Health

Man V Fat Football Glasgow- It’s coming home

Man V Fat Football

Are you tired of feeling tired? Are you fed up of feeding yourself rubbish?

Do you have a goal of playing football anywhere but in goal?

Well, I have some news that will get your heart rate going. Literally.

Scotland might not be involved in Euro 2016, but Man V Fat Football is coming to Scotland and in Glasgow, I have the honour of being your league coordinator. If Man V Football is news to you, then check out the feedback back from CNN , the BBC and more importantly the PLAYERS.

And for those interested in seeing what happens at a Man V Fat Football league, I even have some footage for you that might have you once gain longing for a kick-about.

Man V Fat Football is unlike any other football league in existence

It is exclusively designed for men who are overweight or obese; points are scored for both victories on the pitch AND in the kitchen and your registration cost and game fee include a no-nonsense fat loss book, weekly weigh ins (cheaper than Weight Watchers and you won’t be the only guy there) and access to the world’s best (in my honest opinion) male fat loss community. A community that has helped over 300,000 men lose weight.

So far, 95% of players have lost weight over 14 week league, with the average loss being 2 stone!!

It’s a chance to play the beautiful game with men of equal size and with an equal desire to be leaner and fitter. Man V Fat Football will give you the chance to lace up your boots, to get back on a pitch and to show that sometimes, losers win.

Man V Fat Football kicks off on Sunday, July 31st at Lucozade Powerleague Townhead and you can find out more and register for the first league here.

You can sign up alone or with friends, but be quick. Places are limited and every league so far in the UK has been heavily (no pun intended) over subscribed with over 1,000 guys applying for the original 80 places.

Let’s show the Man V Fat Football community that Glasgow is the home of football and that we will be the Biggest Losers and winners!

June 22, 2016 2 comments

Health Obesity

Help Me Do It – University of Glasgow Weight Loss Study

written by Stephen Morrison

Do you live in the Glasgow area and do you want or need to lose a few pounds?

With 65% of Scots currently overweight, the unfortunately reality is that you probably do, even if like me, you consider yourself fit and fat.

Obesity is a major contributing factor to many diseases and conditions that can limit and even shorten our lives. It is linked to cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and even depression.

So why then do so many of us allow ourselves to become overweight and increasingly obese? One could argue that we live in an obesentric environment, where we don’t need to be as active and are encouraged to eat fast foods, or that we lack personal responsibility (a favourite of fat-shamers everywhere).

Whatever the reasons (check out my Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine post on Salutogenesis ), one thing is true.

Losing weight is rarely easy and keeping it off can be harder still.

I consider myself lucky in that I have only regained 56 of the 170lbs that I originally lost in 2012, when I was 354lbs, for according to the University of Pennsylvania, 65% of those who experience rapid weight loss regain their weight within three years.

However, the truth is that I am once again obese, even if I am back heading in the right direction and I need help!

Apart from discipline, determination and dedication,we also need accountability, compassion and encouragement. This ACE approach does not take away the need for smarter choices and more self serving behaviours, but instead provides a platform for sustainable fat loss.

Help Me Do It

When we have the support of others, we are more likely to succeed and that is why Glasgow University and the National Institute for Health Research have launched the Help Me Do It study.

It is a two year study into the benefits of using a dedicated website and mobile phone application (app) to help affect behaviour change. Help Me Do It will provide users and a buddy (it can be a partner, relative or friend) with access to an especially designed website that provides information and motivation on how to eat better, move more and feel better about yourself.

If you have a BMI of 30 and over, are aged between 18 and 70 years old and have access to the internet and a smartphone (Android or IOS) you can get the chance to test run the app and see if it can help you to lose weight

For more information, please contact the Study Manager, Lynsay Matthews, on lynsay.matthews@glasgow.ac.uk or call her 0141 353 7633.

I didn’t lose my weight without others to Help Me Do It and neither should you.

June 21, 2016 0 comment

Health Obesity

Diabetes Awareness Week with Sports Direct Voucher Codes

written by Stephen Morrison

In my Be Swifty and Shrifty blog post, I shared how I saved money while going from xxxxl to medium in clothes. My weight and shape were changing so rapidly that buying quality designer clothing from charity shops became a necessity and one of life’s secret pleasures. Finding a pristine Ralph Lauren jacket for £5 was one of my most cherished charity captures.

