Category Archives: Fitness,

Diet fad – The caveman diet?

Posted by jamiebarton on September 7, 2011 No comment

Well the latest fad diet out seems a bit farfetched, well on the face of it, it does. The caveman diet is supposed to help our bodies go back to what they can handle and apparently our genetics or nutritional needs have scarcely changed since Palaeolithic times, even though foods available have. So all those processed foods we eat are no good for us and are they are making us fat!

Although I have always thought processed foods weren’t that ‘healthy’ I eating them in small portions can’t be that bad for us however they are! We should be eating more like our hairy ancestors were such as grass-fed pasture raised-meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots and nuts which are available still today. However we should avoid grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar and processed oil. Anything that has to be ‘processed’ to be eaten should be avoided because well back in Neanderthal times they wouldn’t have had a Gregg’s sausage roll or the like!

Now I am not 100% sure I could manage this diet as it would mean giving up ‘treats’ that I enjoy but don’t overdo such as cakes, ice cream, chocolate, alcohol and sweets however I do like trying to eat as much natural and non-processed meats and vegetables as possible, so may have to up my veg box order!

Weird celebrity diet

Posted by jamiebarton on August 24, 2011 No comment

I was reading an article the other day about Victoria Beckham and her plans to shift her post pregnancy weight. Now I’m not actually sure how much weight she actually gained, reports suggest 1st 7lb but it didn’t look a lot and recent pictures I have seen of her don’t really show her carrying a lot of extra pregnancy weight however it might just have been the camera angles.

Apparently she is doing the new ‘Five-Hands’ diet which means you can only eat just five handfuls of food a day. Strange I know, according to a source close to the star Victoria has been snacking on palm-sized portions of high protein foods such as smoked salmon, prawns with chilli, scrambled eggs and yellow fin tuna sushi, as well as avoiding carbohydrates. She supplements these meals by drinking lots of water and snacking on goji berries and nuts.

I’m not sure how much energy she will get from this diet though, especially with a new baby and her sons to look after she will need a lot.  But then I guess that is what nannies are for! I personally wish she would have a bit more meat on her bones, looking at someone that thin is not nice, bones shouldn’t protrude that much and your legs shouldn’t look like they could snap.

Now I’m not a jealous fatty before you all start saying so, I just wish people would understand what effects their extreme dieting has on other people especially young girls.

Exercise key to quitting smoking?

Posted by jamiebarton on August 14, 2011 No comment

According to a new study from the Miriam Hospital in Rhode Island, the key to quitting smoking could be pumping iron and their study found that this form of exercise made men and women attempting to quit smoke TWICE as successful!

With a couple of friends who smoke and struggle to quit, as well as having weight issues, this could be the perfect weight for them to kill two birds with one stone!

The researchers at the Miriam Hospital recruited 25 male and female smokers who were between the ages of 18 and 65, who were all also smoking at least 5 cigarettes a day, to take part in the study. They were placed at random into two groups: One group took part in two 60-minute training sessions per week for 12 weeks, while the other group only watched a brief health and wellness video twice a week. Out of this group 16% who were in the resistance training group not only found they quit smoking at the end of the 12 week period, but they also decreased their body weight and body fat as well. Out of those who watched the video only, 8% of them quit smoking and saw an INCREASE in their weight and fat.

It does show that exercise has a lot of health benefits, those who did exercise, probably skipped smoking, so they could have more energy and could probably breath better after stopping.

At the moment there needs to be more research into this link, plus much longer term research, currently 15% of those in the resistance training group had managed not to lapse either in the last three months, which is a good sign.

Healthy eating

Posted by jamiebarton on March 13, 2011 No comment

I mentioned at the beginning of the year I was looking to be healthier, not going on a diet but changing my diet so it was healthier and taking part in some light exercise. I have been quite successful with the exercise part mainly because the Kinect I got for my Xbox is so darn fun; however I am still struggling to keep a healthier diet.

For example I still snack quite a lot and although I’m trying to eat healthier alternatives to crisps and chocolate I still don’t get round to it, although I did read recently that popcorn is a better for you than crisps, although I’m presuming plain popcorn not the stuff covered in butter and sugar. On the other hand however I have cut down my tea consumption and am now drinking more water instead although I’m not convinced that, that is making much of a difference yet.

I’m currently scouring the internet for foods, recommended by various health experts that should be included into your diet such as Blueberries, broccoli, Brazil nuts, blackberries, strawberries, goji berries, oily fish, eggs and so much more. I am though however finding it a harder task incorporating some things into my diet, a lot of the time I spend is looking for recipes, but this is the price you pay for trying to stay healthy and enjoying a varied diet.

Fun exercise

Posted by jamiebarton on February 2, 2011 No comment

A bit of an impulse buy this weekend was Kinect for the Xbox, after having a go at a friend’s house I decided it would be an ideal way to introduce some fun exercise into my life and in the long run cheaper than joining the gym! Now I do have a Wii fit but the controllers get on my nerves as does constantly buying batteries for them  which is why its sat collecting dust, so it’s a great relief with the Kinect than all I need to do is just wave my hands to control it!

To go with my Kinect I bought some games which my friend has, Kinect Sports and Dance Central, (the dance game is really what made me get it) as well as EA Sports Active 2, (which is to get me exercising). The Sports game is great fun and ideal to play with friends and family, as is the Dance Central game, however I find that also really good to play on my own as part of exercising as it really gets my heart rate going and is great fun. My other half has started out on a exercise regime set by the trainers on the EA Sports Active 2 game and its quite a hard one too, which is making me hesitant to start it yet as I’m slowly edging into exercise!

With all these games I am really surprised at how good the Kinect is at picking up your every move as well as recognising different players, it’s much better than what I thought it would be at the launch last year and I really do think I will make use out of it, especially if more fun titles come out for it.

Kinect and games

Kinect and games

Spring into action

Posted by jamiebarton on April 27, 2010 No comment

As we have now had some warmer weather this past week I decided it’s about time to start getting my body into shape for summer, after putting on a few extra pounds over winter (to keep me warm obviously) I could do shedding them and also toning up my squidgy bits. On top of that my skin seems to be looking fairly dull and very pale at the moment which as I start wearing more summer clothing will look more apparent.

Obviously sticking to an exercise regime will help tone me up and loose those pesky pounds but I can’t just suddenly start that as I haven’t exercised for a good 6 months, well since we headed into winter last year! I read somewhere its best to get your body and mind ready before taking on any mammoth exercise regime a god way to do this is to enjoy a relaxing massage to loosen up all your muscles. So I have decided to motivate myself I will visit a spa, now I know most people think that would be a good prize for getting fit but it’s also a good way to get you prepared. I can have some treatments that can revitalise my skin and give me a nice glow, like a body scrub as well as enjoying a sauna to rid my body of some of its toxins.

Once I have prepared my body I think I should be in a perfect mood to get fit and healthy.