Alesha's fit tips

1. Time Challenged?

Time is an issue for many of us every now and then. One way of speeding up your weights session - and still getting a good workout - is to do a weights circuit. Rather than doing three sets on each exercise (and resting between each set) choose 8 – 12 exercises covering all the main muscle groups (using both machines and free weights) and do one set on each. Start with the large muscle groups and work down to the small ones, do one set of 8 – 15 repetitions on each exercise and move on quickly. Your rest is the time it takes to move and set up the next exercise. This kind of workout isn’t going to help you build strength but it will help you to develop muscular endurance. There is some debate about whether or not you will get a cardio workout by moving quickly between exercises. We would say that you may not get as much benefit as you would from a structured cardio session (because your heart rate will be going in and out of its training zone) but you will get some aerobic benefit. A word of caution: Good technique is important; move quickly between exercises, not during them.

2. Tired of Technology?

I seem to remember that technology was supposed to give us all more leisure time. Oh yes, while these wonderful new gadgets were beavering away making everything easier, the pace of life would slow down, we’d all work a three day week (but get paid for five) and spend the rest of the time improving our golf handicaps and expanding our minds. Anyone noticed the pace slowing down recently? What actually happened is that little gizmos like email and the World Wide Web created information overload, which has increased our workloads and left us permanently pooped. And wouldn’t you just know it, this condition even has its own acronym: TATT (Tired All the Time) syndrome. Hands up who’s suffered from TATT in the last year or so. Thought so. I’m not saying you shouldn’t work hard but if you are feeling terminally tired all the time you need to make time for exercise and relaxation (there’s nothing wrong with coming to the club and just having a sauna every now and again). Think of it as life insurance.

3. If the Shoe Fits.

Research shows that, far from making our lives easier, giving us too many choices actually does our heads in. So here’s some advice for those of you who are looking for a new pair of trainers for the gym but don’t know where to start: Go to a specialist shop where they have trained staff. Having assessed your foot shape (normal, flat or high arched), your running style, your weight and what you intend to use the shoe for, they will give you options to suit your budget. Here’s the tricky bit: Do not go for the shoe that looks the coolest, unless the shoe that looks the coolest also fits the best. There are a number of things you can do to make sure you get the right fit. Go shopping in the afternoon – your feet are more swollen then and you’ll get a better idea of the fit. Bring your current training shoes with you – they’ll have tell-tale wear patterns – and take a pair of the socks that you would normally wear. Leave about half an inch of wriggle room at the front of the shoe and check the heel (should be a snug fit) and the width (the ball of the foot shouldn’t feel cramped).

4. Swimming.

If you want to get the most from swimming it really helps to have a good technique. Here are a few tips for those of you who would like to improve your freestyle. Like many sports, swimming is all about combining balance and power; Pirelli hit the nail on the head with their ‘Power is nothing without control’ advertising line: Think of the top of your head as your compass and keep it pointing in the direction you want to go. That thought stops you from lifting your head to look forward (and losing control). With the stroke itself, reach forward and slice your hand into the water about 15 inches in front of you, then extend your arm another 6 inches or so, so that you are using the full length of your arm to pull. Shoulder flexibility is pretty important here, so ask our coaches to give you some exercises to work on. Try to breathe every three strokes so that you alternate from side to side – this will keep you in balance. Keep your legs fluttering but don’t try to kick too hard – this means you have a little outboard motor but you also stay in balance.

5. Are You Nuts?

I always used to think that nuts were fattening; turns out the opposite might be true, they’re actually very good fillers when you’re hungry. Why? Well, most nuts are high in protein – almonds are top of the class in this department – and it’s this, combined with loads of natural fibre that makes nuts excellent appetite suppressants. But that’s not all. Because the fat in nuts is hard to digest, most of it passes through the digestive system without being absorbed and stored as fat. Double whammy. And we’re still not finished. Studies have shown that when people eat nuts there is a slight increase in the number of calories burned. Triple whammy. So nibbling a few nuts when you are hungry is a good idea, but before you get carried away here you will notice that I said nibbling, not noshing. Nuts do contain fat and if you eat loads of them you will put weight on, so limit yourself to a handful (30g) of your favourite pick ‘n mix a day.

6. Rowing Right.

If you took a straw poll on the toughest pieces of cardio equipment in the gym, I reckon that one machine would win hands down. For me the rowing machine or ergometer is the ultimate instrument of torture. The reason is that it engages just about every major muscle group in the body – shoulders, arms, back, buttocks, legs – which sends your heart into overdrive as it tries to supply oxygen to them all. The rower will also strengthen your legs and increase your flexibility (particularly in the hip flexors and hamstrings). Add in the fact that rowing is non-weight bearing - which means that it is particularly kind to your joints - and it’s easy to see why the rower is such an effective all round fitness machine. Getting the most from the rowers in the gym is all about technique - our coaches will help you with that – but some key things to remember are: 1. the legs do most of the early driving work, 2. then the back, shoulders and arms take over and 3. tempo is everything: as a rule of thumb, the recovery should take about twice as long as the drive (18 – 24 strokes a minute works best for most people).

7. Soft Drinks.

Those of you who are trying to lose weight will know that, along with fast food, soft drinks are public enemy number one. The primary reason is that they contain significant amounts of sugar which gets converted to fat. How much sugar? Well, a regular can of cola contains a whopping 8 – 10 tablespoons full of the white stuff. A 250ml carton of fruit juice has 5 - 9 tablespoons full of sugar and a 250ml carton of full-fat milk has 3 table spoons full. Interestingly, diet cola has no sugar at all but it does contain an artificial sweetener called aspartame (if you want to know more about the side effects of aspartame, Google it and make your own mind up). You might think that all that sugar in soft drinks will give you an energy boost - and you’d be right. But here’s the thing: the calories in sugar are what is known as empty calories i.e. they have no nutritional value at all and, although they will give you a temporary lift in the short-term, all those calories will just add to the amount of exercise you have to do to stay in shape in the long-term. The choice is yours.

8. Discipline.

We all know that the best way of losing weight is to combine sensible eating with regular exercise. What you may not have realised is that the discipline you need to handle a regular exercise programme also has a positive impact on your ability to stick with a diet. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have discovered that people who diet and exercise have a significantly better chance of sticking to their weight loss programme than those who just diet. I guess that may have something to do with the fact that those people who exercise as well as dieting are more likely to develop the mental strength and resilience that is needed to overcome obstacles and they will also have the encouragement of seeing better results. Losing weight and keeping it off isn’t easy; it requires determination and persistence. If you are one of those people who have introduced sensible eating and exercise into your life and overcome the obstacles along the way, you have my respect and admiration!