Whether you partake in ‘the Valentines thing’ or not, Feb 14th is a great opportunity for me to remind you how to take good care of your heart and to encourage your loved ones to do the same.
Start with your diet!
Make sure that you get plenty of fibre from lots of yummy veggies and some fruit, especially berries, i.e. 6-8 portions of veg and 2 of fruit (btw, a portion is the size of the palm of your hand).
Try to enjoy a rainbow of colours on your plate across the day/week and eat plenty of wholegrains, beans, legumes, seeds and nuts. All of which provide gut friendly fibre, minerals and essential vitamins and enzymes such as:
Calcium – found in green leafy vegetable, fish and dairy products, soy and tofu. If you take a supplement, do so in the morning as it is a stimulant.
Magnesium – oily fish, nuts seeds, tofu, avocado, legumes.
Take your magnesium supplement in the evening as it helps muscle cells relax and eliminate waste, assisting us to sleep and wake up cleansed and refreshed. I take one/two every night plus regular Epsom salts baths.
Omega 3 – found in oily fish, the best of which are anchovies, small salmon and small fish/young fish as their shorter life will result in less risk of effects from pollution. Krill oil supplements are excellent. I take a non-fish one from ‘Nothing Fishy’, which gets the oil from Plankton, (where the fish get it from) Declan takes a fish based Omega supplement!
Folic Acid (aka B9) – from broccoli, lentils, brussels sprouts, asparagus.
B12 – eggs, meat, fish, dairy (as a veggie, I supplement this essential vitamin).
Potassium – potatoes, bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, apricots, grapefruit, spinach, broccoli.
Co-enzyme Q10 – meat, soybean, nuts.
L-Arginine – meat, especially turkey, legumes, seeds and nuts.
Declan, Steve and I plus many of my PT clients and athletes take an L-arginine supplement called ProArgi 9+. It’s based on the Nobel prize (for Medicine) winning formula by Dr Louis J Ignarro (you can read his book, ‘No More Heart Disease’, where he explains his science).
ProArgi-9+ is included in the Prescribers’ Digital Reference (PDR) in USA, formerly known as the Physicians’ Desk Reference. This is what Dr’s in the US use to help them choose medications, although Pro Argi 9 is a nutritional supplement not a medicine, they say.
“Pro Argi-9+ is the highest quality l-arginine supplement in the world. This proprietary formulation combines the powerful cardiovascular benefits of l-arginine with a variety of superior heart health ingredients to give your cardiovascular system optimum support.”
There are many other health benefits and most of the heart healthy nutrients listed above are also in the formulation.
Vitamin D – we make it after sun exposure, so get outside in the daylight every day, even on a cloudy day for 30 mins, although in the winter you will need to be outside around midday as the sun is that much lower. I take a Vit D3 supplement in the winter months (Oct-March).
H20 – Water is essential for all body systems!
Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluid through sweating, illness, fever or urination than you consume in food and water. Dehydration can negatively affect all of your organs and bodily functions, including your heart and cardiovascular system. When you are dehydrated, your blood volume, or the amount of blood circulating through your body, decreases. To compensate, your heart beats faster, increasing your heart rate and your blood pressure. When you are dehydrated, your blood retains more sodium, thickening your blood and making it harder for your blood to circulate through your body. Keeping your body hydrated helps your heart pump blood more easily and allows oxygen to reach your muscles, which helps the muscles work efficiently. 2 litres daily is recommended.
Stress – without doubt, poorly managed stress and long term elevated levels of the stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine is linked to heart damage.
Manage your stress via all types of exercise, meditation, stretch and relaxation classes, Pilates, yoga and breathing exercises, talk therapies (such as NLP, CBT, EFT, counselling, life coaching etc.) are very effective at helping us deal with negative past experiences, current issues and worries about the future.
Socialising and creating positive relationships with others is known to assist with stress management.
