Benefits of Cycling

Benefits of cycling

Cycling is one of the easiest ways to fit exercise into your daily routine because it's also a form of transport. Cycling also:

• saves you money
• gets you fit
• helps the environment

It's a low-impact type of exercise, so it's easier on your joints than running or other high-impact aerobic activities. But it still helps you get into shape.

The best way to build your cardiovascular fitness on the bike is to ride for at least 150 minutes every week. For example, you could cycle to work a few days a week, or do a couple of shorter rides during the week with a longer ride at the weekend. You'll soon feel the benefits.

Cycling safety tips

• Look behind you before you turn, overtake or stop.
• Use arm signals before you turn right or left.
• Obey traffic lights and road signs.
• Don't ride on the pavement unless there's a sign that says you can.
• Don't cycle next to another person on busy or narrow roads.
• When overtaking parked cars, watch out for car doors opening suddenly and allow room to pass safely.
• Don't use headphones while cycling.
• Never use a mobile phone while cycling.

Kit checklist

Wearing a cycling helmet can help prevent a head injury if you fall off your bike.

It's important to wear a helmet that meets the following criteria:

• It's marked as meeting the British Standard (BS EN 1078:1997).
• It's a snug fit and positioned squarely on your head. It should sit just above your eyebrows, not tilted back or tipped forwards.
• It's securely fastened by straps, which aren't twisted, with only enough room for two fingers between your chin and the strap.

Make sure you replace your helmet every five years. Don't buy a secondhand helmet – it may be damaged and may not protect you properly.

Source:nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/Cycling.aspx

Natural Way to Stay Young

Give yourself a break

Recent studies show that stress causes physical changes in the body that can accelerate aging. Surges of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol cause blood pressure to rise and the heart to beat faster. These days, when our stressors seem unrelenting (a steady stream of job pressures, traffic jams, money problems), chronic doses of adrenaline and cortisol take a heavy toll on our physical and emotional health. "Sixty to 90 percent of all doctors' visits each year are related to anxiety, depression, obsessive anger and hostility, insomnia, high blood pressure, heart attacks — all problems caused by stress," says Herbert Benson, MD, author of the landmark book The Relaxation Response and a founder and director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Boston.

The most effective way to halt this destructive chain of events is to meditate, using what Dr. Benson calls "the relaxation response." The technique involves repeating a mantra — a word, sound, phrase, or prayer — for as little as 10 minutes a day. A 2005 study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston showed that meditation helped prevent age-related changes in the brain.

Try it! Once or twice daily, for 10 to 20 minutes (yes, you do have the time — you just have to make it), sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, relax your muscles, roll your head, neck, and shoulders, and breathe deeply. On each exhale, repeat your mantra. If other thoughts try to invade, says Dr. Benson, tell yourself, "Oh, well," and return to your word or phrase. When you're done, keep your eyes closed for an extra minute; slowly allow everyday thoughts to flow back into your mind. Still not into the idea of meditation? Do yoga, or something active and repetitive, like running, instead. Focus on your breathing and how your feet land with each stride. Get your to-do list out of your head, says Dr. Benson.

Source:fitnessmagazine.com/mind-body/feeling/10-all-natural-ways-to-stay-young/

In Training

So with just under 3 weeks to go to my first charity event which is the Grimsby 28 mile bikeathon, I am getting in to the swing of training (sort of!)

I run and walk daily so these things are keeping my fitness levels up and strengthening my leg muscles. I also do squats and various leg exercises at home.

I have been trying to do some cycling but due to the weather have not been able to do as much as I would have liked to by now. I am hoping I can spend the next 3 weeks doing as much as possible.

Today I have so far had a walk and a run with no cycling done. I will however train my legs later with some weight bearing exercises of squats and lunges. I am intending to get on my bike tomorrow.

I have been eating much healthier and trying to add salads or vegetables with each lunch time and evening meal. I also have a daily glass of what I consider to be my magical stamina formula.......I will reveal what that is in my next post.

Until next time......keep active :)

Keeping Active Doesn't Have To Cost A Thing!

Some of you may be familiar with my mode of thinking that exercise shouldn't have to cost.

There are so many ways to exercise and get fit without paying a penny.

I have found this quick routine which works the body and improves fitness.

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

I have always tried to eat healthy but like most people I am guilty of falling short in this quest from time to time.

I enjoy having fish and chips and the occasional ice cream. However, to fuel my body properly and to give me the best energy, I need to focus on eating healthier more of the time.

