Hot Press Health Special: A Little Fit of What You Fancy

Here’s the bad news: beautiful people have an easier ride through life. Good looks mean you are likely to earn more, and less likely to be convicted of a crime. Human beings have an innate sense of what is attractive – even babies prefer pretty faces and will spend more time looking at them.

Here’s the good news: we can all become more attractive through diet, exercise and good grooming. In fact, beauty – male or female – is rarely just the luck of the draw. Most of us have to work on it.
Scientists believe that certain attributes, such as a symmetrical face, clear skin and a fit body are always going to be alluring because they indicate a person is healthy. No face or body is completely symmetrical, however. One of your feet, hands, eyes, and even nostrils is going to be slightly bigger than the other.
The truth is that clear skin and a fit, healthy body begin on the inside – with your diet. Despite the huge amount of books dedicated to the subject of healthy eating, it’s actually pretty simple – plenty of fruit and vegetables and not too many processed foods.
If you live in Dublin, a great place to source organic fruit and veg is the Dublin Food Co-operative, in Newmarket, in the heart of The Liberties. The Co-op arguably offers Ireland’s largest range of organic produce, most of it locally grown. Imported food and goods have been checked to make sure they are fair trade – an important ethical, if not health, issue. You can get your veggies at a five percent discount if you join as a member, which is open to the public. Members can also volunteer (and receive a volunteer discount), attend general meetings, decide policy and elect the people who oversee the running of the co-op. All this, plus the knowledge that your diet is full of organic veggies and that you are supporting Irish farming. Everyone wins!
Another healthy option is The Hopsack, Rathmines, which has one of the largest ranges of any health store in Ireland. The Hopsack stocks fresh organic produce grown on the store’s own farm in Roscommon, as well as a range of vegetarian and gluten-free foods. They also stock a huge range of supplements. You can consult a qualified herbal medicine practitioner in-store as well. The fresh orange juice and organic coffee here are not to be missed. And if you’re nowhere near Dublin 6, not to worry – The Hopsack sells their full product range online at www.thehopsack.ie
Supplements are no substitute for eating well. But adding them to a healthy diet can have significant benefits. Vitamins, minerals and food supplements give you pep and vitality. Over the past few years we’ve heard more and more about the benefits of a Mediterranean diet, which is high in olive oil, legumes, fruit, vegetables, unrefined cereals and fish. Zeroxid, a new natural food supplement, is designed to give you the benefits of this dietary regime, without having to travel to Sicily! Zeroxid is taken once a day and helps protect cells from oxidative stress, boosts heart health, lowers cholesterol and acts as an antioxidant, which, in turn, improves skin health and increases immunity. Zeroxid is available at Nourish Health and Beauty stores.
There’s no strange secret to losing weight – you simply have to eat less and exercise more. Exercise can begin with simple changes to your routine. Take the stairs instead of the lift and walk instead of driving or catching a bus. The average sedentary person walks between one thousand and three thousand steps a day, but if you increase this to ten thousand you’ll lose weight, develop muscle and become fitter. A pedometer that you wear all day will record your steps. You can also download free versions for your smart phone.
People often give up on exercise because they don’t see results quickly enough. In most cases, exercising takes time before you see a noticeable difference. But what if you could ramp up the benefits of exercise? Bodytec.ie on Camden Street in Dublin 2 promises just that.
Bodytec.ie uses ‘electrical stimulation training’ to maximise the benefits of exercise. By using electrical pulses along with exercise you can get up to 16-times the workout in a 20-minute session. Nearly all the large muscle groups are simultaneously activated and trained on an individually dosed, targeted basis – even the hard-to-reach muscles on the waist and hips. That means increased athletic ability and a more toned body in a lot less time. Nice!
If you are up for a challenge, consider signing up for the Doomsday Races. This takes place at the Rosanna Estate in Ashford, Co. Wicklow on the 7th and 8th of December. As the name implies, this is hardly a walk in the park – the race combines a traditional 10 kilometre cross-country run with a host of obstacles designed to physically and mentally challenge competitors.
The idea is to test your fitness, strength, stamina, and decision-making, as you work your way around the circuit. Obstacles include ‘Doomsday Death Traps’, ‘Doomsday Valley’ and the ‘Doomsday Trenches’, all designed in conjunction with the special effects team from Ardmore Film Studios. Qualified and experienced staff will marshal the course and be on hand if you get into difficulties. A maximum of 500 can take part. The winner receives a €1,000 cash prize for themselves or their chosen charity.
At the beginning of the year many of us aim to improve our diet and exercise routines. As with most New Year’s resolutions, they will inevitably tumble by the wayside after a few weeks. You are far more likely to succeed if you gradually introduce change into your lifestyle instead of attempting a 180 degree change overnight.
If your diet and exercise regime requires improvement, start now. By the time January rolls around, you’ll be well into your new routine and won’t be despairing about the ravages of Christmas cheer. Good luck!