Healthy Explorer

The mind needs to be trained like the body

2014-09-12T08:10:00.001-07:00

The mind needs to be trained like the body

We need to take care of our mental health as much, if not more than our physical health. In fact it's very concerning that people still try to justify that people who suffer from depression as something that is almost not real. Some people simply shrug it off with quotes like "they just need to get over it" or "what have they got to be depressed at about, their are people who have worse problems than them”. Its more outrageous than saying sustainable health and weight loss is a simple as eating less and exercising more.

Is it really that simple? If so, why will 1-4 people suffer from some form of depression during the year. There are 40 million dispensed prescription that are for antidepressant per year and roughly 4,500 people commit suicide in the UK every year. Most if not everyone has had some kind of connection to someone who have suffered from am mental illness. Whether thats from a close friend or family member or just hearing the news of a famous celebrity or sports person suffering from mental illness. Its time that individuals and society accept that poor mental health is a real thing and try to develop a real understanding of it.

A perspective i have taken on is that If we compare a persons ability to deal with stress to say being the fastest person on the planet to run 100 metres. Usain Bolt is the fastest 100 metre sprinter to ever walk this planet since records began is a result of two factors. One he has the genetics to run fast, and regardless how affective others may train, if they don't posses those same or similar genetics they will never beat him. This leads to the second factor, Usain must follow a strict training and lifestyle regime to fully maximise his genetic abilities to be the fastest person on the planet.

If this theory of being the fastest man on the planet is a result of genetics and training, could the same be applied to people being able to handle stress. Let's say that some people just have a genetic ability to deal with stress better than others (Genetic). Some may be able to develop better strategies (training) to deal with stress and overcome their demons. Some may not posses either and fall into the abyss of depression with seemingly no escape.

Maybe we just need to understand that some cannot deal with the same stress levels as others and that poor mental is unfortunately here to stay for the forceable future. This theory is not necessarily correct but it could be worth bearing in mind the next time you come across a mental health issue, whether it is you or some else.

There is not really a known cure for mental health, antidepressant drugs wont cure depression but will eliminate the symptoms, which is vital if a patient is in danger of harming themselves. There are some steps you can take to help reduce the feeling of stress.

Avoiding stimulants, narcotics and alcohol or at least reduce

Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants which speed up the nervousness system, the sympathetic nervous. Stimulants heighten senses, increase heart rate and alertness. These may seem like advantageous but they do come with there side effects. Increased heart rate will increase the blood pressure, putting more stress on the body. Increased mental alertness can also increase anxiety, a feeling that is linked to depression as it gives a feeling of worry, doubt and guilt even if you don't really have anything to worry about. If you do have concerns on your mind then anxiety will increase them. Alcohol is a depressant which slows the nervous system down, through the parasympathetic system. A common side affect to alcohol is depression as the body has slowed down, giving a feeling of laziness, worthlessness and just generally feeling down. Aim to only consume less than 2 caffeinated drinks a day, ideally before the afternoon, and not consume more than 3 units for men and 2 units for women of alcohol in one day on a regular basis.

Exercising and a balanced diet

When we get stressed the body releases hormones into the blood stream, cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are apart of the fight or flight system, so when we are stressed the body is expecting a reaction which will result in movement of some form. The movement does not need to be intense exercise, gentle walking, stretching and deep breathing will help break down these hormones. Drinking water will help break down stress hormones too, 2 large gulps of water every hour will do the trick, have more if the weather is hot or during and after exercise. Stable blood sugar levels help maintain energy levels and stop people from feeling lethargic.High fibre foods such fruits and vegetables along with foods of a high protein and fat source will help stabilise blood sugar levels. Nuts,seeds, crunchy fruits and vegetables with lean meat and fish will help to stabilise energy levels.

Relaxation techniques, positive thinking/imagery and motivation.

During a stressful situation, following some simple relaxation techniques controlled stomach breathing and meditation will help lower stress levels. People don't have to be spiritual or religious to meditate, just need to be able to breath and think of a thought that makes them happy. Stomach breathing is important in this exercise, during inhalation the stomach need to push out so the diaphragm which is located below the lungs can lower to allow air into the lungs. More air in the lungs means more Oxygen can enter the body to help breakdown stress hormones. When breathing out, pull the stomach muscles inwards and upwards, this helps to push out more air on exhaling. When breathing out think or say a happy thought and this helps changes the minds focus from the stressful situation to a peaceful one. This can last as long as it needs to but should continue until the stress levels have dropped significantly. Exercise, gently or intensely can be used as a form of relaxation too. Once the stress levels have decreased then positive thinking and positive imagery should be the next step. There are number of ways positive imagery and thought can be done, one is to simply watch something that is inspirational or comical on youtube. Another way is what the Japanese do is to look into a mirror, start smiling then begin to laugh to your self, as humans are social learners seeing a happy image helps people to become happy. y. Positive imagery can be done through thought too, when coaching people to get into exercise, getting client to visualise how they will feel for doing exercise based on past experiences is a good technique. The client then replies with answers like “sense of achievement “ or “boost of energy”. From a more positive outlook, its then possible to develop motivation to help achieve the goal of overcoming the barrier. Normally reading around the subject of motivation is a good start, a few recommendation are “think Rich and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, “The Power of Full Engagement” By Jim Loehr and Tony Shwartz and “The Monk who sold his Ferrari” by Robin S Sharma. There are many of these type of books out there and its a good investment of time to read round the subject of motivation to develop sound strategies on developing this discipline. Motivation is fundamental to over coming barriers and reaching goals so the more it can be developed the better.

If you are suffering from mental illness and are not sure what course of action to take, here are some ways you can get extra help .The NHS website will have resources to help people on overcoming mental health issues and what action to take. Never be afraid to talk to this issues with a close family member or friend as its important to have social support in any situation that is a threat to your health. If you don't feel comfortable with any of these resources then go visit your GP and they will be able to determine the course action for you.

Buying Kettlebells

2014-08-27T09:28:00.002-07:00

"I want buy kettle bells", was the words of a friend mine Simon Chandler who wanted to get himself and his family into some exercise. Simon knows me as a fitness trainer under my business name of Stay Slim and Avoid the Gym, and approached me around a year ago wanting to get into regular exercise. A year ago I got Simon onto some of the basics with some structured cardiovascular training and some nutritional advice. Simon came back recently to me for some advice on buying kettlebells as he wasn't sure which size, make or even the best place to buy them from. I gave him the recommendations he needed and off he went. This Scenario gave me the idea behind my post today to give people advice on what kettlebell size to get and a place to buy them from.

Standard Cast Iron Kettlebell

Kettlebells range from 4kg-alway up to 40kg, going up in weight increments of 4kg, so you got 4kg, then 8kg, then 12kg and so on typically, and there are 3 main types of kettlebell. There is the cast iron kettlebell which are commonly used in the health and fitness industry, although they are not always made of cast iron it is recommended you do buy the cast iron one as it will last you a life time. The only thing that can really go wrong with it is that the paint does chip away sometimes especially if used outside on concrete and begins to rust slightly. To overcome this you can buy a kettlebell that comes with a rubber casing around he bottom of the kettlebell which protects the paint work and cast iron.

Vinyl Coated Cast Iron kettlebell

Competition Kettlebell

The second type of kettlebell is the competition kettlebell, more expensive than regular cast iron one as its made of stainless still and the way it is made. The competition kettlebells are made to a standard size regardless of the weight. So the 4kg will be the same size as the 40 kg, what they do is the 4kg is a hollow shell and they make the skin of the shell more thicker to increase the weight of the kettle bell. The reason for the competition kettlebells being the same size but a different weight is that if the kettlebells are smaller in size it will travel through the air faster than a kettlebell that is bigger. All it does is standardised the air resistance during the swing on all weights, although you will gain a training advantage from this, its not essential. One big advantage they do have being stainless still it will never rust.