I have studied Nutrition and over the years and have listened very carefully to how my body reacts to certain foods. For example I suffer from palpitations and I know that if I have too much caffeine, alcohol or sugar then for the next day or two I will get more occurrences than normal. Also if I have eaten too much 'junk' food then I know I will feel tired and bloated. It is quite a good bit of knowledge to know about yourself.

When I feel sluggish and tired the last thing I feel like doing is exercising and in order for me to train in time for the charity events I am taking part in, then I need to eat right.

So how do I do this?

I eat what I call 'clean' foods for as much of the time as I can. I never ever tell myself that I can't have certain foods, so I eat 'clean' all week and then allow myself a treat day. This is not a day to pig out and eat whatever I choose, but a day to allow myself a meal of eating pizza or fish and chips (or whatever I feel like) and maybe an ice cream or piece of cake.

The results over time are amazing. I feel less bloated, have more energy and lose a few spare pound in the process. It is not a diet but a way of eating natural foods that have not been processed or changed in any way. 

I have covered this way of eating in a previous post but you can read it here:

http://lookgoodover40.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/non-toxic-eating.html

The Training Countdown Begins!

So as you might know from my last post I am doing a couple of charity events. The first one being a 28 mile cycle ride. The course is near Grimsby and from what I have seen will involve a few hills so some training and good eating is in order.

I will be posting my progress as I build up to the first challenge which will take place on 8th May.

Yesterday I began doing some training. It is not all about the exercise, good fuel (in the way of food and fluid) is as important.

Over the course of yesterday I ran and walked with the dog for 5 miles (split in to two sessions). As it was a sunny day I thought it would be a good opportunity to jump on my bike. Now anyone who cycles will know that it is important to get your butt use to the saddle. I haven't been on my bike much this year so that first ride can be a little bit painful on the old bum bones the day after.

Nevertheless I jumped on my bike and cycled roughly 15 miles. It was a little bit breezy going but easier going coming home and I really enjoyed it :)

Subject to the weather I plan to do another ride during the week taking it a bit further. Once I have got my legs (and bum) use to being back on my bike I will then begin to tackle some hills (I can't wait 😕).

Having a good food intake will help my muscles recover and give me the stamina I need.

I will post more on my progress and what I'm doing and eating over the course of the next few weeks

Raising Funds for Blood Cancer

I like to do my bit for fund raising and this year I will be taking part in the Race for Life on 1st June and Grimsby Bikeathon on 8th May.

Both charities raise money for research in to cancers.

I have often taken part in the Race for Life for the last 19 years but this year I have decided to also take part in a bike ride. It is over a course of 28 miles and will be raising funds for Blood Cancer.

This is particularly close to my heart. As a young girl I remember very well time spent with my mum and dad, me playing in the hospital waiting room, not really sure what I was doing there but just remembering each time we came away my dad would seem more ill.

Over time, (to me as a child it seemed like only weeks), I watched a strong man turn into a weak frail and thin guy who could barely walk from one end of the room to the other. Eventually he disappeared from home to end up in the hospital.

I won't go in to the full details but it was about 10pm on 15th September 1977, I was aged just 7 years old (soon to be 8 in the October). Mum told me that dad had been chosen to be an angel and wouldn't be coming back home.........

He had died of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 36 years old. So raising funds to help in the battle of saving lives and hopefully maybe preventing a young child growing up without their parent is so very close to my heart.

If you would be willing to help in my fund raising I would be extremely thankful and if not then thank you for reading xx

Me as a child, the age my dad passed away

You can support my fund raising page here xx

4 Easy Beauty Hacks

Quick dos and don'ts to ensure you look beautiful this spring

DO…pop your eyeliner in the freezer. Now the weather’s warmed up, you might find some liners crumble as you apply them. A 15-minute cold snap will put an end to that.

DON’T… rub your hair with a towel to dry it. You’ll rough up the cuticles, making it look dull. Blot dry or leave the towel wrapped round your head to absorb moisture.

DO… use hair conditioner to shave your legs – it will soften the hair, making it easier to glide through, plus it’ll leave your pins feeling silky.

DON’T… pump your mascara wand up and down in an attempt to coat the wand. You’ll force air into the tube which will dry the product out and shorten its lifespan.

Source:naturalhealthmagazine.co.uk/beauty/4-easy-beauty-hacks

Think Yourself Younger

People who age fantastically well leave clues; I have spent 18 years studying those clues so you can replicate what they do in order to be they same. You can use your mind to trick your body into feeling and then becoming younger. We all have three ages. We have a chronological or birth certificate age, we have a biological one – the age of our organs, and we have a psychological one – the age we feel.

