My take on the Summer version of “making hay whilst the sun shines” refers to grasping those opportunities when they arrive. Our Sunday morning dump of snow gave most of us a reason to go outside and play. I was thrilled to see families outside making huge snow balls and snowmen, I think the adults were having the best time of all and it was a joy to hear the excitement and laughter from voices of all ages. The further in to the woods I walked, the quieter it became and my spirits lifted even more as I had the place to myself – the air was fresh, it was quiet apart from the calls of the Red Kites and other birds… bliss.
I commented later to Steve that you know when you are ‘adulting’ too much when you don’t down tools and grasp the opportunity to play in the snow or go out and frolic in the sun. I will remind myself of that every time I say to myself, “I will just do this (or that) before I go outside” (usually it can wait) and often I miss these precious moments.
I almost entitled this morning’s message ‘Wake Up Britain’ after Piers and Susannah chose to misrepresent something a government minister said on the TV this morning, and after criticising ministers for not coming on their programme, I was irritated by this toxic spin which – instead of asking calmly for explanation, they immediately leapt upon with claws out.
There is a correlation between Covid-19 deaths and greater age and obesity; the figures are out there for all to see. We can’t do any thing about getting older but we can endeavour to reduce body fat levels to a safer range, get fitter and boost our immune system. I have said before that obesity (note today we also have morbid or super morbid obesity) is a symptom of imbalance i.e. it might be being under active and over consuming calories, it might be over consuming unhealthy food and under consuming healthy food, it might over working and under exercising or playing, it might be sitting too much and not moving enough, it might be consuming too much sugary drinks, alcohol and caffeine and not enough water, it might be insufficient sleep it might be hormonal imbalance and so on.
My point is it might not be the fatness that’s the problem; the problem might be both the cause and consequences of the fatness. Fatness is an inflammatory state and is linked with inflammatory conditions thus it becomes part of the issue and a so barrier to addressing fatness. Our gut health is linked with all of the above and is responsible for 70-80% of our immune system (also when we balance our Microbiome we are more likely to achieve our optimal weight and eliminate inflammation and associated conditions). Additionally, 90% of our serotonin (our happy hormone) is produced in our gut – this boosts mood and motivation, addressing our reluctance to move and encouraging us to interact with others (which in turn boosts mood) and eat well! Excess serotonin is converted to melatonin, our sleep hormone. We also produce hormones post-exercise which reduce the levels of stress hormone including cortisol (also linked with fat gain around the middle in particular), which helps us to relax, de-stress and sleep better. Research suggests that people who get sufficient sleep have a lower body fat %.
You see, we have control here, eat properly (gut friendly), exercise daily – doing a combination of activity types (and less high intensity work at present as high intensity exercise reduces immunity for a while afterwards and increases inflammation), so some mixed intensity cardio, muscular strength and endurance, mobility, posture and stretch with some relaxation activity is the way forward to boost health, immunity and mood. Seek out the positives in all situations, look for laughter, get out and enjoy nature. These are the freedoms we have – these measures will assist us stay well and live well. To stay away from Covid-19, we keep our distance and avoid unnecessary contact, wash our hands and surfaces and wear a mask!
I am not anti-fat (hey, look at me – size12/14/16), I am pro-health and self-care ! I am on Week 3 of my Gut Purify protocol, so I am practicing what I preach!
This week
Lots of new choreography and music with new for ‘Boogie Fit’, ‘Dance Fit’ and ‘Old Skool Step’ and new content for all classes !
Book Now!
Make your weekend a special event – live, love and dance in the moment.
Join me on Sunday 31st January…I’ll be presenting a fabulous Dance Routine inspired by Strictly’s Bill Bailey and his ‘Rappers Delight’ routine.
10am-11.30am (UK time)
Numbers limited!
Book now!
You will need a chair, hat and handkerchief plus a sense of fun and adventure!
Class is Live on Zoom
Class Fee £10
Discounted price – £6 for Fit Camps World ‘props week’ attendees (17 January 2021) and DYBO membership holders
Email: info@dybo.co.uk for information and to register
Payment by either BACS or
Paypal.me/dybohealthandfitness
Also…
Remember this is a free class on our Private DYBO on line page!
DYBO Live & Online – This week’s Classes are as follows:
Monday
6.30pm Boogie Fit (Beginners/Returners)
7.30pm Total Tone (All)
Tuesday
6.30pm HIIT (Simple & effective fitness training)
7.15pm Core Power – Complimentary when attending HIIT or DF or £3.50
7.45pm Dance Fit (Intermediate)
Wednesday
6.30pm Old Skool Step (All levels)
7.15pm Barre Fit (All levels)
Thursday
6.15pm Contemporary Stretch (All levels)
7.30pm Dance & Perspiration (Fitness with a Dance focus, more experienced)
Friday
6.30pm Freestyle Fitness Yoga (Relax, Restore and Reboot)
****** All the above classes change and vary weekly! *****
How to prepare your 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!
£6.50 per class. Paid in advance please.
10 Class Voucher £55
Membership, unlimited classes, £50 plus a lockdown bonus of free access to all videos of the classes!
(Valid first to last day of calendar month, paid on the first day of the month)
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.
Attending any DYBO class will assume agreement with above terms and disclaimer.
‘Grab and Go’ Nut mix (taken from Paleo Grubs)
Packed with protein and taste – this is full of healthy fat and gut friendly too.
Obviously not low in calories so nibble like a squirrel and enjoy the flavours!
Ingredients
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup cashews
- ½ cup almonds
- 1 tbsp olive oil (I would use coconut oil as olive oil when heated isn’t good for you)
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- In a bowl place the almonds, cashews, walnuts, smoked paprika, honey, olive/coconut oil and salt and toss to coat.
- Spread nuts in single layer on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake, stirring occasionally, until toasted, about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Yummy as a post-workout snack mid-morning or snuggled up in front of a movie.
Have a fab week, grasp every opportunity to make your life better!
Love ya,
Helen x
