BlueSkies Fitness Ltd

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BlueSkies Newsletter - February 2008

Welcome to the February edition of the BlueSkies newsletter. We hope that you find the articles informative and useful.

In this edition, our feature articles look at:

Heart Health
Good Posture
The Need For Fluid
Beating Stress

Also find out how to make your take aways healthier and take a look at the new Omron Body Composition Monitor - our product of the month.

If you have any comments or there is a particular topic you would like us to cover in the future, please contact us by e-mail.

Keep Your Ticker Ticking!

Your heart sits behind, and to the left of, your breast bone between your lungs. It pumps blood through your body supplying oxygen & nutrients and removing waste products. An average person’s heart beats about 70 times/minute – that’s 100,000 times/day and nearly 37 million times/year!

Your heart is amazing – but are you looking after it?

The Benefits Of Physical Activity

About 37% of heart disease related deaths in UK adults are related to inactivity – only 19% are related to smoking. But, over 70% of UK adults do not achieve the recommended level of physical activity! Being active is one of the best ways to prevent heart disease – it can halve your risk.

Are you active enough? Do you do 30 minutes of physical activity 5 or more times per week? If not, you’re not doing enough! Remember, physical activity can take the form of anything that raises your heart rate, warms you up and makes you slightly out of breath – it doesn’t have to be strenuous! Walking, swimming, dancing, gardening, playing with your kids/grand kids and climbing the stairs all count.

If you are inactive, the good news is that sedentary people who start taking part in regular activity will benefit the most, but don’t attempt to go from 0-30 straight away! Gradually build your daily activity level starting with 5 minutes, 3 times a day. Remember, it’s never too late to start being active – everyone can benefit, whatever their age.

NB Anyone taking medication or under medical supervision should consult with their GP before beginning an activity programme.

The Benefits Of Healthy Eating

Eating healthily can dramatically reduce your heart disease risk – poor diet causes about 30% of heart disease deaths in the UK. A balanced diet can help you to maintain a healthy weight, manage your cholesterol level & blood pressure and reduce your risk of conditions such as diabetes. It’s not hard to eat healthily and it doesn’t have to be expensive – eating a variety of foods, plenty of fruit, veg and wholegrains whilst limiting your salt & saturated fat intake will go a long way towards improving your diet. For more information on healthy, balanced diets click here. Interested in finding out more about your diet? Click here for information on BlueSkies dietary analysis service.

Damage Limitation!

There are many heart disease risk factors – some can’t be changed e.g. age, gender, family history & ethnicity. However, there are many risk factors that we can do something about including:

Cholesterol – get it tested! It should be less than 5mmol/l or less than 4mmol/l if you have any other heart disease risk factors. Reducing saturated fat intake will help reduce cholesterol levels.
Blood pressure – get it tested! High blood pressure (BP) increases your risk of heart disease. Optimal BP is 120/80mmHg. Reducing salt intake and increasing activity levels will help reduce BP.
Weight – maintain a healthy weight and body composition! Work out your Body Mass Index (BMI) – 20-25 is healthy – and check your waist measurement – men should be < 94cm and women <80cm.
Stress – control it! Chronic stress can increase your risk of heart disease. Learning to cope with your stressors and taking time to relax can help to reduce the stress you experience.
Diabetes – get your blood glucose tested! Follow the advice you have been give by your GP or nurse if you have diabetes. Uncontrolled/undiagnosed diabetes increases heart disease risk.
Smoking – if you smoke, stop! It’s the single most important thing a smoker can do to reduce their risk of heart disease. The longer you stay stopped, the lower your risk!
Alcohol intake – don’t drink too much! Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol MAY protect you against heart disease, drinking too much WILL increase your risk. Stick to the healthy limits!

BlueSkies Health MOTs screen for the major heart disease risk factors including cholesterol, blood glucose & diabetes risk, blood pressure, BMI, waist measurement, body composition and stress levels. We will come to your workplace or community setting to carry out these assessments and provide you with instant results as well as in-depth information on how you can reduce your risk of heart disease. Click here for more information.

