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Coca Cola Thank You Fund Editorial HeaderNo matter what age or size you are, being active on a daily basis is so important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle! Eating healthy food will definitely help you on road to a better you, but in my experience, the ‘healthy glow’ comes from a combination of being active and eating healthy. It’s so easy to discipline yourself into a more active lifestyle, but the question is, are you dedicated enough to embrace the challenge.

You have to give yourself the time and commitment to incorporate activity into your everyday life to make it happen, and when you do, you will be so elated with the results, that it will just fall naturally into your lifestyle.

Lorraine Ho-1As we get older, we naturally lose muscle mass each year, about 1% per year after the age of 25 and our maximal oxygen capacity also declines by about 1% per year, and there is nothing we can do about these declines over all as they are a natural part of ageing. However, there is lots of research that shows that if you stay active throughout your life, you will be healthier in old age and you won’t suffer the declines in fitness and health that other people who don’t exercise may experience. So when we use the term ‘use it or lose it’ it refers to you challenging your muscles, lungs, and heart through exercise.

If you use them they will serve you well throughout your life by continuing to function well in old age. It may seem easy to say that you will be active in your everyday life, but you need to actually make a conscious effort to do so and start with the small things in your life that are easy and enjoyable to take on.

Top 10 Tips on how to introduce Activity into your every day routines:

  1. Get up 20 mins earlier in the morning: This will give you 20 mins extra of activity. Whether it be tidying up your room, preparing your dinner for later, walking some of the way to work instead of driving, making yourself a healthy lunch instead of buying a sandwich etc. Those 20 minutes a day, add up to almost 2 and a half hours a week where you can be more active!
  2. Keep hydrated throughout the day: Not only is keeping hydrated good for you, but it will make you head to the loo every hour, getting you off your chair and moving!
  3. Walk to your colleague’s desk with messages instead of emailing: Another opportunity to get up and moving away from your desk instead of letting your fingers do the walking!
  4. Take a walk at lunchtime: Set yourself a goal of a 20 mins walk at lunchtime each day. Get your music ready on your headphones, and enjoy the rhythm of your walk. It’s a great opportunity to recharge your soul before your afternoon work. Or why not use the opportunity to catch up with people or even check out your podcasts on the go.
  5. Have ‘walk meetings’: We have so many ‘meetings’ at work these days that can be done away from the meeting rooms. Make the great outdoors your ‘meeting room’.  It may even inspire you and even help you think with a different perspective. Make the suggestion to have a walk for a meeting that you have regularly each week, so that you may even look forward to that meeting, and so will everyone else. If you only have a quick 20 minute meeting, then that’s 20 minutes more you have to spend being active instead of sitting at your desk.
  6. Go for a walk after dinner: Most people head to the couch after dinner, but this is actually a perfect time to get out and active. I find that the best time to go for a walk is when the traffic is gone, and I have had my dinner and I use this time to catch up with friends either walking with them or chatting to them on the phone. Not only is it a great time to get outdoors and get some exercise in, but it keeps me away from snacking my way to bedtime!
  7. Cycle or walk to work if you have the time: This is a perfect way to start your day, and I find that any day that I do walk or cycle to work, it clears my head and motivates me so much more to get things done, than if I were to drive. Driving can be so much more costly and stressful than walking or cycling. If you work too far to work then why not use public transport, get off a stop earlier and walk some of the way there. Try it out for a week and see how you get on.
  8. Park as far from the door as possible: Whether it be the supermarket, school, work or even the gym, park your car away from the door and walk that bit further. When it comes to dropping off the kids to school, why not try parking one road away and walking that little bit extra. Not only will it get your and your little ones some extra ‘active points’ but it gives you a chance to have a little catch up on the way.
  9. Use the Stairs: If you live in an apartment block or work in a building with a lift, use the stairs! Your heart will thank you for it!
  10. Set yourself a goal each week: Get yourself a pedometer and set yourself a minimum number of steps that you need to each day. Become more aware of how many steps you are taking each day and try to beat that target each day.

Lorraine Ho, Founder of Bootcamp Ireland, is a judge for this year’s Coca-Cola Thank You Fund. Voluntary and non-profit organisations in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are being encouraged to apply for the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund (the Fund), which will award a total of €125,000 in five separate grants this year. The grants will serve as major funding for innovative projects with new ideas to get us more active, more often.

Applications for the Fund are being accepted online until 6pm on the 29th of June at www.coca-cola.ie/thankyou.

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For once, an ad that tells it like it is!

