Hugs are good for you
Hugs are one of those things that you often know makes you feel better, but did you know that there are actual reasons why?
Top ten tips to enjoy a night out and stay healthy
I don’t know about you, but I have mixed feelings about Christmas. I love the Christian celebration part but struggle with the cost and the emotional turmoil. And there’s the calorie overload and the very thought of feeling ‘out of control’ of food, exercise, sleep, alcohol and myself! Perhaps, like me, you have two competing voices […]
Are you at risk of diabetes?
The British Medical Journal is carrying a report telling us that there has been an ‘extremely rapid’ rise in pre-diabetes since 2003 and therefore a ‘surge’ in type 2 diabetes is expected in the coming years. The NHS already spends 10% of its budget on this condition. What does ‘on the cusp’ mean? It means […]
Weight Loss: are you made of sturdier stuff?
A 3% weight loss target? You can do better with the help of a personal trainer! This week The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) wants overweight people to lose 3% of their weight over a year and avoid ‘yo-yo’ dieting. Now, I’m all for a bit of weight loss – but we are made […]
Don’t leave it too long!
When it comes to looking after your health, it’s deeds not words that count. I just want to let you know that it can happen to anyone. Any of us can become ill because we take our eye off the ball. There’s a great article in the Guardian (17.05.14) by David Nicholson who until recently […]
Mindfulness and weight loss
Mindfulness can help your mind and your waist! Lots about ‘Mindfulness’ in the press recently – there is even an all-party parliamentary group on Mindfulness. It’s moved from New Age fad to mainstream according to Madeline Bunting in The Guardian. Well, what’s it about? Madeline says it’s about being in the moment. NICE recommend it […]
Listen to your body!
Marion Foreman describes what can happen if you don’t listen to your body I don’t usually disclose much information about myself in my blogs – but this week I would like to share something with you – I have been really tired. ‘So what’, I hear you say, ‘I’m tired too!’ I want to talk […]
Being ‘everyday active’
How to become ‘everyday active’ and improve your fitness levels. We are less active as a nation than we were in 1961 (by 24%) and 22.5% of adults do not achieve even thirty minutes of activity over seven days. Given that the Chief Medical Officer recommends 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, we […]
Healthy Eating and Exercise: The way to fitness
The Chief Medical Officer in her recent report tells us that most of us are now overweight. We eat too much fat and sugar and don’t do enough exercise – and I guess we knew that. But you and I don’t have to be in the majority – we can have a healthy body weight […]
Middle age spread
It’s inevitable – right? We hit middle age (not too sure when that is now, it used to be 40 – but a lot later now) and our waistlines just expand, all on their own! No they don’t! It’s not a given. Yes, our metabolic rate might slow down with age and a drop in […]
Today I bought The Times
OK – that’s not a big deal you say – but let me tell you it is – basically I am a Guardian reader – its the backdrop of my life – I learnt how to be a feminist (and how to move on) and just about everything else from The Guardian, in fact, the […]
Just get out there! Time to start running
Lots of us think we can’t run – and did you know that Paula Radcliffe can run every mile of a marathon faster than I can run any single mile? But I stick on my trainers, just get out there and start running. Sometimes I run a bit and walk a bit – but it […]
Personal trainer blog: gastric weight loss balloon
Great news – a gastric balloon taken in pill form can aid weight loss! All you have to do is swallow the pill and it is expanded inside you and then you don’t feel hungry. Simple? Well, yes, it is, but…Do you always eat because you are gut hungry? Or do you sometimes eat because […]
Diet research funding
It just gets more complicated – last week’s Sunday Times (January 2014) tells us of yet more ‘funding help’. ‘A study funded by Mars identified a nutrient in cocoa that could reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. Red Bull funded research showed that the energy drink ‘significantly improves driving performance’ , […]
Personal trainer blog: Sugar
Did you know that some studies show that our brains can light up to sugar in the same way as they light up to hard drugs and withdrawing from sugar can mimic withdrawal from other addictive substances? There has been a lot in the press recently about sugars, hidden sugars and how we might need […]