Health & Fitness Articles From Fit for You

Climbing High for Diabetes

2008-12-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

A company specialising in health and fitness consultancy is encouraging us all to help prevent the onset of diabetes through simple changes to diet and lifestyle.
Phil Cordell of Fit for You, based in County Durham, took part in a sponsored climb In aid of Diabetes UK, the leading diabetes charity.

Phil explains that in adults, the onset of type II diabetes takes 10 years of exposure to a poor diet. “As the NHS only diagnose when you are a diabetic, prevention really is better than the cure”

Type II diabetes occurs when the consumption of sugary foods over years, exceeds what the body muscles need for exercise. This forces the body to gradually make more and more insulin to bring this sugar level down. Eventually, the body can not make enough insulin to lower the sugar level and this level remains chronically high, resulting in the individual being diagnosed with Diabetes.

At Fit for You we have the information and tools available to help people make the changes to their lifestyle, whether they have been diagnosed with diabetes or not. The current diet culture of too much processed sugars that are often hidden in food causes stress to the pancreas and liver. The pancreas is stimulated when sugar is ingested, as the pancreas is only supposed to ‘fire up’ twice a day, eating sugar more than twice a day increases the chances of damaging the pancreas.

If we concentrate on eating the right food, a healthy balance of animal protein, fat and complex carbohydrates, we are much less likely to over stimulate the sugar controlling organs. Keeping to three balanced meals a day, with only water in between will maintain a steady energy supply, healthy body fats and moderate glucose levels

At Fit for You we can evaluate an individual’s specific ratio of animal protein, fat and complex carbohydrates and determine which foods may be preventing them from losing body fat, as this differs from person to person.
If by raising awareness of these facts I can help people avoid becoming diabetic, or if they are already diabetic, decrease potential complications, then I am doing what Fit for You is about; improving peoples fitness through testing, education, training and coaching.

Training session 17-12-2008

2008-12-17T11:02:00.001-08:00

Todays training session;

4 x Stairs (13 steps up, Up/down stairs = 1x)
10 x Press-Ups
10 x Sit-Ups

Repeated x 5 Total time = 7.29mins

World-Class Fitness in 100 Words:

2008-12-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

■ Eat meat(fish, chicken, some red meat) and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.

■ Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.

■ Five or six days per week mix these ele-ments in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense.

■ Regularly learn and play new sports.
(An article from Crossfit.com)

Paul Chek Training!

2008-11-13T04:55:00.001-08:00

A good video of Paul Chek training!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRc5g0OzVbI&feature=related

Remember it is his 4th time around!

Take a chance!

2008-10-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

"A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."

William Shedd

Saturday's Training Session

2008-10-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday's training session with Tracy;
24kg dumbells ea x 8
10kg Sit-Up x 10
S/Ball Press Up x 10
Gym Bench Bunny Hop x 10
30kg Squat Press x 10

Repeated 3 x

Fridays Exercise Sessions

2008-10-05T04:46:00.000-07:00

Fridays a.m. training session with estelle;
1 x Stairs assent
10 x Press-Up (Elevated)
Repeated 5 x = 38.0 mins

Fridays p.m. training session with Tracy;
600m Run
50 x Sit-Ups
50 x Back Raise
Repeated 3 x = Phil 15.29 Tracy 16.48

Yesterday's training session!

2008-09-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

23-09-2008 training session with Tracy;

5 exercises, 60 seconds on each, 2 min rest, 3 times around.

Phil Tracy
1 2 3 1 2 3

20k Biceps Curl 18 18 20 16 17 18
10k Sit-Up 25 23 22 15 17 14
Press-Ups 20 20 20 13 14 13
Bench Bunny Hops 17 17 14 15 15 16
20k Squat Press 15 15 17 11 11 11

20 mins of Yoga

Great News & Congratualtions to Chris!