Much as we wish that we sailed through every exercise session with a smile and not one negative thought, the truth is that usually we're wishing it was over while double checking there's not a giant sweaty patch on our bum… again.

This Nike ad hits the nail on the head when it comes to exercise – sometimes it's minus craic, but you can't deny you feel A1 afterwards.

So go on, take a look… and then go throw on your gym gear and get going!

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The gym isn’t for everyone – an hour on the treadmill or even five minutes of a spin bike is enough to make some people avoid exercise altogether.

However, these days there is such a huge number of ways to get fit that you are bound to find something you love – without having to step foot near a treadmill.

Here are some fun alternatives to the regular gym classes you may just love:

1. Boxercise
Stressful day at work? Did you housemate leave the milk out of the fridge again? Then this is the class for you! Channel your anger into fat-burning with boxercise and you will feel stress-free as well as getting toned and fit!

2. Pole-dancing
Forget what you think you know – pole dancing is incredible. Not only does it tone and train your core, once you master some moves you are going to feel like a graceful goddess up there. 

3. Anti-gravity yoga
There's no doubting the benefits of yoga on your mind and body, but if regular mat yoga has you feeling a bit bored, this could be the high-flying solution! Using material hanging from the ceiling, you will soon fall in love with this acrobatic fitness craze!

4. Ballet-barre
From Taylor Swift to Miranda Kerr, ballet barre is THE celeb fitness craze of the year – and for good reason. Not only do you tone your core and burn some major calories, you get to look like a freakin' ballerina while doing it! 

5. Dance
Whether it be contemporary, hip-hop or ballroom, if you love to dance, why not make it your new hobby? Sure, you might feel shy at first but once you get to know people and learn a few moves you'll wonder what took you so long to get into it in the first place! 

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Exercise is all too often associated with losing weight and looking better.

We all know that working out will help us tone up and look good naked, however, there are SO many other reasons to get active and so many other benefits regular exercise will have on your health.

Here are some reasons exercise should be part of your everyday life that have nothing to do with appearance…

1. It relives stress
If you've had a really bad day in work or college, the last thing you might feel like doing is putting those runners on. Which is funny, because it's the one thing you should do – exercise releases endorphins which can help beat stress and leave you feeling refreshed and hopefully with a fresh perspective. 

2. Can't sleep? Exercise will help
If you can't drift off easily, try working out in the morning or afternoon will help you sleep like a baby. However, rigorous exercise before bed can have the opposite effect so why not try some bedtime yoga instead? 

3. Bounds of energy!
Anyone who regularly works out in the morning will tell you that it helps to make your day more productive and helps to fill you with energy – just try it!

4. Walk taller
Things like yoga, pilates and running as well as countless others all draw attention to training your core, thus improving your posture and helping you to remember to always walk tall. 

5. Make your heart strong
Regularly working out will work wonders for your cardiovascular health and makes your heart stronger allowing it to pump more will less effort. With heart disease being Ireland's number one cause of death, we reckon that's a good enough reason to get moving as any!

6. Improve things in the bedroom…
Exercise helps to keep your body healthy and this includes all of those important sexual functions. Plus, you'll have more energy in the bedroom to explore a little – yay!

7. Get happy!
It's well-known now that exercise improves your mood and makes you happy. This occurs when exercise increases levels serotonin in the brain. 

8. Stay regular
If you find yourself feeling bloated, sluggish and/or constipated, exercise is known to help combat these issues. With constipation often (but not always) being a symptom of inactivity, getting regular workouts can keep you regular.

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Sport England have launched their Girl Can campaign – and it is incredible! Women of all different shapes and sizes take on sport from basketball to dancing and spinning – and nail it, of course!

Featuring slogans like “I jiggle therefore I am”, “hot and not bothered” and “sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox” the video shows the gals killing it to Missy Elliot’s Get Your Freak On.

The aim of the campaign is to encourage women to take up more sport and exercise and to cure the fear of judgment, as Jennie Price of Sport England explained: “We looked very carefully at what women were saying about why they felt sport and exercise was not for them. One of the strongest themes was fear of judgment. Worries about being judged for being the wrong size, not fit enough and not skilled enough came up time and time again. We want to address that.”

We’re not sure about you but that song is definitely going on our workout playlist!

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If you're trying to drop a few pounds before the Christmas party season, you're probably hyper-aware of what you're eating and how much exercise you're getting.

