BEGINNERS SWIM WORKOUT

As the days are getting longer and brighter why not try swimming as a good way to burn fat and tone all over in a non impact manner. It’s a great workout and if you have kids, why not encourage them to get a bit more active.

Here is a basic swimmers workout

Try to do at least 2 workouts each week.

Decide how long you can spend in the pool I would think 60 minutes as the maximum is enough, Start at 30 minutes and add on 5 to 10 minutes per week
1. Complete the number of minutes of each piece of each workout (rest up to one minute between each piece).
2. You will complete as many repeats as time allows in each piece (when there is time leftover, use it for additional rest, but their wont be in the beginning).
The speeds to perform during a workout – Easy, Moderate, or Fast – are relative to you and your ability and are what you think they are for now.
• Easy is very low effort
• Moderate is an effort you can repeat several times
• Fast is an effort you could only do once or twice

• Warm-up: For 9 mins, do an easy 50 kick followed by a moderate effort 50 stroke swim, then rest :20 seconds or more if you need. Repeat this pattern until the 9 period is over.
• Skill Refresher: For 9 min do an easy 25 of stroke drill rest :15 secs or more, and repeat. Repeat this pattern until the 9 mins are up.
• Main Set: For 22 minutes do a 25 fast swim, a 25 easy swim, a 25 fast swim, then rest for :30 secs. Repeat this pattern until the 22 mins are up. Rest as you have to..
• Cool-down: for 5 mins do an easy 25 stroke swim, then rest for :10 secs. Repeat this pattern until the 5 mins is up
Absoultely stretch before and after

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Always consult a professional prior to any diet or exercise programme.

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BEGINNER RUNNING PROGRAMME

30 minutes running programme per day for 30 days

Measure the time and distance by walking fast in one direction for 15 minutes and then back for 15 minutes.
Walk fast for the first 10 minutes building up speed, and for the last 5 minutes walk, slowing down.

The 15 minutes in between can be broken up how you like but try and keep a record of it ,if you have an mp3 player with recorder record it each time so you can see and feel progress
At the beginning jog for 30 seconds and walk until you recover jog 30 walk to recover etc for 15 minute, you will be aiming to walk 30 seconds recover 30 seconds etc
If you do this daily your body will adapt within a month 30 minutes for 30 days if you do it every second day it will take 60 days. It is a great way to get you up and running and if you are trying to lose a few pounds it will really kick start your training don’t forget to stretch before and at the end

Here are some sound nutritional tips for the girls to help with stamina and training
• Skipping meals, will make you lethargic and dread the evening training session and possibly lead to overeating in the afternoon. you should be aiming for 3 regular meals and 2 snacks per day.
• Riboflavin assists in the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats for energy and is crucial in endurance sports. In women 30 minutes of daily exercise lowers riboflavin levels in the body, so you should try to get at least 1.3 mgms you may need more but talk to your professional. Sources are most dairy products as well as cereals and grains
• Over 24 80mlgms -1200 of calcium is practical but check with your Doctor or nutritionist Sources are dairy,tofu , greens fortified cereals and juices. Avoid extra fibre supplements as these bind calcium in the gut and slow down or stop absorption
• Folate and other B vitamins found in leafy greens and citrus fruits
• Beans for phytoestrogens which lower bad ldl and increase good ldl cholesterol
• Lack of iron can lead to fatigue, sources are lean red meat dark poultry, lentils fortified cereals. Tannins in coffee and tea block iron uptake so don’t drink them with a meal. Too much can lead to constipation and malabsorption of zinc so check with your Doctor before increasing
• Make sure you eat at least 5 servings of fruit and veg per day, low glycemic of course, get your vitamin E from wheat germ and whole grains as well as good quality oils

Text eh fit to 53070 to receive daily health and fitness tips direct to your mobile. costs.60c per text rcvd. Sp: itouch
Niamh Kenny and Evening Herald accept no liability.Always consult a professional prior to any diet or exercise programme.
Contact www.KennyHealth.com for more help

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HOW HORMONES AFFECT WEIGHT

The temperature in which you train affects the number of fat calories you burn for energy.
Human growth hormone levels are increased in warmer temps, this is the wonder anti-angeing hormone that high profile celebs are taking to stay young.
An increase in hgh increases fat metabolism, it naturally declines as you get older which can lead to the infamous middle age spread, so as you can imagine the key is to increase its production to maintain a healthy balance and stay trim.
One of the ways to do this is by regular fat burning aerobic activity 30- 45 mins per day, but be careful not to stress the body by exhausting it, as this affects cortisol production when the body thinks its under attack or siege.
Cortisol is associated with storage of abdominal fat, diabetes, depression and heart disease. And can also weaken our immune system. Cortisol is at a low during the summer, maybe because we are happier and sunnier and also warmer.
Go to “> and calculate your training zone, so you can figure out if you are working the body at the correct stress level for best effect.

LPL an enzyme that promotes the storage of fat decreases during the summer which is why we seem to shed a few pounds from Spring on into summer

Testosterone peaks in the summer, this hormone helps build muscle and lose fat and peaks during the summer.

It Is easier to control appetite in the summer. When serotonin levels drop your body thinks its starving and tells you to eat, but during the summer your levels are usually quite well balanced as we come out of the dark depressing days of the winter. Serotonin is a hormone that controls our mental state. Over weight people with low serotonin tend to find they are hungry all the time, hence carb comfort eating which gives a hit or fix, bringing up serotonin levels.
This could explain food addictions and why it is so difficult to give up certain things when we are dieting. It’s a hard thing to give up the buzz of a good tasty piece of white fresh bread or a yummy chocolate biscuit..
So now is a good time to start taking a note of your eating pattern go to Http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html and download a free food log amongst many other helpful tips on how to improve your diet and eating patterns. This website covers all ethnic backgrounds as this is very important when learning how to eat for your environment

The long and the short of it is if you are finding your exercise programme has stalled , and you are not getting much out of it, pick up the aerobic level, Interval training can be very useful for this , especially if you are a little older,stimulate fat burning hormones and enzymes and watch the weight drop off , you’ll feel better and tone a lot quicker.

Next week :Ten minute tone ups to stimulate fat burning and muscle toning

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Tempted to Walk – Music Mix

Walking music mix. This tempo encourages long strides and is best used for a hilly interval walk. Let me know how you get on !! Check out our calculators http://dev.kennyhealth.com/?page_id=69 to find your target heart rate and get the most out of your workout…

Walking music mix. This tempo encourages long strides and is best used for a hilly interval walk. Let me know how you get on !!

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