So those of you that were at the resort last week might have seen me jumping for joy at the news that I have a place in the New York City Marathon, if you weren’t here, then to say I’m excited is an understatement. In light of this news I thought I would make this next blog running related so those of you that have an upcoming race, whether it’s a 5k, marathon or even if you run just for the fun of it can pick up a few tips to help you improve your performance.

Believe it or not the first thing that went through my mind when I opened the confirmation email was not the shock horror that I have to be able to run 26.3 miles in 6 months, but that I have to start taking more time to look after my legs and avoid injury. It’s possibly the most underestimated part of most people’s training regime, but failure to incorporate injury prevention into your program could result in you being laid up on the sofa with an ice pack on your knee, not ideal when you have some serious training to do.

So here’s what I’ll be doing for the next 6 months to remain injury free and hopefully cross that finish line with the same smile that I had last week!

• Staying within my limits.

Yes I have to run 26.3 miles, but not next week! It would be easy to fall into the trap of thinking I have to do too much, too soon, too quickly, but I have 6 months to build it up, running too much is the number one cause of self-inflicted injuries. One of many guidelines for preparing for longer distances is the 10% rule; it is thought that by increasing your training mileage by no more than 10% per week will prove for an injury free program and success on race day.

• Building a strong body.

Strong muscles, ligaments and tendons will help keep my body aligned, guard against impact and improve my form. Strengthening my core, hips and legs is going to be vital to keep muscle balance and ensure stability, so you’ll probably see a lot more of me in Pilates class soon.

• Stretching.

Stretching will not only help me recover after my training sessions, but help improve circulation, increase range of motion at my joints, promote better co-ordination and decrease muscle tension. So that’s me in Yoga class tomorrow then!!

• Getting a sports massage.

Regular sports massages will improve circulation, loosen tight muscles and reduce the stress on my joints which should improve my overall performance in training and on the day. If you haven’t had a sports massage from Billy yet here at the resort, you must try her on your next visit! 

• Wearing the correct shoes.

I’m sure we’ve all been blown away by the wide selection of running shoes that are on the market these days and my number one tip here is to choose what’s right for you. You can listen to what your running buddies suggest but it really is trial and error to work out the right shoe for you. Remember running shoes are not a fine wine, they do not get better with age and running in old shoes will only increase the risk of injury! Look to change your shoes every four months.

See Rachel, our resident nutritionist and BodyAware Consultant, for more life changing advice when you are with us!

Very few people like to hear the alarm clock bellowing in their ear first thing in the morning and worse still if it’s the signal for you to drag yourself up and get to the gym, but hitting the snooze button one too many times can be detrimental to your fitness goals if it means you frequently end up skipping your workout.

If working out in the morning is your only option due to work or life commitments in the evening then becoming a morning person should really become a priority to help you maintain health and wellbeing. I’m not going to kid you and pretend it’s easy, it’s not, you will feel tired and sluggish to begin with, but after a few weeks it should begin to feel natural, you should start to see results and feel more energized throughout the day. You’ll start to love the feeling of checking your work out off your day’s to do list before you even hit the office and when you don’t do it one day you’ll miss the post workout satisfaction.

So what can you do to make it a little easier to throw off the duvet and find the umph to blast out an awesome workout!

• Commit to it! You might say easier said than done, but even if you’re cranky on waking not giving up will over time turn into habit.
• Force yourself to move! Put your alarm clock on the opposite side of the bedroom so that you have to get out of bed to switch it off and then if you’re up you may as well workout!
• Make it fun and enjoyable! Even on a sunny day a class or workout you find boring is not going to motivate you to get up. Even more important in winter is to find a fun workout that you feel you are missing out on if you are not there.
• Make friends! Once you’ve been a few times you’ll see other regular early birds and making friends to meet up with will help you stick to your routine.
• Pack your bags! The night before pack your kit back and get everything ready that you need so in the morning you can just grab it and go.
• Plan ahead! If you are going to a class sign up ahead of time so you are committed to turn up, if you are doing your own workout, write it down or use an app for inspiration so you don’t have to think about what to do when you arrive.

