Australian_Mens_Fitness_April_2017

12 MEN’S FITNESS APRIL 2017

Q

I’m finding it hard to

exercise because

my three-year-old boy

won’t leave me alone

long enough. Got any

suggestions?

There’s no need to separate

yourself from your son and

heir, instead, incorporate him

into the workout. Do body

squats holding your young

bloke out in front of you.

Perform pushups with the little

guy holding onto your back. Lie

on your back and raise him into

the air as you would a barbell in

a bench press. The possibilities

are endless. Don’t use your

progeny as an excuse not to

get fit. It’s a soft cop-out.

Q

When I get home I still

feel stressed from the

office. What can I do during

the day to reduce anxiety?

As is often the case with

emotional strain or tension,

the answer lies with fitness

and increasing activity. US

researchers at the University

of Central Florida found that

exercise during the working

day helps expel stress from

the mind and body — so that

offi ce pressures and politics

become a distant memory by

the time you reach home. They

advised walking 11,000 steps

daily or working out to blow

off bad vibes. We recommend

smashing 20 pushups every

hour on the hour to reset

your mind and maintain

a balanced perspective.

Q

I gave up sweets and

pastries for fruit, but

I keep reading that some

fruits are sugar traps.

I feel like I can’t win.

Fruit is always going to be

a better option than a Mars

Bar or a Golden Gaytime,

however, some fruits are better

than others. If you’re trying to

lose weight, excess sugar is the

enemy. Berries are generally

a good choice: raspberries,

blackberries and cranberries

are all low in the sweet stuff ,

while cherries, grapes, mangos

and bananas groan with sugar.

Another plus for berries

is that they are high in

antioxidants which can help

stave off sickness and disease.

Research increasinglyshows that sugar substitutes in

diet soft drinksfail to do their job — that is, prevent obesity

and diabetes. Case in point: A US studyfound that, in the

stomach, aspartame [an artificial sweetener] actually

blocks an intestinal enzyme that helpsprotect us from

gaining weight. And it’s notjust aspartame. Multiple

studies show that, across the board, sugar substitutes

tend topromote obesity,plumpupbellyfat and,

basically,keepyoufat. Our advice: Stick to water.

Q I’ve picked up a

diet soft drink

habit, but now I’m

hearing the diet

stuff is almost as

bad as the regular.

Is that true?

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