Get Active For Mental Wellbeing

Being active is great for your physical health and fitness, and evidence shows that it can also improve your mental wellbeing.

We think that the mind and body are separate. But what you do with your body can have a powerful effect on your mental wellbeing.

Mental wellbeing means feeling good – both about yourself and about the world around you. It means being able to get on with life in the way you want.

Evidence shows that there is a link between being physically active and good mental wellbeing.

Being active doesn’t mean you need to spend hours in the gym, if that doesn't appeal to you. Find physical activities that you enjoy and think about how to fit more of them into your daily life.

How exercise helps your mental wellbeing 

Scientists think that physical activity helps maintain and improve wellbeing in a number of ways.

Physical activity can help people with mild depression. Evidence shows that it can also help protect people against anxiety.

Physical activity is thought to cause chemical changes in the brain, which can help to positively change our mood.

Some scientists think that being active can improve wellbeing because it brings about a sense of greater self-esteem, self-control and the ability to rise to a challenge.

Source:nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/mental-benefits-of-exercise.aspx

Should You Exercise If You Have A Cold?

Colds are more common in winter, but you don't necessarily have to stop exercising if you're feeling under the weather. According to Dr Keith Hopcroft, a GP from Basildon in Essex, use common sense and listen to your body.

"If your symptoms are not severe and you generally feel OK, then you can exercise. If you feel absolutely rotten, then it's best not to go."

However, it is important not to exercise if you have a fever. A fever is when your body's temperature is 38C (100.4F) or above and is rarely a symptom of a cold.

"If you exercise with a fever," says Dr Hopcroft, "it'll make you feel worse. In very rare cases, exercising with a fever can lead to the virus affecting your heart, which can be dangerous."

If you have asthma, take extra care when exercising in winter as cold air can trigger symptoms. Use your inhaler before you exercise and have it with you during your activity.

Keep Warm

If you're starting a new exercise regime, don't overdo it. Slowly build the amount of exercise you do. If you can't manage 30 minutes in one go, break it up into 10-minute chunks.

Always warm-up for up to 10 minutes before you start. Walk at a brisk pace, or jog to warm your muscles.

Make sure you're warm if you're going outside. Wear several layers to keep the heat in. A lot of heat escapes through your head, so consider wearing a hat as well.

Source:nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/pages/winterexercise.aspx

Reasons To Exercise In Winter

Research has shown time and again that regular exercise strengthens your immune system so it can fight off bacterial and viral infections. This becomes particularly important in winter when colds and flu rear their ugly heads.When you exercise and get your blood pumping, immune cells circulate through your body more quickly helping them seek and destroy infections. But this boost only lasts for a few hours, so exercise needs to be regular for long-term effects.

Whether it’s the usual winter blues or the more serious SAD (seasonal affective disorder) putting a gloom over the colder months. A daily workout releases feel-good, de-stress brain chemicals, gives you a break from the daily grind and helps ease depression. Plus, if you combine exercise with the great outdoors you can cheer yourself up even more!

We know that after exercise, the brain releases the “feel-good” chemicals serotonin and dopamine, which can help to reduce anxiety and depression while boosting wellbeing,”45 minutes in the day could change your whole outlook on winter!!

Being cooped up with nothing but heaters to keep the air moving means fresh air is much harder to come by in winter! Generally, the air outside is healthier then that inside so going for a walk or run outside gives your lungs a chance to detox and breathe deeply without concern for breathing in other people’s bugs (at home or from the office!)

In the colder months it is so easy to turn to comfort food, because its so satisfying and it makes us feel good, well for a little anyway, and then we feel guilty. Its so easy to become a hibernating bear! No wonder it’s known as the ‘winter weight gain’ period. The average person puts on up to 4 kg! The only way to make up for those added treats is to increase the amount of exercise you’re doing. Try and balance your energy in and energy out then the shredding of clothes in spring wont be such a shock!

