Blogs Team, Author at Active Wirral

January 22, 2020

4 Easy-Peasy Health Hacks

Here are 4 Easy-Peasy Health Hacks:

Swap your hot shower, to a COLD one.

It’s true! Cold showers are good for you!

Leaving the comfort of your warm bed to let cold water pour over you first thing in the morning can sound horrifying, but embracing the chill can have numerous benefits to your physical and emotional health.

Cold showers have been shown to relieve depressive symptoms due to the intense impact of cold receptors in the skin. This sends an overwhelming amount of electrical impulses from the peripheral nerve endings to the brain, producing an anti-depressive effect that boosts moods and alertness.

Cold water can also tighten pores, as well as flattening hair follicles, making your hair appear stronger and shinier, whilst a 2008 study found that cold hydrotherapy can also relieve pain!

Try it: At the end of your usual hot shower, gradually turn the temperature to its lowest setting and stand under for at least 30 seconds. If you’re feeling brave, step out of the water whilst it’s hot, switch it to cold, then step back under. You’ll flinch, but the rush is worth it!

Pro: Skip the hot temperature altogether and take a cold shower every day! After a while, you will get used to it, the water may even ‘feel warmer’, and you will continue to reap the rewards of the amazing health benefits.

Prioritise water over any other drink.

Do you drink enough water?

Probably not . Studies show that 2/3 of us aren’t drinking enough of the good stuff.

But it’s so important! Water aids in digestion, circulation, absorption and even excretion. Studies have shown it can also boost metabolism and brain power, as well as energy levels in the body.

Whilst we have the ability to cope with mild dehydration, a small drop in your body’s water content will see your vital organs pulling water from your body to ensure they maintain essential functionality.

Other than thirst, this explains less obvious signs of dehydration, such as:

Dry, tight, flaky skin.
Dry mouth/eyes.
Hunger (even after eating)
Back or joint aches.
Mood swings.

Try it: Start and end every day with a tall glass of water, as well as having one with every meal. Carrying a water bottle around with you can help. If you want to add some flavour, try adding lemon/lime juice, chopped mint, or cucumber slices.

Pro: The amount of water we need varies, however recommendations state you should be drinking 0.033 litres for every kg of bodyweight, at least! Coffee/fizzy drinks don’t count (and don’t even think of counting alcohol!) If you’re active, make sure to get even more H20.

Don’t underestimate the power of walking.

Putting one foot in front of the other, getting mildly breathless and rosy cheeked in the great outdoors, just might be the healthiest (and easiest) of all health pursuits.

If you have no barriers to walking, doing more can aid circulation, lymphatic flow and cardiovascular health. It can also reduce stress, as well as reducing your risk of diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Walking is free, easy, and can even improve the environment. Walking instead of driving means less air pollution, and therefore, better air quality.

Try it: Try getting off the bus/train a stop early or take a quick stroll during your lunch break. You may even implement a rule, for example, walking anywhere that takes less than 30 minutes.

Pro: Aim to reach a daily step count of 10,000 steps. You can do this outside, or by using one of our treadmills! It can be great practice to keep on top of your current activity level, by using a pedometer on your smartphone or a wearable activity tracker.

Practice deep breathing.

Breathing is something we do without thinking, but breathing properly requires focus.

Taking time out of your day to practice drawing in full, deep breaths will both calm and energise you. If stressful situations bring on a pounding heartbeat and rapid breathing, your body may be in ‘fight or flight’ mode. Consciously regulating your breathing, can reduce the likelihood of a panic attack and can also reduce blood pressure, slow your heartbeat and reduce stress.

The lungs have a big job, tasked with sending oxygen into the bloodstream, to be taken to every cell in the body. Deep breaths can increase their capacity to function optimally, and with regular practise, they can deliver oxygen to the blood at a greater rate, giving the body the oxygen it needs for exercise and proper cell function.

Try it: Find a comfortable quiet place, and lie flat on the ground, or sit with a straight back. Slowly breathe in through your nose, trying to let your belly expand more than your chest (it may help to place a hand on your belly, and the other on your chest). Then exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat for at least 10 cycles, or as long as desired, aiming to elongate every breath you take.

Pro: Dedicate yourself to a daily deep breathing practise. Starting with five minutes a day, working up to 20 or 30 minutes for optimal results.

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January 16, 2020

6 Simple Tips to Improve Sleep Quality

The quality of your sleep has many impactful effects on your performance, health and day-to-day energy.

Here are 6 simple tips to improve sleep quality:

1. Keep regular hours

Go to bed at the same time every night and forget the notion that you can play catch up one day each week.

2. Sleep in a cool room

By decreasing body temperature and regulating room temperature you can create an environment that will sustain good quality sleep. The ideal room temperature for sleep is just 15-16 degrees. Out of the 6 simple tips to improve sleep quality this may be the hardest to manage but it is still a key factor in quality sleep.

3. Make your bedroom an oasis for sleep

Great quality sleep can easily be affected by noise and light, so, make your bedroom as dark and as quiet as possible.

