Make Fitness Fun
Health experts recommend you do an hour of moderate intensity
physical activity every day. Why bother? Well for starters,
exercise will:
- Leave you looking and feeling great
- Improve your mood
- Reduce stress
- Tone up your muscles
- Help you fit into your ‘thin jeans’
Not sure what type of activity is best for you – have you
thought about trying one of these?
Running
It’s cheap and a great calorie burner. Start slowly by
alternating 1 minute of running and 1 minute of walking for 10
minutes. Then build up the time you spend running until you are
running for the whole 10 minutes. Want to set yourself a challenge?
Why not sign up for a 5k run – you could even get sponsored for
charity.
Basketball
You sprint down court, which gets the heart pumping. You work on
upper-body strength and foot speed as you fight for position. And
once the shot goes up, you stretch from the toes to your fingertips
to snag a rebound. Basketball can give you an all-round
workout.
Indoor climbing
Looking for a fun, high-adrenaline way to get fit that is open
to anyone? Then climbing could be the sport you’ve been looking
for. Make no mistake; climbing is a hard, physical activity. But
you’ll see big pay offs when you’re left with toned arms, legs and
stomach.
Circus skills
Yes in Hackney! Juggling, tightrope walking, diabolo and walking
on stilts – Mastering these tricky skills will develop core body
strength (essential for a flat stomach) and co-ordination. Check
out this link for more info:
www.thecircusspace.co.uk »
PE
PE classes have a bad rep – not least because the kits are so
bad. But PE is a really good opportunity to get some activity into
your day; so unless you really can’t take part, you should make the
effort. You’ll soon start to see the benefits. If you don’t like
what they do in your PE classes, don’t just be negative; suggest
some practical alternatives.
Take a friend or family member:
Do you usually workout alone? Sometimes all you need to do is
have some good laughs and conversation while you're working out to
make the time and the sweat fly. Why not make a regular date three
times a week to get together. You'll help encourage one another and
can keep up to date with each other’s news at the same time. Better
yet. Start a walking club!
Search our Activities database
Take a yoga class:
Even though yoga focuses a lot on breathing and mediation, the
amount of stretching and strength training you get will provide a
great change for a workout.
Search our Activities database
Limit time spent watching TV, DVDs and playing computer
games.
Watching TV for even as few as two to five hours per week is
linked to being overweight. Sadly enough, the number of children
who watch five or more hours of television per day has increased
dramatically in recent years. Instead of just watching TV,
encourage your children to spend time each day in play that
requires them to be physically active. Health professionals agree
that physical activity is essential to helping children not only
reach, but more importantly maintain, a healthy weight.
Exercise can strengthen children's bones now as
well as later in life.
Use physical activity rather than food as a
reward.
Boxercise
Fun, addictive and stress busting, boxercise is suitable for all
ages and levels of ability. You’ll kick and punch your way to
fitness using a series of dynamic moves based on boxing. The result
- improved co-ordination and fabulous, toned upper arms that’ll
make all your friends green with envy.
Dancing
It burns calories, boosts energy and tones muscle. In fact,
dancing can burn just as many calories as other, more ‘traditional’
exercises.
Spend as much time outdoors as possible.
- Buy new trainers once a year, or as soon as
the treads start to wear down, because worn treads can cause
injury, like slipping or overcompensating on one leg/foot.
- Wear comfortable clothing and shoes when you
take your walk. Get off the bus a few stops early. Walk up the
escalators on the tube or take the office stairs.
- For women, make sure you have a decent sports
bra. There’s nothing that will make you stop exercising
faster than feeling like you’re not ‘well-supported’!
www.boobydoo.co.uk
- Make sure you stretch before and after your
exercise.
- Get fit for Charity: Consider signing up for a
Cancer Research UK 5k walk or run. It’s a great fitness goal, and
the money you raise will go to a great cause. www.cancerresearchuk.org
- Find a mentor. Perhaps you know someone who
has lost a few pounds? Ask that person to help motivate you and
give you tips on staying on track.
- Make a list of what you hope to achieve: to
enhance the overall quality of your life; increase general energy;
improve sleep; to have a better feeling of wellbeing.
- Get into the groove! Music is a great
motivator. Download some of your favourite music to listen
to while you exercise. Safety tip: Do not jog alone with your IPOD
on.
- Hulaerobics – Go for a spin with a hula-hoop!
Burn calories and tone your waistline with this latest fitness
craze from America. Use special hoops that are heavier than the
playground variety, and start gyrating your hips! You can burn as
many calories as running an eight-minute mile.
- Ping pong can burn 250 calories in 45 minutes
and is great fun.
- Dance is a fantastic way of keeping fit.
Dancing can help burn over 350 calories an hour and will help
improve your overall strength and flexibility.
- Why not try a belly dancing class and burn
some serious calories around your waistline? Dancing is also a
great way to get the kids motivated. Look for classes in your area
link to activities. Search our Activities
database
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