BlueSkies Newsletter - July 2009
Welcome to July's BlueSkies newsletter!
In this month's edition, you can read our articles on:
Keep On Running - how to perform cardiovascular training
Fishy Tales - what type of fish should you eat and how often?
Don't Forget to Wash Your Hands - hygiene tips to avoid colds and flus
Also, find out about the health benefits of berries and how to snack without piling on the pounds.
Keep On Running...Or Cycling....Or Swimming!
Cardiovascular or CV training has many benefits including those to our health, fitness and psychological well-being.
However, there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding CV training and what we need to do in order to benefit from it.
Remember, "no pain, no gain" is a very outdated term!
The term "cardiovascular" refers to your cardiovascular system or your heart, lungs and blood vessels. CV training strengthens your CV system and makes it more efficient - the fitter your CV system, the fitter you are!
Many forms of exercise can be used to carry out CV training e.g. walking, dancing, running, cycling, swimming, exercise classes and rowing. However, to perform it properly, you need to work at the right intensity and for the right duration of time.
How hard should you work?
Intensity refers to how hard you work. For CV training, you should aim to work at a level at which you can hold a conversation but one which makes you feel warm and slightly out of breath. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being 'doing nothing' and 10 being 'working flat out', you should aim to work between 4 and 6.
The most accurate way to gauge intensity is to use a heart rate monitor - if this is something that you aren't familiar with, check out the article in BlueSkies June 2008 newsletter. For CV exercise, you should aim to work between 65% and 85% of your maximum heart rate.
If you are just starting off down the road to fitness then a fast walk may elicit the correct intensity, whereas more experienced exercisers will probably need to work harder to achieve it. Remember, it's not about how fast you go, it's about maintaining the right intensity and is person specific.
How long for?
Duration refers to how long you should be doing the exercise for. For CV training, you should aim for between 30 and 60 minutes of activity 3 to 5 times a week. Ideally, you should do all of this in one go but if you can't do this to begin with, start with blocks of 10 to 15 minutes performed 3 to 4 times per day. Once you can do this, start to slowly build up to performing 30 to minutes in one session.
The benefits of CV exercise
CV exercise has many benefits apart from helping you to develop your CV fitness. Research shows that it can:
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Reduce your risk of heart disease
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Protect you against high blood pressure
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Help to prevent and manage diabetes
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Reduce stress, anxiety and depression
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Help to build stronger bones and reduce your risk of osteoporosis
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Reduce your risk of certain cancers
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Help you to maintain a healthy weight
Fishy Tales!
We often get asked questions about fish so we thought we'd put all of the answers in one place! In this article, we are looking at which types of fish you should be eating and how often.
First things first, it's important to say that ALL fish is good for you as it's a very lean source of protein. It's normally the way that fish is cooked that detracts from its goodness - think battered and fried! However, some fishes do offer more health benefits than others.
Oily fish
Oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, pichards and fresh tuna contains the 'healthy', or polyunsaturated, fats that we are advised to eat more of. These type of fish are high in Omega 3 which is called an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid - it is 'essential' because our bodies cannot make it so we need to consume it through our diets.
There are two different types of Omega 3 - long-chained and short-chained - and our bodies can use the long-chained form more quickly. Short-chained Omega 3 is converted into long-chained after it is eaten but this process is fairly inefficient. Oily fish is a source of long-chained Omega 3.
Omega 3 has many health benefits, it is believed that it may:
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lower your risk of heart disease and blood vessel disease
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help maintain joint health
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enhance foetal development
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improve brain development, concentration, learning ability and behaviour in children
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enhance brain function in adults
Fresh rather than processed
As with most food, the less 'processed' it is, the better it will be for you - this is true of tinned and smoked fish. If a product's been tinned or smoked, it will have fewer micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) than the fresh version. However, it will still be a good source of protein, low in fat and contain a certain amount of vitamins and minerals. The fish to really avoid is that which has been battered, breaded or immersed in cheesey/creamy sauces.
How much do you need?
It is recommended that adults and children over 12 years old eat 2 portions of oily fish per week - a portion is 140g cooked fish and it will contain approximately 450mg long-chained Omega 3. Children under 12 will need less - the British Dietetic Association recommend that:
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children aged 18 months to 3 years eat 1/3 portion per week
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children aged 4 to 6 years eat 1/2 portion per week
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children aged 7 to 11 eat 2/3 portion per week
What about mercury?
