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Healthy Living

1. Think right

Think negatively and you're helping to cultivate poor health by creating mental and emotional stress. Instead, do your best to live life with a 'the glass is half full' attitude and you'll cultivate an outlook that's positive, happy, attractive and healthy.

2. Breathe right

Good health relies heavily on good breathing. You can't do much without oxygen, and if you aren't breathing diaphragmatically (i.e. into your belly), you aren't filling the lungs (and body) to capacity with O2 it needs. Breathe more deeply as a general rule and you'll energise yourself, keep yourself more relaxed during stressful times and enjoy better health in the long-term.

3. Drink right

Drink water and plenty of it. Avoid teas (excluding herbal tea), coffee, fruit juices and alcohol as they will actually help dehydrate you. Aim for at least half your bodyweight (in pounds) in ounces of water per day (bodyweight in KG x 0.033 = MINIMUM quantity of water to drink in litres per day). If the weather's warm or you are exercising on a regular basis then it's wise to add an extra litre to your daily intake.

4. Eat the right food

If you want to enjoy the best of health then you need to make sure you eat the best food, and that means eating locally grown, organic food as much as possible.

Organic food is better for you. It doesn't contain the additives, pesticides, herbicides, steroids, growth hormones and chemicals that are found in commercial produce.

This means they don't get into your body and put your health at risk.

They also contain loads more nutrients than commercial produce.

Avoid processed foods and drinks as much as possible.

Eating right for your metabolic type is simple. By answering a questionnaire you ascertain what type of metabolism you have and tailor your intake of protein, carbohydrate and fat to meet you unique, individual requirement. See www.metabolictyping.co.uk for details.

5. Go to bed on time

To help your body detoxify and to maintain optimum health, you need a minimum of eight hours of quality sleep daily plus some 'me' time where you can relax. Aim to be asleep before 10.30 each night (or as often as possible). The majority of your physical repair is carried out between 10pm and 2am. Then, from 2am to 6am the focus switches to mental repair.

6. Exercise

Your body was designed to move, so move it. Use your muscle or lose it, and the same applies to your body's health. Can't face a gym or health club? Then consider training at home. With right kind of equipment and a little space, you could create a home gym for around £200. That's enough to cultivate general health and fitness. Or how about starting a sport purely for enjoyment rather than competition?

Do the RIGHT amount of exercise

Too little exercise and you won't benefit your health or body.

Too much and risk injuring yourself. Carry on doing this and you'll OVERTRAIN your body and make yourself ill, perhaps with a virus that could stop you training for months.

7. Reduce stress

This means stress of all types including physical, mental, emotional etc.

There's both good and bad stress. We all need a little stress in our lives in order to keep us motivated, progressing and moving forward.

However, overload yourself with too much stress and your health will suffer. Too much or too little exercise, too many late nights, too much alcohol and junk food, too much work and not enough rest will eventually add up and take their toll.

Do this for long enough and you'll take years off your life.

8. Learn to relax

Along with adequate sleep, build in some daily 'me' time where you can chill out, relax or meditate i.e. 30-minutes of daytime walking in nature or at least natural light.

Restorative practices like Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong are just a few examples of the kind of activities you could consider.