Like most people, I LOVE CAKE. I also love keeping fit and being in good shape. Unfortunately cake and fitness do not always go hand in hand. This blog will detail my research into delicious recipes, safe training, nutrition advice, product reviews...well simply anything interesting to do with maintaining a healthy lifestlye, (and any cheats I may find along the way)!

Thursday, 15 December 2011

The outdoors is your playground


Imagine a way to keep fit which is right on your door step. Imagine a way to lose weight without paying a penny. Imagine a way to start your day feeling mentally revitalised and de-stressed. By simply embarking on regular outdoor exercise you can make these visions a reality.
We all know that physical activity is good for us, but working out in a natural environment has mammoth benefits; not only for our physical but also emotional and mental well being. Research has shown that just five minutes of ‘green’ exercise as it is commonly referred to can boost our self esteem and mood.
The government recommends we perform 30 minutes of moderate-intensive physical activity five days a week. However recent research by the BBC has shown that only 24% of us are participating in this. Leaving the majority of us at risk of heart disease, obesity and type two diabetes.
Professor Bridle, an expert in exercise psychology from Southampton University said 30 minutes a day may seem challenging for some so start low and build up. “You can get good gains with relatively small amounts of physical activity. More is always better, but less is a good place to start."

Sport coaches from Brianmac believe so little of us are exercising because of busy lives, expensive gym memberships and the belief that exercising is how we all remember P.E. at school, shivering in a t-shirt and shorts. With green exercise, meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines does not have to be miserable, the complete opposite in fact.

Exercising outdoors gives our body a natural source of vitamin D, a micronutrient essential for strong bones and reducing the risk of cancer. Furthermore green exercise burns up to 20% more calories than exercising in a gym or aerobic class, the ideal solution for those of us trying to lose weight. Researchers from the University if Essex explain that this is because the body is utilising more calories to keep the body warm as well as battling natural elements such as wind and rain. 
Jo Bartan an exercise specialist from Essex University explains that not only can a 5 minute walk in nature restore mental fatigue but also “the average membership fee for a UK health and fitness club stands at £442 a year”, meaning that cost free green exercise is beneficial to our bank accounts too.
 Tom O’Brian a personal trainer for Zest utilises the beautiful Surrey countryside when training his clients. “The uneven surfaces make it harder for the body to maintain stability therefore continuously training the core muscles” he continues to explain further benefits of green exercise “the outside is always open, you are not restricted to only working out during gym hours”.

So if you want decrease the risk of getting cancer and heart disease as well as increasing your self esteem, pull on your trainers and get exploring the great outdoors.
For more information on green exercise please visit www.zestforfitness.co.uk

Monday, 12 December 2011

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the biggest of them all?