2008-09-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

A friend and client of mine Chris O'Brien, who has been working with me for over a year, has just come back from a national Disc (Frisbee) Golf Championship, and was winner in his class.
Chris has applied the training and nutrition that Fit for You has advised, and is sure that is what gave him the edge over the competition, and won by an amazing 24 shots under par.

Congratulations Chris!

"Health Tip"

2008-09-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

"Carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity."

An article taken from one of my resource sites; The Price Pottenger Foundation http://www.ppnf.org/

"Good Calories, Bad Calories"
Gary Taubes traces how the common assumption that carbohydrates are fattening was abandoned in the 1960s when fat and cholesterol were blamed for heart disease and then - wrongly - were seen as the causes of a host of other maladies, including cancer. He shows us how these unproven hypotheses were emphatically embraced by authorities in nutrition, public health, and clinical medicine, in spite of how well-conceived clinical trials have consistently refuted them. He also documents the dietary trials of carbohydrate-restriction, which consistently show that the fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.

"Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilization. The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin secretion, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis - the entire harmonic ensemble of the human body. The more easily digestible and refined the carbohydrates, the greater the effect on our health, weight, and well-being."

Source: GOOD Calories, BAD Calories
by Gary Taubes

IS YOUR NUTRITION AFFECTING YOUR PERFORMANCE?

2008-09-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a day where you feel Ok, but your performance is not as you would expect?Various reasons can be attributed for this effect, as you are aware there are so many variables in life, but one thing that a lot of people overlook is there nutrition. I’m not just talking about if you’ve eaten, and/or whether you’ve taken on enough water, as these are very common, obvious issues.
Have a consideration to the following;
Coffee: This can dehydrate you, for every cup of coffee you take, you’d need to drink 1.5 cups to remain hydrated. It can also raise your heart by as much as 7-10 beats per minute, which could effect your relaxation, quality of sleep, or when you need to perform at work or at your sport.
Sugar foods/drinks: (this includes foods with sweeteners) It’s common for people to drink sweet drinks, or eat chocolate whilst playing sport or in the office, and again this can make someone jittery, through sudden increased blood-sugar levels, and a blood-sugar drop some 30mins later, causing usually a yo-yo carbohydrate eating frenzy, ending up really fatigued.
Alcohol: Often many people will go to the gym on a Sunday, wondering why their performance was poor. It is possible that alcohol consumed the night is still in the system, causing a residual hangover, and core dysfunction but, more likely the effects will leave you with a lower ability to maintain concentration, back/core stability or even put you at higher risk of injury.
Food intolerances: White bread, pasta, or processed flour products are one of the most common foods that the human is intolerant to. Additionally, sugary foods, spicy foods, alcohol, pasturised dairy products, etc. They all can negatively affect the way your abdominal muscles work. Ever felt bloated after a sandwich or pasta meal ?

There is a test used to see how much abdominal strength someone has, Paul Chek once told an audience that he would do this test on himself and his 20yr old son, whilst training in the morning, then have lunch, including some Jalapeño peppers. Re-doing the test in the afternoon, finding that over 50% of the pre’ lunch strength had been lost, all due to the intestine being irritated by the food, and shutting muscles down.

Summary
Anything that is not correct for your body, will have an effect on it’s performance. To maintain back/core strength and integrity, and convert the power from the torso to the arms effectively, requires the core to stabilize. If you eat a meal containing foods that are correct for your body the night and morning before, the core will be more able to contract, thereby leaving you stronger and able to perform better.

To cardio or not to cardio that is the question?

