Tag Archives: exercise

The real reason why we don’t want to exercise – school PE lessons

It seems there’s a deep rooted reason why we don’t want to workout and it has nothing to do with being tired and busy – it goes all the way back to our childhood.

Women are being put off exercise for life by their school PE lessons, a study has found.

Secondary school classes are the ones most likely to affect girls and it’s competitive classmates, grubby changing rooms and embarrassment of getting sweaty in front of the boys that leaves us likely to hit the gym.

A survey found that more than half of school age girls said their PE lessons had put them off doing any exercise at all.

Sue Tibballs, of the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, which carried out the study, explained to the Mail Online:

“If only activities on offer are competitive sports like netball and hockey you are going to have whole swathes of girls who feel pushed out and don’t want to exercise.

“That continues into their adulthood.”

She also warned that teachers were finding it difficult to get pupils enthused by sport because girls were ‘worried about their hair and nails.’

“It’s also hard because there aren’t many sporting role models for girls. While boys grow up dreaming of playing for England, women’s sports tends to get pushed out.”

During the study, 1,500 school-age boys and girls were questioned about how often they played sport and their attitude to PE lessons.

The results revealed girls tended to become less and less positive about sport as they grew older, with many blaming secondary school PE lessons for putting them off.

2 Replies

Mr Motivator wants us to turn our home into the gym

Finding the time to fit in exercise is difficult sometimes, so why not turn your home into the gym?

Picking up a mop or duster can not only make a contribution to fitness and health, but it can also keep your house spick and span as an added bonus.

The British Science Association has teamed up with legendary fitness guru Mr. Motivator and the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University for National Science & Engineering Week 2012 in March, to help keep the nation fit whilst doing everyday jobs around the home.

Their research shows that doing up to an hour of chores a day can burn off the minimum daily recommendation of 200 kcal of moderate intensity exercise:

The Heptathlon

Time

1. Dusting the house or changing bed linen

60 mins

2. Mopping floors

45 mins

3. Vacuuming carpets

45 mins

4. Going shopping with a basket instead of a trolley, carrying it home and putting it away

45 mins

5. Scrubbing the bathroom

45 mins

6. Gardening

40 mins

7. Mowing the lawn

30 mins

David Stensel, Reader in Exercise Metabolism at Loughborough University says: “Research has shown that some household activities use enough energy to be classified as moderate intensity physical activity. The minimum recommendation for this type of activity is approximately 200 kcals of energy expenditure per day.

“The amount of activity required to burn this will vary depending on age and body mass amongst other factors but for the average UK person aged 35, the calculations in the Housework Heptathlon are a good guideline for a way to expend energy and do something constructive around the home.”

Mr. Motivator, who has provided advice for people to get the most from their household workout, added: “Whether it’s dusting your mantle-piece, cleaning the bath or cutting the grass, putting in some elbow grease around the home can help you work up to the energy levels needed to shed the suggested daily calorie count. Grab your cleaning products and become a Housework Heptathlete now for better health!”

The British Science Association has also come up with a ‘Top of the Mops’ top 10 songs to help boost your exercise during the housework routine:

1. Shine, Take That

2. Car Wash, Rose Royce

3. So Fresh, So Clean, Outkast

4. The Boy Does Nothing,
Alesha Dixon

5. Coming Clean, Greenday

6. Shine On, Kooks

7. Work, Saturdays

8. Beat It, Michael Jackson

9. Do Somethin’, Britney Spears

10. Steam, East 17

1 Reply

Biggest workout mistakes

Spending hours in the gym but not achieving your goals? You could be making some very simple yet common workout mistakes.

Fitness expert at The Chelsea Club, Neil Johnson, is here to give us the lowdown. The ‘face of FAME’, Neil is a personal trainer to the stars and has a history of working with Take That, East 17 and Boyzone.

#1: Sit Ups = Six Pack

Not quite! In fact too much concentration on the abs and no focus on other areas of your body could lead your stomach to expand and a pot belly rearing its ugly head! Sit ups combined with an overall weight loss programme, a balanced diet and regular exercise will help with this.

