Weekender Alicante North Issue 106

Facebook: @TheWeekenderSpain
FRIDAY 30TH AUGUST 2019 35
Health&Lifestyle
Stretching
more than the
imagination
DON’T seize up! That’s the
message from fitness experts
who are urging us to
fit stretches into our daily
routine or face increasing
discomfort as we get older.
The human body naturally
declines in function as it ages,
with ageing muscles losing
mass without the right exercise,
so any opportunity to reduce
the speed of the process
should be seized according
to experts.
Flexibility of joints and
muscles shouldn’t be taken
for granted and noticing increased
difficulty bending,
moving or reaching is the cue
to act before it’s too late.
Office workers who spend
the day desk-bound are
among the most vulnerable to
stiffening joints and muscles
IT may seem an age away
as we look to summer
days down on the beach.
But lifestyle experts say if
you want to get in shape
for Christmas now is the
time to start!
Focusing on your waistline
now will mean you can
face the festive season feeling
trim.
Here Simon Bandy, general
manager at dietary
supplement business Health
Plus, here shares his tips for
shedding pounds in the lead
up to the party season:
Eat breakfast like a king:
There’s an old saying, ‘Eat
breakfast like a king, lunch
like a prince and dinner
like a pauper.’ If you fill up
at breakfast it kick-starts
the metabolism, and gives
the body a tank of energy
to burn throughout the day.
Get in shape
for Christmas
Having the smallest meal at
the end of the day means you
won’t have excess calories
when you are generally the
most sedentary.
Be prepared: If you spend
time preparing healthy
snacks for home and work
then you are less likely to
fall off the dieting wagon. If
you have crudités ready for
when you are feeling peckish
or high-fibre snacks like
dried fruits and nuts around
the house, then you can curb
the hunger without the guilt.
Water: Don’t underestimate
the power of H20 when
you think you are feeling
hungry. More often than not
the body is thirsty so have a
large glass of water and wait
20 minutes before bounding
to the kitchen or the shop.
Simple maths: You’ve
heard the expression, ‘Eat
as the years pass, but simple
stretches can help sedentary
people stay supple as they
get older.
But anyone can have a go
at tackling increasingly poor
elasticity by rotating stiff
shoulders, aching ankles and
a numb neck, according to research
from the experts.
Fitness specialists at Vivotion.com
have researched
some of the best activities for
loosening up the body and encourage
people to give them
a try before they start to get
aches and pains in areas they
forgot they had.
They also point out that is
important not to overdo it,
so only stretch to the point
of brief and mild discomfort
rather than pain and always
ensure sufficient rest and recovery
afterwards. A spokesman
from Vivotion.com says:
“As we all age, our bodies
don’t seem to function as well
as they used to – but that
doesn’t mean a total loss of
elasticity is inevitable.
“The best way to steer clear
of major discomfort, inconvenience
or pain in older age is
to get your body moving a bit
more as soon as possible.”
STAYING SUPPLE
Here are the exercises that
can help stop you seizing
up:
STIFF SHOULDERS
Stand up or find a backless
stool, bend an arm at the elbow
back towards your body
and raise your elbow above
less and move more’ – this
is a simple formula for losing
weight. Fewer calories
in and more burnt through
exercise will result in weight
loss. Remember, to lose 1lb
in weight you need to burn
3,500 more calories than
you consume. To help aid
weight loss try Health Plus
Xtra-Slim capsules (£21.95
for 90 capsules) which create
a thermogenic reaction
in the body, burning fat cells
and allowing proper weight
management and helping to
maintain the metabolism.
Make the naughty list:
Don’t totally restrict everything
from your diet.
If you do this it is highly
likely you’ll break your diet
through binging on your taboo
food. Better to include a
little of what you fancy as a
weekly treat.
your eyeline; then lean your
shoulder backwards, and
rotate around until it has
drawn a complete circle. Repeat
this several times until
the joint feels slightly more
supple and then repeat the
motion in a forwards direction,
before following the
same process with your other
shoulder.
BAD BACK
When laid in bed, turn
onto your front, place your
hands flatly under the pillow
and rest your forearms by
your shoulders; then slowly
raise your shoulders (support
yourself by pushing with
your arms if necessary). Hold
the position for several seconds
or until uncomfortable
and then rest as required, before
repeating the motion as
many times as you can.
TENDER THIGHS
Stand upright, raise one
leg behind yourself and hold
the ankle against your bum;
balance on the remaining
grounded leg for as long as
possible, leaning against a
wall with the spare arm if
necessary, to stretch out the
raised thigh.
KNOCKING KNEES
Sit down and fully extend
your legs, one at a time, with
only the heel of the foot touching
the floor; then, keeping
heel and bum planted, raise
and lower your knee (causing
a slight bend) at a comfortable
pace.
FIRM FINGERS
Pop aching pockets of air in
your finger joints by pushing
down on your knuckles with
the thumb of the same hand;
playing an imaginary piano
can also loosen your digits.
HURTFUL HAMSTRING
Slowly try to touch your
toes in a standing position,
making sure that at least
your heel always remains
grounded, until the back of
your leg feels mildly uncomfortable,
then do the same
with the other leg.
ACHING ANKLES
Find a comfy seat, raise
your lower leg off the ground
and moving only your foot,
draw some clockwise circles
in the air (of several inches in
diameter) with your big toe.
This will rotate your ankle
and can then be repeated,
with sufficient rest and recovery
in between stages, in
an anti-clockwise direction
and before applying the same
process to your other ankle.
NUMB NECK
Without moving your chest
at all, try to touch the tip of
your shoulders with your
ears, to stretch the sides of
your neck. To work the rear,
tilt your head back to face the
sky and then roll your neck
several times, before repeating
in the opposite direction.
WEARISOME WAIST
Stand upright, face ahead,
place your hands on your
hips and spin your waist
around clockwise – imagine
a hula-hoop – at a comfortable
pace for a minute or so,
before reversing into an anticlockwise
rotation.
SQUEEZED SIDE
Either seated or standing,
firmly place your right forearm
on top of your head and
lean to the left for a moment,
before swapping to your left
forearm and leaning right.
CRAMPED CALVES
Face a wall, prop a heel
on the ground and touch the
wall with your toes; push
your body weight towards the
wall to feel your calf stretch,
hold for several seconds and
then swap legs and repeat.
WORKED WRIST
Keeping your forearm still
by holding it with your other
hand, clench your fist and rotate
your wrist in both directions
before repeating on the
other side.