Tag Archives: workout

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.

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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

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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.

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.

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 !

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