Tuesday 29 January 2013

BREAD BLAMED FOR AMERICANS' HIGH SALT INTAKE





Nine out of 10 American adults consume too much salt and the leading culprit is not potato chips or popcorn but slices of bread and dinner rolls, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.
Forty-four percent of salt consumed can be linked to 10 types of foods, CDC said. Bread and rolls lead the list followed by cold cuts and cured meat, pizza, poultry, soups, sandwiches, cheese, pasta dishes, meat dishes and snacks such as pretzels and potato chips.
Bread may not have much salt in a single serving, but when eaten several times a day can raise daily salt intake. A single slice of white bread could contain as many as 230 milligrams of salt, according to the CDC. High salt intake can raise blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke, the CDC said. The average American consumes 3,266 milligrams of salt daily, not counting salt added at the table, which is far above the recommended 2,300 milligrams, the CDC said.
A teaspoon of salt, or roughly 5,000 milligrams, holds around 2,300 milligrams of sodium.
For six out of 10 Americans, including those who are over age 51 or have high blood pressure or diabetes, 1,500 milligrams is the recommended daily salt limit.
Even foods that seem healthy such as cottage cheese may be high in salt, the agency reported. Even raw chicken and pork is often injected with salt.
The CDC recommended eating more fruits and vegetables and carefully reading the labels on food products to find those with the lowest salt content. "Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death in the United States and are largely dependent on the high rate of high blood pressure," CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said. One in three American adults has high blood pressure, he added. "One of the things that is driving blood pressure up is that most adults in this country eat or drink about twice the amount of sodium as is recommended," Frieden said. "Most of that extra sodium comes from common grocery store and restaurant items and a very small proportion from the salt shaker at the table."
Nearly two-thirds of the salt consumed by Americans is found in store products, 24.8 percent from restaurants and the remainder from other sources such as vending machines and the home salt shaker, the study found.
Salt per calorie of food consumed was much higher at restaurants than from store-bought food, the CDC said.
Frieden recommended that food producers and restaurants voluntarily reduce the amount of salt in their food. A 25-percent drop in the salt content of the top 10 sodium sources would save 28,000 lives a year, he added. It would also give consumers more choice, he said. "People can choose how much food to add at the table," he said. "They can't take it out once it's there."

Sunday 27 January 2013

EXCERCISE LINKED TO BETTER PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL




NEW YORK - Kids who get more exercise also tend to do better in school, suggests a new analysis of past studies published this week.
Playing on sports teams and having more time to run around during recess is known to be good for kids' physical health, but whether it also gives them a mental boost has been a subject of debate -- especially as schools cut physical activity time in favor of more academic test prep.
The finding "just helps to continue to show the importance of exposing kids to physical activity," said Sandy Slater, who has studied recess and physical education at the University of Illinois at Chicago but wasn't involved in the new research. "There's obviously the long-term links between physical activity and health, but this is another reason to try to continue to keep some dedicated amount of time for physical education or recess or some other types of physical activity in the school day," she said.
Amika Singh, who worked on the new study, said the findings mean that schools should prioritize both academics and exercise, and that families can have the same attitude at home. "Maybe it's an activity break, stand up every half an hour in class and do something," Singh, from VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, said. "It might mean going to school by bike... Any kind of physical activity you can think of. It doesn't mean only the physical education standard class." Singh and her colleagues reviewed 14 studies that compared kids' physical activity with their grades or scores on math, language and general thinking and memory tests. Those included two types of reports. In 10 so-called observational studies, researchers asked parents, teachers or students themselves how active they were, then followed them for a few months to a few years to track their academic performance. In the four other studies, one group of kids was given extra time for PE classes and other health and fitness exercises and their test scores were later compared against a group of kids who didn't get extra exercise. Reports that only recorded whether or not kids were on a sports team didn't find a link between participation and academic success. But when researchers asked students how much time they spent exercising, they found that those with higher rates of physical activity did better in the classroom. Three of the four studies involving an exercise intervention found that students given more exercise time scored higher on measures of academic performance. For example, in one report from the United States, second and third graders who got an extra 90 minutes of physical activity per week did better on a test of spelling, reading and math, along with gaining less weight over the next three years. That could be because kids are better behaved and can concentrate better when they get enough exercise, or because physical activity improves blood flow to the brain and boosts mood, the researchers wrote in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Recent research has suggested that many U.S. kids are not getting the recommended amount of PE and recess endorsed by the American Heart Association, which includes two and half hours of PE per week and 20 minutes of recess every day. Singh said that while the findings do suggest physical activity and academic success can go hand in hand, they can't be used to give direct advice to school administrators about how much time to devote to PE, recess and other types of exercise.
Amy Eyler, a physical activity and policy researcher at Washington University in St. Louis, said that type of data is hard to come by, but it's what missing from convincing school districts to prioritize physical activity. "That's what the school administrators and policy makers need to know, how much will make a difference," Eyler, who wasn't involved in the new study, said. In the meantime, she said, parents can value physical education and make their voices heard. "Everyone wants quality education for their children," Eyler said. "If this is a way to increase that quality, parents should be concerned and that's something they should stand up for."

