Out & About Spring 2018

FITNESS - VICKI BROWN

Keeping fit and healthy need not be a chore. You make sure your car is running all right each year with an MOT, well your body needs to be looked after in the same way. VICKI BROWN offers advice on how to keep your body in good shape

This is where being organised can help. Emotional eating can spiral, whereas if you plan ahead with mood-boosting, nutrient-dense foods you will stay on track and more likely feel more positive. Once you have grip on the food, you will find this can help energy levels for increasing exercise too. Making an Impact

The importance of your overall health and fitness People often measure health by looking at the number on the scales. Scales measure the change in weight of your body, but when the focus is only on bringing that number down, how healthy something is, or rather is not, can often be forgotten.

It is important to think about our overall health. Our body composition is an important factor – high bodyfat is not particularly healthy, putting undue strain on our bodies and increasing the risk of illness. Sometimes the number on the scales may stay the same, but your body composition could change – the percentage of

Weight-bearing exercise is good for your bones. To maintain or increase muscular and bone strength you should ensure that you include it in your daily routine. From walking to weight lifting, jogging or dancing, this will all help maintain a healthy level of strength and get your cardiovascular system working too. There are low and high impact options available and, regardless of age, this kind of exercise is beneficial to your body.

muscle, water, fat etc that you have may mean that you can become healthier without the scales going down. How do you feel once you have eaten a snack or meal? Satisfied? Bloated? Tired? Energised?

Ways to start: take regular walks, complete some

bodyweight exercises at home, learn how to lift weights, go dancing. Swimming and cycling are great ways to work the cardiovascular system and get moving, but you do not get the impact with these. If you choose these activities due to discomfort during impact, it could be useful for you to visit a professional who can help you strengthen these weaker areas so you are able to partake in impact activities more regularly. Sore joints can often be the reason people avoid exercise all together, but getting moving again can help hugely. I hope this gives you a chance to have a think

Being aware of the way food makes you feel is important in learning the best fuel for your body. Food is fuel It is easy to forget that everything we eat and drink is the fuel that keeps our bodies running. If you put bad fuel into your car it may run badly or even stop altogether… our bodies are the same.

Tip: Know your portions. Being aware what a portion is will help you eat more volume and this can help you not have excessive portions of high calorie foods because you are eating more than you realise.

You need to be thinking about the quality of the food that you are putting into your body because of the impact it can have on your overall energy levels and wellbeing. Don‘t underestimate the benefits of eating well and drinking lots of water. If you are having a bad day and you turn to junk food for that quick fix, it very rarely makes you feel better. Quite the opposite, lethargy follows and sometimes guilt too.

about how you can be as healthy as possible by looking at what you eat, what you do and how you look after your

body – it couldn’t be more important. Do it now, you won’t regret it.

Vicki Brown runs: LiveFitNow, Wash Common, Newbury. Telephone: 07879 447829. www.LifeFitNow.co.uk

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