For most people, there is no risk of harm from eating up to 4 portions of oily fish per week but it may be high in mercury. So, some population groups need to take care not to eat too much. Pregnant or breastfeeding women or those attempting to conceive should not eat any more than 2 portions per week.
In addition, deep sea fish such as shark, marlin, tuna and swordfish may contain particularly high levels of mercury and so it should be avoided by these women and children under 16 years old. Mercury is potentially harmful for children and it may harm foetuses.
Food Of The Month - Berries
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries.....traditional summer fruits which will be available in abundance over the next few months. What's more, they are easy to grow but if you're not a gardener or you don't have the space or time, you can always forage in the hedgerows to see what you can find for free!
Berries, in general, are very good for us. Consider these few facts:
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Fresh berries are low in calories, fat and salt as well as being free from any artificial additives
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Berries are high in fibre which is needed to maintain a healthy digestive system
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Eating berries will help to boost your antioxidant intake which can help to prevent cell damage and may protect against aging & cancer
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Including berries in your diet will boost your vitamin C intake, 8 medium strawberries contain more vitamin C than a medium orange
Obviously, adding cream or ice cream detracts from the health of berries but they make fabulous, healthy desserts on their own. In addition, they make great tasting smoothies, just add some low-fat milk or yoghurt to make your own "healthful" drink.
If you're interested in getting fresh fruit delivered, why not try Graze? Graze are the first company ever to send fresh fruit using the post, meaning that you can eat amazing, natural fruit at your desk. You can choose a set box or pick and mix your own. Click on the banner here to visit the Graze website.
Don't Forget To Wash Your Hands!
Experts are predicting that swine flu will reach a peak during September and remain a serious problem throughout the Winter. So, what can we do to avoid succumbing to colds and flus this Autumn and Winter?
Here are some simple tips to help reduce the spread of cold and flu viruses.
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Wash your hands regularly but make sure your towels are clean or it will be a waste of time! If you don't have access to soap and water, use one of the alcohol-based rub-on gel cleaners that are available.
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Avoid touching your nose. Most of us touch our nose and mouth much more than we realise, particularly when we're talking and thinking. Try to make a conscious effort not to do this!
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Keep your nose clean. Most fllu and cold viruses enter our bodies through our noses. If you take care of your nose, you can increase your immune defences and reduce your susceptibility. Keep your nose healthy and clean by blowing it regularly instead of sniffing and risking nasal secretions being sniffed into the back of the throat.
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Keep all surfaces clean, particularly handles, computers, phones and light switches. Germs can linger for a long time and it's easy to miss surfaces that are touched regularly if they don't look dirty. Try using antibacterial wipes throughout your home and office.
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Always carry tissues with you. Then, if you cough or sneeze, use a tissue to cover your nose and mouth, not your hands - using your hands means that you transfer germs to other surfaces after you sneeze. Once you've used the tissue, either flush it down the toilet or bin it and WASH YOUR HANDS!!
Snack Without Piling On The Pounds
When we try to lose weight, we are often told to look at the type of foods that we snack on. Sometimes, all of the hard work that we put in at the gym and the changes that we make to our main meals can be quickly undone by snacking on the wrong things!
What we really want from a snack is something that is low in calories but still tasty enough to enjoy and filling enough to stop us needing more. For these reasons, a lot of diets suggest fresh fruit or veggies for snacks but these can become boring and repetitive after a few days, let alone a few months or weeks.
It's a good idea to try to include protein in a snack if possible as this will help to keep you feeling fuller for longer. Additionally, if you're eating carbohydrate, try to choose wholegrain versions for the same reason.
Here are a few snack ideas which all contain 100 calories or less (admittedly, they're not the healthiest choices as that would be fruit and veg!):
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1 Special K, Alpen Light or Ryvita Goodness cereal bar
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1 medium slice of granary toast with a thin spread of jam or low fat spread & Marmite
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2 Babybel Light cheese portions
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1 Skinny Cow ice cream bar
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1 packet of Walkers Baked crisps
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1 packet of French Fries crisps
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2 Jaffa Cakes
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2 Nairn's Stem Ginger/Fruit & Spice oat biscuits
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1 Muller Light yoghurt
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Sugar free jelly - it has less than 10 calories per pot!
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1 pot of ready-made low calorie Ambrosia Custard - try it with a pot of sugar free jelly!
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1 fun-size Mars Bar, Twix, Snickers, Milky Way or Maltesers - for when you just need chocolate!
Thanks For Reading!
We hope you enjoyed this month's BlueSkies newsletter!
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