Beauty And The Beach

With Christmas well and truly out of the way, light nights here, your thoughts may turn to getting away for a summer holiday.

If like most people you may have hibernated over the cold winter months, well it's time to dust off those trainers and start exercising and eating healthier in time for baring all (well not literally) as you jet off in search of the beach and sunshine.

Often people make the mistake of leaving things until last minute and then fret about how they will look in a bikini or mankini!!!! I exercise all year round so although my body still needs close care and attention, I feel good about myself and whether I look it or not, that makes all the difference.

If you are one of those who are already panicking about getting your beach wear out, fear not.

Starting on Monday 11th April, I will be taking you through a series of exercises and eating advice to get you on the right track to being ready for that holiday, all for FREE Monday to Friday for the next 6 weeks (or maybe longer) for ALL ages.

I love exercise and what I do so I am more than happy to share my advice with you. I understand that some people need a little bit of daily coaching and motivation to keep them on track.

Get the information delivered straight to your inbox every Mon-Fri so no waiting around. This offer is only available to subscribers.

There will be lots of eating advice, exercise tips and plans for beginners to intermediate, whatever age or shape you are.

There will be easy to follow exercise video's to watch and lots of other tips on looking and feeling great from the inside out.

Get on board and sign up using the form on right hand side of the page. As a special thank you and to get you started, I have arranged access to FOUR free reports that I know you will love.

Looking forward to helping you get started.

Your friend

Franky

Fat Over 40?

As we get older it seems inevitable that weight gain will follow.

I look at friends on social media and celebrities of a certain age and see those that were once slim have now gained quite a few pounds.  I myself weigh a stone heavier than I did in my 30's but are fortunate in that I am still not classed as being overweight.

So what happens as we age to cause this obvious shift in weight?

Well it can be a number of factors.

A change in hormones as we age can cause a shift in weight and is one of the reasons for some.

Also for many people, as they get older their eating habits often stay the same and calories consumed are not reduced. As we get older our bodies are able to function on far less calories than needed, say, 10 years previous.

It is becoming a pattern that many of the more mature nation are turning to a bottle of wine or a beer more nights in the week, thus adding extra calories. That combined with not exercising or cutting back on overall calorie intake is a guaranteed way to piles on the pounds.

So what can we do?

After reading that it would seem obvious what needs to be done:-

Reduce the calories we consume on a daily basis by at least 200-400 per day.

Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes by walking, running, cycling, swimming, weight training, dancing, running up and down the stairs or preferably a combination of 2 or 3 different forms of exercise.

Use alcohol sparingly as a way to relax. There are a lot of calories in the stuff!

Find ways to relax like taking up Yoga or a hobby. Stress is a factor in weight gain.

If in doubt or before taking up any exercise or diet plan it is advisable to speak to your GP.

The Burning Truth About Fat Pills

Swallow the buzzword-strewn advertising and you’ll conclude that fat burners are the ‘rapid-fire’ way to ‘annihilate’ body fat and generally get the body you want without quite so much effort. The marketing bumph works, with yearly sales exceeding £900m. But with broad ingredients list on each bottle, what is in the pills that you’re popping? MH gets into the common additives promising to reduce your love handles.

Suppressing fire

A highly popular chemical in fat burner, glucomannan has an instant effect on your appetite. A natural thickening agent, it absorb liquid and expands in the stomach to super-size meals from the inside out, helping your feel fuller for longer. The effect sounds excessive, but actually it’s no different to thickening soups and while the benefits have been proven for those suffering obesity, the side effects are just as real; you’ll need to stay close to the facilities, in other words.

Green Tea Party

Green-tea extract is one of the more natural options when it comes to giving your metabolism a boost. Containing plant-derived polyphenols it acts to increase your livers' ability to process out fat. For a short-term kick they deliver, and can help you jump-starting weight loss. But be wary once you get back in the gym - according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, green tea extra also increases fat oxidation limiting your ability to use stored fat to power your workouts.

Binding agreement

'Fat-binding' pills stick to fat molecules, make them too big for pancreatic enzymes to break down, sending them straight through your system. Unfortunately, in doing so they can scoop up essential muscle-maintaining vitamins, too.  "Consumption can result in malabsorption of useful nutrients and fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K," says Dr Igho Onakpoya, Researcher at the University of Oxford's Centre for Evidence Based Medicine. "In addition, high levels of caffeine can have laxative effects, leading to diarrhoea and imbalance in body constituents such as sodium, chloride and potassium - necessary for normal body function."

Heavy Metal Hit

The diverse mix of ingredients in fat-burners makes you urinate more frequently, too, resulting in a loss of calcium. Some do try and compensate with extra calcium compounds but these manufactured replacements can overcrowd your intestines, interfering with your natural zinc and iron absorption, effecting oxygen transportation and proper carb breakdown. This can mean your workouts can start to feel heavy, so if you’re training hard you’re better off going clean.

