You don't have to run - 10 benefits of walking.

Not everybody enjoys running, indeed not everybody can run due to physcial limitations. However, you don't need to run to get excellent health benefits, you can achieve it all with walking. It is one of the gentlest workouts, yet one of the most approachable and efective forms of exercise for all ages and fitness levels. Here are 10 of the main health benefits of walking.

• It's gentle:- Although walking is an exellent calorie burner, it is very gentle on the body, reducing the impact on joints that occurs when running. It works the cardio-vascular and muscular system and can boost your metabolism.
• Anyone can do it:-No matter your age or fitness background, anybody can don a pair of walking shoes and explore the great outdoors. It can help you lose weight, or can just keep you healthy and full of vitality.
• Great Cardio workout:- Your heart and lungs will work if you walk, so the further and faster you walk, the greater the fitness benefits. An aim of around 10 miles a week will definitely help to maintain a good level of fitness, or even increase your fitness if your life is currently fairly sedentary.
• Stress Relieving:-Walking in the fresh air can improve your mental as well as physcial health. It's a great time to clear your head and focus on yourself and your well-being.
• Can greatly aid weight loss:-Even at an average pace, the average person can burn 4 calories a minute by walking. So if you walk at a moderate/hard pace for one hour you could be burning around 600 calories. If you walk for one hour every day you would have burnt enough calories in a week, by walking alone, to lose 1lb. So as a supplement to a change in diet, you could double your weight loss with walking regularly.
• Prevents health conditions:-As part of a healthy lifestyle (good nutritional habits and regular physical activity) walking can help to prevent diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
• Raise your metabolism and energy levels:-You will feel full of energy and vitality after a walk, and your body will continue to work at a higher rate than usual once you have finished your walk, in turn raising your metabolism and aiding weight loss.
• You can do it anywhere, and it's free!:-You can walk almost anywhere. Whether you prefer to walk around towns and streets, or through parks and nature reserves, all you need is suitable footwear and clothing, and motivation of course!
• Keeps you healthy:- If you want to look and feel good and maintain optimum health, walking is an excellent way to keep you at your best without putting too much stress on the body. Your immume system will be stronger, resulting in less illnesses and you will look visibly healthier.
• You don't have to do it alone:- You don't have to make walking a solitary experience. It's suitable for the whole family, young and old, so why not explore some of the country and help to keep your family healthy too.

You can start a walking programme now! If you don't curently partake in much physical activity then start with as little as 10-15minutes a day, until you can comfortably manage 1 hour 5 times a week. You will see and feel the difference.

Don't let your fitness drop in the winter - Here's how.

The cold winter months can come with a number of factors that may affect your fitness levels and weight gain. Shorter days/dark evening mean that the time to train is limited, particularly for safety reasons when usually running in parks. The weather, that is often wet and cold can literally dampen your motivation to get out and train. The party season, which seems to begin with Halloween and carries right through until the New Year, can mean that food and alcohol consumption is generally higher than normal. Plus, time and motivation to train is often affected.
However, to avoid the seasonal weight gain and drop in fitness levels and maintain all of the work that you have put in during the summer months, follow our top tips and the winter will not be all dull and gloom!

Train in the morning - If you usually run in the evening, switch to mornings which are much lighter, and you can avoid the days events/weather putting you off. Just set your alarm and get out the door before you have time to think about it!!!

Embrace the rain - Invest in some quality waterproof clothing and don't use the rain as an excuse; once you are out in it you will find it surprisingly invigorating.

Combat the cold wearing layers - Just as investing in waterproof clothing is a must, so is ensuring that you have some quality layers for training in. Next to skin materials are ideal, in several layers. Layering ensures that you won't overheat as you can remove layers as you inevetably warm up during the session.

Train in the house - You don't even need to venture outdoors. You can do your circuit training sessions in the comfort of your own home. You can do high intensity circuits which will ensure that you not only maintain body tone and condition, but also that you maintain cardiovascular fitness.

Be dedicated and workout before and after the party - During the party season, split your sessions down so they are shorter and find time to train before you go out and the morning after. This will help the hangover and help to avoid fat storage which follows a night of sugar laden alcohol and mince pies!

Essentially, don't use the winter as an excuse. You may need to alter your usual training programme, but you certainly don't need to stop it, or tone it down. Remind yourself of how good you have felt in the summer months and be committed to maintaining your fitness and figure the year round.

Post-Workout Recovery

If you are following the Vie coaches advice, you are regularly performing high intensity training for short periods of time. However, you do not see the gains in fitness until the training session is over.