#2: Under Eating

All too often I see people trying to lose weight by starving themselves. Yet this doesn’t actually help you lose weight, instead it leaves you with muscle loss, a slower metabolism and less energy. By having a diet which consists of eating foods in moderation but exercising regularly at the same time – this is how you will lose weight.

#3: Ignoring Weights

Do you spend all your gym time doing cardio? Chopping and changing between the treadmill and the cross-trainer? People, particularly women, tend to gravitate toward cardio exercises and avoid weights like the plague. There’s a myth that weight training will bulk you up. This simply won’t happen unless you go too extreme. In fact lifting weights will tone and firm up your muscles, something that cardio actually cannot do. Maintaining regular weight training will increase your body’s ability to burn fat around the clock.

#4: Repeating Workouts

Going to the gym 2/3 times a week and doing the same routine each time will work to begin with. You may see some pounds drop straight off and your body getting firmer but this needs to be maintained. The way to do this is to keep pushing yourself, keep adding to your workout. Whether that means increasing the weights you are using or adding quarter of an hour onto your cardio training every couple of weeks, you need to be always progressing.

#5: Skipping Stretching

Stretching is so important both before and after a workout but is the most common mistake. Stretching is important to be done properly and not rushed as it increases our flexibility, helps with a better posture and also decreases muscle injury.

#6: Playing Favourites

Playing favourites in your training can lead to problems. Many of us have a body part we prefer to workout on or a particular exercise we like doing more than others. However, favouring these can leave you unbalanced with poor posture. When you workout you need to work out the whole body.

Leave a reply

Cleanercise – an easy way to workout

Finding the time to fit in the gym or go for a run is sometimes a hassle, yet there’s always time to clean our homes.

So why not combine cleaning up with a workout that will not only see you dropping the calories but you’re left with sparkling household too.

Dancing on Ice’s professional skater, Frankie Poultney has teamed up with Feelgood Cleaning brand Ecover to turn everyday cleaning tasks into gym-style feelgood moves that will help boost happy hormones, tone wobbly bits and put a smile on faces across the nation.

From simple washing-up to hoovering, floor and window cleaning to bed-making,home tasks can be transformed into a Feel Good workout with just a few simple changes that can help you lead a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

Starting with the addition of Feel Good music, which is scientifically proven to improve our mood as our bodies release the feel-good chemical dopamine when we hear our favourite tunes. So crank up the music when doing your chores and turn your tasks into a mini work out to help both your health andhome sparkle.

Frankie says:“I am always looking for new ways to fit everything into a busy day which is why Cleanercise is the perfect solution for cleaning, excercising and feeling good too. By combining everyday home chores with some simple body toning techniques you can burn calories and give you a little boost.

“Small changes like these help you on the road to a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.”

Maximising mopping
Did you know you can burn 300 calories an hour when mopping the floor? Add in some full body twists when mopping side to side, and forward leg lunges when mopping forwards and backwards, and you’ll be working your tummy, legs and arms even more. You’ll feel the benefits in no time.

Work top work-out
Clean the work tops with small and fast circular movements and some long over-arm sweeps of the cloth. A full bodyworkout can be achieved; honing the core muscles, tightening the triceps, shoulders and back, as well as burning a hefty 250 calories each hour. Use the same technique for cleaning windows and shower enclosures – long arm sweeps deliver some great toning results.

Bicep bottle
Don’t think that gym has the only solution to toning – the home is filled with things that you can use to work out. Fill two empty Ecover bottles with water and use them as weights to tone your arms – try eight bicep curls followed by eight triceps dips, then end with some resistance exercises. Hold the bottle out in front of you at a 90 degree angle and hold them there for as long as you possibly can – a great one for strengthening your arms and your determination.

Wiggle and whip
Just because you’re busy cooking it doesn’t mean you can’t feel the health benefit. Wiggle your hips and have a spin when cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Work up your appetite with a dance behind closed doors and in the time it takes for you to whip up a delicious and healthy main course, you will have burned an additional 200 calories. Rather than sitting down while the veg are cooking have some guilty pleasure dance time – you’ll love it and your body will too.