Weight Adjustable kettle bell

The 3rd type of kettlebell are ones that have adjusting weight plates on them so you can change the weight of the kettlebell. This is great if you don't want to own lots kettle bells to save on storage space. The main draw back is that you have to keep changing the weight as where if you own a set of kettle bells you can just pick hop another kettle bell.

So whether you are complete beginner to kettle bells and exercise or the more experienced exercise here is the complete guide on what kettlebells to get.

The 4Kg Kettlebell

4kg Kettlebell

In terms of kettle bell training the 4kg does not do a great deal for the body overall as kettlebell training is about the swing movement which works the Thighs, Glutes, lower back and abdomen. However I do own a few myself as they are great for isolation exercises such as bicep curls, tricep extensions and lateral raises.

Check out how to purchase

The 8kg Kettlebell

8kg Kettlebell

The 8kg is a great starter kettle bell, its good a good weight for swing and can also be used for other compound work too like squats and shoulder press. You can also use it for isolation exercises such as bicep curls, tricep extensions and lateral raise.

Check out how to purchase

The 12 kg Kettlebell

12 kg Kettlebell

The 12 kg kettlebell is a good one to add to your set as you will quickly become use to the 8kg on most of the compound exercises such as squats, swing, cleans, and the snatch. It will take a bit longer with the more advanced moves such as the turkish get and windmill along with many isolation exercises like bicep curls.

Check out how to Purchase

The 16 kg Kettlebell

16 kg Kettlebell

The 16 kg kettlebell is good for some who is naturally strong and wants to get into kettlebell training. You should add this to the starter set too as you maybe able to do some of the main compound exercises such as dead lift, squat and two handed swing. For exercises such as bicep curls and shoulder press the 16 kg maybe be difficult for novices to intermediate levels of strength training.

Check out how to purchase

The 20 kg Kettlebell

The 20 kg would be more suitable for a person who has been using the 8kg,12kg,16kg for 3-6 months and now finding those weights unchallenging. If someone has been weight/strength training for a longtime then they should also be ok the 20kg kettle bell. The 20 kg kettlebell may not be suitable for the majority people for isolation exercises such as single arm bicep curls and tricep extensions. If you are at starter level and you do want to purchase a 20 kg kettlebell for your kettlebell set then this will be fine as you can use it for squats and dead lifts

Check out how to purchase

The 24kg Kettlebell

The 24 kg is a weight that is really for the intermediate-advanced level kettle bell user or someone who has a history of strength training. The 24 kg ketltebell is going to be mostly used for your compound movements such as squats, dead lifts, one arm rows, two handed and singlehanded swing, cleans, and snatch. Experienced lifters could use the 24kg kettlebell for shoulder press, bicep curls and tricep extensions.

Check out how to purchase

The 28kg Kettlebell

The 28 kg kettlebell is for the more experienced kettlebell traininer and weight lifter. A lot of people could well dead lift or squat with a 28kg kettlebell. However the swings, snatch or cleans will only be able to be done by more experienced kettlebell users. An experienced lifter or kettlebell trainer should be able to shoulder press this weight and use it for one arm rows. The 28 kg kettlebell is not much use for for single isolation works such as one arm bicep curls, unless you are an very experienced to elite lifter/athlete.

Check out how to purchase

The 32kg Kettlebell

Check out how to purchase

The 32 kg kettlebell is most likely going to be used solely for compound exercises by most people such as the dead lift or squat. However using it for the swings, cleans and snatches are for very experienced kettlebell users. The isolation exercises are going to be very difficult with the 32 kg kettlebell and should only be attempted by very experienced or elite lifters.

The 36kg and 40kg Kettlebell

Check out how to purchase

The 36 kg & 40 kg kettlebell fall into the same category in many ways, again most people may well be able to some compound training with these weights such as dead lifts and squats. If you are able to swing these two handed you are doing very well. If you are doing a single hand swing or even the clean and or the snatch then you have well and truly mastered the art of kettlebell training. Shoulder press and one arm rows of the 36&40kg kettlebell is possible for the advanced weight trainer.

Cardiovascular Training

2014-08-11T14:57:00.002-07:00

Cardiovascular training is a form of physical activity that raises that heart rate and breathing rate above resting level. Cardiovascular training focuses on one of the two energy producing path ways the body has. The first energy pathway is the Anaerobic energy supply where the body does not need Oxygen. After a few minutes of exercise the body then moves into the aerobic energy system where you will notice an increase in your heart rate and breathing. This is because for any exercise that takes longer than 2-3 minutes the muscle fibres needs oxygen to continue to exercise. There are a variety of ways that you can manipulate your cardiovascular training to gain further increases in your cardiovascular fitness. After about 20 minutes of exercise all the muscle fibres being used will predominately be using the Aerobic energy pathway. It may switch back to the Aerobic pathway if you suddenly increase your speed or if you meet a hill during your cardiovascular training session. There are 3 main types of Cardiovascular training which you want to incorporate into your training plan to develop high levels of cardiovascular fitness. These are Long Slow Distance (L.S.D for short), Pace/Threshold and Interval.

With regards to what type of exercise to do whilst training your cardiovascular system, it doesn't really matter what form of exercise you do. Do something you are comfortable with whether its running, swimming or anything that involves equipment such as a bike, rowing machine and cross trainer.

Long Slow Distance (L.S.D)

A bike can be cardiovascular

Long slow distance training is about increasing endurance, pace is almost irrelevant as the aim is to cover as much distance as you can. If you are new to Long Slow Distance training you can start out by doing as little 5-10 minutes, then you want to increase your time to 15 minutes and so on. You can also focus on the distance variable, walk for one Kilometre then increase it to 1.5 Kilometre and so on. How far you want to go with this is entirely up to and how far you body will allow you to go, however you can cover some tremendous distance if you put your mind to it and your body as enough fuel on board to cover the energy demand. If exercising for hours on end does not appeal do you then you can use then you need to move onto pace and threshold training.

Pace and threshold Training

Running can be Cardiovascular

Pace and Threshold training will help you to decrease the time it takes you to complete a set distance. For example if you have managed to walk 2 kilometres in 30 minutes, you will need to increase pace to cover this distance in a faster time. A great way to begin with this is simply time yourself it takes to walk one kilometre, then try and beat that time the next time you do it. When you are doing pace training you want to be able to second split, this is simply completing the second half of your distance quicker than the first half. If you were going running for 2 Kilometres, you would want to do the second Kilometre quicker to get the fastest time possible as you want to be running at your or near your Threshold going into the later stages of your run. Your threshold is your ability to maintain your fastest pace without stopping. If you begin to feel you legs are going jelly like and when you are breathing there is a burning feeling you need to slow it down and after 2-3 minutes you should be ok. This is effectively interval training when you go to fast and slow down, this is not necessarily a bad thing as it will help to increase you aerobic power.

Swimming can be Cardiovascular

Interval Training

Interval training is good to improve Aerobic power and sports performance, it helps the body to recover faster and develop speed. There are no set rules on how you should plan out your intervals, along as they are challenging. You can do them for as long as you want during a training session, i would personally recommend to start out doing 20 minutes increasing to about 45 minutes as your fitness improves. Then your intervals can be done in ratios, a good starting ratio is 2 minutes of fast running with 4 minutes of walking. As your fitness improves the exercise periods can increase and rest/walking periods decrease (3 minute run 1 minute walk). You can make your intervals specific to your sport or activity. If you play an intermittent sport like squash, you may sprint for 10 seconds rest for 5 jog for 15 etc. The main focus is on volume, recording the distance you cover during your cardiovascular training.

