F for Vessence

Six weeks in and this may be becoming a habit!

Fitness
People ask me to help them get 'fit' but what do they really mean?
Fitness has many components, in this email we'll look at it from 5 perspectives.


1. Muscular Strength

What can you lift or carry? How heavy is that shopping bag?

2. Muscular Endurance

Endurance, ah yes we've just looked at that one (last week). This is the ability to keep going, for the muscles to contract time after time for a long time.

3. Cardiovascular Endurance

The ability of your heart and lungs to deliver and keep delivering the fuel and oxygen you need to continue your workout.

4. Flexibility

This one is often forgotten. You may be able to run for miles but can you move easily and bend and stretch without effort? Tomorrow we'll look at how to increase this component.

5. Body Fat Composition

How much fat is in your body? Deposits of fab in and around organs can be dangerous and you might still have thse even though you look slim. Get you body ft checked out - are you skinny or skinny-fat?

And so to 'F'

Fasting
Some religions practise it
Sometimes you have to do it for medical reasons
In truth (unless you get up every few hours during the night) we all do it.

Fasting is taking a break from eating, not just a usual, between meals or 'I'm full' couple of hours break but longer periods.

The 8-10 hours between you last meal in the evening and first the next morning is a period of fasting. It's easier to fast when you're asleep too!

Breakfast is called break fast because you are breaking the imposed (by sleep) nighttime fast period. (In my world breakfast is the first meal of the day, whatever time you have it, it's not always an early morning thing.)

Fasting for longer periods, regularly , say once or wice per week can be a way to get your body to start burning body fat for fuel.  It also works well as a method of reducing calorie intake as long as you don't make up for it on your other meals of course! Some believe it gives your body a rest from constantly digesting and processing food. Allowing it to recover and repair more effectively.

It will not harm you (unless you have a medical condition that precludes fasting - check with your doctor before trying if so), it is natural and your body can cope wth it. As a way to help fat burning and calorie reduction I've personally found it very useful.

Try doing your cardio workout in a fasted state to increase the fat burning effect - it's hard and feels horrible but it works!


Fear - it's stops many of us from doing many things

Fear of failure
Fear of looking silly
Fear of what your friends might say
Fear of taking the first step
Fear of what success might bring

We know, we see it all the time. We help, we support. We feel it too.
Dont be scared - we're here to help. Whether you've never been in the gym before, or never done exercise or you're going for a personal best, we're here for you.

Take a first step by contacting us via our website or facebook - you don't even have to make a call. Fill in the form and we'll take it from there.

Feel the fear and do it anyway!


Fat
Don't call yourself FAT, say you have too much of it perhaps but don't define yourself in terms of a macro nutrient folks!

Anyway, less of that and more of what is it and what is it for!

Well as I said, it's a macro-nutrient along with carbohydrates and proteins. You should be ingesting it, you need it to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. However, fats have the highest number of calories per gram at 9, protein and carbs have 4 in comparison.

Now, before you panic and stop eating fat - remember my first point, you NEED to eat it. Also, unlike carbs it does not produce the spike in insulin that would case the storing of energy as fat...yep, fat does not make you fat.

Like all things, eat fat in moderation and make it the right fats. A little bit of yellow marbling on your steak is going to add to the flavour afterall.


Flexibility
Can you touch your toes without bending your knees?
Can you grab the fingers of one hand with the others, behind your back?

No?
Most of us should be able to.

Maybe you need to work on your flexibility?
It's not just a 'party trick' to be able to place your hands flat on the floor whilst standing but that one may actually save you from some back pain - tight hamstrings can lead to that too.

So how do you get more flexible?

The first answer that might come to mind is to stretch.
However, make sure that you have help to ensure you are stretching correctly,
Or even doing the correct type of stretches (no static holds on cold muscles please),
Do them often,
Progess (may them harder) them.

You could take a stretching class - specific classes do exist (we have one at my gym) or take a Yoga or Pilates class.