Source:livelifegetactive.com/blog/exercise-in-winter/

Why Is My Waist Size Important?

Your risk of some health problems is affected by where your body fat is stored, as well as by your weight. Carrying too much fat around your middle (waist) can increase your risk of developing conditions such as:

heart disease
type 2 diabetes
cancer

Measuring your waist

Measuring your waist is a good way to check you're not carrying too much fat around your stomach, which can raise your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke.

You can have a healthy BMI and still have excess tummy fat – meaning you're still at risk of developing these diseases.

To measure your waist:

• find the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips
• wrap a tape measure around your waist, midway between these points
• breathe out naturally before taking the measurement

Regardless of your height or BMI, you should try to lose weight if your waist is:

• 94cm (37ins) or more for men
• 80cm (31.5ins) or more for women

You are at very high risk and you should contact your GP if your waist is:

• 102cm (40ins) or more for men
• 88cm (34ins) or more for women

Losing weight around the stomach

Most people who are overweight find their excess weight is down to eating more energy (calories) than they burn.

Weight gain occurs when we regularly put more calories into our bodies than we use. Over time, that excess energy is stored by the body as fat.

If you're trying to lose weight, it's a good idea to eat less and be more active.

Hula hooping is an excellent way to trim the waist and burn calories without too much effort!

Source:nhs.uk/chq/Pages/849.aspx?CategoryID=51

How To Trim Your Waist And Burn Calories

Get Your Hoop HERE

Exercise You Can Take Anywhere....

If you're anything like me I like to exercise even when I'm away. Doing some exercise as part of my weekly routine is important to me, so having items I can use to exercise with and pack easily into my suit case are a must.

I have recently been asked to try out a hula hoop. Not your solid circular hoop but a weighted, flexible type.

I really didn't know what to expect, let alone even see how it could possibly be effective but I was willing to give it a try.

My initial thoughts were that it would be difficult to use but I liked the idea of being able to take it with me on my travels AND it was easy to store at home, so I reserved all judgement.

It took me only a short time to get the hang of using it and because of the weight and design I could really feel it working. Not only did it work my waist and hips but I also felt like I'd had a cardio workout and felt slightly breathless and sweaty (all good signs in my eyes!!)

I was really impressed by this piece of equipment and could definitely feel a difference.

Not only could you use it to trim your waist but it was cleverly designed to enable you to also work other parts of the body including your arms (all will be revealed).

I'll be sharing a video on how to use it.

If you can't wait that long, then here is the link to the hula hoop HERE

It really is amazing, easy to use and store, so it ticks all of the boxes for me 👍

Benefits of Hula Hooping. Q&A

Can Hula Hooping help you lose belly fat?

If you hoop for 30 minutes, you'll burn 210 calories. The heart rates of research participants elevated to 84 percent of their maximum heart rate, sufficient for burningfat as fuel. To lose abdominal fat, calories must be burned. Hooping contributes to overall weight loss, including the extra fat across your core.

Is a hula hoop good for abs?

Fat Loss. While the claim that you can spot train to lose weight in one area is a myth, it is possible to lose fat wherever it is in excess on your body. Since working out with a Hula-Hoop is a very good aerobic exercise, it burns more calories than other ab-building anaerobic exercises.

What is a hula hoop good exercise for?

Using a hula hoop works your arm, leg and core muscles. Hula hooping is a total-body workout that not only tones your muscles, but also improves joint flexibility and balance. The rocking motion of hula hooping is also relaxing and fun, which can relieve stress.

Is a weighted hula hoop better?

In fact, any type of hula hooping, using a weighted hula hoop or a regular hula hoop, can help you meet your exercise goals and provide aerobic activity. And it can be fun! Weighted hula hoops are bigger and heavier than are traditional hula hoops. ... The weight of the hoop is up to you

What are the benefits of hula hooping?

