In much the same way as there is a growing trend of blending office-based and working at home days, so the same is true of the fitness sphere. We still need the social aspect of seeing other people and interacting with them, but when that is not possible, what is available at home can bridge the gap.
We also know from hard experience, an hour spent doing strenuous exercise on a cold winter’s evening not only serves you well when it comes to long-term fitness goals, but it also makes you feel pretty pleased with yourself instantly.
Setting a new fitness target at the start of the year can be a bit daunting. For a start, your goals may change. In the after glow of the New Year’s Eve party, you may think that losing weight and eating healthily are your main goals. By the middle of January, just finding a way to stay motivated to go to the gym in the cold, dark evenings could be the target.
For your own sanity, the best approach is to see the whole festive period as a time to do things differently. You know full well that you are in a good state of health and fitness going into the break. A few days of complete relaxation will not set things back to any significant degree. Your waistband may feel but tighter by 2nd January but that is nothing a few days of more intense exercise and some sensible eating will not cure.
The advice when you have an injury is to rest and allow the injured body part to recover. However, there are many situations when it is possible to continue to exercise while isolating the inured part.
It goes without saying, if you have been advised by a medical professional to stop exercising then that should be your course of action but if you have a minor injury, such as a broken finger or a sprained toe, then there are ways to work around this.
Anaerobic exercise is a higher intensity, higher power version of exercise and it is very effective as a means of increasing your fitness levels.
There is every likelihood that you already incorporate this type of fitness into your training regime, but it is worth knowing a bit more about it. This will help you develop a training plan that is more effective and hits your goals and targets.
Anaerobic training is the exercise that leaves you seriously breathless. It is the exercise that you can only do to a high intensity for a very short period of time. Sprinting, jumping, flat-out cycling, weightlifting – these are all forms of anaerobic activity.
The saying goes that any work out is better than no workout. When you are stuck for time, sometimes you need a short, sharp workout that will see you physically and mentally satisfied.
This is where Tabata training comes in. This is a form of high intensity interval training (HITT), which focuses on short, sharp exercises. You work at maximum capacity for 20 seconds and then take a 10 second break before repeating eight times in total. The exercises can be adapted to any fitness level and Tabata training has been recognised as an effective way of improving aerobic fitness as well as building muscle and burning fat.
As someone who exercises hard, how can you make sure your body is getting enough protein to recover from an intense session as well as help you improve your performance and fitness levels?
Single-sided or ‘unilateral’ exercise is when you work on one side of your body at a time. Whether this is alternate leg squats or a single-arm overhead press, by working just one side of your body, you are giving your body a really effective work out.
Studies show that single-sided exercise helps increase muscular balance, improves core strength and assists in injury rehabilitation. It is commonly accepted that everyone has a stronger side and a weaker side, so by exercising one side at a time, you are not allowing the stronger side to dominate.
More than six million of us grab our running shoes and head outdoors or onto the treadmill at least twice a week. It makes sense. Running is something that most people can do. Whether it is a jog or a full-on competitive run, all people need to get going is a decent pair of trainers and some clothes suitable to run in.
