Frankie wants us to keep fit using objects from around the home
Frankie from Dancing On Ice is Ecover’s Feel Good Fitness Expert introduces Cleanercising to the nation and gives us her top tips on staying fit and healthy this summer.
How do you manage to stay in shape?
As a pro ice skater, being fit and healthy is integral to my life and career. So, as much as I need to be in shape to do my job, my job also keeps me in shape - it’s the upside to all the cuts and bruises I get on the ice!
Other than ice skating, what other exercises do you like to do?
For me there are two kinds of exercise; the kind I need to do to keep my body strong and fit enough to withstand the physicality of my job (like being swung around by one ankle!), and the kind that I do for fun. I regularly stretch to maintain flexibility and use resistance bands to maintain muscle strength, both of which are necessary for work. But in my spare time I like to find disguised exercise in all sorts of everyday activities. This is where Cleanercising – the combination of household chores with simple toning exercising – comes into play. For example, I do anything from making sure I do lunges when spring cleaning around the house - a great calorie burner, to gardening, which is brilliant for arm and back strength, or just taking the stairs instead of the elevators when I'm out shopping. Being aware of even small changes in your everyday routine can help anyone achieve better overall fitness.
Do you follow a strict diet?
I've never, ever been on a diet, but again that’s a huge bonus of having a very physical job, however I do feel that I am intrinsically healthy when it comes to my overall lifestyle choices. I eat healthily, rest my body when I need to and make sure I'm putting the right kinds of food in my system to fuel me through some fairly gruelling training sessions.
If you could recommend one thing that we should eat more of in our diets what would it be?
I'd probably recommend that you actually eat less! Less red meat, less sugar and less alcohol! But none of us are angels, so again make some small changes, take a couple of days of the week to eat fish instead of meat and give the body an alcohol free few days a week and drink water instead. Again not huge changes or you'll feel like it’s too much to be bothered with, but just a couple of changes will make you feel like you are heading in the right direction.
What's your indulgent treat?
Fish and chips, I'm a northerner, remember!
Which is your favourite healthy meal to eat?
Tomato, avocado and mozzarella salad with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, followed by some white fish, mashed potatoes and steamed veg.
Any tips on how we can recreate it?
Well it’s not a particularly complicated meal to recreate; the tip is making sure you always have healthy ingredients in the fridge so that the temptation to stuff a frozen pizza in the oven isn’t an option! It’s just a case of getting into healthy habits. That way, when you are pushed for time and need to eat something convenient and not so healthy, you can enjoy it as a special treat without having to feel guilty.
If you're getting ready for a holiday or a photoshoot, do you do anything different?
As I said my lifestyle choices are fairly consistently healthy anyway, and I don’t put any faith in fad diets or binging and purging so no, I don’t feel the need to change anything if I need to show my body off on a beach. I'm turning forty next year and most of you have seen me in skimpy outfits on the telly anyway, so I haven’t got much left to hide!
Any cleanses?
I drink lots of water every day and I think that’s a natural cleanser anyway. I probably should eat more fruit, but at the end of the day, different things work for different people and so while I do try to eat the fruit in my fruit bowl, I do find it’s a bit of a chore!
What advice would you give to people who say they don't have the time to exercise?
If you do just five minutes of exercise tomorrow, just five minutes, it will be five minutes more than you did today. Everyone has time to walk up and down their stairs for five minutes before bed or during the ad break of their fave TV show. You don’t have to go out and buy special clothes, you can do that in your pyjamas, you can lay on the floor with the radio on and do sits ups. Everyone has time in their day to exercise for at least five minutes in their own home, but not everyone has time to go out for a run or go to the gym. I am always looking for new ways to fit everything into a busy day which is why Cleanercise is the perfect solution, as it helps me to clean, exercise and feel good too! By combining everyday home chores with some simple body toning techniques you can burn calories and give yourself a little extra boost. As I said before, very small changes are much more manageable and achievable than trying to turn your whole world upside down with a regime that may not be right for you – so as a start, I would recommend trying out Cleanercising and see if it works for you.
What sort of things can we do around the house that will help us burn off calories?
Well mopping the kitchen floor will burn 200 calories and you'll see instant results to your kitchen floor! Any sort of cleaning where you work up a bit of a sweat is going to get your heart and lungs pumping; from hoovering to cleaning the windows, it’s always best to pump up the music and then if you feel like having a little dance in between chores, you'll burn even more calories and have some fun doing it too! The home is also filled with things that you can use to work out. Fill two empty bottles with water and use them as weights to tone your arms – try eight bicep curls followed by eight triceps dips, then end with some resistance exercises. Hold the bottle out in front of you at a 90 degree angle and hold them there for as long as you possibly can – this is a great one for strengthening your arms, and your determination!
For more top tips from Frankie or to gain some Cleanercise inspiration, please see Ecover’s online magazine: www.the-splash.co.uk/feel-good