Saturday 26 January 2013

TOP 10 REASONS TO TRY GROUP FITNESS




A recent study found that in addition to women, more and more men are participating in group fitness classes.  By offering a variety of different training techniques, environments, and challenging workouts for all fitness levels, group fitness classes are on the rise. Here are ten reasons to rethink your workout and join the crowd!
1.     More Cost-Effective
Perhaps the most convincing argument in favor of the group experience is cost. Personal training sessions are roughly three times the cost of a single group fitness class, and many studios offer discounted rates for packages, making the experience even easier on your budget.
2.     Efficient and Fast-Paced
Group Fitness Classes tend to feel as if they go by quickly. By changing up the pace, routine and exercises, you’ll be so focused on following the instructor, you’ll find yourself forgetting to watch the clock.
3.     Social
Made up of similarly motivated individuals, group fitness classes can be a great way to bond with others over your common goals and experiences.
4.     You Can Choose Your Environment
Group fitness comes in a variety of environments, allowing you to choose what best motivates you. Whether you prefer a small local studio or an outdoor adventure in a local park, you can find something that works for you.
5.     Motivating
The group experience can help motivate people to work harder. In addition to being lead and challenged by the instructor, working with others offers an additional level of competition and camaraderie.
6.     Challenging
Being motivated to keep pace with the group means that you’ll be challenged to work harder. Working out on our own is great, but most of us tend not to work as hard as we can when we’re alone. Exercising with others and having a leader guide the group provides a boost to the workout, making us work harder and push ourselves more.
7.     Variety
Group fitness offers so many different optionsbootcamp, spinning, boxing, pilates, yoga, running clubs and hiking groups. The newest trend in group fitness are classes that offer a variety of options, like a mix of Pilates, cardio, weight training, and strength training combinations.
8.     Educational
A good class will not only challenge and motivate, it will teach you new moves and show you how to do them properly. Trying something different is a great way to exercise your mind and your body. 
9.     Safety
When beginning a new or different fitness routine, it’s especially important that you do so in a safe manner. The right instructor will be able to help explain what you’re doing, how to do it, and what you should be feeling. Instructors are able to model exercises and use tactile cues to help ensure the safe execution of their routines. Be sure to ask questions or as for alternative exercises if you need additional assistance. 
10.  You Can Go at Your Own Pace
An experienced group fitness instructor will be able to offer modifications that allow for different fitness levels among the participants. Most classes will offer beginner, intermediate, and advanced exercise options. If you’re concerned, be sure to show up a few minutes prior to class and chat with the instructor and ask for advice. Developing a relationship with your instructor is key to finding the workout that will challenge you in a safe manner.

