Sign up here for the 10 / 10 club

[FrannyandZooey]

As discussed, a new thread for people who want a bit of a boost to their health. The suggested rules are:

EAT 10 PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEG EVERY DAY

(if you don't usually eat much fruit and veg I would build up gradually or you could upset your digestion)

DO (AT LEAST) 10 MINUTES OF EXERCISE EVERY DAY

(can be yoga, stretching or something more energetic. The plan is that the idea of doing 10 minutes is not too daunting, and having started you may well find you want to do more)

There are no restrictions on what you eat so long as you get your 10 fruit and veg as well. The focus is not on weight loss but on improving our energy levels and hopefully our general mood and well-being.

Sign up below and if we enjoy it I will start a new thread each Monday. Post here to tell us how you're getting on and how you are feeling.

Useful info here about what constitutes a portion of fruit or vegetables.

"assuming you're doing it properly"

what, as opposed to doing it in a really silly way, in clown shoes or something?

I've always fancied a great big Vastus Medialis, thanks for that.

Ok, you asked.

Get out some really old shoes, and look at the bottoms. Do you wear out the bit towards your instep more, or the "outside" bit more?

If you tend to wear out the instep more, you pronate, and are probably cycling a bit knockneed. Which means you're not working your quads right, and are maybe more likely to hurt yourself.

If you tend to wear out the outside bit, then you have hypernation, and are probably cycling a bit bandy-legged. Which no doubt is bad, too, but I only have pronation, so don't know about the effects of hypernation.

thanks for confirmation on the yoga and tinned fruit...am now up to TWO for the day!! - remedial class for me...

and Frances, you seemed so intrigued at having a little innocent flesh on the thread that I didn't wish to disappoint you...I AM 45 with a darling daughter of 6 (who has responded to the ministrations of 'magic' Calpol)..it was fun, but was wearing a little thin, n'est-ce pas? Can revert back to 23, but that means wiping out half my life!!

did try for the BreakfastClub at shop, but not stocked!!! We are going to watch the Curse of the Were-Rabbit instead....

Are you actually opposed to being muscly? Muscle is really good for you in a bunch of different ways. Ok, I'm a muscly person, always have been, so I would be in favour of it, aesthetically, but really, it's no bad thing.

You don't seem like the sort of build to muscle up really easily, anyway - or are you more mesomorph than you seem?

Yes, I do over-pronate, and I have a really bad fallen arch which I should get some attention to (I assume it's genetic, my mother hobbles around because of hers, and my sister who's 10 years older than me is getting that way)

I want Vastus Medialis thingies. I may sulk.

No no I would really like to be muscly. I did not want to end up with even skinnier legs, so just wanted to check on that. I think muscle looks good and it means you can eat more, which is always good.

I am ignoring Pan, he knows why. Anyone who can't bother to pretend to be 23 just to amuse me is simply not worth bothering with

Physio! It really helps. I pronate a bit, have flat feet, and a history of knee problems (cartiledge tear, and tendonitis) and thanks to physio (ok, and good running shoes, and a front-seat for DS2 so I am forced to knee out while biking to improve my quads), I have no problems at all with my knees.

I actually think I don't pronate at all, at least my current shoes are wearing evenly, I think.

And if they start to bug me, I know the exercises etc to do to fix it.

Oh, cool, sorry, I am always expecting the traditional girl thing of "eww! muscles!". I should have known better than to expect that kind of thing from you.

Given that you don't have a lot of body fat, your leg muscles (particularly the vastus whatever) will look more impressive, if you cycle a fair bit.

Please do try to knee-out, or at least keep your knees aligned, while biking with DS2.

Oh you always have an answer which involves me getting up off my arse NQC

I liked you better when you were the Lurve Doctor

Yes! I want an Impressive Vastus

pmsl, Frances. oaakaaaayyyy......love the vast thingies btw...used to play alot of football for the school team a couple of years ago, so I have nice ones...

Ok, well, if you want to improve your Vastus, I can give you some exercise suggestions. But I'm afraid you still have to get up off your arse.

(I'm pretty sure the Lurve Doctor solutions always involve getting up off your arse, too.)

The simple one is knee lunges. Here are instructions for some particularly tough ones.

hmm, footballers' legs? Hmmm.....

NQC how can I align my knees? (this sounds a bit like it could be a Lurve Doctor question as well)

noonononononono

I can't do those lunges. My knee hurts (the one on the other side to the dodgy foot). When they do those in aerobics class I have to stop. My god, my body is crumbling to bits, isn't it?

nqc - this is brilliant - do these for skiing prep.
and Frances, there is a name for men who go on the interent pretending to be much younger than they are..and it isn't a pretty name. Please forgive me? >

You need to wear shoes with good support. You want walking shoes with arch support (lots of trainers are fine). You want to do knee bends (lunges) to practice having your knees properly aligned. And you need to focus on keeping your knees in line with your toes, not going in knock-kneed.

"there is a name for men who go on the interent pretending to be much younger than they are..and it isn't a pretty name"

is it Colin?

Ok, can you do much gentler lunges?

To do right knee, put your right leg forward, and then bend it, putting some weight onto the right leg, keeping your knee in line with your toes. Do not extend your knee past the tip of your toes.

If you cannot do this, you really really should see a physio, I'm worried you'll make things worse with cycling etc. Physios are very big on giving you exercises etc, and fixing things properly, not injecting you with things.

Yes I can do that. I can do the other ones as well, but it hurts after a bit, so I stop. I have no problem with doctors and so on (that's you, remember), I just am lazy, crap and tight.

NQC - Frances is lovely, but such a wuz!!

Colin? Often, yes....

At least I can manage to eat fruit

which certain people find a little taxing

You can get physio on the NHS. It just takes time.

Please don't do anything that makes your knee hurt. If they don't hurt, do the gentle lunges. Another simple exercise to strengthen the muscles around your knee, and protect it, is to stand on one leg sometimes, barefoot. Like when you're brushing your teeth. If you have balance issues (I'm not implying anything here!) you can hold onto something. If your balance is good, keep your arms at your sides, and even close your eyes. You want to be wobbling a little bit, but not falling over, or even coming close. Again, though, if it hurts, don't do it.

Hmm, I'm not sure she's a wuss, she's just not exactly ... exercise-inclined.

"If you have balance issues"

LOL have you been talking to HC? She has seen my Mr Bean act a few times now

I am not very good at balancing, at all. I will try the gentle lunges and a bit of wobbly tooth brushing.

You are kind, NQC. Thanks for all the info, as usual