15 min Desk workout

Many of us are fortunate to have jobs given the downturn experienced in different economies recently. But, it can mean hours at a desk or a computer which is really not good for health. More than trying to fit in 30 mins of exercise a day, many sedentary people would reap far more health benefits (other than weight loss) by simply avoiding sitting too long.

If you can spare 15 minutes, preferably your lunch hour, this desk workout from Sparkpeople.com trains major muscle groups, and stretches hip flexors and other muscles that tighten from being desk bound for an entire day.

Imagine how good it'll feel once you're done, endorphins boosting your mood, oxygen revitalising your energy levels for the rest of the day. Totally worth it in more ways than one!

What you'll need:
1. A sturdy chair without wheels
2. A sturdy wall
3. Athletic shoes (or barefoot works too)
4. Small towel to wipe off sweat
5. Anti-perspirant to apply afterwards
6. Water to stay hydrated before and after

CLICK here to see the 15 Minute Desk Workout now.

The truth about mind power

Me, on a boat in pretty Cape Town, South Africa recently. (And no I'm not really steering that boat - dummy wheel)

It is an old adage that dates back through the ages: The power of belief overcoming the impossible.

The human mind has a conscious part and a subconscious part, the latter being the subject of many books, research papers and articles in recent times.

The subconscious part remains a mystery as no one can tell you exactly how it functions.
It seems to be located in our brains, and yet is connected to other organs through our physiological networks of blood vessels, nerves and synapses, muscle tissue and bones. It is the subconscious mind that runs all the bodily systems and functions in the background. It is the operating system of our bodies, the WINDOWS software to our machine of a body. Breathing, digestion, immune system response and healing, growing are all from the operated by the subconscious.

It is also somehow connected to things outside of our bodies such as other people, objects, creatures, nature and unseen things. We know this through our ability to empathise with others, we feel the pain, joy, sadness, disappointment and excitement of others. Emotions that did not begin within us, but was communicated to us.

The seaside town of Fish Hoek beach in Southern Peninsula of Cape Town.

Yet no one knows the exact dynamics of how the subconscious mind functions. Do you know HOW to digest your food, how to break down a protein differently from a carbohydrate? Do you know HOW many times you need to pump your heart increasing beats per minute when the need for more oxygen arises, and decreasing it to a normal rate afterwards? Do you KNOW HOW to grow your hair or REPAIR your broken bones? Not consciously, no. And yet, you do this everyday, every hour, every second, without fail.

Think about that for a minute. That is how amazing YOU are.
Your subconscious is part of your brain, which is part of you. You are doing things, vital functions, everyday without even knowing (consciously) how it's done.

Bubbles on the beach

I believe our intelligence as human beings, along with our free will, is a great gift from Allah (swt).
We were not made vicegerents over the earth for no reason.

There is a great power to harness within your mind, for wealth, for health, for success.
You could apply it to anything in your life. You do not have to KNOW just how you are going to do it.

The important thing is that you CHOOSE to do it. DECIDE to do it.
Then do the best action that you can think of to achieve it. It works without fail.
It may not be a straight road to success. All journeys begin with a first step, and it is a critical first step to CHOOSE and to DECIDE to do something to improve your situation.

Fish Hoek beach under the autumn sun

Say you want to change something in your life, let's choose a fitness goal for example, because this is a fitness blog: Choose to lose weight, get fit and be as healthy as you can.

Because our minds are so powerful in dictating our actions, and thus the results in our life, I'd say begin with overcoming the mind, instead of trying to harness it's potential.

We are surrounded by facts and data, half-truths and information overload, most of which tell us we are on the downward spiral to failure. Most of which stimulate our senses with negativity, prompting our actions on a negative path. Overcome your mind when it tells you that losing weight is impossible because you are not disciplined enough to stick to a plan and therefore most likely to fail.
Overcome you mind when it tells you the "facts" of your body being too far gone in bad health to make it back to a more healthier functioning.

An industrial view of Table Mountain. The harbour is in the foreground, where international ships arrive with shipments and passengers. Some ships and even oil rigs come here for as long as six months to undergo repairs.

Overcome your mind by showing it through your own action, that it is wrong. Stimulate your senses through action and experience and direct your mind to the path you want to go. Your mind needs the experience of a different path to bring it out of its current path. That is the connection between mind and body,  the physical experience that teaches the mind.

