Well I am back Devon in very different climes than I have experienced at my holiday fitness camp -It’s freezing.

The news is I don’t think I will be on strictly next year or racing against Paula for the London marathon crown, but here’s the rest of my fitness week.

Day 4

After gracing the dance floor last night (I am not very graceful I must say)  it’s up and out at 6.30am for my run, after yesterdays run I was focused on achieving a 10 mile run by the end of the week so off I set to do at least 7 miles, for now the distance this time was what I was aiming for not speed or time. The second morning is wet, but nice for running in out here, I’m starting to go over in my mind what motivates me to put my trainers on and get off my bum. Firstly would be the one everyone should have which is to give myself the best chance of living  a healthy prolonged life and looking good in a pair of jeans whilst living it,  second is my 4 year old niece Katie born with a generic disease which my family are carriers of which makes me realise how lucky I am.  Every event I do will be for her, not knowing how long her life will be I aim to help raise money for the gene therapy she might need to have one day, then when she’s older I hope she will join me and enjoy exercise as being put of her life to stay healthy (have planned to do a marathon with her before I am sixty - she doesn’t know it yet!)  and last but not least a big part of my motivation comes from all the Fitfarmers that I have pushed to the max over the weeks.  I always think about the times when I can see someone really digging deep to achieve something they never thought possible just a few words of encouragement can make all the difference when you feel like you can’t do anymore, so in true fitfarms style I tell myself come on you can do it not far now!

Ok 7 miles later i feel good,  a bit of a rest then hit the gym for more strengthening work, one thing I do focus on is keeping the running muscles strong, so lots of focus on gluteus, hamstrings and  quads to stabilise the pelvis. Refuel, then its more bodycombat, just to end the day a visit to the plunge pool in the spa, - it’s been a good day.

Day 5
6.30am and it’s time for the today’s plan, I now think I should look at a little bit of speed so off I go to run 5 miles as fast as my little legs will go. The first morning it didn’t rain on me and I completed half of my 10 mile circuit. 42.33min not as fast as I wanted but its a baseline to work from, garmin says I was running 6.9mph does that mean gazelle’s pace!

Fuelled up then off to stretch in the hydro pool.

What I noticed today when I was trying to be Usain Bolt was how important my upper body strength is in driving me to run faster, so of to the gym for more core and arms before I do a body balance class followed by body conditioning.

Day 6
Today is going to be the hottest day of the week and as I have planned my big 10 mile circuit for weds morning I’m going to make today a rest day.

So it’s a short stretch come walk around the laguna to just take in a bit of the scenery that I have missed as I ran the last 3 days mind only focused on my running the athletes here call this place Alcatraz - I wonder why is it because they are bought here for a week put through a tough training regime and not being able to leave!! um now that sounds familiar!!!  ,
Midday it’s off to a Latin dance class and then took in some more body conditioning, it’s not been much for lying in the sun mostly cloudy so off to the plunge pool not bad for a rest day.

Day 7
Race day for me, up as usual to start at 730 but today think I should start earlier get it over and done with.

I am a bit nervous about this not sure why, ok so off we go I always worry that I will get a pull half way than fail to complete but I vanished all those negative thoughts and just relaxed to my ipod tunes, the best I could tell myself was If I can’t get a good time just enjoy the music.

Half way - 5 miles comes quite quick I feel the pace is ok but not great. I realize I may have to do 3 more laps not 2 as I am down on miles a little bit of panic creeps in but soon forget as my favourite Fitfarms tune comes on S club 7 . Its good timing as I pick up the pace, I think of the fab 5 and there Paris trip they did Fitfarms proud will I be their sixth member but what would that make us The Six-Pack! But as I think of a name before I know it 8 miles is coming up. Great only 2 to go time still slower than I wanted but I am nearly done, mile 9 comes - pick the pace up you’ve done it I tell myself. I’m also thinking what is the reason I am doing this, then unexpected my ipod chucks out the theme from Rocky oh yes off  I sprint counting down the meters as the end is in sight I start to raise my arms in true rocky style!!

