Feel fit

“The first wealth is health.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Okay, let’s be honest, after a long day of relentless multi-tasking, by the time we’ve got the children into bed most of us just want to flop onto the sofa with a ready meal and a very large glass of wine! (Or is that just me?!) Yet there are lots of good reasons to get active so, in case you need reminding, here are just a few of the benefits of exercise:

Top ten reasons to exercise

1. Great body
2. Alert mind
3. Better health
4. Better sex
5. Better sleep
6. Fun times
7. New friends
8. Sense of achievement
9. More confidence
10. Less stress

1. Great body

• Call me superficial, but this has to be top of the list because it’s the one that you and everyone else sees first. So how would it be to look, and feel, in really great shape - less body fat; strong, toned muscles; supple, lithe limbs; and bags of energy?! Hmmm ... I wonder ... do you need time to think about that?!

2. Alert mind

• Exercise is one sure-fire way to alleviate pregnancy and post-baby “mush brain”, and counteract the effects of too much time at a computer. It helps to keep your mind alert by increasing blood flow and bringing fresh oxygen and glucose to your tired old brain cells! Result - enhanced concentration and a brighter, sharper, more focused you.

3. Better health

• Physical fitness is important in helping to protect you against conditions such as heart disease (including angina and stroke), high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, diabetes, joint and bone problems such as arthritis and osteoporosis, and even some types of cancer. Not to mention the fact that it can also help to improve your balance, posture and co-ordination, maintain joint suppleness and mobility, boost your immune system and even safeguard your mental health. Quite a list of incentives!

4. Better sex

• Keeping fit can help maintain or revitalise performance and satisfaction in the bedroom (or wherever else you choose!). According to the Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, people who exercise regularly feel better about themselves, feel more sexually desirable and report greater satisfaction than people who don’t. Seems obvious - after all, if you’ve worked hard for a Kylie bottom you probably won’t be shy about showing it off! Just doesn’t solve the problem of opportunity!

5. Better sleep

• Researchers have shown that people who exercise regularly have fewer episodes of sleeplessness. Exercise promotes improved sleep quality by allowing smoother and more regular transition between the cycles and phases of sleep. It helps you to fall asleep and stay asleep more easily, and increases the amount of time you spend in deepest Stage 4 sleep. But keep vigorous exercise to the daytime and opt for gentle exercise or relaxation closer to bedtime. Alternatively, if your insomnia is child-induced, opt for earplugs instead!

6. Fun times

• Believe it or not, it is possible to have fun exercising! Yes, really! The secret (and it’s so simple I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me before) is to choose sports or activities which you enjoy, rather than forcing yourself to endure yet another session on the step machine! Try pole dancing, kick boxing, rowing, ice skating, football, rock climbing - anything that inspires you to move.

7. New friends

• Exercise doesn’t have to be a solitary pastime. Taking up a team sport that you like, such as netball or hockey, is a great way of meeting new people who’ve got similar interests to you. And, if you prefer solo pursuits like running or cycling, there are always clubs and groups to join, where you can make friends in a relaxed, friendly environment. Even the gym, or aerobics classes, can be sociable - you'll soon start to spot the regulars and exchange smiles and hellos. And, of course, you can always advertise on mummo for someone to go with!

8. Sense of achievement

• By nature, human beings like a challenge! We like to have something to aim for, so that we can feel good when we achieve it. Goal-setting within sport isn't all about knocking seconds off your lap time or winning more matches - it could just as easily be getting all the moves right in a kickboxing routine, or managing to improve your technique so that you don't get pains or injuries.

9. More confidence

• Don’t like the way you look? Exercise can boost your body image (the way you see - and feel about - your body). A poor body image is associated with low self esteem, depression and eating disorders, while a positive body image is linked to confidence, self belief and good mental health. Using your body in a physical way helps you take practical steps to improve it and, just as importantly, shows you that you’re worth far more than your reflection in the mirror. Your body is for running, skipping, jumping and really living!

