Glute Bridge
Name: Glute Bridge
Also known as: (if you know this by any other name, leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Gluteals (bum)
Other muscles used: Hamstrings
Top tips:
How to: Do The Glute Bridge
How to: Do the Hip Flexor Lunge Stretch
Hip Flexor Lunge Stretch – Good
Name: Hip Flexor Lunge Stretch
Also known as: (if you know this by any other name, leave a comment below).
Main muscles stretched: Hip flexors (top of the front thigh)
Other muscles used: Bum
Top tips:
How central heating is making you fat(?)
I read this story in the Daily Mail (click here for story). It suggests that the reason 2 thirds of the UK population is overweight or obese, is because of central heating. The thinking goes, if we are in a warm cosy environment (like a centrally heated room) our bodies don’t have to burn so many calories to keep us warm. Now that is a very good theory, and it sounds totally plausible to me. It is true, the colder your body, the more calories it burns to maintain your body temperature…BUT GET REAL!
RIP Jack LaLanne
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12272311 I only found out about this guy a couple of years ago, but he died on Sunday. Click on the videos below to get an idea of what he was like. Most of us can learn a lot from it…
Recipes: Creamy Veggie Korma
Creamy Veggie Korma – BBC Good Food
The following recipe for creamy veggie korma came from: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1089641/creamy-veggie-korma. Take a look there for loads of other recipes for home cooked food. Serves 4.
Ingredients.
Healthy recipes from a rubbish cook.
As I may have mentioned before, I am enthusiastic, but very un-talented in the kitchen. I come from the “chuck-it-in-the-pot-and-see-what-comes-out” school of cooking (while I do own a set of kitchen scales, I have never yet actually used them when cooking). And while this is fine with me, I know that it is not good … Read more
Recommended Reading: Food – a fact of life
www.foodafactoflife.org.uk
Food, a fact of life – www.foodafactoflife.org.uk I can’t remember how I stumbled on this webpage, but it is aimed at school teachers/parents trying to teach healthy nutrition to kids. Having said that, I know for a fact that most adults (myself included) can learn a lot from it. Just some of the things on the webpage include:
How to: Do the Front Squat
Front Squat – Good
Name: Front Squat
Also known as: (if you know this by any other name, leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Legs.
Other muscles used: Bum.
Top tips:
How to: Do Supine Leg Lower
Supine Leg Lower – Good
Name: Supine Leg Lower
Also known as: Leg lever, (if you know this by any other name, leave a comment below).
Main muscles used: Abdominals, hip flexors.
Other muscles used:
Top tips:
Taking regular breaks from desk ‘good for the heart’
Taking lots of breaks from sitting at a desk is good for the waistline and heart health, research suggests. Click here to read the news story in full. Research showing that if you sit around all day, you will get unhealthy. But if you regularly get up on your feet (even for a minute or so) you can improve your health. Click here to download the actual study paper. Some practical tips from the story:
Aching like hell after training?
A few weeks ago I wrote a bit on Recovery Strategies (click here). That article was geared more towards those who train harder and more regularly than your average punter. But it is the new year now, and millions of people have made the resolution to get fit and join up with gyms/exercise classes. So this article is aimed more at that crowd…exercise virgins, if you like!
Psychological tricks to keep you on your New Year diet
5 simple things anyone can do to help them manage their weight. Click below to see the video clip explaining them:
Absolutely free healthy cook books.
One of my trainees asked me yesterday for some healthy recipes to help them lose some weight. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a very good cook (enthusiastic, yes…good, no!). I am very much a “cook by the seat of my pants” type of person in the kitchen. My idea of cooking is to lob it all in the wok, turn it up to 11, and see what happens.
Happy new year!
In case you didn’t notice, it is January, so happy new year!
I’ve been ill (with sniffles) the last couple of weeks, so to be honest I can’t really be arsed to write anything meaningful just yet. So I’m taking the easy route and simply posting the 5 most popular things from this blog over the last year…so here are the things that have attracted the most attention over the last 12 months…
Movement Analysis – See how you move and how it can be improved.
I see my job as helping people move more, and move better (hence the tagline to my website – “Movement & Variety”). I’ve been lucky and since I started Karate when I was 7, I have been coached to move well (well = efficiently, safely and with coordination). And because of this, I notice just how many people move badly (badly = inefficient, unsafe and uncoordinated…click here). These people come in all shapes and sizes, from your average Joe through to your exercise junkie.
Get the basics right, and the details may not matter at all.
I carry on a lot about getting the basic fundamentals right and not stressing about the little details (click here, here, here, here, here and here.) This is totally unsexy and not at all what people want to hear when they ask my advice. But what the hell. I’m paid to get results, and I don’t have a warehouse full of “Ab-Dominator!” machines to flog.
Training secrets for young athletes.
This link (click here) is by James Marshall. He is a fantastic strength and conditioning coach who trains many people (including international athletes). Here he lists some of the most important things you have to get right to become a better elite athlete. And if you think it includes some secret, mystical exercises with the … Read more
Another gorgeous picture
Click here for a lovely picture of the snow. It is a very similar scene as earlier on in the year…
Are you crippling yourself every time you walk?
Out turned footprints in the snow.
I was walking into work yesterday morning, looking at the footprints in the snow, left by someone who had been along before. This person showed a common problem that can lead to bad things if they are not carefull. You could see that as they walked, their feet were pointing outwards nearly diagonally! In other words, they were walking like Charlie Chaplin. They had “duck feet”.
Doctors say most PE lessons neglect all-round fitness
Just read this news article (click here) on how many school PE lessons are a bit rubbish when it comes to getting kids active (click here to read something I wrote a while ago about fitness testing in schools).
There are a couple of sentences in there that jumped out at me: