Live longer!

want to live longer? Want to be healthier? We have the NHS and much of the rest of the world envies us for it, but how long and healthily we live is not so much about how hospitals look after us – medical care contributes only about 20% to our healthy lifespans – as how we care for ourselves before we get there The Guardian has published an article today with lots of hints on how we could all make a difference to our health - I'll post one tip a day. However, today's one is 'Move to Japan' - maybe not realistic ? But some hints none the less! 1 Move to Japan With the highest healthy life expectancy in the world, as well as the longest lives for women (men in Andorra just pip their Japanese counterparts to first place), Japan is clearly the place to buy a 1LDK (one room apartment with a living, dining and kitchen area). Space may be limited but a healthy life is not. On average, Japanese women can expect 75.5 years of good health while men enjoy 70.6 years. In the UK, we get 70.1 years and 67.1 years respectively. It is not just about sushi and rice, according to Professor Kenji Shibuya and colleagues at the University of Tokyo, writing in the Lancet in 2011. "Japanese people give attention to hygiene in all aspects of their daily life," they said. "This attitude might partly be attributable to a complex interaction of culture, education, climate [eg humidity, temperature], environment [eg having plenty of water and being a rice-eating nation] and the old Shinto tradition of purifying the body and mind before meeting others." (Not something we can replicate with a little bottle of hand sanitiser on the desk.) They have regular health checks. We weren't designed to sit around – so get running.

Is that the sun I can see? wow - does that mean that I can shed a few layers of fat hiding clothes? Does that mean I need to think about cropped trousers and tee shirts instead of track trousers and hoodies? Best I make sure I am as trim as I can be - we've made some strides on the way to this already - we have completely revamped our exercise regime by working out in our new gym-my body doesn't know what has hit it! and how about these recipes - for your 500 calorie days BREAKFAST 1 Boiled egg and half a grapefruit DINNER Veggie chilli made with 1 large mushroom, half a tin chopped tomatoes, half a tin of kidney beans, garlic, half a chopped red chilli served with 80 g cooked weight of brown rice enjoy!

Exciting week

My lovely PT clients are in for a big treat this week - they are working out in the new gym! Will it be the treadmill, the cross trainer or the rower? Or will they venture onto the wibbly wobbly bike (you'll love it!) We can use the cable machine and our old friends the BOSU and the Swiss ball (now in a choice of 3 sizes!) And we have a lovely list of people who have contacted us already - we will be contacting you to arrange a visit and a free induction! Free kit bag and water bottle to new members while stocks last - be among the first and claim yours! Running water and the flooring just about finished - just the windows to go! We are in our new office - we have had a bit of a clear out as we moved 'stuff' from our old office - any idea why I kept used envelopes, old magazines and odd scraps of paper? They never did come in handy! New month, new week, new start - how about a new fitness regime for you? Contact us - a new you is just around the corner.

500 calorie days

Not sure what 500 calories in a day looks like? Here's a couple for you to look at. Personally I would want to eat my meal before the evening and the fasting days are not the ones to run a marathon or do your hardest workout! Don't forget to drink plenty of water 500 calorie meal planner Breakfast Porridge (40g oats) and blueberries (145g) A tangerine Dinner Chicken stir-fry (one chicken fillet, handful sugar snap peas, 100g cabbage, 2 carrots, ginger, coriander garlic, soy sauce) Breakfast Yoghurt (small pot natural fat free) Blueberries (700g) and ham (40g) Dinner Feta Nicoise salad (1 egg, handful lettuce, handful green beans 100g, chopped cucumber, 90g feta cheese & 6 black olives)

lovely low calorie foods

OK - so you think you'd like to give the 5:2 a go? Doesn't sound too bad - eat 'normally ' for 5 days and have 2 low calorie days a week - easiest to do if they are non consecutive. So what DO you eat on these days? You have some choices here; a) a mix of protein shakes and aloe vera gel b) Lighter Life food packs c) conventional food - calorie controlled I can help with a) & b) and here are some options for c) Top Low Calorie foods (per 100g) Food stuffs Calories per 100 gm Food stuffs Calories per 100gm Broccoli 32 Celery 8 Apricots 32 Blackberries 26 Grapefruit 30 Tomatoes 20 Kale 33 Mushrooms 16 Red Pepper 30 Satsumas 31 Strawberries 28 Cod 80 Egg whites 50 Tofu 70 Low fat cottage cheese 72 Low fat live yoghurt 66 Prawns 69 Baked beans 83 Lean Ham 105 Nice recipes on my next blog!

5:2 the fast for you?

OK - so everyone is talking about it - the 5:2 fasting diet. You can eat for 5 days of the week and fast on two (non sequential) days - the definition of fasting here is 500 calories for women and 600 for men. Why would you do this? Well, its said to be relatively easy - a very low calorie day is fine if you know that the next day you are going to eat normally - not go mad - just eat normally. And the health benefits are said to be great. A 2006 study by the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention centre in Manchester found that this method led to an average loss of 6kg of fat in 6 months by a study group - there was some muscle loss too, so its really important to keep exercising when dieting. This study also showed that the 2 day fasters had a 25% improvement in their insulin function, a problem that can lead to type 2 Diabetes. Another benefit is said to be a lowering of LDL - the 'bad' cholesterol and reduced levels of 'Insulin-Like growth Factor1' (IGF-1)- which can be a marker for cancer risk. All this is said to be achieved because fasting gives the body a break form processing food and time to do some repair work. Research suggests that this happens because over eating causes high levels of insulin and the hormone leptin which tell our cells to multiply and grow. Then cell maintenance is neglected and damaged cells accumulate which can lead to health problems such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Clearly this way with food is new and needs further investigating (or rather 'new to us' - its been done before)but if you fancy losing some weight and maintaining that new weight - this might be worth a try. There is even talk that it might be good at delaying the onset of Alzheimers, definitely something that interests me! Keep watching our blog to find out more about what to eat on those very low calorie days.

What to eat for breakfast?

I promised a breakfast – so here goes Well, you would have to look long and hard before you found something to beat porridge. But not the ‘with added’ stuff – no syrup, no packets with little extras, just plain porridge – and not a bucket full – about 35g to 40 g will do. I make mine with milk and water, about half and half. Failing that – how about a couple of Weetabix – nice and quick and easy What we are aiming for is some complex carbohydrates – the slow burn ones that will leave you feeling full and avoid that mid morning snacking. Lots of cereals are simple carbs that give you a sugar high and are used up quickly and leave you starving at about 11.00 – just when the biscuits get passed around! If you really can’t manage without toast – make sure its as brown and wholegrain as you can get – a boiled egg with your toast would be great. Drink plenty of water (avoid large amounts of fruit juice – check the carton – lots of calories!) and be mindful about the amount of caffeine you consume. Try not to miss breakfast – it won’t save calories – rather it will lead to over consumption when you do get to food (and encourage your body to hold onto food as fat – just in case no more food comes along for a while!) Plain yoghurt is good – go for the low fat variety and add a few flaked almonds and some berries (try goji – they are a bit different) . What ever you choose for breakfast, do try to eat mindfully – be aware of what you are eating, mouthful by mouthful – give your brain a chance to register that there is food in your stomach. Next we’ll talk about lunch………