Keep your children healthy

The Benefits of Martial Arts for children

We all know how beneficial the study of martial arts can be for kids and adults, but

did you know that the earlier your child starts with martial arts, the more it can help

him or her through some of the important developmental stages?

Martial arts can encourage overall growth in the personality of your child.

When your child is between the ages of 3 and 6, he or she is growing in body, mind

and spirit. These ages are very crucial, as they set the base for your child’s life

pattern and behaviour. Childhood development experts recommend that children in

this age group participate in physical and mental activities to encourage physical

maturity, personality growth and socialisation with others. Learning martial arts can

meet all of these needs at once and also effectively improves physical fitness for

kids.

Martial arts have been recognised by many communities as a way to give children

the ability to face the daily pressure in life. It helps to improve focus for kids, as it

requires children to concentrate and pay attention to the instruction of the teacher.

To be successful in martial arts children must learn to listen, and carefully absorb the

lessons.

By studying martial arts your child will learn that unnecessary aggression is never

appropriate. It is defensive in nature and your child will learn that amicably getting

along with others results from the self confidence to know that he is not going to be

harmed by schoolyard bullies. In short martial arts builds confidence in children..

Other than building self-confidence in children martial arts can bring many positive

changes:

Your child will be more disciplined:

Self-discipline is one of the most difficult traits to cultivate. Children often struggle

with learning in many environments including school not because they lack the intelligence

that is necessary but because they lack the necessary discipline. During martial arts classes

offer repetition, rules, details and protocols that build discipline in a positive manner.

Your child’s health is essential:

Physical fitness for kids is very important and martial arts definitely keep kids active

in a fun environment. It helps to build their overall fitness and co-ordination. Kids

learn self-motivation: By learning martial arts kids can actually track their individual

progress and success as they work up to different levels. Kids work for their own

merits while building awareness that they are responsible for their actions.

Apart from these there are many other benefits of joining martial arts classes.

Martial arts classes can help your kids to focus on their mind and body while

learning to respect themselves, their classmates and their instructors.

These skills, and the confidence that goes with them, can be used for a lifetime on daily basis.

Get the ball for your child’s success rolling early, get them started in martial arts classes as soon as possible.

Healthy Eating

Here is a useful guide on healthy eating that I came across on  www.netmums.com a very good site you should all take a look at.

Healthy Eating Guide

Healthy Eating Guide to switch to a healthier diet today!

Eating simple but good food will make you feel healthier and more alive. It will stop you feeling sluggish and bloated and end mood swings and sugar cravings. It will give you loads more energy, make your brain sharper, and the big bonus is that it will make your skin, hair and nails look better than any expensive product in a jar ever can. It's all about working from the inside out rather than just being superficial about it: it's a deeper health and beauty - and it's so simple. Just easy everyday stuff.

Quick tips to healthy eating

Use the at-a-glance Traffic Light Labelling Scheme to cut down on the fat, sugar and salt in your diet. This really is the quickest and easiest way to switch to healthy eating.

Healthy Eating Myths

Myth number 1: Healthy eating is expensive

We generally think that healthy food comes with a hefty price tag but this isn't the case. A recent survey found that there is little difference in the cost of a healthy shopping basket and an unhealthy one. It was found that a typical healthy basket costs an average £71.78 compared with £71.18 for an unhealthy one.

There is also research carried out by the National Consumers Council that shows that supermarket economy brands have more salt and fat and less meat content than non economy brands, making them not quite the good deal they appear to be.

Myth number 2: Healthy eating is time consuming 

It really isn't! You could get an omelette on the table in 15 minutes flat or salmon steaks, potatoes and broccoli in 25 minutes max.

Stock up on healthy snacks such as fresh nuts (for children over 5), dried fruit, fresh fruit or perhaps a rice cake topped with peanut butter or banana slices. It's tricky but try to get out of the habit of buying snacks like crisps, sweets and chocolates that are high in saturated fat, salt and sugar and low in nutrients.

Aim to cook more meals from scratch. Don't be too ambitious to start with as the change might be too much for you and your family. Perhaps try to introduce one extra home-cooked meal each week.