Getting A Road Bike

2014-08-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

So, i have decided that running is starting to grind down my old bones to much now i am approaching the big old 3…0 … and have decided to give road cycling a crack. After coming to the decision of this i needed to get my first bike and decide how much money i was willing to spend. From looking around at bikes, some second hand and some brand new it seem that i would probably need to spend up to a £1000 to get started. I looked at second hand bikes on Ebay and i did not feel confident in buying a used bike as i would not be able to determine if there was anything mechanically wrong with it or if it was even the correct bike for me.

So I opted for a new one

Giant Defy 2 Compact XL Frame

I was getting impatient, tired of running and losing motivation with my cardiovascular training as a result of this so I acted quickly. I live around the corner from a a shop called “Tri UK” in Yeovil and decided this will be a good starting point. Tri UK has a huge amount of stock with a variety of brands of well known bike manufactures in there such as Giant, Scott, Trek and much more. The range of bikes in there is massive from low budget all the way to the serious cyclist or Tri Athlete. The guys in there were very helpful, after chatting to them about my situation and and my budget they recommended that I start with the Giant Defy Compact 2. I opted for the 20 speed as anything less around this area would struggle on the hills when out cycling. So the man I brought the bike from, Christian said that it was best I come in to have a fitting done on my new bike so i would be set up and ready to get cycling. Prior to the fitting, I needed to get the essential accessories to get started, I was going to need a helmet (Zerorh+, zw blue), pedals (Exlistar) with cycling shoes (Foor) and shorts (Zeroh+ White, Red and Black). After selecting the ones I liked that are within in my budget, I was ready to get started with my fitting. The fitting is not necessarily essential but it will give you a good understanding of the best way to set up your seat and handlebars for your body size. They take measurement from the floor to your crutch to work out the best place for you to be seated. They get you on the bike and get you cycling with bike attached to a turbo roller to see your riding technique. During this time they give you some cycling pointers and make any adjustments to the bike if needed. Then you are good to go and give it a go for your self outside.

Zeroh+ ZW Road bike helmet

RH + Cycling Shorts

My First few rides

I kept my first few rides local, riding through my local cycle paths, quite roads and country lanes. This is just so I could get use to to the bike and get a better understanding of how the mechanics of the new bike. Starting with flat surfaces I then progressed onto some small hills to try out the gears and brakes. Once my cycling confidence improved I started to increase my distances starting of at about 10 mile round rides and now working at 20-30 mile round rides. The reason I took it steady to begin with was I wanted to gain confidence cycling with clip on shoes as this was completely new to me.

Clip on Shoes

Foor size 11 Clip on Cycling Shoes

The clip on shoes take some getting use too, I start with clipping my left foot in whilst stationary then cycling a few metres before clipping the right foot in. Always clip in your dominate/strongest leg first as this will help with powering away from a stationary position. When coming to a stand still you just have to remember to un clip one of your feet so you can safely put one foot on the floor to balance you and the bike before you stop. If you don't do this then you will topple over, which I have managed to do twice which created some amusement for pedestrians and car drivers. Im glad I went with the clip on shoes despite the few early hiccups. Cycling with clip on shoes give me far more control of the pedals and helps to generate more speed and power whilst cycling.

Exlistar Clip on Pedals

The Gears

Having rode mountain bikes when I was younger, I didn't feel the gears would be to much trouble. Having said that the gears on a mountain bike and road bike do seem to slightly differ. The Giant Defy compact 2 comes with Shimano Tiagra gears. The best way to understand the gears which seems to work well for me is gears 1-10 (front crank on small cog, back cog big is gear one and smallest cog is ten) work best on flat and up hills. Gears 11-20 (Front crank/cog is at the top, then back big to small are 11-20) work best on down hill to flat and cycling on flats where the tarmac is nice and smooth. As cycling fitness and power increases, the gear ratios used will change, i tend to keep the front Crank/cog high and use gears 11-20 for most of the ride now as I can comfortably go up small hills/gradients in 11th gear. Then i go back down to gears 1-10 when the hills get steeper or if i am unable to get a good run up to the hill.

Shimano Tiagra Gears and Cranks

Brakes, Tyres and Punctures.

Draper Mobile Tool Kit

Brakes on the Giant Compact Defy 2 are great, they are quick to break and they are easy to adjust too. The tyre pressures need to be regularly checked, i keep them at recommended maximum of 120 Psi. This is the optimal pressure that will allow you to cycle faster with less risk of a tyre blow out. You can have it higher than 120 psi (although not recommended by the tyre manufacture, which will make you go faster however the risk of a tyre blow out does significantly increase.With choice of tyre pressure its worth bearing in mind the conditions of the roads/paths you cycle on. If you are finding the ride to bumpy, then lower the tyre pressure, this will help you with handling the bike. Ideally you want to avoid the bumps and holes as best as you can so if you ride about 2-3 feet away from the kerb, the tramcar here is a lot smoother. Body weight also plays a part in tyre pressure, the lighter you are you can run at a lower tyre pressure too. Always take a puncture repair kit and small bike pump with you, as i found out the other week 2 miles is a long walk with cycle shoes on! I brought a small mobile Draper bike repair kit which does the job perfectly and bought Red Devil self adhesive patches. The draper kit does come with patches but they are not particularly great. The rest of the kit is fantastic, there is small pump, tyre levers and a small tool set which is in the style of a swiss army knife which allows me to make adjustments whilst i am out and about cycling.

Draper Kit attached to the bike

Pump, Tyre Levers, Puncture Patches, and Tools.

I can see how cycling as a hobby/sport can become very expensive, which I wouldn't say is a bad thing as spending money on something that is a great lifestyle choice is a positive move. I can definitely see myself upgrading my bike in the future whether thats just small upgrades on my current bike or buying a full carbon frame bike. If you just want to get into cycling just as a hobby and don’t want to spend to much money, then you really can get a lot for under £1000. This level of spending will be an ‘entry level’ bike if you did want to enter Triathlons and road races, so if you did want to take it more seriously the giant Defy Compact 2 is a great starting bike,

Tough Mudder, How Tough Is It

2014-07-23T09:52:00.001-07:00

Im so pleased to finally get round to doing this race and getting back to blogging. I have been majorly busy starting up my own brand of health and fitness Stay Slim and Avoid the Gym which has been a major focal point and success in the last 18 months of my life. During this busy time I have managed to take time out to try out new exercises and challenges, one being the Tough Mudder.

Here we are all at the start (Im the one in the Yellow t-shirt).

So on Saturday the 12th of July 2014 at 9.00 am I was in Kettering doing the Tough Mudder course with some friends I have made since I have started out on my adventure with Stay Slim and Avoid the Gym. In fact I think it was after a very short time of knowing them they had me signed up to this crazy and yet fun race. On completion we all agreed that it was not as tough as we though it would be. However we were all still very happy to complete a gruelling cross country run with some fun and sadistic obstacles along the way.

Here are my top 5 obstacles (In no particular order) during the course, along with some advice on how to tackle them.

1) Glory Blades (climbing over 6-7ft wall slanted at bout 10-20 degrees)

Picture Of Glory blades

I was not looking forward to these and my heart sank a little when I saw they were the first obstacle. To my amazement I completed them with little trouble. As it was the first obstacle of the run we had plenty of energy to throw our selves over. There were a few reasons why I was worried about this obstacle. During my training i found it hard to replicate this obstacle, I did some pull ups and a lot of upper body retraction work ( lateral rows and bent over rows) to help with being able to pull my body weight up. I also done some plymoteric training to help improve the power of my jumps. However finding a slanted wall at around 6-7ft tall was not possible. Worse case scenario if you did struggle there are only 2 walls to clear and there are fellow mudders on hand to help you over.

