April 2017

Fitness
First steps to fitness
Once you have made ringfenced
space in your life to walk,
you can then – if you wish –
substitute other exercises such
as running or a cheeky little
bodyweight routine in the park.
Walking for fitness should be
more focused than strolling.
Think of it as walking as if you
are going down a corridor to
make a complaint.
Keep the head up, chin parallel
to the ground, shoulders back
and relaxed, chest lifted and
abs engaged. Use your arms to
give you some drive. Stride with
purpose.
Wall sit
This is a simple but challenging
exercise to build strength and
endurance in the quadriceps
(thighs) and also the bum and
back of the legs.
Roger Love, a local personal trainer,
continues our A-Z of fitness with... W
Walking
Don’t underestimate the power
of walking. It torches calories, is
good for your mind and can be
a great way to start building a
fitness routine.
The NHS promotes it as a way
to lose weight and reduce the
risk of chronic illnesses, such as
heart disease, type 2 diabetes,
asthma, strokes and some
cancers.
It is perfect for people starting
to get fit. It is easy to slip into
your daily routine – needing no
special equipment or shower –
and is low impact.
30 LOVEEAST
A great way to start running is
to mix up walking and running,
reducing the walking time as
you get fitter.
This is the basis of apps such as
Couch to 5k that take you from
being a non-runner to raceready.
Half the battle of getting fit in
the modern world is making
time for it.
Make an appointment with
yourself to do exercise, rather
than it being the first thing
dropped when others make
demands on your time.
Sit against a wall as if you are
on an invisible seat. Your thighs
should be parallel to the floor,
with your knees straight above
the ankles.
You will soon get a burning
sensation in the thighs that will
test your resolve as much as
your physical endurance.
Take a break and shake out the
legs if you need it as you begin
to build up the time you can
hold the position.
Aim for a minute. To make it
harder as you get better at the
exercise, you could have one
leg lifted in front of you or hold
a weight or medicine ball out in
front.
Roger Love is a personal trainer
based at Netil House, Westgate
Street, Hackney. hackneypt.com