10. Less stress

• Physical activity can really help to combat mental stress, even though it might be the last thing you feel like doing when you’re all tense and wound up. But there’s no doubt that whacking a ball around a squash court or letting your anxieties melt away in a yoga class will make you feel better, because exercise stimulates the release of the feel-good hormones ‘endorphins’ into the bloodstream. And it’s not just a 'one-off' benefit - studies show that when you get fitter, you actually become more resistant to stress in the first place, so you can weather the storms of the day much more easily.

Well, that's all pretty convincing. So now you’re all re-motivated, here are our top ten tips to help you actually get fit ...

Top ten tips for feel-good fitness

"Fitness - if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body."
Cher

1. Do it regularly
2. Mix it up
3. Take it step by step
4. Set a goal
5. Develop good habits
6. Do it with others
7. Be independent
8. Plan it in
9. Think positive
10. Look after yourself
    

1. Do it regularly

The important thing with exercise is to do it regularly. There’s no point going at it hell for leather for a couple of weeks in January and then not setting foot in the gym again for another year! For adults, the recommended amount of exercise for general health is 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week or more. According to the British Heart Foundation, only a third of us achieve this target ... and yet, if we up the tempo of our heartbeat for 30 minutes a day, we could reduce our risk of heart disease by half. Want to maximise your chances of seeing your grandchildren grow up? Incorporate physical exercise into your daily routine - it doesn’t have to be 30 minutes all in one go, it could be two 15-minute ‘blasts’ that get you warm and leave you breathing a bit more heavily than usual (but not breathless). A brisk walk, vigorous vacuuming, even sex - they’ll all help!

Start thinking of fitness as a cumulative effort. Aim to fit in short bursts of exercise whenever it's convenient and you'll boost your metabolism more than you would by doing a two hour workout. For example:

Surely that’s got to be achievable?!

2. Mix it up

You need to make sure that, over the course of a week, your exercise ‘programme’ incorporates a range of activities that:

Of course it’s also essential to warm up and cool down properly before and after each session.

Once again, variety is the spice of life. The more types of exercise you do, the less likely you are to get bored and the more likely you are to work all the various parts of your body, including muscles you never knew you had! Celebrity personal trainer Josh Salzmann calls this “the Heineken principle” because different forms of training hit different places! So experiment with activities you’ve never tried before - perhaps salsa dancing instead of step class? - and combine the things you enjoy to create a powerful exercise programme that delivers all-over results.

And, to get even greater results, add a couple of high intensity intervals to your workout. One 30 second speed-walking or running interval every five minutes will almost double your calorie burn. You can also add intervals to your weight training. Skip with a rope, do jumping jacks or bike really fast for one minute between sets and you'll burn more calories and fat than ever before. Give it a go and see …

3. Take it step by step

You know what it’s like - you’re a couch potato all winter and then, at the first sign of summer, the prospect of having to bare your body sends you into a blind ‘bikini panic’ and you leap off the sofa and attempt to do a ten-mile run! Only to crawl home and spend weeks nursing your injuries! If you want to succeed with your fitness plan, it’s crucial to progress at the right pace. For example, if you’d like to take up running but don’t even run for a bus these days, start by walking initially, then combine some running intervals with walking, and gradually increase the running time whilst reducing the resting periods. You’ll soon be running for 20 minutes. This slow build-up allows your body to adjust to your new lifestyle and ensures that your training is safe and effective.

Also, remember to follow the FIT principle: F is for frequency, I is for intensity and T is for time. Don't try to increase all three, only one at a time. For example, if you work out for longer (T), don't try to work harder as well (I). Or, if you add another weekly workout (F), don't try to increase the length of time you work out (T). As the saying goes, “softly softly catchee monkey.”!