Hooping will make you feel the (calorie) burn. Hooping has been proven to burn over 400 calories per hour by the American Council on Exercise, although thecalorie-burn from hooping may be as high as 600 calories per hour when other parts of your body, such as your arms and legs, are engaged

How many calories do you burn with a weighted hula hoop?

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) funded a study completed at the University of Wisconsin, and found that a 30 minute weighted hula hoop workout which consisted of hooping moves and twirling motions around the arms, waist, and legs burned roughly 7 calories per minute.

I Lost 85 Pounds By Hula Hooping

Cori Magnotta, 32, was the kind of person who couldn't stick with a workout routine. But faced with stubborn extra pounds after the birth of her son, she decided it was time to make a change. She lost 85 pounds in a year doing an exercise she loved: Hula-Hooping. 

When I was 5, Hula-Hooping was my party trick. I was really good at it. As I got older, I Hula-Hooped less and less and eventually joined the real world, put the hoop aside, and forgot about it.

I'm 6 feet tall and I've always struggled with my weight. I just didn't find working out fun. I would join a gym, go once, and never go back. When I was pregnant with my son, I developed preeclampsia, or high blood pressure, and had to be on bedrest for 2 months. Being sedentary contributed to my weight gain during my pregnancy. At my heaviest, I was 265 pounds. My son was a big baby—10 pounds!—so I attribute some of that to him. But I struggled with getting the rest of it back off. I developed hypothyroidism after my pregnancy, and my metabolism had slowed, making it easier to gain weight and that much more difficult to lose it.

In October 2014, I was down to 250 pounds, and I started searching the internet for fun workouts. I came across FXP Fitness, which uses a weighted Hula-Hoop in a routine that borrows from barre, yoga, and pilates. I remembered how much I loved hooping as a kid and signed up for a class. I drove from my home in Portland, CT, to Massachusetts, the only place classes were available at the time. "Let me go see what this is all about," I remember thinking.

I immediately loved it. It's impossible to not smile while Hula-Hooping. I wore a fitness tracker and a heart rate monitor and watched my heart rate spike like I was doing a high-intensity interval training workout. I could burn as much as 800 calories in an hour, doing the class's combination of ballet movements, yoga poses, strength exercises like squats, and of course traditional waist hooping. We even hooped around our arms and our hands to give our waists a break. We used the weighted hoop to do stretches and hooped while we did dance routines like the YMCA and the Macarena.

I took the 2 lb hoop home with me to Connecticut and started hooping on my own. I started with just 10 minutes a day and built up my stamina. It was easy to stand in front of the TV and whip it around my waist, even if I had toys all over my living room floor from my son. It didn't take me long to decide I wanted to become an instructor myself. I decided I was going to push my fears aside, and I went to Boston to get certified.

Hooping helped me slowly and steadily lose weight, and in about a year, I was down 85 pounds to 165. It helped that I now have a 2-year-old I have to chase everywhere! Once you start exercising, there's a snowball effect: You have more energy to do more things. I started eating a little bit better, because I now had the energy to cook instead of going to the drive-thru. I had the energy to play with my son instead of watching him at the playground. Now, I teach hooping three times a week

I competed in pageants when I was young, and 20 years later, I gave it another shot: I was recently crowned America's Fit Mrs., and I Hula-Hooped as my talent. I was even recently featured as Trainer of the Month with FXP Hoop Fitness. If you told me 2 years ago I would now be a fitness instructor, I would have laughed at you.

The most important thing is that it's fun. Most people crack up when I tell them I'm a Hula-Hoop instructor and tell me they can't hoop. But I have yet to meet someone I can't teach to hoop! I have 21-year-olds and 65-year-olds in my class, petite people and tall people, couch potatoes and marathoners—it's for anyone and everyone.

Source:prevention.com/weight-loss/i-lost-85-pounds-by-hula-hooping

Think Hula Hoops Are Toys? They Could Change Your Life...

As told by Jenny Wood.......

