Fitness Matrix

You can do this by incorporating another exercise into your training programme.  Adding another aspect to your training, shakes-up your body and forces it to exercise in a different way, which makes your aerobic system and muscles work in a different way.

Spinning classes and Kettlebell training are two excellent ways to do this, as they are non-impact and provide a whole body workout, that puts more demands on your body than other forms of exercise.

Varying your exercise regime will keep you stimulated and interested for your main sport, while enhancing and complimenting it.

Give it a try and see the results for yourself!

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When the body reaches the age of mid-forties, the decline in level of fitness accelerates.  You can slow down this process by staying slim with good nutrition, don’t over-eat, reduce your intake of alcohol, don’t smoke and follow a structured exercise programme designed specifically to suit you.

If you pay attention to these minor areas, it can improve your quality of life and increase your chance of longevity.

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Most people that exercise are doing too much, because they become addicted or maybe they are not seeing any results from their hard work, so they train even more and harder.

Exercising too much has a negative effect on your body, because it takes it out of the ‘growth zone’ and into the ‘over-training zone’.  When you over-train your body you place it in a catabolic state, which means that it is breaking-down rather than building, so the exercise you are doing is making your body weaker.

The way to avoid this happening, is to have a structured training programme that incorporates ‘rest days’, because your body only recovers, repairs and builds, when you are resting.  If you train one day and rest the next, you give your body the chance to repair and build after one session, from which there is little to recover from.  But, if you train all week and only rest at the weekend, your body has to recover, repair and build after a whole week of exercising, which places more demand on your body.

You don’t have to do one day on and one day off, but don’t exercise more than three days consecutively.  You’ll find that you feel stronger and have more energy, which will help you train better and produce positive results.

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Most people fall-short in this area when training themselves, yet it is one of the most, if not the most, important area to focus on.  If your balance is not being challenged, then your training is not being maximised.

The best way to improve your balance and your core strength, which provides your body with strength and stability, is to exercise on unstable surfaces, with equipment such as a Bosu, a stability ball or something as simple as an inflated disc.  These types of equipment are largely neglected and often ignored in gyms, because most people don’t know what to do with them.

Training with equipment that provides an unstable surface, creates the biggest challenge for your body, as it must maintain balance and stability, which forces your core to work harder, thereby giving you inner strength and improving your balance.

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Ingredients

Sponge

• 4oz Butter
• 4oz Brown sugar
• 4oz Wholemeal self-raising flour
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 tsp Baking powder

Filling

• 250g Mascarpone cheese
• 4 x 125g Longley Farm vanilla yoghurt
• 2 tbsp Vanilla extract
• 150ml Freshly squeezed orange juice
• 100ml Grand Marnier (you’ve got to have a treat!)
• 400g Fresh raspberries
• 2 tbsp Brown sugar

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs, then fold in flour and baking powder.
2. Pour mixture into a greased 7 inch loaf tin and bake on gas mark 4 for 40-45 mins.  When done, use half and freeze the rest for next time.
3. Simmer raspberries, sugar and a little water for 5-10 mins.  Strain through a sieve, pressing the raspberries to extract as much of the juice as possible.  Keep the juice to drizzle over the trifle before you serve.
4. Whisk the mascarpone, yoghurt and vanilla together until smooth.
5. Cut the sponge into fingers.
6. Combine orange juice with Grand Marnier, dip in the sponge fingers and place in a trifle bowl.
7. Cover sponge with raspberries, then mascarpone cream.
8. Repeat process of sponge, raspberries and mascarpone cream.
9. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
10. Indulge yourself with this heavenly dessert!

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Yes, it can!

If you regularly run on even, unchallenging surfaces, your body is being challenged considerably less, so it can become weaker in areas such as the ankle, knee, hip and lower spine, which will make you susceptible to injury.

The best way to increase your strength, flexibility and to give yourself a more challenging workout, is to run on uneven surfaces such as cross-country, as this forces your body to keep you balanced and makes it work harder to achieve this.

My preference for a more challenging workout, is to run barefoot on the beach.  This is getting back to nature as the feet are not supported by running shoes, so they must support themselves, which increases strength and flexibility.  It also creates less impact on your body, as every step is cushioned by the sand.

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Vary your workouts

If you continually do the same exercises and training programmes, your body moves onto ‘auto-pilot’ and reaches a plateau, where you cease to progress.  By varying the type, duration and intensity of exercise, it will demand more of your body, not allowing it to reach your ‘auto-pilot’ mode and producing better results.

Give yourself time to recover

Your body only repairs and builds, when you rest.  It is vital that you allow your body to recover after exercising, by ensuring that you get a good 8hrs sleep.  By giving yourself time to rest and repair, you will feel stronger, fitter and more motivated for your next training session.

Listen to your body

Your body will tell you if you are over-training.  If you feel irritable, lose your appetite, are not sleeping well or lack energy when you’re training; your body wants a day-off from exercise……so listen to it!  It will thank you for it!

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of oats
• soya/rice/nut or dairy milk – to suit your choice of consistency
• 1-2 tablespoons of probiotic yoghurt
• 1/2 sliced banana or fruit of your choice
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or mixed spice
• 1 tablespoon of whole or ground seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax etc) can be added if you like for extra nutrition

Method

1. To make the oats nice and creamy, soak them in the milk for about 30 mins.
2. Mix in all the other ingredients and eat…..yum!

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A workout with a Kettlebell, is one of the best whole body exercises you can give yourself!

It increases your strength, endurance and agility, in addition to improving your proprioception (your body’s innate balance).  While it challenges your muscular and cardiovascular systems with dynamic, compound movements, it mainly targets the posterior chain of your body, particularly the Glute muscles.  The Glutes are the laziest muscles in the body and once they are ‘fired-up’, the mechanics of your body work more efficiently and are more productive.

So, Kettlebell training….reaches the parts, other exercises can’t!

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The Myth

“If you only occasionally have 10 or 15 mins spare to exercise, what is the point?”

The Reality

Working at a higher intensity for short periods, will use more energy and burn more fuel; getting you fitter and slimmer in less time.

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