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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Two years later Bev is talking about doing ultra running events. This can involve being on your feet pounding the streets, hills or moors for a distance of 100 miles taking many hours!

I‘ll stick to my half marathon for now!

When we met up Bev had planned a nice hour run (so she said!) Incorporating some of her local routes she said she wasn’t sure of the distance! (Heard that before haven’t we ladies), it was a cold day with a good amount of snow underfoot so speed was not the focus just a nice jog!!!!!

Ok so the shoes were on the other foot now, Bev was in control as I had no idea where I was, it’s strange but I started to feel she was enjoying the fact that I was the one who was anxious as to how far we will be running and would there be hills and was I going to keep the pace.

Well after about half an hour we discovered that our GPS watches which we are so hung up on telling us the distance pace and time of our runs take were not synched and Bev was showing me we had run 5 miles!! And mine said 3, ok I thought I will have to keep an eye on this as we were an hour in and I was beginning to think we were lost. Bev was just running in front saying “you ok not far now about 10 mins now” where have I heard that before!!!! I thought to myself … If Bev has been zapped by the power of FitFarms that means it’s at least another 2 miles and probably half a hour before we get back!! What do you know 8.9 miles and 1hr 40 later we arrived back at Bev’s house.

A great run I enjoyed every minute of being led by a lady who could only run for 30 seconds 2 years ago. It goes to show everything is possible

Thought of the month

We can all succeed if we focus our minds on it. Treat your health and fitness the same as you do your careers, we all have the drive and determination to be successful in our lives to earn more money or improve our profile, it’s the same with fitness and weight loss.

Focus on your goal, create the most vivid image of want you want to achieve, revisit the image on a regular basis to maintain your enthusiasm. Make sure you see yourself in a picture as this is a powerful motivator, visiting your future image through your own eyes.

Next month I’ll bring you news of my first half marathon time and my big plans for November.

Keep moving

Julie Brealy
FitFarms Health Manager

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

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 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.

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.

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.