Going through my wardrobe recently, I found a pile of brightly coloured bikinis languishing in a drawer. They can go straight to the charity shop, I thought glumly, stuffing them into a bin bag. 

When I gave birth to my little boy 18 months ago, I gained something else as well - a wobbly belly, or, as it’s affectionately known, a ‘mum tum’. So, I was pretty sure my bikini-wearing days were over.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate my body. Long walks with a buggy, breastfeeding and running after a toddler have actually helped me lose more than the three stone I put on during pregnancy. But, while the rest of me has slowly shrunk back into shape, my tummy hasn’t followed suit. Wearing anything body-hugging  still fills me with fear.

I’d love to have abs like Olympic athlete Jessica Ennis. And, it would seem, I’m not alone. In a recent survey of 3,000 women, 58 per cent said their stomach was the body part they most wished they could change. 

The problem is, like most people with children or busy lives, I can’t spend hours in the gym or afford to hire a personal trainer. But now, thanks to the latest celebrity fitness craze, I may have found an unlikely solution: hula hooping.

‘I’m all about hula-hooping right now!’ tweeted Kelly Osbourne recently. ‘Five mins in the morning, five mins at night ... in five days I lost two inches from my waistline!’ Michelle Obama, who can apparently hula while kneeling, Grace Jones, who hooped throughout her Queen’s Diamond Jubilee performance last year, and Beyoncé have all credited the humble hoop for their fantastic figures. If they can do it, I reckon, so can I.

So I arrange to meet hula hooping expert Anna Drury, 30, at a gym in South London. Anna first picked up a hoop in 2006 after seeing them used in a performance at a music festival. 

 

She’s been hooping professionally for five years now and teaches in schools, runs adult classes and performs at events worldwide, often using several hoops at once and even setting them on fire. Crikey.

The last time I picked up a hula hoop, I had ankle socks and pigtails, so I’m understandably nervous as I join the 12 other women in the evening’s class. Anna believes that everyone - even those who are hopelessly uncoordinated like me - can learn to hula hoop. 

The secret is lots of practice and the right equipment - the larger and heavier the hoop, the easier it is to control and the more it’ll help you tone up. 

As for what to wear, apparently the fewer or tighter the clothes the better. That way the hoop sticks to you rather than the fabric, so I opt for a purple vest top and blue leggings. 

As the class starts, Anna explains that hooping is like riding a bike - it’s all about finding your own personal rhythm and once you’ve got it, it never goes. Music helps you relax, making the whole process much easier, so she turns on the stereo and off we go. 

Getting the hula hoop ‘in flight’ (to use the technical term) is actually easier than I’d thought - I just hold it around my waist and fling it sideways - but keeping it twirling for more than a few rotations is going to take some practice. 

Anna’s tip is to stay positive - just concentrate on trying to keeping the hoop from falling. That’s easy for her to say, casually spinning her hoop around her neck, but I get countless knocks as mine keeps clattering to the ground. 

Anna cheerfully explains that bruises are par for the course when learning, and that my stomach will toughen up, so I should look at them as war wounds. 

Slowly, I start to get the hang of it, although I find it much easier to hoop in an anti-clockwise direction than a clockwise one (apparently this is normal for right-handed people). However, if I can learn to hoop in both directions I’ll get better-looking abs, because I will then be working the muscles on both sides of my body. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2333002/The-10-minute-workout-rolled-away-spare-tyre-weeks-Think-hula-hoops-toys-They-change-life-.html#ixzz4wKPS5HLv 


I will be doing my own trial of a different kind of hula hoop in the next few weeks with a video so wacth out for that!!

Swim Your Way to Health

Every type of exercise has its selling points. But swimming is unlike any other aerobic workout in a few important ways.

First, the fact that you’re submerged in water means your bones and muscles are somewhat unshackled from the constraints of gravity, says Hirofumi Tanaka, a professor of kinesiology and director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research Lab at the University of Texas.

