Its not like we needed to be told - we could see the evidence for ourselves. But for any of you in doubt, research now confirms that the fitness routines many celebrities claim keep them in shape, are anything but healthy.

However, you don't need to be a celebrity to over exercise. For us mere mortals, the positive effects of exercise can become addictive, and we crave our next hit. Fuelled by positive comments on our changing body shapes, or our post exercise glow, its easy to fall into the trap of lengthening a workout, or forgoing our 'rest' day to see results quicker.

Like too much of any good thing, too much exercise can have the opposite effect you might be looking for, and end up making you worse for wear. While sedentary lifestyles, and obesity related conditions are well documented and publicised, we rarely hear of the opposite end of the scale, which can be equally as harmful. The side effects of over-exercising include stress fractures, exhaustion, cardiovascular complications, musculosketal injuries, and in female athletes menstrual irregularity and bone density loss.

How much is too much? Currently the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science recommend that a weeks worth of exercise for non-professional athletes should expend no more than 3000 calories. Anything more may be of little benefit. Another indicator is when exercise starts to interfere with other areas of your life, like work or home life. Missing work deadlines or special family occassions in favour of the gym, is surely a sign that things have gone too far.

Exercise should become a pleasurable part of your day. That doesn't mean it should always feel easy, but it definitely should not send you on a downward spiral of guilt if you miss a workout. Once that starts, you need to stand back and reassess the frequency and intensity of your regime, and ensure that its an obsession that, like you, remains healthy.

Extreme celebrity workouts can damage you - Sunday Times  

Certainly a topic close to my own heart (literally!). When I was pregnant with my first child, I was so confused as to the exercise do's and don'ts for pregnancy. So much so that it nearly made me want to stop exercising, and I would NOT consider myself a cautious mum!

I think there are a few golden rules when it comes to exercise in pregnancy. These are sensible and realistic, and should not cause confusion. As always though, if you are in any way concerned, the only person to ask is your doctor. No one else can give you as holistic a view on your particular pregnancy, and advise on any conditions specific to you.

Back to our golden rules! On a rudimentary level, these should give you a very good base to work off, and understand how far you should push yourself during this time.

Golden Rule No.1

Be realistic! I know, I know, you still want to run for 10k a day, or spend an hour on the stairmaster, but as your pregnancy progresses, your capacity for physical activity will decline. More importantly, if you have not been exercising frequently up to this point, now is not a good time to start a punishing regime.

Golden Rule No.2

Do not over heat. This means avoiding exercise when the sun is beating down, wearing suitable clothing for the weather conditions, and staying well hydrated during your workout.

Golden Rule No.3

Stretch, but not for too long. Pregnancy causes a ten fold increase in the hormone relaxin, which as the name would suggest relaxes the joints around the pelvis in preparation for birth. Unfortunately, relaxin is also responsible for some abnormal movement in other joints during your pregnancy, and can lead to hypermobility, which can be both painful and damaging.

Golden Rule No.4

Limit, or avoid high impact activities during pregnancy. This includes horse riding, scuba diving, competitive sports, rock climbing, gymnastics and towards the end of your pregnancy, jogging.

Golden Rule No.5

Control your heart rate. The easiest way to do this, is with a heart rate monitor. Using this, your heart rate should not rise above 140 bpm. If you do not have a heart rate monitor, the next best thing is the 'talk test'. Your exercise regime should cause you to sweat, but it should not cause you to be so breathless that you cannot maintain a conversation. Of course, if you exercise alone you might look a little strange talking to yourself, but hey, blame it on the pregnancy!

Exercise during pregnancy usually results in women who are more physically prepared for the birth, and who recover quicker. In addition, its easier to get back into an exercise routine after pregnancy, if you have maintained some level of fitness in the preceding nine months.

For more information, BeFit-Mom is an excellent site for great tips on exercise and fitness during pregnancy and immediately after. I have yet to find a site as comprehensive or as sensible, but without the confusing jargon.

Remember, pregnancy is a marathon, just of a different kind - you should prepare for it as so.

Currently it seems we are being hit daily with economic doom and gloom, and those of us lucky to have held onto our jobs, seem to be putting in more hours at the office. With time in short supply, one of the first things to suffer is your workout routine.

While this might seem a fair trade off, given the work-related pressure that you are under at the moment, it's important to remember that exercise can help alleviate stress, and the 'happy hormones' or endorphins it releases really do make the world seem like a better place!

