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One small step is all it takes

December 12, 2011 – 5:04 pm

My house needs a bit of a makeover, no major overhaul required but a list that seems to get longer every time I think about it. Here’s a selection of my ‘to do’ list which is in no particular order.

  • New carpet for the stairs and landing area
  • Carpets for all 3 bedrooms
  • Move the position of a radiator in the box room
  • Paint all 3 bedrooms
  • Paint Hallway and landing area
  • New bed for 3rd bedroom
  • New bedroom furniture

Quite a list. Some of these projects can be accomplished relatively quickly. Others will be medium and longer term projects. But where to start? Which one can I complete that will then allow me to move on to the next one on the list?

I could choose any one of them but for me it has to be the smallest job first which is the moving of the radiator in the box room. I’d leave it to the professionals and call in a plumber as it would only take them an hour or so. Once its done I can than start to tackle the painting in that room, move on to paint the other bedrooms, get the new carpets and finish with the bedroom furniture.

Why am I telling you this? Well let’s but a ‘fitness spin’ on it after all it is a health & fitness blog!

People who lack motivation to start exercising or change their eating habits may only need one small thing to help them on their way to a healthier and fitter way of life.

It could be joining a fitness class in their local village hall or park, maybe a phone call to a Personal Trainer or a chat with a friend who then agrees to join them for a weekly run or bike ride.

It may be eating one less takeaway meal a week, one less bag of crisps or chocolate. Something that gets the ball rolling.

If you feel this relates to you have a good think about what you can do to help kick start a different way of life. It doesn’t have to be a major step just something that you feel comfortable with doing, something you’ll find fun and challenging.

People set themselves New Year resolutions but why wait? Think about what you want to achieve and write down that small step. Scribble it down on a ‘post it’ note and stick it on the fridge or write it in your diary, somewhere where you read it every day.

Start thinking about it now and then make sure you action it as it will be the trigger to a healthier and fitter you!

Dave

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What’s so good about your Christmas food?

December 8, 2011 – 1:41 pm

Don’t worry this isn’t your traditional anti Christmas food blog where a health professional just lists all the bad things that you may be eating or drinking over Christmas. I’ve decided to avoid that. After all we all know that there’s a probability of over indulgence. We’re aware that Christmas pudding with brandy sauce will be packed full of calories and I’m sure you all know that a box of chocolates isn’t exactly going to help you to reduce your waistline.

So what about a blog listing the good things that you may be eating as part of a traditional Christmas? The stuff that if you eat SENSIBLY will actually provide you with a good amount of nutrients that your body will thank you for. Notice that I capitalised a certain word there?

Turkey

Its a great protein provider which is an essential building block for producing strong muscles and bones. I’m not suggesting your going to suddenly pack on a load of muscle whilst sitting around the dinner table!

Brussel Sprouts

The much maligned sprout seems only to appear over the festive period. Some people hate them. I love them. If cooked properly their tasty and also full of anti cancerous compounds. So ignore the bad press and get them on your plate!

Cabbage

The previously mentioned sprout is part of the Cabbage family so there are many similarities in benefits. The cabbage offers calcium, magnesium (which helps to absorb calcium into the bones), potassium, vitamin C as well as a good dose of fibre.

Peas

Full of Vitamin K which helps your bones to absorb calcium. Peas also contain Vitamin A which helps your immune system.

Carrots

These contain antioxidants called carotenoids which help in fighting cancer. Also they are good for the eyes! No they wont help you see in the dark but research has shown that the chemicals lutein and zeaxanthin may help to prevent cataracts.

Broccoli

The King or Queen of vegetables! This is another vegetable which has anti cancerous properties and is packed with nutrients such as Potassium (which helps muscles to function correctly), calcium, Vitamin C, magnesium, beta-carotene, Vitamin A, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Oranges

I always associate Satsumas with Christmas, it must be a childhood thing. These days I eat oranges on a daily basis, I hope you do too! As well as Vitamin C, oranges contain blood pressure lowering potassium and cholesterol lowering pectin. Oranges also provide you with calcium for strong bones and teeth and well as 3.4 grams of fibre for a medium sized orange. Not a bad return from one fruit.

