Archive

In 2012, in the count down to the London Olympics, there was considerable press coverage on its sponsorship by McDonalds, highlighting the poor message that this would give for a games that was so focused on health, youth and legacy (1). Little attention was given to the well documented fact that one of the eras […]

This 20 minute Ted talk is definitely worth listening to and sharing with anyone worrying about summer exams, work deadlines or health in ageing. I have written about sleep before in my posts ‘sleep for performance’ and ‘sleep nutrition’ and believe research categorically shows that good sleep is really important for performance and beneficial for […]

Record numbers of people are playing netball in the UK,  the super league is thriving and the English team’s win at April’s Commonwealth Games brought unpresidented media coverage. Around 1.4million women and girls currently play regularly and high five, Nets and mixed netball are all gaining popularity, introducing men to the game. If you have […]

The sun is finally out and all over the UK libraries are full with people stressing out about exams. Research shows that eating the right foods can benefit mood and motivation, improve focus, lower anxiety and strengthen memory formation and that the wrong choices can make you feel sluggish or jittery, making learning and recall more difficult. It is worth […]

A recent study done by the London School of Economics found that the biggest factor that improved overall life-satisfaction was in individuals who regularly trained and played as part of a team [1]. Meeting friends and participating in activities, with all the banter and laughter that goes with it is also known to increase happiness […]

Roar : How to match your food and fitness to your female Physiology for optimum performance, great health and a strong lean body for life. ROAR was recommended to me by Dr Craig Harrison, who said it was a must read and on that recommendation I bought it immediately. Initially I didn’t find it that […]

Diet and Activity Survey. Age 9-19yrs old  ? Play competitive sport ? Please fill in this short survey to help me with my research.

I feel sad for the white potato. Having been a massively important part of our diets for generations and the most important source of vitamin C in the UK, they are now often put on the ‘bad food’ list. However, the sweet potato is having a ball, hailed as a ‘super food’ and regularly featuring […]

Healthy Diets contain Fruit and Vegetables. Fruit and vegetables are vital elements of a healthy, balanced diet. They are important sources of energy, contain vital vitamins, minerals and fibre and are the only source of important phytonutrients that are potentially incredibly beneficial to health. Population studies that look at the behaviour  across large groups of people have shown that […]

The calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI), (a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters), will be very familiar to most people working in the fitness and health industries. Although BMI does not measure body fat directly, research has shown that adult BMI is closely correlated with direct measures […]