Health and fitness

Is three lots of 10 minutes short bursts of exercise more effective than trudging out 10,000 steps?

When you take part in an exercise class or workout in a group, you are doing more than just getting a good work out.

According to a study carried out at the University of New England, USA, by the American Osteopathic Association, taking part in an exercise class leads to lower levels of stress – sometimes as much as 26 per cent lower than people who exercise alone.

Low Intensity Interval Training (LIIT) takes a little longer to complete than a HIIT session, which might be its downfall in our time-starved world, but it will burn the same calories as a solid HIIT session while being a little less brutal on the body.

The start of the year is a boom time for gyms as people across the country make the resolution to get fitter. Whether it is to burn off an excess of festive fare, improve your levels of health, reduce your stress levels, train for an event or increase your social circles – at the start of a new year, many people will turn to the gym. Unfortunately, for many, hitting the quitting point follows on just a few months later.

It is a time of year when the temptations to eat, drink and party far outweighs the health benefits of exercise and diet. So yes, it is a challenge to keep fit at Christmas but, then, who said keeping fit and healthy was easy? Here, we offer a few tips and pieces of advice gleaned from personal trainers and health and fitness bloggers.

Motivating ourselves to stay healthy often means looking for new challenges or new ways of keeping fit. So we are taking a look at 2018 fitness trends and working out what will be hot in the New Year.

There are all sorts of sports party activities on offer for children depending upon group size and the age of the children. Whether it is something competitive and high-tempo such as football, basketball or volleyball or something that involves technique and concentration, such as climbing or archery, giving the children the chance to get involved in a sporting activity is a perfect way to entertain a group of children while promoting a healthy attitude towards sport.

Creating a healthy workplace for staff is an investment that every business, large or small, should consider. The advantages for your business include: less hours lost through illness, good staff retention rates and a positive working environment.

A relatively new kid on the block is Broga, which is a combination of stretching, strength work and yoga. The fitness website BrogaYoga describes it as “the best core-strengthening, muscle-toning, cardio-working, stress-reducing, clarity-enhancing yoga postures combined with functional fitness exercises for an amazing workout.”