2) Arctic Enema (diving into ice cold muddy water and swimming under a tyre barrier)

Freezing Fun

This obstacle took me by complete surprise, I have never really been one to worry about a bit of cold water being British. However I have never experienced anything like this. Despite it being ice cold the water is mixed with a lot of mud and god knows what else by the smells! (very farm like!). Anyway I jumped in and initially felt fine, then started to hyperventilate. Which at the time was scary and I didn't think I was going to be able to swim under the tyres. It was a very hot day by British standards and we had been running for a few miles prior to reaching this obstacle. The rapid change in body temperature didn't react well with me so I had to find away to overcome it. I realised that my head was still really hot and the rest of my body is now cold and this was what was probably causing me to hyperventilate. So I had to start throwing the lovely cocktail of muddy ice water over my head to get my body to adapt to the cold. After about 10 seconds of doing this the hyperventilation passed by and i swam under the tyres with no trouble. Training wise I didn't feel there was much I could do for this one, apart from having a cold bath from time to time which i didn't do! If you were to take it very seriously then an ice bath right after your training session could help you with this one. Practising holding your breath under water may help but to be honest you are not under water for very long, 5 seconds at the most.

3) The Electric Eel. (army crawl through muddy water with electric wires hanging down)

It as painful as it looks

You sometimes here a lot in training "mind over matter" which I never really followed, but this really
was an instance when this applied. I said to my self " its probably only as strong as electric fence wire that they use to keep cows in a field which is unpleasant but its certainly not going to hurt you". How wrong was I to be. I took the sound advice of the marshals of just go through it as quickly as you can. So i just dived straight in and army crawled as quickly as possible and things were going well, I haven't got shocked yet. I bobbed my head from side to side to avoid getting hit in the face with any of the wires which worked really well. Anyway right at the last 2 metres (roughly 5-6 metres of crawling) I felt a shock go right through my body, I think my bum made contact with the wire. Then i got another 2 shocks, one on my hip ,then one my shoulder right at the end. The shocks just seem to freeze you for a split second. Oh yeah the shock is definitely worse than that you get from an electric fence keeping cows or horses enclosed The only training you can do for this is get quick at doing army crawls. I practiced them in a field going up and down slopes and just working on my speed with these. There is no training that can help with the electric shocks unfortunately :-0.

4) Everest (running up a half pipe/big skating ramp).

Im the One in the Middle being helped up

This one worked out ok for me, did it first time but did need a little help. I was not sure how to tackle this whether to try and make it up myself or get help. Looking back I think I could have done it ok with out anyone helping me. However when you do your run up there are a lot of people waiting up the top to give you a hand, so i opted for a little help as a appose to jumping on them. There are 2 ways you can tackle it, either go slow and steady and try not to slip. The other is just to keep sprinting as fast as you can and don't think about stopping or slowing down, because when you change speed thats when people tend to slip and fall back down the half pipe. The good thing is that you can train for this. One is to go to your local skate park and run up the half pipe ramp. Second (the way I trained) was just to focus on hill sprints and jumping jacks. These type of exercises will help you develop explosive power to help accelerate at the half pipe.

5) Hero Walls (Climbing up a 9t wall)

The Hero Wall, Tough.

Unfortunately I was not much of a hero at this one, Steve in our group manage to clear them with
relative ease. He said his days in the Army helped with jumping over the walls, and he is very good at lifting his own body weight too, which unfortunately for me I am not. This was going to be a struggle, I opted to be helped over by my group and other mudders, which to be honest a lot of people did as its probably the safest thing to do this far into the race for your own safety. This is a tough one to train for, you will need to work on building your upper body pulling and retraction strength, so your pull ups, Australian pull ups and any Latisimuss Dorsi works outs are going to help. You also need to develop spring in your legs so the Pyometric training will be beneficial too. However it is very hard to replicate climbing over a 9ft wall. I did get chance to try out some 6-7 ft walls but those few extra feet make a big difference.

Would i do it all again?

Absolutely, i am currently planing my next exercise challenges. I would like to do the Tough Guy race which is apparently more difficult, according to a friend of mine who use to run them back in 2008 and he actually won the tough guy race. So I am currently recruiting a team to do that with me next year hopefully, any takers? In the mean time I have recently purchased a road bike, which I am really enjoying and hope to enter a race in the near future.

You do get a free pint at the end that goes down nicely!

Here I am preparing for take off to everest

The heavy weight champ of exercise classes? Boxercise

2012-11-09T14:06:00.002-08:00

After recently attending a Boxercise class at 1610 in Yeovil, Somerset, UK I would say that this is personally one off my favourite classes, the question that still remains, is it the best class? There are many benefits to this class, it's great for the upper back, core, legs and arms, awesome for cardiovascular conditioning and most importantly it is a fun class and that's what keeps people coming for more . However tho, the class does have its draw backs as boxing is very much a skill in itself, it is even referred to as a science by some of the respective names in the sport (sweet science of boxing). In short, whether Boxercise or boxing training is good for someone will not depend on how coordinated or skilled one is, but rather their outlook on the nature of the boxing as a sport.

The term "sweet science" is a good term to understand when referring to boxing, the best way to understand this is to simply ask your self, what do you see when watching boxing? Is it two barbaric people with an aggressive nature trying to inflict damage on each other, or is two craftsman at work using there skills and ability to out wit each other. The best way to compare boxing is to a game of chess, tactics and strategy along with the ability to adapt, will play the largest part in how successful you will be. Boxing is an art form, you can go and find the most aggressive person in the world, put that person against another person who is the same weight who is not aggressive but has been trained in the skills of boxing, the boxer will come out on top every time when pitted against competing in the boxing ring . A good example of this would be the "raging bull " Jake Lamotta (the aggressor ) and his showdowns with Sugar Ray Robinson, a better known example would be Ali and Frazier.

Whether Boxercise is the right class for you will depend on your outlook and interpretation of the sport of boxing, after reading this (if your weren't already ) you can see past the thuggish side of the sport and it has far more to offer than aggression, which actually makes up a small part of the sport when you begin understand the true nature of boxing. There are few work outs that can compete with putting on those boxing gloves, peppering jabs onto the pad or bag, followed by twist in the torso for the cross shot, leading into hook punches and getting the legs involved when powering through the uppercuts. Boxing or Boxercise will allow you to leave the stresses of life on the indents made on the pads or punch bags.

H.I.T The Circuits (High Intensity Training)

2012-11-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

Circuits Class

Last week I had the chance to get back to the class room floor, as I got the chance to instruct the Thursday evening circuits class at the centre I work at. The circuit was made up of 9 stations and a running track. The nine stations covered a range of resistance workouts , covering upper and lower body, core and abdominal and some shuttle runs to work on speed and agility. The class was an hour broken down into three three rounds on the nine of the station, first was thirty seconds on a station followed by a thirty second run, second was one minute on each of the nine stations and then after a little break the last one minute on the station followed by one minute running. The main benefit of the circuits class is an overall body work out at a level of high intensity a lot like the Boot camp class.

One might be asking why put yourself throughout such a tough work out class, one is high intensity training also know has H.I.T training has many Health benefits, and you can use this class to improve physical and/or sporting performance. If you want to get a sweat on, get results, get fit, then start HITting the circuits class.

