Feel good by keeping fit.  Fancy new fitness clothing? Check out our article below. Also: Get the most out of Moreactive4life,  Stretch and Plan your Exercise Programme.

Fitness Clothing

Tricia writes:

My work clothes consist mainly of fitness clothing which I usually purchase  from two companies. My favourite is Gossypium based in Lewes, Brighton and on-line.  Gossypium is a family business selling organic, fair-trade products. Gossypium sells clothing  for both men and women plus absolutely gorgeous baby clothes. If anyone remembers the fashion for sewing clothes from Cloth Kits, Gossypium are recreating this experience with their own kits for dressmaking. Bedlinen and towels are also a favourite.

For my Pilates practice, I love Gossypium’s foldover yoga trousers. Made from 97%organic cotton with just a 3% touch of lycra, they are soft and comfortable. You can bend, stretch and twist in comfort. The trousers come in a normal and longer length. I have these lovely yoga pants in hues of blue, green, purple and black so that I can ring the changes. My favourite pair is the elderberry, purple colour. Resist the temptation to wash the trousers on hot or to tumble dry them: you may well find they shink if you do. My gossypium yoga trousers usually last for a couple of years, even though I use them intensively. Currently, the trousers are retailing at £35.00. There are sometimes discount voucher codes available on the voucher code sites. Although the trousers might be considered a little pricey, I believe they represent excellent value. Gossypium also sell fitness tops including a rather cute tunic that avoids the midriff gap issue when you stretch.

Sweaty Betty is another favourite of mine. Geared rather more to current fashion trends, Sweaty Betty are hot on style. Their clothing selection changes regularly with a constant selection of gorgeous colours. There are frequent sales, which is when I buy my clothing. I did try the yoga pants, but found that the fabric was thin on one pair and they balled. They looked great for a few weeks. On my other pair, the seams were rather meanly cut and within two wears a hole had appeared in a rather embarrassing place. Hot on style, but not so great on endurance.

I love my pink trainer bag which I purchased half price in the sale, and my vest tops from Sweaty Betty have been amazing. They do not bag too much at the neck when you lean forward and are long enough not to give an embarrassing gap at the midriff. The colours range from standard black and white to whatever is currently in season. Sweaty Betty sells gym, yoga, ski and beach wear.

Below, see the clothes in action. I am wearing Gossypium pants and a Sweaty Betty top.

How to get the most out of Moreactive4life

Pat writes:

Moreactive4life is a new government campaign run in conjunction with the Fitness Industry Association (FIA), which gives free access to 1000 gyms and leisure centres around the country, including LA Fitness, Nuffield Health and Fitness First.

Anyone interested can choose from three courses: a free one-day gym pass with advice from instructors, a six-week programme of at least six gym sessions, or a six-week walking group.  Each gym has 30 free pedometers to hand out.  Nutrition and lifestyle advice is also thrown in.

I recently registered for the free one-day gym pass, and did not find it a very satisfactory experience. 

With hindsight, if I had done a few things differently, I would have extracted more value from the pass.   

Here is the way I should have done things:

After you have registered your interest on the website (address given below), you will eventually receive a telephone call from your nearest participating gym or leisure centre. In my case, about 10 days passed before I heard anything, so be patient.  On the bright side, this gives you time to compile a list of questions.

When I was called, I was asked to make an appointment to be shown the gym. I chose a time that I thought would be convenient for me, and that would enable me to use the gym twice within the 24 hour period.

Instead, I should have said something like: ‘I am a 58 year old woman, and have not used a gym for a very long time.  I am not very confident about trying this.  What time do you think would be best for me to visit the gym.’

I should also have asked, ‘Is there anything I should bring with me, such as a bottle of water?’

It turned out that when I visited my local gym it was full of teenage boys, because I arrived during the ‘after-school slot’.  Perhaps even if I had asked I would not have been advised of a better time, but at least by stating your position you improve the chance of getting a favourable time.

At the gym, I was asked to fill in a form with personal information, such as name, address, age, general health etc.  I had to sign a disclaimer about using the gym equipment without a full induction.

The young woman who met me then  explained that I had access to the gym for 24 hours.  In addition, I  could join in any classes during the period, but could not pre-book.  I could also use the swimming pool at the local secondary school.

Then she showed me the gym.  This consisted of walking around the gym and pointing out the equipment.

At the time when I filled in the form  I should have reiterated that I had not been in a gym for a few years and would welcome as much information as possible.  Once in the gym I should have asked to be shown how to use the equipment that might best suit my needs.