Don't skip breakfast ... ever. It doesn’t have to be large; it doesn’t have to be cooked; it doesn’t have to take more than a minute or two to prepare. All research shows that breakfast is a very important meal for adults and children alike and helps us all function better throughout the morning. A good breakfast will also help stop the urge to nibble and snack on less healthy items during the morning. Steer clear of sugary cereals, they won't keep your energy levels up for very long. Try out healthier options such as ...

Ø  Non sugary cereal topped with milk and sliced fresh fruit; slice of bread with butter and honey.

Ø  Boiled egg, slice of wholemeal bread, satsuma.

Ø  Yoghurt and fruit smoothy

Ø  Muesli (for children over five without nut allergy), fresh fruit, milk.

Ø  Yoghurt topped with fresh and dried fruit and a little oats or muesli.

Ø  Porridge with a little sugar and milk, fresh fruit.

Drink loads of water - The Food Standards Agency tell us that we need to drink 1.5 litres of water each day. It can stop you feeling hungry and energise you between meals. Avoid commercial drinks containing sugar, flavourings and colourings and opt for plain water or herbal teas for maximum benefit.
Eat loads of oily fish - and if that doesn't appeal then consider fish oils. Whilst there is no concrete scientific evidence yet, the amount of anecdotal evidence showing fish oils help concentration, learning and mood, continues to mount.
Consider buying local organic food from your local food suppliers
If you've got a fussy eater in the family, don't be tempted to buy in junk food because it is all they will accept - inevitably the whole family will end up on a highly processed diet.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)/Interval Training for Fat Loss

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Interval training can supercharge your fitness, boost your metabolism, burn off that extra fat.  If you haven’t yet tried it you should really consider  including it into your workouts. It is an excellent way to improve you fitness levels.

HIIT

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is about mixing high intensity bursts of exercise with moderate intensity recovery periods.  It’s brutal but has incredible advantages. It’s the quickest way to get in fit, lose fat and supercharge for sports performance. Its all about increasing your anaerobic threshold

Interval Training for Fat Loss

Imagine being able to lose more fat by doing less exercise?   A lot more fat and a lot less exercise. Interval training is the best method for losing fat.  Its secret to success is not in how many calories you burn during the routines but rather on how many you burn after the exercise and where these calories come from.

What is hiit?

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is cardio performed at such an intense level that your body will spend the rest of the day expending energy to recover from the ass-kicking you gave it. This is commonly referred to as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and it means that you consume a great deal more oxygen recovering from the exercise bout than you would have if you'd just done a steady-state workout This means that you will be burning up to nine times more fat while sitting on the couch later that night than you would have if you'd spent an hour on the treadmill at a moderate pace.

Obviously, I am talking about intense training. You will need to push yourself out of that comfort zone you have gotten used to and really challenge yourself. If you are willing to do this, however, I can guarantee that you will spend less than half the time you usually do on those machines and get much leaner in the process.

The benefits of hiit

HIIT training has a number of benefits in addition to the reduction in training time. First of all, this type of training is far superior to steady-state exercises when it comes to increasing your VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen you can uptake during exercise. This means that you'll be in much better shape when it comes time to game time

Secondly, when you perform long-duration, moderate-intensity exercise, you can actually put yourself in a catabolic state in which you will start losing muscle mass. That's right: Some of that hard-earned muscle will start degrading itself in your quest to get lean.

So now that I've convinced you that this is a better way, how do you go about doing it?

The specifics of hiit

There are a few different ways to do HIIT training.

You can either do all-out sprints -- during which you go above your VO2 max for a very short period of time -- coupled with adequate recovery periods or you can do sprints that are just below your VO2 max for a slightly longer period with an adequate recovery as well. The first option will really push your body and will elicit the greatest EPOC and VO2 max improvement. The second option will train your body to perform at a very high intensity for a slightly longer period of time while taking less time to recover.

For the first option, warm up at a comfortable intensity for 5 minutes. Then, give your maximum effort for 15 to 30 seconds, followed by a 2-minute recovery. You can walk during the recovery or you can just take it down to a very light jog, depending on your current level of fitness. More than likely, though, you will be going so hard that you will need to walk during the recovery. Perform between 6 and 10 of these intervals, and finish with a cooldown.