You've heard it said before: the mind can be your greatest friend or your greatest enemy.
It can be your tool for success or your biggest obstacle.

I believe that in overcoming the mind as an obstacle first, you'll start to change the results you see in your life faster and more effectively than if you tried to harness its power first.

I hope you enjoyed my random photos of Cape Town.

View of Table Mountain (behind) and Signal Hill (front) from the boat.

What is your fitness age?

So how fit do you think you are?
Run 5k's, cycle half marathons? Are these the true tests of fitness?

I'm not sure either.

It's an incredible feat for sure. However the recent rise in young and "fit" athletes suddenly dropping dead on the field due to cardiac arrest or heart failure, is a cause for concern.
How hard should we be pushing ourselves, before the optimal point is passed and it becomes more destructive than constructive.

But that is for another post.

Right now I've come across another hot topic - fitness test calculators. (I thought I'd credit the blog where I first came across this fitness calculator. If you love MMA, head on over to this sister's site: PrettyTuff.co.za)

Maximal oxygen uptake or VO2 max is the capacity of the body to transport oxygen during incremental exercise. Measures physical fitness.

This calculation is researched based. Questions focus around lifestyle and heart rates.
Physical fitness is heart health and moreover the ability of the body to transport oxygen during incremental exercise. I guess this makes sense, since we associate a fit person with someone who doesn't huff and puff like they are constantly trying to catch their breath. If you're getting enough oxygen, then your body wouldn't demand it of you through extra heavy breathing.

This is called maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max). Your test results will be given in this measurement as well as your fitness age. I bet you can't wait to find out your fitness age?

Just hang on a bit for this bit of healthy advice:

The idea is that you can have the same VO2 max as a much younger person, with exercise, healthy eating and avoiding sedentary lifestyles. Although nothing can make you live longer than the date arranged for you by Allah (SWT), staying fit is a way to look after the gift of a physical body given to us, and a healthy strong body at any age definitely makes life easier.

So what is your fitness age? I was five years younger than my actual age. And my VO2 max reading was equal to that of an average woman in my own age group. Although I'd like to read a little more positively into it, since my age is on the upper end of this age group; if I maintain this VO2 max result into the next year, I'd be above average and getting younger! Physically-fit-younger, that is.

Find out your true physical fitness age now.

Hate exercise? - a powerful solution

According to one article I read, most women do not like to exercise or do sports.

MERMAID POSE in PILATES

I'm not surprised. Personally I hate exercise. All those reps and circuits can get so boring.
Sports was more my thing. Especially team sports.
Playing a sport is what people do together, and so it becomes more about the social aspect of the activity instead of the activity itself. But it requires a level of commitment that most women cannot give when they're building careers and families. Nobody wants to let their team down by not showing up because they had to work late or attend to their families.

So we're left with exercise as the only way to keep fit and healthy. Bleh!
Each minute, each rep feels like a lifetime.


I've tried many different approaches to this, to try and enjoy it and hopefully do more exercise.
But it doesn't change the boring-ness of exercise.
Sports was also a mental game. There was strategy involved.
Exercise only requires that you're able to count reps.

So if you're not a gym-bunny nor an exercise junkie, what's next?

Forget the motivational quotes and pep-talks. It doesn't work here, and doesn't last longer than that first minute into the exercise routine.

When you know you have to do something about your weight, your health or your fitness and you don't have a personal trainer to push you and hold you accountable, then there's only one thing left to do. 

In the words of another famous sports brand: Just do it!

GOOD OLD FASHIONED ROPE SKIPPING

Sports bras - Bounce control

If you are the type to wear your everyday bra to the gym or that iron-woman marathon, you may be jeopardising your breast health. Shockingly, 75% of women do not wear sports bras when exercising or doing sports!


Most sports bras are made to be worn on their own without any need to wear a shirt over it.
But covering up modestly does not mean you can toss on any bra that is in your undies drawer.

Sports bras have a very important function - protecting your breast tissue.

Exercise and sports involves a lot of fast, jerky movements. When your body quickly changes from one direction to another, the weight of your body plays against you. Great for toning and weight-loss, but bad for unsupported breasts. More specifically, the heavier your breasts the more damage is done by the sheer weight of the breast tissue itself. The larger your cup size, the more damage is done. Talk about attacking your own body!