As I said it’s not going to be easy, it’s about making the time to exercise not finding the time, but the health and fitness gains in the end are worth it.

I am all for people getting up and doing more but rest is just as important if you are already training to ensure you do not burn out. Over training doesn’t necessarily mean too much training but too little rest and recovery, when we work a muscle the muscle fibres tear, with adequate rest and recovery those muscle fibres can repair themselves and grow stronger, if your body doesn’t have the opportunity to repair itself all your hard work during exercise can backfire and you are at more risk of damaging the muscles. Whether you are strength training to build muscle or training for a marathon, training for 6 hours a day, as some celebrities would allow you to believe they do, is actually counterproductive. Inadequate rest and recovery can result in both physical and psychological symptoms, take a look at the warning signs and see if you could be putting yourself at risk.

• Tired, drained, lack of energy
• Muscle soreness
• Pain or soreness in joints
• Insomnia
• Increased number of colds, sore throats etc.
• Decrease in training intensity
• Moodiness or irritability
• Depression
• Lack of appetite
• Increase in injuries

If you think you are jeopardising your workouts and want to ensure your activities are safe and effective start by taking a few days rest, stay fully hydrated, refuel after your workouts and look to include regular sports massages into your training regime.

So we’ve all had our blood pressure checked at some point right? We’ve all heard numbers over numbers, but have you ever stopped and asked what those numbers represent? You might be aware that we should look to maintain blood pressure at 120/80 but have you ever questioned what exactly that means? Probably not, but don’t worry I’m here yet again with the science to help you understand those figures and what it all means in the bigger picture of health and wellbeing.

The top number in your blood pressure reading, the higher of the two, is known as the SYSTOLIC blood pressure. As your heart beats, it pushes blood through your arteries to the rest of your body; this force creates pressure on the arteries known as systolic blood pressure.

The bottom number, the lower of the two, is known as the DIASTOLIC. This indicates the pressure of the blood in your arteries between heart beats, when the heart relaxes between contractions.

There is a third figure given during your blood pressure reading and that is your pulse rate, it is the number of times your heart beats in a minute. Heart rate and blood pressure are not the same, heart rate is measured in beats per min (BPM) and blood pressure in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) so checking your pulse is not a way of monitoring your blood pressure, you should always check in with your doctor for your blood pressure reading.

Normal blood pressure is considered 120/80 mm Hg or less and hypertension (high blood pressure) is diagnosed at higher than 140/90 mm Hg, between these two readings would be considered prehypertension, this should be taken as a warning sign to make lifestyle changes in order to bring your blood pressure back down in to the normal range.

If you know you are due for a blood pressure checkup pop along to the doctor and be confident you know what the numbers mean now, if you know you have hypertension jump on over to the food and nutrition blog for my top foods to low blood pressure.

I’m sure you are probably sick of hearing me say it, but I’m going to repeat myself yet again and stress that exercise doesn’t have to be about hammering it out on the treadmill for hours on end! Aside from getting a little boring at times this can actually be restricting the amount of calories that you burn. That’s right, lifting weights may offer you more bang for your buck in the calorie burning stakes!

Here comes the science! It’s actually got to do with the time away from the exercise; post resistance training metabolism actually lasts much longer than that of cardiovascular training. The more lean muscle you have the more energy is required to maintain it, so the more calories you burn outside of exercise.

But don’t worry it doesn’t mean you have to suddenly turn into the incredible hulk! Resistance training simply means training your muscles using an opposing force; that could be dumb bells, resistance bands, body bars, kettle bells and medicine balls to name a few and the theory works whether your goal is toning or building muscle.  Check out the list of benefits you can expect by simply incorporating resistance training into your current routine.

