Women's Fitness November 2016

Feeling inspired by our cover star Jenni Falconer? That’s all of us then! Since Jenni last graced H&F’s cover, the busy star has married, had a daughter (Ella, 5) and become Heart FM’s breakfast show DJ. Yet, despite a punishing schedule (2:30am starts anyone?), the energetic mum is looking healthier, happier and fitter than ever. ‘When I turned 40, I decided it was time to get my figure and fitness back on track and I haven’t looked back since!’ she told us. Discover Jenni’s workout and energy secrets by reading ‘How I got my best body at 40’ (page 50). Want to age-proof your fitness? You need celeb PT Cecilia Harris. Having helped Lucy Mecklenburgh and thousands of her followers shape up, with the Results with Lucy programme, Cecilia has…

STAR LETTER CANCER-FIGHTING FOODS Your health feature ‘The Anti-Cancer Diet’ (October issue) was most interesting. Knowing the best foods to eat and avoid to ward off the Big C was a must-read. My brother had prostate cancer and was aghast when he researched it and found out he had been eating a lot of the wrong foods all his life. He’s since changed his diet and is well again but did exclaim that during a stay in hospital on the cancer ward, he noted he was given a lot of the foods cancer patients are told to avoid by specialists. I took careful note of your good advice. As there is a definite link between diet and cancer; to ignore the warnings would be foolhardy. Amelia Barnes Sir Ddinbych PEAK…

1 GO NINJA! Ultimate Ninja UK’s new Colchester-based HQ is home to an extreme obstacle course including a spider wall, unstable bridge, sea of poles, cliff-hanger and more. You’ll need strength, agility, balance, co-ordination and stamina, plus determination to complete it. There’s also a twin lane obstacle course so you can race your mates. Ninja-inspired fitness classes, open sessions and parkour training are also available. Bring it on! ultimateninjauk.com. 2 TAKE A BREAK If you’re dying to escape the British winter and recharge your batteries, this might just fit the bill. Ibiza Retreats, one of Europe’s leading wellness breaks companies, has a brand new holiday, called ‘Restore, Rebalance & Rejuvenate’, which fuses cardiovascular fitness with yoga and nutrition. You’ll stay in a beautifully restored finca (with swimming pool) in the…

I had a dream to offer wellbeing advice on an even larger scale ‘I wake up at 6.30am, get my 13- and 11-year-old sons ready for school, and drink the (sometimes awful) green vegetable juice my husband makes for me, before heading to my office in Manchester. After briefing the team, I’ll spend the day writing and filming content for the site, squeezing radio interviews, meetings and a lunch of dahl soup in between. I go to the office four days a week, putting in a minimum of 25 hours on the website and spending another 60 hours working for corporate clients, writing for magazines, appearing on TV and seeing private therapy clients. All this extra work keeps me going financially so I can make Make Your Switch a reality…

If you’re prone to slacking off when the nights draw in, here’s some motivation to keep training. We all know that if we stop exercising, we start to lose cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength, but did you know you can lose brain power too? In a study at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, researchers used MRI scans to examine cerebral blood flow in healthy, physically fit adults, aged 50-80, before and after a 10-day period when they stopped all exercise. Results showed a significant decrease in blood flow to several brain regions after exercisers stopped their routines. Enjoy that run!…

DON'T OVER DO IT Got the sniffles? Maybe you’ve been exercising too hard. Experts claim high-intensity activity could cause fatigue, physiological stress and illness. Eek! A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology examined the effect that two consecutive days of CrossFit workouts had on experienced exercisers. The participants did a series of Olympic lifts, power lifts and gymnastic-style exercises as fast as possible. Results showed less anti-inflammatory cytokine (proteins, produced by white blood cells). Reduce your total weekly activity if you do two tough sessions in a row. 22% OF BRITS THINK THAT ROADS WILL HAVE JOGGING LANES NEXT TO CYCLE LANES ON THE FUTURE COMMUTE TO WORK.* PROMOTE YOUR PT Want to tell the world how amazing your personal trainer is? Or perhaps you’re a bootcamp…