There are a load more fruit and vegetables that I could have listed but hopefully this gives you an idea of what you can get onto your plate and know you’re introducing your body to a range of great nutrients.

Please be aware that cooking the vegetables will reduce their nutritional value but I’m certainly not advocating you eat raw sprouts on Christmas Day!

Whatever you decide to eat or do over the festive period I hope its a good one!

Dave

 

 

 

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Over 40% of cancers due to lifestyle

December 7, 2011 – 9:04 am

This is an interesting read. We’ve been told for years that fruit and vegetables are packed full of nutrients but its always worth reminding ourselves of the benefits of a healthier lifestyle especially against some sobering statistics.

Ultimately though the choice is yours, you can choose to ignore or embrace this type of information. Nothing can 100% guarantee you against any illness or disease but at least you can make a positive step to reducing the chances of being part of the statistics.

Here’s the link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16031149

Dave

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Sports Massage isn’t just for sporty people

December 5, 2011 – 8:21 pm

I think Sports Massages are great! Simple as that. From my own experience of having a sports massage to giving sports massages I have felt and seen the benefits.

After I qualified as a Personal Trainer I immediately embarked on my 4 week Sports Massage course. It ran from a Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Intense but a great expericence. There was a lot of theory to take on board but there was a lot of practical as well.

Every day we would have the opportunity to practice Sports Massage. I’ll admit that prior to the course I hardly ever stretched which had made my muscles very tight. My course tutor discovered her course ‘dummy’ within a matter of days!

She used my legs to show people what scar tissue and knotted muscles felt like. My legs were prodded, poked and massaged by her and the course students over the subsequent four weeks.

But by the end of the course weeks my legs felt great! Why? Because most of the scar tissue and knots had gone. It was a painful experience at times but it only lasted a few seconds as fingers or elbows were pushed deep into my knotted muscles. But they felt more flexible and my range of movement was much better and my muscles were working far more efficiently.

After I qualified I joined a Health Club for a few months where I offered Sports Massage. It kept me busy. The chief complaint that people had were tension in the neck and shoulder area and the majority of them were office workers. Not surprising really if you consider the amount of time that most of us spend in a seated position both in an out of work.

The transformation that my muscles went through just proved to me what a great benefit a Sports Massage can be to your overall health and well being.

So whether you are a sporty person or a non sporty person give your muscles a recharge and book in for a Sports Massage. If you live in Bristol you can get a 20% at Core Strength Studios if you mention yours truly.

Dave

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When the music is not enough

December 1, 2011 – 11:01 am

So I’ve got an ipod and I use it a lot when I’m running. I load all sorts of music genres but each song is on there because it helps get my adrenalin going. Whether its a hard hitting Prodigy song to a ‘guilty pleasure’ tune such as ABC’s ‘Look of Love’ (yes you read that correctly!)

But sometimes even the music cant stimulate me. Personal or business matters may be filling my head during the run and the music cant quite help. My legs are feeling heavy and I’m strating to struggle. So how do I get my mojo back?

I use my imagination. I pretend I’m in a race, an Olympic one at that. I’m currently in 4th place, there’s 2 miles to go and I’m hunting down the 3 in front of me. There’s even an excitable commentator in my daydream telling the viewers that I’ve come back from a nasty injury and I’m quite unfancied for a medal position. The Press have even suggested that I could be over the hill, past it!

Every few minutes the ‘commentator’ receives an update as to the distance and time difference between me and the leading pack and yes I’m gaining on them. I have loved ones in the crowd with motivational banners cheering me on. My 5 year old daughter is shouting “come on Daddy!”

