15 MINS TO BURN FAT AND PROTECT YOUR BRAIN ON THE HOOF

A

difficult day at work can do more than darken your mood. Elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol mess with your short-term memory, turning a week you’d rather forget into one you, well... actually do. But if your solution is to lace up, hit the pavement and leave your troubles for dust, you’re cheating yourself.

According to a study by the University of North Florida, barefoot running has benefits for working memory that even your best Nike Air Zooms negate. In their studies, participants aged 18-44 were given a quick memory test and then asked to run with or without shoes for 15 minutes. In subsequent tests, the shoeless crew had sharpened their powers of recollection by 16%; no change was seen in the trainer-clad lot.

Now clearly lapping the roads around your house with your soles exposed is a bad idea. Relocating your Sunday run to an unspoilt park or local football field, however, is a clever move. Not only will running on grass burn more calories per mile, but the Florida scientists claim the “tactile and proprioceptive demands” of going barefoot boost activity in your brain, recharging it for the week ahead.

You won’t have to remember where your trainers are, at least.

Whether you’re a zealous, year-round gym rat or a fair-weather fanatic who trains only for the holidays, there’s one aspect of the summer body we all want to hang on to – the tan. But before you resort to skin-damaging sunbeds or ruinously expensive winter excursions to St Moritz, allow us to proffer a simpler fix: switch up your sundowner.

A study by scientists in wellknown suntraps Leeds, England, and Fife, Scotland, found that the glow achieved by a high intake of carotenoid nutrients is an equal match for beach-bronzed skin when rated for attractiveness. In their studies, three-quarters of volunteers deemed pigmentation triggered by dietary changes to be more aesthetically pleasing than colouration due to UV exposure.

What’s more, just two extra daily portions of carotenoid-rich foods – such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots or even spinach – is enough to see these effects. For a concentrated hit, opt for a spicy glass of tomato juice with horseradish and Tabasco. Enjoying it in the garden while you soak up the last of the early autumn rays is highly recommended. A splash of vodka couldn’t hurt, either.