Archive

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 […]

In 1998 the Nobel Prize for medicine was given to three American pharmacologists for their discovery, that inside the body the  gas nitric oxide (NO) is an important mediator of a wide variety of vital bodily functions. At the time this was an amazing discovery and their initial work, done in the 1980s resulted in a […]

I have read many articles, books and scientific papers that promote the value of assimilating marginal gains, the process of making a change, testing that change and then improving on it, slowing increasing performance. This type of process has been credited with the breakaway performance of UK Cycling over the last decade and is now used […]

Caffeine for Sports Performance by Louise Burke, Ben Desbrow and Lawrence Spriet Caffeine for Sports Performance was first published in 2013 and even two years later is the most complete text on the effects of caffeine, offering a good review of all the research that was available at the time. Despite being effectively an extended […]

Five years ago I turned up at a nutrition conference with hands died purple from blackberry picking. When asked what I had been doing, I innocently said making jam, not realising the commotion this would cause. For many people jam = refined sugar and anything with a large proportion of refined sugar is seen as BAD. But I […]

If you read my piece ‘Importance of your gut for performance – What GCSE and A-Level Biology doesn’t tell you‘ and wanted to know more, Giulia Enders book is almost certainly the best place to start. Giulia Enders is a doctoral student in Germany studying microbiology. She first came to prominence when a 10minute presentation she […]

Dr Camilla Knight from Swansea University studies parents and their role in youth sport and this week I spent an afternoon listening to her talking about her research. Parents of elite child athletes are generally represented in the media as pushy and competitive but Dr Knights research suggests that actually, the majority of parents “get […]

Can food and drink affect your exam results? Research shows that eating the right foods can benefit mood and motivation, improve focus, lower anxiety and strengthen memory formation. The wrong choices can make you feel sluggish or jittery making learning and recall more difficult. Powering Performance EATING ADVICE FOR EXAM PERFORMANCE 1. EAT –   Your brain […]

Professor Greg Whyte is a former olympian and sports scientist, who has been the main motivator behind Comic Relief and Sport Reliefs momentous sporting challenges. Described as a “motivational god” by Comic Reliefs CEO Kevin Cahill and “the best mentor ever” by Davina McCall, Greg Whyte’s new book ‘Achieve the Impossible’ published March 2015, encourages us […]

What are Nootropics Nootropics are smart drugs, supplements or foods that are taken to enhance memory, cognition or intelligence, increase concentration, attention or motivation and to relieve anxiety or stress, with the aim of improving academic performance and results. Although at the simplest level they include herbs, spices, phytochemicals like caffeine and energy drinks, the drugs that being […]