Source:menshealth.co.uk/lose-weight/the-burning-truth-about-fat-pills

How Dogs Boost Your Immune System

Whether it’s a slobbery St Bernard or a pug-sized handbag filler coming at you, to swat away your canine is to do your body a disservice. A research team at the University of Arizona is currently investigating the link between bacteria found in dog’s saliva and your health. Spoiler: it looks like the cultures found in Rex might be the missing link in your immune system.

The connection surrounds something known as the ‘hygiene hypothesis’, which suggests our modern day obsession with cleanliness has left our bodies incapable of reacting appropriately. Not only does our pernickety approach to what we touch leave us open to attacks from bad bacteria, it also leaves our immune systems hyperactive to harmless substances like pollen, and results in allergies.

Dogs work like a probiotic, helping you to develop healthy bacteria colonies that in turn boost your immune system – stopping you getting ill and, potentially, keeping you from having to spend all summer guzzling hayfever tablets like a labrador does dog treats. So, whether you head to your local rescue centre and teach an old dog new tricks, or pick up a puppy, your new multi-vitamin comes with four legs.

A dog for life

We’ve sniffed out three more disease-fighting doggy treats, because he’s more than a one trick puppy.

• Prostate cancer. Pub fact: when trained, dogs can sniff out one of man’s scariest diseases with 90% certainty. You just need to choose between a wet nose and a latex-gloved finger, according to the Journal of Urology.
• 
  
• High blood pressure. If work life has you close to boiling point, a furry friend can help you cool off. A quick game of fetch will reduce stress and help ease the pressure on your heart.
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• Heart disease. Beating man’s biggest killer can be as simple as staying active. Letting Fido drag you around the local park is enough to double the distance you walk every week, so says the University of Victoria, Canada

Source: menshealth.co.uk/healthy/how-dogs-boost-your-immune-system

Quick Workout That Burns More Calories Than Sprinting

If you want to blast the calories quicker then forget the treadmill or exercise bike and grab yourself a kettlebell. A 12 minute workout can burn more calories than a hard cardio workout.

Try it for yourself.

Do each exercise for 1 minute. Rest for 20 seconds in between each round and 10 seconds between each exercise. Perform all exercises as one round. Try to aim for 3 rounds.

Sumo Squats

Standing with your feet twice shoulder width, squat holding a kettlebell with both hands.

Swing

Bends at the hips to pick the kettlebell up. Thrust it between your legs and up to shoulder height in a swing motion. Keep swinging up and down.

Clean & Press

Holding a kettlebell in front of you. Fiercely pull it up and 'catch' it at shoulder height. Press it overhead.

Sumo Deadlift

Holding your kettlebell, in a wide leg stance, push hips back to lower your torso. Rise back up, torso straight.

Why I Embrace Getting Older

Many people fear getting older and who knows one day I may feel the same but for now I have no fear of ageing.

Here's why:

For me I feel much happier in a lot of ways. I have learned to be happy with my body and love the shape it is in (even though it is not as toned or slim as it use to be). However, I accept that I will never weigh what I did in say my 20's/30's but when I look back I was extremely toned but probably too slim. I do feel happier weighing more.

I enjoy the challenge of exercising and keeping on top on my weight, whereas in my younger days I would always exercise because I enjoyed it but could eat what I liked. There was no real challenge for me.

I have found that my confidence has grown as I've aged too. Possibly because now I am a mum I need to be a good role model for my daughter, especially in today's society. Far too many youngsters are growing up with body anxieties and feeling like they have to live up to a certain degree of perfection in the way they look.

Getting older has made me a lot wiser too. I have always been what I would call 'soft natured' and sometimes that has been my downfall. People have taken advantage of that. Now I am much more assertive and will not stand for nonsense. If I don't like something or the way someone is treating me I will say so and if necessary think twice about having them in my life.

Growing up I found I needed to pay less attention to my looks and body and though some may think that's a good thing, for me I now enjoy the care and attention I give myself. I believe looking after myself more has made me a happier person and more attentive to what my body needs.

So for me personally, getting older has changed me for the better and I will go on embracing each day 😁

Why fat people have a worse memory than thin people

Fat people have a worse memory than thin people, experts have found.

In a small study, tests showed being overweight was linked to worse “episodic memory” or the ability to recall past experiences.

Ann the research published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology says a less vivid memory of recent meals may lead to overeating.

However, other aspects of memory like general knowledge were unaffected by weight.

Fifty people with a Body Mass Index ranging from 18 (healthy) to 51 (very obese) took part in a memory test where they had to “hide” objects at different times and on different scenes displayed on a computer screen.

They were later asked to recall what they had hidden, when and where. The results revealed obese people’s scores were 15% lower than thinner people.