1. Switch off electrical devices that have a standby light on.
2. Even the smallest amount of light can create a sensory marker in the brain that disturbs quality sleep; therefore it is vital to establish the best sleep cave.
3. The darker the bedroom the more likely you are to gain quality sleep. Consider your window dressing ensuring that streetlight or early morning sun does not disturb your 8+ hours.

The changes are well worth it and may be profound upon your recovery, health and day-to-day energy.

4. Consider supplementing magnesium

This mineral is vital in aiding stress hormone management and therefore assists your ability to relax by resetting insulin sensitivity. Magnesium is also a catalyst in resetting adrenal health through the cortisol/ insulin connection. The best way to supplement magnesium is topically, add 500g magnesium flakes to your late night warm bath and feel the effortless relaxation that comes from a balanced hormonal profile.

5. Eat better

Our diets have a significant impact upon our daily rhythm, routine and performance. Meals high in carbohydrates may increase serotonin production (the neurotransmitter responsible for a calm, happy and relaxed state of mind), but, with a higher carbohydrate intake you are running the risk of destabilising your blood glucose and waking at 3am as a natural reaction to low blood glucose. Foods that are high in essential fats will aid in establishing a constant blood glucose level, which is beneficial because the body will be able to go into a fasted state while slow releasing energy is generated for metabolic function.

To find the approach that works best for you, experiment, those with robust metabolic flexibility will benefit from the serotonin production of a higher carbohydrate meal, if your yet to establish metabolic flexibility, it may suit you to have your last meal be richer in protein, essential fats and lighter in carbohydrates to stabilise your blood glucose and avoid the 3 am hunger call.

6. Exercise!

Exercise can improve quality of sleep and duration of sleep. There is a number of different ways exercise improves quality of sleep. For example, it tires you out, helps to reduce stress & anxiety. Are you interested in giving exercise a go? Why not try a 3 Day Free Pass with Wirral Leisure? Click here to sign up today: 3 Day Free Pass

Happy resting everyone!

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Group of People running outside in winter

October 21, 2019

Winter Training Advice

As the nights start to get darker, the weather wetter and the motivation to exercise decreases we’ve got some great winter training advice and tips to keep you in shape throughout the Winter.

1. Exercise Early

Whilst not for everyone, an early morning workout is a great way to start the day. It’ll get your endorphins and blood pumping round your body. Putting you in a better mood your brain will function with greater clarity allowing you to be more productive during the day. With some of our gyms being open from 6am and early morning classes available too, there’s no excuse not to try a morning workout. Take a look at our timetable now by clicking here.

2. Try Something Different

Developing a good fitness routine can help you maintain focus, commit to your workouts and make good progress towards your goals, however it can often lead to boredom and lack of progression as we don’t often push ourselves hard enough. So why not shake up your routine and try something different? With over 350 classes available on our weekly timetable why not have a go at Metafit or PIYO? Or something less intense like Yoga or Tai Chi? If you’re not already a member why not try a class or the gym completely FREE for 3 days? Sign up here.

3. Set Goals

And try your best to stick to them ! Set a goal to focus on and keep you motivated throughout the winter season. Having something to aim for will help you to prioritise workouts ensuring you don’t miss one. Keep on track is a key tip for maintaining your fitness throughout winter.

4. Prepare for bad weather

You never know what to expect with winter weather conditions, it may be windy or end up raining or the weather could be absolutely fine! Dressing for these unknown winter nights is best done in layers. Experts suggest dressing in easy-to-remove layers to permit for body temperature changes. This may take a few tries to work out what works best for you but don’t give up. Keep trying different clothing combinations until you find the best for you.

5. Listen to the Experts

Our fitness staff are the experts! Experts in helping you achieve your goals. They can provide advice on your exercise routine, fitness trends, nutrition and general tips on leading a healthy lifestyle. Simply ask them next time you’re in the centre or book in for a personal programme and see what tips they can give you. Don’t let the winter blues kick in and stop you achieving your fitness goals. Why not try out some of our winter training advice and tips mentioned? Don’t forget we are here to help you see results and stay in shape throughout the darker nights – just ask us any questions you may have on your next visit or by sending us a message on Facebook.

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October 21, 2019

Strength Training Benefits for Females

NHS guidelines recommends you do strengthening activities at least 2 days a week, regardless of your gender, but stereo typically, the term ‘strength training’ can conjure images of bulky, oiled up men, grunting in the weights section of the gym. Understandably, this can seem an intimidating environment for people new to the game.

Is this why only 7% of free weights users are women? [1] Even when there are so many Strength Training benefits for Females?

1. The ‘lean’ look.

For seasoned cardio bunnies and yoga doers, strength training may be loooow down the list of exercise. When weight loss is the goal, cardio’s high caloric burn, and yoga’s focus on flexibility are both loved for achieving the ‘lean’ look, but strength training can help speed up your progress.

Since muscle burns an estimated three times more calories than fat, adding two to four pounds of muscle can translate into an extra 100 calories burned each day. A high-intensity strength routine has been shown to bump metabolism by 20 percent for several hours post-workout.

