When driving it makes sense to wear a seat-belt. If you smoke it’s most likely that the cigarette will have a filter. So why not have a statin pill the next time that you scoff a burger to offset the negative health effects? According to a team of researchers from Imperial College London that is exactly what you should do. In a paper published by the American Journal of Cardiology they propose that the pills should be available free along with the sachets of salt and sauces that you usually get at fast food outlets. Statins don’t neutralise the harmful effect of fatty foods like burgers and fries and “it’s best to avoid fatty food altogether” lead researcher DR Darrel Frances admitted in the Guardian. “But in terms of the likelihood of you having a heart attack taking a statin can reduce this chance by about the same amount as the fast food increases it”. Other experts have criticised the proposal on the grounds that it may actually encourage people to indulge in junk food while not having to face the consequences.

Now we are all for a quick fix if possible here at Diets Don’t Work but this most certainly sounds like a bad idea. Imagine if the head doctor in the UK came up with a pill that stopped all effects of a hangover? The end of western civilisation as we know it, surely.

So a statin is all good and well, but you will be much better of getting some structured exercise and eating reasonably well for most of the time. Not only do you get all the benefits of reduced risk of an horrid death while still young but you also feel better mentally and physically, will have a better ass and feel more positive too. If you just can’t be bothered to get off that ass then you might need to enlist the help of a personal trainer from DDW. We can help in London, Windsor and Maidenhead.

Why do some people sleep through anything and others wake up at the slightest noise? Scientists are starting to unravel the secrets of a good night’s sleep, and think it has to do with “spindles”- rapid waves of brain activity that only occur during sleep. These are believed to shut out noise by closing down the entrance to the part of the brain known as the thalamus, which is where  sounds are registered. This much was already known, but a new study carried out at the sleep centre at Harvard Medical School has shown that those with the highest spindle rates during sleep are the least likely to be woken up. With noise a growing problem in the modern world the team now hopes to use the discovery to develop a special form of chemical earplug for light sleepers. “Our goal is to find brain-based solutions that integrate a sleeping person into their modern environment, so that sleep is maintained even in the face of noises” said the report.

Exercise is also a great improver of sleep. A recent Stanford University Medical School study reported older and middle-age people sleeping better when they added regular exercise to their routine. After 16 weeks in a moderate intensity exercise program, subjects were able to fall asleep about 15 minutes earlier and sleep about 45 minutes longer at night.

Researchers selected 29 women and 14 men with mild sleep complaints for a 16-week controlled study. All participants were age 50 to 74, lived sedentary lives, and suffered no cardiovascular disease, stroke or other clinically diagnosed disorder known to cause sleep disorders. All were non-smokers and moderate drinkers. None were seriously overweight or taking hormone replacement therapy, sleep medications or other medications known to affect sleep.

Participants exercised at least four times a week. Twice a week they participated in an organized aerobics class, which included 30 minutes of endurance training. The other two times they exercised on their own, doing 40 minutes of brisk walking or stationary bike riding. To assess impact on sleep, researchers looked at factors such as how long it takes to fall asleep, total hours of sleep per night, how often one wakes up, how one feels when waking up, and daytime function.

The link between aerobic exercise and sleep may seem obvious, but until this study, there has been very little controlled research to support this “conventional wisdom.” Researchers were especially concerned about the overemphasis on sedative hypnotic medications for older adults. Though they are only 20% of the population, older Americans receive almost half the medications prescribed to aid sleep. The potential side effects of these drugs-confusion, falls, extended drowsiness, agitation, and interactions with other medications-can be especially problematic for this age group. Until this study, there have been very few attempts to identify effective non-drug approaches to treating mild sleep disorders.

The study also provides further evidence of the interactions of mind and body. In this case improving physical health shows a positive impact on the mind.

So if you are struggling not just with sleep but also physical exercise or lifestyle, then one of our personal trainer courses can really help. I (editor) can testify that physical exercise does really help-my partner thinks that I am joking sometimes when I lie down and then do not respond to a question 10 seconds later. I am asleep!!!

Couples anxious to conceive have long been advised  not to get too worked up about it, and the advice is sound according to latest research. In a small study carried out by Oxford University, researchers found that women with the highest levels of adrenaline in their bodies were 12% less likely to concieve in the first month of trying than those with less of the “fight or flight” hormone. “The findings support the idea that couples should try to stay as relaxed as possible about trying for a baby” says Dr Cecilia Pyper, who led the study. “For some people it might be relevant to look at relaxation techniques, counselling and even approaches like yoga and meditation”.  Worries and stresses especially about chances of conception are counter productive, and remember that there are many mental gains to physical exercise.

