Women's Fitness August 2014

As we go to press, summer’s arrived and we’re itching to escape into the sunshine. It’s perfect timing as, this month, H&F celebrates the amazing mind and body benefits of the great outdoors. See your fitness levels soar by breaking out of the confines of the gym to try the exciting, new outdoor classes springing up across the UK. From trapeze to freerunning, we reveal the body benefits in ‘Escape the gym’ (page 60). Discover how to turn your everyday walks into a calorie-burning opportunity with the expert tips in ‘Take a hike’ (page 64). And whether you enjoy walking, running or cycling, now’s the time to swap the bus or car for a mood-lifting, fitness-boosting active commute – find out how in ‘Get fit on your way to work!’…

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER TO ME I’m an avid subscriber to H&F and eagerly await its arrival through my letterbox each month, but felt I had to write in regarding your ‘Stay fit forever’ article in May’s issue. The piece praises the fitness of one woman who is 47, as if she’s really old! I’m 62 and I can run, jump and lift better than when I was 50! There are many of my peers who are as fit and healthy as I am too. I thoroughly approve of encouraging everyone to maintain and promote their health and fitness whatever their age! It would be good to reflect this in future issues. Dale Attwood, Gloucester YO-YO DIETS I just want to say a big thank you for your article…

You’re used to forgoing a shower at a festival or on a camping holiday, and there’s no harm done, so are we all a little OCD when it comes to our daily ablutions? Environmentalist Vivienne Westwood thinks so. The iconic designer says she prefers a quick wash to a shower, or she jumps in the bath after her partner. While you might recoil at the idea of not having a daily shower – especially in hot weather – more and more people are cutting out the daily dousing, and health experts say they could have the right idea. GOOD ENOUGH FOR GRANDMA While our grandparents were content with a flannel wash at the sink, our generation is much more likely to bathe at least once, even twice, a day. Sociologists…

If you’re sick of slogging it out on the treadmill, you’ll rejoice at the latest scientific findings. Adding to the huge pile of data backing short-duration exercise as the number one workout type, research published in the journal Diabetologia shows that breaking a long workout into three smaller, bite-size chunks could help ward off cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Dubbed ‘exercise snacking’ by researchers, short bursts of intense exercise (six one-minute fast uphill walking intervals, for instance) is thought to control blood sugar more effectively than one drawn-out session at a slower pace. The bonus? It’s more fun, too.…

THE WEIGHT-LOSS CONUNDRUM The accepted formula for fat loss? Eat less, exercise more. Easy – right? Not exactly. Now experts are claiming there’s a little more to it than that. According to Dr Claude Bouchard, a researcher from the Texas A&M University Institute for Advanced Study (TIAS), other issues – such as your exposure to unhealthy foods, a lack of traffic-free roads for activity, sedentary jobs and the genes you’ve inherited – determine how fat or fit you are. While more research is needed, the scientists believe there’ll come a day when workouts and diets are tailored specifically to your unique lifestyle. Watch this space! {CELEBRITY QUOTE} ‘I do half an hour of cardio and 200 sit-ups three times a day. I’ve always been obsessed with doing abs.’ Mel B…

HIIT (high-intensity-interval training) – killing it for seconds and then quickly recovering – has made headlines for its body-boosting properties. According to a bank of current research, it yields hordes of health gains, including improved cardiovascular health, boosted VO2 max and oodles of fat-burning power. On the other hand, LSD (long slow-distance) work – such as 30-60 minutes of continuous running – has governed the weight-loss world for yonks, and is hugely beneficial for heart health and sports gains. So if you’re in a muddle over which method is better for your fitness goals, we understand. To settle the debate once and for all, we posed the question ‘what is better for fitness – HIIT or LSD?’ to our panel of experts. Their answers may surprise you. THE PHYSIOTHERAPIST Tim…