Jenny MacLean is on hand to give you some tips on getting to the level of fitness you really want to achieve. And here is someone who knows what they are talking about. Jenny was the fastest Scottish woman in the Edinburgh Marathon, and she runs her own fitness company called EnergyWise.
This is the first of her fitness columns for The Edinburgh Reporter. We hope it helps you to achieve your goals!
Are you fit enough? How long and how hard do you really need to exercise? When you’re pressed for time, it can be very tempting to skip your fitness class, gym session, run or swim.
While it’s fine to give it a miss occasionally, try not to slip into the habit of going less regularly, otherwise you may fall short of the required activity level to stay healthy and regulate your energy levels and mood.
To keep in tip-top form, every adult needs a minimum of 150* minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity each week. A gentle stroll may burn a few calories, but it’s just not sufficient to give your heart and lungs the workout they need. You need to be exercising enough that you feel hot and are breathing considerably harder than normal.
And if you’re prepared to push yourself harder, into the realms of seriously vigorous exercise, you can trim your total time to 75 minutes per week. Over and above this, you need to keep your muscles in shape. Weights and resistance work on all the major muscle groups twice a week, till they feel tired, will hit the mark.
Add in flexibility and balance work (especially vital for the over 65s*) and you should be making a positive difference to your fitness levels.
*1 UK national guidelines – www.bhfactive.org.uk/userfiles/Documents/startactivestayactive.pdf
*2 balance and flexibility are key to fall prevention and continued mobility
You can contact EnergyWise by email or you will find them here:-
EnergyWise Health & Fitness
Holyrood Business Park
146 Duddingston Road West
Edinburgh EH16 4AP
Tel: 07775 621465