High intensity exercise is believed to improve congnitive function

2012-10-31T14:39:00.002-07:00

A study presented to the Canadian Cardiovascular congress has discovered that high intensity training on a regular basis can improve cognitive function. The discovery found that improved blood flow to the brain through exercise improves the function of the brain, this can include improved memory and sharpness. This links into a previous post i did focusing on energy drinks to overcome tiredness, instead of consuming an energy drink, do some brisk exercise to get blood flowing to the brain. Hopefully this discovery can help open more research into how a physically active lifestyle can improve our over all health, as appose exercise being one of its more well known uses of being a vanity thing to look like a celebrity or to get in shape for you next vacation.

Bare foot running with Vibrams

2012-10-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Vibrams I purchased

Bare foot running with Vibrams. So, after some persuasion from my friends and co workers I have invested into some Vibrams (Pictured left). When I first plucked them out of the box they look like the most uncomfortable pair of footwear I have ever looked at. However when I managed to slip my feet and toes into the individual toe compartments I was pleasantly surprised. My first few steps outside were interesting feeling the small contours in the tarmac and the firmness of the floor was strange to begin with. After a few steps my feet adapted to the change and it felt like my feet for the first time in their 27 year history, were actually being worked and it felt good. Also the design of vibrams allow the shoe to snug the foot giving them a comfy feeling that you don't get with ordinary trainers.

The Bare foot runner

Diagram of how bare foot running benefits the foot.

So now what is the fuss about Vibrams and what do they offer that you don't get with regular running trainers. Their main and most obvious difference is the sole of the shoe, unlike normal running trainers the sole is completely flat with no padding, just the rubber part of the sole. To some people, including myself at first, the idea of no padding in the sole sounds uncomfortable and some what dangerous. The makers of Vibram believe that the padding in trainers is what causes the feet to get injured as the feet become weak from constant protection from the padding, along with the unnatural heavy landing heel strike that we do whilst running with padded soles. The lack of padding allow runners to land softer on the heel and roll through to the ball of the foot, allowing your toes to do the thing there are designed to do and push your foot off the floor. The separate toe compartments of the Vibram also helps with the toes being involved in the push forward phase of the run.

Things to watch out for.

The bads news is that you do have to go back to the start when running or even walking for that matter. As your feet are not use to the force of the floor from the lack of padding the foot needs time to adapt in strength. For the first two days I have been just walking with the Vibrams and then gave myself a day with out them and now I plan to do a run alternating with a five minute walk. The best approach as like with any training is to listen to your body, if you begin to get pains then lay off the running and allow time for the feet to get use to the change. So far I am really feeling the benefits, my feet already feel stronger and more stable. Will keep you updated on how I get on in the future with the new change in foot wear.

Lose weight by eating soup

2012-10-23T08:27:00.001-07:00

Bowl of Carrot and Coriander soup

Lose weight by eating soup

Lose 50% more weight by eating soup

By consuming two bowls of soup with a calorie controlled diet (300 grams; 10.5 fl. oz. per serving) will cause you to lose 50% more weight than eating just one bowl, or consuming small amounts of high energy snacks such as potato chips. This is according to a research carried out at the Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, USA. The reason behind this is that foods like soups provide high density and low calories per serving, which decreases calorie intake and increases satiety (decrease hunger or filling).

How about Pumpkin soup for Halloween.

All subjects were instructed to follow a calorie restricted weight loss program. Subject's were assigned to one of four groups, (1) a dry snack diet with restricted calories, (2) one soup a day and restricted calories, (3) two soup meals a day and restricted calories or (4) could choose their foods but still had to stick to the restricted calories set out by the nutritionist. The main finding of the trial demonstrated that consuming two servings of soup daily led to greater weight loss than consuming the same amount of energy as two servings of a dry snack food daily; after 1 year, weight loss in the two-soup group was 50% greater than that in the snacks group (7.2 vs. 4.8 kg). Substituting a type of food that was low in energy density for one that was high in energy density increased the magnitude of the weight loss.

Healty explorer doesnote that calorie control is the key to any weight loss program, however believes the soup diet is a great way to off set hunger as it is high in fibre, which takes longer to digest and releasing energy slowly into the body. This finding is something i am going to try out so i will be adding some recipes and how affective they are.

Let me know what soups you have tried and how you rate them on flavour and health.

Two bowls of soup a day study

Motivational Monday

2012-10-22T14:23:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone, hope you all had a great weekend and now it is Monday we have another week of work and exercise to endure and good motivation will help us through that. Motivation can be triggered by almost anyone or anything, and it does not just have to relate to exercise. Motivation provides us with elevation to continue to grow, or to help us overcome day to day problems. One of my personal favourite is movies, and its one particular scene in a movie called "Any Given Sunday" staring Al Pacino and Jamie Fox. Check out the four minute you tube video below. The film is about American football and how the team is struggling. Some may think it sounds a little cheesy but it gives a great account of the struggle of the politics, commercial and fame sides of the game. Being English myself i don't understand American football at all but still enjoyed the movie and would consider it on of my favourites.

What is so great about this is the build up, they are all in a bad place and sometimes this is what bring the best out in us, makes us take ownership to seek a better future. Over all this is a great movie to watch if you feel training is going down hill or you need that extra spur to get you to where you want to go.

Motivation is such vast thing and can be found from a variety of sources, and the only thing is certain that motivation is very strong factor behind success.

Where do you get your your motivation from?, leave comments below. And will see you next week for more ideas for motivation

Do sports drinks make you fitter or fatter

2012-10-18T09:45:00.002-07:00

When we feel like we are lacking energy, how many of us turn to a sports/energy drink for the cure, I know I am one of them and I am sure there are many more. In a recent review in the British Medical Journal which has been exploring the truths about energy drinks, an interesting topic in this journal is the link between obesity and sports drink, especially amongst children. It is well known that sports drinks are either aimed at one or two things, one is to give us extra energy, or give supposedly better hydration than water to get us to exercise for longer.
One of these energy drinks typically contain 30 Grams of carbohydrates so it is not a surprise that they do promote obesity. If you are trying to lose weight I would say run a country mile away from sports drinks and not be fooled by there clever advertising, as they are only going to make your already difficult challenge harder. Consuming a sports drink you are adding an extra 120 Kilo Calories to your calorie intake and this will mean you have to spend roughly 15 minutes longer on the treadmill to burn it off. If you drink sports drinks and don't exercise your are in bigger trouble, in one month you could potentially gain around 1 pound in weight (0.5 kg) as one drink a day will add more than 3000 Kilo calories to your monthly calorie intake.

Healthy Explorer tips on how to aviod energy drinks.....

Exercise

The most bizzare one is to actually start exercising, yes you heard that right lack of energy is a sympton of fatigue and fatigue can be caused by lack of movement. The reason for this is that if you have been sat down or standing for a long time the Heart struggles to pump blood to the brain by itself causing tiredeness. When you start moving the muscles in your body improves circulation and blood flow to the brain.

Hydration

Dehyradtion can cause fatigue so have a small drink of water, cooler water is a good recomendation as the cold will shock the body causing you to be more alert as appose to a warmer drink that may cause you to feel more tired. Also you can make your own isotonic drink. A simple recipe is to get a 500 ml glass half fill with water half fill with oranje juice then mix in a quater of a tea spoon of salt. The salt acts as elecotolyte that will help with hydration.

Hope this will help you to beome a more energetic, slimmer and hydrated person.

World health and fitness- Meal replacements used to maintain weight loss

2012-10-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

Meal Replacements help with maintaining weight loss.

