Group Exercise is Good for your Health

"Exercising together appears to increase the level of the feel-good endorphin hormones naturally released during physical exertion, a study suggests" according to the BBC News Channel - visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8257716.stm to read the whole report.

A few Healthy Snacks

- Brazil nuts (rich in Selenium) / Almonds (low GI and a good source of magnesium and vitamin E)

- Pineapple and Grapefruit

- Goji berries (the Beta-Carotene in the fruit is thought to help fight heart disease, defend against cancer and protect skin from sun damage and is a good source of B vitamins and antioxidants)

- Dried apricots (full of potassium, iron, calcium, silicon, phosphorus and vitamin C)

- Probiotic low fat yoghurt and honey (good for the stomach, low fat and honey increases blood levels of protective antioxidants)

- Seeds and raisins / sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seeds

- Dark chocolate (containing 70% of cocoa solids which is a good source of antioxidants and flavonoids which are also found in green tea and red wine)

Snacking

Most people have a certain snack they like or crave such as chocolate, crisps, sugary sweets, cake etc. Reducing the intake of these items or cutting them out altogether can have a big impact on the amount of calories you consume.

Snacks are generally small and light in size and you need to eat a lot of them to feel full. The problem with this is that even one serving or portion of the snack can take you close or exceed your guideline daily allowance (GDA) for things like sugar, salt, fat, calories etc.

Food labels can be misleading in regards to the totals and percentages of your GDA shown in the tables and ‘traffic light’ system on the packaging.

Snacks should be a way of helping you achieve your 5 fruit and veg a day rather then quick and easy boredom treats which even though they taste good do not have much in the way of nutritional value, just lots of sugary calories which if aren’t burnt off during the day will become stored as fat cells.

Low glycemic index (low GI) snacks that have complex carbohydrates in them which take the body a long time to break down and give a slow release of energy throughout the day are a lot better for you.

See my above post for a few healthy snack options.

Top Tips for Controlling Portion Size

On this post there are two website links that will direct you to the Cancer Research UK main website which can be useful for anyone.

The first link has a good overview of why you should control your portion size both at home and whilst eating out and some useful sensible tips that you could try out:

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/obesityandweight/portioncaution/

The second link (which can be clicked through to at the bottom of the above webpage) gives a very useful list of 10 top tips to control your weight and other tips / tick sheets at the bottom to help you stick to the programme:

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/tentoptips/

Meal Portions

The human body can only digest a certain amount of food at any one sitting.

For example protein is important for someone trying to put on more muscle mass for body building but there is no point filling a whole plate up with meat or eating two cans of tuna at the same time as most of it will go to waste.

Excess energy and calories that are not burnt off during the day will get stored as fat overnight which slows your metabolism down.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it ‘breaks the fast’ that your body goes through when you are asleep. From your evening meal to the following lunchtime could be anything up to 15 hours without food. If lunch is your first meal of the day your metabolism will be so slow that your body will only digest some of it and you will be storing up some unspent calories already.

Breakfast kick starts your metabolism and with healthy small meals and snacks throughout the day (making sure you don’t over eat) your body will be constantly trying to digest your food keeping your metabolism high and burning calories.

One way to look at portion sizes is to use your hand. One serving of protein should be about the size of the palm of your hand. One serving of green vegetables and salad greens could be the size of two fists, while starchy items like potatoes or pasta should be served in a portion about the size of one tightly clenched fist.

These healthy portions may seem small at first, but realise that your stomach is only about the size of your two loosely fisted hands held together. Visit my above post for tips on controlling portion sizes.

Beneficial Drinks / Fluids

Here's a list of some beneficial fluids to drink during the day, before, during or after exercise:

- Water (sip throughout the day / during exercise)
- Sugar free squash (" ")
- Fruit flavoured, calorie free waters (" ")
- Sports drinks with carbohydrates (during or after exercise)
- Sports drinks with sodium / electrolytes (" ")
- Use hydration backpacks such as camelbak / platypus (for long hikes, runs or cycles)
- Drink caffeine free teas such as Green Tea / RedBush Tea / White Tea / Jasmine Tea / Peppermint Tea...

Drink until your urine is pale yellow. This is a great way to tell whether or not you're dehydrated. Pale yellow = good. Dark yellow = really bad.

Visit this BBC link to find out how to make your own sports drinks:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/health_and_fitness/4289704.stm

Fluids

The human body is about 60% water in adult males and 55% in adult females. Water is essential for life and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Dehydration can lead to:

- Headache (hangover)
- Muscle cramps
- Decreased blood pressure
- Dizziness or fainting
- A decrease in exercise performance due to fatigue

Everyone’s sweat rates are different during exercise but it is very important to stay hydrated throughout the day especially before, during and after exercise.

You cannot rely on feeling thirsty as a reminder to replace fluid lost through sweating as exercise actually suppresses thirst.

Read my above post for an in-depth list of beneficial drinks.