What to eat?

First it was fats and now it's sugar. One thing after another that we are told to avoid. But really it's quite simple, take in the amount of calories that your body needs for the activity that its doing.  Of course, not all calories are equal and if you live off Mars bars you will oscillate from a sugary high to a sleep inducing low. Your skin won't take too kindly to that sort of food intake either!  But sometimes I think we get a bit caught up in 'shoulds' & 'oughts' . By forbidding ourselves some things we can easily crave it and feel very deprived.

When thinking what to eat, think unprocessed, think raw.  The less the food you eat has been treated then the easier it is for you to eat just what you need. And that's a big factor too, you may well have been taught to eat everything on your plate but do you need it? Remember that it is just as wasted in your tummy if you've had enough as it is in the bin. A tip for you, eat mindfully, concentrate on your food ( not the TV or the newspaper !) and eat slowly.  You may well find that this helps you to stop eating sooner as your head can register what's in your tummy!

Exercise and Cancer

Reading yesterday’s Guardian there is an article which gives us all a great incentive to keep active.  According to scientists, (published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer) of the 78,935 people diagnosed with bowel, breast and womb cancers in 2012 about 12,000 could have been prevented if people were more physically active. 

Dr Rachel Thompson, head of research interpretation at the World Cancer Research Fund, tells us that the relationship is not only to physical inactivity but also to excess body fats. 

Only 36% of women meet the government’s targets of at least 30 mins physical activity 5 times a week.  Come on everyone, yet more evidence that moving a bit makes a difference.  Build exercise into your daily life – research shows that it can help prevent cancer.  Our sedentary lifestyle is making us ill – get up and get going !! Join the gym – find 30 minutes 5 times a week – it could save your life.

New Years Resolutions

3 little things to help with those New Year resolutions – three things you will barely notice –

·         say no to white carbs – so that’s no to white bread, white rice, white pasta.  Stop sending your blood sugar up and dropping it quickly – only to start the cycle again

·         leave off the sweeteners – research is showing that artificial sweeteners trigger the same reaction as sugar – triggering insulin production and the swinging blood sugar levels

·         eat protein or fat with carbs which will slow down the absorption of sugar and prevent the sugar spikes.  So, try eating fruit and cheese, nuts and seeds in yoghurt or a few olives or avocado with a salad.  

Remember – its not about being on a diet – its about a whole life style –

·         get enough sleep

·         avoid excess stress

·         eat clean / eat mindfully

·         exercise – aim for 30 minutes of reasonably strenuous activity 5 times a week

·         drink alcohol in moderation (think liver, think ‘empty calories’!)

Want to know more?  Pop into one of our gyms and chat to our staff – they really know what they are talking about

Best wishes for  a great 2014!

Famous Five fight dementia

 

Not an original headline – but a good one!!

 The Sunday Times tells us that until we know any different the best strategy for keeping Alzheimer’s at bay is to stick to the Famous Five –

·         Stop smoking

·         Keep alcohol intake down

·         Eat healthily

·         Exercise

·         Use your brain

 

Not rocket science and to be fair, its what we bang on about all the time!

So come on – get into the gym, check your diet (ask any of us in a Forefront Fitness gym – we can give you pointers in the right direction) and just keeping learning!

You can do this!!

Come along and find out how with us!

Dementia

Do you ever worry about developing dementia? 

Worried that your brain may become incapable of doing what you need it to do? 

Worried that even the simplest task will be beyond you? 

As we live longer there are more of us living with dementia.  There have been a variety of drugs that have tried to help – but reports show that there has been limited success with this – but what we do know is that what is good for your heart is good for your brain – and yes … you’ve got it – regular exercise can help to reduce the risk. 

 The recommendation is 30 minutes of brisk (get your heart beat up) exercise 5 times a week.  Combine this with healthy eating so that your weight falls within acceptable limits and you increase your chance of keeping your mind clear.  Of course, ‘use it or lose it’ is equally powerful for brain tissues – so that daily crossword is not a waste of time – and why not stretch yourself with a bit of serious reading? 

Gym number 2

We were having a staff meeting last week – our first ever ‘full team meeting’ – very exciting as we were discussing what we all bring to the business and our plans moving forwards.  In the middle of our afternoon we got a call to say that the planning permission for Willingham had been approved.  So even more excitement!  All the carefully laid plans will now swing into action.  The plan is for inductions and ‘show rounds’ from 9^th Dec and fully open from the 6^th Jan.  Membership prices the same as Bluntisham (but completely separate memberships).  We are creating the same atmosphere – friendly, accessible and non threatening.  There is more equipment as there is more space, but its only more of the same.  The top weight on the dumbbells is the same (25kgs) and there are two cable machines as this is a very popular piece of kit.   We will post pictures as we progress. 

There are many circuit classes planned – including TRX (suspension training) and Sexycise (which will also be available at Bluntisham) – we will post full details once the schedule is finalised.

We don’t have a phone line in yet (Neil, the manager is bracing himself to tackle this!) so any enquiries to Bluntisham please (numbers on website).

So – if you live in or around Willingham – here’s your New Year resolution sorted out!  Come along – you will be very welcome.

Get a microlife

I went to see my GP last week (routine check – no drama) and he talked about ‘microlives’.  Fascinated, I went back to do my research – a Professor of Biostatistics (!) David Spiegehalter, suggests that we could divide our lives into 30 minute segments, or microlives and that 57 years contains 1M microlives.  He also has come up with a currency of microlives.  So, just one alcoholic drink ‘gives’ you a microlife, but smoking takes away 10 microlives for every 20 cigarettes smoked.  You will be delighted to know that 20 minutes of moderate exercise will give you 2 microlives, but that an extra two alcoholic drinks can take away a microlife.  Good news – a diet including fresh fruit and veg, - 4 microlives (I am guessing every day).

I could go on – but the principle is important – maybe not the detail.  The research is simply saying that eating healthily, not smoking, keeping alcohol intake low and exercising will increase your life expectancy (and a combination may well improve your quality of life as well), guess we already knew that – but I like the idea of microlives – they seem quite real to me!