Improved body shape: Visibly firmer, leaner, toned muscle

Increased strength and power: Whether you are training for a sport or just to make everyday day tasks easier (functional fitness)

Improved posture: increased strength, flexibility and muscle balance improve your posture

Better bone health: weight bearing activity can maintain bone density and help delay the onset of osteoporosis

Increased metabolic rate: more muscle = more calories burned

I’m not saying that cardio doesn’t burn calories, of course it does along with its many other health benefits that we’ve already looked at, what we should look to do is find a happy medium of both, look to find a routine that you enjoy, keeps you motivated and allows you to maintain your specific goals.

Who ever said skipping is for girls? I’m sure Mohammed Ali would have something to say on that matter! Seriously, skipping is an inexpensive simple exercise that can be performed anywhere and brings astonishing fitness benefits. Read on to see what you can expect from adding skipping to your current fitness regime and find yourself skipping to a new tune.

• Weight loss

Skipping can burn between 300 and 400 calories in 30 minutes, couple that with a healthy balanced diet and you can expect healthy weight loss that is sustainable.

•  Increased cardiovascular fitness

Improving your cardiovascular fitness strengthens your heart which let’s face it is the most important muscle in your body. Promoting cardio vascular activity will not only allow you greater ability to perform everyday tasks but will have a direct impact on your endurance and strength during your workouts.

• Improved coordination

Skipping improves the coordination between our hands and feet which can assist with completing daily tasks as well as contribute to overall fitness, strength and injury prevention.

•  Full body workout

Skipping obviously uses the muscles in your legs but it is also great for the muscles in your arms, shoulders and abdominals. What else do you need to hear!

•  Improved bone density

As skipping is a weight bearing exercise it can help boost your bone density and delay the onset of osteoporosis.

What are you waiting for!  Grab a rope, find a space and give it a go, that’s all you need!

Gone are the days that you need to join a gym to get fit and burn fat, that’s right we all have the equipment needed to increase strength and see cardiovascular gains at home and I’m not talking about the all singing, dancing miracle abs chairs that promise to melt away body fat in just 10 minutes a day! These do not work by the way so turn off the shopping channel and put away your wallet, you don’t need to spend a penny to in order to achieve your weight loss or fitness goals, use your bodyweight.

That’s right bodyweight exercises are a simple, yet seriously under rated option to include in your workouts whatever your fitness level, check out the list of benefits on your overall physical wellbeing and try out some of the examples in your next session.

Efficient workouts: Bodyweight exercises allow for greater fitness gains in a shorter space of time than that of machines at the gym that work only one certain muscle at a time. They also allow you to combine your cardio and strength training in one quick workout that will keep your heart pumping while still promoting muscle development. 

Try 50 jumping jacks followed by 20 press ups.

Fast fat burning: With a good body weight circuit you are utilizing your entire body, constantly working every muscle elevates your fat burning.

Try 50 jumping jacks followed by 20 press ups, add 25 squats and hold the plank for 1 minute.

Safety: Body weight exercises can have a reduced risk of injury compared to that of some gym routines, the movement of lifting weights can be quite awkward and when coupled with heavy weights can result in some painful injuries.

Try 10 burpees followed but 1 minute wall sit.

Natural results:Body weight exercises provide natural results, men become stronger and bigger while women end up with a more natural toned look that still allows them to be fit, strong and healthy.

Try 20 alternate lunges followed by 20 tricep dips.

Increased flexibility: Completing body weight exercises through the full range of motion, allowing joints to move freely can improve posture and flexibility.

As always, remember to stretch out all the muscles used at the end of your workout.

If you’ve ever peered through the window of a spin studio and thought to yourself there is no way on earth you are stepping inside you are not alone, I think this is a common thought amongst those that have never tried group cycling and I very often hear people say they need to get fit before they start to spin. Well hopefully we can change that thought process, yes indoor cycling is one of the most intense interval sessions available but as I always say to newcomers the beauty is you are in control and you can tailor your workout to your ability.