Though some people are not what they would call 'morning people' and others find the thought of an evening workout repugnant, you should use whatever free time you have during the day to schedule in some exercise. It might feel a bit odd at first, especially if it is a time you wouldn't usually choose to workout, but you will be surprised how quickly you grow accustomed to such change.

There is no right or wrong time to exercise. Often we use a busy lifestyle as an reason to avoid that gym trip, or delay our run. I hear multiple excuses on why someone can't exercise, but top of the list is always that they cannot find the large chunks of time they think necessary to fit in their workout.

Well, fret no more! Here are a few ways on how you can fit exercise into your hectic lifestyle.

• Don't be too rigid with your timetable. Sure, you are used to taking an hour or so for lunch, and its great to get away from the office. However, instead of spending that time in a restaurant waiting for bills, dealing with queues etc., why not nip to the gym for a 30 minute run or weights session, and enjoy lunch at your desk? I guarantee you this is a great way to shake off the mornings tensions, and will leave you feeling fighting fit for the afternoon.
• Get up 30 minutes earlier than usual, and use that time to work out. Alternatively, instead of slumping in front of the tv tonight, try getting out and exercising. Maybe join a new class, that way it can become a social event too!
• The minute I put my son down for a nap, I make use of that time to stretch, and do some strength or core training. Its all too easy to think of that time as precious 'me' time and have a cup of coffee and a muffin, but what is more 'me' than looking after my body, and making it stronger and healthier?
• Lastly, don't always think in big time blocks. I have written before on how any amount of exercise will contribute to a longer life, so don't dismiss 15 or 20 minute chunks of time as being too short to make a difference. If you split your hour long workout into two or three mini workouts, you might find it easier to fit these in during the day. It all adds up to a healthier, happier you!

Spare me the excuses, and find the time. It may not be that obvious at first, but if you look at your day I am sure there is time in there that you hadn't recognised as the perfect opportunity to workout. Use it and enjoy the benefits of being less stressed, and more energised!

Many of us fall into the same trap time and time again when it comes to exercise. We believe that we can eat anything we like because we are exercising, and that creating a calorific deficit entitles us to indulge.The only problem is most people over estimate the amount of calories they burn while exercising and thus eat more than they should after working out, leading to a slow creep in weight increase.

The other problem is exercise apparently stimulates hunger, which according to Time Magazine, means working out could be making it more difficult for you to lose weight. I don't particularly agree with this. I believe that firstly, eating a healthy balanced diet when exercising will allow you to create the deficit necessary to lose weight, and secondly, overeating after exercise is a habit that we allow ourselves to indulge in, but that can be controlled.

Like all habits, breaking the cycle of reaching for a pizza after a run, or a fast food fix, is not easy, but it is definitely do-able. And yes, there will be a period where you do feel hungry due to eating less or cutting down on the junk, but given time, your body and mind will adjust.

I do not think you can separate exercise and diet, and controlling one does not mean the other can be ignored. It is all about balance. If you exercise on a daily basis, be that moderate to intense workouts, your energy intake should be somewhat dictated by that. Do not fool yourself into thinking because you have been active, you deserve to overindulge that bit more. 

The important thing is to focus on your goal. If you exercise to lose weight, simply remember 'eat less, move more'.

Why Exercise won't make you thin - Time Magazine

I love my foam roller. I was introduced to it in the gym, but the joy of having one on hand at home, is priceless. For the uninitiated, foam rolling or self-myofascial release, is a stretching technique which applies a gentle force to knots in your muscles, by rolling your body on a cylindrical piece of high density foam.

You put the foam roller between your muscle and the floor, and using your body weight, you move slowly back and forth over the length of the muscle. Foam rolling causes the fibres in the knot to straighten in line with the muscle fibres, resulting in the muscles being restored to their optimal level of function. Put simply, foam rolling is self-massage, and an effective part of any warm up, or cool down.

I won't lie, once you find a tender spot which indicates a muscle knot, it hurts like hell. However, by rolling on the foam roller before and after exercise, this pain should ease. This is due to the gradual break down of muscle scar tissue and soft tissue adhesions, caused by injury, insufficient stretching and disuse. Foam rolling can target most muscle groups and correct muscle imbalances and ease stiffness, resulting in strong and supple muscles. While never as good as a hands-on massage, it is less expensive, and always available when you need it.

Foam rollers come in a variety of sizes, colours and densities. Needless to say density and size are the important features, colour is just a personal choice!

To understand more about foam rolling, and watch some video examples, see world renowned strength and conditioning coach, Michael Boyle's article Foam Rolling (Training and Conditioning Magazine).

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