Social Sciences - OU Community Online

Getting fit doesn’t have to take over your life. There are little things you can do which will make a big difference to the way you look and feel.

Simon Rea, an Open University lecturer in Sport, Fitness and Health, says: “The two key components of improving physical appearance are reducing body fat and toning up muscle. Everyone has the potential of a flat stomach but it’s usually hidden behind a layer of fat and is less than toned than we’d like. The important thing is to address activity level and nutrition.

“Aim to lose one to two pounds a week by reducing calorie intake by 250 kcals a day and raising activity level by 250 kcals a day (about one hour’s movement a day).

“The important thing to be aware of is that everything counts! All activity contributes to the aim of burning up those extra calories and lots of small changes lead to a big one.”

Get fit quick tips include:

• Use the stairs instead of lifts
• Park in a space further away from the shop or office
• Use break times at work to go for a short walk
• When you clean your house put a bit of energy into it
• For every hour you sit down, do something active for 15 minutes
• Hide all the remote controls in your house so you have to get up and change the channel

What about if you’re already a member of the gym but want to spice up your workout? Simon says getting a “gym buddy” is a good idea: “By far the best way to keep you going to the gym is to find someone to work out with because you’ll go more regularly as well as working about 50 per cent harder due to our competitive nature.”

When you’re at the gym have a go at the following to improve the quality of your workouts:

• Add in some weight training as this burns more calories and tones muscle -the more muscle we have the more calories we will burn at rest
• Use changes in speed and intensity. This helps us work harder and burn more calories; also the harder we work the longer it takes to recover and so burn more calories after exercise.)
• Keep changing what you do in the gym, in terms of the order and type of exercise as this keeps challenging the body – if you are stiff or sore the day after it’s a good sign you’re getting fitter.
• What about diet? Simon says the best way to lose weight is to do it slowly and gradually so it will stay off – fad or extreme diets will cause short term weight loss but rapid weight gain once the unsustainable diet is over. Here are some tips:
• Always eat breakfast and then regularly through the day
• Have a small snack mid morning and mid afternoon such as a piece of fruit, some mixed nuts or a good quality crunch bar
• Choose a good salad for lunch with some cold meat or fish
• In the evening have a small mixed meal of meat with brown rice, potatoes or wholemeal pasta and at least half a plate of vegetables.
• Eat foods which are natural and try to avoid processed foods
• Drink water throughout the day, taking two or three sips every 15 minutes

Useful links

• The Open University offers a range of Sport, Fitness and Health courses suitable for those working or training in sport, or those simply interested in health and fitness.
• BBC Health and Fitness
• NHS Direct