With the global economic crisis counting country’s amongst its victims, its time for most of us to tighten the purse strings. In times of financial hardship, gym and health club memberships are seen by many as a reducible expense.

This doesn’t mean you have to give up fitness altogether. With a little bit of ingenuity your local park can become your free gym. Below is selection of outdoor, equipment free, workout clips featured on surfgym.com

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Weekly yoga classes eased pain and improved functioning in some people with chronic lower back pain — but the yoga sessions weren’t any better than regular stretching classes, according to a new study.

Researchers found that participants in both types of classes had better functioning and fewer symptoms after three months than back patients who were only given a book with advice on preventing and managing pain.

“We’ve known for a while… that exercise is good for back pain,” said Dr. Timothy Carey, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who wrote a commentary published with the study.

Yoga, he told Reuters Health, “seems to be a perfectly good option for people with back pain, but it is not a preferred option.”

Finding that yoga and stretching had about equal effects means it was probably the stretching involved in yoga — and not the relaxation or breathing components of the practice — that helped improve functioning and pain symptoms, researchers report today in Archives of Internal Medicine.

For the study, they divided 228 adults with long-lasting back pain into three groups. Patients in the first two groups went to either weekly yoga or stretching classes for 12 weeks and were asked to practice on their own between classes. Both types of classes focused on stretching and strengthening the lower back and legs.

Patients in the third group were given a book with back pain-related exercise and lifestyle advice and information on managing flare-ups.

After the 12-week program, people who had gone to the group classes reported significantly lower scores on a questionnaire measuring how much pain interferes with daily activities, compared to those given the book.

The questionnaire rated daily “disability” level on a scale of zero to 23, with 23 being the most severe. At the 12-week mark, the exercise groups had dropped from an initial average score of 10 in the yoga group or nine in the stretching group to between four and five in both groups. The people who received the book started with an average score of nine and at 12 weeks had dropped to about a seven.

More participants who did either yoga or stretching also said that their back pain had diminished or was gone. Sixty percent of people in the yoga group reported improvements in pain, compared to 46 percent in the stretching classes and just 16 percent of people who only got the books.

Three months after the end of classes, symptom improvements were similar in people who had done either stretching or yoga, and still better than in the third, non-exercise group.

And at both the end of class sessions and three months later, twice as many of the class participants reported cutting back on pain medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) — about 40 percent versus 20 percent in the book group.

“Here is an option that is something worth trying,” said Karen Sherman from the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, who led the study.

With either stretching or yoga classes, she told Reuters Health, practice is a must for patients. “There is absolutely no treatment that works for everybody… (but) if they’re willing to practice, they should go ahead and give it a try.”

Carey said the findings suggest that the best type of exercise for people with back pain depends on their preferences and what’s convenient.

“It’s important that people do exercise they enjoy,” he said — that way, they’re more likely to stick with it. And, “you don’t need to drive 50 miles to the nearest yoga class if there’s not one near you,” Carey added.

He highlighted group exercise in general as a way to stay motivated that’s also relatively inexpensive.

Sherman said attending a single yoga or stretching session costs about $20, but probably varies in different parts of the country. That would be cheaper than other options for managing lower back pain, such as acupuncture and massage or talk therapy.

And, she added, “Once a person learns how to do these in a way that’s safe for them, they can do them on their own.”

The study was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

While it didn’t include people with severe back pain — so the findings don’t necessarily apply to them — Carey said that “almost anyone with back pain can benefit from stretching exercises.”

SOURCE: bit.ly/fO01ME Archives of Internal Medicine, online October 24, 2011.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, the only area of growth has been in the budget gym sector.

The UK health and fitness industry usually lags behind that of Europe and the US ; budget gyms are no exception.

Several new chains have opened in the UK in the last few years: examples include

FitSpace, easyGym, The Gym, PureGym and Klick Fitness (Fitness First).

Of all these, Klick Fitness stands out. Klick is a re-hash of Fitness First: they’ve taken some of their existing underperforming clubs, and transformed them into budget gyms. While some might call this a clever branding strategy, we would argue that it might never work. The principal reason for an underperforming gym is location: if people can’t get to the gym easily and quickly, they won’t go. Research has shown that whether a gym is budget or high end doesn’t really make a difference.

In the promotional video below, as well as some ridiculous statements about lycra wearers and free weight users, Fitness First claim that they are not going to skimp on staff.

Staffing costs are the largest expenditure item for most operators, and so by cutting down here, a gym can pass on hefty savings to their consumers. Fitness First claim this is a negative, but the reality is most gym members do not require staffing assistance, and can find the type of assistance which is thrust upon them quite annoying.

Many operators like Fitness First have based their growth around aggressive sales strategies, binding contracts, and will even pressurise members to give up their friend’s phone numbers to sales staff.  In many cases, members have more knowledge and experience than the fitness staff, and it is unusual to come across a new joiner who has never used a gym before. In sum, for many, it would be a breath of fresh air not to have so many staff around.

Budget gyms are an exciting development in the UK and are sure to last, but only those who establish themselves in easily accessible locations with a large population base. We have learnt that many sites are planned in locations where the operator has been able to secure a six to twelve month grace period on rent because of poor commercial business growth in the surrounding area. These clubs are not likely to last and will be part of an aggressive roll-out, return on investment plan by the operator. However, if you choose wisely, joining a budget gym should be an excellent health and fitness investment.

NEW YORK | Fri Oct 21, 2011 6:03pm BST

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Does having a sweet tooth make a person more agreeable and friendly? New research suggests there could be a link between taste preferences and disposition.

Scientists in the United States found that a liking for sweeter foods is an indication that a person is more agreeable and helpful, but not extroverted or neurotic.

