When most people undertake an exercise programme they have a clear picture of what they would like to achieve from it. Whether its fat loss, muscle strength, toning, training for a sport or event, its important to note that exercises are NOT created equally. The muscles, bones, connective tissue and nervous system in your body [...]
Glycemic Load Foods. Confused about what to eat when you are trying to lose fat? A good starting point is to learn about how your food affects your blood sugar, as high blood sugar is related to various illness and weight gain (Elliot 2002, Apovian 2004). The University of Toronto in 1981 developed the idea [...]
Case Study - Sue and Geoff Looser. Sue: As we are both aged 47 plus but love to ski two or three times a year, we realised we needed a specific training programme in order to get the most out of our trips. Even more so as we have sedentary lifestyles and jobs and do [...]
For most people wanting to lose weight or improve there health, fats are viewed as the enemy, but what is the truth? Fats are part of the nutrient family called lipids. There are three specific types but triglycerides are the most common type in our diets. These can then be further split into subcategories relating [...]
The Karolinksa Institute in Sweden found that eating 300g of Spinach significantly increases the oxygen available to your muscles. They found the nitrates in spinach allow the cells to work 5% more effectively. What is probably more amazing is that the effect can occur after only 3 days of consumption (Weitzberg 2011). Kale is [...]
But what physiological effects does being overweight or obese have on your body? Depression - The more fat you have the more depressed you are likely to be. Why? The diet many overweight and obese people consume tends to be low in tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin (a neurotransmitter which positively effects mood). (Breum [...]
Case Study: Elspeth Hutchinson. Elspeth is a local housewife approaching her 65th birthday. Generally active with gardening, decorating, gym and finally ski-ing, she has suffered badly for some years from the onset of cervical spondylosis. This is an age-related degeneration of the vertebrae and discs in the neck. Elspeth endured severe head and neck pain [...]
Your body is an amazing machine. It automatically repairs you from injury, regulates your body temperature and prioritises and absorbs from the nutrition you provide it with. However, when making physiological modifications such as getting a more compact shape or increasing muscle size, the body needs enough force to signal change is needed. When astronauts [...]
Muscle weighs more than fat - FALSE Muscle tissue is denser than fat, however one pound of fat is the same weight as one pound of muscle. Adding more muscle to someones frame will add compacted tissue making you look smaller and more toned, despite whether their weight has changed or not. Muscle turns to [...]
Case Study: Claire Spurway. With the London 2012 Olympic Games only a few months away, thousands of athletes around the world are training hard to reach the standard for this once in a lifetime opportunity. One such athlete is Claire Spurway, who hopes to represent Great Britain in the 200m sprint event. Claire, from London, [...]
The short answer is yes! If you don’t eat breakfast you have a higher chance of being obese. A UK study analysed the eating habits of over four thousand teenagers. Out of these 32% didn’t consume anything for breakfast and they were the ones much more likely to be obese (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition [...]
Eating blueberries boosts your memory and concentration for up to five hours. According to research from Reading University, the antioxidants within berries activates an enzyme in the body called Enos. This enzyme stimulates the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain keeping you more alert. Additionally, Blueberries classed by scientists as a superfood, are [...]
Millions of people across the country will be undertaking some sort of diet plan in January in order to shed the pounds gained over the Christmas period. But, is this a successful way of attaining long term weight loss? Studies from the University of California found that people dieting can lose 5% to 10% of [...]
Having trained thousands of people to reach their fat loss or fitness goals a common question always arises when training new female clients, ‘Won’t lifting weight make me muscly?’. This is a common misconception and the truth is that every women should do weight training as it has many important health benefits, this include: Anti [...]
In gyms all over the country you will see these cylindrical foam tubes, but what is it for and why should you use it? Foam rollers have been in gyms and health clubs over the past ten years, they are a self induced neuromyofascial release technique, in plain English they help inhibit overactivity in [...]
Case Study - Joanne Woodcraft Joanne Woodcraft a 31 year old Nurse planned to complete a 250km Husky challenge for charity. To accomplish this she hired Clarice House Personal Trainer Nolan Sunnassee to help condition her for the event. Joanne: I work in paediatric critical care unit at the Royal London Hospital and with 5 fellow [...]
In a pursuit to get into the shape she has always wanted, Jen Luckin hired Clarice House Personal Trainer Nolan Sunnassee to use his vast knowledge and experience to maximise her fat loss results. Jen: I have always been conscious of having a balance diet and exercising regularly, although I tended to slip into periods [...]
Eddy Lewis, a 52 year old Accountant, began personal training two years ago mainly to help with pain management. He believed that getting exercise expertise may improve his movement and lower his pain levels. Having had a major accident when younger which shattered part of his tibia, Eddy had a metal rod inserted into his [...]
Your body deserves the best! You wouldn’t fix a filling without a visit to the dentist, or try a new hairstyle without the expertise of a good hair stylist. So, when it comes to toning up and trimming down why leave it to chance and get second best results?
Human movement is a combination of well orchestrated systems. When these systems are damaged in any way or don't fully interact with each other, dysfunction or pain can occur. In a health club setting, this can be due to to poor lifting or running technique, inappropriate exercise selection or not progressing at the right pace [...]
