Alexander Technique Nutrition Exercise

This week the Fit4Free team were introduced to Sandra Waller, Director of the East Anglia Centre for Alexander Technique. Sandra explained how "The Alexander Technique safeguards our future by making us take responsibility for our own health and well-being. The technique improves poise, fitness, body structure and co-ordination leading to more enjoyment of life, which is especially important as we age and become more susceptible to niggling problems i.e. joint and muscle pain, poor digestion and fatigue."

The Fit4Free team were given a lesson on how to sit correctly and learnt that we should never sit with crossed legs nor slumped on our tail bone. Sandra explained "feel beneath your bottom on the seat for the two bony points at the base of your pelvis, these are called sitting bones and sitting on these help to prevent you from slumping and keep your head freely balanced on top of your spine. Sandra emphasised the importance of never bending from the waist as there is no joint in the spine for this - always bend at your hip joints, knees and ankles which work together to move you up and down. "

Interestingly we learnt that our head is the heaviest part of our body weighing between 10 and 16 pounds, and our spine finishes at the point where the middle of our ears are - most people think it finishes at the base of our neck. This is why when balancing it's imperative that the tip of the nose should not be higher than the holes of the ears unless you're looking up to the ceiling. Most people tend to tilt their head back which in turn leads to a totally imbalanced spine thus supressing various joints in the back which then results in pain.

For more details with Sandra contact her on 01245 608268 or email sandrawaller161@btinternet.com. Sessions can be booked individually at £35 but with this feature she's offering 6 for the price of 5.

Most of the Fit4Free team were extremely tired this week so Dave Davis, Personal Trainer of D2Fit gave us a lesson on bone density and how weight bearing exercise can help protect our bones.

"Weight bearing exercise, particularly for older adults is extremely important as both weight bearing and resistance training exercises are vital to improving bone density, preventing osteoporosis and strengthening muscles, ligaments and joints. Using your own body weight to provide resistance such as squats, lunges, walking and skipping is the key to fundamentally protecting your joints, whereas swimming and cycling whilst excellent forms of exercise don't provide this resistance. Using free weights can also boost bone strength, try replacing weights with tinned cans to build up gradually or if you're lucky enough to have an outdoor gym park nearby make use of it. Deciding to get fit and starting a new activity can be daunting, but in the words of Mark Twain "The secret of getting ahead is getting started".

As we were short on time Dave also gave us a quick session on Tabata training - this method involves training at a very high intensity for 4 minutes. The session is broken down into 20 seconds of intense training, followed by 10 seconds of rest and then repeated 8 times. Predominately one exercise is chosen such as sprints, squats or press ups but can be mixed up; the intensity also helps burn calories and helps aid recovery time. Please note that due to the high speed repetitions this method may not be suitable for everyone, so check with your GP or fitness professional first.

Natasha Bartell, the Fit4Free Nutrionist gave the following advice to our volunteers this week.

"Molly has no regular eating pattern and meals are regularly missed. The amount of food consumed is not enough to enable the body to recover from the amount of exercise that Molly does and a poor diet has a negative effect on athletic performance. A healthy diet is one of the most important aspects of body composition so I've encouraged Molly to eat 3 regular meals a day.

Debbie's has a stressful job, young children and her main form of hydration comes from caffeine. This makes the body produce the stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol which Debbie didn't realise, so drinking coffee only adds to the stress in your life! I advised Debbie to have a large bottle (1.5litre) bottle of water on her desk as this would remind her to drink.

Sugary snacks are Claire's downfall, and whilst it's important to snack at regular intervals, often her choices sugar laden. I encouraged Claire to either have a protein bar (e.g. Naked, Trek or Bounce Balls), a piece of fruit with a small handful of seeds or a few mixed nuts.

Finally our volunteers gave their verdict on the small changes they've made this week.

Claire says "I've strangely enjoyed upping the exercise and whilst taking it gradually have taken Dave's advice by pushing my heart rate up in bursts. I've focused primarily on swimming and have been alternating between 2 fast and 2 slow lengths.

Debbie says "I've continued with my food diary not as a means of counting calories but to keep my brain focused on what I am eating so I can keep an eye on myself. I've also slowly reduced my coffee intake."

Molly says "I've been trying to reiterate the advice of Sandra Waller to help my back and joint problems, so have been making a mental note to sit in the correct position. I've also been making sure I eat one proper meal a day, be it breakfast or tea.

If you have any queries or tips then get twittering @askmollybeauty #Fit4Free or via email askmollybeauty@gmail.com.

Editor's Note: - Natasha Bartell's recipe for the week.

Need a sweet fix, try this yummy Banana cake by Natasha.

75gr soft butter plus butter for greasing

4 ripe bananas peeled and mashed up

80gr soft brown sugar

1 egg beaten

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

170gr spelt flour

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4

Use a little butter to grease a bread tin measuring approximately 23cm x 13cm x 6cm. Pour the mashed bananas into a mixing bowl and combine the rest of the ingredients leaving the flour and bicarbonate of soda until last. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes. Allow to cool before serving in slices.

Fit for Free!

For the month of September I'm very excited to announce to the readers of Essex Go the launch of #Fit4Free with AskMolly. Now before you roll your eyes this isn't your usual weight-loss feature, in fact I've changed my spell checker to change the word from 'diet' to 'health. There will be no advertising of Celebrity DVD's, gyms, supplements, weight loss clubs, gimmicks, tape-measures and scales are most definitely banned. My aim is to bring to you weekly, small changes in to your lifestyle which anyone from kids, parents and grandparents can do to make them feel fitter and stronger from the inside out. Yes there will be exercises and nutritional advice however, even if you take just one small change from the features to improve your health well then it's a good job done! The idea of the campaign is to reinforce what most of us know that our body is ultimately our pension, and many of the changes can be incorporated into our daily regime without even noticing. All the exercises will be done outside, no equipment bar a park bench required and recipes will be nutritious, quick to make and most importantly cheap!