Suddenly I can see one of my ‘prey’ and he’s struggling to keep up with the other two. I get past him easily and I’m in bronze medal position. But I’ve been training 4 years for this moment and I’m not going to settle for a bronze. So I push on, I’m now catching up with the 2 leaders, the excitable commentator is going to have an aneurysm. He cant believe his eyes, he’s convinced that I may have “gone too soon” but I’m closing in, chipping away at the leaders, determined that I will catch them.

I’m now a few hundred yards from the finish line also known as The Kings Head pub. I pass the Car Wash and the smelly burger van and my running mojo is back. Do I beat my imaginary challengers on the line? Do I collect my gold medal from the lovely Holly Willoughby? Of course I do, its my daydream after all!

Dave

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Are you overtraining?

November 28, 2011 – 6:03 pm

So you’ve started training and your loving it. You’ve caught the exercise bug and you love the buzz you feel during and after a training session. The endorphins have been whizzing around your body and you cant wait for next time you put your body through its paces.

But what happens when you don’t give your body the chance to recover. After all you’ve pushed your heart, lungs, muscles, tendons and ligaments (have I missed anything out!?). Surely they need to recover? Yes they do. Its during the recovery that the body repairs itself and you come back that little bit stronger, fitter, leaner and meaner!

But what happens if you’re body isn’t being given the chance to recover, what happens if you’re overtraining and how do you know when its happening?

Possible Symptoms of Overtraining (not to be confused with a Hangover!)

  • A general lack of energy and lethargy
  • Aches and pains
  • Decrease in your workout intensity
  • Headaches
  • Cant sleep
  • Suddenly catching more colds / sore throats
  • Feeling irritable
  • Loss of enthusiasm for training
  • Increase in injuries

Those symptoms could easily be caused by other factors other than overtraining but if you feel that you are exercising too much you could also check out this method developed by Heikki Rusko a Professor of Exercise Physiology and Sport.

He first introduced this to cross country skiers and is called the Orthostatic Heart Rate test

  • Lie down and rest comfortably for 10 minutes the same time each day (morning is best).
  • At the end of 10 minutes, record your heart rate in beats per minute.
  • Then stand up
  • After 15 seconds, take a second heart rate in beats per minute.
  • After 90 seconds, take a third heart rate in beats per minute.
  • After 120 seconds, take a fourth heart rate in beats per minute.

If you are not overtraining your resting heart rate will remain consistent during the readings. However if you are overtraining your heart rate may well increase between the 1st and 4th reading. Rusko found that during tests, the BPM would rise by at least 10 BPM or more.

If you think you are overtraining then simply rest by either reducing the intensity of your workouts or stop exercising for a day or two and perform the resting heart rate test again. You should also see that many of the symptoms listed earlier will disappear. If you have any doubts then you should always consult your GP to make sure there arent any other underlying issues.

Dave

 

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Christmas Gift Vouchers

November 28, 2011 – 11:08 am

Not sure what to buy your loved one, a friend or work colleague? How about a Gift Voucher that they can redeem for Personal Training sessions, Early morning Bootcamps or pay as you go group fitness classes?

Its a great way to help somebody on the road to fitness and improved health.

Get in touch for further details. Or just click on this link and purchase the required amount. We’ll then send you a voucher in plenty of time for Christmas.

http://www.calonpersonaltraining.co.uk/charges.php

Dave

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Follow your hopes and not your fears

November 21, 2011 – 12:47 pm

I love this inspirational quote as it can be applied to all walks of life. Even the most confident of people will have been affected by the ‘fear factor’ of making a tough personal or business decision.

From a health and fitness point of view how many times do you think you’ve let the fear overrule you? Can you associate yourself with any of these scenarios?

  • You don’t want to join a fitness class as you’ll look silly.
  • You’re not fit enough to go running
  • You’re injured and don’t feel like you’ll ever get back to full strength.

If you have then you’re not alone. I’ve been there. Before I got into fitness I didn’t feel I could cope with joining a group class, I didn’t think I could run and I’ve felt low when injured. That’s the fear taking over!

So what do you do? Let it beat you? No of course not. Turn it around.

  • Join the fitness class
  • Go for a run
  • Be patient and recover sensibly and you will overcome your injury.

