Improve your health and fitness!!
Eat healthier, feel healthier!! Dispel all those commonly believed health & fitness myths!!
February 2018
Achieve the physique you’ve always wanted!!
PC Fitness E-zine February 2018
What are ‘macro nutrients’?
Are Sit Ups Good For You? The Benefits of Yoga and Why We Should All Be Doing It
Is jogging a good way to get into shape? 1
Welcome to the first of my monthly fitness e-zines, in which I will be examining fitness issues and giving tips and advice on how to improve your fitness, get into shape and to eat better and healthier. About me: as a PE teacher and Personal Trainer, I have many years experience of helping people to improve their health, fitness and body shape. I love exercising and regularly play tennis, lift weights and do yoga. I hope that my articles, videos and advice will help you to enjoy an active and healthy life and to be the best possible version of ‘you’, both in mind and body.
www.pcfitness.org.uk
The Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner… Will running help me to lose body fat? This question is an easy one to answer: yes, you will lose body fat if you regularly go for a jog and either eat less or maintain your current intake of calories. Is running/jogging good for you? Is it a good way to get into shape or to improve fitness? The answers to these questions are a little more complicated…….. As most people know, running on roads can cause damage to the skeletal system, namely the vertebrae, knee and hip joints and cause overuse injuries such as shin splints. There are additional issues with using distance running (also known as low intensity steady state training) as a vehicle for fat loss: Some researchers believe that many hours spent doing exercises such as distance running can increase the production of free radicals which can cause premature skin aging in addition to other health issues.
Low intensity steady state training is not very time-efficient i.e. more intense exercise such as circuit training will take less time to achieve the same effect.
Running only works the muscles in the lower body so whilst it will lead to fat loss, it can also lead to upper body muscle loss which lowers metabolic rate. Do you want your physique to look like a marathon runner or a sprinter? You therefore need to train according to the ‘look’ you are trying to achieve.
Cold weather and dark nights can make running a chore (possibly
The Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner (contd.) Does that mean you should stop jogging? Not necessarily………….. if you enjoy running or want to compete, go for it!! Many people enjoy being outside (especially if you work indoors) and value the ‘alone time’ and use it to clear their head and to think. Tips to make running healthier and more effective:
Breakfast Idea:
Ditch the sugar-laden cereals for Spend some time choosing a pair of good quality this healthier homemade version: running shoes; a specialist running shop will analyse your gait so that you can buy the correct pair to suit Ingredients: you. 100g Porridge oats (e.g. Flahavan’s Organic Irish Oats); Try to run on soft ground whenever you can and try to vary your running by choosing a different route with variations in terrain i.e. hills.
Make sure you include some upper body resistance training (weight training) in your workout regime.
Apply the principle of progressive overload i.e. gradually make your training harder to force improvements in fitness. Do this by gradually increasing distance, increase speed and time spent running. This will involve keeping records of your runs; you can use an app such as ’Map My Run’.
As a more time-efficient alternative to jogging, try this sprint workout which takes up less time and will push you to the limits for quicker fitness gains. So in conclusion, running can be good for you if you enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it and you are only running to improve your body shape, there are much better training methods to use. I will be including many more workout ideas to help you to exercise at home and in the gym, which may be a much better option for your health and fitness, especially during the winter months.
Milk or almond milk;
Fruit (e.g. berries);
Honey or maple syrup.
Method:
Mix plain porridge oats with milk or almond milk;
Microwave for 1 minute then mix ; microwave again for 1 min.
Top with your favourite fruit e.g. raspberries. blueberries, blackberries, banana, apple etc.
If you need extra sweetness, add a little honey or maple syrup. For extra protein content, mix in some whey protein; vanilla is best since it’s a neutral flavour.
The Benefits of Yoga and Why We Should All Be Doing It Many people recognise the physical benefits of yoga, such as increased flexibility and mobility and injury prevention or rehabilitation, but the benefits to your emotional health and your mind-set are often overlooked. Laura Butcher of Soul Sanctuary yoga in Worcester has this to say: ‘In a world that seems to be moving faster by the second we need the tools to adapt. Yoga classes focus on empowerment, both physically and emotionally. The physical poses give us access to ourselves; we focus on the psychology, learning how we react when challenged, how we might naturally doubt ourselves, or perhaps we push too hard and the lesson might be in self-acceptance. More commonly known, the physical benefits of yoga are undeniable. So many forms of exercise rely on high impact movements, which can damage joints and shortening muscle length. Sun salutations warm the body and improve cardio vascular fitness, core stability to maintain abdominal and back strength; twists detoxify and realign the spine and breath work to re-oxygenate the blood and calm the nervous system. Essentially, yoga classes re-balance the body, from head to toe!’ Your first class is FREE visit www.soulsanctuarystudios.com Click on the play button to watch Laura’s video
Are Sit Ups Good For You? Did you know? You would need to do nearly 20,000 sit ups in order to burn off 1 pound of body fat!!! What’s the alternative? ‘Spot Reduction’ is a myth!! Some people think that you can lose fat from a body part simply by exercising muscles in that area. This is not true!!! In other words, sit ups will not help you to lose stomach fat; squats will not help you to lose fat from your legs and backside. To lose body fat, use whole-body exercise such as circuit training or weight training complexes (click here to see an example) Sit ups are actually a dangerous exercise and you risk back injury by performing them (more on this to come in future months!!). Try this as a much better way to strengthen your core/abdominal muscles: yoga plank workout. (click here to watch the video). 4
What are ‘macros’? How should they be combined? Marcos are the food nutrient groups that we need to consume in large quantities, namely protein, carbohydrates and protein. Micro nutrients are those that we need in smaller quantities i.e. vitamins, minerals and fibre. Water is vital of course and we all know the benefits of keeping our body well-hydrated, but is not strictly classed as nutrient since it contains no calories. In this article, I am not going to go into the importance of each macro nutrient; I am going to explain the combinations in which we should consume these nutrients in order to keep body fat low.
Eat protein with every meal: this helps to keep us feeling satiated (full).
Combine protein with carbohydrates OR protein and fats. E.g. tuna or chicken salad with olive oil dressing or humus. This is high in protein and healthy fats with a low carbohydrate content; lean meat or fish goes well with any vegetables and sweet potatoes or brown rice.
Try not to eat foods high in fat together with food high in carbohydrates; high carb. foods elicit an insulin response which signals your body to store fat. If you provide the body with lots of fat during the same meal, you risk this being stored as fat. Unfortunately this is why foods like ice cream, cake and biscuits are so fattening, so eat them in moderation!!
Four Week Exercise Challenge….. Although health and fitness involves more that just eating less and moving more, being more active will definitely have a positive effect on your health and fitness. Try my Four Week Exercise Challenge (click on the play button to see the video). Complete the circuit twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. 10 burpees; 10 T press ups; 10 squats; 10 plank knee to elbow; 10 burpees ; 10 squat jacks. Perform the circuit as quickly as possible and time yourself and try to beat or at least match your time on each occasion. You should see an improvement in your physique and you will feel better and have more energy. Good luck and enjoy!!! 5