However, that was then and times and unfortunately my physique have changed.

I have been moving back up the sizing chart and I am currently sitting mid way between xl and xxl. My blood sugars and my blood pressure have also risen and my general health has suffered. Despite spending much of my life morbidly obese, I have fortunately never developed Type 2 Diabetes and as a 40 year plus obese man, I have to recognise that my lifestyle makes me more likely to develop it.

I will not allow my weight to increase further and I am improving my health. My stay in xxl and xl land will be temporary, but as I am trying to be physically active with my boys, every day, I do need some new temporary sports gear that fits me. As my girlfriend will testify to, boys are stinky and we are filling the laundry daily with our smelly and dirty sports gear. And as they are also growing, at an alarming rate, I am currently buying them and myself, more and more sports gear. Yes, I do occasionally receive free kit from brands, for my work on campaigns, but as a blogger, I don’t generally get free stuff offered to me or when I do, it’s in a smaller size. I need to find inexpensive clothing that will stand up to sweaty sports and gruelling gym sessions and preferably not make me look like I am wearing a potato sack or a smock like Homer Simpson.

Clothing designers must have a wicked sense of humour as the larger a person gets, the uglier their choice of clothing becomes.

So, when My Favourite Voucher Codes approached me to write a paid post about Sports Direct money saving codes for them, my spidey senses tingled. I had never heard of them and I was worried that I might be contributing to some unscrupulous click bait scheme, but on closer inspection, I discovered that they actually provide genuine Voucher Codes for many well known online stores. Stores including Sports Direct.

Sports Direct Voucher Codes

Sports Direct often make the news for all the wrong reasons, but for people starting out on their fitness journeys or for those looking for some summer holiday bargains (or Father’s Day gifts), they provide a wide range of sports clothing and equipment. Usually at heavily reduced prices and usually in any size that you might need. Sports Direct was my store of choice when the fancy running stores had nothing in my size or in my budget.

And now, thanks to My Favourite Voucher Codes, you can save even more money with their Sports Direct voucher codes.

The Sports Direct voucher codes update daily, but you can usually always find savings with Sports Direct free delivery discount codes or with extra discount on sports shoes and sporting accessories

The savings aren’t huge, but for many (including myself) every pound is a prisoner. If I can save a few pennies using sites like Sports Direct Voucher codes, for the sake of a click, I will.

And those clicks don’t just save me money, they generate donations to charity. My Favourite Voucher Codes earn a commission for each of us that visit Sports Direct and make a purchase through their site. They then donate 20% of that commission to charity, and this has seen almost £50,000 raised for various UK charities.

It’s Diabetes Awareness Week and one of the shortlisted charities in June is Diabetes UK.

Even if you don’t need or want to buy from Sports Direct, please visit My Favourite Voucher Codes and vote for Diabetes UK.

To set the record straight (a wee Diabetes Awareness week plug), I can confirm that received a payment to write this post. As part of my commitment to Diabetes Awareness Week, Feet for Life and the promotion of health, I have decided to donate my fee to Diabetes UK.

June 18, 2016 0 comment

Feet For Life Health

Feet for Life – Step into Action in June 2016

written by Stephen Morrison

If you are a regular visitor to How Many Miles you will appreciate that I am a sharer. No facet of my life is off limits and in blogs like “All the Bad Things” , I can be accused of over sharing.

So, for those of a nervous disposition, this blog post serves as a warning. And for any podophiles among you it’s an open invitation, although I might cure you of your fetish.

For, over the next few weeks, I am going to be posting regular updates about my feet and explain why we need to remember that we have our feet for life. I can almost anticipate how viral this post is going to be.

My feet have, for too long, been forgotten foot soldiers in my battle against inactivity and obesity.

They have stood strong when I placed upon them the heavy burden of carrying my obese frame and they have marched on when I have been close to lying down in the face of adversity.

