Training tips

Don't wait for the new year to start exercising start now but remember we all walked before we could run so start easy and then you'll be able to train hard.

Get your mind right and your body will be willing!
"Yes you can"

Training Tip of the Week

Walking

Did you know that it is estimated that a 150-pound( 10 stone/ 68 kilos) person who walks 2.5 miles in an hour will burn approximately 210 calories

Tips:

* Be sure to start slowly
* Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing.
* Wear a good pair of trainers e.g. a decent cross trainer..

Techniques:

* Don't over stride. Let your steps fall naturally.
* Stand tall.
* Gently pull in your stomach muscles to keep your back from arching.
* For more effective walking, bend your elbows at 90 degrees and swing.

Benefits:

* Walking can help you lose weight.
* Walking improves both muscle tone and strength.
* Walking improves cardiovascular efficiency.
* Walking reduces stress.
* Walking improves bone density.
* Walking protects against type 2 diabetes.
* Walking is inexpensive.
* Walking is an ideal exercise for consistent, lifelong aerobic conditioning.

Don't Believe Exercise Myths

Myth #1 - Doing crunches will give you great abs

Some people refer to it as a “six-pack”; those well-defined abdominal muscles you see on athletes and some celebrities. But it takes more than crunches alone to tone your tummy.

Your stomach is surrounded by three sets of muscles that give it shape: the rectus abdominus (the front muscles that form the “six-pack” and help you bend forward and back), the internal and external oblique's (the muscles on the side which help you do side bends) and the trans abdominus (the diagonally placed muscle that helps you rotate or twist from side to side). All three sets of muscles need to be worked regularly if you want a great looking stomach.

Of course, before you see results, you’ll need to burn off any excess fat that rests on top of your muscles. That is best achieved through aerobic exercise, like walking, jogging, biking, swimming or any other sustained activity that gets your heart rate up. If you stick to just crunches it will take 250,000 to burn just one pound of fat. Instead, check with your doctor about a regular exercise plan that includes aerobic activity and strength training.

Myth #2 - Muscle can turn into fat

Muscle and fat are two different types of tissue and one can’t turn into the other. Fat is excess energy stored in cells in a layer between the skin and muscle. Muscle tissue is active, allowing for movement and burning calories all the time. When you begin an exercise program you may gain a little weight in the beginning as you build up your muscles. As you progress and start to lose fat, you’ll see the muscles underneath. The key is sustained aerobic exercise, several days a week. Check with your doctor to see what is right for you.

Myth #3 - Low carb foods will make me lose weight

Everywhere you look you’ll see signs for “low carb” foods these days. But there’s really only one formula for losing weight: eat fewer calories than you burn each day. Carbohydrates are necessary for the body to function properly. The body and brain break them down into glycogen, an important energy source. Simple carbohydrates, like sugar, white flour, pasta, white rice and potatoes, burn quickly and don’t provide you with a lot of energy. Complex carbs, like oats, brown rice, legumes and wheat bread, burn more slowly and are usually filled with other nutrients our bodies need.

If you’d like to make some dietary changes so you can lose weight, cutting back on simple carbs can help. You can also increase lean proteins, such as fish, turkey, chicken, nuts (almonds are a great choice), beans and soy and whey products. Avoid prepackaged foods that are high in sugar, a simple carbohydrate. But take care not to overeat proteins—if you take in more calories than you burn off, you will gain weight. Adding regular exercise will also help by burning more calories. Talk to your doctor about how to make the best changes for your situation.

http://www.baptistonline.org/health/healthieryou/exercise

10 Reasons to get fit

1 Fitness makes you live longer
Regular exercise could extend your life by 15 years, according to the Get Fit Foundation. This doesn't mean 15 years of marathon running but an active, enjoyable old age. Scientists at Liverpool John Moores University claim men's hearts beat as strongly at the age of 70 as they do at 20 if regular exercise is maintained for life.

2 Fitness boosts immunity
Long-term moderate exercise can enhance the immune response against infection, according to researchers at Acadia University in Canada. They studied 22 volunteers who were signed up for three 30-minute sessions of home-based exercise over a period of several months. The results showed an increase in muscle strength and a decrease in cholesterol (naturally), while the response of natural killer cells - a vital component of the immune system - was enhanced thanks to the power of exercise.

3 Fitness fights fat
Not just around your waist, but the stuff in food as well. Research at Glasgow University suggests that walking before eating a meal high in fat and carbohydrates lowers fat levels in the blood and improves blood vessel function. Levels of triglycerides (blood fats) are reduced by 25 per cent before and after the meal.

4 Fitness makes you look better
Or at least feel better about how you look. 'Brisk walking and abdominal muscle stimulation aid body image,' say researchers from the University of Ulster's School of Health Sciences. Their long-term study, which compared sofa spuds with moderately active folk, found that even those who did a minimum amount of exercise 'had greater self-esteem and more satisfaction with their bodies'.

5 Fitness protects against arthritis
Regular runners are less likely to develop osteoarthritis, and even if they are stricken by it, exercise can offer up to 12 years' protection from symptoms. Osteoarthritis is often thought of as developing from 'wear and tear' on the joints, but Professor Jim Fries of Stanford University says this isn't strictly true. In fact, the 'wear' of running increases bone density and lessens mineral loss; it's the 'tear' of twisting the joint (while playing football, say) that accelerates the onset of the disease.

6 Fitness protects against Parkinson's
Long-term exercise and a lifelong reduction in the number of calories consumed may help you avoid Parkinson's disease. According to the US National Institute on Ageing, keeping fit switches on dopamine-producing mechanisms which protect brain cells that have been found lacking in people with this degenerative disease. Nicotine produces a similar result but, compared with exercise, it has the slight drawback of killing you.

7 Fitness fights off strokes
The Stroke Association believes 50,000 strokes a year (that's 40 per cent of the total) could be prevented if people made a few simple changes to their lifestyle - keeping fit and watching their blood pressure, basically. Job done.

8 Fitness prevents bowel cancer
You can halve your chances of contracting one of the UK's biggest killers by keeping fit, according to the Scottish Cancer Foundation, which has combined and analysed the results of more than 50 separate studies into the disease. However, it's not yet clear why exercise should help. It may reduce the levels of cancer-causing hormones in the body or perhaps alter the speed at which food moves through the bowel, which may also help maintain general gut health.

9 Fitness prevents broken bones
Taking part in vigorous sports such as tennis and badminton massively increases the strength of the human skeleton - especially the hip bone - making it less susceptible to fracture. According to a study at Cambridge University, low-impact sports such as swimming and fishing have no effect.

10 Fitness strengthens the heart
Although it's widely known that regular exercise makes for a healthy ticker, scientists from Duke University, North Carolina, believe they've found out why. In a nutshell: training stimulates the production of a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which encourages the growth of new blood vessels and switches the muscles to aerobic metabolism. This breaks down fat for energy, optimising the body's whole system.