Women's Fitness September 2015

Paleo, alkaline, gluten-free, dairy-free – these days, nearly everyone seems to be on a healthy eating regimen. But just how good are these diets if you love to exercise? Can you cut out foods and still have the energy to perform at your best? We asked a super-fit H&F writer to test drive three popular diets – paleo, vegan and calorie counting – for three months, to see how they affected her fitness. Which plan helped her perform - and which left her running on empty? Find out in ‘The Fit Woman’s Diet Experiment’ (page 54). One of fastest-growing diets is ‘free-from’. At least 15 per cent of UK households now avoid gluten and wheat – half of them because they believe it’s healthier. But is that really the case?…

STAR LETTER METABOLISM BOOSTER I’m turning 30 later this year, and your article ‘Outsmart Your Metabolism’ (August issue) really struck a chord. Having run for a number of years, I’ve noticed that the weight is no longer dropping off as it once did. I’ve started taking an active approach, by beginning every day with a homemade smoothie full of spinach and Greek yoghurt, which makes me feel fuller for longer. I’m also incorporating more interval training into my weekly routine, along with upping my water intake, and now I’m seeing my weight start to drop. I’d never appreciated how your metabolism changes so much as you get older – thank you H&F for flagging this up! Jessica Williams, Stockton-On-Tees RECLAIMING CONFIDENCE I was recently diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo…

‘Cut down on alcohol intake. It’s a depressant which slows down how we think, move and react!’ @DrinkWiseWales ‘Ten minutes of meditation to clear and refresh mentally, a Green Goddess smoothie and five minutes of mad hula hooping – to get everything fired up!’ @MsJacquiMac ‘A hot yoga session. I try to do a 7am class to set me up for the day ahead.’ Sam Lott ‘#greentea works for me! And a high #protein breakfast.’ @Lauren_LA TALK TO US! We love hearing from you. Email letters@iris-uk.com, Facebook facebook.com/HandFmagazine, Twitter @HandFmagazine. Instagram Healthandfitness_mag, Write to H&F magazine, Iris Publishing, 10th Floor, Marble Arch Tower, 55 Bryanston St, London W1H 7AJ…

This month, Jessica wins a complete runner’s outfit, worth £189, courtesy of Karrimor. The prize includes a pair of D30 Stability trainers with D30 cushioning; a Calorie Life Coach Watch with built-in 24/7 calorie measurement, distance travelled, step counter and heart rate monitor; and Bluetooth wireless earphones to listen to music, and make and receive calls! Karrimor is also giving away a pair of XLite Capri Running Tights and an XLite Tee. Visit karrimor.com to get the look.…

1 DRESS FOR COMBAT Enjoy letting off your fitness steam with martial arts? You’ve now got the outfit covered. UFC and Reebok have teamed up to produce the first-ever UFC Fight Kit, which features combat-specific innovations that support strength, speed and flexibility. Reebok has also launched its own Combat Collection for those who want to train like a fighter. The ranges are now available at ufcstore.com and reebok.co.uk. 2 SWIM THE CHANNEL This September sees around 5,000 UK swimmers take part in the Aspire Channel Swim 2015. Don’t be put off by the challenge’s name – you swim the distance of the English Channel (22 miles) in a maximum of 12 weeks as an individual or a team in your local pool to raise money for spinal cord injury charity…

We’re living longer than ever before and with that comes the need to take care of our bodies. A new study printed in the Journal of the Mechanical Behaviour of Biomedical Materials sheds light on why we sporty types are increasingly prone to injuries and niggles with age. The researchers, knowing that horse tendons are similar to human ones, studied the flexibility of the horses’ connective tissue and discovered that it tends to stiffen with age. Sound downbeat? It’s not all bad – scientists claim data like this could help find future cures. Giddy Up!…