Thursday 24 January 2013

EXCERCISE MAY BOOST MOOD FOR SOME CHRONICALLY ILL




NEW YORK  - Working out regularly may brighten the mood of people with chronic health problems like cancer, heart disease and back pain, according to the first sweeping look at previous research. But it's no miracle cure: On average, six people would need to hit the gym or go for a jog for one person to see a mood improvement. "It's a nice piece of evidence and I'm pleased because I like the concept," said Dr. Alan J. Gelenberg, who chairs the department of psychiatry at Penn State University in Hershey. Gelenberg, who wasn't involved in the new work, said the findings jibe with guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association, which recommends regular exercise against the blues. "There is some evidence for its use to prevent depression, and there actually is evidence for exercise as a treatment in itself," he told Reuters Health.
With the new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers wanted to weigh the evidence that training can also help chronically ill people who don't have a diagnosis of depression, but nonetheless may feel down.
That's important because depressive symptoms could make people less likely to take their meds, could increase their use of health services and decrease their quality of life, said Matthew Herring of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He and his colleagues combed through 90 previous studies including more than 10,000 people with health problems like cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), fibromyalgia, chronic pain or obesity. In each study, people had been randomly chosen to do exercises -- on average, three times a week over 17 weeks -- or not. According to Herring, people's depressive symptoms, as rated on a variety of psychological scales, dropped about 22 percent with exercise overall. That's similar to the effects on fatigue, anxiety, pain and other mental health outcomes. "The magnitude of the effect of exercise training on depressive symptoms among patients found in our review is small but significant," he said. Herring added that moderate -- at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week -- and vigorous -- at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week -- seemed to help the most.
HOW LONG WILL BENEFITS LAST?
Still, the report comes with several caveats. For instance, it's not clear how many people with chronic illnesses are able to work out at sufficient intensity, and many participants did in fact drop out of the studies. Also, it's not clear how long the effects last, how much to exercise and what kind of exercise works better -- aerobic training like running or walking or strength training like weightlifting. "What we don't know is much more than we do know," said Gelenberg. Still, he added, "exercise has a lot of benefits... if someone doesn't exercise in a stupid way, like a 65-year-old man trying to bench press 200 pounds." Gelenberg said people with chronic disease who feel depressed should exercise within a physician's guidelines and eat a healthy diet. "I would suggest they indulge themselves in healthy pleasures: people, books, walks, sitting in a pretty place. If they still feel 'down,' I'd suggest professional attention to consider psychotherapy or an antidepressant medicine," he said.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

THE CONTROVERSY OVER RONALD MCDONALD




I’ve been watching the war of words concerning the image of Ronald McDonald, the iconic face behind the McDonald’s fast food chain. Much like the Marlboro Man, he may very well fall by the wayside and become a small piece of America’s past.
Introduced in 1963, Ronald McDonald is known the world over for his orange hair, clown-like presence, and his talent for selling hamburgers. It is the last item for which he is under fire. Well, Ronald and the corporate marketing department that spends over a billion dollars a year on advertising. You see, people are protesting Ronald’s influence and placing blame squarely on his shoulders for the current epidemic of obesity in our children (and the adults who once loved Ronald).
I remember when I was young. We had a concrete ditch across the street where water flowed during winter. In the summertime it was dry and we would sneak over and run up and down its six-foot sides. It was great fun, unless you got stuck at the bottom or got hurt doing it. Back then (right around the time Ronald made his appearance), if you did get hurt, it was your own fault. In fact, your parents probably scolded you for doing it in the first place, adding insult to injury. Twenty years later, anyone hurt in that ditch sued the municipality that owned the ditch. They were awarded thousands of dollars and a fence was erected around the ditch, costing taxpayers twice. Even though they were trespassing and knew better. People just do not take responsibility for their own actions. Such is the case with obesity.
With children, obesity boils down to two factors, calories in and calories out. If kids don’t move around, get enough exercise and eat poorly, then they are bound to gain unnecessary weight. Even if they do get outside but have a high-calorie diet they can  still gain weight. And those who sit around all day in front of the TV and/computer but get an average amount of calories, could still gain weight. But you cannot blame the children in most cases. It is the parents supplying the food (with the exception of the controversial school lunches), allowing inactivity, and not setting by example. And yet the blame is placed at the door of the Golden Arches, with the iconic symbol of Ronald McDonald. Will getting rid of him really reduce the number of times you take your children to McDonald’s? Because they don’t drive themselves there, do they?
If Ronald is so influential, then why are some kids obese and others are not? Why aren’t all children who watch TV, see those commercials, and go to McDonald’s become obese? My children grew up with television, knowing who Ronald was, and asking for the occasional Happy Meal. But it was up to me to monitor how many of those meals they got. It was up to me to serve them fruit and vegetables and grains. It was up to me to see that they went outside and played and found activities that suited their temperament and needs.
And let’s not forget that Ronald is the iconic image behind the nation’s Ronald McDonald House Charities, which builds residential units near children’s hospitals nationwide so that parents can stay nearby their children while getting treated, and do so at an affordable rate. They also fund Family Rooms near pediatric units in many of the nation’s hospitals, offering a respite to families with ill or dying children. The charity also offers grants to medical and research organizations and a scholarship program for college.
It’s time for this nation to own up to its deeds, take charge of its obesity, and stop placing the blame elsewhere. The energy expended to shut down Ronald could be better spent mentoring a child, coaching Little League, or assisting in a Special Olympics event. I, for one, say leave Ronald alone. I kinda like his orange hair.