Dr Lucy Cheke, of the University of Cambridge , said: “The suggestion we’re making is that a higher BMI is having some reduction on the vividness of memory, but they’re not drawing blanks and having amnesia.

“But if they have a less strong memory of a recent meal, with a less strong impact in the mind, then they may have less ability to regulate how much they eat later on.”

Hunger hormones play a huge role in how much we eat, but it is believed our minds play a role too.

People watching TV while they have their dinner have been shown to eat more or feel hungrier sooner. And those with amnesia will have repeated meals in a short period of time.

Two in three adults in the UK are overweight or obese.

Dr Cheke added: “It is too early to talk in terms of advice, but we are certainly beginning to observe the mechanisms that obesity perpetuates itself.

“Concentrating on your food has been a message for a long time, but that may be a bit harder if you’re overweight. Hopefully knowing what’s going on will help us to develop ways of helping people.”

Source:msn.com/en-gb/health/fitness/why-fat-people-have-a-worse-memory-than-thin-people/ar-BBq4OdM

Habits That Age You

Ageing is inevitable, but you can still feel and look younger than your years if you know a few facts. If you’re fatigued in the middle of the day or notice new lines on your face in the morning, your everyday habits may be adding more years to you than you know. Experts give advice on ways to turn back the clock.

YOU’RE A NIGHT OWL

Staying up late is fun in your teens, but burning the midnight oil can make you look older as you age. Beauty sleep is not just an old wives' tale. “Sleep deprivation causes bags under the eyes and droopy, tired eyelids and pallor,” says Dr. Allen Towfigh, a board-certified sleep medicine doctor and neurologist.

“This makes us look less healthy, and, hence, we appear less attractive to others.” To determine how much sleep you need to look your best, add up the number of hours of sleep you get over a period of two weeks (including naps) and divide by 14.

YOU HOLD GRUDGES

If you’re unable to let bygones be bygones, you may add years to your body. Several studies show a link between forgiveness and physical health. A study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine from 2005 showed that a lack of forgiveness increased nervous symptom activity, contributing to a greater number of medications taken and decreased sleep quality.

“Holding a grudge increases stress, which boosts levels of the hormone cortisol,” says Dr. Jennifer Landa, chief medical officer of BodyLogicMD, an anti-aging network. “Cortisol contributes to weight gain, raises blood pressure, elevates blood sugar and increases the risk of diabetes.” Learn how to let go, and you may live longer.

YOU SLEEP FOR LESS THAN FIVE HOURS A NIGHT

"Such a routine during college might be fine, but it needs to change as early as possible. Apart from giving yourself dark circles, you also shorten your life with insufficient sleep. Sleeping within the seven-hour range is optimal," says sleep specialist, Dr. Casciari.

Consciously make efforts to go to bed early if you show symptoms of lack of sleep, like fatigues during daytime, mental lethargy, deficit of attention or weight gain.

YOU HAVE A SWEET TOOTH

If you never say no to dessert, you may be saying yes to more wrinkles. “Sugar increases aging of every part of our body,” says Landa. “Eating a diet high in sugar will not only damage your waistline but it will increase your risk of diabetes and can even cause skin problems, especially acne and wrinkles.”

When you eat sugar a process called glycation occurs, where the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins, forming new molecules called advanced glycation end products, or AGEs for short. These AGEs damage nearby protein fibers that keep skin elastic.

“A better choice would be dark chocolate with low sugar, or if you need to use sweeteners, consider monk fruit, a natural sweetener that doesn’t raise blood sugar,” suggests Landa.

YOU RUB YOUR EYES

Tired eyes? Avoid rubbing them if you want to stay younger-looking. Rubbing your eyes breaks down the collagen and elasticity around the area, which produces wrinkles and broken capillaries. “The skin in this area is incredibly thin and extremely sensitive and vulnerable to sun damage and wrinkling,” says Dr. Dennis Gross, a dermatologist.

“This is why rubbing your eyes may result in broken capillaries.” For relief from tired or irritated eyes, instead of rubbing them, try brewing two green tea bags, allow them to cool and place them over your eyes for 10 minutes. If you are concerned about broken capillaries, look for ingredients that build collagen. Applying creams that contain vitamins K and D, as well as including them as part of a balanced diet, can also help. 

YOU SMOKE

It’s time to kick those butts to the curb if you want to live a long, healthy life. A clear link between smoking and longevity exists, and the earlier you quit the more years you add to your life. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2002 showed that smokers who quit at age 35 add approximately eight years to their life, compared with people who continue to smoke. Smokers who quit at age 65 add between two to four years of longevity.

“Smoking causes the release of free radicals . . . which is like rust for your body,” says Landa. “Smokers have higher risks of almost any disease under the sun, including cancer, heart disease, dementia and generally premature death.”

Source:msn.com/en-gb/health/nourishyourhealth/19-habits-that-age-you/ss-BBmLMjr#image=18