There is an interesting article in New York Times entitled “Never Too Cool for a Hard Workout” which was written by John Branch. It features numerous athletes for ice sports such as snowboarding.

We always have assumption that exercise is not needed for sports. Anyhow it is already physically demanding activities which utilize your energy and improve your fitness level. However oftentimes we forgot the importance of conditioning our body to give optimum performance in any sports.

Regular exercise conditions your body muscles and enhances your stamina. If you are playing sports for leisure, then it is still best to exercise. Do not underestimate the benefits of exercise to your body. It avoids injuries and improves your sports performance.

Similar reasons are cited by the athletes in the article ‘Never Too Cool for a Hard Workout‘.  To read the full article, click it here.

Do you like to munch nuts? Is it favourable to your diet? The article “Once a Diet No-No, Nuts Are in Again” of MaryAnne Gragg will enlighten you about the nutrition benefits of including the nuts in your diet.

Although nuts are rich in fat and calories, its nutritional value cannot be underrated. This is the reason that nuts are good to be part in your diet however be careful also. Excessive consumption of nuts can also lead you to adding extra pounds in your weight.

It is important to remember the idea of moderation when considering nuts in your diet.

There are many ways to include nuts in your diet. Some of the suggestions in the article are tossing it in your dishes and salad, or sprinkle chopped nuts in your bowl of cereal. There are many creative ways to include nuts in your meals but just always remember - moderation and right serving – is important.

Read the full article ‘Once a diet no-no, nuts are in again‘ from CNN.com - Health.

Fitness Editorial Credits to MaryAnne Gragg, Health.com.

Manchester FitParks has opened. Damian Gilder is the park trainer and the sessions are run every Tuesday and Thursday. The sessions start at 6.30pm and all girls meet in St Mary’s Car Park, Prestwich. The cost of the training sessions are £35 per month. Please call the office on 0800 634 3070 to reserve your space or register by visiting www.fitparks.co.uk.

Our residential FitFarms courses are becoming booked up quickly. The next available course is 26th March at our Exmoor site. We are still offering the return rate of £300 off the advertised price. This brings down the cost of the single room to £1195 and the shared room to £795.

Visit FitParks Weight Loss Boot Camp Website for more information about the programme.

We all know that cutting 100 or 500 calories a day can definitely help us to lose weight. The article “Skinny Trimmings” featured in Yahoo Health can become a handy manual for us who are struggling to lose weight.

The article outlines various ways to cut out 100 or 300 calories a day. For coffee aficionados, beware of the artistry toppings of cream because it can spiral the calorie content of a plain coffee. The “Skinny Trimmings” article advises us to replace the white chocolate mocha in cappuccino with soy or fat free milk to reduce significantly the calories.

It is interesting to know the ways to trick calories in our meals and how it can be done easily by slightly amending the condiments in our dishes or beverages. We do not have to give up our favorite meal but we can be smart in cutting out the calories.

Remember that few calories out each day can lead to one digit down in the weighing scale.

Read the full article ‘Skinny Trimmings‘ from Yahoo! Health.

Fitness Editorial Credits to Women’sHealth.

There is an interesting article of Gina Kolata in New York Times entitled “Slimmer Doesn’t Always Mean Fitter”. In our current era, we always struggle to shed those extra pounds in our body however we oftentimes ignore the aspect of losing weight to be fitter.

We try all means of losing weight because we wanted to look good on our newly bought swim wear. It is oftentimes the vanity attached to being slimmer that overwhelms and drives us to lose weight. There is only a small percentage in the population that really aims to lose weight for health reasons.

This is the reason that the article “Slimmer Doesn’t Always Mean Fitter” hits most of us. Are we losing weight to look good or to be fitter? The author has also pointed out that most of the distinguished athletes in the field of running and tennis had also struggled to achieve the right weight.

As for them, the right weight means the ideal weight in which they are at their best performance level. Hence, it is always their desire to achieve the right weight to be fitter and to tap their optimum athletic abilities.

In our case, then perhaps it is about time to reframe our primary motivations to lose weight. It should be for better fitness level, healthier lifestyle and longer life. Feeling and looking good because of the newly trimmed weight is only a bonus.

Read the full article ‘Slimmer Doesn’t Always Mean Fitter’ from NYTimes.com

Well ladies it time to get up and at it this month

I hope you all had a good festive season watching the food intake and keeping active!

