Exercise

We all know that we should take regular exercise but the range of activity seems to vary between a short drag from the sofa to the fridge and back and full scale fitness fanaticism.  I once knew someone who, reportedly, did not think they had exercised enough unless they'd started coughing blood - that seems like going a bit too far!

...and Ageing

Recent research has revealed that particular types of exercise not only increase the strength of those over 65 compared with younger adults but also have a beneficial effect at cellular level, causing mitochondria (tiny structures within the cell helping the utilisation of oxygen and production of energy) to behave in a way more consistent with those of adults several decades younger.

Too sedentary?

Many of us have a life style that is simply too sedentary.  We work at desks, drive from a to b and then sit around at home, catching up with emails or watching TV. But in his book I Can Make You Thin Paul McKenna reminds us that any activity which raises the pulse and makes you breathe more deeply, is in fact exercise!

Just a bit more

He also points out that a couple of thousand extra steps a day will, over time, make a considerable difference.  How hard is that?  Maybe 20 minutes round the block? And if you work in a tall building, take the stairs instead of the lift. If you’re on the 10th floor build it up by a couple of flights each week. You really will feel the difference.

Lack of time?

Many people cite lack of time as the main reason for not taking exercise.  Is it really lack of time, or could it be lack of motivation? If we used time as a reason not to eat we would soon notice that we weren't feeling too great! Avoiding exercise is bad for the health, it's just that we aren't so aware of it because the deterioration is very gradual.

And that small amount of time taken for a quick walk will not only help your long term health, but will also give you time out for yourself, reduce stress and leave you energised and better able to cope with life's many demands.

How to get more exercise with less effort

One way to get more exercise with very little effort, and a great deal more cost effectively than signing up to a gym you never use, is to invest in some ergonomically designed heavy shoes. You can wear them round the house like slippers if you want, and every time you go up stairs or do a bit of housework your body is working just that much harder.

But if you make time for that short walk you will get more exercise, burn more energy and strengthen your leg and back muscles with every step.  For more details ask Liz by using the contact page .

...and for those who want to take it more seriously...

...you could of course join a gym.  If you're like me though, you may feel a bit self conscious pumping iron along with more experienced muscle bound individuals.

I go to Francesca Turner of Fitness & Therapy based in East Bergholt who works one-one or two.  She has a small gym and works at your pace focussed on your particular strengths and weaknesses.  I don't even have to think about or remember what I'm doing because she does all that for me, and because it is so varied the hour goes in no time at all.  You can contact Francesca at fitness& This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or ring 07967 141 569.

Over the coming weeks I will build up a list of useful fitness contacts and a summary of their way of working to suit a range of individual needs.

Improve performance

For those who take their exercise seriously and want to improve performance there are a number of hypnotic techniques that can help.  Many athletes use hypnosis to prepare for a big event and to enhance their efforts.  This has the attraction of being entirely safe, non-invasive and legal!

Interestingly research shows that just visualizing an event in a focused way causes the same muscles to fire in the same sequence as if they were doing the event for real. Doing such work in hypnosis can help to improve performance in golf, gymnastics and many other sports.

Too much exercise

And if you are someone who perhaps takes things to extremes and might be called an exercise addict, we can help with that too.

...and One final note

If you are exercising more, don't forget to increase your water intake.  Not all water is equal!  Read more on our water page .