As it happened, after the assistant left I decided to have a go on one of the treadmills.  It took me ages to work out how to make it move at a reasonable pace.  Eventually I got started, and walked a mile.  Then I was thirsty, but discovered that there was a water dispenser, but no cups.  All the regulars knew that they had to bring their own containers, but nobody had warned me.

On my way out, I asked for information about the swimming pool.  Because it was still term-time, the public session available was 7 to 9 am – too early for me.  If I had arranged my 24 hours at a different time I might have been able to have a free swim.

I was not offered any information about what classes were taking place in my 24 hour slot, but I could have asked.  While I was asking, I could have found out about available spaces, but that only occurred to me on my way home.

If there is a moral to this, it is ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get.’

To access this programme, log on to wwwmoreactive4life.co.uk, enter your personal details and postcode and then wait for someone to contact you with more information.

Has anyone else signed up for this programme?  Let us know on Talk Back.

Feeling ‘squashed’? Enjoy a good streeeeeeeeeetch.

These stretches are for those in good health. If you have medical concerns, check with your doctor before attempting stretches or any other exercise programme. Never force or bounce a stretch, injuries can result. Everyone person is different, so listen to your body. What is a good stretch for one person might not be for another.

Tight muscles can pull the joints out of alignment, causing tension, restricting range of movement and causing excess wear and tear on the joint. There are many reasons for back pain but it can be due to tight muscles. Our bodies all vary. For example, the shape of the hip socket is something we cannot change, but it dictates much of our range of movement in the hip. Stretching can allow increase in range of movement by allowing the muscles to lengthen.

The benefits of stretching include; a greater range of movement, less likelihood of sore muscles, less muscle fatigue and improved muscular function.

Kneeling Reach Forward Stretch.

Kneel with your buttocks on your feet. Reach forward along the floor with your hands. Your head is resting between your arms.

If you wish to moderate the stretch, popping a cushion under the knees creates extra space for the knee joint.

This is a lovely stretch for the back.

Main muscle stretched: Latissimus dorsi.

Lying Knee to Chest Stretch

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Draw one knee up to your chest. Hug with your hands under the knee. By hugging under the knee rather than on top, you are avoiding compressing the knee joint. Slide the other leg away from you along the floor.

This lovely stretch is for the bottom and the back. It also facilitates a little releasing of the muscles at the front of the leg if they are tight.

Main muscle stretched: Gluteus maximus  

Lying Double Knee to Chest Stretch

Lie on your back, keeping your head on the ground. Bring one knee up to the chest, then bring the other up to join it. Hug with your hands under the knees. By hugging under the knees rather than on top, you are avoiding compressing the knee joint.

This stretches muscles in the bottom and the back.

Main muscle stretched: Gluteus maximus 

Lying Whole Body Stretch

Lie on your back. Slide one leg away from you along the floor, then slide the other one away too so that both legs are lengthened away from you resting on the ground. Push though your heels drawing your toes towards your face. Feel the stretch through the calves. Keeping your chest gently drawn in so that the back does not arch up, take both arms over the head in the direction of the floor (they will not touch the floor). Keep lengthened through your wrists and the fingers.

This is a lovely whole body stretch.

Main muscles stretched: Serratus anterior and Latissimus dorsi 

Lying Bent Knee Hamstring Stretch

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Bring one knee to the chest, holding the leg under the thigh, Slowly lengthen the foot away in the direction of the ceiling as if you were aiming to straighten the leg. Try to keep the tailbone down on the mat and the shoulders drawn down away from your ears. Optional: slide the other leg away from you straightening it out along the floor.

This is a hamstring stretch to lengthen the muscles at the back of the upper leg.

Main muscles stretched: Semimembranosus, Semitendinosus, Biceps femoris.

Remember:

Warm up before stretching with moderate activity of about ten minutes. Never try to stretch a cold, tense muscle.

Move slowly and carefully into stretches.

Stretch just to the point of tension. Do not attempt to force a stretch.

Be patient. Results take time, especially if you are more senior in years.

Keep breathing whilst you stretch; avoid holding your breathe.

Hold your stretch for around twenty to thirty seconds. Perform  stretches twice if you have the time.

Planning Your Exercise Programme

Exercise has many benefits. For a start, endorphins are released, giving your mood a lift,  increasing your sense of wellbeing. If you are a little overweight, exercise assists in loosing those flabby bits when combined with a healthy diet. Muscular strength can improve too, together with your balance, co-ordination and blood pressure. Regular exercise may also lower the risk of some cancers and diabetes and weight bearing exercise may help to maintain bone density. Functional fitness isn't training for a martathon, it's keeping fit to carry out the activities in our daily lives and maintain a healthy body as far as is under our control.

There are five main areas to consider. Aerobic, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and motor fitness. Our abilities in these areas are influenced by our body shape.  

