Gait analysis

Have you noticed how many people seem to have suddenly taken up triathlons, adventure racing and lord knows what else? Overnight it appears that everyone seems to have forgone the gym and the yoga studio for more serious fitness pursuits.
A sign of these new fitness times (good lord, and it's not even the New Year, typically the time when every9one gets serious) is that you can't go into a sports shop nowadays without seeing a gait analysis machine.
Asics new store in Soho has one, Adidas in Camden have had one for a while, and even celebrity personal fitness trainer, Matt Roberts has developed his own gait analysis programme. So, what do they do, and are they are good?
Well, those good guys at NikeTown rather nicely invited me to try out their Gait Analysis service in London. Kitting me out with a pair of trainers, they filmed me from the back as I ran on a treadmill to see how I ran.
According to Nike, I was a neutral runner and didn't need any correction but if you over pronate - roll in - you need a shoe with support in the arch and perhaps even the forefront to help correct the roll and prevent injuries.
A good way of checking out if you have an issue with rolling in, or out, when you run is to look at the sole of your running trainers; if it's worn down in any particular place, that's a sure sign you need some help.
Don't think you need to be assessed next time you buy some shoes but if you put in a lot of mileage, then it's definitely worth it.

Make a master plan

One of the first things you're taught when you're training to become a personal trainer is the importance of planning an exercise programme for your clients. It sets goals, giving people something to work towards and a measurable way to qualify how much they're improving.
ow a study of novice runners preparing for a marathon has proved just how vital this is. The reearch focued on 30 adults. Eveyr month they completed a questionnnaire on their training focusing on planning, dealing iwth obstacles (bad weather, or injuires) and checking that the schedule was followed. Those who were less diligent in drawing up and implementing the trainign plan fared worse.
Now, even if I barely have a spare minute, I still make the effort to plan my own routine. So, even if all you're exercising for is to lose a few pounds, set yourself goals and think clearly about the training you need to get there.

Fitbitch: Fit Kit Christmas Gift Guide

Fitbitch: Fit Kit Christmas Gift Guide

Fit Kit Christmas Gift Guide

Whether you're looking for a Christmas gift for a fit friend, or somehting to put on your own wish list for Santa, here's the Fitbitch guide to the kit that can transform your figure and fitness...


This might seem a little bit steep, but the TRX can be used to train the entire body and is small enough to fit into a mesh bag the size of a toilet bag so you won't spend your life tripping over it! the TRX - Total Body Resistance - suspension system looks like a piece of climbing gear. You hang it fron an anchor point - a door frame will do - and place either your feet or hands in the stirrups to perform a variety of exercises, from one legged squats to challenging crunches. So far, so easy, you may think. But as each exercise is performed from an unstable base, your core is forced to work continously to stablise the body. Fitbitch put a number of personal trainers through their paces on this - let's just say they were all sweating by the end. This is a fantastic bit of kit for those wanting to build on core strength.(If you live in Brighton book in for a free trial at www.bodybalancefitness.co.uk) Kit available from www.fitnessanywhere.co.uk

BOSU Balance Trainer, £79.95,
Swiss balls are now as common in most people's fit vocabulary as treadmills. But this piece of kit, which looks more like a mini trampoline, is less well known. You can perform all the same exercises on this as a Swiss ball, plus loads more. Either stand dome side up, or flip it over to create an even more unstable surface to perform anything from crunches to squats with dumb bells. And the other beauty? It's much easier to hide behind the sofa than a Swiss ball. www.physicalcompany.co.uk


Kettlebells, from £19.99,
Why use a piece of kit that only works one set of muscles when you can use something that ill work them all? This is why kettlebells are taking the UK by storm. These cannonball shaped weights were originally used in Russia as a counterweight for weighing grain, but were soon adopted by Strong men. Now they're seen as the ultimate strength tool. Because the handle is displaced off centre, this forces the body to recruit all the muscles to stabilise and control the movement. A word of caution though - book yourself in for a one-on-one session with a qualified kettlebell instructor before you try using these on their own. Stockists same as above.



Xertube, £15.45,
For those new to exercise, or returning after a sojourn (sounds better than 'just sat on your arse for ten years) these elasticated resistance bands are perfect for helping you tone up. Simply wrap around a pole, use your hands or even stand on them to create effective exercises that will work your bottom, legs, arms and back. Although if you're fit, don't be sniffy about them. When we tried on the stronger resistance versions, it was hard work! Stockists same as above.

Jellicious!

Fitbitch is just loving these amazing jelly creations from Bompas & Parr, so called 'food architects'. We're happy to forgive the pretension as these wobbling blobs of technicolour glory are such good fun, you can't fail but grin.
It's a long time since jellies were considered anywhere near as fashionable as this and not suprisingly. Usually full of artificial colourings and lord knows what horrible parts of animals, jello is a dessert left in the memory banks of FB childhood. But looking at these pictures got us to thinking that made with the right ingredients, jelly is the perfect dieter's dream dessert. Low in fat but sweet enough to satisfy a dessert desire, jellies are the answer. Just look at www.historicfood.com for ideas of what to include, and www.instructables.com for a perfect green tea jelly recipe. Fitbitch may even have a go at attempting a design of her own...watch this space!

Hey sugar...

There a good reason why sugar closely resembles a pile of cocaine. And that's because it's pretty much as addictive. It's not only destructive for your waistline but there's also growing evidence that it could have an impact on cancer growth.
For most of you, none of this is a revelation particularly when it comes to weight-loss. After all, we all know we're not supposed to heap our coffee or tea with sugar, or eat biscuits and cakes. But the reality is that nowadays there are hidden sugars in the most unlikely of places. This Friday on ITV, watch out for the programme Bitter Sweets that will blow the lid on the hidden sugars in your food.
Most so called 'healthy' flapjacks contain sugar, as does cereal and even your daily loaf of bread. A typical loaf of wholemeal bread contains 1tsp of sugar per three slices, whilst Special K contains 17g of sugar per 100g - that's the equivalent of a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
Of course, you can check out the ingredients on food but most manufacturers are wily buggers.
The first ingredient mentioned tends to be the predominant one - but to get around having to admit that sugar is the main ingredient, manufacturers include different sources of sugar. So next time you're out, have a look for the following ingredients - all sources of the white stuff.
Fructose, corn syrup, lactose, sorbitol, galactose, malt, Xylitol and polydextrose.

Kranking Crazy

We've had BodyPump, Boxercise, Reebox Step ...when it comes to good gym classes, concept fitness is big business. Yet the fact that these classes have dominated gym studio class schedules for most of the last decade shows just how hard it is to hit on a winning formula that will get people fit, keep them engaged and be fun. That's not to say people haven't stopped trying.
The latest fitness concept to hit gyms in the US, has been invented by the man who came up with Spinning - the classes where you sweat buckets as you peddle in time to the music as if you're racing the Tour de France. That was enough for us to forgive it's terrible name - Kranking.
Then we watched it on YouTube.
The exercise involves basically pedalling a wheel with your arms. Watching a group of women doing a class, you can't help shake the feeling that you're stepping back in time and seeing women at a knitting wheel. Aside from giving you shapely arms, this does nothing for your bottom half, or your core. Here's hoping Kranking doesn't make it over to these shores.
Have you recently come across a new fitness craze? Let us know what it is.