Griffen Fitness - Newsletter

October newsletter

Greetings healthy people,

The leaves on the trees are turning orange, the weather is warmish (except today!) – it must be autumn! It’s one of the best times to be out and about in Edinburgh, as the weather and light levels are OK and there are less tourists to contend with.

Next week also sees the first Highland Boot Camp running at the Hilton Hotel Coylumbridge. We’ve got hiking, cycling, running, hypnotherapy, aerobicising, NLP, aqua aerobics, trampolining and powerful life coaching all in the one week. And the great outdoors will be playing a bit part too. I will be Twittering live updates, whilst Eilidh will be blogging live at www.weightshedbootcamp.wordpress.com. Tune in!

What’s in Season for October
It’s good to eat seasonal fruit and vegetables, so here's a list of what's in season locally:
Fruit: apples, blackberries, damsons, elderberries, figs, pears, plums
Vegetables: watercress, squash, beetroot, mushrooms, courgettes, marrow, kale, potatoes (main crop), pumpkin, radishes, rocket, butternut squash, samphire (found beside the sea), sweetcorn, wild mushrooms

Easy Recipe: Baked Seasonal Fruit
Having a dinner party and need an easy dessert? Simply run along to a good fruit store and pick up some plums, peaches, figs, pears or apricots - half a fruit per person. Wash, cut in half, de-stone, arrange on a heatproof dish and sprinkle with a bit of vanilla sugar (sugar stored with a vanilla pod in). Pop it in a very hot oven for about 5 minutes (pears may take longer) until softened. Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche. Easy.

Fad or Fab: Ice Baths
I’ve been reading about a recent trend for folk post-exercise to immerse themselves in an ice cold bath. The premise of this is similar to the classic R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) treatment for injuries and sprains and strains. That by applying cold, it causes the blood vessels to constrict and blood to leave the affected area and help promote healing to muscle tissue torn by physical activity. This is a similar concept as compression tights, which I favourably reviewed in my February newsletter. Now, I don’t know about you, but the idea of sitting in a pool of ice cold water after exercise doesn’t really appeal to me (blokes, you?).

So, where does the blood go? The heart, one would imagine. Perhaps not a good idea for some. In a recent Ultrafit magazine, it is also recommended to wear a hat to avoid hypothermia! It strikes me as a particularly unsafe practice. Sure, if you have an injury or cramp, apply a localised cold compress but I truly don’t believe that more is necessarily better. Does any one have any input on this one? I’m tempted to write it off as a faddish fitness trend. And you sure as heck won’t find me doing it. No siree, a nice warm bath, and cup of herbal tea for me…
For more info see this article.

Bodywork: OneSpa
From the ridiculously cold to the sublimely lovely… Last week my mother was in town, so we enjoyed an afternoon at OneSpa. What a treat! If you’ve never been, it really makes for a luxurious afternoon. My favourite is the warm, deep, roof top hydropool that has really powerful massaging jets, as well as some intense shower type jets that massage the neck and shoulders. The thermal suite with numerous steam rooms and saunas also ain’t bad, and an afternoon there will really relax stiff muscles. You can find out more information and special offers at http://www.onespa.com

Resisting Temptation: Urge Vs Hungry
Here’s a wee hint from Eilidh Macdonald-Harte, the Life Coach I’m running boot camps with. Her website is at www.hartelifecoaching.com and it’s well worth contacting her if you find yourself ‘stuck’ in life:

“When the urge to give into temptation strikes, you have two options, go with the urge, which means you are on autopilot and the urge is in control. Alternatively, stop, have a moment of thought, and ask yourself “am I hungry or is this a desire to eat?” If you are hungry, eat. Or if you are in ‘desire’ mode, distract yourself from it by doing something else you like, perhaps listening to your favourite music.

Reward yourself with a non food treat for resisting the temptation; a new top will look a lot better on you than a chocolate bar!”

Website of the month: As Fit As A Butcher’s Dog
How fit is a butcher’s dog? Pretty fit, as it gets all the meat off cuts from aforementioned butcher. An unusual name for a website, but one that fits a niche. www.afaabd.com is a fitness social network where you can find yourself a ‘Fit Buddy’ in your neighborhood, who you can go jogging / cycling / exercising in general with (and yes, there are a few folk registered in Edinburgh). Get yourself a funky free sweatband by joining up then emailing office@afaabd.com with ‘sweatband’ in the subject line.

