A Brief Summary of the Benefits Associated with Omega 3
Despite it’s appearance in medical science during the 1930’s it wasn’t until the 1970’s that Omega 3 made it’s way onto the public stage. Since that point the research and importance of Omega 3 as part of a balanced and healthy diet has grown.Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid required for normal metabolism and physical regeneration. Its uniqueness comes from the fact that the human body cannot synthesize it and therefore requires a direct dietary source. So what benefits can Omega 3 provide? Lets look at a few.... Improves bodyfat metabolism. Helps regulate heart rate and lower blood pressure. Reduces the risk of heart ...
What is Functional Fitness and can it really make a difference to everyday activity?
The concept (or even reality) of functional fitness has always been present throughout the fitness industry from the early days of “keep fit” programmes right the way through to many of the “functional specific” programmes offered today. But what does functional fitness actually mean and can it really make a difference to everyday life? Lets begin with a definition.... “Function Fitness is the ability to perform normal daily activities around the house or at work, without undue fatigue.” Personally I like that definition as it provides a good basis on which to build a training programme for a client (or even class). The ...
Are “Health” Bars Really the Best Option?!
As a kid I always remember asking my mum for snacks and being promptly handed an apple, orange or some other form of fruit. I also remember the disappointment that always came with receiving the fruit as, like most kids, I would have rather had a handful of sweets or that chocolate bar I’d been eyeing up in the fridge! Only in later years did I start to understand the wisdom employed by my mum as she just wanted me to have a balanced diet. As the years have gone on and family dynamics have changed (i.e a greater percentage of ...
Despite it’s appearance in medical science during the 1930’s it wasn’t until the 1970’s that Omega 3 made it’s way onto the public stage. Since that point the research and importance of Omega 3 as part of a balanced and healthy diet has grown.Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid required for normal metabolism and physical regeneration. Its uniqueness comes from the fact that the human body cannot synthesize it and therefore requires a direct dietary source.- Improves bodyfat metabolism.
- Helps regulate heart rate and lower blood pressure.
- Reduces the risk of heart attacks.
- Reduces triglycerides (saturated fat) in the blood supply.
- Reduces the risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).
- Supports the development and regeneration of brain, eye and nerve functions.
- Improves immune function.
- Improves blood circulation and helps reduce risk of varicose veins.
- Reduces the risk of most cancers (although the extent is still a debated topic within the medical community)
I could go on about how it reduces insulin sensitivity, etc but I think you get the message….it’s good for you!
So to gain all these benefits how much do you need daily? Ideally somewhere between 1 and 2 grams per day depending upon body size and how active you are. Maximum intake should be no more than 3grams. Typically most Omega 3 supplements come in capsules from 0.3 to 1 gram so controlling the amount you take is easily done (personally I take no more than 2g per day).
Most fish contain some level of Omega 3 and you can get a day’s intake of Omega 3 from a portion of any of the following…Herring, Sardines, Mackerel, Salmon, Halibut. You can also supplement your diet with the use of Flaxseed and Hempseed oil or a portion of walnuts.
Often supplementation is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways of adding Omega 3 to your diet, and with these benefits why would you want to miss out!!
Posted in Food General Supplements by .
Lets begin with a definition….
“Function Fitness is the ability to perform normal daily activities around the house or at work, without undue fatigue.”
Personally I like that definition as it provides a good basis on which to build a training programme for a client (or even class). The next step is to define what kind of “daily activity” is normal for that individual. For example a 200kg squat is not going to be of much use to the average office worker, but to a powerlifting athlete it’s essential. Now this might seem like an extreme example but the interpretation is where many trainers and gym enthusiasts go wrong. The general assumption is often that Functional Fitness refers to pure core work or exercises and training systems designed to strengthen the core elements (it has certainly been branded as such by mainstream gyms looking to fill classes!). As always the reality lies in a mix of many training disciplines.
So how do you build an effective Functional Fitness programme? Well you start off with what the individual actually needs for daily life. Now there’s a difference here between “want” and “need”, they might “want” to look awesome on the beach but they don’t “need” it when it comes to climbing a flight of stairs! Lets say you’re a reasonably active individual with a family and relatively inactive job (say office based work or driving et al), what kind of activities should you consider when you build your weekly programme? To a large extent it will all depend on how much time you have and access to facilities. Having said that lets look at the main considerations.
Cardiovascular Development
Every physical activity you do requires some form of cardiovascular effort, the harder you work, the more effort required. Development can achieved through resistance training or cardio specific work, it’s up to you and if you have time then combine both. Alternating sessions between resistance and cardio can be a good way of allowing sufficient recovery while providing enough variety to keep you motivated. If running is your thing then interval training can provide a very time effective way of working. Try running hard for 50 or 100 paces then go easy for the next 50 or 100 and just repeat for half an hour. Alternatively if getting to the top of the stairs without the need for CPR is your goal, then go run up some stairs!! Start off with one flight and then two, etc, etc….or use the stepper in the gym.
