why sit still?

Today a friend picked me up and whizzed me off to a tennis court. High up on the side of the mountain, with the city shimmering below us and tall trees climbing up the slopes above, we whacked the yellow ball to and fro, into the net, over the sides of the court, and wildly beyond the lines. It was amazingly fun! Running to fetch the ball countless times, straining to reach that impossible shot, and thwacking wild shots way beyond the baseline all go towards a jolly good workout! I felt exhilarated and young again!

Yesterday I spoke with a proud father who is keen to lose weight for his beautiful daughter's wedding. He described to me how he was trying to adjust his diet and "cut out carbohydrates" to beat the bulge. This left me wondering how on earth he would succeed in his task as carbohydrates are vital to our diet! Recent fad diets have given "carbs" a bad rep, some suggesting cutting them out completely, and I would like to argue that there is a better way to lose excess weight. Carbohydrates are our friend, and without them we wouldn't be going anywhere fast!

Often weak core muscles lead to back problems simply because your back isn't being supported properly. Strengthening your trunk (core) muscles can therefore eliminate previous pain, and continuing the strengthening regime can alleiviate the problems completely.

It is the deep core muscles which, when routinely strengthened, will really start to alleviate your back pain.

Here are two deep core strengthening exercises to start you off:

Toe touch downs:

Exercise often comes down to discipline. Discipline is tricky because we know what we ought to be doing, but at the very time we know we ought to do something, that is the last thing we want to do. For example, the child who wants to play instead of go to school. The parent with life experience knows he ought to go to school to reap great benefits for the rest of his life, and so disciplines the child accordingly. The child, once rebellious, is however educated and reaps the benefits.

This morning I woke up to a scheduled run and I DID NOT want to go! I had planned a run with my father, and was far too proud to admit I was reluctant to go, so I donned my leggings and trainers and dragged myself out the door.

My legs were protesting, my back felt stiff and my head most definitely wanted to go back on it's pillow! Why would I do this to myself!?

A group of Greenland Inuits brought Omega 3 to the headlines when a medical research study was carried out in their village. These guys experienced virtually no cardiovascular disease in their community and the correlation was found in one dish they ate in abundance - you guessed it - oily fish! Our newspapers have been telling us for years now to get this fatty acid into our diet x times a week - but why? What is it, and, most importantly, how the heck do we get enough of it?

The science-y bit

Baking makes me happy. Especially healthy baking...yes, there is such a thing! I fiddled about with a basic muffin recipe until I narrowed it down to a no sugar and very little butter version.

These muffins are so yummy! The combination of stacks of fruit and wholemeal flour means they are much healthier than the type you might buy in a coffee shop (in a plastic wrapper if you're unlucky...) Cinnamon is low GI and fills you up for longer.

1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp sugar
50g butter melted (Or 50ml oil)
150g flour (either use half and half white and wholemeal or all wholemeal)

We have all been told the benefits of "regular exercise". (see article below) From newspapers and magazines, doctors surgeries and health centres, cereal packets and school noticeboards, we are being instructed to "get regular exercise"! Many of us have absorbed the information but are at a loss when it comes to putting it into practice.

The question is: what is regular exercise anyway? We are constantly being told to do it, but how much is 'regular'? And, while we're at it, what is actually the definition of 'exercise'?!