ERASE THE YEARS

When we do young things; laughing, dancing and having sex, we send a message to our bodies that we are young and this slows down how we age. The younger you feel and act the more you lower your biological age. Our bodies get older on their own timetable. A runner aged 40 may have the heart and lungs of a 25 year old but the knees of a 55 year old. Your birth certificate age is the least important. How old you feel and act are far more important if you want to grow older without growing old.

In 2010 Harvard psychologist Dr Ellen Langer took a group of celebrities to a retreat for a BBC programme. It was furnished from 1980 – all the magazines, radio shows and TV programmes were from the 80s, and each person wore a badge of a photo of themselves from then. Before starting, the group underwent tests to determine their age including grip, vision, hearing, balance, hormones,muscle strength, and so on. They all spent a week living as if it was 30 years earlier. Everything going on around them was engineered to enable them to act as they had 30 years ago, subconsciously tricking themselves to believe they were younger. After seven days, they took the same tests again… and all had reversed their age by a minimum of between seven and ten years, and had a new lease of life. When asked to describe what had happened they reported forgetting they were older and as a result they physically grew younger.

These experiments prove that your beliefs determine how you age. If you think and act old, you grow old prematurely, whereas when you think and act younger, you remain younger physically and mentally. That’s why people like Cliff Richard and Keith Richards have aged in a rather unique way, because they are singers, dancing on stage and doing something youthful for a living they are seen as eternally young. Cliff Richards is called Peter Pan and Keith who should have aged terribly because of his abusive lifestyle proves that doing young things and thinking young thoughts is powerful enough to overcome the ageing effect of bad habits. Women who are very girly like Lulu and Goldie Hawn grow older differently because giggling, laughing and doing younger things keeps you younger. Girly thoughts and actions make you stay more girly.
Nelson Mandella spent 30 years in jail with no access to good food or vitamins yet his passion for life kept him youthful alert and full of life. People in Japan with a different expectation of ageing age differently as do people who love exercise, embrace new technology and have an active life – they stay young for longer. Have you noticed those people who seem to love exercise, embrace new technology, love being with younger people and have an active social life are the people who tend to look young, vibrant and happy? That’s not acoincidence; it’s because they are doing the things they did when young. They get the added benefit of looking younger because that’s the way they feel (not the other way round).
If you don’t want to grow old badly don’t use ageing language. Don’t say “I’m too old to wear that,” or “I can’t do that at my age.” Instead of saying “I look old”, which is seen by the mind as permanent, change it to “I look tired.” Your mind accepts that tired is temporary and after sleep you’ll look younger. Using words like knackered, past it, gaga, at my time of life and at my age cause yourmind to accept that ageing and deteriorating are inevitable when that does not have to be the case. If you want to be part of the new old age, use words like youthful, vibrant, full of life and vitality. Your mind believes everything you tell it and acts on those words so if you say “I forgot, it must be my age,” or “I am so cranky and tired I cant stay up late at my age,” you are allowing yourself to believe it is beyond your influence, which is not true. Instead, remember that children forget things all the time and babies are cranky without enough sleep; it’s not your age so don’t attribute negative behaviours to your years. Changing the words you use to describe yourself changes how you look and feel.

EMBRACE CHANGE

WATCH YOUR WORDS

We live in exciting times where being 50 means you are only halfway through your life. We don’t dread getting old, we dread losing our youth and vitality. You can grow older without growing old while adding years to your lifespan. Women like Jane Fonda, Mary Berry and Catherine Deneuve are showing us the new old age as they refuse to conform to what ageing is.
You can also trick your mind into staying young by continuing to learn new things throughout life. Doing new and different things keeps your brain elastic, sharp and finely-tuned. Professors in their 90s have brain neurons equal to those of 30. We only age when we stop doing new things, so embrace newness and change and you will stay mentally younger; this in turn keeps you physically younger. Our mind doesn’t age unless we stop using it. You can keep your memory and thinking sharp by reading your paper and doing crosswords on your iPad, use Skype, instagram and twitter as this will keep your mind in peak condition because anything new boosts your brainpower.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

TRY THIS!

We make new brain neurons when we practice nuerobics. This simply means if you’re right handed, hold your toothbrush and your TV remote with your left hand, and go upstairs leading with your left leg. When you use the ‘wrong’ hand or leg this makes new neurons boosting brain power. These simple tricks give you tangible results so that you age in ways that make others envy you.

Source: naturalhealthmagazine.co.uk/anti-ageing/think-yourself-younger