No matter how hard you're working though, there are certain simple mistakes that could be tripping you up without you even realising. Don't let the little things ruin your weight loss progress – keep these common mistakes in mind!

1. Not eating enough vegetables
The recommended daily amount is five portions of fruit and vegetables a day – but aim for more if you can, especially when it comes to nutrient-rich foods like kale, spinach and brocolli. Try to fit veg into every meal, including breakfast. Keep it simple – blend some kale into a green smoothie or add a tomato and some spinach to a morning omelette. Easy!

2. Skimping on breakfast
A glass of OJ or a black coffee by itself does not make a balanced breakfast. Try to eat foods that are high in protein, fibre and slow-release carbohydrates so that you're not craving sugar come 11am. Museli with added mixed seeds is a great morning option that'll fill you right up, or if you want something hot try porridge, or eggs and spinach on wholewheat toast. Whatever you do, don't skip breakfast entirely – it's just not going to help in the long run.

3. Getting discouraged when your weight loss drops off
It's natural that you'll lose more weight at the beginning of a diet, as water weight drops away. Reaching a plateau a few weeks in is not a sign that things aren't working, so don't give up just yet. You'll get back on track next week as long as you stay motivated and focused.

4. Slacking on healthy eating after a workout
A killer session at the gym is not a licence to dig into the Ben & Jerry's – well, not all the time anyway. Your body burns food faster after a workout, but keep to high-protein meals that'll help your muscles recover and will re-energise you. 

5. Blaming your lack of time
Try to make healthy eating and regular exercise a solid part of your lifestyle rather than something you just do when you have the time. Even if you were rushing out the door and had no time to make lunch, avoid the Spar chicken fillet roll and go for a healthier option like a wrap or hearty soup. Likewise, if you can't make that hour-long spin class, try to integrate exercise into your day in other ways – taking the stairs, getting off the bus a few stops early or going for a twenty minute walk after work.

6. Not getting enough sleep
When you're tired and cranky, you're far more likely to reach for that high-sugar snack. The hormones that control hunger and appetite are heavily influenced by the level of sleep you get – so try to get at least seven to eight hours per night where possible.

7. Ignoring weights at the gym
Weight loss isn't all about cardio, ladies. Lifting weights gives your metabolism a serious boost, meaning you'll get fitter faster and will burn more energy while you're at it.

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Coca-Cola lovers, you might want to sit yourselves down for this one.

Did you know how long you would have to run just to burn off the calories of a 500ml bottle of your favourite soft drink?

At 210 calories – that’s equal to more than a tenth of women’s recommended daily intake – you would need to go on a 4.2 mile run, or a 42-minute walk.

Hearing the nutritional information read out like that changes how you look at that innocent little bottle now, doesn’t it?

Well, that’s what a group of researchers in the States are saying, and they are pushing for companies to start sharing this type of information on their packaging, so as to make customers aware of what they are putting into their bodies.

According to a study carried out by scientists from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, when people are informed of the health implications of their choices – including how long they will have to exercise to burn off the calories – they usually pick a healthier option.

As part of their research, the scientists created signs displaying the time it would take you to run off the calories of that particular drink, placing them in a number of stores.

According to their findings, published in the American Journal of Public Health, teenagers went for a healthier option, or else bought a smaller version of the soft drink when they saw the information.

Study leader Professor Sara Bleich said of the findings: “What our research found is that when you explain calories in an easily understandable way, such as how many miles of walking needed to burn them off, you can encourage behaviour change.”

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If you’ve ever been on a diet or tried to drop a few pounds, you’ll know what an emotional rollercoaster it can be. Some days you get out of bed feeling like a lean, mean weight loss machine – until you stand on the scales and realise you’re actually up a pound. Other days, after binge-eating and feeling super guilty, you’ve randomly lost two pounds.

Checking your weight on a daily basis can be a measure of progress, yes, but it’s not always an accurate way to tell how healthy you are.

One of my friends has always been a steady size 8, even though her favourite lunchtime snack in secondary school was a box of wedges from Spar and a Mars bar. No matter what she ate, her weight never changed. When it came to PE though, she was woefully unfit. So while she might have had a healthy appearance, her body certainly wasn’t thanking her for the excess junk food. Now that we’re older and she has started eating more cleanly and exercising regularly, the difference is obvious in so many ways. Yes, her weight is still the same as at 16, but her skin is clearer, she always has heaps of energy and she’d outrun Usain Bolt. Almost.