For the second option, do the same warm-up as in the first option, and then sprint at approximately 80% of your maximum intensity for 45 seconds to 1½ minutes. Follow this with a 1- to 2-minute recovery period. You may find that your recovery periods are shorter since you aren't running quite as intensely as in the first option. Repeat this sequence for 5 to 8 intervals, and follow it with a cooldown.

HIIT can be done in many ways like sprinting as stated above but you could work this into your training programme on a bike, crosstrainer or even on a punch bag or focus mitts with a partner you just need to be creative.

Working hiit into your training

These types of workouts are very intense and should only be done 2 to 3 times a week maximum. A great idea is to perform them on your "off" days from weightlifting; however, if you must do them on the same day, I strongly recommend performing them at a separate time so you can devote all your energy to each session.

As with your weight training, be sure to take in a post-workout drink to help replenish lost glycogen and repair the muscle tissues.

 On a final note, I must streee that this type of training is not for everyone. Since it is so high in intensity, many people find that they simply cannot work out at this level and end up bypassing their workout altogether. If this happens, you are much better off performing a more moderately paced endurance-type cardio workout.

However, try to challenge yourself with a few harder minutes interspersed throughout your workout. This will help increase your metabolism (although not as much as with HIIT), as well as your overall fitness level, which may help you to eventually include HIIT training as part of your workout.

Health and fitness with a Treadmill

Two of the best ways to maintain a healthy body and prolong life are through regular exercise and having the right diet.  Regular exercise routines are proven to be effective in reducing the risk of serious diseases like diabetes and heart disorders.   

The most common exercises are jogging, running, and brisk walking. These exercises are known to be very effective in maintaining our bodies fit and healthy.

However, running outside in the street on hard ground may cause injuries to your joints due to the shock that it absorbs when running on the hard surfaces.  In addition, weather conditions like snow, wind and rain can easily disrupt your exercise routine.

A better alternative is to use a treadmill at home.  These machines allow you to continue your regular exercise regardless of weather conditions and without the risk of injuring your joints.

There are a large number of treadmill models and they come in various sizes and brands. It is recommended that you compare prices, specifications, and models first before making a decision to buy.

I recently purchased myself a treadmill for use at home and both my wife and I have been using it regularly.

My wife likes the convenience of being able to exercise at home when she is free without being concerned with the weather or having to go to a gym.  

We would recommend a treadmill at home to anyone and when you consider the cost of gym membership it will pay for its self in no time.

5 Ways that can help you stay fit and healthy

1. Drink more water each day.
Aim to drink 2 litres of water everyday this will help keep you hydrated even if you are working out. It will also help to flush out the toxins that have built up in your body.

2. Walk more. 
Even if this is just using the stairs rather than the lift or go for a walk in the park or simply just around the block where you live.  This will get your body moving and  make you feel good.  It may even get you doing some more exercise.

3. Eat more green foods.
This will help you maintain a good ph balance in your body by helping reduce your bodies acidity.  It will also help to ensure that you are getting a good supply of essestial vitimins and minerals. This will give you more energy and focus.

4. Breath slowly.
Take time during the day to really breath deeply and slowly. This will help you to relax and relieve the tension in your body and mind.  This is really good to do just before you have something important to do as it will help you focus on the issue at hand.

5. Get your required amount of sleep each day.

Do you know what state that we spend most of our life in?

SLEEP.  Yes sleep, around a third of your life is spent there and although many may have never given a second thought to sleep, it is an integral part of your overall health fitness. 

Getting your required amount of sleep each day will help you stay refreshed and help your body repair and help you to fight off illness better.  

Following these easy tips for a healthier lifestyle will help you to feel better in your self and help you to stay fit and healthy

Help for your injuries

Anyone who works out on even a modest basis has had niggling aches and pains, well the same is true for me.  I have had knocks and bruises from my training that I have put up with or worse had to wait for them to clear up before I could train properly again.  I then came across trigger point therapy and would recommend the book Trigger Point Therapy Your Self Treatment Guide to anyone who would like to know more on how to help themselves.  I have used this book with my own injuries and found it very useful.
Let me know how you get on please.
The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, Second Edition