10 miles in 1hr 32 mins not the fastest but its my first 10mile run so I can only get better, as I walk back to alcatraz in the rain I feel a sense of achievement and the start of being able to complete what I have set myself to do in 2010

Day 8
Last day plane leaves at 2pm so not much time but have planned a 5 mile run, quick blast of arms and abs in the gym then the last visit to the spa and if the clouds move a bit of sun.

Before I go shopping for thermals in Devon! As christmas approaches we should all be thinking about control of what we eat but most importantly keeping active. If you back off the exercise in the 7 -14 days of festive fun you will only be playing catch up when it’s all finished not only that but it’s hard to get back into the swing of things again in the new year as every man and his dog will be in the gym trying to beat the guilt of another year so I feel I have to do something about it !!!The equipment will be all taken and you are tired after work and that’s when you are more likely to walk away and say I’ll come back tomorrow but tomorrow never comes and then it is a viscous circle! so my advice is;

Make a new year plan:enjoy the turkey  its low in fat (if you avoid the skin) control the starchy carbs stack up on the veg and go easy on the pudding, but then know you have to work it off after, make your exercise plan suit what you are doing don’t plan things that are not possible, be active it’s a time for enjoyment so move your booty(lauren style) to the beat and dance the pounds away at your new year party. Enjoy time with the family play active games or if you wrap up go and do a run, hike or bike it with the kids there’s no excuse ladies you know what to do.

Please also read the Part 1 of the Fitness Holiday post.

Visit our Weight Loss Programme websites:
UK Fat Camp | UK Fitness Boot Camp | UK Weight Loss for Children

Peta Bee has written in Times Online a must to read article entitled ‘Walk Your Way to Fitness’. It features the unbeatable fitness benefits of walking without breaking your wallet. If you want to lose weight but cannot afford the costly gym membership fees, then walking is the best option for you.

According to the article, walking is considered an effective way to lose weight and it prevents potential chronic disease. It is also gentler to your joints compared to running though you reap almost the same fitness benefits because both activities target the same muscle groups in your body.

The article mentions also some interesting latest trends of fitness walking and it aims to get the optimum benefits of walking exercise. The Nordic, Chi, Health and Retro walking is relatively new concepts however mall and indoor walking are ideas which most of you are familiar.

Bearing in mind the fitness benefits you get from walking can really motivate you to start a walking exercise or to walk for another extra mile.  In fact, you can incorporate walking in your day to day life to increase your fitness level. You can start from the basics such as using stairs instead of elevators or parking your car a block away.

Read the full article, ‘Walk Your Way to Fitness‘ from TimesOnline.co.uk - Health Features.

The article of Sam Murphy in Guardian.co.uk entitled ‘Get Fit, Not Fat, this Christmas’ is really appealing to everyone especially for fitness and weight conscious individuals. Festive Season is always a challenging period of the year when it comes to diet and exercise. With parties scheduled one after the other and the scrumptious array of food in every event, it is easy to gain extra weight and slack off from your exercise regime.

The article ‘Get Fit, Not Fat, this Christmas’ offers suggestions on how to combat this issue during Christmas and it is really interesting because the suggested ideas are very practical. It considers too the usual scenarios that everyone faces during this season.

One of the suggestions is to organize seasonal activities. It is indeed difficult to workout when you have families and friends visiting you during the Festive Season. To solve this challenge, you can organize activities such as ice skating or winter walking. These activities keep you active and in a way replace the workout you miss for the day. This is a better option than staying at home watching TV and munching the leftover food from the party.

Read the ‘Get Fit, Not Fat, this Christmas’ as it is a good source to pick up few tips to help you stay fit all throughout the Festive Season.

Read the full article, ‘Get Fit, Not Fat, this Christmas‘ from Guardian.co.uk - Life and style.