Friday 18 January 2013

WALKING LINKED TO FEWER STROKES IN WOMEN




NEW YORK  - Women who walk at least three hours every week are less likely to suffer a stroke than women who walk less or not at all. "The message for the general population remains similar: regularly engaging in moderate recreational activity is good for your health," lead author José María Huerta of the Murcia Regional Health Authority in Spain said.
Past studies have also linked physical activity to fewer strokes, which can be caused by built-up plaque in arteries or ruptured blood vessels in the brain. While the current study cannot prove that regular walking caused fewer strokes to occur in the women who participated, it contributes to a small body of evidence for potential relationships between specific kinds of exercise and risk for specific diseases.
Women who walked briskly for 210 minutes or more per week had a lower stroke risk than inactive women but also lower than those who cycled and did other higher-intensity workouts for a shorter amount of time.
In all, nearly 33,000 men and women answered a physical activity questionnaire given once in the mid-1990s as part of a larger European cancer project. For their study, Huerta and his team divided participants by gender, exercise type and total time spent exercising each week. During the 12-year follow-up period, a total of 442 strokes occurred among the men and women. The results for women who were regular walkers translated to a 43 percent reduction in stroke risk compared to the inactive group, Huerta said. There was no reduction seen for men based on exercise type or frequency, however. "We have no clear explanation for this," Huerta wrote in an email. He hypothesized that the men may have entered the study in better physical condition than the women, but there was no evidence to support that guess. Huerta also declined to compare the study participants' risk levels to those of the general population, citing the subjects' unusual characteristics: a majority of men and women in the study were blood donors, who tend to be in good health in order to give blood. "I wouldn't make much of the results because they are for a very specific population," Dr. Wilson Cueva of the University of Chicago in Illinois said. Cueva, who was not involved with the research, pointed out that the study relied too heavily on subjective measurements, like the participants' memory of exercise routines. "There is no objective way to measure how much exercise they actually did," he said.
Guidelines set by the WHO recommend at least 150 minutes - or two-and-a-half hours - of moderate exercise such as brisk walking each week. Cueva urged health consumers to heed those guidelines for now. The way the Spanish study was designed, it's difficult to draw any conclusions, he said. But, "We know that exercise is related to reduced risk of stroke and other diseases."

