Personal training blog
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September 26th, 2011
Laughter lowers blood pressure. So does chocolate!
To lower your blood pressure, go out and have fun. Researchers in the U.S. have found that laughter not only lifts the mood but it also has a powerful effect on hypertension. The study, reported by Sciencedaily.com, split people into two groups. One group was shown clips from the comedy “There’s Something About Mary” while the other was shown parts of the war movie “Saving Private Ryan”. During the funny scenes (in the first film of course!) the volunteers’ blood … More
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September 19th, 2011
The salt in your toast and cereal
Health conscious parents usually fixate on the salt in crisps and other children’s treats, but what about the bread in their sandwiches? According to new research, one in four loaves sold in your supermarket and on the high street contain as much salt as one whole packet of crisps in every slice. The worst offenders are also those that you would think are the most healthy, namely “designer” brown loaves containing seeds and grains. The Cranks seeded farmhouse loaf has 2.03 grams … More
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August 31st, 2011
Too much TV is lethal
Every hour spent in front of the TV on the sofa or in your Ecliner 3000 reduces your life by almost 22 minutes. According to a new study at the University of Queensland, people who spend 6 hours a day in front of the box will die, on average, 5 years sooner than those who did not watch TV. Of course it’s not deadly gamma rays coming out of the TV that do the damage, the more that people watch TV, the … More
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August 19th, 2011
Small and often better than long and unachievable
A new study reported in the BBC this week says that just 15 minutes of exercise a day can boost life expectancy by 3 years and cut the risk of death via disease by 14%. Meanwhile, work in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that a couch potato lifestyle can cut life expectancy by 5 years. The UK government has also recently updated its health advise with a more flexible approach, recommending that adults get 150 minutes of exercise … More
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August 8th, 2011
Even a tiny bit of exercise helps
Proper exercise is best, but if you can’t manage that then simple tweaks to your routine such as walking over to speak to a colleague at work rather than sending an email may have a positive impact on your physical health, reports Sciencedaily.com. Researchers in Canada analysed 135 sedentary obese adults and found that their “incidental activity” (things like walking, lifting objects) had a small but significant impact on their cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), which is a predictor of heart disease and stroke.
“In the commercial breaks … More
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July 25th, 2011
Diets Don’t Work Personal Trainer in Reading completes the longest race in Britain
Our personal trainer in Reading (he is also our personal trainer for the Winnersh, Woodley and Theale areas) Phil Chalmers deserves a massive well done for his tremendous effort in completing the Thames 250, the longest non-stop running race in the UK. Here is his race diary..
The Decision
In February of this year, I decided I needed a fresh challenge. Having just competed in the European Indoor Rowing Championships in Paris, two weeks of relative relaxation was enough for me and … More
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July 19th, 2011
Eat like a diabetic to be healthy and slim
Every so often a “new” diet is featured in the press, followed by Hollywood endorsement and praise for it’s ability to make you slim and healthy. Many of these are fads that are only successful in the short term, many are highly suspect and ineffective and some are actually dangerous as they omit essential food groups. One of these “new” fad diets touted in the press a few years ago was the glycaemic index. It’s not actually new though, and … More
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June 29th, 2011
A hat to help you sleep – a Personal Trainer and some exercise will help too.
Cooling down a whirring brain can help you sleep, literally. An American scientist has developed a cap that chills the frontal cortex, slowing activity and helping promote a restful sleep. Dr Eric Nofzinger, of the Universitty of Pittsburg, tried his water filled cap on 24 people, half of whom had insomnia. He found that the insomniacs that were treated with the maximum cooling intensity took about 13 minutes to fall asleep and slept for 89% of the time that they … More
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June 27th, 2011
Windsor bootcamp run by advanced REPS level 3 Personal Trainers
Our bootcamp is now up and running in Batchelors Acre in Central Windsor. Unlike many other military styled exercises classes in Berkshire our bootcamp is run by advanced REPS (Register of Exercise Professionals) level 3 personal trainers. This has the advantage of not just a well planned and executed class that is suitable and effective for all levels, but our personal trainers can also give nutritional tips, are sports injury qualified so can offer advice of any injuries or niggles that need … More
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June 21st, 2011
Behaviour can be changed, government can help if it chooses
An interesting article taken here from the BBC website. Those interested in changing behaviour might want to read some of the books by Allen Carr, whether you are a smoker or not..
Whether or not we opt for “healthy” choices is largely down to our environment according to the LSE’s Professor Paul Dolan. In this week’s Scrubbing Up, he says government does have a role in “nudging” us in the right direction. Did you have a couple of beers too many … More