Your workout is the stimulus for changes to take place when you recover.

The amount of recovery time that you require is dependent upon a number of factors including; the type of movements performed, nutrition, sleep and stress.

Regardless of your goals, it is imperative that you are providing your body with the right type and quantity of fuel. It is also important that you are eating these sources at the right times; the time period folowing exercise has been called your 'window of opportunity'.

You should aim to consume a high protein meal, within twenty minutes of exercise cessation. This intake of amino acids will elicit positive adaptations within muscle. The consumption of high GI carbohydrate alongside the protein source will replenish glycogen stores and may improve the protein absorption rate.

Dieting? Don't bother, it doesn't work!

It's obvious, every one knows that if you eat less calories than you expend, you will lose weight, right? WRONG. Yes, in the short term, cutting calories can help you to lose weight, and for some people who eat thousands of calories a day and are obese, cutting calories can make a huge difference. However, for the majority of people who are overweight or would like to lose a few extra pounds, cutting calories is not the answer. The reasons for this are several and fairly complicated, so here it is in simple terms.


If you cut calories, your body will attempt to "survive starvation" by storing everything that you eat as fat.

The key to weight loss and long term weight maintenance is a raised metabolic base rate.

Exercise and good nutrition go hand in hand, one without the other is like trying to run a car on an empty tank of fuel, it will get you so far but eventually the car will stop, and probably end up in a worse state than it was before. That's what happens when you diet or exercise alone, you will get so far, but eventually reach a plateau and often, put all the weight back on and more.


So, how do you raise your metabolism so that you can lose weight and maintain health for life? The key is lifestyle; adopt physical exercise and good nutrition as a way of life and the bi-products will be a healthy mind and body. Follow these 5 steps and you will notice the difference in how you look and feel. But remember, it won't happen over night, it will take time, which is why so many people diet because they want a quick fix and don't have the motivation and dedication to put the work in, the work that is required to see, and keep results.


1. Include Strength training in your workouts - Muscle mass is important, a person weighing 70kg with a low body fat percentage will require more calories daily (so can eat more without putting on weight) than a person weighing 70kg who has high body fat, as lean muscle burns 3 times the amount of calories than fat.
2. Exercise every day - 2-3 sessions per week should be high intensity, the remaining sessions should be moderate and even fun. This includes activities like walking, cyclying, canoeing, climbing etc.
3. Limit processed foods -(Breads/pastas etc) Ideally, you should completely avoid them, but that can be very difficult so limit them to 2 days a week, the 5 on 2 off rule allows you to enjoy your treats! However, sugars and sweets are pure glucose and can only lead to fat storage, cut them out!
4. Eat lean protein with every meal - It is something you will hear us say often. Protein, unlike carbs will not be stored as fat and will build and repair muscle, essential for a high metabolism. By the way, that includes breakfast which you should NEVER skip, it kick starts your metabolism.
5. Include as much FRESH fruit and vegetables as you can. Your body really is a temple, and what you put in it matters. It has been proven that eating certain fruit and vegetables can prevent diseaes such as cancer, so you really are eating for health.

The last point to make is about Caffeine and Alchohol. Neither are essential for your body, infact both are drugs that are a kind of poison to the body. If you must, moderation is key, but if you really want to be as healthy as possible, avoid both completely.

It may sound like a tall order, but as you gradually make the above changes, you will feel the difference and they will soon become habit, and you won't ever have to worry about your "diet" again!

Are you Overtraining?

Training hard is essential to increase performance, but so is resting hard! High intensity training breaks your body down and makes you weaker, rest makes your stronger. Think of exercise as a stress to your body, which it is. You must put your body under stress in order to increase your physical capabilities, but your performance will only improve if the stress load is appropriate. If the stress load is too intense, too long in duration, rapidly increased or you fail to incorporate adequate recovery time into your regime, then a state of overtraining will occur.