Sunday 13 January 2013

TOP 10 MULTI-TASKING EXCERCISES




Get back to basics with these ten easy-to-do multi-tasking exercises. Not only will your workout be more efficient, you’ll work different muscles simultaneously, tone your body faster, and increase strength. Enjoy!
1. Push-ups
There’s a reason people are still doing these old-school moves. They work your chest, triceps and core. Be sure to keep your abs engaged and focus your gaze on the floor as you slowly lower and push your body up and down. Inhale as you lower, exhale as you gently press up. Your hands should be a few inches wider than your shoulders.
2. Squats
Work your glutes, hamstrings and quads with squats. Imagine sitting in a chair that’s just a little too far behind you and don’t go lower than 90 degrees. Be careful not to hyperextend your knees.
3. Lunges
Another great exercise for your glutes, hamstrings and quads, lunges also help improve balance and work one leg at a time. Be sure to keep your torso upright and don’t hyperextend your knees as you lower your body slowly.
4. Plank
Plank works your abs and lower back while helping shoulder alignment. Be sure to keep your wrists directly under your shoulders and try not to arch your back.
5. Bicep/Hammer curl rotations
This movement works the entire bicep. Start with your elbows at your sides, palms facing up, one weight in each hand. As you raise the weights towards your shoulders, rotate the palms so that they face each other. Slowly lower the weights and rotate the palms up. Be sure not to use the wrists to rotate the weights.
6. Lateral shoulder raises
Lateral, or side raises, help tone the shoulders and build the muscles in your back. As you raise the weights up to shoulder height with your palms facing down, be sure to keep your abs tight and your shoulder blades drawn together and down.

7. Lateral Leg Lifts
This is an amazing way to tone your glutes, target the outer thighs and obliques, and improve balance. Balance on one leg while slowly raising and lowering the opposite leg out to the side. Be sure both hips and shoulders are facing in the same direction, keep your chest open, and try not to swing your leg. Focus on slow movements.
8. Bicycle crunches
Also known as “criss-cross”, this ab move works the lower abs, obliques and helps hamstring flexibility. Start on your back with knees bent, feet in the air. Crunch up and hold. Twist your left shoulder towards your right knee as you extend and straighten your left leg. Return to a neutral position before switching sides. Keep the legs long, toes pointed, and abs engaged.
9. Superman/woman
Start on the floor on your stomach with your arms reaching out in front of you. Very slowly, contract the abs and raise your arms, head, chest off the ground while contracting the glutes and lifting your legs a few inches off the ground. Focus your gaze on the floor, reach your arms and legs long, and hold for 10 seconds. Rest and repeat. Try to imagine your arms and legs reaching towards opposite walls.
10.  Wall squat
Stand against a wall, bring your feet a few feet away from the wall, and slowly slide down the wall as if you’re sitting in an imaginary chair. Make sure your knees aren’t bent past your toes. Hold the squat as long as you can and keep your abs engaged. This is really challenging and works the entire lower body.