2008-09-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

So many people use cardiovascular exercise to manage bodyweight and body fat, is it the correct way?Is it the most efficient way?What could be a better way to use the time, reduce injury and get the results?
Please feel free to comment
I'll be posting sonme ideas and tips soon
Phil

SALT

2008-08-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

SALT
North East worst for salt awareness
22 million people in Britain are now trying to cut down the amount of salt they eat; however in the North East fewer than two in five adults are cutting down on salt - the lowest in the country. Eating too much salt is a significant risk factor in developing high blood pressure, which causes or contributes to more than 170,000 deaths a year in England. Studies show that reducing salt in the diet can lower blood pressure within four weeks. Three quarters of our daily salt intake comes from processed foods and with men eating an average of 11g of salt a day and women an average of 8g a day, we are all eating too much salt – the recommended daily salt intake is 6g. Deirdre Hutton, Chair of the Food Standards Agency said: “It's a great first step that some people now know that too much salt is bad for them and are cutting down on the amount they add to food. But if we all check food labels and choose the products containing the least salt, it will help us ensure that we all eat no more than 6g a day. "In the past year more food companies have started to reduce the amount of salt in processed foods. But we need more of them to do the same if we are to reach our goal of reducing the UK's salt consumption to 6g by 2010.”

Fit for You response
Salt itself may not be the problem, and regarding the blood pressure situation, becoming hydrated can have a better effect on blood pressure, without the risk of blood pressure tablets.
When you restrict vital nutrients like salt (or cholesterol) all sorts of strange things can result. Low sodium diets can increase levels of renin, LDL and insulin resistance, reduce sexual activity in men and cause cognitive difficulties and anorexia in the elderly. Tasteless and dull low sodium diets can cause other nutritional deficiencies. Lowering sodium with diuretics to treat hypertension can cause similar problems.

There are no research reports that justify putting everyone on a low-sodium diet. A meta-analysis of 83 published studies that included people who had been randomly assigned to follow a high or low sodium diet found that in those with elevated blood pressures, a low sodium diet was able to lower systolic pressure 3.9 mm Hg and diastolic pressure by 1.9 mm Hg.
However, in people with normal pressures, cutting salt intake reduced blood pressure by only 1.2 mm systolic and 0.26 mm diastolic. If you have ever taken a blood pressure, you will know it is almost impossible to detect such minute differences. If you use the standard method and take repeated blood pressures over a few minutes each reading often varies by 5 mm. or more and it is extremely difficult to detect a diastolic measurement difference of 2 mm.
Low sodium diets may be helpful for some hypertensive patients by reducing their need for drugs but there is no proof to support official recommendations that they are good for everybody. The one size fits all does not work.

If we are to look at elements such as salt in the diet, surely this would only be after we’ve looked at, and addressed, the amount of processed foods we are eating, the sweeteners in so called health drinks, the amount of various pollutants we expose ourselves to, the overuse of alcohol, ingestion of chemicals within prescriptive and recreational drugs, etc. It is proven that being hydrated correctly can have a more beneficial reaction to almost all health areas including; blood pressure, asthma, arthritis, bowel disorders, cancer and skin problems, to name only a few!

Fit for You recommend that our clients eat natural foods, meat veg’ & fruit, as unprocessed as possible, drink approximately 2½ litres of plain water daily, minimise tea, coffee, alcohol, cut out sweeteners, and only use natural Celtic Sea Salt, as opposed to mass produced, bleached sodium.

What Is Fit?

2008-08-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

Some time ago, 9 years approximately, I wrote a short outline of a talk that was presented to various business groups, and health associations, some of you may have heard this, or in part at least if you know me. It is still relevant.

WHAT IS ‘FIT’ ?
Just because someone is a size 10, weighs 7st, or did a marathon 5 years ago, doesn’t mean that they are ‘fit’.
There are a number of observed ways to gauge an individual’s fitness;
Posture, Flexibility, Muscle Endurance, Muscle Strength, Body Composition, Cardiovascular Ability (VO2) , Mental Balance, Balance/Equilibrium, Motor Skills
In addition to the above we must also have the ability to;
Run, Jump, Push, Pull, Bend, Twist, Lift, Squat, Lunge.

The hierarchy of priority for the average individual is,
Posture & Flexibility
All of the above must be in balance, otherwise you would not be classed as fit.
If you are a participant in a specific competitive sport, then you would need to adhere to the above, ‘plus’ the specific requirements for that sport.