When under stress, identify the cause and take action swiftly to reduce the negative affects of stress and help you live life optimally. Stay away from those negative energy vampires – we have all met them and hang with people who lift your sprits and make you smile.
Exercise – we are often motivated to exercise when we see that we have got a bit squidgy in places…well our heart is a muscle too and can become out of condition and surrounded by fat (maybe if we could see it, we would take more care of it). The combination of daily exercise for 30 mins or 270 mins per week (such as walking, swimming, dancing, running, gym work etc.) where you huff and puff and sweat plus an optimal diet low in saturated fats, with plenty of unsaturated fats such as nut oils and olive oils will help keep our heart healthy. By the way don’t use vegetable oils, even olive oil, for cooking – stick with nut and seed oils such as coconut oil.
Don’t smoke – heart failure amongst other nasty conditions is linked with smoking!
Stay within recommended body fat levels – those of us with an ‘apple’ shape are more at risk of fat sitting in and around our heart and it’s blood vessels which places more strain on our heart and circulatory system. However being too thin isn’t great for our health and heart either.
Did you know that we offer a Bodystat assessment? Which measures body fat %, lean tissue % and hydration levels plus recommended calorie daily requirements.
Keep alcohol, simple sugars and starchy carbs to a minimum
These are linked with imbalanced gut microbiota, increased fat levels, increased load on the pancreas (and other organs) and increased inflammation throughout the body.
Sort out your Sleep – studies have shown that getting less than 7/8 hours sleep a night predisposes individuals to heart disease and heart attack.
“Sleep is essential for a healthy heart. People who don’t sleep enough are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease—regardless of age, weight, smoking and exercise habits. Getting enough good quality sleep is important if you want to lower you risk of these conditions”. Sleepfoundation.org
Fun and laughter makes us light hearted and good relationships with others and ourselves makes us kind hearted – exactly what I want for you for Valentines Day and every day.
I am an official distributor for Synergy World Wide health supplements so please do ask if you would like some information and as a gut health expert and Fit Pro I am able to offer advice.
This week’s classes and one to one services…
I know that getting started and maintaining a fitness regime can be challenging – I aim to provide exciting, original, inspiring and effective classes and one to one sessions.
I create the content – all you have to do is show up, either face to face at the studio or on home at Zoom, which ever works for you.
You have lots to choose from and every component of fitness is covered across the week.
New ‘Poptastic Cheesefest’ @ Boogie Fit class on Mondays…
Tanya is home
Tanya is home and recovering well after her emergency hospital admittance and surgery last week. Thanks for all your well wishes!
Heart Healthy Recipe (also Gut healthy)
Maple Orange Salmon with Mango Salsa
- 4 salmon fillets
- 2 oranges juiced zested
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 2 tomatoes finely diced
- 1 mango finely diced
- 1 avocado finely diced
- 1 red onion diced small
- 2 sweet potatoes cut into pieces peeled
- Marinate salmon in orange juice, orange zest, ginger and maple syrup for 30 minutes.
- Fry salmon to seal in frying-pan. Transfer to baking tray and bake at 180C for 20 minutes.
- Boil sweet potato until tender. Mash with butter and salt and pepper.
- Combine onion, tomato, avocado and mango.
- Serve salmon on a bed of sweet potato topped with mango salsa.
Enjoy!
Have a fab week and please do share the information about heart health with everyone you care about – it’s the best Valentines gift you can give anyone!
Love ya,
Helen x
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DYBO Live & Online – This week’s Classes are as follows:.
At All Hallows (Book in Advance only): Zoom class details further down the page
Monday
6.30-7.15pm: Boogie Fit ‘Poptastic Cheesefest’ with S Club 7!
7.30-8.15pm: Total Tone
Tuesday
6.30-7.15pm: 5 in 1 Fitness
7.30-8.15pm: Dance Fit ’90’s v Now and “we’re gonna make you sweat”!