Saturday 12 January 2013

FITNESS AND 'FATNESS' BOTH MATTER TO THE HEART




Losing fitness or packing on fat with age each can be bad for the heart -- but avoiding either one of those fates may protect the ticker, a study suggests.
U.S. researchers found that of more than 3,100 healthy adults they followed, those who improved -- or simply maintained -- their fitness levels were less likely to develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol or other well-established heart disease risk factors. Similarly, people who maintained their weight had fewer of those red flags than people who became heavier over time. That may sound logical, but part of what's new in the findings, researchers say, is that changes in fitness and "fatness" each appeared important on their own.
In general, people who kept their fitness levels over time seemed to counter some of the ill effects of weight gain. And dips in fitness levels weren't as bad if a person lost some excess body fat. The results suggest that protecting heart health is not as hard as some people think. That is, just maintaining your weight and fitness levels as you age may be enough to see benefits. "If you're overweight, losing weight and improving your fitness may be the best combination,"  "But that's very challenging." For many people, "maintenance" may be more achievable.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, included 3,148 men and women in the Dallas area who were in their early 40s, on average, at the outset. Over six years, they developed high blood pressure at a rate of four percent each year, high cholesterol at a rate of three percent per year and so-called metabolic syndrome at a rate of two percent per year. (Metabolic syndrome refers to a collection of risk factors for heart disease -- including high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, abdominal obesity and high blood sugar.) But people who kept up or improved their fitness levels -- as measured during treadmill tests -- had lower odds of developing those heart risk factors. Their risks of high blood pressure or high cholesterol were 26 percent to 30 percent lower, versus people whose fitness levels declined. And their risk of metabolic syndrome was 42 percent to 52 percent lower. Similarly, when people increased their percentage of body fat over time, they were more likely to develop heart risk factors. For each one percent increase in body fat, the odds of those risk factors climbed anywhere from three percent to eight percent. But in general, people who gained weight stayed healthier if they kept up their fitness levels. And if overweight people shed some fat, they countered some of the negative effects of waning fitness.
The bottom line is that people who are active should stay active. Even if you don't see a benefit on your bathroom scale, you'll stay fit. "If you're already exercising, keep it up, and maybe increase the intensity if you can." If you're sedentary but healthy, you can safely take up moderate exercise like brisk walking. People who are obese or have chronic health conditions should talk to their doctors first. "It's the sedentary people who will get the most benefit from exercise in a short time." This however, refers to the benefit of improved fitness. Overweight people often fail to see the pounds fly off when they first start exercising -- possibly because they are hungrier and start eating more.
Don't get discouraged by that. You can improve your cardiovascular fitness even without shedding the extra body fat. One way to tell if your fitness is improving is to simply notice how you feel when you go about your normal exercise routine; if it's getting easier, you're getting fitter.
To actually lose weight, diet changes are needed as well. Most people will lose weight with exercise if they also pay attention to the calories they're taking in.


Thursday 10 January 2013

1 IN 5 HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BINGE DRINK




(CNN) -- Millions of high school-aged girls and women binge drink, behavior that can have disastrous results including long-term health effects.
For females, binge drinking means consuming four or more drinks in one sitting. For males, it's five or more drinks.
Previous reports have focused on higher rates of binge drinking among males, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its report, aims to raise awareness of binge drinking among women as a serious problem that's held steady for more than a decade. "Although binge drinking is more of a problem among men and boys, binge drinking is an important and under-recognized women's health issue."
Of the estimated 23,000 annual deaths attributed to excessive alcohol use among women and girls, binge drinking was responsible for more than half of those deaths, said Frieden.
Binge drinking is the most common and most dangerous pattern of excess drinking. Women process alcohol differently than men and tend to be smaller, meaning they are more susceptible to effects of drinking, including heart disease, cancer, stroke and liver disease, to name a few. Other unintended consequences might include pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, the report said.
While most binge drinkers are not alcohol-dependent, it can also lead to dependence.
About 50% of all the alcohol consumed by adults, and about 90% of all the alcohol consumed by young people is consumed during a binge drinking session.
One in 5 high school girls binge drink, which is nearly as high as the binge drinking rates among high school boys. While binge-drinking rates have fallen among boys over the past 10 years, "binge-drinking rates among women ... really haven't changed very much over a 15-plus-year period."
The greatest frequency of binge drinking is found among women aged 18-34 and high-school-age girls. About 62% of high school senior girls who drink reported binge drinking.
So what can be done? Effective strategies combating binge drinking would include health care providers speaking to women and girls about their drinking habits. Medical caregivers should encourage less consumption for girls and women if they suspect they are consuming too much. Parents need to play a role in preventing their children from drinking. Pregnant women and underage youth should not drink at all.
U.S. dietary guidelines recommend drinking in moderation -- up to one drink daily for women and up to two for men. "What we really want to do is encourage people to follow those guidelines for drinking."

