General Exercise in Spain

A great number of people claim they don't have time for exercise.  It is just too  easy to hop in the car and drive to the local shop or get a takeaway every night instead of cooking, which is not good for your general health and fitness. Below are some ideas of how to make your life just that little but more healthy:

Being physically active helps you lose weight, become fitter, reduce stress levels, improve your sleep patterns, increase your life expectancy and reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer. The general rule is that everyone should participate in some form of exercise for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week.  This can be in the form of walking to the shops, running up and down the stairs or going to a weekly pilates class. You should try and take the stairs rather than the lift and park further away from the shops - every little bit helps.

If you don’t have time for organized exercise sessions you will be pleased that shorter workouts throughout the day can be as effective as the longer ones.  Just make them intense enough to get your heart rate up and repeat them whenever you have a spare 15 minutes. Even if you don't notice a great physical difference your mind and body will certainly benefit from it.

A healthy balanced diet is the key to good health so take everything in moderation and eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables,  ensuring that you also drink plenty of water.

It's a good idea to have something high in carbohydrates like a cereal bar, banana or a sports drink about 30 minutes before exercising to improve you performance and help maintain sugar levels. This is because when  the carbohydrates in our body break down  glucose is formed and stored as glycogen. This can only be stored in a limited supply and  needs to be kept topped up by consuming more carbohydrates, reducing the chance of fatigue and dizziness.