You may find you’ve lost inches from your frame, but according to the scales you weigh the same. Don’t worry! Fat takes up a lot more space than the same weight of muscle, as it’s packed a lot tighter. Therefore, you’re more likely to lose inches of body fat, and be replacing it with tight, lean muscle. Nice!

One of the most common reasons women avoid strength training is because they are afraid of “bulking.” However, women have a much tougher time gaining muscle than men, as with 10-30x more testosterone they are predisposed to gain muscle quicker.

If you do see a woman with impressive muscle mass, tip your hat to the time, effort and commitment that it must have taken!

2. Development of metabolic flexibility.

Your metabolism is the chemical engine that uses energy to keep you alive, but its quality is determined by its flexibility, i.e. the ability to use multiple energy sources to fuel day-to-day living, digestion and exercise.

Within 21^st century life, the majority of us are tapping into sugar as our primary fuel, however this wasn’t always the norm; for our ancestors, fat would have been the source. Even now, the leanest of people have enough fat stored to fuel multiple days of activity.

So, why the switch to sugar over fat?

Refined carbohydrates: processed baked goods and sugars have become a cornerstone of the modern western diet, with time pressure and stress exacerbating our reliance upon these convenient foods. But when we over consume them, we develop a resistance to the hormone insulin. This is bad, as insulin carries energy to the cells in your body, therefore if your body is desensitized to insulin, it isn’t receiving the energy you are already providing it. This can lead to increased hunger, poor appetite regulation, unreliable energy and blood sugar chaos as experienced in pre and type 2 diabetes. Eek!

Strength training is part of the solution of developing metabolic flexibility, as it increases our insulin sensitivity [2]. This improvement helps you to cultivate and retain more energy from the food you consume, increasing satiety and appetite regulation, as well as enhancing mood.

But, most importantly; with increased insulin sensitivity, you won’t need to constantly snack as an energy source! You start to shift towards burning fat as fuel as well.

3. Increased energy use.

So, strength training impacts the quality of your metabolism positively, but strength training also has a positive impact upon the quantity of your metabolism.

Your total energy expenditure is composed of the following 4 areas:

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): Your metabolic rate during sleep or deep rest. It is the minimum metabolic rate needed to keep your lungs breathing, heart pumping, brain ticking, and body warm.

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The number of calories burned while your body is digesting and processing food. TEF usually represents about 10% of your total energy expenditure.

Thermic Effect of Exercise (TEE): The increase in calories burned during exercise.

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): The number of calories required for activities other than exercise. This includes fidgeting, changing posture, standing, and walking around.

As you gain muscle via strength training, your body produces more heat and as you gain muscle, your BMR, TEE and NEAT all increase. Therefore, in every single minute of every day, you will be using more energy and if your metabolic flexibility has also enhanced, more of those calories will be coming from your stored fat.

4. Increase function.

Taking a long-term approach to strength training has multiple benefits upon your function. Whilst ‘Functional Training’ is a buzz word around fitness, what it actually means is often missed: functional training should bring about an increase in your own function. For example, as we’re all at different stages of physical development, an increase of function could be the ability to stand from a chair, and for someone else, better pelvic floor control. Function can be recognised from every aspect of life and more often than not, increasing strength is a defining factor in developing new levels of function.

Balanced strength training will strengthen your back, shoulders, core, hips and legs, helping to correct bad posture. You can stand taller, with feet connected, hips through, shoulders back and spine long.

There is also a great impact of strength training upon connective tissue and joints. Strong joints, ligaments, and tendons are important to prevent injury and can relieve pain from osteoarthritis. Strengthening muscles and connective tissue will make injury from daily tasks and routine exercise less likely, which can even improve sports performance.

5. Increase bone density.

Strength training not only strengthens muscle and connective tissue, it also stimulates new bone growth. The resulting increase in bone density, reduces the risk of fractures and broken bones.

Worldwide, 1 in 3 women over the age of 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures. Therefore, it’s very important to keep up with strength training throughout all stages of your life and it’s never too late to start! Studies have shown that there are multiple benefits for people starting strength training over 65 years old, such as being able to walk further and lowering the risk of falls.[4]

6. Enhance Mood and Reduce Stress.

Our 6th Strength Training Benefits for Females includes enhanced mood and reduced stress.

You’re probably familiar with the term ‘runners high’, the euphoric feeling sometimes achieved through exercising. This feeling is down to a rush of endorphins, that can be released when lifting weights also.

Endorphins are neurotransmitters that prevent pain, improve mood, and fight depression, naturally reducing stress and anxiety. They also stimulate the mind, improving alertness and boosting energy.

A study done by the University of Sydney, found that regularly lifting weights significantly reduces symptoms of depression, with meaningful improvement from 60% of clinically diagnosed patients: a similar response rate from antidepressants without the side effects!

So, start with either no equipment, using your body weight as resistance, or with low weights. You’re aiming for 8-10 reps, that by the end, you’re just about able to complete. Focus on form, then increase weight as you grow stronger.

Get ready to meet your stronger self!