Thursday
6.15-7.20pm: Contemporary Stretch
7.30-8.30pm: Dancespiration ‘ New Commercial Dance with lots of Diva sass!
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Joining us at All Hallows? – Protocols and information
I’m so happy to be able to run Face to Face classes at All Hallows and at the DYBO Studio in Church Crookham My primary objective is to ensure that we all have a wonderful time with effective and fun classes that are engaging, relaxed and of course safe.
To ensure that is the case I just want to share with you our class protocols to inform and reassure everyone. Not everyone has been out and about much over the past 2 years and some of us are more anxious than others about getting back to ‘normal’ life and activities as restrictions are lifted. Please be patient with each other and me – I have the responsibility of keeping you all happy and safe whilst complying with governing body guidelines and providing the best experience possible.
*Denotes for you to do, the rest is just info
Preparation
1) *Firstly ensure that you have booked by sending us an email info@dybo.co.uk confirming all the classes you wish to attend plus your payment method, be it as a member, using your voucher, or pay as you go.
No on the door bookings or payments can be taken. Bookings are not refundable or transferable. I will keep records of all attending for track and trace.
2) *Preparing your kit bag/box. This depends upon the class you are attending.
Boogie Fit, Dance Fit and Dancespiration crew will only require your indoor trainers/dance shoes to change in to, your hand sanitiser, sweat towel, and drink.
Total Tone and 5 in 1 crew – currently I am not sharing equipment in a group exercise setting so you will need your mat, a resistance band and light hand weights/equivalent in addition to your trainers, hand sanitiser, sweat towel and drink.
Contemporary Stretch crew need a mat, band, chi ball and at times 2 x tennis balls and a sock!
On the night
*Please park in the playing courts and maintain social distancing as you walk to the studio.
*Participants are required to arrive, enter and be in their personal exercise space between 5 and 10 mins before the class, please wait outside to be called in so that we are certain the space is ready for you.
*Please change into your clean trainers for indoor activity as you enter, e.g. slip off your outdoor shoes, place in your bag, walk to activity area then put indoor shoes on, the same in reverse to leave. This is to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of the space and protect the lovely new wood floor.
*The toilets will be open to use but please arrive changed, ready for activity so as to keep use time minimal and avoiding cues outside. 2 people max allowed in at a time.
I will be sticking to class times for sanitising and ventilation purposes. Doors and windows will be open for ventilation, irrespective of the weather, and if it’s warm fans will be used to blow air forwards out of the windows and open door (as per guidelines).
Our exercise space is much larger than the governing body requirements (double in fact) indeed the government have lifted all guidelines, so it will be easy to maintain 2m social distance but please do keep your distance.
I will maintain social distance, however I will have a visor/mask if I have to come close to provide first aid etc.
After an entire teaching career facing my class participants with my back to the mirrors I have made the change (for now) to face the mirrors, this is for my safety in this strange Covid world, but I assure that I will still be able to see everything you get up to and will coach, encourage and nag as effectively as usual!!!
*After a wonderful class and virtual hugs, slip off your indoor trainers and you will leave in order of those nearest the door first then slip in to your outdoor shoes at the threshold.
*Please clear the site a.s.a.p. after class, I know you will want to chat but this directive is part of my compliance and I am responsible for you until you are off site!
*Please tell friends and family about our wonderful classes, I now have to rebuild my group exercise business after months away from face to face teaching due to the pandemic .
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Joining us on Zoom? – Links and Information
Monday
6.30pm Boogie Fit
7.30pm Total Tone
Tuesday
6.30pm 5 in 1 Fitness Class
7.30pm Dance Fit
Wednesday
6.30pm Old Skool Step & Strength
7.15pm Barre Fit
Thursday
6.15pm Contemporary Stretch
7.30pm Dancespiration
Friday
6.30pm Freestyle Fitness Yoga
****** All the above classes change and vary weekly! *****
How to prepare your Zoom environment
- You need space to move 2 side steps, 4 walks forward, 4 backward. Move trip hazards and furniture as much as you can (get help, be careful!) to give you maximum space for upper and lower body movement. Roll up rugs or secure them so they don’t slip or cause you to trip.