Drink more water - yep, lack of hydration can damage your flexibility too so get the water in!

And whilst your in the kitchen filling your glass make sure you eat well too - veggies, fruits, meats and fish.

E for Adam

Now in our fifth week our A-Z of fitness and wellbeing

Vitamin E

You'll see a lot of moisturising creams shouitng about their contents - Vit E being one of them often.

Why?
It's for it's anitoxidant properties - it reduces cell damage.
What else can it help with?
A healthy immune system
Circulation and heart
Lipid (fat) balance
and fertility
are amongst the effects

Vitamin E rich foods are sunflower seeds and oil, safflower, sesame, peanut, and olive oil, also spinach, salmon, oatmeal and wheatgerm, and carrots.

Porridge with seeds on for me then!



Beans!

Edamame beans  - I love them
These immature soy beans, are popular in Japan and available here in Japanese restaurants and, increasingly in the frozen section of supermarkets.

The can be eaten fresh (if you can get them, I tried growing them in my garden - the slugs liked them a bit too much!), as well as steamed, boiled or microwaved in the pods.

These little pods pack a great nutritional punch containing protein, fibre, folate, manganese, phosphorus and Vitamin K. Try them with a sprinkling of sea salt or chilli as a starter or as a side dish.
 

E is for Erector Spinae

 

The muscle group that runs up the spine and helps you to stand up straight, return upright after bending forward or to bend over backwards.

 

To help prevent back pain or injury these muscles can be workd and developed using:

Supermans

Back extensions

And (my favourite for lots of reasons) deadlifts

 

Go on, put your back into it!!

 

 

 E is for endurance today, the long run, haul, the whole 9 yards, going the distance...

But what is it?
And how do you train for it?

Well, if you're running 5Ks an endurance session would be anything longer than that - say 8, 10, 42K! If you lift one weight once only endurance would be lifting it a few more times. If you can hold a plank for 20 seconds then a longer hold will be it.

It's all relative. Marathoner's may consider a marathon simple to complete but and an ultra-run (anything over a marathon) to be much harder. Endurance is as much in the mind as the muscles. We need to believe that we can go further, lift one more time, hold on a little while longer.

To train to do this you need to gradually increase you distance, lifts or time. Don't try too much too soon. Do push yourself a little each time, improvements come from stretching yourself.

Michelle 'with you for the long haul' Day

www.inspiringfitness.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/InspiringFitness.UK/?ref=hl

 

D for ential

Week 4, here we come!

Time to be strict...
No, not to be a dominatrix (although that does begin with a D of course!)

It's 'Stricly Come Dancing' - Dancing is the D here.

It's not always thought of as exercise but it can get you as out of breath and help you work up a sweat too.

Whether it's Zumba, Clubercise, Swing, ballroom or even 'shaking your booty' to your own record collection, if you like to dance this could be your way to a fitter lifestyle.

Enjoy the dance, (The closest I get is a bit of Boxercise!)



Muscle time...
The deltoid muscle is named, due to it's shape, after the greek letter Delta, both are triangular.

So, this D is for deltoids.

On the top of the shoulder sitting like a 1980's fashion statement - we loved our shoulder pads in the eighties we did!

This muscle helps in the movement of the arm away from the body and both forwards and back. It's pretty useful then so how can we exercise it?

Lateral raises
Shoulder press
Reverse flys

These are a few useful ones, look them up, perform them safely, or ask you local trainer:

www.inspiringfitness.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/InspiringFitness.UK/?ref=hl



A bit fat juicy semi-dried Mejdool date that is, not a night out with me!

Date palms are the oldest cultivated trees and and are high in potassium (assisitng with proper muscle contraction) and fibre. They are also high in sugar but these are released more slowly than some fruits. Just don't eat too many!

Most dates we get in the UK are dried or semi-dried but the fruits can be eaten fresh too. I love a date stuffed with a teaspoon of peanut butter as a post workout snack.