On my return from my holiday I had a few days to get use to the change in temperature! Brrrrr… then I was straight back into my training plan

Then the really bad weather hit Devon and as a fair weather runner I have been hammering the gym doing two workouts a day

On one of my trips to London I met up with Beverley, Bev’s FitFarm story is a good one in the fact that when I met Bev nearly 2 years ago now she could not run for more than 30 seconds! I remember quite clearly on a 7 mile route to the pool in Devon, Bev asking me why can’t I run for more than thirty seconds I just can’t do it? Well I told her as I do to lots of FitFarm clients, try and focus your mind to count to 60 and see how it feels it’s about building momentum when you run, relaxing the body and controlling your breathing. Read more…

Do you hate housework? Well, most of us do but the article in HeathKey entitled “Housework is Good for Every Body!” will convince you not to hate housework. There are many demons within us that draw us away from our desire to exercise and to lose weight.

We enroll and pay hefty membership fees in the gym yet we do not utilize it regularly. We can always take a walk in our neighborhood for half an hour but we always have endless excuses to avoid it.

Now the good news is we can start considering housework as a form of exercise. The article “Housework is Good for Every Body!” outlines its effective role in our goal to lose weight or increase our fitness level.

Now we can look forward to carrying out our housework because of its benefits to our body. We can always have excuses not to exercise but we cannot put off the housework for so long. So it means we are keeping a tidy house while keeping our body in good shape. Doesn’t it sound very interesting?

Read the full article ‘Housework is Good for Every Body!’ from HealthKey.com

The equation for weight loss is simple. Eat less and exercise more. Though as simple as it seems, it is difficult to keep your weight from escalating. You can consume the same amount of food however engaging yourself to move can help you shed extra pounds faster.

The article “Motivation to Move” of Joan Westlake is very helpful to encourage you to keep on moving. The motivations are very practical but oftentimes taken for granted. Reading this motivational list regularly can boost (no doubt about it) your desire to exercise more.

If you are falling off from your track, try to read the article “Motivation to Move”. It will definitely ignite your commitment to lose weight and to continue exercising. So fortify your will power by remembering these motivations and you will certainly not hesitate to engage yourself to move.

Word of advice. Print it off and post it in a place where you see it every day. Make it a habit to read it on daily basis to reinforce your motivation to exercise.

Read the full article ‘Motivation to Move’ from HealthKey.com.

Isn’t it contradicting to know that there are now available healthy fast food options? Generally fast food menus are known to be rich in fat and high in calories. However, in the article of Abby Ellin in New York Times entitled “Forget Jenny Craig. Hit the Drive-Thru” relates how some fast food chains start to join the bandwagon of offering healthy options to customers.

Fast food becomes a convenient way to gratify a hungry stomach especially for busy individuals. Others do not have time to prepare and cook healthy food at home so opting for fast food is a better and ideal solution for a busy lifestyle.

In the article “Forget Jenny Craig. Hit the Drive-Thru”, it is interesting to know that you can choose now fast food meals without really feeling guilty about the calories though experts have various reactions regarding these reduced calorie fast food menus. Perhaps they question its nutrition content but the fact remains that it is good to have better and healthier option in the fast food restaurants.

In this era of fast pace lifestyle, a meal with less than 200 calories than your usual meal is better than consuming the typical high calorie content of fast food meal.

Read the full article ‘Forget Jenny Craig. Hit the Drive-Thru.’ from NYTimes.com - Fashion and Style.

Have you been eating healthy foods and still not losing weight? Then check your food portion. Perhaps you ordered grilled meat yesterday for your lunch but the portion was doubled than your ideal portion to help you lose weight.

The article of Phillip Rhodes entitled “Why Portion Control Matters” will enlighten you as why it is important to be mindful of the portion served in your plate. Also, Rhodes outlines an interesting explanation as why people generally overeat. It is always a battle between your rational mind and impulsive emotion.

It is also fascinating to know how your subconscious reacts on certain situations. According to study, people are more likely to order the “Triple-Chocolate Black Forest Volcano Cake” than for  a cake which is simply labeled as “chocolate cake”. Do you realize how many times you ordered because the description of the menu is just to appealing to your taste palate?

Let’s face it. Our conscious effort to live a healthy lifestyle is oftentimes sabotage because we are bombarded with striking marketing strategy about foods. Hence, there is always a battle between keeping your weight loss goal and caving in to the alluring ads of delicious rich fat foods.

Indeed people need to be mindful in their portion size when eating because it really matters to your goal to lose weight.

Read the full article ‘’Why Portion Control Matters’ from CNN.com - Health.

Fitness Editorial Credits to Phillip Rhodes, CookingLight.com.