4. Set a goal

Having something to aim for and focus on helps to maintain motivation. Maybe you’ve always wanted to run 5k, maybe your goal is to lose a stone in weight, maybe you’d like to climb Kilimanjaro before you’re forty - whatever your goal, keep it constantly in your sights. You may find it helpful to pin up some kind of visual reminder wherever you need it - perhaps an inspirational photo of what you’re aiming for in pride of place on top of the TV?! Remember, though, to keep your expectations realistic - Rome wasn’t built in a day and, for most of us, a fabulously fit body won’t come overnight!

5. Develop good habits

Fitness is a way of life, and a state of mind. Believe it or not, good habits are just as easy to establish as bad ones. Think about your current lifestyle - it may be comfortable and familiar but how much good is it doing you? Do you really need to eat chocolate with your cup of tea at ten o’clock every night, or is it just a habit? Is that glass of wine essential when you get in from work or could you go for a walk instead? Simply take a few seconds to think about why and what you are doing and consider an alternative … It’s not about removing all enjoyment, it’s about taking control and making conscious choices. So, if you really want that Mars Bar or glass of Pinot Grigio, have it … and love every minute of it. Just remember that “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got!”

6. Do it with others

Working out with other people can be great motivation and lots of fun, especially if you keep it simple. Challenge your child to a push-up contest, jog with your best friends and take turns sprinting, or have your husband / boyfriend add manual resistance to any bodyweight exercise like squats, lunges, or overhead presses. Even a short 10-20 minute session burns calories, relieves stress (a huge factor with weight loss) and builds a strong bond with your partner. Involving your family also helps to encourage them and set a healthy example. And, the more you associate with people who are on the same path as you, the less chance you have of straying. Friends and partners who follow healthy lifestyles are more likely to encourage and support each other to achieve their fitness goals.

In addition, if you can possibly afford it, you’ll get a lot of benefit from working with a personal trainer, either at your home or the gym. They will encourage you to fine-tune your form and technique, something which can make the difference between getting almost fit and achieving true, lasting fitness.

7. Be independent

It's really important to learn to exercise without equipment. How many times have you heard about people going off on a sun-soaked holiday, only to return feeling unfit and sluggish because there was no gym there? According to personal trainer Josh Salzmann, if you learn to use your own body by doing squats, lunges, press-ups, a variety of sit-ups and stretches, you can work out wherever you are in the world, and then there’s no excuse for not looking after yourself! (What? So we don’t even get time off on holiday?!)

8. Plan it in

Treat your fitness sessions as if they were appointments and book them into your diary. Would you cancel a client or a business meeting? Would you miss a doctor’s appointment? To be sustainable, fitness needs to become part of your everyday lifestyle - like brushing your teeth - so start by giving it some priority.

9. Think positive

You are what you think! So think of something that you’ve achieved, how you felt and how determined you were to get there, then apply it in this area of your life. Definitely focus on your language. Are you expecting to be fitter or just hoping?? Are you trying to get fit or are you going to get fit? Notice the difference.

10. Look after yourself

Get to know your own body - listen to it and respect it. It is possible to overdo exercise. You’ll probably be pleased to hear that lifting weights for more than 45 minutes or doing cardio for longer than 60 minutes can lead to injuries, cause you to actually gain weight and set you up for failure. And, if your life is really hectic and stressful (you’ve got children, so that’ll be a “yes” then!), working out hard may not be the best thing for you. Stress suppresses your immune system and also causes the production of the hormone cortisol, which increases fat storage. Working out hard is a form of stress that can be counterproductive when your levels are already high. So, when things get tough, give yourself a break and do a more relaxing yoga, Pilates, or T’ai Chi type workout.

Rest is an often overlooked part of a fitness programme. If you've been working out often for long periods of time, your body may actually need pampering rather than more exercise. Get a full body massage, soak in a lovely warm bubble bath or get your favourite drink and sit down with a magazine. Chill out and give your muscles and your nervous system time to recover.