Make a date with dates!



D is for...

It's DIET.

The word now only seems to apply to slimming diets but it's full and orignal meaning is:

'The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats'

It's a simple as that - what you usually eat. So what do you usually eat?

Or are you always 'slimming'?

If that's the case you will need to run a calorie deficit of 3,500 per week to to lose a pound. That's 500 less than your suggested intake per day.

However, if you have too little food very regularly the first thing that will happen is that your body will recognise it's being 'starved' and go into a self preservation mode and start using less calories to live, storing some away as fat for later use when you're really hungry.

 

So, you don't lose weight and you get fed up and you go back to normal eating but your body is still wary of the starvation issue and still stores fat and you put more weight on. Sound familiar?

When calorie restricting your diet it's a fine line between losing weight and causing problems to your body so don't expect or try to achieve to much too soon. Take it slowly and follow advice - MyFitnessPal will work out a good calorie average for you based on your goals - or your local trainer could help you!

Need advice?
You know where we are!





This weeks info-mails were brought to you by the letter D.
In keeping with previous weeks we'll begin with a vitamin.

Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium (for strong teeth and bones!) effectively. Without enough Vit D your bones will be soft. Just google 'rickets' a disease which was almost eradicated in the UK but has been making a comeback recently.

Why?
Fear and Xboxes!

You see we synthesise Vit D in our skins on exposure to the sun and modern day kids just don't get much sun, they stay in and play games or are kept in by their parents. Oily fish and eggs are also good sources of vitamin D and given that D is a fat soluble vitamin it can't help but have some of those in your diet anyway!

Don't fear the outdoors but take care not to burn in strong sunlight.

B for mutton

Week two of our A-Z and we're on to B!

B Vitamins...there are so many of them that it's worth me taking 2 days to cover them so here goes.

B1 - Thiamin
Releases energy, promotes growth, regulates appetite and a healthy digestive and nervous system. It's destroyed by light and heat and although wheat initially contains it the milling process can destroy it hence the addition of B vitamins back into bread.

It can be found in Marmite and other yeast extracts, wholemeal flours, sunflower seeds, liver and some nuts as well as brown rice and pork, beans, buckwheat and rye.

B2 - Riboflavin
Combines with protein to regulate breathing, helps with growth and promotes healthy skin and eyes. Also unstable in light hence the dark packaging of most supplements!

Found in yeast, liver and kidneys, almonds, wild rice and egg yolk as well as oily fish.

B3 - Niacin
Like B1 it's required for energy release and good digestion and nervous system and like B2 is good for skin. It also is required in the sythesis of steriods and fatty acids. This one is more stable.

It can come form the sources listed above and also lean meat and poultry.

B5 - Pantothenic Acid
Regulates carb and fat metabolism and helps with resistance to stress and as other promotes a healthy immune and digestive system. Lots of this one can be lost in many processes such as those involving heat or freezing or canning.

Sources include many of those mentioned above and also broccoli and avocados.


As you can see a lot of the sources of these B vitamins are animal - these are the vitamins that a lot of vegetarians and vegans lack. A varied diet is great for all especially those who don't eat meat, in order to ensure they get a good intake of all of these B's.

I take a B supplement for stress reduction - I've noticed a real difference since taking it. However, it may indeed be better for me (and you!) to indentify the food sources and try to manage any issues that way if we can.


Day two on that huuuuuge group of vitamins known as B:

B6 - Pyridoxine Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate
This one metabolises carbs and protein and sythesis hormones and fatty acids like B3. As with many of the others it promotes a healthy nervous system and it also aids with hormone balance. It's very unstable so eay to lose in cooking, on exposure to light or in milling.

Sources include yeast, sunflower seeds, bananas beans, pork avaocados, egg yolk, soybeans, wholewheat flour and oily fish.