Here are a couple of examples.

Before I qualified as a Personal Trainer I worked in an office. I made a decision that I needed a change. I wanted to help people to get fit and healthy. I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing, after all I had a regular salary, great work colleagues and a cushy job that could possibly see me into retirement. But was it enough? I wasn’t helping people, I didn’t really care much for my salary and I could always keep in touch with my ex colleagues and of course make some new friends along the way. So I guess I initially had some fears but the hope took over and thankfully won and here I am almost 6 years later running my own little business and living the dream!

Back in January I kicked off a 16 week Absolute Beginners Running Course aimed at people who couldn’t run for 1 minute without stopping. At the end of the 4 months the aim was to get them running the Bristol 10K. Did they do it? Yes, those who stuck through the 16 weeks did. They saw improvements as the weeks went on and I could see the ‘hope’ developing over time. Unfortunately some let the ‘fear’ take over and dropped out of the course, feeling that they couldn’t do it. I knew they could do it but sadly they couldn’t overcome their fear. If only they could have they would have ran their first 10K. What an achievement but what a missed opportunity.

So no matter what your hopes and fears are in your personal or work life , have no regrets and let the hope win every time!

Dave

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Global goverments ‘must get tough on obesity’

August 26, 2011 – 3:29 pm

So the headline to this blog is the exact wording of the headline on the BBC website. Please take a minute or two to read the whole article.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14669203

Obviously at this moment in time this is making headlines, I really hope that action is taken as suggested by the results of the report and is not buried away until its too late and we have a huge epidemic on our hands.

If the Governments of this world only carried out one of the recommendations I would strongly urge them to go down the Education route.

We’ve seen numerous documentaries for example Jamie’s School Dinners where children and parents were not aware of the content of the food that they and their children were eating. Remember the infamous ‘turkey twizzler’? The didn’t realise what consequences of eating this junk would have on them in the future.

If we make kids aware of healthier food options and also eduate parents in preparing nutirtious meals then this would be a huge step forward. Its sounds a pretty obvious statement but we entrust our schools to educate and inform our children so this is the perfect place to start.

Some years ago I had a letter published in the Bristol Evening Post making the point that top sportsmen such as Wayne Rooney shouldn’t be used to promote fizzy drinks or Gary Lineker for crisps. It just sends out the wrong messages to kids. I still stand by this.

If only we could start getting these sports stars or pop stars to promote a healthy lifestyle i.e. no junk food, no botox, no stupid diets or exercise fads then we’ll be making a positive difference.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t begrudge kids having crisps and fizzy drinks but they should be encouraged to consume them as a treat and not an everyday food choice.

Some of my PT clients have kids and when I train them in their house the kids are often playing in the background trying to mimic what their parents are doing. Its funny to watch but just goes to show that parents can and will have a massive influence on their children’s exercise and eating behaviour. If the kids see their Mums and Dads eating junk then they too will eat junk. If they seem them eating healthier options there’s a better chance that they will to.

Feel free to sign in an leave some comments. I’d love to hear from you.

Dave

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Keep the kids active

August 16, 2011 – 2:09 pm

My school days have long gone, too many years to count to be honest. I have many happy memories of being in school but the best recollections are school holidays.

Seven weeks of exercising and activity, of keeping my heart and lungs strong and my muscles active. Was I hitting the gym, running half marathons? No of course not as I was only in my early teens but what I was doing was playing with my friends down the local park or going to the beach with my parents to swim in the sea or just run around the beach, kicking a ball or throwing a Frisbee.

The majority of days would start on our bikes, popping down the park for a quick game of cricket. We’d then be back home for lunch and then off out again playing football or more bike riding.

I didn’t see it as exercise, it was just fun. By the end of each day I was ready fro my sleep, exhausted but always looking forward to the next day.

So if you’re a parent make sure your children keep active over the summer holidays. They’ll have happier memories of spending time exploring and playing than sitting in front of the TV playing the X Box or PS3.

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