Activity Of The Month - Swimming

Swimming is a great way to keep fit, especially for anyone trying to avoid putting too much impact through their joints. Regardless of your age or fitness level, swimming can help you to keep healthy, fit and active – in fact, it will improve your cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility all in one go! Swimming involves all of your major muscle groups making it a ‘whole-body’ exercise which is great for an all-over toning effect. What’s more, it will help you to relax by forcing you to regulate your breathing.

Sit Up Straight!

We’ve all been told to sit up straight at some point in our lives whether by parents, teachers or partners but is that actually the best way to sit? This article looks at posture – what good posture is, the benefits of it and how to achieve it.

Good posture involves sitting, standing and moving in a way that minimises the strain placed on your body. Whether at your desk, in your car or in a queue at the bank, your posture should not place excess stress on any part of your body. If your posture is poor, it may cause regular/chronic back, shoulder or neck pain and headaches and it can lead to nerve impingements.

Good sitting posture, as shown in the diagram, involves sitting with:

Your feet flat on the floor, about hip width apart
Your feet close to your chair
Your knees bent at approximately 90 degrees
The back of your pelvis (bottom) in contact with the back of your chair
Your weight evenly distributed across your pelvis
An S-shaped curve through your spine
Shoulders relaxed, back and down
Your chin tucked in

Here are some tips to help you achieve this posture:

If necessary, use a foot rest to raise your feet up to achieve the 90 degree knee bend.
Adjust the lumbar support of your chair to support your spine in the correct position.
If your chair does not have a lumbar support, buy a portable lumbar support or use a small, rolled up towel to promote good posture - these are especially useful in cars. Click here to view our lumbar supports.
To elongate your spine into a better position, imagine someone has a piece of string attached to the top of your head and is gently pulling it vertically.
To achieve correct shoulder position, roll shoulders forwards, upwards, backwards and down and then relax in this position.

Achieving good posture isn’t just about pleasing your parents! There is a multitude of benefits including:

It may prevent and/or alleviate back, shoulder and neck pain
It may prevent and/or alleviate nerve impingement conditions such as sciatica
It may prevent headaches
It will portray and project self-confidence
It will improve movement efficiency
It will improve and maintain mobility
It will optimise breathing

For more information on the benefits of posture, how to correctly set up your work station and a strengthening & stretching routine that you can do to improve your posture, please click here.

Exercise Of The Month - Bridging

This exercise will improve the strength of your back and deep abdominal muscles. NB - Do NOT do this exercise if you have high blood pressure

If you need any equipment to help you with your workouts, why not visit our shop? We have a wide range of high-quality, low-cost equipment!

For the bridging exercise:

Lie on your back on the floor with arms at your sides, knees bent to 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor hip width apart
Keeping both feet on the floor and putting your weight through your heels, push your hips upwards
You are aiming to make a straight line between your knees, hips and shoulders
Maintain this position for 30 seconds and then relax before repeating

To progress the intensity of the bridging exercise try the following:

Once you are in the bridge position, lift one foot and straighten your leg at the knee. Keeping your knees together and hips level, hold this position for 15 seconds before swapping legs. Build up the time spent balancing on each leg.
Bring your arms across your chest or place your fingertips at your temples to increase the amount of stabilisation required.
Raise your feet on a chair or stability ball and perform the bridging exercise

It is essential to keep breathing normally during these exercises and not to hold your breath.

Make Your Take Away Healthy

For many people, a take away is a weekly treat but for those people trying to watch their weight or their fat intake, it can be a minefield. Are there any healthy options? Here are our top tips.