Howmanymiles has been a personal challenge to my feet. One they never asked for, but one they were beautifully designed for.

Our feet are mechanical marvels, each made up of 26 bones and over 100 ligaments, tendons and muscles. They connect us to the earth and they act as shock absorbers and stabilisers. Without them, we would be grounded.

Yet, we do not give them the respect and care that they so richly deserve. We often ignore pain in our feet and as a Paths For All Step Count Champion and runner (hopefully not ex runner), I can recall boasting about how badly I have mistreated my feet. Black or missing toenails after a long hike or run are badges of honour and blisters are looked upon with annoyance and as an acceptable consequence of “breaking in” our latest pair of highly cushioned shoes. We think that we are protecting our feet, but the blisters should be a warning.

I hate to burst people’s bubbles, but we need to take more notice of our feet and take much more care of our feet. Philosopher Socrates once said: “To him whose feet hurt everything hurts.”

Give your feet a treat and walk to your nearest podiatrist. #letsgetscotlandwalking #feetforlife #stepintoaction

Over the years my feet have hurt from everything that I have thrown at them (including the marathon that I seldom mention) and at this point in my life, I have finally realised that many of my problems with my knees, might be related to my feet. After all dem foot bones are connected to the leg bones (feel free to sing along..Dem bones, dem bones).

I have suffered from plantar fasciitis, over-pronation and fallen arches. My phalanges are lifeless and have no individuality. They act as one, when instead I should be able to move them independently. To an extent.

My feet aren’t even pretty to look at. They are calloused, cracked, dry and my toenails are deformed.

I am probably even carrying a fungal infection. My chances of becoming a foot model are slim. Unless, that is, they are feetured (I couldn’t resist) as the Feet for Life “before” example. At this point, you will be relieved to learn that there is no photographic evidence being presented.

Luckily for me (but maybe not the podiatrist), June is Feet for Life month and I will be working with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow’s Faculty of Podiatric Medicine and the London Based College of Podiatry on their Feet For Life campaign to encourage more of us to consider our feet as part of our efforts to #sitlessmovemore

As part of the campaign, you can get a Feet for Life health check at these participating locations and over the next few weeks you can follow my progress and learn more about foot health and how you can Step into Action.

I’ll be seeing a podiatrist, trying Toega (Yoga for toes) and trying my hand (or is that foot?) at bare foot running among other things. It will be some feat to repair my feet but it will be worth it.

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm – Abraham Lincoln

June 9, 2016 0 comment

Health Journey Mental Health Obesity Radio

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

written by Stephen Morrison

I worried that when I walked away from Great Run that opportunities to promote physical activity to large audiences would diminish. Great Run was one of my greatest experiences, but it was also my biggest disappointment. I should have moved on, by now, but my name still appears on their pages and I still regret the unfortunate (but ultimately unavoidable ) ending of our partnership.

I worried that as my waistband increased, my message would be perceived as hypocritical and the irony of a now obese again man warning of the dangers of obesity was not lost on me. I have championed the idea of being Fat and Fit, but how can I inspire others, when I have recently been unable to motivate myself and I feel that I’ve been stuck down in a hole.

I worried that my increasing knee pain would limit my ability to keep active and would prevent me from continuing my fun life as a try athlete and Jack of all trades. It seems that I have finally answered my question of How Many Miles?

I worried that giving up on friendships and things that I cherished would force me back into the shadows and enable Stephen the Recluse to re – emerge. I haven’t seen some friends in months and I am again using excuses to avoid meet-ups.

I worried that I was losing the respect of my boys and that I embarrassed them. Other dads were fitter (and younger) than me and I am again adding layers (in summer) to try and hide my waistline.

I really do worry too much and this week has reinvigorated me.

Maybe it was the lovely gift from Lululemon or The Boss reminding me that we are born to run or Ali Clarkson showing me his magic moves on a bike, but as I type this I am dancing in the dark (the light bulb just blew) and I know my glory days will return. I have spent too long in the badlands.

