Firstly, What are BCAAs? (Branched Chain Amino Acids) There are 20 different amino acids that make up the thousands of different proteins in the human body. Nine of the 20 are considered essential amino acids, meaning they cannot be made by your body and must be obtained through your diet. Of the nine essential amino acids, three are considered branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs): leucine, isoleucine, and valine. “Branched-chain” refers to the chemical structure of BCAAs, which are found in protein-rich foods such as eggs, meat, and dairy products. They are also a popular dietary supplement. St ..read more

In short, the answer is YES! I cannot recommend Matthew Walkers book 'Why we sleep' more highly. Although a neuroscience book, it's actually a very easy read and is rather funny in places. Drawing on 20 years of research, he explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also explains why a lack of sleep can cause us to get fat! A lack of sleep affects our appetite by having a significant affect on the hormones leptin and ghrelin . Leptin is the ho ..read more

Should we still do cardio as we hit our 40’s, 50’s and beyond? Cardio or ‘endurance training’ or ‘aerobic exercise’ such as running, swimming, cycling, team sports, HIIT , brisk walking are all different forms of exercises which elevate our heart rate. Although we now understand that strength training has more advantages to our overall health than just cardio , it doesn’t mean that there should not be any room in your exercise routine to include cardio as well. Why? As it’s name suggests, it boosts the health and function of your heart and cardiovascular system. Although both strength traini ..read more

Melt off Belly fat fast with this progressive walking plan, that combines the power of interval training with the belly fat effectiveness of walking! When it comes to your walking pace, gauge your intensity on a scale of 1–10 — a 5–6 effort should have you breathing quickly, but still allow you to carry on a conversation easily. An 8–9 effort should have you breathing very heavily and able to answer yes or no questions only. Since your intensity varies with your personal fitness level, vary your speed and power to reach the recommended effort range for each walk. THE PLAN This plan is based a ..read more

Carbohydrates are one of three macro nutrients, the other two being fats and protein. Carbs seem to have overtaken fats in recent years as being the weight gain bad guy, but is this accusation warranted and true? Lets take a look at 5 carb myths and why science tells a rather different story to that of the diet fads: Myth #1 You cannot lose weight eating carbs: You have likely heard or said yourself that you're “cutting carbs” to lose weight. Keto dieters, who drastically cut out carbs give impressive testimony to their rapid weight loss, but this is also attributed to water weight loss as t ..read more

"My biggest take away from doing the 6 week challenge is experiencing a really radical transformation... like something you see a celebrity achieve and you think they've had so much help! But I did it myself, at home, just eating the right stuff and getting my workouts done." Katie's weight had always stayed pretty consistent until after giving birth to her third child, which required a C-Section. This was not made easier by the 19 month gap between her second and third child, with little time in between to regain her pre-baby body shape. "I hated the feeling post c-section of having a weak c ..read more

The scientifically proven connection between gut health and our overall health has given rise to the large consumption on prebiotic and probiotic products. But do you get a bit confused about what these are and why we need them? If indeed we need them at all? Well, let me help unravel this subject for you. I will state right now, that I will unashamedly plug the Thrive products at the end, which I am beyond excited about to have discovered and partnered with. But, the information that follows is all from current science and you will be fully informed about this subject, and what you then do w ..read more

Did you find that when you were younger, you could get away with eating more of the foods you wanted, eating our regularly and going for the occasional run to successfully shift any extra pounds? Have you now found, since hitting middle age that this simply does not work any more? That even after trying countless failed diets and exercise programmes, the weight keeps creeping on? That you feel sluggish and your hormones have gone into free fall.? Maybe you have started to think that it simply is too late for you now? Find yourself nodding in agreement? I can assure you, that you are not alone ..read more

In this recipe, to make it healthier than standard banana bread, light olive oil and Greek yogurt replace the butter and half the sugar is replaced with the natural sweetener, stevia with some dates for added natural sweetness. The walnuts are loaded with omega-3 fats for an extra nutritional boost! 225g plain flour 3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tbsp low fat Greek Yogurt 25g stevia granulated 25g light muscovado sugar 1tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs 2 ripe bananas, mashed 100g soft dates, snipped into pieces with kitchen scissors 100g walnut pieces Preheat oven to 160 degrees centigr ..read more

If your muscles are strong, you live better. Fact. Not only can you do physical activities such as gardening, carrying shopping, running round after the kids, flipping over a mattress (Ok, that one is a bit weird!), but having increased muscle, compared to fat, has profound implications for your metabolic function. It determines almost everything about your body composition and overall health, such as how you regulate your blood sugar, your ability to manage fats, and your fuel during times of illness. Antibodies, used in an immune response, are made of proteins. When a toxin or otherwise for ..read more