Fitness Friday: 3 Things To Buy Today To Help You Get Fit

Posted: Friday 21 October 2011 09:35am

You read it right, this is your health approved, non-food related shopping list that will in fact help you to get motivated, organised and fit! I’m sure you don’t need much more persuading than that to get out the credit card.

A new pair of shoes
Now, just to be clear, we’re talking about running shoes here, not those colour pop platforms you saw yesterday! (Though they could be a great reward for achieving your mini-goals). If the last time you bought a new pair of shoes was some time around the threat of the Y2K bug, then it is time for you to hit the shops (cue squeals of excitement) and buy yourself a new pair of trainers. The styles and number of shoes out there can be overwhelming so be sure to track down the sales assistant and explain the kind of exercise you’ll be doing to ensure you get the right shoe for the job. The most common types of ladies footwear are running shoes and cross-trainers. Running shoes are for, er, running! These will protect your feet and knees from the heavy impact of landing at a pace. Cross-trainers are the all-rounder of the footwear family, they’re great for a range of sports or gym workouts.

Try: Reebok Zig Supreme, $169.99. Nike Zoom Equalon +4, $239.99. adidas Fluid Trainer Leather Women’s X-Training Shoes, $74.99. Asics Gel 495TR Mesh Q111, $139. All prices from Rebel Sport, 1300 654 502.

A food and exercise journal
How many times have you heard “starting a food and exercise journal is a good idea” before? There is research that suggests it’s not just a great excuse to purchase some cute new stationery, but that it will aid your weight loss efforts. Write down everything you eat (yes, that includes the 2 scotch fingers you had with your 10.30 morning tea), how you’re feeling at the time and what you’re doing while you eat. Couple this with a note of any and all exercise you do each day and you should start to notice patterns in your behaviour towards food and exercise. Warning: it might get a bit confronting.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that participants of a weight loss study who kept a food diary lost twice as much as those who did not keep any records. Twice as much! That’s motivation enough for me.

Try: kikki K 365 Days Journal, $29.95, (03) 9645 6346. Typo Campus A4 Notebook, $9.95, 1800 420 176. Corban & Blair A5 Journal, $89, (02) 9560 0122.

More…

• Starting A Fitness Routine and Shifting Extra Kilos
• The Secret Of Pippa’s Perfect Posterior 

A pedometer

Remember when these nifty devices first became popular? We were all proudly clipping them on to our waist bands next to our Nokia brick phones. These days the fad has settled a little, but I want to bring it back! Once you’ve got your pedometer in place all you got to do it put one foot in front of the other and go about your daily business.

In a 2007 study, Researchers at Stanford University found that walkers who used a pedometer and wrote down their steps each day (see point 2!) were likely to lose a few kilos and lower their blood pressure. Another study published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise research journal showed that setting a goal of 10,000 steps a day was a better motivator for exercise than a 30-minute walking recommendation.  It’s worth a shot, right?

Try: Ringmaster Pedometer, $14.99, available at Paul’s Warehouse, (02) 8762 4106. Aussie Fit Step/Distance/Time Pedometer, $39.99, available at Rebel Sport 1300 654 502.

I think my afternoon diary would be fairly predictable, 3.30 – stressed, can of coke! What do you think yours would look like? Have you bought anything that has helped you get fit? Share with us below.

by Jessica Swavley

Comments (0) Print Send to friend Share or bookmark this page