This makes swimming the ideal exercise for people with osteoarthritis, for whom weight-bearing exercise can be excruciatingly painful. According to Tanaka's research of people with the condition, swimming decreases arterial stiffness, a risk factor for heart trouble. More of his research has linked swim training with lower blood pressure among people with hypertension. The coolness and buoyancy of water are also appealing to people who are overweight or obese, for whom load-bearing aerobic exercises like running may be too hot or uncomfortable, Tanaka says.

But don't be fooled; your body is working hard when you’re in the pool. Water is denser than air, so moving through H2O puts more external pressure on your limbs than out-of-water training, studies have shown. Even better, that pressure is uniformly distributed. It doesn’t collect in your knees, hips or the other places that bear most of the burden when you exercise with gravity sitting on your shoulders.

How you breathe during a swimming workout is another big differentiator, says David Tanner, a research associate at Indiana University and co-editor of an educational handbook on the science of swimming. During a run or bike ride, your breath tends to be shallow and your exhales forceful. “It’s the other way around with swimming,” says Tanner. “You breathe in quickly and deeply, and then let the air trickle out.” Because your head is under water when you swim, these breathing adjustments are vital, and they may improve the strength of your respiratory muscles, Tanner says. “This kind of breathing keeps the lung alveoli”—the millions of little balloon-like structures that inflate and deflate as your breathe—“from collapsing and sticking together."

Plus, who wouldn't want a swimmer's body? Swimming fires up more of your body’s major muscle groups than other forms of cardio exercise. “If you think about running or biking, you’re mostly using your lower body,” Tanner says. Swimming not only engages your legs, but also recruits your upper body and core—especially your lats, the muscles of your middle back, and triceps, the backs of your upper arms. “You look at pictures of swimmers, and you see how the upper body development is really tremendous," he says.

Finally, your back benefits. Working out in a horizontal pose—as opposed to the upright position your body assumes during other forms of aerobic exercise—may be an ideal way to counteract all the time you spend hunched over a desk or steering wheel. “There’s no hard impact on your back like there is with running, and instead of being bent forward like you would be on a bike, your back tends to be arched slightly in the opposite direction,” Tanner says. That may help improve your posture and prevent the back injuries and pain that stem from long stretches of sedentary time.

The exercise is also linked to many of the same life-extending, heart-saving, mood-lifting benefits associated with other forms of aerobic exercise. And it's fun, which matters. “People tend to enjoy swimming more than running or bike-riding,” Tanaka says. While about half of people who try a new exercise program give up within a few months, people who take up swimming are more likely to stick with it, he says.

If you’re sold on swimming, Tanner recommends starting slowly. “Don’t try to do too much too early, and focus on proper technique,” he says. Consider enlisting the help of an instructor if you didn’t have any formal coaching as a kid. “If you’re not used to swimming, it can be hard to relax in the water,” he says. Being nervous and tight may limit the sport’s benefits.

Start off with 30-minute sessions three times a week, and don't forget to take frequent breaks. “You want to ease into it and build up," he says, "just like a running program."

Source:time.com/4688623/swimming-pool-health-benefits/

Dress To Look Slimmer

The clothes you wear can either make you look slimmer or add pounds to you. Wearing baggy, loose clothes that are one or two sizes too big will make you look larger than you are. On the same note, trying to squeeze in to clothes that are a size too small will not be flattering.
 Work out your body shape.

There are 5 principal body shapes out there:1. Pear 2. Top Heavy (Inverted triangle) 3. Hourglass 4. Apple 5. Rectangle (straight up and down)

Once you know what shape you are then choose clothes that flatter your shape.

Department stores can help with buying and wearing the right clothes for your shape and size.

Easy Exercise You Can Do For Free

There are easy ways to get some extra exercise into your day without much effort. You could walk or cycle to work if that’s possible. Get off the bus a few stops earlier. Park your car further away from the shops/place of work so that you have to walk more. Use the stairs everywhere you can instead of the lift or escalator. Try to get up and move about every hour if sat at a desk – walk to the water cooler or around the office if this is possible.

