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!

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

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.

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.

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.

• 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!

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!

The cost of gym membership varies, but most range from £30-£50 per month, depending on your chosen package.  If we divide the difference and say on average people are paying £40 per month for their gym membership, that’s £140,000 per month that the gym is taking from people that never use their facillity…..£140,000!! This is obscene!

Do you pay for a gym membership and never go?  Are they taking your money by standing order, so you don’t see how much money you’re throwing away every month?  If so, you are one of the many that are contributing to the £140,000 per month that the gym is making from non-attendees.  You wouldn’t pay for any other service and not use it, would you?

So, if you have no intention of returning to the gym, cancel your membership.

However, if you do want to exercise, have a fitness goal that you want to achieve or want to lose weight, but don’t have the self-discipline and will-power to do it yourself, spend your money wisely on a Personal Trainer.  A Personal Trainer will help you reach your desired goal, by specifically designing a training programme for you, to suit your needs and deliver the results that you want.  Whereas the gym, just wants your money.

You may think that you can’t afford a Personal Trainer, but you can, because if you can afford to give money to the gym every month for nothing, you can afford to pay for a Personal Trainer, who will help you achieve your goal and you’ll spend less money in the long term.  They will keep you motivated and interested with fun and varied exercises, which will maintain your commitment to reach your desired goal.

So, if your thinking  ‘I can’t reach my goal’ or ‘it never works for me’, you can and it will, with a Personal Trainer…..search for one now!

Preparation Time 5 minutes

Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• Lard, goose or duck fat – enough to cover potatoes
• 1 large potato per person – chipped

Method

1. Heat the fat in a deep fat fryer.
2. Once the fat has melted, add the potatoes and fry until golden.

Cooking Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• Large knob of butter
• 1 large onion – chopped
• 4 chicken breasts – chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic – crushed
• 1 red chilli – thinly sliced
• 2 red peppers – chopped
• 200g mushrooms – sliced
• 200g tin of olives – pitted
• 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• Handful of fresh thyme
• Sea salt and black pepper to season

To serve:  Wholewheat pasta or homemade chips cooked in lard, goose or duck fat (see recipes)

Method

1. Heat the butter in a large pan, then add onion and fry until soft.
2. Add the chicken and fry until cooked through.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, add all the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for 15 minutes .