B12 - Cobalamin
An important vitamin in creating red blood cells, lipids and helping a maintain a healthy gut and for DNA synthesis. You can't get this one from plant sources at all. If you're a vegan you MUST supplement for this one.

Sources are all animal proucts - liver, shellfish, kidneys, oily fish, egg yolk, lamb, beef and cheese.

Folic Acid
Like B12 is involved in the creation of new blood cells and DNA synthesis, also RNA synthesis. Promotes a healthy gut and nervous system too. Another very unstable one and supplementation is advised before and during pregnancy.

It can be found in yeast, black-eye peas, soy beans, liver, kidney, green leafy veg, figs and avocados.



Again we see that B's can be lacking in a plant based diet. You may also be suffering low B's if you experience high stress and feelings of panic frequently.

A varied diet containing lots of green leafy veg, meat and oily fish and beans will go towards ensuring that you have enough in your diet although as we can see heat often destroys them so cooking will need to be gentle - don't boil your veggies to mush, try a steamer and leave them with some bite!






The berry that is often touted by fitness and health blogs etc is the blueberry - well I'm not going to go on about that one as it's actually native to North America and we're in the UK and I would prefer to get fresh, indigenous spieces. In saying that, if you live in the North of the UK you may find a very close relative of the blueberry growing on hills and moors - the bilberry, it is native and looks like the blueberry but is not exactly the same.

The berry that most of use will see, even in hedges in suburban areas is the blackberry. Although please be careful as blackberries picked near busy roads, they may indeed have a high lead content due to the use of lead in petrol for many years prior to late 90's.

So, what are they good for and how do you get/use them?;

Your skin and gut will benefit from these berries as will you heart as thye contain a substance similar to aspirin. Fresh berries are best - so go pick some yourself out in the country and use within 3 days. You can now get packets of berries from the supermarket but there is little guarantee that they have not been in cold storage for a longer period than that leaching out there goodness.

Blackberry leaves can also be used to make tea - which was a traditional remedy for diarrhoea, mouth ulcers and bleeding gums. The berries are also great in a crumble with apples, and make a nice vinegar for use as a dressing or to soothe a sore throat.


I remember trips out into Northumberland to pick berries and the lovely crumbles and blackberry jelly made by my Nan. They're tiny little pockets of tastiness those berries!


What other muscle do you think of that startd with B afterall!

Biceps - Bi = two parts.
It flexes the lower arm i.e. moves it closer to the upper arm.
It's seen as a sign of masculinity in mnay cultures - just think of Popeye!
But guys - remember to work it's opposing pair - the tricep on the other side of the upper arm that does the opposite job!

Bicep curl video

C for yourself

Yes, today it's Vitamin C!

The illness caused by a deficiency being scurvy! Humans are some of the few animal that can't make their own Vitamin C. We need to eat food rich in Vit C to sythesise collagen ( to create cell walls) and absorb iron.

Citrus fruit contains a large amount of this vitamin as most of us know but other fruits and veggies also have it. Don't over heat or process them however, as this chemical is destroyed by heat.

Well OK, it's not but the stress hormone begins with a 'c' - Cortisol

No, hold on, it's not all bad news, I'll start again...

 

It's an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal glands and involved in the following functions and more

• Proper metabolism of sugar
• Regulation of blood pressure

• Insulin release for blood sugar maintanence
• Immune function
   

Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night, it gets you up in the morning.

It has been called “the stress hormone” because it’s  secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body including the retention of body fat.

Why?
Because if your planning to run away from an enemy or wild animal or fight back you need extra stored energy to keep you going.

Source of extra info: about.com


My hubby has just been given the green light to start cycling to work again or at least to start exercising the finger he broke whilst cycling to work!

Cycling is usually great exercise and a quick way to get around cities like the one we live in. Faster than walking but less impact on the joints that running it's a good one to try if you'd like to improve your cardio fitness whilst also saving the planet.