When at home get up and march or jog on the spot during TV commercials. Run up and down the stairs. Put some music on and dance. Play football or run about with the children. 

Go for family walks or swimming. 

Lose Weight With A Food Journal

Several studies have shown that people who keep food journals are more likely to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off. In fact, a researcher from one recent study says that people keeping a food diary six days a week lost about twice as much weight as those who kept food records one day a week or less. 

You often might think that you don’t eat much but keeping a record of everything that passes your lips will give you a true record of how much you are eating. You can then use an app to see how many calories are in each item and work out if you are consuming more calories than you thought!

One of the best ways to keep a record is on your mobile phone using an app.

Foods And Ageing

Certain foods can contribute to the ageing process in different ways.

SUGAR

In a study, subjects visually five years younger than their actual age had the lowest intake of sweet, sugary treats. 

A theory that is gaining in popularity is the idea that sugar contributes negatively to the skin and overall ageing process. It is believed that, sugar (or glucose) creates ‘Advanced Glycation End (AGE)’ products in every cell and molecule in the body, creating inflammation.

Dietitian Helen Bond comments: "Leading health organisations are recommending that we should all be reducing our intake of added sugars throughout our life-course to benefit our health, but for many people telling them sugar may be contributing to their wrinkles and they will be far more likely to put down the doughnut."

CAFFEINE 

A study found younger-looking people had the lowest intake of caffeine. Dietitian Helen explained: "It is an old chestnut, but making sure that you are adequately hydrated is vital for healthy skin.  

"Drinking plenty of fluid gives skin the necessary moisture to help maintain its’ elasticity. Plus, it helps to clear the body of toxins and carry vital nutrients to cells."

But there is good news for our other favourite diuretic: alcohol. Frequency of alcohol seemed to have no effect on visual ageing. 

However, volume of alcohol did, so if you want to keep wrinkles at bay, it’s ok to have that post-work glass of wine, but drink only in moderation.

If you're in the market for a caffeine-free tea, try Dragonfly Tea's Wild Honeybush brew. This rare South African tea is made from Cyclopia bush, native only in botanically rich south-western Cape.  

Unlike conventional teas which are made from the Camellia family, Honeybush is naturally caffeine free, and - like rooibos tea - was pioneered by settlers who built their homesteads in this remote and rugged region, making tea using the local indigenous plants. 

MEAT

During a study, across all participants there were no observations for better skin amongst vegans or vegetarians. 

The visually youngest participants were more likely to consume the recommended one portion of oily fish a week.

Helen said: "Omega-3 is found in abundance in oily fish, such as herring, mackerel, sardines, fresh tuna and salmon, and has a plethora of skin and other health benefits. 

"I always recommend it to clients prone to dry/itchy skin with redness and they see an improvement in just a few weeks."

If you are not a regular fish eater, perhaps because you don’t like oily fish, there are plenty of omega-3 rich supplements that provide skin-loving, anti-ageing benefits on the market.

Source:express.co.uk/life-style/diets/600925/How-to-get-rid-of-wrinkles-eating-diet-sugar-caffeine-bad-for-you

Get Glowing Smooth Skin

Ninety percent of women have cellulite. (The dimpled effect usually creeps up between the ages of 25 and 35, when the collagen fibers that bind fat to the skin start to stretch and tear, allowing fat cells to bulge out.)

There are ways to help reduce the appearance of the skin and this must be done regularly. 

Using a scrub in the shower or bath is one of the easiest ways to achieve smoother skin. Not only will it help in the fight against cellulite, but it will also help with the overall look of the skin making it softer and less pimply.

Sloughing away dead skin and increasing the circulation are one of the best ways to improve the appearance and you should aim to do this 2-3 times a week. 

