WHAT ARE XANTHOPHYLLS? The xanthophylls are a group of phytonutrients (plant based chemical compounds that have various health benefits in the human body) that can be found in a wide range of fruits and vegetables. They can also be sourced from certain types of seafood and certain spices. Whilst you can technically survive without these natural nutrients, they are all powerful antioxidants that keep your body’s cells safe from free radicals (harmful by-products that are released during oxygen based reactions) so should definitely be included as part of your diet. In this article I … [Read more...]
9 Fun Family Exercise Ideas You Can Try This Christmas
As I have discussed in previous posts, fitting in exercise around Christmas is extremely difficult. The weather is cold and icy plus you have plenty of social commitments which take up the time that you would normally reserve for exercise. The good news is that you can still get some physical activity over the festive period if you are a little creative. 1 way to fit more exercise into your day is to look at your meetings with family as an opportunity to exercise. Don’t worry. You’re not going to be marching them down to the gym when all they want to do is have a relaxing afternoon. Instead … [Read more...]
7 Benefits Of Jogging During The Festive Period
Your first thought when reading the title of this article was probably one of confusion. After all, the cold weather and the low daylight levels are not exactly what you would describe as ideal jogging conditions. However, if you look a little deeper jogging is actually one of the best exercises you can do over Christmas. In this article I will be explaining why by providing you with 7 benefits of jogging during the festive period: 1) IT CAN HELP YOU AVOID CHRISTMAS COLDS & THE FLU During the festive period you are much more susceptible to the common cold and the flu. Whilst there is … [Read more...]
10 Top Fitness Films You Can Watch This Christmas
In some of my previous Christmas articles I have provided advice on how you can maximise your Christmas fitness. However, Christmas is not just about keeping fit. It is also a time where you can relax, recharge after a long hard year and spend some quality time with family and friends. Films are a great way to do this and the good news is there are plenty of great sports and fitness films out there. So grab a beer, get yourself comfortable and take a look at my top 10 fitness films that you can watch this Christmas: 1) BLOODSPORT Storyline: There’s a secret underground fighting tournament … [Read more...]
Alcohol & Fitness – Can The 2 Go Hand In Hand?
Over the last couple of years I have wrote quite a few alcohol themed articles during the festive period. After looking back at a few of these articles I realised that they could be quite misleading to new readers. After all this is a fitness site but in these articles I appear to be promoting the consumption of alcohol. Today I want to set the record straight and give you my take on alcohol and whether I believe you can still drink alcohol and live a healthy lifestyle. ALCOHOL IS NOT HEALTHY I want to begin by saying alcohol is not healthy. It has been suggested that alcohol can protect … [Read more...]
16 Potential Carotenes Health Benefits
The carotenes are a group of phytonutrients (non-essential, plant based nutrients that have a number of health benefits in humans). There are 3 main carotenes which are: - Beta Carotene. - Lycopene. - Phytofluene. The carotenes are mainly found in orange and red fruits and vegetables. Carrots, grapefruits, oranges and tomatoes are some of the best sources. Although these plant based nutrients are not believed to be essential in humans, studies have shown that they have a number of promising health benefits. In this article I will be taking a deeper look at these and providing you with 16 … [Read more...]
3 Low Calorie Beers You Can Try This Christmas & New Year
Beer is probably the last thing you would expect to be promoted on a fitness website. It is high in calories, low in nutritional value and does very little for your health. However, that does not change the fact that a lot of people (myself included) enjoy drinking beer. This is especially true over Christmas. Unfortunately, all this extra beer can quickly lead to festive weight gain. Most cans of premium lager contain over 200 calories which means that just 5 cans can take you over the 1,000 calorie mark. When you combine this with all the treats and 3 course Christmas dinners that are on … [Read more...]
The Carotenes Explained
The carotenes are a group of phytonutrients (plant based chemical compounds that have numerous health benefits in the human body but are not classed as essential nutrients) that are mainly found in orange and red fruits and vegetables such as carrots, grapefruits and tomatoes. Although they are not believed to be essential for human survival, they are all potent antioxidants that can keep your body’s cells safe from free radicals (harmful by-products that get released into your body’s cells during oxygen related reactions). Additionally, many of the carotenes are converted into vitamin A … [Read more...]
10 Low Calorie Cocktails You Can Enjoy This Christmas & New Year
Alcohol is definitely not a healthy choice. It contains 7 calories per gram and has no nutritional value. However, most people (even those who try and lead a healthy lifestyle) do consume alcohol and their intake often increases over Christmas. Therefore, an effective strategy over the festive period is to look for alcoholic drinks that are low in calories. Straight spirits are the absolute lowest calorie alcoholic drinks available. They contain no sugars, no carbohydrates and no fats. All their calories come from alcohol. However, unless you are a hardened drinker you probably do not want … [Read more...]
10 Cool Christmas Presents With A Fitness Theme
Fitness themed Christmas gifts are a great way to share your interest with friends and family. Whether you are looking for a stocking filler or a more substantial gift, there are a wide range of cool Christmas presents with a fitness theme available. Today I am going to help you find the perfect Christmas present with 10 of the hottest fitness gifts. 1) ADICTABALL The Adictaball is a perfect fitness themed Christmas present for a friend or family member who refuses to do any physical activity. It will not improve their physical fitness but it will make sure they are at least exercising … [Read more...]