Get advice to choose the right bike for your size and where/how you want to cycle and make sure you wear a helmet. Whilst waiting for hubby in A&E every other person that came in had fallen off a bike (there was ice around and we are a cycling city) but all had helmets and a none had head injuries.

See you on the cycle path soon?


One of our macro-nutrient groups - carbohydrates.

Containing around 4 calories per gram they are the energy source of first choice for your body. Fats have more calories per gram but are more difficult to breakdown to release the energy.

Carbs get a bad press from many in the fitness and diet industry but what we're really saying is to avoid processed carbs such as:

Pasta
Bread
Cakes
Jams
Breakfast cereal

You see the carb content here is a little higher per gram and also these carbs are far easier to release and here's where the problem really lies with them. Your body breakdown the food and release the carbs aka sugar. Now sugar in concentrated quantities is poisonous and your body them releases a hormone to control this excess but converting the extra sugars into body fat and storing them safely away.

So, too many carbs can lead to you getting fatter even though the calories may not be as great as eating the same amount of fats. Get your carb energy from natural sources such as veggies - yes especially root veg and beans. These are released more slowly and don't have quite the same fattening effect. Veggies also have a fibre content and other nutrients that your bowl of pasta or jam sandwich does not.

Feeling low on energy?
Grab and apple and some water - not a coffee!

Week 1 A-Z of health and fitness

I started our 26 week 'journey' on 4 Jan - here's the first weeks worth of emails:

 

And so begins our A-Z of health and fitness! This week is the A week so by mid-June we'll get to Z!

Vitamin A
Needed for good vision both day and night  also important for growth and reproduction. We can get this vitamin in both animal and veg based foods - although the animal sources may be absorbed more easily.

Animal sources are fish, fish liver oils, animal liver, egg yolks, whole milk and butter. Veg sources (or scources of the precursors to vit A known as carotenoids) and green and yellow veg and fruit as well as green leafy veggies and peppers.

A lovely breakfast omelette with peppers and kale sounds like a good source to me - so I'm off to make one,

Michelle
PS - Happy New Year!

 

Well, to talk about apples would be predictable now wouldn't it!

What are apricots good for?
Eye and skin health via their Vit C, E, zinc and copper. The apricot skin also contains Vit A and overall they have a high fibre content to help digestive health.

How can you eat them?

You can try them dried or fresh (where possible) but try to get sulphite free if eating dried. You can also eat the kernels - like little almonds, they can be found in many health food shops. The kernels also yeild and oil useful for salad dressings.

They work well in lamb stews or as a stuffing for pork or poultry too!

Michelle

 

Core what a beauty!
Abdominal muscles - you've got six of them.
No not your 'six pack' - that's actually one muscle - the rectus abdominus, that one helps you bend forward and from side to side.

The side movement is helped by two groups of two muscles the external and internal obliques. These muscles also help to twist the torso.

The last one of the six is the deepest - the transversus abdominus. It doesn't help movement but is involved in breathing and holding in your internal organs. It wraps around the torso like a weights belt or corset stabilising the spine also.

If you're going to work these muscles make sure you work the ones in your back too - the ones that will work in opposition to these - we'll take about them in the 'B's next week of course.

And if you want your six-pack to show...focus on food first not 100's of crunches!

Michelle

Want to know more?
You know where we are!
www.inspiringfitness.co.uk

 

But not just the sad 1980's classes mind you!

Aerobic execise is cardio exercise - low to high intensity using the aerobic-energy systems. The ones that need oxygen to work.

You can use energy systems that don't require oxygen for short intense periods of exercise - eg sprinting or powerlifting. Eventually the by-products from these 'anaerobic'  system build up and cause cramps or the energy source just runs out and takes a while to restock.

The aerobic system can just keep going and going and going...think walking, jogging, cycling, long distance running.

Benefits of aerobic exercise include:

• Strengthening the muscles involved in breathing
• Strengthening and enlarging the heart, to improve its pumping efficiency
• Improving circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure

So, go walk skip and run!
It's good for you!

