Couch to 5K

Laura shares her insights into getting active..

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Running a great fitness activity…

Are thinking about taking up Running as a way to increase your fitness…

Sean Whan, Health Trainer who is an experienced runner, shares his insights into getting started and how to progress with your running..

“Running is a fantastic form of exercise and a brilliant way of keeping fit. It is a great cardio workout for your heart, ideal for measuring your fitness, can also contribute to weight loss. It can be lots of fun and also lead to great self belief and achievement. Maybe most importantly its free, and you can start from any fitness level.

I started running properly when I was 26 and when I first started I couldn’t run around my local park without stopping several times. Luckily this didn’t put me off my fitness plan, as I was determined that running round my park would be my first goal. Also close to me was a canal pathway, which turned out to play a major part in developing my running. Canals are flat straight and not too busy and so ideal for running along. And it was on canals that I started running what is called “there and back runs” where I would run to the first canal bridge and then I would turn round and run back to where I started. Next time out I ran to the next bridge along, and then all the way back. This continued until I was running from Kings Norton to Brindley Place and back. At the same time I was also using a running machine to train on, which I also found really helpful, allowing you to easily track your speed and distance.
My running and fitness has improved over the years, but it was only in 2009 at the age of 36 that I decided to run my first half marathon, which turned out to be the Birmingham Half. I have since ran many half marathons and always use them as a goal to maintain my running.
If your running does progress, then I would highly recommend you should consider investing in a good pair of running shoes from a specialist shop such as “Birmingham Runner” or “Up & Running” where you can get expert advice and shoes that assist your running style and support your feet.”

Are you an experienced runner or just starting out then, why not share your experiences so far or if you would just like to comment about this article then follow the process below…

Losing Weight with Gateway….

John* was referred to Health Trainer Glenn Rodgers by his GP to help support him to manage his weight better and to give him a boost to increase his physical activity. The initial assessment showed that John’s diet was fairly poor and was missing out on his fruit and veg, opting for easy options such as Ready Meals, Take-Aways, Ice-Cream, Cakes, Biscuits and Chocolate. Basically all of the bits and pieces that we want to enjoy but we know are bad for us!

< — John before meeting with Glenn

With Glenn’s advice, John knew that this was an issue that he needed to deal with and set himself a challenge of cutting out all saturated fat from his diet immediately and said he would keep a diary to show Glenn when they next met. John did keep a diary and when he went back to visit Glenn for their next appointment, he had lost a remarkable 10lbs in only 10 days from simply cutting out the fat from his diet and increasing his physical activity.

John has now managed to lose over 2 and a half stone since meeting with Glenn and has said that he feels much more confident in both himself and in maintaining his new healthier lifestyle, even continuing with his food diaries as a reminder to himself about the dangers of snacking and taking the ‘easy option’. He has also been able to increase his physical activity steadily too as he has lost weight and continues to feel better and better.

<—- John now, feeling happy and healthy

Well done John and Glenn!

Have you read the latest, Chocolate Cake for breakfast…

Have you read the latest, Scientists say Chocolate  Cake  for breakfast, will help you to lose weight and keep it off….read more here

What are you thoughts on this why not give us your reaction to this new finding below?

Are you over-70 and worried about getting enough exercise…

The Daily Mail reports today that many over-70s stop or reduce their physical activity..read more here

 

 

If this is you and you are wondering what kind of activity you could be doing to increase your flexibility and/or stamina then why not contact our Health Trainers who may be able to point you in the right direction to get started.

Smokers think they’ve quit the habit even if…

The Daily Mail reports that Smokers think of themselves as quitters even though they are still smoking one or two cigarettes a day read the article here

Are you someone who wants to quit but can’t quite kick the habit then why not try the help and support of a Health Trainer.

Glenn one of our Health Trainers offers this advice..

“Giving up smoking can be a big step,  but it is a step in the right direction.  If you would like help and support in giving up smoking contact your local Health Trainer Service.  You will be assigned your own Health Trainer who can help you find a Smoking Cessation Clinic near you and maybe even accompany you to your first session. Your Health Trainer will be there to help and support you towards a healthier lifestyle and can even advise you on a healthy diet and physical activity which can reduce the chance of weight gain.”

Maybe you have some comments you would like to add about your experience of quitting or have any tips on what you did to succeed..or maybe you’ve made a start and are still trying to quit. We’d like to hear what you have to say..

Losing 5 Stone? – How the Health Trainers are making a difference.

Losing 5 stone? That’ll be the Health Trainers

Health Trainer Paul Clarke’s client, Jenny*, was referred into the Health Trainer Service as she wanted to lose a bit of weight and also was very keen on learning more about healthy eating.

 Sitting down and discussing her lifestyle, Jenny was easily able to identify the reasons behind her problems in losing weight. She also explained that she had managed to quit smoking with the help of Call to Quit, and identified that the constant support and weekly monitoring really assisted in her achieving her goal of quitting. Jenny said that she was able to give up smoking because of all the support she had.

 Jenny and Paul decided that weekly monitoring would really help with weight loss.  Paul explained to Jenny about the Lighten Up programme which would help her to receive the support she required with losing weight.

 Paul encouraged her to attend a trial session at Weight Watchers to make sure she would enjoy the programme. Paul and Jenny were both happy with the programme and indeed Jenny had lost 4lbs in the first session!

 Following on from this, Jenny had lost a further 9lbs, taking her weight loss to 13lbs. Although she was happy that she was losing weight and had almost lost a stone to this point, she decided that she wanted to lose more and had set herself a target of losing a total of 60lbs – with the support of Paul and Lighten Up.

 Over the next 10 weeks Jenny lost another 40lbs – which was AMAZING!! Her BMI had also decreased in this time from 31 to 24.

 Although the progress Jenny made was excellent, she was still determined to lose the final 7lbs to reach her target weightloss of 60lbs. Within 3 weeks of her final appointment she contacted Paul to confirm the good news that she had lost the final 7lbs she had hoped for.

 In total, Jenny lost 68lbs, or an equivalent of 4 stone and 12 pounds and has vowed to keep strict on her lifestyle choices and is enjoying the time being able to be more active with her daughter.

 *names changed to protect identity

Healthy Cooking on a Budget

Are you interested in learning how to Cook healthy meals on a budget, then this local Cooking course could be for you, for more details. Click on the link below…

Healthy Cooking on a budget 2012

Eating 5 A day

Why Fruit and Veg is really good for you…

Read More…

Harborne Leisure Centre Update

Harborne’s new leisure centre will be opening on Tuesday 3rd January 2012. Please see the video of the new fitness centre available and the article from the Birmingham Mail for more information.