Upgrade
Your Fitness
1. Hit the barre
Ballet workouts can
transform your shape. Xtend Barre arrived in London from LA just last month.
Classes involve a mix of traditional ballet moves at the barre, plus cardio and
weights. 'Ballet workouts tone your stomach, arms and legs and improve your posture
and poise, so the overall effect is a longer, leaner, more sculpted body,' says
Jess Schuring, who runs Xtend Barre classes (heartcore.co.uk). Find out more at
xtendbarreworkout.com, look for classes at your gym, or try a DVD such as Xtend
Barre: Ballet Workout ($14, amazon.co.uk).
2. Breathe yourself slimmer
'You can boost the
fat-burning benefits of your workouts by breathing better,' says James, 'A new
study shows it improves your performance by up to 15% because it boosts Wood
oxygen.' James suggests taking fairly deep, controlled, mindful breaths during
workouts and to always breathe out on effort (ie when you lift a weight or rise
up during a sit up), 'You'll burn more calories than if you just take short,
shallow breaths.' he says,
3. Heal yourself by moving
Stressed? Squat to calm yourself and
reduce back strain. With your palms in the prayer pose, feet hip-width apart
and toes turned out at a 45-degree angle, squat down. As you go down, lift your
chest up. Hold for 30 seconds.
Sad? Do the 'camel'. Kneel with
your legs hip-width apart and toes pointing back. Breathe in and drop your
tailbone. Place hands on your lower back and squeeze your elbows together. Lift
up your chest and lean back. The result? A little mood lift.
Bored? Place your hands on the
floor, shoulder-width apart, with your heels towards a wall (your body will
look like a 'v', and you'll be in the downward dog position). Walk your right leg
up the wall, then your left. Keep your legs parallel to the floor.
4. Get fusion it
The latest yoga-fusion
styles give you an added cardio or resistance workout. Weighted yoga (using hand
weights to add extra punch), yoga spin (a mix of yoga and spinning) and 'troga'
(doing yoga moves on a treadmill) are all popular in the States and will soon
be docking here. Yoga with weights is now available in London, Brighton and
Birmingham (yogahaven.co.uk) and expect others to follow this summer.
5. Share your work out
Love the idea of a personal
trainer but can't afford it? Try 'Group PT’. Several gyms now offer
personal-training sessions for groups of two or more. You get more attention than
you do in a class, without having to pay the whole bill yourself,' says Anna-Marie
Muldowney from David Lloyd (davidlloyd. co.uk). You can't beat personal
training for getting results, but it’s expensive,' says James. 'So team up with
a friend or two and ask local personal trainers if they'll offer you a group
rate.'
Upgrade
Your Emotional Health
6. Turn up and tune out
Instead of updating Twitter
on your way home from work, listen to music in the 60 to SO beats-per-minute
range. 'This range mirrors your heart rate and reduces stress.' according to US
neurologist Oliver Sacks. Here are some slowies but goodies that could
de-stress your commute,.,
n Angel Robbie Williams
n Trouble Coldplay
n The Sweetest Thing U2
n Harder To Breathe Maroon 5
n Say My Name Destiny's Child
n Champagne Supernova Oasis
7. Go cold turkey from that
stress high
'Studies show the
"high" we get when we're stressed is addictive,’ says Emma. 'Stress
protects us from danger and gives us a hit of adrenaline to deal with it, but
this feeling can be addictive - especially in our 24/7 culture, where being
stressed is associated with being busy and important. Remember, much of stress
is a choice - you don't have to feel tense because your train is late. It won't
matter in a year, so stop reacting to situations and seeking out that daily
"panic high". 'Next time you feel yourself starting to 'buzz', take
some deep breaths, have a cup of camomile tea and calm yourself with the squat
move in tip 8.
8. Swap screens for screams
‘Too many of us are putting
technology before our real relationship and sex life,’ says Emma. ‘We spend
hours on laptops in the evening, looking through photo albums on Facebook of
people we haven’t seen in years, while ignoring our boyfriend sat next to us on
the sofa. Talking to your partner and making time for sex, on the other hand,
really can crank up your happiness levels.’ So, step away from the laptop and
suggest an early night, instead.
9. Have a friend-tox
Good friends make us
healthier, happier and even five longer,' says our psychologist Emma Kenny. However,
toxic, negative friends do the opposite and need to be ditched' Not sure what
side of the fence some of your pals are on? As a general rule, a good friend is
somebody you always think about fondly, but can go ages without seeing, and
when you eventually meet up you don't give each other a hard time about how
long it's been, you simply respect each other's busy lives and enjoy catching
up, A bad friend does make you feel bad, sucks the life out of you and leaves
you feeling stressed or bad about yourself,' says Emma.
10. Overhaul your overdraft
'Debt is a big problem for
many women right now, and can cause anxiety and depression,' says Marie-Claire
Carlyle, author of How to Become a Money Magnet ($14.30, Hay House). 'The first
step towards a total debt detox is braving up and dealing with all those
unopened bills to work out exactly how much you owe, Secondly, get help If
you're struggling to meet monthly repayments or Incurring interest {get free
advice and a manageable repayment plan from the Consumer Credit Counselling
Service, cccs.co.uk, 0800 138 111). Next, reduce or give up your non-essential
costs, like those daily lattes. If you need an incentive, just work out how much
they're costing you in total each year (it could be up to $1,594!).' And If you
buy your lunch every day, the saving could be even greater if you get organised
and take a packed lunch to work instead. Lastly, carry cash rather than paying
by card: ‘You’ll spend fess without even realizing,’ says Marie-Claire.