Michelle 

 

These two get a bad press. Yes they are full of fats. No they won't make you fat - unless you eat too many!

And you need fats in your diet - some vitamins can't be absorbed without fat to disolve in. Plus the fats in these two beauties are 'good fats'.

Want to try almonds and avocados together?:
http://www.almonds.co.uk/recipe-center/avocado-and-almond-milk-smoothie

Fat does not male you fat,
Enjoy!

Michelle

 

 

 

 

OMM pack - long term test

As a short female, some packs will never be comfortable on my frame. Too long or too wide and they'll not work so I'm always on the look out for well featured, capacious but relatively small packs. A bit of a contradiction in terms or Holy Grail perhaps!

This review is of a 15L pack I've had and used for a bout 4 years. Including a stint where it was borrowed by one of my clients for a testing on a running commute for a few months. As well as the pack I have the 4L chest pouch which attaches easily to the front of the back pack.

Features
From the top: The pack has a smaller zipped top section suitable for wallet and phone but please see notes about waterproofing later. This section has a key clip sewn in.

The main section has a large entry zip to allow the insertion of A4 files (although take care that the corners don't ripped the fabric if you do this every day!). This main section also has a drawstring about half way down near the side pockets so that it can be 'waisted' to hold smaller items in place.

There is a sleeve in the back which holds the sponge mat that can be used as a sit mat if you're looking to travel very light, it also helps with a bit of rigidity. You can also place your water reservoir in this area and there is a loop to secure it at the top. Whether you are left or right handed or prefer your reservoir's pipe to exit the bag at the top or waist level this bag will accommodate your needs.

On the chest strap for this bag you'll find the built-in whistle, not exactly very loud but functional. The chest strap is adjustable from both sides as is the waist strap and the shoulder straps. Great adjustability - I've managed to get it comfortable for running, walking and cycling.

Each waist strap has a pocket, one zipped, one mesh. Both have sewn in key clips. These are large enough to take a phone, small wallet, tissues etc. When the straps are adjusted on the waist the excess strap can be tucked into the sewn in elastic loop to keep them out of the way (oh boy, I hate it when the lose bits flap about!).

On the shoulder and waist straps and across the base there are plenty of places to clip further equipment via the UGR (Universal Gear Rail) as OMM call it - a length of strap/strong tape sewn on and looped every 2cm or so. I've attached carabiners, lights and the end of my Camelbak pipe to these in the past.

There are also 2 side mesh pockets for extra water bottles or to use instead of a reservoir if you prefer. The size of this pack and the way it wraps around the body allows me to both extract and replace my bottles on the move, no other pack I I have currently allows me to do this. I have 'modified' the pockets slightly (perhaps I'll feed this back to OMM too) by adding a loop of elastic to the rim of the mesh to hold my larger Osprey bottles in place.  The side pockets are not large but do stretch, they will hold a full water bottle of up to 500ml well but when empty  the light bottles move and can pop out - hence the elastic to loop over the bottle spouts.

The bag has light waterproofing and will withstand drizzle or light rain for a while but I use a waterproof liner if going any distance or in poor weather - which as I live in the West is often!

There are some reflective elements on the rear of the bag for safety too.

Chest Pack
A little extra useful for keeping snacks, keys and phone close to your heart. It has an internal mesh pocket and on the rear a transparent map pocket. You can unclip the pack from the top so that you can read your map with the pack still attached at the base of the bag.

This part also has a light waterproofing.

Overall
This bag gets used a lot. On average about 3 days per week. It gets thrown in the car, dropped on the gym floor, strapped on my back for commutes. It has performed well and the waterproofing is only now beginning to peel although I do look after it using a liner or bags to protect the inside form sharp corners of files etc.

When I originally bought it I did do a lot of research and found OMM came highly recommended for lightweight, strong, useful packs. After all - these guys developed their kit in the mountain ultra marathon arena o it should be good. And it is.