The most common symptoms of overtraining are:
Fatigue
Feeling moody and irritable
Depression
Decreased desire to train
Increased Muscular Soreness after training
Increased recovery time needed between sessions
Increased illnessess and injuries
Decreased performance

The most common causes can include one or more of the following:
Lack of recovery
Increasing load or intensity too rapidly
Increased duration in endurance training without progressive measures
Lack of sleep
Excess alcohol, nicotine, caffeine
Lack of relaxation time
Poor nutrtional habits

If you train when you are showing symptoms of overtraining, you will only break down your body even further and will not make further gains. The best thing that you can do is recover. Eat well, relax, get plenty of quality sleep, stretch and mobilise your body and begin training again when:

You feel like you have slept well
You are looking forward to your workout
You feel energetic
You have a good appetite
You have little muscle soreness
You have no sign of injury or illness

The time needed for adequate recovery from overtraining can vary from days, weeks or even months depending on the severity. Therefore, as soon as you feel like you maybe overtraining, take that day off, miss that training session or 2 if needs be, it could prevent serious problems and help you keep those gains that you have already worked so hard for.

Quick Fix Workout

If you are pushed for time, try one of these whole body workouts that will push you to the edge!

1.
Jog 5mins
1min Max Effort Run
30secs Squat Thrusts
x 3
30secs Max Effort Run
30secs Press Ups
x 3
20secs Max Effort Run
20secs Plank
x 3
Jog 5mins

2.
30secs of the following exercises without rest:
Press Ups
Tricep Dips
Squats
Alternate Lunges
Crunches
Twist Sits
Plank
Alternate Side Plank

Repeat 3-5 times depending on fitness and time available.

Remember, training is about intensity, not duration.

Eggs - One of the best Protein Sources on the planet!

The consumption of eggs has long been a debate, but there is no doubt in our minds that Eggs should be a mainplayer in an optimum diet. Eggs contain all 9 essential amino acids and have vitamins and minerals inabundance. Despite Eggs often being blamed for their contribution to raising cholestrol, (an unfounded notion) the egg yolk actually aids in preventing the accumulation of cholestrol and fat in the liver, how ironic! Extensive research on eggs and their benefits have found that they are also a superfood for the brain, eyes, heart, and even your hair and nails; There have also been studies into their effect on reducing the risk of breast cancer.

The source of your eggs and how you cook them (if at all) is important. Look for high quality, free range organic eggs. Natural is always best, but obviously raw eggs aren't high on many people's favourite food list, and low quality eggs do carry a higher risk of salmonella. However, minimizing the eggs exposure to oxygen is the healthiest way to consume them, so poaching or boiling is recommended.

The Vie Coaches whole heartedly recommend Eggs, and as protein at every meal is essential for optimum health and metabolism, they are an ideal breakfast or snack food.

Tight hamstrings?

Fascia, or connective tissue, envelopes every muscle, organ and bone; fascia is responsible for maintaining your structural identity. Any adhesions or shortened areas of fascia may have an adverse effect on other parts of the body.
The hamstrings region are covered by a line of fascia which runs from the bottom of the foot, up the back of each leg, along the back, and over the head. This line is responsible for maintaining spinal extension, except during flexion at the knee joint and plantar flexion at the ankle.
The bottom of the foot, or plantar surface, may be the source of many problems further up the line.
Have you ever found that when you suffered from a period of tight hamstrings or lower back pain, that you also had tightness in the soles of your feet, particularly upon rising from bed?

Plantar limitation is an issue which can be easily addresed. For more information and treatment strategies contact the coaches at Vie.

Fat doesn't make you Fat...

Over 90% of people who embark on a "diet" to lose weight regain the weight they lose, and more. There can be several reasons for this, but undoubtedly one of the biggest problems is that it is generally assumed that eating fat makes you fat, so a "low fat" diet is embarked upon.

Of course, eating too much fat is not healthy and has adverse side effects, weight gain inparticular. However, it is the type of fat that is one of the important factors in maintaining optimum health and therefore a healthy amount of body fat. Fats are essential for health, particularly for the brain. Essential fats (Omegas 3 & 6) are known as polyunsaturated fats, which cannot be produced by the human body, so must be consumed through diet by eating fish, nuts and seeds. This is in comparison to bad fats, or non essential fats(saturated/monosaturated and trans fats) which are prevalent in the western diet, but are not required to be consumed as the body can easily convert carbohydrates and protein to saturated and monounsaturated fats. Non essential fats can only be burned for energy or stored as fat, and as fat is calorie dense, 9 calories per gram, eating non essential fats will lead to weight gain.
So point 1 to remember - You must eat fats, but they should come from Fish, Nuts, Lean Meat, Seeds and their oils. Not processed foods.