For an increasing number of people today, muscles literally make the man. As societies fixation on appearance has lead to an increased number of us being dissatisfied with our bodies a new disorder has emerged. Roger Jones has lost his job, friends and family to this novel disorder, Muscle Dysmorphia (MD).
MD is characterised by a preoccupation that one’s body is not lean or muscular enough. Dr Robert Oliviardo an expert of the syndrome explains “it involves a disturbance in body image, similar to that of anorexia, except in anorexia individuals perceive themselves as fatter than they really are, where as those with MD see themselves smaller and weaker than they truly are”
A retired judge for the National Amateur BodyBuilders Association (NABBA) and an experienced personal trainer, Roger was shocked at his initial diagnosis of Muscle Dysmorphia, otherwise known as Bigorexia. “It took a while to admit that I had the syndrome but it is so obvious now, I was never satisfied with my appearance, I would reach a goal weight and set myself a higher one”
Roger’s relationship with body building began at a young age, “I was picked on a lot as a teenager and decided to do something about it, I set up a gym in my basement and aimed to get as big as I could”. Roger entered his first competition at 19 and won his class, from then he was “totally hooked”.
Roger would keep comprehensive records of what he ate, drank and weighed on a daily basis as well as his extensive workout routine. “I would spend at least 3 hours in the gym every day, if I missed a workout I would feel a huge amount of anger and guilt” Roger even missed his brothers’ wedding as it interrupted with his training regime. “My fear of getting smaller overruled my relationship with my brother” Dr Oliviardo reports that “an individual will often miss important recreational or social events because of their compulsive need to continue their workout schedule along with feelings that their body is inadequate for the public eye.”
Roger, whom has experimented with anabolic steroids in the past, admits that the use of muscle enhancing drugs is highly prevalent in the body building community. “Taking steroids was a vicious cycle for me, I would gain 15lbs relatively quickly then stop taking them and loose 10lbs, forcing me to start taking them again”. Roger stopped the use of these drugs after his diagnosis due to the long term consequences which include depression, thin bones, diabetes and ironically muscle weakness. “I started body building to gain health and confidence, instead it lead me to potentially causing huge damage to my body”.
Bingeing was another negative behaviour that regularly took over Roger’s life, so much so that a binge after a competition would commonly result in 10-20% weight gain within two weeks.   “The excessive fat gain in such a short period of time after looking my absolute best was devastating to my self esteem”. He would then try to diet excessively to remove the fat gained, often resulting in another binge.

Mary Shapeland from eating disorder charity BEAT explains “the cycle of bingeing and restriction can lead to vast metabolic damage meaning the individual can only eat small amount without gaining body fat”.  Roger reports the binge-restriction cycle is very common in the body building industry and feels it will only improve with education.
Roger was diagnosed with MD after taking part in an experiment studying Body Dysmorphia. “I think I unconsciously knew my obsession to be the biggest and leanest in the gym was not normal, I had just lost my girlfriend as I spent more time working out than with her which is why I signed up.”

Not only did the experiment, directed by Dr Olivardo report that a sufferer of MD will spend on average 325 minutes a day thinking about how small they are, but that many are obsessed with checking their size in the mirror up to 100 times daily.
He is now undergoing psychotherapy for his disorder. “It took me a long time to get treatment, I was so ashamed about my body and the condition but I felt so low I eventually asked for help”. 

Cognitive behavioural therapy has helped Roger to challenge his negative thoughts. “I feel happy and healthy for the first time in years”
Roger has finally realised that body perfection is unattainable. But how many more individuals will have to experience the devastating costs of Muscle Dysmorphia before society releases its belief that every individual must strive for the muscular ideal?

Monday, 5 December 2011

The perfect legs and bottom workout



With Carol Voderman's voluptuous backside winner her 'rear of the year', Pippa Middleton's rounded bottom getting her plenty of male admirers and Sir Mix-a-lot's famous lyrics "I like big butts and I cannot lie" it is obvious - curvy bottoms are beautiful.

But how do we get the perfect bottom? ... Below is the secret - perform this workout just once a week and after just one session you will notice the difference is the pertness of your peach!

The following exercises should be perfermed as five supersets, meaning that exercise a) and exercise b) should be performed in a row without stopping. Followed by a one minute rest before the set of two exercises is repeated. If you are a novice free weights user your local gym instructor will be able to tell you how to perform all exercises safely. www.exrx.net is also a reliable website for viewing the correct technique.

Superset 1
a) Bodyweight squats x 8
b) Sumo squats x 8
Repeat x 3

Superset 2
a) Jump squats x 15
b) Still leg deadlift x 8
Repeat x 3

Superset 3
a) Leg press x 15
b) Barbell lunge x 30
Repeat x 3

Superset 4
a) Stationary dumbell lunge x 12
b) Leg curls x 10
Repeat x 3

Superset 5
a) Seated leg curl x 10
b)Leg extensions x10
Repeat x 3

Calf raises 12, 10, 8, 12

Remember to perform static stretches afterwards and prepare to feel a little bit sore the following couple of days!