Round Town News

MY RAMBLINGS on High Intensive Training (HIT) last week seem to have created interest and annoyance in equal measure.  Most folks apparently liked the idea of an exercise regime that takes only ten minutes, just three times a week (well, who wouldn’t) but there was slight annoyance that I hadn’t given more information on the subject. One question in particular that cropped up more than most was an age related one: can you partake HIT at any age?  

Okay, just before I answer that lets recap: Prof Jamie Timmons was leading a clinical trial of 300 overweight volunteers to ascertain if HIT will change the way we think about and undertake our exercise. According to him, around ten minutes of HIT provides the same, if not more, benefit as much longer ‘traditional’ sessions. He suggested three ten minute sessions a week on a ‘sturdy’ exercise bike. Well, the good news from those studies is that you can do it at any age.

One doctor who wrote to the BMJ’s forum doc2doc said:  “So far, tests on hundreds of unfit middle-aged volunteers in Britain and Canada over the past eight years have shown those three minutes of exercise a week deliver the same significant health improvements as can be achieved through hours in the gym or on the running track.”

The other question was: how does it work?  Dr Michael Mosley is one chap who should know. He recently presented a documentary on the subject and was wired up to an exercise machine for his troubles. He went hell for leather three times in ten minutes and the results you can see on the BBC I-player. Just search for ‘Horizon:The Truth About Exercise’.

“According to the researchers I spoke to,” says Michael, “part of the explanation is (probably) that HIT uses far more of our muscle tissue than classic aerobic exercise.” Mike adds, “When you do HIT, you are using not just the leg muscles, but also the upper body including arms and shoulders, so that 80% of the body’s muscle cells are activated, compared to 20-40% for walking or moderate intensity jogging or cycling.” So, there we are. I’m convinced, are you?

My eldest daughter tells me that in her house something similar to HIT has already caught on - only they call it ‘advert aerobics’. Now I don’t know if this’ll be of much use if you only watch the BBC but in a nutshell it works thus: when the ad breaks come on during your favourite TV shows you jump up out of your armchair and perform exercises of your choice at full pelt (or somewhere close) until the programme starts again. Can you imagine push-ups, sit-ups, squats or burpies during Emmerdale and Corrie? Hannah says she prefers to jog on the spot, while her hubby leaps about doing star-jumps etc. Goodness only knows what the Avon lady thinks as she approaches the house...

Meanwhile, I’ve been out trawling the charity shops for an exercise bike and managed to cop quite a bargain. After much struggling (probably equal to your average HIT session) I wrestled the beast into my bedroom. In fact, I’ve even pondered on wiring the thing into the national grid, in order to supply extra ‘watts’ (get it?) to a grateful nation as I HIT away. However, in keeping with journalistic integrity and honesty I have to report that so far the bloomin’ thing has only served as a clothes horse for my shirts and jacket.

Watts in Britain, leaping about during the ads...

NEXT FRIDAY, 29th June, Fit 4 All in Punta Prima will be celebrating the first birthday of its gym and everyone is invited to come along to the centre in Punta Prima and join in the fun. The party officially starts at 5pm and everyone is invited to join in with  FREE outdoor Zumba class.

There will also be displays of children’s karate and kids’ Zumba and all the children involved in the classes will receive diplomas for their effort.

From 9pm there will be a Flamenco band to entertain you and then later in the evening a free prize draw will take place where you can win lots of brilliant prizes including one month’s free gym membership, a chocolate massage and a two night stay in a hotel anywhere in Spain. And with every round of drinks over 5€ that you purchase from the bar between 23rd June and 29th, you will get a free ticket into the draw.

As well as the fitness demonstrations, the restaurant and bar will be offering special offers including a BBQ and classic mojitos. And if you fancy a pampering, there will be a 20% discount on all services offered at the hairdressers and beauticians. For that day only you will also be able to take advantage of special gym members ship offers where three months will only cost you 85€ and six months 150€. So why not come along next Friday evening to Fit 4 All in Punta Prima; it’s so much more than a gym!
 