Aerobic exercise is necessary for heart health. We need to maintain a good supply of oxyen to our muscles. This is exercise such as walking at a reasonable pace (not a slow stroll), swimming, football, netball, tennis, badminton, dancing and cycling. If you join a gym, there are cardio vascular machines that you can use such as the cross trainer too. Aerobic exercise may mean that you become a little breathless, but you shouldn’t allow yourself to become exhausted, for example, you should be able to hold a conversation whilst walking at a pace. Activities such as gardening and housework can also be aerobic, depending on the intensity.

Muscular Strength.

This refers to the power of a muscle to contract e.g. to lift a weight. Training to maintain/improve muscular strength could include the use of resistance bands or weights, activities such as rock climbing or some martial arts plus the weight bearing moves in mat-work classes such as pilates.

Core strength exercises focus on working the deep internal muscles that support the spine, thus reducing possibility of back problems in many individuals. Fitball workouts and pilates can increase core fitness.

M

Muscular Endurance

This refers to how well a muscle can contract repeatedly for an extended time without cramping up.

Flexibility

Flexibility is largely determined by how our bones fit together, for example, consider the influence of the shape of the hip socket on the movement of the joint. This we cannot control, but we can influence the length of the muscles surrounding the joint with stretches. 

M

Motor Fitness

This is how well your nervous system functions regarding sending signals to your muscles affecting areas such as co-ordination and balance.

Flexibility

This is largely determined by the shape of our joints but we can influence the stretch of the surrounding muscles. You may find the following link helpful:

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/Stretching_Exercises.htm

The current official recommendation is that healthy adults achieve a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five times a week, although some believe that the word ‘moderate’ is often being interpreted a little too gently! You do need to become slightly breathless (slightly is the word here, don't overdo thingsm either) to gain benefit to your heart health.

It is important to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise regime if you have any concerns at all. For those with medical conditions such as heart, back or joint problems, or who are new to exercise, this is especially important. Strength training may need to be more moderate for those with heart problems.  Exercise has many benefits for most pregnant women, but, if you’re pregnant do check with your doctor or midwife regarding the suitability of the type of exercise. For example, contact sports (where there could be abdominal injury) and activities which involve exercises lying on the back (due to the weight of baby affecting the blood flow whilst exercising) would be unsuitable.

Example of Exercise Programme:

Walking or cycling three times a week for thirty minutes becoming slightly breathless. Stretches following session.

Covered- Cardiac, strength, endurance if cycling and motor fitness. Stretch.

Dance class once a week. Cardiac, strength, endurance and motor fitness. Stretches may also be covered depending on the class.

Housework which makes you a little out of breath at various times throughout the week. Cardiac, strength and endurance.

A routine of whole body stretches for a few minutes a day would complete this programme.

Walk to a friend’s house instead of taking the car.

Have a turn at skipping with your child’s rope.

Turn the television off for an hour in the evening and get busy with cleaning the house.

Park the car a little further from your place of work and walk or get off the bus a stop earlier than usual.

Use the stairs instead of the lift.

Play hide and seek, hunt the thimble or a ball game with your child, grandchild,

niece, nephew etc.

Play twister, it’s weight bearing (don’t do this if you have a bad back).

Take the kids to the park.

If it’s practical, walk to talk to colleagues at work rather than using e-mail.

Do some feather dusting around the house, reach those high up cobwebs!

Take a walk to the newsagents to pay the paper bill.

Find that long forgotten exercise video or dvd, dust it off, watch it all the way through first to check it’s OK for you to do, then if so, get active!

Have a hunt for neglected fitness equipment. Do you have a stability ball, stretch band, exercise bike, hand weights or similar lurking in the depths of your home unused? If so, you know what to do!

Go shopping (see Pat’s feature in Style). You will need to walk.

Get dancing indoors to your favourite music, you could even grab your partner!

Take the family, or yourself, swimming.

Go for a brisk walk just for the sake of it.  If you walk with a partner/friend, this can make it more fun.

Wash the paintwork in one room.

Tidy up the garden if you have one.

Visit you local museum or art gallery, you will have to walk around rather that sitting at home watching TV and eating.

Walk to your local duck pond to feed the ducks.

Walk to the library to borrow books or dvds for the winter evenings.

Visit the zoo.

Go for a walk in the woods.

Join a conservation group and participate in practical projects.

Join a local walking group such as The Ramblers Association.

Participate in a health walk (your local council sports centre may have details). 

If your finances stretch to it you could consider the following:

Take the family/friends bowling.

Book a badminton or indoor tennis court.

Go ice skating.

Visit a National Trust Property or similar (a few open in winter, check first).



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