Blog - Keep Fit With Kelly: Health and Fitness

My Thoughts in this uncertain time

3/13/2020

If you are anything like me you are finding the world a little bit of a scary place at the moment.......I have spent the last few weeks with my head in the sand a little bit...I am very much a carry on as normal person until I absolutely cannot...

I have taken the attitude that it is being sensationalised in the media and that if you are healthy you don't have to worry too much...

But even I in the last few days have started to become a little worried....

I couldn't get pasta or toilet rolls when I went shopping yesterday...I don't get the toilet roll thing...if someone could enlighten me?

But I do feel that as long as we follow the advice being given ....... be vigilant about hand washing etc then I am going to carry on as normally as I can....

One thing it has drawn me towards though is the need to stay as healthy as we can, we know that those with underlying health conditions as well as the elderly are at greater risk

So what can we do to stay as healthy as possible and keep our immune systems good? This article by Arianna Huffington about the healthy habits we can add to our lives...sums it up very well......have a read HERE .

These are always habits we should adopt but even more so at this time.....

We need to

Focus on sleep.....research shows from tests done that people who are tired are more likely to get colds etc..chronic lack of sleep causes a reduction in our immune system

Staying hydrated and avoiding processed foods....avoiding sugar can help us reduce chronic inflammation which contributes to the conditions that put us at greater risk of viruses

Finally avoid stress...this greatly impacts our immune system

So my message today is that I recognise this is an uncertain and worrying time for us all........but I think there is a need to keep calm, follow sensible precautions that we have been given, be vigilant about hand washing etc and try to continue with following a healthy lifestyle as much as possible

As I write this my classes are continuing as normal....people are still attending as normal and just making sure that they wash their hands and be sensible...the need to be healthy has never been greater..

Lots of love

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

PS: Please drop me a line back and share your feelings around all this...I know it is a testing time for many

Are you giving anything up for Lent?

2/26/2020

I would love to know if you are.........and what you are giving up if anything..

My son Jude announced he is going to give up broccolli.........nice try Jude!!!!!!

I don't usually give anything up...but this year myself and my husband are giving up chocolate and crisps.....crisps no problem for me...but I love my chocolate so wish me luck....

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

Packed lunches vs school dinners

1/14/2020

I have seen this on the news this morning and I would love to get your thoughts on this......

Do your kids or grandkids take packed lunches or have school dinners?

The news is reporting how kids packed lunches are still filled with unhealthy things...sugary treats etc however they did also report (but it was snuck in not a headline) that sugar levels in packed lunches have dropped...

I think that lots of us are aware of the importance of feeding our kids as well as we can.......someone did say on the news when interviewed that her view was that it was expensive to get healthy snacks for her kids lunchbox.......what do you think?

My son is in year one and so he gets free school dinners at the moment which we have gone with...most days he tells me has had fish so who knows...BUT he always has a dessert........so is that healthy?

Its a minefield isn't it.....how to feed your kids healthy food that they will actually eat and enjoy.........my daughter is at secondary school and has her own money to take...so that becomes another minefield as I have no control really as to what she spends it on

As always I continue to feed them as best as I can at home.....giving them an appreciation for home cooked meals....but everything in moderation....and always referring to foods around health...so the language I use is " good or bad for your skin, teeth, muscles etc" never using language around making you put weight on etc..

Also my kids are active, they do lots of exercise so thats important as well...

I would love to get your thoughts on this.....do your kids take packed lunches? How do you make them healthy? Do you worry about your kids diet?

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

How many diets do you reckon you have done?

1/7/2020

January...the telly is full of programmes about diets isn't it....I can't help watching them even though I have probably over the years done pretty much every diet going!!!

I find them compulsive viewing even though I absolutely know that the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to burn off more fuel than we take on board through food..

There are many different ways to do that and it really is not one size fits all, and that is why in my weight loss groups we try a different theme each week to see what works best for every individual, however the simple science always boils down to the fact you lose weight when you are in a calorie deficit

So how many diets have you done over the years.......what has worked and what has not? Are you currently on a "diet"? Or does the thought of dieting make you reach for the biscuit tin????

I don't like to deprive myself of anything...that is why I am not doing dry January...it just makes me want the thing I have given up even more....that is why on my course we don't deprive ourselves of anything completely..everything in moderation....

Would love to hear your thoughts as we go into 2020......

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

PS: My brand new podcast The 40 Something Female launches tomorrow on ITunes and Spotify....the first 3 episodes will be published tomorrow...looking forward to seeing what you all think........

Are you stressed?

11/11/2019

Today is National Stress Awareness Day..this is something that the charity MIND arranges each year on the first Wednesday in November and it is just to get us talking about stress and what we can do to reduce it..

I did a poll on my Instagram story yesterday and simply asked the question Are you Stressed?

It was a pretty much 50/50 split on answers so that is half of us that are stressed currently.....

I had a great guest on my radio show yesterday to talk about this...Faye is a hypnotherapist and also is an expert in reflexology and massage and she shared her top tips...you can listen back HERE

She advised speaking with your GP as a first point of call but then these pointers may help as well....

1. Get some exercise.......staying active whilst it won't get rid of stress in our life will help us handle it better

2. Spend time with family and friends and talk to them about how you are feeling and don't bottle things up

3. Me time...making time to just do something for you...be that a bath, getting your nails done, meeting a friend for coffee...I chipped in that having a cuppa and watching Loose Women helps me!

4. Challenge yourself...trying a new hobby, doing something new

5, Reducing unhealthy habits, so watching your caffeine and alcohol intake

6. Volunteering apparently is a stress reliever as we are doing things for others

7. Be positive...every day look for the 3 things that have happened that day that have gone well......always look for the positives

I hope that has helped if you are stressed at all.......get in touch and let me know

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

Should you use weights?