I HEARD a story on the radio yesterday that both made me smile and demonstrated the dangers of the paranoia that seems to be gripping our society. The programme was being broadcasting live from a shopping-mall and the talk was about how malls now affect our lives. Anyway, one item was on a strange behaviour in the mall.

It turned out to be, as Hugh Morrison (author of a book on shopping malls) said, “A heart warming story of strange behaviour in the mall.” Apparently, every day in 2011, an elderly Asian woman wearing a burqa visited a mall located on the outskirts of Glasgow at exactly 9am. Morrison told: “She entered the south door near M&S and walked past the thirty-eight shops to her right. Then, reaching the top at TK Max, she turned around and walked down the other side back to where she’d started.” She then repeated her circuit at a quicker pace; and then again. She performed this loop some eight times before finally leaving the mall without buying a single thing. She returned at 6pm and did exactly the same thing.

The woman came every day for the next four months. She never entered a shop and never bought a single item – not even water. Security staff became a little concerned. This was, after all, at the time when the Prevention of Terrorism Act had come into force. What was this woman up to? Was she ‘casing’ the place or carrying out some sort of surveillance? At the time there were police reports that gangsters and criminal families were wearing burqas as a form of disguise; and in some cases using them to stash their shoplifted plunder.

Obviously, the security people needed to handle this with great care. They didn’t want racist accusations levelled against them. Eventually, an Asian member of staff approached her. Can you guess what she was doing? Well, she was keeping fit. Yup, it was a form of keep-fit that the lady “had seen on the telly.” She told the staff, “They do it in America and its called ‘mall-walking’.” She no longer felt safe on the streets of her local community and had occasionally suffered taunts for the clothes she was wearing. So, she hopped in the car and drove the two miles to the mall to do her exercise. At some point she lifted her skirts to reveal her Nike air trainers!

And as Morrison revealed in the United States geriatrics gather at shopping-malls to go ‘speed walking’. They form mall-walking societies and according to Morrison, unlike our Glasgow mall walker, they are a complete menace. He reported, “The malls find them to be a great problem.” He added, “Sometimes they knock people over; they obstruct shoppers and their cars fill the best spots in the car park. And, they never buy a damned thing!”

So next time you’re in La Marina, in the mall on the outskirts of Benidorm and see a gaggle of geriatrics heading your way ‘mall-walking’ at speed - give ’em a wide berth.

Watts in Britain, walking around the mall…

FAT, DIETS, exercise. Three words that send immense dislike coursing through any person's veins; be they fat, thin, short or tall, no person appreciates having to stay in shape, but it's something that most people's lives revolve around - that burning need to look good and feel great is the norm nowadays in our superficial society and although at times, that need may grow obsessive and debilitating, in truth it can be most beneficial. After all, what is wrong with wanting to be healthy? Surely nothing. A healthy diet equals a healthy life. Something we all want and crave, it's just the way we approach that need that is important.

Being overweight and unhappy is a miserable state of affairs. If you're looking to lose weight, there's nothing worse than looking at that mountain you have to climb, just to get to a normal weight. Never mind getting your body to how you want it to look. It's so easy to give up, to just think I'll try again in the future and comfort-eat your way out of your misery. But no matter how much you believe it, that day will never come unless you literally take the bull by the horns and fight for your fitness.
It's your choice, how you start, but know that there are many people out there, who can help.

Mark Phoenix Murphy is a registered hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, and he can help you, so if you believe that you have an unhealthy relationship towards food, then speaking to him can help clarify and resolve those issues, enabling you to look forward to a healthy, bright future, unblighted by crippling issues regarding food.
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This may seem an unusual and perhaps unlikely solution, but look around on the Internet - you'll see and read testimonials of people, who have lost weight and whose lives have turned around, because this procedure has opened their eyes and changed their views concerning food, dieting and exercise. It has even helped clients suffering from Diabetes to reverse the illness and keep it in check.
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