Now, Do you consider yourself ‘fit’?

Your training should aim at the weakest areas of the above list ! !

3750 Steps of Penitence!

2008-08-19T09:33:00.001-07:00

Here I am sitting in my office, listening to the English summer hammering on the window, and only a few weeks ago I was in 40 degees of Egyptian heat.

The family had taken a break in the Sinai peninsula, at Sharm-el-Sheikh, now becoming a very poular tourist attraction. Typical of many travellers to this part, we wanted to experience some of the local area and history. Amongst snorkling in the Red Sea, camel riding in the dessert with Bedouin guides, and of course lazing around the resort pool, one of the excursions we had decided to go on was to see the sunrise from the top of Mt Sinai (or Moses Mount) the place where Moses was reported to have received the Ten Commandments from God.

All we were told was, take water, wear trainers and take some kind of light jacket as it gets cold at that time in the morning (at our hotel it hadn't dropped below 30 degrees at night!)

So, we get collected at about 21.30 Friday night, and are on a coach travelling for two and a half hours, plus a couple of stops for checkpoints and toilet break, we get to St Catherine monastery at the foot of the mountain. Once there, we are allocated a Bedouin guide, and start at a very slow pace, to take the camel route up the mountain, we have the option to hire a camel, but (as most people are walking) and in true Cordell family style we were walking. I think we started about 02.00 Sat morning, it was in pitch black with a fairly steep, sandy track, camels passing us on the way, and our group passing some other groups on the way, occasionally stopping to let the group gather together again.

At about 04.30 we reach as far as the camels can go, and then are faced with 750 rugged stone steps to the summit. It is apparrent that a lot of people including us had not expected such a test of endurance, and many were feeling worse for wear before the steps, at a painfully slow pace we climbed the steps, sweating from the walk/climb, now feeling the chill of the night combined with the altitude, I can only guess the temperature being about 5-10 degrees (very cool considering what we'd been used to at our hotels.)

Just turned 05.00hrs we get to the top, still total darkness, mange to find a place to sit, with blankets and a bit of food from our backpacks. over the next 45 minutes a good few hundred people join us, trying to find a place to sit and await the sunrise. 05.45 the horizon begins to change and we start to see the surrounding environment. Mountains, we are on top of the second highest mountain in the Sinai peninsula, 2,285 m (7,497 ft) high. (The highest mountain is next to us and only a few metres higher.) We are looking down on a mountain range, with colours changing as the sun climbs the horizon. At 06.00 the sun has completely lifeted and so too the temperature, nearing the 25 degrees plus, and promising to increase to over 45.

We start our descent of the 750 steps, many people finding it difficult, knees not used to such exercise, or strong and stable enough to descend without handrails, we make slow progress. Once back at the camel trail we now have the option to carry on down the camel trail or, use the Bedouin steps to the monastery (not recommended to use in the dark.) A continuation of very rugged steps, 3,000 of them (in addition to the 750) all the way to the monastery, named the "Steps of Penitence" it is now over 40 degrees and it is only 08.00.

We then wait for the others, who when they arrive tell stories of fatigue, injury, and muscle soreness, some have resorted to getting camel rides down others have had falls, we heard of someone who had fallen, and the guides were having to get medics to assist.

Our family is very tired, and Tracy (my wife) and I are very pleased that we all made it ok, in good time, and without injury. A lot of people were very impressed, not at Tracy and me making it, but at our children, ages 15, 13 and 7 years.

If your thinking of going to Egypt and would like a good cardio workout, that particularly hits calfs, I can recommend this, my calfs reminded me of the walk for about 2 days.

We apologised at the time, and have been ever since we got back, to Autumn (15), Zak (13) and Beau (7), "if we had known how demanding it was, we would not have taken you." What we actually apologise for is being so cautious, because you would've missed out on a great experience, and in future we will have more faith in your capabilities and go for it.