20 Reasons why you should stay fit and healthy...

Here are 20 reasons why exercising can affect your health as a positive. For all those people looking for reasons not to exercise here are some reasons WHY YOU SHOULD!!!

Peoples misconceptions towards staying in shape can play a huge part towards the longevity of life. Common arguments are "I'm too cool to go to the gym", "I'm too busy to exercise", "I'm not interested in big muscles", "i enjoy my food to much to worry about my belly". These are only a few quotes people are using to get out of exercising.

Main benefits of exercising are:

• Reduce body weight and the body's overall fat percentage
• Reduce blood pressure to a controllable level
• Improve cardiovascular fitness (stamina)
• Reduce an individuals resting pulse rate
• Improve the body's posture, due to increased muscle tone
• Increase muscular strength
• Improve overall flexibility
• Improve muscular endurance
• More efficient blood circulation
• Speed up the body's metabolic rate (the rate at which the body burns calories)
• Reduce cholesterol levels
• Decrease stress levels
• Speed up the rehabilitation of an injury or muscular imbalance
• Regularise sleeping patterns
• Guard against the onset of coronary artery disease
• Improve self confidence and self-esteem
• Increase in daily energy levels
• Retard the onset of osteoporosis through weight bearing exercise
• Overcome outside stresses and reduce the body's susceptibility to infection or illness
• Last but not lease, exercise can make you feel good. It does this by releasing endorphins, the body's feel-good drugs

So there you go, so many reason why we need to get going and stay in shape. A big high five to everyone that's getting on with it, use this post as a reminder of why you need to keep it up. Spread the word for healthy living and pass on details of my blog to anyone you think could do with a little help.

19/10/11 Bi's, Tri's and Abs day...Strength training

Hi everybody,

Today I will be working on my biceps, triceps and abdominal's, part of my strength training routine I split my week up like this: Monday-Chest, back and abs. Rest on Tuesday, Wednesday-Biceps, triceps and abs. Thursday-Full leg workout. Friday-Shoulders and abs. Then I rest up over the weekend. Soon I hope to be playing football on Sunday mornings, so that may disrupt this pattern.

The system above is aimed to give me a symmetrical body, developing each part of the body equally and sequentially. If you are not looking for muscle hypertrophy and are looking for pure muscle tone and endurance. I would stick to a full body work out each session. Circuit training is ideal for this. Rest days are just as important as the day in the gym itself.

So today's circuit is as follows:

5 minutes warm up on the upright bike.

Single arm dumb bell bicep curl, x10 reps
Single arm dumb bell triceps kick back, x10 reps
Barbell squats x15*
Repeat 3 times. 45 seconds rest before beginning each set

1 minute rest before next circuit...

Barbell bicep curl, x10 reps
Overhead triceps extension, x10 reps
Barbell squats x15*
Repeat 3 times.

1 minute rest before next circuit...

Double arm dumb bell hammer curl, x8 reps  (make sure this has a larger weight than the first circuit)
High pulley cable triceps pull down, x8 reps
Barbell squats x15*
Repeat 3 times. 45 seconds rest before beginning each set

This should take roughly around 40-45 minutes

Finish off with 10-15 minutes of abdominal work.
Plank - side plank - leg raises - crunches - hanging leg raises - bicycle crunches.

Warm down, 5 minutes on the bike.

Spend a good 20-30 seconds stretching each major muscle group to develop flexibility and reduce blood pooling. This will speed up recovery so you are ready to train again in 2 days time.

*If you are wondering why I am including barbell squats for an upper body workout is because they play such a huge part in releasing growth hormones. They stimulate and release the testosterone within the male testicular area and oestrogen from the female ovaries. So you are enhancing each workout by performing this exercise.

Try some of these techniques and see what changes for you...YouTube some more exercise to add variety so that you allow your body to adhere to change.

Good luck...

How to eat well at work. Some quick healthy tips...

 

Would you say your eating habits at work are good or bad? Life at the office can really challenge the decisions you make towards the foods you eat, whether it’s  stress, the long hours, those morning breakfast meetings and the odd or frequent business lunch. All these factors can affect your decision making processes when eating at work. The following shows you ways you can change your habits and start losing inches off your waist:

Morning meetings

Bagels and muffins spike your blood sugar and lack filling fiber. Organize yourself and plan ahead instead, try to have breakfast at home. Also eating a mix of carbohydrates with proteins within the first half an hour of waking up can reduce your hunger for the rest of the day. Examples of what you can try; Greek yogurt topped with fruit, whole grain cereal and nuts, an egg white omelet topped with a sliced tomato, or oatmeal made with skim milk. If you have to fill your belly from the buffet cart, choose wisely! Look for fresh fruit or whole grain bread topped with a nut butter or low-fat yogurt.

Lunch at Your Desk

The best way to eat better if you happen to be working through your lunch is to pack all or parts of the meal from the night before. Fill a lunch box with pre-cut lettuce and top with last night’s grilled chicken or a can of water packed tuna or salmon. Pack a little bit of dressing separately, so your salad doesn’t get soggy. Additionally you can add rice or try any other combination as long as the options are healthy. Last night’s Domino’s pizza is obviously not the healthy option. Additionally bring some fruit as well, this can help keep you alert and active for the second half of your working day.

Business lunches

First tip is to order first without being awkward, this will help you avoid getting pulled towards temptation when your lunch-pal orders that juicy hamburger and chips.

Then follow these simple rules, Think baked, boiled, or grilled instead of fried! Pass on the French fries and go for them nutritious steamed vegetables. Save your calories for solid foods, not on drinks such as fizzy drinks, juices and alcohol. Also remember salad is generally safe, but go easy on creamy dressings and fatty toppings such as cheese.

No time for lunch

Keep whole food snacks not processed junk in your desk drawer we all know the kind I’m referring too!!!. Some good options that do not need to be refrigerated are bananas, dried fruit and nut packs along with healthy snack bars. To make your snack mix even healthier (and cheaper) make it yourself! Pre-make and portion your own snack mix. Start with a half cup of your favorite whole-grain cereal, then add 2 tablespoons of dried fruit and a small handful of nuts, If you feel you need a little treat you can add a sprinkle of dark chocolate chips.

Try and apply some of these tips to your day, you will feel all the more healthier for it. These small changes can make a difference. Happy eating!!!