Resistance Training
There are so many options you could write about it for months! Having said that I would focus on activities that involve compound movements like deadlifts, squats, etc. This will encourage the body to work as a single unit through a large range of movement, so stick to free weights wherever possible. Think about the kind of movements you do everyday such as getting out of the car or lifting your child off a chair (unless they’re 20 years old!). All these activities put the body under stress and the reduction of that stress is your goal.
Core Training
I’m a big supporter of core training having experienced the benefits in my own life. If you’re not familiar with the term then just think of it as building a foundation like you would for a house. Basically if you chopped off your arms, legs and head, what would be left is your “core”. Programmes such as pilates can be a big help in developing core strength. The introduction of stability balls and bosu boards has also increased the effectiveness of core work. I’ll talk more about core training in another article.
Flexibility
Here’s the biggy!!!! This is the one element that many forget about. Stretching is not just the five minute “bit” you stuff onto the end of a workout, it’s inclusion is as important as the rest of your programme. Include stretches for every muscle group and take time to really feel the stretch. It’s a sad reality that many muscular problems that occur later in life (i.e lower back pain, knee pain, etc) can be attributable to poor posture and tight muscles, so take time to stretch!
In the end Functional Fitness will only be truly effective if you match your training programme to your daily activity. Balance your programme to include cardiovascular development, muscle strength and protect your range of motion with flexibility work. Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Posted in Fitness by .
As a kid I always remember asking my mum for snacks and being promptly handed an apple, orange or some other form of fruit. I also remember the disappointment that always came with receiving the fruit as, like most kids, I would have rather had a handful of sweets or that chocolate bar I’d been eyeing up in the fridge! Only in later years did I start to understand the wisdom employed by my mum as she just wanted me to have a balanced diet.
As the years have gone on and family dynamics have changed (i.e a greater percentage of households have both parents working) there has been an ever growing market for ready made snacks. Add into this the low fat drive of the 80’s and 90’s and you have a market ready and waiting to be filled.
These days the market is full of products claiming to the healthy snack of choice. Cereal bars sit next to flapjacks and chocolate bars in supermarkets, but are any of these really a “healthy” option? For example….
Special K Cereal Bar (24g) – 94 kcal
Kit Kat (2 finger bar 21g) – 107 kcal
Obviously this is just a comparison in terms of calories but no prizes for guessing which product most people would prefer to eat given the choice (including me!). Over the years I’ve seen many people make the move to cereal bars in the belief that it would help as part of a weight loss programme, and for those eating two bars a day you might as well go for the Cadburys Creme Egg!!
In the end the only action that will help weight loss is a reduction in total calorie intake. Obviously there are many ways to do it but we’ll cover that in a future article.
So back on topic and what kind of alternatives could you choose for circa 100 calories? The answer will depend greatly on your personal preferences when it comes to food but while writing this article I came across a fun list of options courtesy of Mens Fitness magazine which I think helps get the message across.
First up is what they refer to as the “Health hit”. These are simple snacks that take seconds to put together and are in essence the grass roots of simple food. Having said that I would probably avoid the large portion of Brussels sprouts for purely social reasons!!
Moving onto the second list it provides a good comparison between the healthy options and the items we may well snack on when we consider our current day to day choices. Once you’ve read through the list do so again but pay particular attention to the quantities, this is where the real difference lies. It’s the difference between having a couple of Jaffa Cakes or 200g of fruit salad. In the end it’s a decision as to whether you’re actually hungry or just after a sweet snack.
Now I know I’ve digressed a little from the title of the topic but I felt it was important to understand that much of the difference in terms of calorific value comes from the quantity eaten rather than the element itself. In the end you can certainly eat chocolate etc as part of a weight loss programme, you just have to control the quantity. If you can’t control it then maybe the fruit salad is the way to go.
Returning to the example at the beginning we’ve established that a kit kat and special K bar have roughly the same calorific intake even though the cereal bar might be considered the healthier option at first glance. The key with all these snacks is to read the nutritional label on the packaging (and if you can’t find one there’s always google!) to establish what’s in it. Many granola type bars you can get are filled with oats, raisins and nuts…..together with honey, sugar, etc. All of these things push the calorific value up and turn what should be a low GI food into a high one.
In the end it all boils down to what your goals are. If you’re an endurance athlete then sugary granola bars are just the thing to keep you going. However if you’re controlling your calorie intake to drop bodyfat then go for the simple options like the ones on the healthy list above….and ladies, if you must have that chocolate fix then just have the kit kat!! It’s only 107 kcals and won’t destroy all your good work (just don’t eat the full 8 biscuit pack in one go!!).
Posted in Food by .
Sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive our hints, tips, advice & offers