If you’ve been putting hard work into exercise and diet but are seeing no difference on the scales, consider other factors that might be changing without you noticing. Muscle weighs more than fat per pound, so if you’ve been hitting the gym hard, your weight on the scales may stay the same or even – god forbid – go up. A good way to track changes in your body is to measure key areas like arms, waist, hips and thighs every week. You might not have dropped a pound on the scales, but you could still be losing inches!

Taking notice of how your clothes fit is another way to track progress. Is that Saturday night dress suddenly a little easier to zip up? It’s no accident!

Lifestyle and diet changes can also hugely affect your mental health and your relationship with food – two positive changes that the scales will never pick up on. When we eat well and exercise regularly, our body can cope with stress more easily and we can focus more clearly on daily tasks. As for food, eating cleanly means you become mindful of what you’re putting into your body.

Even if you have a significant amount of weight to lose, it’s so important to realise that what you weigh isn’t the only thing that defines you. Your weight is not a measure of your health, your personality, your intelligence or your self-worth. So don’t let the number on the scales control you.

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We are constantly bombarded with amazing before and after shots in ads online – usually trying to sell us a dodgy diet product.

Before you get too jealous however, some Instagrammers have revealed just how easy it is to fake these kinds of shots.

Using a combination of lighting, angles and good old fashion sucking in their stomachs, you can look like you’ve been in a six month bootcamp in just seconds.

The fake transformation shots were started by a Melbourne based fitness trainer called Mel, who wanted to highlight the difference between the media images we are presented and normal bodies.

“I want to make it clear that there are definitely some very impressive, genuine physical transformations out there,” Mel explained.

"What I do take issue with are the transformations that are manipulated with Photoshop, professional lighting, postures to degrade or enhance their look, pro tans, sucking in or pushing out a bloated belly or flexing muscles vs. not flexing to obtain an optimal look."

What Mel wants to promote is lifelong health and fitness, not the crash diets and exercise regimes that unrealistic before and after shots encourage.

“Forget about the quick transformations and focus on a life of healthy eating, well-managed stress levels, quality sleep and plenty of movement. Spend time with people who have similar goals and values and take time to appreciate yourself the way you are right now. Don't beat yourself up if you eat a cookie, just enjoy that cookie and everything else life has to offer."

Bravo!

 

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We are sick and tired of hearing about how exercise can make us happier, stronger, healthier etc. We get it, ok?!

That being said, a new study has revealed that exercising can actually change the way you perceive the world. Researchers got 66 students to complete a questionnaire about anxiety, and then exercise on a treadmill. Some were told to jog, others were told to run and some were told to simply stand.

Afterwards, they were shown a simulation of a human stick figure walking and they had to guess if it was walking towards them, or away from them. The results?

“People who either walked or jogged on a treadmill for 10 minutes perceived these ambiguous figures as facing towards them (the observer) less often than those who simply stood on the treadmill. The same was true when people performed progressive muscle relaxation.”

Apparently people who are socially anxious are more likely to perceive the figure as walking towards them (the more threatening perception).

What do you see?

 

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Cheska Hull has revealed her secrets to staying fit and trim. 

The Made in Chelsea star recently dropped a dress size and gave some tips to OK! on how she stays in shape: "My ultimate diet tip would be to always drink tons of water – I think people forget that, but it does a great job of flushing everything out. I'm also making an effort to eat less carbs, more vegetables and snack on things like avocados and nuts instead of having a packet of crisps and an ice-cream."

Well, Cheska's tips have certainly worked for her – she looks amazing! Those Chelsea gals sure know how to look good! 

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You might exercise, skip junk food and be reasonably fit and healthy, but did you know you could still be damaging your health.

If you can relate to any of these questions, you might need to take a look at your lifestyle and maybe make a few changes:

You are not having enough water
That headache that you seem to get every evening is probably down to the fact that you haven’t had enough water during the day. And no, tea does not count. Up your daily intake of some H2O and you will feel a whole lot better!

You’re not getting enough sleep
We know, we know life can be pretty full on and you often struggle by on just a couple of hours sleep, especially during exam time. However, sleeping is just as important as eating. Not enough kip will leave you feeling tired, moody, frustrated and unable to concentrate properly.

You don’t eat enough
Being busy is not an excuse to not eat. If you are ending your day with a rumbly tummy you need to up your food intake during the day. Not eating enough will leave you feeling irritable and fatigued. Ever hear of hangry? That could be you…

You don’t eat any fruit or veggies
Seriously, were you not taught this at primary school? Make sure you eat your five a day to ensure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals to keep you strong and healthy.

 

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