Wash and glow
When doing the washing up, turn on your favourite music and work your glute muscles with rear leg lifts. Using the sink for balance, raise your leg behind you whilst holding in your stomach and let your leg and bottom muscles do the hard work. Complete eight on the right leg before changing for the left leg, repeat until your favourite song has finished.

Leave a reply

We spend six years doing the chores

The average Briton will spend six year of their adult life cleaning, ironing and trying to get on top of the rest of the household chores, according to a new report.

And if that sounds crazy, a quarter of the population will go further and spend a full decade keeping their house in order. Researchers also discovered that people ironed a bizarre range of items including socks, male underpants, swimwear and someone’s hair.

The new study, by dry cleaning expert Johnsons Cleaners, discovered that we spend an average of two hours and 17 minutes on chores every day. But one in four Brits are more obsessed and spend up to four hours daily cleaning round the house.

Researchers also found that women still do the majority of the household chores. In six out of ten homes the female of the house is responsible for tasks such as the laundry, hoovering and dishwashing.

In a quarter of homes the duties are shared evenly among men and women, and males do the majority of chores in just 15 per cent of British homes.

The survey of 2,848 people across the UK also revealed the chores we hate to do the most are the ironing followed by mopping the floor.

And if the average Briton had the money to employ staff around the house we would pay for a cleaner first, followed by a gardener to keep our bushes trimmed and lawn neat, and then an in-house ironing service.

Paul Ogle, MD Johnsons Cleaners, who commissioned the survey, said: “Let’s be honest, nobody likes to do chores around the house and our study is a stark reminder of just how much time we spend keeping our homes ship shape.

“It is incredible to discover that many people will spend a full decade doing all the mundane but necessary jobs about the house, including the ironing, laundry and general cleaning.

1 Reply

A great motivator for exercising more

If you’re looking for some extra motivation to get yourself off the couch, researchers may have just found the thing.

According to new findings, not only does exercise help to trim the waistline and get you fit but it will substantially increase your salary.

Going for a jog, swimming or lifting weights in the gym three times a week could boost your income by up to nine per cent.

The new study by Dr Vailios Kosteas from Cleveland State University in the US, found that even indulging in moderate exercise such as a regular walk has a positive impact on earnings.

It was revealed from the 12,000 people who took part, that emplyoers may view those participating in regular activity as more determined and dedicated.

The researchers found that people exercising three times a week could expect a salary between six and nine per cent greater than those who do not.

The report said: “In addition to the positive impacts on heart health, weight and other medical issues, studies show that exercise leads to improved mental function, psychological condition and higher energy levels.

“All three of these traits can translate into higher earnings.”

Leave a reply

The Big Juice Detox

After seven difficult days I have finally finished the big juice detox and to be frankly honest, I don’t think I want to see another glass of juice for at least a month.

I had Bellvita biscuits and a tangerine for breakfast this morning, and it was nice (but strange) to eat solid food again.

So, after seven days on the Big Juice Detox I am very happy to report that I lost8lb – stepping on the scales last night made the whole week worth it.

A favourite juice had to be the Lemon/Ginger Zinger – this was down to the fact that I didn’t have to add and Spirulina or Wheatgrass to the mix. Plus, the bright orange colour made it look so much more tempting than the sea of green that I was drinking myself through.

A word of warning if you’re going to attempt one; don’t smell the juice before you drink it. It can instantly put you off, even if it actually tastes quite nice.

Before I began the detox, I was anticipating spending hours preparing my juices for the next day. But, I was pleasantly surprised by how quick and easy they are to make. The Phillips Juicer I used allows you to put in most of the fruits and vegetables whole, without peeling them and taking the machine apart at the endto clean it can be done within five minutes.

Although, the first time I did use it, I was a little scared that I was going to break it. But it’s strong and durable and despite my best efforts, I didn’t break the juicer. Phew.

Even though I may be saying goodbye to the juices for a little while, they’re still going to be a core part of my diet.

I feel so much better for drinking them, I have more energy, my skin looks clearer, my hair’s glossier and a lot more soft and I know the positive effect that they’re having on my insides too.