10/23/2019

So many women ask me this question?

They see things written about weight training being good but do not really feel confident or know where to start....

So yes weights are a great addition to your workouts, for women to bulk up it is very difficult, so never worry that you don't want to be muscly, using light weights and high reps will increase your muscle mass, improve your shape and do wonders for your fitness without bulking you up.

Most of us want to look better......so it is best to stop obsessing about the scales and start to think about your body shape and muscle tone...using weights as we get older is brilliant for combatting menopausal weight gain as well

Resistance training with weights or bands can be extremely effective at preserving or even increasing lean muscle mass, which normally declines with hormonal changes and age

So now to getting the confidence.....attending a weights based class or perhaps using a trainer is a great idea as you then know that you are doing things correctly...

I run 3 weights based classes on my timetable if you are near enough to me..

Tuesday - 8pm Kettlercise Coppice School
Thursday -10am 50+ Kettlebells Holy Cross Church Hall Walmley
Thursday - 6.15pm Kettlercise Falcon Lodge Community Centre

Please hit reply and feel free to ask my any questions about working out with weights

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

But I have a busy social life...

10/2/2019

And if you do...why shouldn't you!

We only get one life and I believe in living it...whilst being as healthy, happy and active as I can be

AND SO

If you like to eat out...go on holidays and have a drink at the weekends....I encourage all my clients to carry on doing that!

I always tell them never to cancel social occasions they just need to learn how to create the right balance........I eat out, drink alcohol and eat chocolate.......but I also follow some other simple rules to stop me from gaining weight...and this is the sort of info I share on my 6 week Kick Start Home plan.....

It doesn't have to be all or nothing...there is another way!

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

How important is exercise for weight loss?

9/24/2019

This is a question I get asked a lot by my clients....perhaps if they are injured, or haven't exercised in a while or simply struggle to lose weight and they worry that a lack of exercise is hindering them...

So here are my thoughts

Exercise is really important for

Heart health
Keeping your joints supple and flexible
Helping with weight stability
Enhancing mental health and a positive mind
Muscle tone
Feel good factor

HOWEVER

If you are looking to lose weight WHAT YOU PUT INTO YOUR BODY is the main thing...you can't out exercise a POOR DIET

So if you don't enjoy exercise at the moment maybe because you feel self conscious or find it hard because you are unfit...or if you are injured DON"T LET THAT STOP YOU EMBARKING ON IMPROVING YOUR DIET

Once you start to eat better and lose a bit of weight you will then hopefully find that you feel more like exercising and the two then go nicely hand in hand....

I am a perfect example of this....I do tons of exercise but I still have to watch what I eat...Yes I can get away with more because I burn such a lot of calories with the level of my activity BUT I have to keep an eye on my food or I gain weight...

So that is why on my 6 week Kick Start Home plan we focus on the food and then work on increasing your activity levels as we go along......if we have people in the group who are happy to exercise from day one then I supply short at home workouts for you do ......

I would love you to join us on the next one starting in just 6 days!!!

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

What shall I cook for the Family?

9/10/2019

This is a question I get asked A LOT!

People don't want to have to cook separate meals for everyone, they don't want the hassle and also if they have kids they don't want them to see them eating different things all the time.

So the answer is

DONT

I pretty much, unless its a very spicy dish, cook the same thing for us all to enjoy...I may tweak my meal slightly but not so that anyone would even notice.

I think it is so important to get our kids used to eating what we do from a young age, I haven't got the time to cook lots of different things and also I want my whole family to eat healthily!

Yes shock horror of course my kids eat fish fingers and pizza sometimes...we are all human...but I would like to think that about 6 times a week we all eat the same meal.

So this is something I promote with my clients and in my online groups.....I show them easy family friendly meals that everyone can enjoy!

Let me know your thoughts on this? Have you got fussy eaters at home?

Kelly xx

Eating for Mental Health

5/15/2019

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and I am going to be basing my blogs and videos around how I think our mental health can be affected by what we put in our body, how we move it, how we treat it and how we view it...its a big subject and I think its great that more of us are talking about this......all the views I am going to give are just my thoughts reflecting on how I feel from time to time and what my clients are telling me on a daily basis (and I come into contact with a lot of women!)

The first one today is looking at food...

Lets start by looking at our body like a car.......your car needs fuel and that needs to be the correct fuel in order for it to run smoothly with no glitches and do the job that it needs to do..

Our body is the same.....if you are not putting enough fuel in or the wrong type how can we expect our bodies to function properly, effectively and without glitches...

I know from my own personal experiences along with all the women that I speak to that if I drink a lot of alcohol, eat takeaways all week, pump myself with sugar that I feel CRAP....(excuse the language)

Yes we all needs treats and life needs to be a balance but when I have days where I drink loads of water...eat veggies and proper food....I FEEL so much better!

So I am not talking about weight loss here necessarily I am talking about how I FEEL..........

Eating junk and drinking a lot will affect your mental health 100%...I have had the pleasure of interviewing people for my radio show and coaching people who have mental health issues and they all say that when they consciously think about their food and making it as healthy as possible there symptoms are more manageable....

So to tie it all up...yes I have a glass of wine and a takeaway sometimes and so do my clients......but I try to have more days that I go booze free and keep my meals healthy not just to keep my weight in check but so that I feel good in my mind..........

I would love to hear your thoughts on this...do you have experiences of your diet or maybe your caffeine or alcohol intake affecting your mental health....I will be doing a live video on this on my Facebook page and my Instagram account today..

Kelly xx
www.keepfitwithkelly.com

PS: Catch me on Switch Radio 12-2pm today where we are covering mental health topics all week