Indian – creamy curries such as Korma, Passanda & Massala and Naan breads are high in saturated fat. Opt for tomato/vegetable curries or baked dishes such as Tandoori and Chapatti bread instead.
Pizza – don’t add extra cheese and avoid high fat toppings such as salami – ask for extra veg and less cheese instead. Avoid garlic bread which is laden with butter and try a healthier olive oil Bruschetta instead.
Chinese – lower fat options include steamed dishes, plain rice and chop suey. Egg-fried rice and deep-fried or battered dishes such as dim sum, sweet & sour and spring rolls are higher in fat.
Thai – stick to stir-fried or steamed options especially vegetable or fish dishes. Remember that curries containing coconut milk will be high in saturated fat. Steamed rice is a good side order.
Fish & Chips – thicker chips contain proportionately less fat so avoid French Fries. Don’t ask for salt to be added – add a small amount yourself if you really need it! Side orders of baked beans or mushy peas will make your meal more balanced, as will not eating the batter!
Burgers & Kebabs – avoid adding cheese & mayonnaise and always ask for extra salad. Baked or grilled burgers or kebabs such as Shish are much healthier than their traditional counterparts.

Food Of The Month - Oats

Are you getting your oats?! If not, why not? Oats really are a ‘super-grain’! Firstly, oats have not been processed or ‘refined’ – they are wholegrains. The fact that they are ‘unrefined’ means that you get all of the goodness from the grain. Secondly, oats are a great source of insoluble fibre which helps you maintain a healthy digestive system. And, last but by no means least, oats also provide a soluble source of fibre called beta-glucan and this can actively lower your cholesterol level.

So, why not start your day with a bowl of porridge and benefit from the goodness of oats? Alternatively, take a look at our oaty cereal bar and flapjack recipes by clicking here!

Water, Water, Everywhere!

Around two thirds of your body is water and it is important that we maintain this volume. Water is essential for your body to function normally – it is found in all bodily tissues and fluids as well as being vital for transporting nutrients, lubricating joints/eyes, removing waste and maintaining body temperature amongst others things.

Water is constantly lost from the body through sweating, breathing & removing waste and we gain water from the things that we eat and drink – it is important that we achieve balance between the water lost and that which is consumed.

Water Shortage

If we don’t achieve water balance, we create a water shortage in our bodies and this will impact upon our mental and physical ability. When the body is short of water, it is said to be dehydrated and even mild dehydration can lead to reduced concentration levels, reduced physical and mental performance, headaches and fatigue.

More severe dehydration can cause dizziness, confusion and imbalance. In fact, water balance is so important that we would die within days if we didn’t consume any fluids. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on our thirst mechanism to tell us when we need to drink – once we feel thirsty it’s too late and there’s already a water shortage in the body.

How Much Is Enough?

The average adult in the UK needs 1-2 litres (6-8 glasses) of fluid every day but this increases if you are active or if you are in a hot environment. We should all be aiming to drink regularly throughout the day – try to have 1 litre bottle of water during the day, take regular sips from it and aim to finish it by the time you go home from work.

In terms of physical performance, just 2% dehydration can cause a 5% drop in your ability to exercise and this can increase to a 30% drop in performance at 5% dehydration! However, according to a study from America, nearly half of exercisers arrive at the gym already dehydrated! Remember that, you workout will seem much harder if you aren’t properly hydrated and you will be more likely to stop prematurely making it much harder to reach your goals!

What should we be drinking?

Well, water is the best choice – it’s calorie free and it doesn’t contain any sugar to damage your teeth. However, a lot of people don’t like the taste of water. If this is you, try sparkling water or add a slice of lemon or lime to your water. Milk is also a good choice as it contains vitamins, minerals and calcium but it won’t contribute towards tooth decay – if you are watching your weight, choose skimmed milk.

Fruit juices can contain lots of vitamins and are often thought to be the healthy choice as 1 glass of fruit juice counts as 1 of our 5 fruit and veg a day. However, beware of the amount of sugar in fruit juice as it can damage your teeth – it is best to consume fruit juice with a meal to avoid dental damage – and always choose 100% pure fruit juice with no added sugar.

What about sports drinks?

Sports drinks were designed to aid performance in sports and events of more than 60 minutes duration such as marathons or football matches. Although they are very effective at providing a quick source of fluid and fuel, they are not really necessary if your exercise routine is shorter than an hour – in fact, plain water would be fine and it’s much cheaper!

