BlueSkies Newsletter - February 2009
Welcome to February's edition of the BlueSkies newsletter!
In this month's newsletter, you can read our articles on:
Female Fitness - a female perspective on training
Eat For Your Heart - healthy diet habits for heart health
Warm Ups & Cool Downs - why bother?
Also, find out how to cook more healthily and what benefits rhubarb can offer you.
Female Fitness
Women are very different to men! This may come as no surprise to you but do you take these differences into account when exercising? Our tips should help you make your exercise programme as female-friendly as possible!
Super support!
Over 70% of women wear the wrong bra size and a lot of women don't wear a proper sports bra during exercise either. Our breasts are suspended by weak ligaments which can stretch very easily, especially during high impact activities. Luckily, we've come a long way from the 'boulder-holder' sports bras of old. They are now high tech, good looking, functional and comfortable - it's almost a shame to hide them! The first thing you need to decide is what type of sports bra you want - compression or encapsulation?
Compression bras hold your breasts against your chest to restrict movement whereas encapsulation bras separate & support the breasts and are usually better for the well-endowed amongst us. Here's our guide to choosing a sports bra:
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Get measured properly - most good lingerie shops offer this service for free
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Pick function over fashion
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Look for fabrics that take moisture away from the skin to help you keep cool & dry and avoid rubbing
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Look for bras that have flat seams - anything that sticks out will rub
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Get a bra with wide shoulder straps to avoid them digging in - some even have gel filled straps
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Make sure that the bra is not too tight around the armpits as this will cause severe discomfort
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When trying the bra on, put your hands over your head - if the chest strap moves up then it doesn't fit properly
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Try jumping up and down, running on the spot and bending over to see how much the bra supports you
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After purchasing, plan on replacing your bra every 6 months or so
Special shoes!
With so many different types of trainers on the market, it's hard to know what to buy. However, it's important that women buy trainers designed for women. Our feet are narrower than men's with proportionally longer toes, a higher instep and a higher arch. Also, our knees flex less than men's which affects the natural shock absorption mechanism meaning that we need to compensate for this in our shoes.
Therefore, buying women's shoes ensures a better fit, greater comfort, better performance and less likelihood of injury. Here are a few more tips:
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Consider your sport or activity and buy a shoe that is specifically designed for it - high impact activities need different shoes than racquet sports for example.
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Get your feet measured - they can changes size throughout your life, especially with weight loss or gain.
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Analyse your feet - are you flat footed or do you have a high arch? This will allow you to buy a shoe suited to you - most good sports shoe shops offer this service for free.
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Remember, more expensive is not always better when it comes to trainers - don't just pay for a name.
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Look after your feet by changing your trainers regularly - especially if you train frequently.
Safety first!
When you're in the gym, personal safety is not so much of an issue but as the weather starts to improve, it will be more tempting to exercise outdoors. The following tips should help you make your outdoor workout as safe as possible:
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Don't exercise alone - try to find a workout partner or use networks such as Running Sisters
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Don't exercise with both headphones on if you listen to music - you won't be able to hear anyone around you
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Sign up for a self defence course - they're fun and the skills may come in handy one day
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If you have a dog, take it with you
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Don't exercse in the same place, at the same time every day
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Make sure that someone knows where you're going and how long you'll be
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Wear reflective clothing at dusk/dawn
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Try to avoid unpopulated areas
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Carry money for a phone call in an emergency or take your mobile with you but keep it hidden
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Don't respond to hecklers
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Contact your local police station to find out about personal alarms and how to use them effectively
Eat For Your Heart!
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, our thoughts often turn to matters of the heart! There are many things that we can do to improve the health of our heart & cardiovascular system and protect ourselves against heart disease. These include exercising, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and eating well. Here, we are going to concentrate on the dietary factors.
The basics!