A study carried out by scientists from the University of Ulm, Germany and UCLA Los Angeles California, USA has discovered that by consuming one meal replacement product a day promotes weight loss maintenance. The four year study of weight loss believes the success of meal replacements is that it makes people follow a more structured diet and following structure helps with behavioural change. The journal goes onto say that this strategy can have beneficial health factors as well, the average weight loss of 3.4 kg of the participants showed improved fasting glucose and insulin levels which are used as biomarkers to determine diabetes.

Even subjects that dropped out from the study during the four year period, showed no significant increase in weight gain. It is believed that the reason for this is that meal replacements offer a convenient and cost effective choice as appose to high calorie meals that take time may also influence an individual’s eating pattern.

Source

Metabolic and Weight Loss Effects of Long-Term Dietary Intervention in Obese Patients: Four-Year Results

Marion Flechtner-Mors¹,
Herwig H. Ditschuneit MD^1,*,
Timothy D. Johnson²,
Mark A. Suchard^2,3,
Guido Adler¹

Article first published online: 6 SEP 2012

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2000.48/full

Is body combat better than Boxercise

2012-10-17T05:01:00.000-07:00

Is body combat better than boxercise

After being a diehard Boxercise and or boxing training type of person I would refuse to go anywhere near a Less Mills Body Combat class, however today I thought I would be a more open minded person on this subject and get myself along to the body combat class.

The first thing that I loved about this class was how pure it is, in fact it is as pure as running or dancing as its just you moving your body with non contact kicking and punching, crouching, lunging, jumping mixed in with some upper body spider press ups. The difficult part of this class is getting your head around the choreography but I was assured by Sue the instructor that after a few classes you will pick it up and after talking to some of the more regular class goers they were very much of the agreement. Another light hearted tip was that just imagine the person in front is someone you really hate and you want to hit, aim for their head (not literally punch them) to get full range of motion on kicks and punches. Like any martial art or combat class it’s a great stress relief good fun and you feel like you have worked hard. One thing with this class like a lot of Less Mills classes, the class structure will always remain the same and the music will change every quarter year (3 months). One thing i would recommend is that get your self a decent pair of tennis trainers, the reason being there is a lot of agility involved and changing direction and jumping, tennis trainers as appose to running shoes will protect your ankle from twists or strains.

Example of Plyometric Training

Lets take a look at the benefits of this class, first thing I noticed was the heavy breathing indicating this a great cardiovascular conditioning. This exertion on the cardiovascular system is subject to the plyometric exercises. Plyometric is shortening and lengthening the muscle contractions quickly and reversely, so for example the landing phase of the jump. Any form of plyometric exercise is great for improving running and sporting performance. The resistance strain of the lunging crouching and squatting is a great work for the legs, working on the muscle tone, also it’s a good thing to remember that any resistance will increase your metabolic rate for 48 hours.

Any form of combat, martial art or self defence class is a great all over body work out improving your range of movement and it’s a great confidence booster knowing that you can complete the moves. The pondering question that do you like the contact or non contact, some people don’t feel comfortable hitting an object like a punch bag or Mitt and other people love it. This class is a great alternative if you want to get the benefits of combat exercises without actually hitting anything or anyone.

Exercise to Take Your Breath Away- Exmoor

2012-10-15T14:53:00.001-07:00

After a hectic few weeks a much needed getaway to North Devon was much overdue, of late I have been complaining to myself and others about the rat race of England and that I would love to move away to warmer climates. However this weekend gave me something to think about my opinions on beloved England, strolling or rather hiking at times through the vast country side of Exmoor, along the Lynmouth to Porlock coast line of North Devon, I was not sure what took my breath a away the most, the long hilly walk or the fanatstic views that I did not think existed in this country, were only less than a 2 hour drive from where I live.

A View of Lynmouth from the Beach

North Devon Coast Line, a view from Countisbury Hill.

We Started out at Lynmouth, before hand i invested in a pair of Wellington boots as i know from my childhood living on a farm that they are cheap, durable and great for walking across muddy terrain. Then the hike to Porlock Began, after the the first hill walk I was rewarded with a breath taking scene of the coast of North Devon. (Picture below)

Porlock Weir

In my profession I come across the question of "whats the best type of exercise?" I simply reply "the type you enjoy, and the exercise you enjoy will simply feel like you are not exercising at all as it is so exhilarating", this for me was undoubtedly one of those occasions . Hiking/hill walking is the type of exercise that almost anyone can do, costs little money and great stress relief. This type of exercise can be shared with many or enjoyed alone.

After around 6 miles hiking we ended up at Porlock weir, which is a small fishing harbor with some quaint cafes and restaurants.As much as we would have loved to have walked back as well, we decided to catch the bus back to the hotel as we had plans for more hiking the next day. This work out was a great cardiovascular workout along with targeting the thigh and bum, walking these hills will soon get you in shape because you have the advantage of slight altitude training when you reach the peaks of Exmoor.

Waters Meet

The next day we decided to do one more smaller but steeper hike before the weekend came to an end. There are some breath taking view and walks here where the East Lyn valley and Hoar Oak Valleys meet. The river offers many over activities such as Kayaking and if you like to do a more relaxing activity why not try a spot of Salmon or Trout fishing. What this weekend has shown me there is a different side to exercise than attending classes and hitting the gym. Sometimes we just need to open our eyes take a few steps away from the norm and experience something new. This weekend will inspire me to continue to search for ways of improving our lifestyles, fun ways, relaxing ways and much more. This has shown that healthy living is not all about strict diets and heavy exercise but rather we must look at our lifestyles in a more holistic manor to achieve good health, happiness and fulfillment.

A few more photos of Watersmeet and Lynmouth to inspire you to hike

Sporting my new Wellington boots

Picture of the two rivers joining

Riverside walk and view of the National Trust cafe/shop

A view from the top of the valley on the way back (legs were very tired by then)

A few of Lynmouth from Countsibury hill

Cliff railway from Lynmouth to Lynton, been running since 1809 (not one for people scared of heights)

Body Pump and the benefits of weight training.

2012-10-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

Body Pump and the benefits of Weight training.

An interesting fact about body pump is that it is the most attended class worldwide, and there are many reason to why this class has taken the world by storm. When planning this post I thought it would be appropriate describe the benefits of body pump with weight or resistance training, to help you achieve extra results by not wasting more time on the treadmill or struggling on with a strict diet.

Body pump, an all over body work out, using a barbell and your body weight as resistance to focus on 6 areas, (1)leg squats, (2)chest, back/gluteals/hamstrings, (3)triceps and biceps,(4) legs/lunges, (5)shoulders/arms and (6) abdominal s. The first thing I noticed was the firmness in my muscles along with tiredness like I have done a lot of work.

This firmness in the muscles is the “pump affect”, there are two possibly know affects for this. One is increased blood flow to supply energy for the work out and recovery. Secondly is that there is a swelling (inflammation) in the muscles which is caused by the breakdown of tiny muscle fibers by the resistance training. A benefit that comes with resistance training is an increased metabolic rate 48hours, as the body gets to work, repairing the muscle fibers. This makes the muscles stronger, more defined and more importantly your body will require around 800kcals of energy to complete the muscle repairing process. This increased metabolic rate is why some people can get away with eating more or doing less aerobic training such as running. This 48 hour increase is not seen with aerobic training due to the lack of muscle fiber damage.

This class can be as easy or hard as you wish and the instructors are great believers in getting participants to increase their resistance load as they get used to the weight to really gain the benefits of this class. Doing weights with an instructor in class like body pump or with a personal trainer is a great way to make sure your training is safe, beneficial and motivational.

Can You Really Be Fat and Fit ?