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The Festive Season is always the most challenging period of the year particularly for those who are struggling to lose weight because it is the time for parties and celebrations with friends, families and colleagues. A string of these celebrations even just for a week or two is enough to add extra kilos on your weight. To counterattack these potential weight loss opportunities, the article ‘50 Ways to Cut 500 Calories a Day’ of Shaun Chavis in MSN Health & Fitness can be very helpful to you.

The article outlines 50 various ways to cut 500 calories a day. Note that these are activities and not any diet scheme. Though you are already familiar with some of the tips, it is great to refresh your knowledge and learn new strategies.

There are two noticeable areas that these tips are trying to hit. It is your food intake and the activities you can do to consume 500 calories. For food related tips, it gives you a better idea of the calories stored in the featured food option. It advises you to choose smartly in the menu list to save calories. A classic sample illustrated in the ‘50 Ways to Cut 500 Calories a Day’ is the spaghetti. The spaghetti with meat sauce can save you 560 calories than with Italian sauce.

On the other hand, the various activities that can burn 500 calories a day can include hiking, walking, circuit training and so on.

This article ‘50 Ways to Cut 500 Calories a Day’ has really valuable information that can be very beneficial to you especially during this festive season.

Read the full article, ‘50 Ways to Cut 500 Calories a Day‘ from MSN Health and Fitness.

Fitness Editorial Credits to Shaun Chavis, Health.com.

The article ‘From fat to gym rat, woman loses 200 pounds’ of Steve Almasy is really inspiring for those who wants to lose weight or to get fit. The article is about the story of Becky Griggs whose weight ballooned to 352 pounds and dropped over 200 pounds within six year.

Her primary motivation to lose weight is her rising blood pressure. This is the same reason that sustains her to drop 200 pounds and maintains a healthy life for the past few years. Her tough journey is a proof that losing weight is possible provided you are equipped with the strong motivation and proper weight lose program.

Griggs successful recipe to losing weight is simple and very basic. The equation is a tag-of-war of calorie in and calorie out. Her diet is comprised of high protein while she eliminates sugar and flour.

She also stressed the importance of believing in yourself that you can do it. Indeed no one can motivate you best to keep a healthy lifestyle but you. Also, the rewards for determination and discipline to shed those extra pounds benefit no one else but you.

So if you are about to fall from your goal to lose weight, then try to reinforce your goal by checking the real motivation which prompted you to journey this path. Your commitment to weight loss is tantamount to your motivation to shed that extra weight.

Stay focus and believe in yourself!

Read the full article, ‘From fat to gym rat, woman loses 200 pounds‘ from CNN.com - Fit Nation.

The importance of creating conducive ambience for weight loss in your home is very important. According to Megan Othersen Gorman who has written the ‘How Your Home May Help You Lose Weight’ that the things we have in our
house affects our ability to lose weight.

The article outlines some tips on how to create conducive ambience for losing weight. The first area you must hit is the fridge and food cabinets. Of course, it is difficult to lose weight if your cabinet and fridge are stocked with ice cream, cookies, cheese and other high-calorie foodstuff. If you are trying to shed extra pounds, then stock these areas with
nutritious and healthy food options.

Another interesting suggestion is to minimize watching TV or to stick only to one TV unit for extreme measures. Let’s face it! TV plays a major influence in our life from the way we think to the way we eat. Strong marketing ads pour in the televisions. This will encourage you to taste those high calorie foods that are scrumptiously advertised in the TV.

Reading the article ‘How Your Home May Help You Lose Weight‘ will enlighten you that willpower to lose weight is best practice if you have the right place this is conducive for your weight loss goal.

Editorial Credits to Megan Othersen Gorman, Rodale.com for MSN Health and Fitness

It is interesting to know that the popularity of triathlons is increasing though it has high injury rate. Sean D. Hamill has written an article ‘Triathletes, on Your Mark …Whoa!’ in New York Times about the high probability of being injured compared to performing one type of exercise only.