Exercise, while good for overall health, can stretch ligaments that keep your breasts firm and (ahem) above your waistline. High impact exercise can damage the breast tissue itself which can be the cause of many other ailments in the long term. More commonly and cause for concern, exercise is one of the biggest causes of breasts sagging prematurely. Breasts have no muscle support, so once they sag no amount of toning or exercising is going to lift it back up again.

So now that you're convinced in switching your regular bra for a sports bra when you hit the gym, what next?

Choose the right one for your size with consideration of your type of exercise.
Higher impact activities require stronger support.

Sports bras styles such as the black and white duo below, are okay for A-cup to B-cup sizes, for any activity of low to high impact intensity. Though you may want to consider stronger support just to be sure. Larger cup sizes could wear these for low impact activities such as yoga, lifting light weights. 
The T-bar at the back is the main support of this bra, as it pulls your breasts closer to your body, not allowing them to swing in all directions which is the cause of tissue damage.

For stronger support, a must for C-cup sizes and above, consider sports bras that support each breast. They look more like regular bras, and may or may not have underwire. This purple one below, does not have underwire. 

The peachy coloured one, below has a definite shape to it supporting each breast and avoiding the one-boob effect. The stretchy fabric is part of the compression technology, which basically means it presses your breasts against your body restricting movement. 

Straps that criss-cross  at the back give it the support it needs for higher impact sports. Although not required, wider straps offer more support. Waistbands that can adjust width like a regular bra are a bonus ensuring a perfect fit everytime.

When fitting on a sports bra, the key point to remember is it should restrict movement as much as possible without feeling too uncomfortable or squeezing  too tight. You should be able to breathe easily, so that your body can supply oxygen to your brain when training!

Sports bras provide more modesty too. You don't have to worry about bouncing around under your sportswear as you exercise in the open. Everything is kept still and out of sight. Just the way we want it.

Motivations for exercise

I'm not into exercise for the sole purpose of body sculpting to fit a certain shape. That is as unnatural as sitting behind computer screens 8 hours at a time. It also feeds pride and arrogance, something Muslims are warned about in the Quran as a big downfall in this life and the next.

Exercise is a tool to get to YOUR best shape and health, whatever that may be. And it does differ from one person to the next.
It is really not about fitting your pear shaped body into an hour glass shape, or an inverted triangle shape.

We are BLESSED with our bodies as our natural adornments.
It is only the narrow-mindedness of mainstream media that celebrates one body shape or ethnic beauty structure as the standard for all others to follow.

If you exercise for the sole purpose of achieving a certain weight or body shape, your attitude is setting you up for frustration, impatience and inevitably failure.
Typical thoughts that may go through your mind if you have this attitude:
- Oh no! I've only lost 2kg! (or 5cm!)
- I want to look like .... (fill the blank) or have the body of .... (fill the blank)
- Why is it taking me so long to lose all this weight?
- Maybe if I did Pilates I'd look like that.

Exercise is a way to love yourself, love your body. Take care of this blessing. So why become frustrated at it for not being something it was never meant to be?
Be FUN-ACTIVE instead of the above.

Get going with exercise as a way to appreciate your body. No matter its current shape or physical condition, it still serves you well by allowing you to experience this life and all in it.
It's a journey with a different destination than the first type.

Instead of achieving a certain body weight or shape, you only focus on what your body needs to get healthy and fit. Generally that means getting 30 mins to 45 mins of exercise in addition to normal activities, everyday. More on this later.

FUN-ACTIVE involves:
- Accepting yourself as you are now with all your pre-conceived flaws as well as your best points
- Appreciating your body for what it does right, which is allowing you to experience this physical world. Imagine not being able to see, touch or feel
your loved ones?
- Accepting the end result of your decision to get fit and healthy. Your body may change its shape, you may lose weight along the way. But do NOT
attach yourself to numbers and images. Accept, right now, the body you may in the future have as a result of exercise. And accept that while it
it may not be that shape you long for now, it will be whatever it is meant for. It will be beautiful, because it already is beautiful.
And when you focus on that, you get more of that.
- Giving yourself space to be who you are by not attaching to certain weight and body shapes that are not fitted to you.
- Creating and forging this relationship between yourself and your body, based on love: self-love.

This grows your physical body, and your soul and your mind. As they are all connected and in need of nurturing.
When your motivations for exercise stem from this FUN-ACTIVE attitude, you are more likely to stick to your regimen and enjoy it too!
There'll be less moments of frustration and impatience. And more amazement and joy at what your body can do, if only you let it be.