So whilst I may not be replacing them with solid food, I will be trying to drink them at least five days a week for breakfast. It’s the perfect way to start your day.

FemaleFirst Taryn Davies

Leave a reply

Doing more harm than good at the gym?

The chances are you’ve just rejoined the gym or have been partaking in your new celebrity fitness DVD.

But a new survey reveals that while we may set out with good intentions, launching ourselves over-enthusiastically into our New Year health kick could do more harm than good.

The survey of 3,000 men and women with muscular or joint pain, commissioned by ThermaCare HeatWraps, discovered that over two thirds of respondents surveyed who suffer aches and pains go to the gym to keep themselves fit and healthy, however over a third admit they actually end up leaving the gym injured from pushing their body too hard.

Before you hit play on that DVD or if you’re joining the gym for the first time make sure you pay attention to the induction session. Almost one in five of those surveyed admitted they end up in pain as a result of not doing exercises properly and one in 10 find themselves aching and stiff due to skipping the cool down phase to stretch out their muscles.

“At the beginning of the New Year, many of us join the gym with good intentions, to help lose those extra Christmas pounds. For back pain sufferers, this can be even more daunting as many worry it will make their pain worse. The general rule is – “go for it, but be sensible”, comments Gemma Newell, Lead Physiotherapist at Central Health Physiotherapy.
Gemma shares her New Year exercise plan for back pain sufferers

· Pacing and balance is key. If you head off thinking you are still as fit as you were the last time you went and that was 12 months ago, then problems are inevitable.

· A more sedentary lifestyle causes the body to stiffen and weaken, so it’s important to pace our return to exercise and increase our activity sensibly. Movement allows good blood flow to our muscles, nerves and joints, which helps to keep them healthy.

· Aim to start going to the gym a minimum of twice a week, with rest days in between to allow for recovery. Spending 5-10 minutes on the cross-trainer,treadmill or bike is a good place to start. Follow this with some general stretches for the back and legs.

· As you get more confident, try to include some strengthening exercises.

· It’s common for people to feel a few new aches when exercising muscles that haven’t been used for a while, and if you get a little discomfort then it is usually nothing to worry about – it will resolve itself in few days. However, if the pain persists or the level of pain is considerable, you should seek medical help.

· Don’t panic and rest for too long! Next time just be a little less intense, or try a different machine, and then build the exercise up again slowly.

· If you need more specific guidance in starting your New Year exercise plan, or if you are worried about your back pain, then it may be advisable to visit your physiotherapist for further guidance.

Leave a reply

Fitting health and hydration into your lifestyle

Ex- Army fitness expert and author of several best-selling fitness books, Lucy Wyndham-Read, knows just how important it is to squeeze the most out of every day in order to inspire others with her action packed workouts.

She says: “I’m always looking for great hydration options to suggest to my clients. ZICO’s isotonic properties help the body hydrate, recover and refuel after exercise, making it the perfect postworkout partner. ZICO offers hydration for even the most active of lifestyles.”

Here are Lucy’s top tips for fitting health and hydration into a busy lifestyle:

The Half Hour Heart Rate Rule – Whether it’s a short brisk walk or dancing round your room, try and make an effort to raise your heart rate for at least 30 minutes each day. Creating your own playlist with upbeat tunes will keep it fun and uplifting
Hand in Hand – Increase your motivation by getting fit with a friend. Why not sign up for a series of classes together? The regular routine will encourage you to keep going and you’ll soon start to see the results of your hard work
Variety is Key – Your body will begin to adapt to exercise so in order to burn fat and build muscle, look at changing your fitness routine every six weeks. If you usually hit the gym, why not make a splash in the pool instead? Or switch weight training for yoga?
Stay Tuned – Make sure you listen to your body. After exercise, you need to replace vital fluids and materials lost through sweat. To stay hydrated and get the full benefits from your workout, reward your body with an isotonic drink like ZICO and feed your muscles with a healthy, balanced diet.
R & R – Keeping fit and healthy is all about maintaining balance. After a tough workout, it’s crucial to allow your body to rest so don’t forget to take some time to stretch your muscles and relax your mind.