Friday 4 January 2013

LITTLE MIX STAR JESY NELSON TAUNTED ONLINE OVER HER WEIGHT




Little Mix beauty Jesy Nelson has been bullied into a strenuous exercise regime by the cruel taunts of vicious online trolls.
Jesy, 20, had to tone up during the X Factor after internet haters made jibes about her curvy size 10-12 figure. And now, as the group prepare for a major tour, she’s dragging the rest of the girls on gruelling seaside power walks in between recording their debut album in Brighton.
Despite none of the band needing any special help, they have each enlisted a personal trainer to help them tone up their Christmas tums in six weeks. Jesy says: “I got a personal trainer, then we all got one. We need to get fit for the tour. We’re doing six songs and they’re all really upbeat, and they all have a bit of dancing in them, so we really need to get in shape. “Me and Leigh-Anne are even going for a good, long walk every morning along the pier.”
When the tour gets underway on February 25, the girls will be on stage up to twice a day and they’ll also be in rehearsals till April – so any spare tyres have to go before then. “Because the tour’s coming up, we’re all eating more healthily and doing more exercise,” adds Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 19. “We need to keep up with the routines.”
Perrie Edwards, who has a waist considerably smaller than the average free-range turkey’s neck, jokes: “We’ll do a few warm-up routines then end up nearly having a heart attack when we’re on stage.”
The band, who perform at tomorrow night’s Asda Tickled Pink concert at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, have spent the first part of the year recording on the south coast where they are writing tracks with top collaborators, Richard “Biff” Stannard and Labrinth. And they’ve even nabbed the services of a songwriter who penned one hit that means a lot to all of them. Jade Thirlwall, 19, reveals: “We’re working with Andrea Martin who wrote En Vogue’s song Don’t Let Go. It’s so cool. I hope she likes our version.” Perrie, 18, adds: “We’re going a bit urban, old school with a bit of pop. We wanna bring back old school harmonies. And Jesy beat-boxes and Leigh-Anne raps, so we’re trying out different things.”

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Thursday 3 January 2013

PENNY LANCASTER REVEALS HOW SHE GOT HER FIGURE BACK AFTER GIIVING BIRTH TO BABY




When you’re married to Rod Stewart, part of the job ­description is being a leggy, glamorous blonde. So when her baby son Aiden was seven months old, mum-of-two Penny Lancaster decided it was time to get back to her fighting weight. “I wouldn’t have dreamt of putting on a swimsuit back then, let alone being photographed wearing one,” she says. “I was out of condition because of the pregnancy and its aftermath. I felt very self-conscious about posing in this white one-piece. “But I must admit that when I caught sight of myself in the mirror I thought, ‘Not bad for a mum of two at the age of 40!’ ” Not bad, indeed. Almost a year after giving birth to Aiden, a brother for six-year-old Alistair, Penny has shed nearly all of her baby weight. She began her fitness campaign in September, weighing 12½ stone. “My goal is to have lost 20lbs by the time Aiden is one in the middle of next month,” she ­explains. “And I’m getting there. By the ­beginning of December, I’d lost 10lbs, slowly and steadily, which meant I was halfway there.”


But Penny, who stands 6ft 1in inher ­stockinged feet, doesn’t want to get too thin. “I’ve got an athletic frame,” she says. “I’ve always been a swimmer. I was a dancer. I taught aerobics. “But I was way too skinny for my height and build before I got pregnant. I was 140lbs, exactly 10 stone, before I fell pregnant with Alastair. “And I looked really gangly. At 160lbs, which is about 11½ stone, I was much better proportioned. As you get older it can be ageing if you’re too skinny.”

While pregnant with Aiden, Penny tipped the scales at 15 stone. But, of course, a lot of that was baby, and she started ­losing the extra weight as soon as he was born. “I breast-fed him for seven months which helped the weight drop off,” she says. But Penny found that motherhood and fitness were a tough combination, so she took her time before starting to get her figure back. “The broken nights left me feeling like I had permanent ­jet-lag. I certainly didn’t have any excess energy to start working out and trying to regain my pre-pregnancy figure. “Nor was I ready to cut back on my diet in case it affected the quality of my milk.”