To help with the campaign I've managed to rope in the very best of Personal Trainers to guide you along the way and a top Essex based Nutrionist as well as 3 volunteers (me included) so now let's go meet the crew!

Dave Davis Personal Trainer

Dave is a fully qualified Personal and Advanced Trainer and a member of The Register of Exercise Professionals. Whilst he works primarily in the Brentwood area he trains clients in various environments from local parks and playing fields, clients own houses and at The Brentwood Centre with Target Fit Training. He also trains clients independently at The Fitness Factory, Brentwood and at London Fields Fitness Studio, Hackney.

His fields of sporting practices include rugby, football, triathlon, martial arts, kickboxing and he's also a qualified Boxercise and Kickboxercise coach. Clients range from those wanting to lose weight and tone up, sports specific training and those who need to pass fitness tests for their jobs.

"I believe that fitness and training should be available to all regardless of experience or fitness levels. Along with this I try to make workouts as varied and as enjoyable as possible for people and

I try and tailor workouts to include the specificity of training towards achieving goals".

More of Dave's work can be seen on www.facebook.com/D2Fit and Twitter @D2Fit. Dave is passionate about improving accessibility of fitness equipment and is currently campaigning to bring more 'outdoor gym parks' into Essex.

Natasha Bartell CNM Dip, BANT Nutritional Therapist & Naturopath

Natasha has an extensive knowledge of nutrition and whilst she not only helps clients with weight problems whether it's to lose or gain weight, she also has a specific field of interest in cholesterol, high blood pressure, hormone related disorders, joint pain, stress as well as intolerances and allergies. Not only does she provide easy mouth-watering recipes, she is also a fully qualified Naturopath which brings a holistic approach to her work as she believes in treating the person as a whole, in mind, body and spirit. For more information on Natasha check out her website www.natashabartell.co.uk.

"The foods you eat have a profound effect upon your health, mood and energy levels, which is why the latest fad diet will make some people thrive and others feel miserable. I am forever in awe of the restorative powers of healthy food and it makes me really happy that I am in a position to be able to pass this knowledge onto others, empowering them to live their lives in the healthiest way possible and in a way that can be sustained for life.

Claire Brew Volunteer 1

Claire describes herself as a "decrepit 44 year old, stay at home mum to an active 3yr old boy & 10yr old girl". However, a little too harsh on herself considering she's had to endure more than what most of us go through in a lifetime. At present she is recovering from delayed reconstructive surgery following from breast cancer and a mastectomy in 2007, so is limited in her physical movements. Prior to surgery she was a regular swimmer as found this the most suitable form of exercise as she also suffers from back problems.

"I know I should eat better, but have never eaten a regular breakfast so tend to get very hungry early evening and I keep picking until the dinners ready, I'd love to get fitter but in a way that fits in with my lifestyle".

Deborah Chaplin Volunteer 2

Deborah has a hectic life, not only is she a single parent with 2 children but also holds down a full time directors job in London leaving her virtually no time for herself, hence she struggles to fit in any form of exercise in to her busy schedule. She suffers from the medical condition Fibromyalgia so has to be specific about exercises she chooses as can sometimes be left in constant pain, although she admits to using this as an excuse not to exercise!

"At 43 I know I really need to sort myself out now before it's too late - you can't continue the trend of just getting bigger - at some point it will catch up with you". "So many excuses to hide behind, where am I meant to find the energy or time"?

Molly Miller Volunteer 3

"20 years of health problems has seen my size fluctuating from a 12 to a 22 and back again. A sufferer of Endometriosis and also Spondylitis around the rib cage and facet joints has given me the excuse of pain equals chocolate. I love to exercise and jog regularly, however, I have to be extremely careful as any twisting movements such as a Boxercise, has in the past resulted in hospital admission.

I live with my 2 young children, cat and goldfish. Life is manic from the moment my alarm clock goes off at 6am and doesn't stop until I hit the pillow at 10pm. I never think about the food I stuff in my mouth, but focus on the quickest and most convenient - which is usually the kids leftovers!

I am also looking for one or two male volunteers of any age or fitness level to participate with #Fit4Free and report in remotely i.e. via email. All that's needed is a weekly email or chat to track your progress, and to follow guidance and advice from the experts. If you're interested contact me on the email address below.

Finally each week I'll be inviting you to send in any questions or indeed tips you may have (some of these will be printed the following week). So I hope you will join myself and the team, and do get twittering #Fit4Free to give some moral support!

Before undertaking any of the exercises shown please consult your GP, whilst our volunteers all have medical issues, where applicable they have been given consultants approval. All queries contact askmollybeauty@gmail.comor via Twitter @askmollybeauty.

Editors Note:

Natasha's Bircher Muesli- this can be made in the evening and kept for 4 days in the fridge. Simply combine the following ingredients for a nutritious start to the day or a snack.

3 handfuls of Oats

250ml Almond Milk

Tablespoon mixed seeds (flaxseeds, pumpkin, linseed, sunflower)

Tablespoon frozen fruits (the darker the fruit the better i.e. blueberries)

Tablespoon walnuts, flaked almonds

Pinch of Cinnamon

1 grated apple