According to the article, most of the injuries are caused by over and rigid trainings which usually hit the leg parts. Despite of this, triathlons continue to thrive and appeal to the people. Perhaps one of the motivating reasons to point is the physical benefits you get.

Triathlons are combination of three sports - cycling, running and swimming. With such strenuous exercise, it will indeed challenge the level of your stamina. Also, the benefits of these sports to your body cannot be
underrated. It eliminates too the boredom in your exercise program because
it entails three activities. You will run, bike and swim.

No wonder that even triathletes are subject to punishing pain and inevitable injury, they continue the pursuit.

It was cited in the article ‘Triathletes, on Your Mark …Whoa!’ that this has been a great learning curve for sports science doctors as they aim to address the case of injuries. It is really an interesting article to read especially if you want to discover more about the triathletes.

Read the full article, ‘Triathletes, on Your Mark …Whoa!‘ from NYTimes.com - Fashion and Style.

Sometimes you may ponder what happen now to your washboard abs. Though you maintain the same set of abs exercise, the fat belly is still there. Then you try harder to have the same abs as you had five years ago.

As Alyssa Shaffer mentioned in her article ‘Flat-Belly Shortcuts’, you have to maintain workouts and to start learning how to eat smartly because burning the fats around your belly is difficult as you age. Shaffer has suggested the best exercise and nutrition for faster result of flattening your belly.

The first she mentioned is the walking exercise. If you have been doing it, then continue however you need to speed up your pace. Increasing your speed means burning 25% more calories. The crunch is already known for defining
your abs but try to crunch with the ball for best result.

Like any exercise program that is tailored for losing weight, cardiovascular exercise and strength training are best for your body. You convert the fats in your body to muscles which is good because the more muscle you have, the
higher is the consumption of calories for energy.

As for the food, the nuts, whole grains and proteins are proven to be flat-belly friendly food.

Shaffer has indeed made excellent recommendations on how to flatten your belly faster.

Read the full article, ‘Flat-Belly Shortcuts‘ from MSN Health and Fitness.

Fitness Editorial Credits to Alyssa Shaffer, Prevention.com.

The article of Leah Zerbe entitled ‘Eat Slowly to Lose Weight’ is not actually a new idea about weight loss. This concept has been taught to us since childhood. Perhaps it is not about losing weight that our parents taught us this manner. Our parents want us to eat slowly and to have small bites because they don’t want us to choke. And it is precisely correct!

According to the ‘Eat Slowly to Lose Weight’ article, an ideal time to chew each small bite is at least nine seconds. So count from one to nine while chewing a bite-size piece of chicken. In this way, you are making sure that you are eating slowly.

Actually, this is also a good eating habit to adapt. Aside from it helps you to lose weight; it is a great way to savor the flavor of the food. As what Zerbe mentioned, relishing the taste of the food makes you feel more satisfied.

The article also suggests filling our fridge with small packs of nutritional snacks like fruits.

Indeed we always take for granted the thing that we had been taught since childhood. Simply remember your Mum’s yell to eat slowly when you were a child and you are on your way to shedding those extra pounds.

Read the full article, “Eat Slowly to Lose Weight” from MSN Health and Fitness.

Editorial Credits to Leah Zerbe, Rodale.com.

November was the busiest month of the year for FitFarms. We ran three fitness and weight loss camps on 13th, 20th and 27th November. We are closed for the month of December and we’re back in action on 22nd January.

Julie and Stephen have started to plan the Advanced FitFarms programme. We will be running two in 2010 one in March and the other in September. FitFarms will send a newsletter to everyone with full details of the course.

We will also send a newsletter informing you of which parks FitParks will be opening in next. It will probably be Battersea in London followed by the other London parks.

We wish everyone a Happy Christmas and Julie (health manager) has a special Christmas message.

“Remember the 80% - 20% rule over the festive season and don’t forget to carry on exercising Happy Christmas to you all” - Julie

Visit our Weight Loss Programme websites:
UK Fat Camp | UK Fitness Boot Camp | UK Children Weight Loss