Yesterday, myself, Paula McGuire and Colin Thomas recorded some great material for CamGlen Radio and thanks to Paula, I am having fun again as a try athlete. We are not as polished as other broadcasters (well, I am not), but we are putting out some entertaining (I think) and educational (I bloody hope do) broadcasts with wonderful guest interviews. Colin was simply wonderful and will be joining us for at least the next month as we talk about running. It’s not quite racing in the street, but for an injured runner, it is reminding me why I love running.

Please tune in this and every Tuesday at CamGlen Radio . Nowhere else, in my hometown, will you hear about as many new activities, for you to try. Let us know if we have encouraged you to cycle and run or to try Zumba, bowls or yoga.

Today, the boys and I are starring in an advert together, as an active family for Vitality. We are also being featured in a Father’s Day story on active dads and my boys are again talking about taking up sports and planning days out with me. Those two hearts are what really inspires me to be a local hero.

And then, next week, I start my new role as the Communications Officer for the Civil Service Sports Council in Scotland and I discover what the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons have in store for me, as I step into a new role promoting the #FeetforLife campaign.

Before and long before

June 3, 2016 2 comments

Health Obesity

European Obesity Day 2016 – ScotlandvsObesity

written by Stephen Morrison

“Obesity is one of the most challenging public health concerns of the 21st century. It is an epidemic that is sweeping Europe and about which not enough is being done.”

The European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) have designated this Saturday, the 21st May, as European Obesity Day (EOD16).

If you have read my most recent British Journal of Sports Medicine blog or my Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine Lay Views, you will appreciate and accept that I share EASO’s desire for increased awareness and action to address the ravaging effects of obesity, not only on our economies and health services, but on the lives of those directly affected.

Obesity is a disease that almost always leads to other conditions and is it telling that European Obesity Day lies within Mental Health Awareness Week.

May 18, 2016 0 comment

Cycling Health Radio Triathlon

Can I Run? My question to Hampden Sports Clinic.

written by Stephen Morrison

Can I Run?

This is not some sort of philosophical soul searching or Eastern enlightenment from my Chi Running workshop. It is the question that I asked my physiotherapist, Jim Fallon, at the Hampden Sports Clinic last night.

Please allow me to rewind.

Back in 1978, aged 5 years old, I fell over in pain. I hadn’t tripped or had a slip; I had a problem with my hip. That problem had a name. Perthes Disease.

Monkeying around in my crutches.

It led to me spending six weeks in a hospital bed, with my legs attached to pulleys. Imagine being strapped to a medieval rack, but then being served copious amounts of ice cream. This was followed by several years in crutches and a prophecy.

I would never be an athlete. I would grow with one leg shorter than the other and I would undoubtedly succumb to joint problems and early onset arthritis.

When you are 7 years old, joint problems as an adult are not on your list of pressing priorities, which, for me, included adding to my Star Wars figure collection.

Fast forward 36 years and to last night and the adult me is remembering that prophecy, but also thinking about adding to my running shoe collection.

I have been struggling with knee pain for a few months (ok, years) and last night I was given the news and advice that every runner dreads and ultimately ignores.

I should not be running.

Not now, not soon and ideally never again on concrete (he did not exclude trail running!).

My knees have carried a lot of weight over the years, especially when you think of my years weighing over 25 stone and they have not escaped unscathed. It is time for me to take care of them.

So, I will actually listen to my Hampden Sports Clinic physiotherapist and focus on strengthening my legs and trying to address my flat feet (Scott Devenney, hopefully to the rescue ).

May 4, 2016 1 comment

Health Obesity

The Race is On. A Step Count Challenge

written by Stephen Morrison

I turned the corner and there, 500 metres ahead, were the leading pack. They were tightly grouped and moving at a reasonable pace. Catching and overtaking them would not be easy.

It was Week 2 of the Step Count Challenge and my knee was still troubling me. I had originally decided to take this 5K easy, but when I saw the group ahead, my competitive nature took over. I checked my heart rate and pace on my new Garmin Forerunner 235 (what a watch) and realised that I could, should and would catch them.

I zeroed in on the person at the tail of the group and made him my target. I would catch him first and then pick the rest off, one by one.

