health&fitnessfactorfiction.com

Five easy, feel good ideas to make you fitter and more fabulous this weekend … and maybe longer!

1: Four foods you can eat without feeling any guilt:

Mangoes - a great source of vitamins C and A, and the personification of summer! Depending what season it is in your part of the world, you can enjoy mangoes fresh, or buy them frozen. Add them to a fruit salad, or eat them on their own and feel virtuous (and sticky!)

Baked apples - if you’re craving something sweet for dessert, grab an apple, take out the core and sprinkle on some nutmeg or cinnamon. Put it in a moderate oven (180C) for 20-30 minutes, or until it’s soft. Eat it alone, or with some yoghurt, which is high in calcium and protein.

Summer berries - another treat you can have fresh or from the freezer - berries are an awesome source of fibre, vitamin c and antioxidants. Eat them whole, or throw them in a blender with some yoghurt for a healthy smoothie to start the day.

2: Bust an exercise myth: “If you’re not going to work out every day, exercise is a waste of time”. There are heaps of reasons why people won’t, or don’t want to start exercising, and one of them is because they think there’s no point if they’re not going to be pounding a treadmill ever day. The reality is any exercise is better than none - regular gardening, or walking for as little as an hour a week has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. Anyone considering taking up an exercise program should start slowly, but you’ll still feel (and see) benefits.

3: Walking - how to do it right. Walking is one of the most portable, easy, cheap and effective exercises available. And almost everyone can do it. Here are a few ways to make it really count.

Squeeze your glutes! All my clients are familiar with my obsession with glutes, and the squeezing thereof, but if you concentrate on using your butt muscles, you’ll help strengthen your lower back muscles. But it’s not easy - you have to really practice before it becomes natural.

Keep your chest up, and your shoulders back. Remember those old fashioned posture lessons where you’d have to keep a book on your head while you walked? That’s not quite what we’re aiming for here, but if you can raise your chest, and walk tall, you’ll be putting your body in a better postural position, feel more confident, and look awesome.

Keep your abs zipped up. This helps with keeping your chest up - imagine you’re lifting your abdominals up, and pulling them back - like you’re zipping up a pair of jeans. Press your stomach near your belly button - you should feel the muscles underneath working. This is great to practice even when you’re not walking, but like the glute squeezing, takes time to get perfect.

Breathe! If you can concentrate on your breathing, let your shoulders relax and enjoy your surroundings, you’ve got built in meditation time as well as exercise. Make sure you don’t use your walking time to dwell on negative things, and it will be far more beneficial.

4: If you have a workout planned, and you’re feeling too tired to exercise, eat a piece of fruit 30 minutes beforehand. An apple or pear is perfect, and will give you just enough energy to have exercise, but won’t make you feel uncomfortably full.

5: This week’s yoga pose: Sukhasana Twist. Sukha means happy in Sanskrit, and this pose is a great way to give yourself extra energy, and release tension in the shoulders, neck and back.

Sitting cross legged, make sure your spine is long and your shoulders are back. Put your right hand behind you, and your left hand on your right knee. Gently turn to look over your right shoulder, breathing out at the same time. You should feel a stretch in your spine. Make sure you don’t pull too hard, and only go to where you feel comfortable.

Come back to the centre for a moment, and let yourself be balanced.

Repeat the pose on the opposite side. If you want to deepen the twist, exhale, and gently use your hand for more leverage. Again, listen to your body. Don’t push too far.

This pose also stimulates blood flow, and separates the vertebrae, which is perfect if you’re desk bound during the day.

Please note, all the information on this page assumes you are fit and healthy enough to undertake a basic exercise program. Do not perform this yoga pose if you have a lower back problem, or are more than sixteen weeks pregnant without consent from your doctor.