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Well-Being | Fit Fans weekly session

FitFans is a Leicester Tigers initiative designed to get supporters of all ages active, even at home. We post new sessions to the Tigers website every week, so take a look and join us!

Staying fit and healthy – mentally and physically – can be tough with the change to lifestyles resulting from the Coronavirus outbreak which is why we are sharing FitFans tips with the Tigers community.

This week, we’re looking at exercising using facilities around you to keep you fit and active, as well as some nutrition advice on the importance of fruit and vegetables.

Working Hard at Home

Try this short, easy circuit for a total body workout which takes less than 25 minutes and requires little or no equipment:

Complete each station for 30 seconds and move on to the next exercise without any rest period. Complete the whole circuit, allow yourself 2 minutes’ rest then repeat another 2 times.

Make sure you have ample space to complete all exercises and, if you don’t have a suitably strong and stable chair, use a solid box or stairs if you have them.  

If you are finding this difficult, you can add small rest periods between the stations.

Leicester Tigers Fit Fans

Fruit and Vegetables

We all take for granted the message that we need five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. But when you compare this to the recommended daily intake of 17 portions in Japan, five portions really does not seem like much.

There is an astonishing amount of benefits to eating fruit and vegetables, yet within the UK it has been found that many people rarely have more than one or two portions a day.

Five portions a day is enough in terms of the reported health benefits, but it's also probably less than ideal. Many studies recommend seven for women and nine for men (because of their increased calorie requirements).

Research has shown that an increase of fruit and veg intake can reduce the risk of cancers and cardiovascular diseases, and lower your blood pressure as just a few of the linked health benefits.

When substituted for more artificial sugar-loaded options, fruit and veg can also greatly aid healthy weight loss as part of an overall programme of exercise and diet.

Portion Sizing

Recommended portions are 80g, which is the equivalent of:

  • A tomato, pepper or large onion
  • Quarter of a cauliflower or cucumber
  • A bowl of lettuce
  • Three heaped tablespoons of any vegetable, eg peas, carrots, sweetcorn
  • Half an avocado
  • An apple, pear, banana, orange, nectarine or peach
  • A slice of melon
  • Half a grapefruit
  • Two plums
  • A glass (150ml) of pure fruit juice. No matter how many glasses you drink a day, it only counts as one portion

Be careful when cooking, boiling or steaming vegetables as this tends to remove the vitamin and mineral count if done for too long.

Leicester Tigers Fit Fans

Calorie Comparison

Fruit and vegetables have very high water and fibre content. This increases the volume of the food while meaning a reduced energy density, making them low in calories. However, due to their high fibre content, they will help you to feel fuller for longer.

Vegetables tend to be lower in calories than fruit, so substituting more vegetables than fruit for foods of higher energy density can be helpful in a weight management plan.

Fruit and vegetables should, therefore, be used as a substitute for high-calorie, energy-dense foods. You will be surprised at how much more fruit and vegetables you can eat for the same calorific value as other less healthy foods.

Tigers Fit Fans

To find out more about Tigers Fit Fans and how you can join us, click here.

You can do this!