I lifted my head, pushed out my chest and focused on quickly gaining ground on the competition. It took me five minutes to get within 10 metres of him and at this point I stopped gaining on him. It was as if he was aware of my approach and had increased his own pace to keep me at bay. I wasn’t sure how long I could maintain my own pace and I was close to admitting defeat.

He was in my sights

And then, an opportunity presented itself.

We approached a road crossing and although no traffic was coming, I nonchalantly jogged across and as we touched down on the kerb, we were finally level and for at least thirty seconds we were neck and neck, matching each other in stride.

I didn’t dare to turn my neck and simply stared ahead, quickening my pace that little bit more. Soon, I necked ahead and then the real work began.

At this point, I should probably explain . This was not a running race. In fact, it was really only a race in my mind.

For this was my 3 mile active commute to work and as far as I was aware, nobody else was in on my private race.

Or were they?

As I marched on towards work, I heard the sound of shoes slapping. He was right behind me and the quicker I walked, the louder his shoes became. I could not shake him and my wee (28 inch) legs were struggling. How could he be moving so fast, for so long? Was he also racing me?!

I quickly glanced around and he was nowhere to be seen. How could this be possible, especially when I could still hear his shoes?

Possibly because they were not his shoes. They were mine. Not on my feet, but in my bag!!

I take my walks to work and the Step Count Challenge seriously (maybe too seriously, if this blog is anything to go by) and wear running shoes on the way in while my dress shoes are in my bag.

The noise was the soles of my shoes reverberating rthymically together in my bag, as I moved faster. It reminded me of the famous Billy Connolly shark joke.

On realising this, I instinctively slowed my pace and disaster struck. Out of nowhere, another commuter appeared and overtook me. She had the most amazing gait and was walking effortlessly and at speed… in heels! I was up against a pro.

At every junction, I applied my casual jog to gain the lead, only to see her once again overtake me on the pavement. She was a walking machine. As I crossed the final road and neared the point of no return i.e. my workplace, I resorted to what can only be described as cheating.

I innocently checked my watch and feigned surprise and shock at the time. I shook my head and broke into a run.

Haha. Take that fast walking business lady.

Victory was mine, even if I did break the rules. But then, this is my own race and there are no rules. I am wild like that.

This is how I make my daily Step Count Challenge walks to and from work fun and interesting, especially as my route takes me along some rather dull and uninspiring streets.

My morning commute

Am I alone in my secret races or do you also compete against other commuters? Or, do you have other ways to gamify your Step Count Challenge walks?

April 27, 2016 7 comments

Health Obesity

My View on Activity Equivalents proposals from RSPH

written by Stephen Morrison

Gove’s Intentions

In 2014, Michael Gove, the then Minister of Education , suggested that schools should use traditional punishments to discipline malcontent and miss behaving school pupils (1).

One of the suggested punishments for classroom indiscipline was running laps of the playground.

Not only could this be viewed as a form of corporal punishment, outlawed across the UK by 2003 (2), but for the overweight and inactive it could even be regarded as cruel and unusual punishment.

The sport that I love (and occasionally hate) touted as a means of reprimanding rebellious kids. Lanes replacing lines and exhaustion replacing detention. It earmarked running as a punishment and children would arguably soon learn to despise running.

April 18, 2016 2 comments

Health

Using Activity Trackers to Get Scotland Walking

written by Stephen Morrison

“To measure is to know” and “If you can’t measure it, you can not improve it”

Wise words, indeed, from Lord Kelvin, the early 19th century mathematical physicist .

As someone who changed his life by tracking data (read my debut BJSM Blog ) this is the sort of confirmation bias that I cling to when I read articles, like this one , which cites research that implies that the more we track an activity, the less we will enjoy it.

With Lord Kelvin’s quotes fuelling my stance, I was ready to quickly dismiss the idea that tracking physical activity could be anything but a great idea.

And then, I remembered one of Lord Kelvin’s less celebrated quotes :

“ X– rays will prove to be a hoax”.

Whoa, if he could be so wrong about x – rays (they also changed my life ), what else did he get wrong ?

So, I read the story further and I considered if my tracking of steps, pace, distance, calories and even heart rate had become an addiction and even a chore?

March 15, 2016 8 comments