2012-10-08T03:14:00.001-07:00

Can You Really Be Fat and Fit ?

Does the media affect our attitudes to Healthy Living.

In the media there have been articles referring to a study claiming that obese people can be as fit as someone who is classified as normal weight. Some of these headlines have included People can be fat yet fit, research suggests. BBC News, September 5 2012,Never mind the fat. It's being fit that matters. The Independent, September 5 2012,People can be fat and fit as study finds obesity doesn't automatically lead to ill-health. Daily Mail, September 5 2012

This is nothing new, me like everyone else have seen people who are obese who are fit and healthy. There are prime examples of these running up and down rugby pitches of the United Kingdom, The Sumo Wrestling rings of Japan and slugging it out for twelve rounds in the bright lights of La Vegas.

Really the headline should be boasting “ Fit people can be obese” as it is the “being fit” is what makes an individual “metabolically healthy” (Metabollically healthy is term used to define a person who 1 or less risk factor that classes someone metabolically abnormal) and not the the body weight making people healthy. The intriguing thing about the headlines is how they all start with “Fat” as the main subject, which is already misleading by placing “Fat” as the important subject. This already gives the reader comfort through subliminal messaging that being obese/overweight is ok. It seems that the media is focussing on trying to get society accept this new way of life, as appose to trying to encourage people to focus on the benefits of exercise and healthy living.

The best approach sometimes is to be on the fence about health related issues, I have seen people die an early age from chronic illnesses even though they lived a healthy lifestyle, and I have seen the opposite side of someone neglecting their health living to a grand age. The point is that we need to accept that exercise and healthy living will not guarantee life nor will unhealthy living will guarantee a premature death. We should focus on what healthy living can bring to use now and the benefits are vast, you just need to experience them.

Links

If you want to read a good analysis on the article done by the National Health Service, check this link out. http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/09September/Pages/Can-you-really-be-both-fat-and-fit.aspx

RPM or Spinning , which is better?

2012-10-05T03:44:00.002-07:00

RPM Spinning

Versus

What is the difference between RPM and Spinning.

Both classes are high intensity endurance classes on a static bike aiming to increase cardiovascular fitness along with leg strength and power. The main and arguably the only difference is that RPM is set music, done by the Les Mills brand of fitness classes, like all of Les Mills’s classes the music and class structure will be the same where ever you do the class. Spinning will be different as the structure and the music is chosen by the instructor. Both classes are likely to cover the interval, hill climb (seated and standing) and sprinting elements of normal cycling.

RPM is a 50 minute indoor cycling work out to the rhythm of powerful music, taking on a terrain of hill climbs, flats, mountain peaks over the equivalent of a 25km ride. The class is structured to a warm up, pace (speed and intensity increased to your personal pace), hill climbs, mixed terrain, intervals, free spin (quick pace low resistance), mountain climb, ride home (recovery) and finally stretching. RPM offers continuity in your training, if you like doing the same thing week in week out then RPM is a good class, and the only thing that will change is the music every quarterly year (3 months). The down side to RPM is that your body may become use to this type of training other time, like with any exercise program if you keep doing the same thing the body no longer can make adaptations to the training. An easy way to overcome this would be to include a new type of training alongside RPM.

Spinning also known as anything but RPM, will be a completely different structure to RPM in terms of training type and music. Most classes will instruct you in their class time table what the class will involves, so it is advisable you get hold of this before going into the class. Classes can range from beginner to advance, or set as a sprint class, hill climb, interval, and all terrain. This class can give the instructor the chance to be creative with their class an. The lack of continuity is a good thing as the class should be challenging every time you go as a good instructor will make sure the class is challenging and different each time you come. Sometime instructors can go a little over the top, brining triceps and press up workouts onto the bike whilst cycling and a lot of repetitive standing up and sitting down whilst cycling. All thought this may make the class more challenging, serious questions must be asked to whether this has any relevance to cycling as if you attempted to do that on a normal bike ride you would either be in the circus or in hospital.

Both classes will bring the same benefits as normal cycling the thighs and the bum will get a good work out, along with your core muscles. The cardiovascular workout is arguably second to none. The biggest question is that it does not replace the beauty of heading out on your road or mountain bike and taking in the terrain yourself. However it is a great replacement for when you have a puncture or the wonderful British weather puts a holt on that desired bike ride you had planned.

Does Age and Gender make a difference to your fitness levels

2012-10-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Does Age and Gender Make a Difference to your fitness levels

Healthy Explorer.... Further to metabolic rate I am now going to review what factors may affect the results we achieve from participating in physical activity. I have heard from many that age maybe an issue, their gender and their struggle to exercise. These are all valid points but with a little understanding and knowledge they can all easily be overcome.

Gender....... Yes it is a proven fact that that women will naturally have lower fitness levels than men, this is due to naturally having a slightly higher body fat composition, lower Haemoglobin content (Red Blood cells carrying oxygen) and smaller size heart. This disadvantage can be reduced through training but there will always remain a difference.

Age....... Older age has been associated with a 25% decrease in muscle capillarization and mitochondrial enzyme activity, meaning that every 10 years you age, the body’s ability to generate energy for exercise decreases by around 5% from the age of thirty. Also it does take the body longer to recover from exercise. Additional sources of inefficiency with age may include changes in cardiac function, skeletal muscle blood flow from a decrease in both capillary density and capillary-to-fibre ratio with age.

The Training effect........ Any age or gender is able to improve their cardiovascular function through training to some extent. Interestingly after around six months of regular exercise the body can reverse the effect of time. For example studies have shown that exercise efficiency can be as good in an elderly person (67-77year olds) as younger people (20-30 year olds). This improved efficiency from training has also allowed improvements in their recovery rate. Also elderly people have been able to increase their muscle Oxidative capacity by 128%(Oxygen consumption correlates with muscles producing energy for movement) and younger sedentary adults only increasing by 28%. This could suggest that it’s not the aging causing the decrease in aerobic but rather leading an inactive life could cause the decline aerobic capacity and metabolism in people.

One Last Thing....... From exercise and metabolism we are aware that gender does make a difference, as for age we can be sure that our ability to exercise will decrease the slowing down of metabolism. But we must also remember that the body does not last forever, we just have to do our best to look after it.

A good article to read. http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1137355

Kettlebell Training "From Russia with Love"

2012-10-01T10:48:00.002-07:00

KettleBell training is possibly the best exercise out there to get a combination of both cardiovascular and resistance training combined into one. The session involves swinging the kettle bell in a variety of ways. The swing is generated by getting your hips to “snap forward” to generate swing on the Kettle Bell, which engages the use of the thigh muscle, buttocks and core muscles. The session can be done as a group or an individual session, individual sessions are recommended to gain good form and technique. The exercise originated from Russia use as an exercise to train there soldiers, helping them reach to their peak physical condition,

What do the Members Say..... Joe Kipling “All over workout, really good back strength, haven’t had back pain at work (nursing) since doing Kettle Bells”. Liam Jones “ Overall good workout, high tempo in short space of time” Tanvir Bush “ Feel fully worked out! Excellent, relaxed atmosphere, tough workout”.

What does the instructor say......... Toby said that this class is great workout if you only want to work out for 30-45 minutes as its high intensity and you use almost every muscle in your body.

The science behind Kettle Bells.......... With the intense repetitive movement of swinging a metal ball, this will activate the use of high intensity aerobic pathways, allowing the body to use up its sugar stores. This will help with stabilising blood sugar levels as it improves the take of sugar from blood to muscles as the body realises that it needs the extra sugar to carry out these movements. The recovery from this high level of exercise will elevate your metabolic rate for about 48 hours, due to the repairing of muscle tissue. An interesting fact pointed out by a class participant saying that they no longer get back aches since doing Kettle Bell, this is could be down to the lower back muscles being more mobile from the swings and/or the core muscle (muscles below the abdomen muscles) being more active and supporting the spine more.

