Alesha's fit tips

1. Walking vs. Workout

There’s a lot of stuff in the news about the health benefits of walking – and quite rightly so – but does walking beat a cardiovascular workout in the gym or a class? Well, it all boils down to intensity. Assuming you aren’t dawdling, you are likely to burn more calories and work your heart and lungs harder in the gym or classes than you are walking (even power walking). Researchers at the University of Alberta have confirmed this in a study comparing a pedometer-based walking programme with gym-based fitness training. The results showed that, in terms of the amount of energy used, formal exercise in the gym or classes beat walking most of the time. Does that mean that you shouldn’t bother with walking? Not at all; walking is a great activity for people who are just getting into a fitness programme, it’s a good compromise for people who would prefer not to run and it’s also an ideal complement to your gym sessions - work out one day, walk the next, perfect.

2. Glorious Glutes

I’m not quite sure why bottoms are so attractive – must have something to do our genes – but they are. Before I get into some exercises that will work your rear end, I should mention a couple of things: 1. The usual toning and shaping rules apply here i.e. you can’t change fat to muscle so you’ve got to burn off the fat as well as toning the muscle beneath it and 2. You need to work within the bounds of the shape that god gave you. Having said that, there are tons of things you can do in the gym to help get a dazzling derriere: The squat is one of those gold standard exercises that should be in most programmes, it’s certainly great for the glutes. Lunges are another cracking exercise for the buttocks – there are loads of variations on the lunge – simple step ups are also good. Then there’s a raft of exercises you can do on an exercise ball, technique is all important here, so ask one of our coaches to show you how.

3. Carpe Diem.

“The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn't, matters not a jot. The possibility is always there.” Most of us spend way too much time in the past and future and far too little time taking charge of the now. As Monica Baldwin says in the quote above, every day may not be stellar but it’s all you have, so make the most of it. Regular exercise is one of the things that can help you to maximise your days by providing you with all the energy you need. If you doubt that, take a look people who aren’t doing a whole lot with their lives and see how much energy they appear to have. I know exercising can be tough at times but the benefits really are well worth it.

4. Traffic Lights.

According to the Food Standards Agency, if you want to eat a healthy diet, one of the things you should do is cut down fat (especially saturated fat), salt and added sugars. That’s all well and good but how do you know which foods contain what? Well, if the label has traffic light colours on it, it makes it an awful lot easier. “With traffic light colours, you can see at a glance if the food you’re looking at has high, medium or low amounts of each of these nutrients in 100g of the food,” says the FSA. As you would expect, Red means that the level is high, Amber means it’s medium and Green means it’s low. Most foods have a combination of colours; for example, saturated fat might be Red (high) but the salt content might be Amber (medium) and sugar might be Green (low). The bottom line is this: if you want to eat healthily you are looking for foods with more greens and ambers than reds.

5. Omega-3.

There are a number of reasons why fish comes pretty high up most nutritionist’s wish list when it comes to healthy eating; one of which is the fact that fish (particularly cold water fish like trout, salmon and tuna) contain Omega-3 oils. These are known to protect against heart disease – by lowering blood pressure and heart rate - and also to increase brain power. Most experts agree that two fish meals a week is enough to give you the Omega-3 you need, but if you want to eat more that’s fine. If you’re not a fish fan, Omega-3 is also available as a supplement. Tip: When you buy the tablets make sure they contain antioxidants, which will keep the pills fresh and also help to cut out fish burps. There are also loads of other benefits of Omega-3, including keeping the body lubricated, improving sleep and boosting concentration.

6. The Weighting Game.

Most people are pleasantly surprised at how quickly they make progress in the weights room. If change continued at that pace we would all have muscles the size of footballs, but (thankfully) it doesn’t. After a while your body adapts to your programme and progress slows. Eventually you reach your maximum weight and repetitions and, if you’re not careful, this is when you can get stuck. The secret to making consistent progress is to change your routine long before you reach this plateau. One way of doing that is to completely change exercises. Another is to stay with the same exercises but hit the muscles from a different angle. Or you could introduce exercise balls into your routine. You might try adding some body weight exercises like press ups and dips. You could vary the mixture of machines and free weights or you might try doing some weight circuits. The options are endless. Ask one of our coaches to help you change your routine regularly and stay ahead of the weighting game.

7. Stretching Last.

When I was younger I played a lot of netball, ran for my county and did some gymnastics coaching. We were told that you had to stretch before playing, or running, or jumping or whatever because, if you didn’t, you might pull a muscle or worse. But, if the latest research is to be believed, that isn’t exactly true. Stretching at any time is never going to do you any harm but as far as the gym and classes are concerned it’s best to warm up, then work out, then stretch. Why? The warm up prepares your muscles for exercise (see May’s column). Then you put your body through its paces in the workout. Finally when you’re thoroughly stuffed you get to lie down on a mat (for some of the time at least) and do a bunch of stretches on warm pliable muscles that are ready for it. This is where you make long term improvements in your overall flexibility. The stretching options are endless, so it’s a good idea to decide where you are tightest and ask our coaches to show you how you can target those areas.

8. Just Kidding.

When was the last time you laughed so hard that you cried? We all know that laughter is great medicine but in the super-stressed world we live in most of us just don’t get enough of the stuff. Here’s why it makes you feel better: A good laugh gives your heart and lungs a tickle up and increases the amount of oxygen that gets to your brain. Then, as the laughter subsides, it leaves you feeling calmer and more relaxed. In the longer term laughing often boosts your immune system, relieves pain and makes you a lot easier to be around. None of this is new – Norman Cousins pioneered the Humour Therapy movement thirty years ago – but, despite his best efforts, I reckon we probably laugh less now then we ever have. Shame isn’t it. Bacon and Eggs walk into a bar. The bar tender said, “Sorry, we don't serve breakfast." Boom boom.