I can’t remember a winter when there were so many malicious viruses. This year’s infections seem to have been far more impactful than those of other recent winters. One explanation is that having COVID may lower your immunity subsequently. And it could be that, as a population, we are more immunologically naïve after two years of lockdown and lowered exposure to annual pathogens. Regardless of the explanation, one thing is clear. The stronger your immune system, the less likely you are to be knocked out by an infection. But how do you build a robust immune system? By adopting the right li ..read more

I’ve never been very good at selling myself. I’ve always believed that if you do a great job, then people will notice, and you will be rewarded for it. I learned during my corporate career that this wasn’t always the case. As I became more senior, I realised I needed to sell myself, but I was pretty bad at it. I guess I’ve never been comfortable blowing my own trumpet. My career bumped along a ceiling in my latter years until, eventually, I decided it was time to follow my passion. Now, having said all that, I’m now going to sell myself. Or at least list my credentials so you can see that I am ..read more

What can I drink? This is part of the “What can I eat?” series. Drinks get swallowed and digested just like food. Some drinks offer meal-sized calorie content, so drinks really need to be part of the series! “What can I eat?” is one of the questions we get asked most by our clients. In this series of blogs, we attempt to answer that question. To find out why this is a common question, take a look at the first of the series on lunch. Read on to find out more about drinks.   Are you consuming unconscious calories? If you’re not concerned with your weight then you probably don’t think twice ..read more

‘What can I eat for a snack?’. This could well be the question we get asked most. Once the principles of healthy eating are conveyed, it’s a lot more straightforward to apply them to breakfast, lunch and dinner. But when it comes to snacks, our clients often draw a blank. That’s because, traditionally, snacks do not fit the blueprint for healthy food. In this series of blogs, we attempt to answer the question of what to eat at each meal. In this blog, we answer the question ‘What can I eat for a snack?’. To find out why this is a common question, take a look at the first of the series: ‘What c ..read more

“What can I eat as a dip?”. We may not get asked that question so often, but we certainly get asked what to eat. This is usually in response to our guidance on healthy eating which comes with our flagship weight loss programme at our studio in Northampton. Understanding what constitutes healthy is one thing. But turning that into actual meals is another. Many people will draw a blank at that point. In this series of posts we attempt to answer the question ‘what can I eat?’. In this instalment, we talk about dips. To find out why this is a common question, take a look at the first of the series ..read more

It’s certainly been warm here in the UK over the past few days. Perhaps you’ve been dusting off the cobwebs on the barbecue? Do you follow barbecue best practice? If you’re firing up the barbie as we speak, be aware that barbecues can seriously derail your health and fitness plan. In this post, we’ll give you some tips on barbecue best practice so you can keep on track with your weight loss or health and fitness goals.   Typical barbecue food Let’s start by looking at a typical barbecue. See how many of these things apply to you Nibbles, beers and wine while you’re cooking and preparing ..read more

Weight loss is by far the most common goal requested by potential clients. That’s no surprise; two-thirds of the adult population in the UK are overweight or obese. Many of them come to us having tried and failed to lose weight. They’ve tried various approaches with limited success. Why is it so hard? Well, for a start, our genes are against us. Our genes evolved when food was scarce and storing body fat was advantageous for survival. But now, in a world of plenty, that trait is a curse. It means that we gain fat easily and defend a higher weight. But there are plenty of slim people around, e ..read more

Does fat make you fat? This was certainly the received wisdom for decades. We were told that a low-fat diet was the way to avoid weight gain. Yet, in the years that followed that guidance, obesity levels have continued to rise. The low-fat approach has been seen as a failure. Instead, carbohydrates are often demonised, and low-carb diets are all the rage. Of course, low carb diets tend to be high in fat so are, in effect, high-fat diets. You’ll find advocates of both high-fat and low-fat diets all over the internet. You’ll also find the advocates citing scientific research proving that their a ..read more

You may not aspire to have a flat washboard stomach like a fitness model. But I bet you wouldn’t say no to reducing the size of your tum. In this post, we look at some of the causes of belly bulge. You may find that more than one of these apply to you. Read on to find out.   Excess body fat Body fat can be categorised as Subcutaneous – under your skin Visceral – around your internal organs such as your liver and pancreas. Where you store your subcutaneous fat is mainly genetic. For example, you may store it on your hips, making you less likely to hold it on your stomach where it would c ..read more

Hands up if you like getting old? Unless you’re in your teens or younger, I imagine you kept your hand firmly below your waist. No, it’s rubbish getting old, edging inexorably towards that meeting with your maker. For a large chunk of the population, getting older is accompanied by ailments and irritations. Joints start to ache; you get mysterious pains; you’re ill more often; you forget things, become more clumsy, go to the doctor more often, and you may go to hospital from time to time. And for too many, old age brings ill health, disability and a loss of independence. But you don’t have to ..read more