Jo Healy fitness blogger takes up the WeightWorld Air Climber Challenge!

A fantastic inspiration to us all is Jo Healy, a mum of 1 who has battled her diet demons since she was just 5 years old.

Jo has seen both ends of the spectrum from being underweight as a child and battling teenage eating disorders, to piling on the pounds after she had her son 12 years ago.  In terms of weight she’s experienced it all. After a lifetime of unhealthy approaches to food, exercise and her body, it seems she’s finally, at the age of 32 won her body battle and is confident in her own skin.

The reason for this is that she’s dropped a staggering 22.88 kilos in the space of 1 year and has managed to keep the weight off. Unlike before, she’s done it through healthy eating, counting calories and doing lots of weight bearing exercise, to avoid ending up what she calls ‘skinny-fat’.  This is what she describes as being slim, but with a high body fat percentage, i.e. with wobbly bits.

In between bench presses, dead lifts, fly’s and presses at the gym she also took up running, and has recently completed a 13 mile charity run in aid of a close friend, raising a grand total of £1005.00 for a cause she holds close to her heart.  

Running comes with a multitude of health benefits and the health rewards of cardio exercise like is undeniable. Alternatively, other cardio based activities, that you could give a go, include aerobics, swimming and cycling.  All cardio exercise helps to speed up your weight loss as well as keep your body in tip-top shape.

Additionally, cardio also gives your heart and lungs a good workout, increases your bone density, reduces stress, depression and anxiety, reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer, and gives your energy levels a phenomenal boost. The recommended amount of cardio activity is 30 minutes, 5 times per week.  Any activity that gets you out of breath is considered to be a good cardio workout, and brisk walking, stair climbing or hovering; all contribute to your daily 30 minute cardio quota.

To test the effects cardio has on the body the lovely Miss Healy has kindly agreed to be the first participant to accept the WeightWorld air climber challenge. She plans to use the air climber for 5 days every week, for 10 minutes over the course of 3 months, and document her progress on her fitness blog and the WeightWorld Facebook page. 

Why not become a fan of the page to receive updates on her progress, or feel free to share your own diet and exercise advice with others to become part of our bustling online community!