Getting the basics right is vitally important for heart health. By this, we mean that you should be eating a wide variety of foods in the correct proportions. This diagram from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), shows how to achieve this. You can access more information on this plate, by clicking here or by visiting the FSA website by clicking here.
You need to ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg every day?
- Are you eating enough unrefined carbohydrates i.e. wholegrain bread, wholegrain cereals, brown rice, brown pasta?
- Are you eating low-fat versions of dairy products where possible?
- Do you choose lean cuts of meat and trim off any visible fat?
- Are you limiting the amount of salt you eat?
If you answer NO to any of these questions, you need to re-think your dietary habits to improve the heart-health of your diet.
The advanced factors!
If you're sure that you've got the basics covered, then you can start to consider the dietary interventions that may help you keep your heart and cardiovascular system healthy.
Antioxidants - A high intake of antioxidants can prevent, and potentially reduce, the build up of arterial plaques. Fruit and veg are great sources of vitamins A, C and E which are collectively known as the antioxidant vitamins. Eating a wide range of different coloured fruit and veg will help you achieve a high intake of the necessary vitamins. Nuts, seeds and wheatgerm are also good sources of Vitamin E.
Saturated fats - To improve heart health, we need to reduce our consumption of 'bad fats' i.e. saturated, trans and hydrogenated fats. Bad fats are normally hard at room temperatures and they are found in abundance in red meat, butter, cheese, ghee, mayonnaise, processed foods/meats, margarine, cakes, biscuits and pastries. They are also found in palm oil, coconut oil, coconut and cocoa butter. Saturated fats can raise our 'bad' cholesterol levels and increase cardiovascular disease risk. For more information on cholesterol, click here.
Unsaturated fats - At the same time as reducing saturated fats, we should try to increase our intake of unsaturated or 'good' fats. Unsaturated fats will not raise 'bad' cholesterol levels - they may even reduce it and help to protect our hearts. You can increase your intake of good fats by eating more olive oil, olive spreads, avocados, seeds, nuts and oily fish.
Fibre - A high intake can help protect against cardiovascular disease by reducing the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. There are two types of fibre - soluble and insoluble - and it is the soluble form that is thought to be of most benefit. Soluble fibre is found in oats, cereals such as rye and barley, wholegrain bread, brown pasta and rice, pulses, apples, pears and berries. Starchy foods such as sweet potatoes, squash, potatoes and corn are also good sources of soluble fibre.
Salt - A high intake of salt is linked to increased blood pressure which, itself, is one of the biggest risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Salt is found naturally in many products and is added to most processed foods so you should avoid adding any extra salt to food when you are cooking or eating.
Alcohol - Too much alcohol can damage the heart and lead to high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke. Some studies show that, in moderation, alcohol can protect our hearts by increasing the levels of 'good' cholesterol but this is not conclusive and exercise is likely to have a more beneficial effect.
Food Of The Month - Rhubarb
Rhubarb and custard, rhubarb crumble, rhubarb pie - once the staple of school dinners. However, this fruit is gaining popularity once again for many reasons. For a start, it's fairly easy to grow which makes it a great 'credit-crunch' choice but it's also pretty good in nutrition terms too. Rhubarb is a great source of dietary fibre & vitamin C and it has been favourably compared to the so-called 'superfoods' pomegranates and blueberries. Additionally, with just 7 calories per 100g and virtually no fat, rhubarb is great for people attempting to lose weight and/or reduce their cholesterol. Remember though, adding oodles of sugar to sweeten the rhubarb, detracts from it's healthy nature - why not try a small amount of honey instead?
Why Bother With Warm Ups & Cool Downs?
Although you may still gain most of the desired benefit from your session without performing warm ups and cool downs, your training will be sub-optimal, you will increase your injury risk and you will be more likely to suffer from sore muscles over the next few days if you neglect them! For the sake of an extra 10-20 minutes, warm ups and cool downs are well worth it - but what should you be doing and when should you do it?