- Plugging your device in to your TV with an HDMI cable is brilliant as it gives you a good picture of you (like a mirror) and me – as well as boosting the sound if you go through the TV/Hi-Fi sound system. If you can place your device under the TV, then even better.
- I know some of you are using your phones – try to plug in to a speaker system (even those little speakers we have when we go on holiday would help) so that you can hear better as you move back from the phone. Angie has tried Bluetooth earphones and it worked well.
- Ensure you have maximum access to your Wi-Fi in the house and as close to the router as is feasible. Take phones off the Wi-Fi system and pop them on to your 4/5G network or place on airplane mode, unless that’s what you are using to join us, obviously. Ask family to do the same for the duration of your class – keep them off the internet whilst you need the bandwidth. The more bandwidth you have, the better the picture and sound and the less likely you are to lose the feed. Your health is a priority at this time and I’m sure they can do something else for that short time!
- Ventilate your exercise space, have plenty of water and towels to hand, keep your exercise equipment close – if you need anything, let me know.
- Wear correct footwear for your activity – putting an old pair of socks over the toes and ball of your trainers will help reduce friction when exercising on carpet (if they are a really old pair, cutting the toes open and then just having them over the ball of the foot is even better). It’s up to you if you want to dance or train in bare feet but be careful if you don’t usually do this as it takes time for the muscles and connective tissue of the feet and rest of the body to adapt to barefoot training.
- Make your own gym equipment. Save laundry liquid or milk bottles – you can fill them with water or wet sand/rice etc. to add weight and make a dumbell/kettlebell. I recommend you make a few in differing weights and you have written on them so you know what they weigh and seal the caps with tape to prevent leakage. Get a heavy duty shopping bag and put weighty items in it, check they can’t fall out and you have a kettlebell alternative. Make your own hurdles, put cushions, pillows, boxes, books on the floor to jump over. Use household items as floor markers for circuit activities. The stairs and outdoor steps are great temporary steps/benches for cardio and upper body work. The garden is a great open space to make an assault course or if you can get a signal, take your class or PT session outside, but do make it safe.
Fees, you have THREE options!
£7.50 per class. Paid in advance please.
10 Class Voucher £65 (to be used within 12 weeks of purchase)
Membership, unlimited classes, £50, plus a pandemic bonus of free access to all videos of the classes on our DYBO TV channel ! (Valid first to last day of calendar month, paid on the first day of the month). Must be paid for by the 1st off the month. One full months notice of membership suspension/cancelation is required with One membership restart permitted within a 12 month period. Bonus £5 discount for one to one services for current membership holders.
If things get so tight that you can’t afford it then please reach out to me, I want to keep you healthy and happy and help you through this tough time and trust that no-one will take advantage of me.
Bank details are UK Fitness Academy Ltd.
Sort Code 09-01-28, Acc No. 04284324
Please email me when you have made a payment and use your name and what it’s for as a reference.
eg. Jane Smith Class Voucher. As reference, I do have a Paypal account but it costs money to receive and move money.
Disclaimer
I declare that all of the information I have given (both written and verbal) is accurate and truthful. I know of no reason why I cannot participate fully in any exercise programme and I do not deem it necessary to consult my medical practitioner/GP/specialist. I undertake to inform my instructor should any information change.
I understand that I participate at my own risk and that any information given is not intended to replace or represent medical advice.I agree to comply with all terms conditions and class protocols and instructions as outlined above and whilst attending DYBO classes/trainiing.
Do not attend classes if experiencing symptoms of Covid 19 infection or have tested positive and are instructed to isolate as per Government guidelines.
Attending any DYBO class will assume agreement with above terms and disclaimer.
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