Another point I like to make is that for beginners to group exercise indoor cycling is always a great place to start for those of us that are a little less co-ordinated, if you are the only person going left when everyone else is going right in an aerobics class it’s going to be pretty obvious.  When you are riding you are in your own little bubble, you have your own bike and your own space around you, there is no way you can be the only person going in the wrong direction and everyone around you is in their bubble paying no attention to you.

So what can you expect when you give it a go?   

• Well firstly there is the great music and a motivating instructor; a great combination for a fun packed workout!
• The difference in a long steep climb to flat out sprints pushes your cardio vascular system to its limits, allowing you to see greater cardiovascular endurance benefits than cycling at a steady pace for a longer period of time in the gym.
• Rapid calorie burning resulting in body fat loss, without the impact on the joints from exercises such as running.
• The increase and decrease in resistance along with standing or sitting on the bike often results in increased muscle tone particularly around the stomach, hips and thighs.

What are you waiting for, try a class today and spin yourself slim!

I hear on a daily basis “I’m in the gym for 2 hours a day and I’m not losing any weight”, if this is how you feel, read on before you throw in the towel.

While even paced sessions on the treadmill, cross-trainer or equipment of your choice are keeping your heart healthy and great for boosting your mood, it might not be the wisest way to use your time when you are looking to shed those unwanted pounds.

The human body is an intelligent machine efficiently burning energy, it is also a master adapter and once it gets used to a routine it becomes more efficient so no longer has to work as hard at burning off that energy, resulting in you burning fewer calories and potentially leveling off your speed and endurance gains. When this happens you need to take yourself outside of your comfort zone in order to jump start your metabolism, burn fat, build lean muscle and improve your endurance.

Include Intervals.

High intensity exercise with periods of recovery keeps you feeling energized; keeping the body moving circulates more oxygen increasing mental alertness, burning more calories and attacking fat accumulation.

Try it, after your warm up, increase your speed to all-out effort (you should feel like a 9 on a scale of 1-10!) for 30 seconds to one minute depending on when you fatigue, then recover at a slower pace for 1 to 2 minutes, repeat this cycle up to 10 times to get the benefits of a 60 minute workout in 30 minutes.

Give it a go and let us know how you feel!

We are constantly told that exercise is “good” for us, but have you ever stopped and asked yourself why? Aside from the obvious physical benefits what else are we gaining from our daily activities?

1. Weight management

When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories, but don’t be fooled into thinking you have to slog away for hours in the gym to reap weight-loss benefits. If you can’t do an actual workout, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone to get more active throughout the day; take the stairs instead of the elevator (we’ve all heard it a thousand times but it does work!), get off the tube one stop early and walk the rest of the way or simply make more of a workout of your household chores like cleaning or gardening.

2. Combat health conditions and diseases

Regular exercise can help prevent or manage various health conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and type 2 diabetes; talk about motivation to get moving more!

3. Improve mood

Everyone has a day or time when they can feel stressed, angry, sad, lonely, bored, anxious or tired and at this time we look for something to lift our spirits and honestly how many of us have reached for food, cigarettes or alcohol as comfort. But did you know that physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. So next time you feel the bad mood rising take yourself along to a kickboxing class and punch it out rather than reaching for the cookies!

4. Boost energy

Research shows exercise has a direct impact on energy levels, I know when you are feeling tired the last thing on your mind is joining in a fun packed Zumba class, but  it really will make you feel more alive. The surge of blood around the body transports oxygen to the brain to make you feel mentally alert, while better conditioned muscles require less effort to perform physical tasks and in time as the body becomes stronger so too does the immune system reducing the risk of illness.

5. Better sleep

Aerobic exercise can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep helping you wake up feeling restored. As we now know physical activity can help fight anxiety and depression which can sometimes be the underlying cause of sleep problems, so being too tired to exercise is no longer an excuse for by passing the gym on the way home!

6. Exercise can be fun                                                                                                          

Exercise gives you the chance to meet new people or spend time with family and friends, so work out what activities you enjoy and encourage others to join you to see the amazing benefits and make it a lifestyle change.