Warm ups
The warm up is designed to prepare your body for activity. Warm ups aim to:
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increase muscle temperature which reduces the risk of muscular injury and enhances performance
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increase bloodflow to working muscles so enhancing the availability of oxygen and nutrients
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stimulate the neuromuscular pathways involved in the movements required for the upcoming exercise
A good warm up will enhance your performance but a poor warm up can increase your risk of injury and have deleterious effects on your workout. A good warm up will be divided into three phases:
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Aerobic activity - this increases muscle temperature & bloodflow and should comprise 5-15 minutes of light work such as jogging or cycling which gradually increases in intensity. It should not be tiring or so intense as to affect your upcoming performance.
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Stretching - 5-10 minutes of light dynamic stretching including mobilisation exercises such as bum kicks, knee raises, hip swings, leg raises, arm swings/circles, trunk twists etc performed until you reach your maximum range of movement. If you are injury prone in certain areas, recovering from injury or following instructions from a physio then you may want to perform some static stretching pre-exercise but this should be done before the dynamic stretching and it should not take so long as to let muscle temperature drop again.
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Sport-specific activity - this should constitute 5-10 minutes of watered down versions of the movements that you will use in the performance itself. The aim is to enhance your co-ordination, balance & response time and may include sideways/backwards movement, changes of direction, throwing and kicking. You should gradually increase the speed of movement up to 90% of maximum.
Cool down
The cool down helps kickstart your recovery and ensure that you are ready for your next training session or match whilst slowly returning your body to the resting state. Cool downs aim to:
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remove waste products which can cause muscle soreness and inhibit future performance
- ensure blood does not pool in the lower limbs
- reduce the likelihood of muscles cooling in a shortened state
- facilitate the repair of damaged muscle tissue
Cool downs should be performed as soon as possible after exercise and should include:
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Aerobic activity - this facilitates the removal of waste products and slowly returns the body to its resting state, it should comprise 5-15 minutes light activity such as walking or cycling at less than 70% maximum heart rate.
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Static stretching - muscles will be warm and amenable to stretch after exercise so it is the ideal time to perform static stretching which will reduce the likelihood of muscle soreness over the next 48-72 hours. You should perform at least one stretch for each muscle/muscle group used during the exercise itself, hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds and perform 2-3 repetitions of each stretch if you have time. If time is limited, do at least one repetition as the first has the most effect.
Following these simple guidelines will add a little time to your workout but the benefits you gain will far outweigh the time spent on the warm up and cool down.
Healthy Cooking!
A healthy diet should be low in fat, rich in fruit & veg and contain adequate protein & carbohydrate but how do we translate this into meals? Here are a few tips on how to cook more healthily:
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Use wholegrain, unrefined carbohydrates i.e. brown rice or pasta
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Don't boil your vegetables to death as this will strip them of their nutrients - try steaming instead
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Regularly eat oily fish but try to steam, bake or grill it instead of frying it
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Avoid adding salt to your cooking or your meals
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Buy a bottle with a spray nozzle and fill it with olive or rapeseed oil, use this to spray oil where you would normally pour it to reduce the amount you use
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Instead of fried chips, try baked potato wedges cooked in the oven
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Replace some of the meat in dishes with beans and pulses
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Use smaller amounts of strong tasting cheese to cook with, this will give you all of the flavour with less fat
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Allow fat to drain from food when cooking or drain it off periodically
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Get your scales out of the cupboard and use them to measure portions of pasta, rice & cereals
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Instead of cream, try half-fat Elmlea or low-fat fromage frais in recipes
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If you crave sweet desserts, try baked bananas with honey and cinammon
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Remove the skin from poultry and meat to reduce the fat content
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Use tomato or vegetable based sauces instead of cream or cheese ones
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Replace saturated fats with unsaturated ones e.g. swap butter for olive oil spread
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Use skimmed milk to cook with - you won't notice the difference in meals
Thanks For Reading!
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