Go on the attack and win your battle with the bulge (From Worcester News)

Go on the attack and win your battle with the bulge

12:20pm Friday 13th January 2012 in James Connell

THE road to hell is paved with good intentions but so, sadly, are the treadmill, the rowing machine, the cross-trainer, the weights bench and almost any other piece of equipment in a gym you care to name.

After over-indulging at Christmas, every January sees a peak in gym membership as people sign up to get fitter and healthier in the new year.

However, all too quickly, bad habits can creep insidiously back into our lives. The sofa has more charms than the swimming pool, a beer looks better than an exercise bike and the takeaway, which is only around the corner from your house anyway, does free delivery, so why bother to get off your backside and boil some broccoli?

Perhaps this is why, by March, many gyms find usage levels return to normal as members quit, feeling unmotivated and out of pocket, having failed to achieve their goals.

But some gyms, health clubs, fitness centres and health experts are doing all they can to buck this trend and are adopting a more holistic approach to health, looking at issues such as stress, lifestyle, diet and exercise as essential pieces of the same jigsaw.

Emily Tuck, general manager at Nuffield Health Worcester, said: “The key to success and motivation is seeing progress. Our health MOT is a 12-point health check which is repeated after three months so you can track your progress.

“Members are amazed to see how they improve in a short time – it really keeps them motivated and focused on their goals.”

The MOT tests at Nuffield include cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, resting heart rate and blood glucose, but also take into account stress, sleep, alcohol and caffeine intake.

If you want to get fit and lose weight, you could do worse than ask a coach to Worcestershire’s cricketing stars for his professional opinion.

As a strength and conditioning coach at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, Ross Dewar is used to keeping the sporting elite at the top of their game – but now he has turned his attention to the public with his RD Fit Club.

Ross, who is in the final stages of a degree in sports and exercise science from the University of Worcester, has helped professional cricketers at Somerset, Northampton or Worcester for more than a decade.

Ross, who has also trained with Phil Richards, a leading strength, conditioning and nutritional expert, said: “It does help that I do this for a living. I have to get the cricketers on the pitch and our injury record since I have been here has been very good.”

The fit club involves 12 sessions in total – three sessions of 45 minutes a week for four weeks – and is being held at St Peter’s Baptist Church, St Peter’s, Worcester.

There are 22 people in his class – all women – which ends on January 31, but a new fit club begins on February 6, following a taster session.

The brand of fitness the 32-yearold is promoting has nothing to do with the endless tedium of spending days on end on a treadmill like a hamster on its wheel. Seventy-five per cent of the problem may be what you eat and people in gyms are frequently left to their own devices unless they want to pay extra for a personal trainer, he says.

Contrary to popular belief, the best way to lose weight is not spend hours on a treadmill but short bursts of intense activity of 30 seconds each – press-ups, squat thrusts, burpees and lunges – exercises that require no equipment other than that which nature already gave us, our own bodies.

Ross said: “It works for any age ranges and fitness levels, which is the beauty of it. This is old school – there are no gimmicks. It’s tough work but you get results. We won’t be wasting any time in there. You get there and do the business.”

He said: “There is no calorie counting, food points or anything gimmicky on our health plan, just good food and as much of it as you like.”

The important thing, he says, is not calorie levels but the type of food you eat – lean meat, vegetables and fruit – instead of processed food and microwave meals. He said: “If you can kill it, catch it or grow it, then eat it, put it in your body. If it comes with an ingredients label, it’s processed.

“Cooking for yourself isn’t that time-consuming and can be healthy and quick to do.”

The 30-second intervals allow people of all abilities to work at their own rate and a healthy body means improved immunity and improved resistance to disease and illness – or what Ross calls “bulletproofing the body” and “getting back to mother nature”.

He said: “We don’t want people joining for a month ad hoc, to come in for a session and just go. We want people to adhere.

“It’s about keeping it going. It may be used as a quick fix solution for a month but you need to keep it going.”

Online members can share recipe ideas to help them stay in shape and support is received via the website.

For more information, visit rdfitcamp.co.uk.

NEW YEAR, NEW PLAN

Adam Miles, fitness manager at Nuffield Health in Worcester, gives his top fitness tips for success in 2012. They are:

PLAN YOUR ATTACK

1 Decide where you want to get to.

2 Find out where you are now.

3 Devise a plan to get there, preferably with the help of a fitness expert.

MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS

1 Set mini-targets and keep track of your progress.

2 Don’t wait until you reach your final aim to reward yourself.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

1 If you are dispirited or unsure about what to do, seek help.

2 Buddy up with people with similar goals.

MIX IT UP

1 Avoid performing the same exercise routine for months on end.

2 Get an expert to revise and refresh your fitness plan or book some personal training sessions.

3 Try studio classes, use the pool and new equipment.