Leave a reply

Ministry of Sound’s Stephanie Fitzpatrick’s fitness tips

The Ministry of Sound, Pump it Up guys give us a great work out with their DVDs. I know, I’ve attempted them.

Stephanie Fitzpatrick, is a veteran to the group, having featured in four of the Pump It Up DVDs and here are her top fitness tips to help you get in shape in the New Year.

1. I find it really beneficial to have a fitness aim. Be it a 10k charity race or getting fit for a summer holiday. It keeps me motivated and focused throughout the year.

2. I split my training into summer and winter. I train outside for half the year. Running jogging , skipping rope, using benches for lunges , squats , planks. You name it I use it. This helps me stay creative and get some really important fresh air. In winter I train in the gym. My muscles (and my mood) don’t respond very well to freezing cold and rain. So I look forward to swimming inside,trying out all the new classes and so on.

3. When I’m running (outside or on the treadmill) I find it helpful to aim to run for a certain amount of tracks on my iPod rather than watching the clock. This keeps my interests and my energy up. Time also seems to go quicker.

4. On that horrid day when i just want to go to bed and exercise is the last thing in the world I want to do. I make myself go to the gym. I make sure I have my most uplifting workout soundtrack at the ready and i start off my workout doing my favourite exercises. I make myself focus on the fact that I found the motivation to get myself there . It’s not about having the bet training session ever . In fact even if I go home after 20 minutes . I still made the effort. And i really really try to find the positive in that. You can’t be super women everyday !

5. When I’m having a bad patch in my training and the motivation has just disappeared I sign up for something new. I find a class I’ve never done. for instance kick boxing was my last motivation boast. The time before that it was military boot camp. Even one session with your local gym personal training will gain great effect. Showing you some new and interesting ways to exercise .

6. Stretching. This one is the most important. Even if you have gone weeks or months without exercise. Stretching helps de-fuss your muscle build up. It lengthens you. It releases the build up of nasty toxins in your body. It helps push oxygen around your body , which will always make you feel better. It also breakdowns all the physical and emotional tension you have stored up. Find just 5 minutes and take lost of deep breaths.

7. I don’t diet. Full stop. If I want to get in shape I eat more. I look at how I’m feeling and I find the correct food group to help that and make sure I get more of it in my diet ( b6/ magnesium /what ever i may be lacking in and so on). I eat more fruit and veg. I eat fresh healthy proteins and complex carbohydrates. I exercise more, upping the cardio. I find the body fascinating and how it works amazes me. It’s not all about dress sizes and skinny jeans. You eat well to feed your brain, your emotions, your bones and so on. You only get one of these crazy little machines . You have to look after it!

8. I love chocolate. No glossy magazine, popster or super model is going to make me feel bad about being in love with dark chocolate ginger. If you’re eating healthy and exercising as part of your everyday lifestyle then what’s a little dark chocolate or the occasional mint chocolate aero betweens friends ?

9. Water. We’ve heard it so many times it’s beyond boring! But water is so good for our bodies. What works for me is to have a full two litre bottle with me as I leave the house. I make myself carry around that bottle to meetings, castings, rehearsal, shopping everywhere until it’s gone. This can be annoying, but it also makes me very aware and in-tune with how much I should be hydrating everyday .
10. The correct fitness gear. I’m lucky to have worked alongside some of the worlds most professional sports brands. And I’ve learnt that the science behind the correct training shoe is essential. Its not about fashion or £££ . It’s about protecting your joints . In years to come your knees will thank you for it. Plus being on the treadmill pulling up your bra and pulling down your top isnt the most comfortable feeling. So I always look at comfort and support first off .I feel far more confident and focused when I get these things right.

10. My job is different every day. And I travel a lot. This can make it hard to plan exercise . I’ve found popping a fitness DVD, like Pump It Up, in my suitcase helps. I know that whatever time zone , however crazy my schedule is I can always pop the DVD in my laptop at my hotel room . Even if I just do a warm up and cool down I’ll still feel much better. Every little helps !

Leave a reply

Categories