Get a spring in your step with easy tips
We're all being told to cut corners and costs to survive in today's roller coaster times.
But there's one thing that deserves to be a priority – your health.
Looking after your body isn't a luxury, it's an essential way to make sure you're not overwhelmed by the stress and strain of life's demands.
Better weather and longer days on the horizon make this the perfect time to overhaul your health and lifestyle so you step into spring feeling fit and energised.
Can-Do Fitness
Celebrity trainer Nicki Waterman recently prepared Denise Van Outen for her Comic Relief Mount Kilimanjaro climb, but she has some heartening news for the rest of us.
"There's no need to waste money on expensive gym memberships. Just do small things that together will help you feel fitter and lose weight and keep it off," she says.
Nicki, director of FitStart.com, suggests using full soup cans or plastic water bottles as dumbbells. Do 10 bicep curls for each arm in spare moments, like when you're waiting for the kettle to boil.
Take up boxing: imagine a small rectangle on your floor and stay in that area while you shadow box.
To have more effect on muscles hold cans of beans or half litre bottles of water in each hand as you box. Do 50 to 100 repetitions.
Practise foot movements by moving backwards and forwards and from side to side while staying on your toes. This cardio workout also tones legs.
Get to the guts of it!
Even the most body conscious may throw caution to the wind and overindulge during winter. The combination of stodgy comfort foods and little exercise can result in a sluggish digestive system – leaving you with bloating, stomach cramps and constipation. as well as a lack of energy and dull-looking skin.
Try the natural colon cleanse range from Aloe Pura, which claims to gently detoxify the digestive system.
Colax Colon Cleanse Tablets (4.49 for 30) contain anti-inflammatory aloe vera and lactobactillus acidophilus to promote friendly bacteria and herbal extracts such as liquorice – a mild laxative. They're available from Holland & Barrett and independent health food stores.
Help keep that gut healthy with a probiotic supplement such as Boots Feel The Difference Probiotic and Prebiotic Capsules (7.99 for 30 capsules). Each capsule is said to contain around four billion "friendly" bacteria to aid digestion.
Juice Boost
High levels of stress deplete the body of essential nutrients and can cause symptoms like headaches, indigestion, irritability and joint pain.
Kick start your day with a freshly made juice especially geared to counter the effects of stress.
Evergreen, one of the juices in Miracle Juices, (Hamlyn, 5.99), combines celery and fennel – which help the body utilise magnesium and calcium to calm the nerves – and lettuce, which has a sedative effect.
You need: 2oz (50g) celery, 2oz (50g) fennel, 4oz (125g) Romaine lettuce, 6oz (175g) pineapple and 1tsp chopped tarragon.
Whiz in a blender with two ice cubes. Serve in a tall glass, and decorate with tarragon sprigs if desired.
Good Day Sunshine
GMTV's Dr Hilary Jones suggests soaking up some sun for a dose of essential Vitamin D.
"Sunlight's one of the best natural sources of Vitamin D – the happy vitamin – and without it our bodies cannot process calcium properly, which is vital to maintain healthy bones and teeth," he says.
Around 20 per cent of adults are thought to be deficient in vitamin D and osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease, affects one in two older women.
Try to get 15 to 20 minutes sun exposure on arms and face, three or four times a week to build up Vitamin D. Avoid the risk of burning in the middle of the day – catch those rays in the early morning and late afternoon.
Zap Remote Hazards
Avoid picking up germs by keeping your TV remote control clean.
Until now it's been thought that loo seats and door handles were the hotspots for bugs, but researchers at the University of Virginia have found that 50 per cent of remotes are contaminated with the rhinovirus, which causes 35 per ecnt of colds.
This bug can survive for up to two days. Use disinfectant wipes to banish those germs.
Kick The Coffee
Substituting green tea for sugary or milky coffee not only saves calories, but is also believed to contain enough caffeine to act as a mild appetite suppressant.
If green tea's not to your taste, Holland & Barrett's Green Tea capsules (9.29 for 100) could be an alternative.
A preliminary study suggested that people taking a green tea extract for three months lost an average of 4.6 per cent of their body weight without dieting.
Diet Detox
Taking control of your diet doesn't mean you have to suffer hunger pangs or feel deprived.
Registered nutritionist Carina Norris, author of The Food Manual (Haynes Publishing, 18.99) says you can fight the flab and get more energy by simply making some simple changes.
Top of her list is cooking from scratch rather than relying on processed foods.
"That way you know exactly what's going into your food, and it's easier to keep the fat, salt and sugar content under control, and be sure food's additive free."
She says it needn't be time consuming – buy ingredients in bulk, make meals in batches and freeze them – and could also save you money.
Keep fruit and vegetables handy for snacks, as they're packed with vitamins, and low in fat and calories.
Eat moderate amounts of good fats – the unsaturated fats and oils found in olive oil, nuts, seeds and oily fish (such as salmon, fresh tuna, pilchards and mackerel).
Eat fibre-rich food – such as wholegrains wholemeal bread, brown pasta, brown rice, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, fruit and veg.
Be Happy
Work out what really makes you smile – you might be surprised! Research has found that those who spend their cash on memorable experiences rather than material items end up reporting a greater sense of wellbeing.
"Break out from your routine and resolve to include one new activity into your week, and make it something that you know you'll genuinely enjoy or something you've always wanted to try," Jones says.
"With all the doom and gloom around, it's important to boost your spirits by taking on a challenge, or getting out of your rut."
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Weather for Scarborough
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