Work on the legs, thighs, bum, tummy and arms. You can also gently scrub the face once a week using a suitable scrub designed for the delicate face area.

Always finish off with moisturising. My preferred option is baby oil on damp skin and pat dry with a soft towel.

Working on what goes into your body is a must for healthier, firming looking skin and in my next post I will be sharing some advice on where to start.

How To Be Body Confident Over 40

In today's society, having confidence in the way you look and feel can often be a struggle for most people. As you get older this can sometimes be more difficult as wrinkles start to appear, grey hair, sagging skin and loss of muscle tone.

Sounds pretty bleak. 

However, for a lot of over 40 year olds it has never been a better time for being the most confident you have been. You become more accepting of yourself and over the years have learnt to live and love what nature has given you (and make the best of it).

As you get older you are more aware of looking after your health and so exercise and eating healthier often becomes a priority.

If you feel this doesn't describe you but you would like to feel more confident, toned and healthier then fear not. Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some of my best tried and tested techniques for being the best, most confident you.

I will be showing you ladies:

• How to get glowing skin
• How to work from the inside out
• How to lose weight and tone up for FREE from the comfort of your home
• How to dress to impress
• How to look slimmer instantly
• Make-up and hair for over 40 year olds

Stayed tuned!!

Starting Out With Cycling For Weight Loss

If you’re just starting out on the journey towards fitness and weight loss, you might want to base your rides or ‘sessions’ purely around time spent on the bike. Ride at your own pace and enjoy the feeling of getting active – every little will help and you don’t need to worry too much about intensity.

As you get fitter, you might want to add some variety. Easy rides, where you can talk and hold a conversation, are often called ‘fat burning rides’. These are good for improving your ability to just keep turning the pedals, and burning through fat.

At the other end of the scale is ‘High Intensity Interval Training’ or HITT. This involves pedalling really hard for short intervals with easy breaks in between. These rides burn through carbohydrate stores and you’ll need to up your carbohydrate intake on the day you complete one. Though they don’t specifically burn fat, some experts still believe these sessions are best for weight loss because the high intensity means you burn more calories during the day and you’ll also build more muscle through a session like this.

Experts will argue all day over which form of exercise is ‘best’ for losing weight. Our answer is simple: all things in moderation. Ideally, aim to fit in a couple of interval sessions in the week and a longer ride when you have time on the weekend. This will train your body in both fat burning and high intensity, strength building directions. And it’ll keep you motivated thanks to the varying styles of training.

Source:totalwomenscycling.com/fitness/lose-weight-cycling-everything-need-know

Lose Weight Cycling

There are many reasons for wanting to lose weight. If you’re carrying a little excess baggage then dropping the pounds could improve your health and help you to avoid conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.

Losing weight can also improve your confidence, and your performance on the bike – but it’s important that you always put your wellbeing first. Only aim to lose weight if doing so will improve your health and fitness

If you’ve decided that losing weight will be beneficial for you – then cycling is a great way to go about it…

The Benefits of Choosing to Lose Weight Cycling

Running is often considered the number one exercise for torching calories. The problem is it’s also ‘high impact’ – every step sends impact through your feet, ankles, calves, knees – and so on. As a result, it’s easy to get injured, and that risk is increased the heavier you are.

Cycling, by contrast, is low impact. As well as being a cardiovascular exercise that burns calories, it also strengthens your muscles – particularly your hamstrings, glutes and quads without too much risk of injury. The stronger your muscles are (by the way – your thighs WILL NOT become massive if you cycle – that sort of physique is gained by time in the gym and a lot of protein) the more calories your body burns just existing.

Cycling can be very sociable, too. Riding far and wide with friends at the weekend allows you to see new sights, whilst commuting to work mid-week saves you time and money. Or you can sweat it out in the gym for the ultimate high intensity workout in double quick time. 

Source:totalwomenscycling.com/fitness/lose-weight-cycling-everything-need-know