That leaves the question why we can become fat even if we only eat the recommmended amounts of essential fats? One word - SUGAR. All sugars (which include carbohydrates and alcohol) are converted to glucose through the digestive process. Glucose is the fuel used by your cells and is stored as muscle glycogen. However your muscles have a finite storage capacity, so once stores are full, the excess that has not been burned up is stored as fat.
A perfect example of the disastrous effect that sugar can have on body fat is the typical night out. A few drinks (all sugar), possibly a meal or even worse, a kebab/burger at closing time. All of these calories will be converted to glucose, but the muscle glycogen stores will soon become full and the remainder of those calories will be stored as fat. You get up in the morning and think that going for a run will counter-act the effects of the night before. Infact, what it will do is empty the muscle glycogen stores, which will refill on eating your next meal, fat burning will be minimal. The process to break down fat is far more complicated for the body than using up the ready made fuel stored in the muscles.
So point number 2 to remember is - If you are going to consume sugar, burn it off straight away otherwise it will be stored almost immediately as fat.

Having covered Fats and Carbohydrates, we are left with Protein. Its primary function is to build and repair cells, so it is vital for the body. The great thing about protein is that the energy burned to break it down in order to be used by the body, is almost three times the amount used to break down carbohydrates and fats. In simple terms, your body will burn more calories just by eating protein instead of carbs. Furthermore, protein has a higher satiating effect, and prevents the early onset of hunger after a meal. Excess protein is dispelled through the body's waste system and is not stored as fat.
So point number 3 to remember is - Eat protein with every meal, it will raise your metabolism.

Considering this information, you should look at your diet and be honest, is it the fat I eat that is making me fat? The likely answer is no, but that it is the lack of protein and overconsumption of processed carbohydrates. Fruit and vegetables are the natural source of carbohydrates so there is no nutritional requirement for pastas, bread, potatoes and rice etc. These really do make the western world fat.

Improve your Running Technique - Today!

Running is one of the most natural activities for a human to do. We have run from when our time began, initially as a form of survival. To escape danger, to catch and kill our food, to get from one place to the next. However, in today's society, there isn't a survival requirement to run. We generally aren't running from lions, or indeed after them as our next meal, and given that we have transport to get us from one place to the next, our lives can easily become entirely sedentary. Unfortunately, as running isn't necessary for survival, the majority of the population choose the couch and the take away option instead.


There are of course though, millions of people who chose to run as part of their exercise routine. Some because they simply love to run, others because they feel they have to run to be fit, but whatever the motive, you can be sure that the majority of runners don't actually know HOW to run. Of course, you'd think that as it is a natural human movement we would innately know how to run. Unfortunately not. Modern day living has lead to anatomical and physiological adaptations that in turn lead to faulty movement patterns, which can be disastrous when running. The following guidelines are basic tips for anyone to follow which really can improve your running technique, leading to increased fitness and speed and reduced injuries.

• Land on the balls of your feet - This is below your toes, not on your toes and not on your heels.


• Increase your cadence and shorten your stride - You should run as though you are running on hot coals, attempting to lift each foot off of the ground as quickly as possible.


• Pull your foot from the ground - Do not push through the ground, your steps should be light and not heavy where you can hear each step pounding.


• Maintain correct posture - Always be aware of your body's position, head up, shoulders relaxed and back, do not bend at the waist.


• Maintain Flexibility and Mobility - Always stretch after a run. If your muscles are tight you are more likely to get injured and your running speed will be impaired due to a reduced range of movement in the muscles and joints.


• Wear Light Footwear - Your trainers should not be heavy with a thick sole, as if you are running correctly, you won't land on your heels!!!

Basic tips that can make a huge difference. If you are training with Vie, your running technique will be a feature of training, but to really see the difference you need to think about how you run, every time you run.

Stand up Straight!

Modern living has reduced the requirement for people to exert themselves as part of their daily activity. This has lead to the regression of our amazing biomechanical and anotomical structure, which was at its peak in our time as hunter gatherers.
It's ironic that our highly developed manual dexterity has lead to many of us spending the majority of our lives bent over desks!!!
This habitual seated position develops shortened hip flexors, and hamstrings and stresses the spine. Just look at the people around you; our postural develoment is starting to resemble a common chimpanze, for some more than others!;)

In an attempt to slow aging, and to optimise the body we have been blessed with, it is common in today's soceity to see the gym as the answer. Unfortunately, commonly prescribed exercises such as full sit ups and chest press are speading up the degenerative kyphotic process.

The coaches at VIE PT analyse individual posture and structure, activities of daily living and carry out tests for muscle lengthening and strength. Through presecribing a tailored exercise programme, remedial exercises are used to correct postural defects, stretch tight muscles and strengthen the weak muscles.