Penny’s boys, who bring Rod’s total brood up to eight children, were much longed for. She and Rod, who celebrated his 67th birthday last week, tied the knot in June 2007 and their first son Alastair was born two years earlier. Then, last February, after three attempts at IVF, Penny gave birth to his little brother Aiden. It was only after seven months of enjoying bonding with her baby that Penny decided to go back to the gym, under the instruction of a personal trainer. She also stuck to a balanced diet and took to drinking a type of green tea called Cho Yung. “What impressed me about the tea was that all its ingredients were natural,” she says. “No chemicals were involved, and it was mild. I also liked the fact you don’t need to add milk and sugar, unlike with the breakfast tea I normally drank. “What’s more, it cleanses your liver and speeds up your metabolism, the equivalent of a detox. ­Because I felt I’d flushed out all the toxins, it meant I wasn’t tempted to order chips, for ­instance.” In fact, the tea is so miraculous, Penny says, it even puts you off cake. “At Alastair’s sixth birthday party at the end of ­November, there was a cake but the idea of putting all of that ­frosting and ­icing in my mouth ­almost made me gag.”

Initially, on Penny’s regime, she didn’t lose any weight because she was just toning up. “It took a few weeks of gaining muscle and then getting toned before my weight started gradually to reduce,” she says. “More importantly, after 10 weeks, I’d also lost two and a half inches from my waist.”

She currently exercises for an hour three times a week but is planning to increase that to four sessions. And now she’s enjoying being able to wear her sexy pre-pregnancy outfits once again. Penny adds: “When I was carrying more weight, I made a point of not trying to squeeze into something that was a bit tight ­because it would only draw ­attention to the extra pounds. “So I’d wear ­something loose or buy something in a larger size. “I’ve never been someone who fixates on a Size 10. If you do, the danger is you can look like a porky pig.” Not that there’s much danger of that for Penny. Husband Rod, of course, is well known as an admirer of glamorous blondes. But ask Penny what sort of fashion look he goes for, and she just laughs. “He’s not all that fussed, as long as it’s short,” she says. “He’ll tolerate elegant, flowing gowns which I love. But he’s a leg man, always has been, always will be.” And Penny, who turns 41 in March, sees no reason to hang up her mini skirts just yet. “There’s that myth that when you get to a certain age, the hemline should be lowered. But I’ve always believed it’s all to do with the figure that carries off the outfit, not the age of the person wearing it.”


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Wednesday 2 January 2013

PODGY PRIME MINISTER PLANS TO LOSE WEIGHT FOR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION




David Cameron aims to get slim after piling on the pounds since moving into No10. The podgy Prime Minister said his New Year’s resolution was: “To lose a bit of weight. That’s the key one.”

He has started taking early morning runs with a personal trainer and has put aides on “bun watch” for official engagements.
Last year, Sex and the City stylist Patricia Field jibed: “He’s just globbing up food.”

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Tuesday 1 January 2013

PUMPED-UP PENSIONER, 81, IS BRITAIN'S OLDEST PERSONAL TRAINER



Pumped-up pensioner Tony Gore is still pulling his weight at work – as Britain’s oldest personal trainer. The toned 81-year-old great-grandfather puts his health and fitness down to exercise, diet and having a much younger wife. Tony said: “The secret is to keep your mind and body active, too many people just vegetate in front of the television. “I also eat healthily and never have fried food, cake or biscuits. “And I’ve been married three times. My current wife is 20 years younger than me, that helps too.”His three 90-minute gym sessions a week see him sweat through a gruelling regime of bench presses, bicep curls and long stints on the exercise bike. The 5ft 8in former bodybuilder with a 42in chest first got the keep-fit bug at a boys’ club when he was 14 years old. At 18, he joined the RAF as a physical training instructor and after quitting the service went to work on street markets. But he carried on with his training and at the age of 70 qualified to lead gym workouts.Pensioner Tony from Hythe, Kent, who runs hour-long sessions twice a week, said: “I keep the older people moving. "We do stretching exercises to build core strength.” And Tony added: “I certainly don’t know of any older personal trainers.”LIKE our facebook page today and get the latest tips on how to keep fit: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Perzonal-Trainer/492595214099791?ref=hl
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