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Manchester United players train hard and eat well to succeed.
Manchester United players train hard and eat well to succeed.
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Shape up with United!

Helen Tither
5/ 5/2008

AS Manchester United prepare to make their way to Moscow for the Champions League final, you can bet they will be putting in their fair share of training on the pitch.

But to be in with a real chance of winning, Ronaldo and Rooney will be looking at a whole range of ways to keep fit. From eating well to thinking positive - being a Manchester United megastar means looking at your whole health regime.

No doubt we'd all like to think we had what it takes to become the next Giggs. Well now you can steal some of his football fitness secrets, thanks to a new online health guide launched by Manchester United and The Children's Society.

Packed full of family-friendly healthy living advice and ideas, the Shaping Up guide is designed to get the whole family out of the house and keeping fit together.

It follows recent research from The Children's Society into views on health from experts, parents and children across the UK. Understandably, the majority of adults were worried that computer games and TV were stopping children being more active.

Motivate

So, the charity teamed up with the Manchester United Foundation, which works to educate, motivate and inspire young people in the community, to get together a few ideas to kick start every family's health regime.

The advice is aimed at keeping kids active. But Ryan Giggs reckons it's important for families to keep fit together. "Parents can encourage their children to stay healthy by exercising with them," says the devoted dad.

"It's important to set a good example and do things together as a family, like walking the dog or playing football in the park."

While Sir Alex Ferguson himself has given the guide his backing, saying families working together is just like the team-work he tries to inspire in his players on the pitch. "Being part of a team, keeping fit and being motivated towards a goal is invaluable," he says.

"Football, like many sports, can provide a great opportunity for families to spend time together. This guide can show families easy ways to further improve their health through sport that can be really fun."

If you want to follow in Fergie's footsteps you can download the full guide for free from childrenssociety.org.uk/manutd. In the meantime, here's five quick steps to get you on the road to football fitness...

Fitness

Being good at sport means working on your overall fitness - including exercise into your everyday routine to keep active. Games can be a great way to keep in shape. But even something as simple as the school run can provide a chance for parents and kids to shape up together.

Walk to school and back

If you live far away - walk part of the way and drive the rest

Cycle. It's easy and you may be entitled to bike loans through work.

Challenge your kids - race them to the next lamp-post or time them.

Warm up

All good fitness regimes should start with a warm-up. If you've ever seen snaps of the Manchester United players at their Carrington training ground, you will always see them doing stretches and exercises before they even kick a ball - to help prevent injuries.

Try these simple exercises to get you started:

Gently move about for three to four minutes

Dance, jump, run around, bend and stretch

Be imaginative - how many ways can you move your body?

Know your limits
We all have different strengths. Getting healthy and fit should be fun - but make sure you keep within your limits.

Little exercise often is more effective

Start off with short sessions

Build this up into exercise as you feel fitter

Do different things, football one week , cycling the next

Exercise a little bit every week


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