Healthy Living (Week 1): Time to Fight the fat! Now you're all experts on the fitball, I'll be devoting the following weeks to healthy living. We will discuss the main aspects of your diet, what you're eating too much of and what you need to eat more of. To begin, here are five basic tips to consider when starting a health regime: The first is simple, EAT! Try reducing the amount of pasta, bread and rice, which are a very slow-burning source of carbohydrate. Replace them with fruits and vegetables, which are a very fast source and release energy slowly throughout the day. If you eat more fruit and vegetables it can only be good for you as they are around 80% water, which will help you stay hydrated, and also high in fibre and digestive enzymes. So grab an apple or a banana instead of a chocolate bar next time you feel peckish. The next tip is even easier, DRINK! Try to work your way through at least a two litre bottle of water a day, which is about eight glasses. Drinking water can boost you metabolism, but more importantly it will flush out toxins in your body. You will also cut down on caffeine drinks, such as coffee, which are packed full of toxins. Try to drink purified water; natural spring water is your best bet as it's packed with minerals. Time to TRAIN Following a quick warm up to supply your muscles with blood do a 20-minute weight circuit. Experts say that you will not burn fat during the first 20 minutes of any exercise. So if you were to run for 20 minutes first you would only be burning glycogen, which is a source of energy used by your muscles. Basically you have to elevate your heart rate during a 20-minute phase before your body will burn fat efficiently. The weight exercises you do should be heavy enough to work the muscle but not too heavy so you can't jog when you're finished them. Weight training is also a great fat burner as your body will burn fat even when you have left the gym and are relaxing at home. Here is a quick circuit you can try in any gym: Warm up on the rowing machine with a steady 2,000-metre row, head straight into the resistance area and work your way through a full body weights' circuit, either on machines or free weights. Now stroll into the cardiovascular area, select an activity you find challenging and do that for 15 to 20 minutes. End you session with another piece of equipment and complete your workout with a cool down and stretch.
To find out more about Greens Health & Fitness, Steven and his colleagues can be contacted on (0191) 213 0070 or visit www.greensonline.co.uk
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