So what can you do? Follow our 5 tips for better posture.

• Always be aware of your body's position - shoulders back, stomach in!
• Do not sit for more than 20 minutes - get up and walk around to prevent adaptive shortening.
• Include Spinal Extension, Scapula Retraction and External Shoulder Rotation as part of your regular exercise routine.
• Avoid speading up the degenerative process - do not work excessively shortened muscles such as chest and hip flexors, stretch them!
• Footwear - Walk barefoot as much as possible, avoid high heels for long periods.

Broccoli - The king of Vegatables - A life saver!

Broccoli is considered to be one of the best nutritional powerhouses, and is rated by all of the best medical doctors, nutritionists and exercise professionals as a healthy diet must have.
An excellent source of isothiocyanates, which are anticancer phytochemiccals, eating broccoli can aid in fighting cancer by neutralising carcinogens. Extensive studies have shown that the isothiocyanates contained in broccoli can help to prevent and lower the risk of a number of cancers, including lung, breast, cervical, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer.

Aside from it's huge anticarcinogenic properties, Broccoli contains vitamins and minerals that are vital for your health and wellbeing. Containing protein, fiber, potassium, calcium, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, Vitamin A amongst others, making this tree like veg a regular star on your plate can boost your immune system and supply your body with much needed nutrients.

The flower of Broccoli is not the only part of the plant that has nutritional value, so eat the stalks and the leaves to make the most of this life saver and nutritional powerhouse.

High Intensity Exercise - The key to Weight Loss

It is one of the most common myths in health and fitness, that low intensity cardiovascular (cv) exercise is the best method to lose excess weight. Really? How many overweight people have you seen slogging it out on the treadmill day in and day out, only they never seem to look any different?! There are generally several factors attributing to the lack of weight loss, so today the coaches at Vie PT will cover just one of the factors, Exercise Intensity.

EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) is influenced by intensity and not frequency. 1minute of high intensity training can have the same metabolic (post workout) effect as 20minutes of low intensity exercise. Therefore, performing high intensity exercise in short bursts with rest periods, ie 1min hard, 1min easy will maximise energy consumption and post work out metabolism. With EPOC comes increased fuel consumption to restore the body to a resting state. Other processes involved in the recovery of the body include hormone balancing, cellular repair and the replenishment of fuel stores. Studies have shown that when performing interval training, your body will benefit from all of the above recovery processes in each rest period, and that your metabolism will remain raised for longer at the end of the activity. In simple terms for those who like to think of work in terms of calories, not only will you burn more calories during your session, you will continue to burn more calories for longer once you have finished your session.

Further supporting this information, when muscle is broken down during the activity, and subsequently repaired post exercise, the muscle fibers increase leading to increased strength. The increased muscle mass is the important factor here. Muscle tissue is 15% denser than fat tissue and requires greater energy consumption regardless of exercise, therefore, with increased muscle mass and reduced body fat, your metabolism will be higher, burning energy quicker and more efficiently.

So how do we at Vie PT recommend that you put all of this information together and use it to lose weight? The answer is simple.
To maximise the effects of exercise on the body, perform high intensity exercise with adequate recovery periods (interval training, fartlek, resistance training) at least twice weekly, ideally 3 times depending on your goals. You will notice the difference in your body. Remember, do not use the scales as your judge as with muscle being denser than fat it weighs more, but use your body measurements and body fat as an indicator. A good way to measure progress is to note how a particularly tight piece of clothing fits (we all have those jeans we are longing to get into in the back of our wardrobe) and every 10-14 days try them on, until they fit!!



VIE PT recommends the following basic yet effective sessions to work into your exercise routine.

Example Interval Session:
5-10mins Jog to Warm Up
1min Threshold Pace
1min Easy Jog x 5
2mins Threshold Pace
1min Easy Jog x 2
3mins Threshold Pace
2mins Easy
5-10mins Jog to Cool Down

Remember that threshold pace and easy are individual; Easy pace for one person might be a sprint for another. So if your easy pace is walking that is fine, the key is to work as hard as possible, and then recover to maximise the benefits and increase your metabolism, inturn increasing your fitness.



Example Cross Training Session:
30secs Press Ups
30secs Squats
30secs Half Sits
30secs Plank
1min Sprint
2mins Rest
Repeat according to fitness, at least 3 times, up to 8 times.



The above information is designed to help you realise that in order to see changes in your body you need to shock your body and make it work hard so that it has to repair and recover stronger and leaner than before.








"natural movement...

...natural living"