A lot of people exercise to manage their weight and they may use 200 calories during their session – when you consider that sports drinks contain around 150 calories, it just doesn’t make sense to be using them. In addition to this, sports drinks contain a lot of sugar so will contribute to tooth decay.

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Product Of The Month - Omron Body Composition Monitor

If you’re trying to keep an eye on your weight and body composition then the new Omron BF500 Body Composition Monitor is the thing for you! Offering highly accurate measurements of your weight, body fat percentage, BMI and metabolic rate, these scales allow you to track the progress you are making. Additionally, the BF500 assesses your visceral fat – the fat surrounding your vital organs – which is known to be an important risk factor for heart disease.

With 4 memories that can track data for 90 days, these scales are ideal for home use – click here to read more about them.

Is Life Stressing You Out?

Are you always running out of time? Does your boss expect too much? Do you have trouble sleeping? Have you got chronic muscular aches and pains? Are you more irritable and moody? Yes? You may be stressed! But what is stress and what can you do about it if you think it may be taking over your life?

Stress is something that is hard to escape and it isn’t always a bad thing – many people thrive on it as it gives them a sense of urgency. However, if our stress level exceeds our ability to cope, it can cause problems that may range from high blood pressure to depression, from heart disease to ulcers, from migraines to digestive disorders.

What Causes Stress?

Many things can cause stress and these are known as stressors. During a normal day, we encounter a variety of potential stressors – whether these result in the feeling of being unable to cope is dictated by the way we deal with them.

Common stressors include traffic jams, train delays, queues, crowds, paperwork, deadlines, homework, computers, children, relatives, bills and finances. Not everyone will deal with these stressors in the same way – personality, genetics and past experience will all influence our ability to cope. However, we can learn to deal with stressors more effectively to help stop stress having a negative impact upon our lives.

How Do We Deal With Stress?

The first thing that we need to do in order to address our stress is to recognise our personal stress symptoms. These may include chronic muscular aches or pains, migraines, insomnia, digestive problems, disturbed eating patterns, fatigue, lethargy, poor concentration, irritability, anger, moodiness, self-doubt, depression, confusion, weight loss or gain, skin problems and withdrawal from social situations. Your manifestation of stress will be unique to you, therefore it is important that you learn to recognise your own symptoms.

Once you can recognise your symptoms of stress, you need to introduce some stress-busting techniques into your life! The way you choose to do this will depend upon your lifestyle, the amount of time you have and your preferences – here are some commonly used techniques.

Confront the problem! Withdrawing from a situation may be the easiest thing to do, but it never solves the problem. If your workload is causing stress – talk to your boss, if your family is the problem – talk to your them. Once you take action, you'll start to feel better.
Chill out! Relaxation techniques are extremely useful in stressful periods. Mental imagery is a good way to calm yourself down – just picture yourself in a place where you are completely relaxed. Massage, meditation, tai chi and yoga may also help us to cope with stress. For free alternatives, take a relaxing bath or, if you have a pet, stroke it – research shows that petting an animal decreases stress and lowers blood pressure!
Break free! Temporarily removing yourself from stressful situations won’t make them go away but it will allow you to re-focus - this can help diminish the effects of stress. If you are at the office, get away from your desk – go for a brief walk, preferably outside. Similarly, always take the breaks you are entitled to at work and always leave your desk when you do so.
Relieve the tension! Exercise is a fantastic way to deal with stress, forget what’s happened during the day and move on. Whether it’s a gentle swim to calm you down, a walk with the dog (see above!) or a good session at the gym – it works wonders! A more vigorous workout is favoured by some people as it allows pent up frustration and tension to be dealt with in a healthy way – you can take it out on a punch bag if need be!

BlueSkies offer a range of services that can help you to cope with the stress in your life from on-site massage, to stress management workshops to education services. Click here to find out more about our services. For more information on these, or any of our other services, please e-mail us.

Thanks for reading!

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