Keeping it local, The Leither magazine has also launched their new look website at www.leithermagazine.com - well worth a look for the extensive archive section.

Article of the Month: These Boots Are Made for (hill) Walking
(This article will appear over the October and November issues of Bite Magazine www.bitepublishing.co.uk)

Scotland has some amazing hills and mountains to explore, and if your walk is longer than 2 hours (1 hour up and 1 hour down), then you are also getting an excellent ‘fat burning’ workout that will tone your bum and thighs. Surely a good reason to pull those walking boots on! Here are a few basic tips to get you started:

-    Preparation is key, plan your route and calculate the distance and how long you estimate it will take you. Be realistic in what you can achieve for your fitness level and experience and enjoy the walk even more.

-    If it’s off the beaten track, invest in an OS (Ordinance Survey) map and compass.

-    Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back
.
-    Check the weather forecast. Even if it’s forecast to be fine, take a waterproof jacket and extra fast wicking layer as it will be colder, wetter and windier on top of a hill. See photo.

-    Invest in some good walking boots and waterproof trousers. Look for these items in sales.

-    Have a preparatory trial run of new equipment and boots on a local hill, like Arthurs Seat.

-    Take drinks with you. I like to take a refillable sports bottle of water and some boxes of Ribena (for an instant energy boost).

-    Take a combination of low and high GI snacks so you have slow release energy as well as some ‘pick me ups’. Oatcakes, nuts, dark chocolate, home made flapjacks and wholegrain sandwiches are good for slow burning energy, whilst ginger biscuits, peppermints and sugary sweets will give you a burst of energy.

-    Always eat a good breakfast before heading out!

-    Take a survival bag (good for sitting on), mobile phone and whistle. A hat, scarf and gloves will keep you toasty warm.

-    Take extra plastic bags to carry your rubbish, sit on or keep things waterproof.

-    Stop as often as you need, and ensure you stay well hydrated. It’s always a good excuse to stop and look at the view.

-    Check out the Ramblers Association (www.ramblers.org.uk) website for more information.

Here are some ideas specifically on getting fit to tackle Scotland’s dramatic outdoors.

If you’re a gym bunny, get on a stepper to really train your glutes and quads (bum and thighs). Alternatively do a long fast walk on a treadmill with the incline up up up. In addition to cardio (pulse raising) training, strength training is also important.

Strength training traditionally involved lifting weights, but you can use your own body weight as resistance. Excellent exercises for strengthening legs for hill walking include:

-    Lunges: do not ‘go over’ on your knee, ensuring your knee is always at a 90 degree angle or more. Living in Edinburgh we are blessed with many stairs, so start walking them two at a time to really work those lunge muscles (front of thigh).

-    Squats: a personal favourite as not only do they strengthen the front of the thigh and rear end, but also give nice shape to your bum and help you fit into tight jeans.

-    Hamstring curls: If you work the front of your thigh, also work the back. Using a weights machine or dynaband looped around your ankles to strengthen your ‘hammies’

-    Ankle Circles: not strictly a strength exercise, but tracing a circle with your foot will stretch and strengthen your ankle and help prevent injuries (especially if you’re a bit clumsy going downhill).

A bums, tums and thighs class is a good place to start if you need ideas. And being a responsible trainer, I need to add to please check with a professional if you’re unsure about any of the above exercises.

Now, a quick word on technique - when walking uphill, walk along ridges rather than valleys as they tend to be drier and easier to walk up.

Everyone has a different walking style. For instance when I’m walking with my (rather tall) husband off piste, I take smaller steps and so look for a different route. Take your time and let the leader know if you’re struggling to keep up. Take rests as often as you need to enjoy the scenery and also to refuel and rehydrate.

And finally, after the walk, a nice warm bath and hearty low fat high protein feast both go down a treat.

And Finally… More YouTube clips
A link from Greener Leith via Twitter enlightened me about the gentle art of ‘slow biking’. http://www.thegreenerleithsocial.org/video/slow-biking
Did you know that cats like running on treadmills? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQueyRIjao
Chef Anthony Bourdain enjoys some of Leith’s fine tucker. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0kOOK8iVtE
The classic Monty Python sketch of Bicycle repair man http://www.thegreenerleithsocial.org/video/bicycle-repair-man

Have a happy and healthy October,

:)
Tracy

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October newsletter