“It is striking that helpful and friendly people are considered ‘sweet’ because taste would seem to have little in common with personality or behavior,” said Brian Meiers, a psychology professor at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

“Our taste studies controlled for positive mood so the effects we found are not due to the happy or rewarding feeling one may have after eating a sweet food.”

Taste is a recognizable sense that can be used in describing personality traits. With this in mind, the researchers wanted to see if having a preference for sweets was an embodiment metaphor, a connection between thoughts and our body’s behavior.

In one of five studies involving more than 500 people researchers from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, St. Xavier University in Chicago and North Dakota State University showed that people who ate a piece of chocolate rather than a non-sweet food were more likely to volunteer and help another person in need.

In another study they found that people also associate having a sweet tooth with a pleasant disposition. The participants were shown photos of people with neutral facial expressions, but with comments under the pictures that would say, for example, that they liked eating chocolate.

“People rated those associated with sweet food higher in agreeableness,” Meiers said.

The research, which is published in the Journal of Personality Social Psychology, focused on sweetness and agreeability. The scientists said they could not comment on the other tastes such as bitterness or spiciness.

The study is part of a increase in recent years in social psychology research in conceptual and embodiment metaphors.

“There has been a push to find out how these traits are self-predicting of what we do with our daily life,” said Sarah Moeller, a psychology professor at St. Xavier University. “We are showing that with these personality traits that you show subtle aspect of self.”

(Reporting by Paula Rogo; Editing by Patricia Reaney)

Obesity has a greater impact on the blood pressure of teenage girls than on teenage boys, a US study has suggested.

High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke in later life.

The study of 1,700 teenagers, presented to the American Physiological Society conference, found girls had three times the risk of higher blood pressure.

A British Heart Foundation spokeswoman said a third of young people in the UK were overweight or obese.

The teenagers, aged between 13 and 17 had their blood pressure measured as part of school district health surveys and health checks. Their body mass index (BMI) – a measure of weight/height ratio – was also recorded.

There are two types of blood pressure which are measured. Diastolic pressure – the lower number in a reading – measures the force on the arteries between heartbeats. Systolic blood pressure, represented by the top number in a blood pressure reading, is the amount of force that blood exerts on blood vessel walls when the heart beats.

High systolic measurements indicate risk for heart disease and stroke.

It was found obese boys were 3.5 times more likely to develop elevated systolic blood pressure than non-obese boys.

But similarly obese girls were nine times more likely to develop elevated systolic blood pressure than their non-obese peers.

Danger ‘highlighted’

The researchers from the University of California say the link may be counteracting the known protective effect of the hormone oestrogen on the heart.

Dr Rudy Ortiz, who led the study, said: “Overall, there is a higher likelihood that those who present with both higher BMI and blood pressure will succumb to cardiovascular complications as adults.

“But the findings suggest that obese females may have a higher risk of developing these problems than males.”

Dr Ortiz said the significant difference between boys and girls could be explained by exercise levels.

“Obese adolescent females participate in 50 to 60% less physical activity than boys in the population surveyed.”

Natasha Stewart, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Here we have yet more evidence highlighting the danger that obesity poses to the health of our children.

“Based on this American study alone, it’s too early to say for sure whether girls are more at risk than boys, but we do know girls tend to be less active than boys which could play a part.

“What is certain is that obesity is clearly putting both boys’ and girls’ health at risk.

“This is a very real problem for lots of families – about a third of young people in England are now overweight or obese.

“Healthy eating and physical activity during childhood is vital to ensure growth, development and a pattern of healthy habits which will carry through into adulthood.”

By William Leigh for NZ Men.

The traditional image of a surfer’s body is lean, long limbed and V shaped. This was especially true in the 1950′s and 60′s when boards were very heavy and difficult to paddle, and lots of shivering – caused by a lack of wetsuits – kept body fat levels low.

Modern equipment, and diets with a higher fat content, mean that the traditional body shape is no longer the norm. These days the average surfer’s body can come in all shapes in sizes. However, the traditional body shape is still the norm for high participation surfers: the professionals, for example.

For many people this is a very desirable body shape. Lean and lithe, without appearing undernourished. Muscular, without appearing over-muscled, or extensively weight trained. And of course, sportingly athletic. Examples are world champions Kelly Slater and Stephanie Gilmore, pictured above and below.

Obviously the easiest way to build this type of body is to surf, and do lots of it. Paddling builds shoulder definition, strengthens the lower back muscles, and increases cardiovascular fitness. Duck-diving builds arm strength: tricep strength in particular. The pop-up maneuver engages the core and pectoral muscles, and helps to build explosive strength. And, the actual process of standing and riding the wave increases leg strength, flexibility, and engages all the postural muscles.

Paddling is the only true resistance-based component in surfing. As water is much heavier than air, paddling can be a very strenuous activity, especially against heavy currents, or large beach break swells. Almost all the other exercise components would be termed “gravity induced” training.

Building a surfer’s body without surfing

Visit surfgym for a number of free surfing specific workout video clips.

Swimming – use a float to raise your body in the water, and alternate fast and slow lengths to replicate the stop-start nature of surfing paddling.

Press-ups / Military press / Drop press – high repetition. Place your feet on a fit ball or stability disc to help build core stability.

Squats / Lunges / Burpees / Single leg half squats / Squats thrusts – all high repetition (remember to stay controlled)

Circuits – combine as many exercises as possible in one minute stations. Train outside if possible.

Core exercises / Ab crunches / Back extensions / Fit ball work / Indo Board drills

The key to “gravity induced” exercise is to maintain perfect control even when fatigue sets in. Do not sacrifice form or technique to squeeze out that last rep. Try to train with a partner if you can, and introduce reaction balls, medicine ball shovel toss and medicine ball pass & press for additional resistance and explosive power exercises. Visit Surfgyms YouTube channel for some workout clips.

Surfgym