One Last Thing...... A Kettle bell is a great bit of kit as it can be used anywhere with room to swing it. It is recommended you get tuition on how to swing it correctly to get the most out of this exercise and to avoid injury. As Toby the instructor pointed out, this exercise is great for a quick all over body workout. Its important to get the right size kettlebell too if you want to train at home on your own.

Body Balance

2012-09-27T00:23:00.000-07:00

Health explorer........ Body balance is a mixture of Pilates, Yoga and Thai Chi poses from beginner to intermediate level. This class will improve flexibility from the yoga poses, core strength and posture from Pilates and Thai Chi works on the principle that the body is a like a tree, arms are mobile like the branches in the wind, and the trunk of the body is strong which is good for all three of stability, balance and flexibility. Body balance is great for improving flexibility, lowering stress levels and improving body strength. The class lasts for one hour with the warm up phase of some Thai Chi exercises, then onto Yoga based exercises to work on flexibility, Pilates to work the abdomen area then finishes with a Thai Chi warm down followed by meditation. This class is great for people who want to improve mobility, reduce aches and pains, and get a good workout without leaving the class feeling exhausted or tired.

What did the Participants say....... Michael Spensley “Flexibility and better posture are the benefits I’ve noticed” A.C Swales “Absolute tranquillity after a good stretch and an aerobic workout in the gym” John Stubberfield “ All round flexibility and muscle strengthening, all round exercise and suitability”

What does the instructor say....... Balance is a great class to work on mobility, when you have learned the routine you can work on towards the more advance poses to gain further benefits from the class.

The Science Behind Balance....... there are many physiological benefits to gain from the progressive stretching, which allow the muscles to become longer which improves flexibility and posture. Strengthening the core muscles will improve body posture, strength and improve muscle tone (through tiny muscle fibres breaking and repairing). The balance class works on lowering stress through exercise, lower stress ahs many benefits to improve overall health reducing blood pressure which is a cardiovascular risk factor. Lower stress levels mean lower Adrenaline and Cortical hormones being released, increased levels of these hormones are linked with the increased fat stores around the hip and stomach areas.

One last thing....... This class is great for people who struggle with intense exercise and is also great for people who exercise intensely and would like to reduce the onset of muscle soreness and stiffness.

Active Metabolic Rate

2012-09-24T07:07:00.001-07:00

Active metabolic rate

Healthy Explorer says...... Having an understanding of your Active Metabolic Rate (Energy used whilst moving), is key to maintaining a healthy weight, high energy levels and optimal physical performance. The “Harris Benedict formula” is a useful tool to estimate how many calories you need to support your energy needs for survival and physical activity.

Example........ If we continue with the example we used in my previous post.

().

Our Examples Basal Metabolic Rate is 13182 Kilo Calories. It’s very straight forward to calculate, all you have to do is multiply it by one of the 5 (bold text) following that applies to the individual’s physical activity levels.

1) Sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2

2) Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375

3) If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55

4) If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725

5) If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Say our example is exercising 4 times a week at moderate intensity, their Active Metabolic Rate Would Be.

13182×1.55= 20432.1 (Kilo Calories Per day)

Pros and Cons...... Of this method it’s hard to distinguish exactly what equates as light/moderate/high intensity of physical activity as a certain type of exercise maybe difficult for one person, but easy for some else. If you use running for example, a highly trained runner may find running 1 kilometre in 5 minutes relatively easy, however a sedentary person may find this exhausting. The trained runner may burn fewer calories due to being more efficient than the sedentary person (Exercise efficiency is something I will cover in later posts). The great thing about the “Harris Benedict formula” is that it’s a really easy way to estimate how much energy you need to consume as a guide to achieve your fitness goals.

A simple tip...... to lose weight aim to reduce your calorie intake by 500 Kilo Calories a day, if you need to gain weight increase by 500 Kilo Calories.

One last thing to remember...... is that the Active Metabolic Rate formula is just a guide, but certainly a helpful guide and I will cover ways on how we can get a more accurate measure of activity levels.

Calculating Your Metabolic Rate

2012-09-20T08:02:00.001-07:00

Calculating Your metabolic Rate

Learn how to maintain a healthy body weight by calculating how much energy your body burns.

Healthy Explorer...... has heard many people talking about their metabolism as a problem to lose weight. Metabolism to simply define is the amount of calories your body burns, there is basal metabolic rate which is the amount of calories your body uses to stay alive. Actual metabolic rate is very hard to calculate because people may lead very different lifestyle in terms of exercise, diet, stress levels and age play apart in how much energy your body uses. Below is an example of how to calculate you basal metabolic rate.

Example....... A female who is aged 32, who is 132cm metres tall and weighs 60kg.

Formula-BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

BMR= 655 + (9.6×60kg=576) + (1.8× 132cm=237.6) - (4.7 × 32years=150.4) = 13182 Kilo calories.

Tips.... when calculating, work out the sums in the brackets first, I have included the formula for men, and in non metric measurements at the end of this article. Also the result you get is just the calories your burn at rest, does not take into account any physical activity you may do.

Pros and Con....... the downfall is that this is not personalised to an individual and to find out one for an individual is a difficult and an invasive method. The Pro is that it’s a close calculated estimate as the formula would have been developed from taken averages from a large group of people. It’s a great tool to determine how much food you should be eating, plus you can use it to either gain, maintain or lose weight. Which I will cover in future posts.

Thanks for reading

Have a go at calculating your BMR, let me know how you get one.

English BMR Formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Metric BMR Formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )

Boot Camp Training

2012-09-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

Healthy Explorer... Describes the boot camp class at Springfield Leisure Centre, (Corsham , Wiltshire, England) as a “straight in the deep end” style of fitness class, meaning it does not matter how fit or unfit you are , you will be very tired at the end of the class. This class has a mixture of aerobic and resistance exercise working continuously for an hour with short breaks along the way. The types of exercise are set out by the class instructor and can be literally anything they chose. In the class we did a variety of body weight exercises such as Burpees , Press ups, and squats alternated with jumping jacks. This class can also be done with exercise equipment such as Dumbells, kettle bells, power bags and much more.

What did the class participants say...... Jane Whitfield “Lost one stone (7kg) in weight , improved fitness and body tone, a variable class which is challenging and gets results”. Simon Ratcliff “ General improvement of fitness after 5 sessions, good mixture of strength and aerobic training” Isabella Meadon “ Increased level of overall fitness, able o participate in a wider range of exercise than I would do in my own training, good group mix of old, young, male/female and fitness’ levels. Good motivation for the next class”.

What does the Instructor say..... Ben said that this is one of the most challenging classes that he teaches and is amazed by the hard work put in by his participants. He is also glad with the results he class participants see from attending his boot camp class.

The Science behind the results...... this class has the mixture of aerobic and resistance exercise which is a great combination for toning muscles and burning body fat. The resistance exercise causes the small muscle fibres to break, then over the next few days after the class the body repairs these muscle fibres and makes them stronger which increases the body toning affect. This process also causes the body to burn more calories as the body needs energy to carry out the repair work; this also increases the fat burning process in the body. The aerobic exercise in this class will help the body break down sugar and fat stores in the body to produce energy for the movement you do in the class.

One last thing.... This class is great for anyone who wants a hard workout, if you are not prepared to sweat, stay at home and keep you feet up.

More Photos of Boot camp Monday 10th September 2012