, Pilchard, Sardine.

FOODS TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE: Biscuits, Cakes, Pizzas, Puddings. Desserts, Ice Cream, Chocolate. Rice, Baked Beans, Spaghetti, Pasta. Red Meat, Soups. Butter, Cream, Cheese, Margarine, Salad Oils, Cooking Fats & Fried food.

Take three giant leaps towards a healthier diet by cutting out sugar in your drinks, not buying supermarket pre packaged ready meals, and not putting margarine or butter on bread.

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RECIPE IDEAS Toasted Snacks Ham & Cheese 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Grate some Chedder Cheese and mix in a little milk to form a paste then add a little mustard to taste.

Next take a crumpet, cut it in half, and toast it.

At the same time slowly grill a round of cooked Ham. When the crumpets are toasted, spread the cheese paste on top and grill until golden brown.

Place the grilled Ham on top of the cheese and crown with rings of pineapple, heat under the grill and top with sprigs of watercress.

(Try Peach or Pear halves instead of Pineapple as a change)

Cottage Cheese On a slice of toast put Cottage Cheese, top with Pineapple Rings and sprinkle a few sultanas in the centre of the pineapple rings, put under the grill for a short time.

Pilchards on Cheese On a slice of toast put Pilchards or Sardines with grated Cheese and sliced Tomato.

Fruit & Nut On a slice of toast put mashed Banana topped with Raisins and chopped Walnuts.

Bacon & Cheese Grilled Bacon with a slice of cheese on top and a little chutney if wished, in a toasted sandwich.

Bacon & Banana 1) Cut a banana in half lengthways and wrap each half in a rasher of bacon.

2) Toast a slice of bread on one side.

3) Butter the un-toasted slice of bread and place the wrapped Bananas on it.

4) Put under the grill and turn once or twice so that the bacon is cooked.

Top with cheese sauce or a slice of cheese when the bacon is cooked. Brown under the grill and serve at once.

Tuna 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

In a container break an egg, beat it and add a drop of milk.

In a saucepan melt a little butter and add some drained tuna.

Heat through gently for about 5 mins.

Stir in the egg mixture while cooking and stir throughout with a fork till the mixture is thick and creamy.

Season to taste and pile on hot buttered toast.

(A little chopped onion can be cooked in the butter before the fish is added if liked.)

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MEAT DISHES Chops 1) 2) 3) 4)

Slice some onions and tomatoes.

Melt some lard in a saucepan and fry the onions and chops until brown.

Add tomatoes, fresh peas, and a little water.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer very gently for half an hour.

Chops 1) 2) 3)

Place chops in a casserole and cover with chopped onions, skinned tomatoes, mushrooms and sliced apple to taste.

Season with salt and pepper and add tomato sauce and Worcester sauce.

Cover and bake for 40 mins Mk. 4.

Chops 1) 2) 3)

Take a large piece of foil, brush with margarine and put the chop in the centre.

Place sliced apple on top of the chop and fold the tin foil over the chop to form a parcel.

Cook on gas Mk 5 for 30-40 mins.

Chops 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

Wipe a pork chop and place in a small pan.

Drain the water from a tin of mixed vegetables and make some gravy.

Add the vegetables to the gravy and tip the mixture over the chop.

Cover the pan and bring to the boil over a gentle heat.

When the mixture boils reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes till the chop is tender.

Serve with potatoes and a few extra carrots.

Marinated Pork Casserole 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)

Cut the Pork into cubes, place in a casserole dish and cover with cider.

Refrigerate for about eight hours turning the meat at least twice.

Strain the marinade and bring to the boil in a pan, season to taste.

Peal and thinly slice sufficient potatoes and onions.

Grease a casserole dish and fill with alternate layers of pork, potatoes and onions. beginning and ending with potatoes.

Pour the marinade into the dish and top with flakes of margarine.

Cover and cook in an oven for two hours on gas Mk 3. Uncover for the last 30 mins to brown the potatoes.

Liver & Bacon 1) 2) 3) 4)

Cut the liver into cubes then wash and dry with kitchen towel.

Coat the liver with flour by putting in a paper bag and shaking.

Fry the bacon (you won’t need any fat) then draw to one side of the frying pan and fry the liver till cooked through (about 5 minutes) then put both on a plate to keep warm.

Add some flour to the frying pan, mix well with the fat, add some water and gravy browning and boil until the gravy thickens then serve.

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Pot Roast 1) 2) 3) 4)

Take an onion, turnip, carrots and potatoes and cut fairly small.

Melt a small amount of lard in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid.

Place the meat (topside) and the vegetables in the hot fat and fry till brown.

Cover with the lid and cook very gently till done. This should take about 45 minutes.

Beefburgers 1) 2)

Beat an egg, add seasoning and mix into half pound of mince meat.

Divide into four flat cakes and fry in hot fat, first on one side then the other for 7-10 minutes.

FISH DISHES Salmon 1) 2) 3) 4)

Take some natural yogurt and fresh double cream, beat together and add seasoning to taste.

Open a tin of Salmon (or any other tinned fish).

Pour half of the yogurt and cream into a shallow fireproof dish, add the fish then cover with the remainder of the sauce.

Brown under the grill and serve with grilled tomatoes.

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