Many of our London based personal trainer clients show that after just 6 weeks of training they not only feel better physically but are mentally stronger, more relaxed and more confident. We also provide pre and post natal training for our clients. This has lots of benefits for both mum and baby-have a look on our pre and post natal page on the “what we do” page.

Nutrition really is a tricky subject. Nearly everything is good and bad all at once; this remains true especially if you have too much of anything. Take fruit for example. Some personal trainers (purists) might say that a client should not have fruit at all, as it contains fruit sugars or fructose. These fruit sugars are easily converted by the digestive system into glycogen (blood fuel) so are more likely to make you fat if you are not being active. This can hamper any weight loss efforts. Yet other trainers (the more practical ones; we fall into this camp) might say that fruit is good, just proceed with caution. Fruit has lots of vitamin C in it, fibre, micro nutrients, and is a whole food. Yes some fruits have quite a lot of calories in them (a banana for example can have 60-80) but they are still healthy if eaten in moderation and if you don’t have too much of any particular one. Just use common sense and remember to keep moving!

With strapless off the shoulder dresses in vogue looking your best on your wedding day is as important as ever. Bingo wings (flabby underarms) and stage curtains (flabby upper back) have nowhere to hide and will be captured forever by the photographer. How best then to prepare for the big day? Spot reduction (exercising a specific body part to tone that particular area) is difficult. You can exercise your arms until you are blue (or red) in the face but your toned arms will most likely  still be covered by your fat suit. The body burns fat as a whole, not in parts, so an overall exercise regime coupled with sensible eating is the most effective way to success.

Compound or big bang exercises that work many large muscle groups are the way forward; they will burn lots of calories and also tone your big muscle groups (legs, bum, chest, back). This will in turn increase your metabolic rate and make you burn more calories even at rest. Plenty of the “big five” exercises are the all over fat blasters that you need, so squats, push ups, lunges, bent over rows and clean-to-press will work well. Once you have started to tone these large muscles and change shape then specific exercises like tricep dips, bicep curls and shoulder presses will be much more effective.

Studies have also shown that high intensity interval training results in better fat loss (and abdominal fat loss) than traditional long slow cardio, even when the training bursts last only half the time. So biking, running, rowing or even walking will be more effective if you do a really fast minute with a small period of recovery. Lower the recovery and/or increase the work interval as you progress.

The third ingredient to go into a fab shapely bride is good nutrition. Small frequent meals will ensure that you do not overfill the fuel tank and store fat, while giving you metabolic bursts. Avoiding processed foods and being careful most of the time will create the calorie overdraft that will remove your fat suit to reveal the toned you underneath. As you are doing resistance training and CV treat days once or twice a week will also be possible, keeping you sane.

How long? 6 weeks of reasonably focused effort should see a dress size come off. Longer or harder training will get even better results. Train for 3 or 4 days a week, for around 30-40 minutes, perhaps doing a circuit of the exercises combined with some CV intervals at the start and finish. Remember that you need to do as many of the exercises as you can. If it is easy to complete then it won’t work!!

Good Luck!!

ps there is a basic homework programme containing some of the compound exercises mentioned above on our knowledge page.

A recent survey covered all the latest shoes that claim to improve posture and muscle tone. Since the release of MBT’s (the first shoe on the market in the UK and the most recognised) in the UK competitors have been relatively slow to follow on with rival products. However in the last 12 months many major shoe manufacturers from Addidas to Nike have jumped on the bandwagon and brought our shoes with rounded soles similar to MBTs and with similar claims.

Although some of the shoes do seem to work the scientific backing is most evident with the MBTs. Proper studies have shown that these shoes make you walk in a more upright position, working the glutes, hamstrings and quads more than ordinary shoes while taking pressure off the knee joint and also strengthening the muscles around the knee.

Many of our personal trainer clients in Berkshire wear these shoes, and although they may not be the most fashionable items they really do seem to work. Of course fancy footwear should only be a supplement to healthy eating and proper structured exercise including resistance training.

Halle has recently bee papped in her beach outfit looking seriously buff and fit-that includes a flat tummy.

The oscar wining actress has a personal trainer, Ramona Braganza and follows the Factor five Plan (all our new personal training clients in London, Maidenhead and Windsor get a copy of this). This involves eating 5 small meals a day. She also works out in short 25 minute bursts five times a week. Ramona says the key to Halle’s body beautiful is plenty of squats and thrusts. “these are all over fat blasting exercises” she says. We agree at Diets Don’t Work. Training in intervals is an excellent way to burn at. Studies have shown that high intensity interval training results in better at loss (and abdominal fat loss) than traditional long slow cardio sessions. They also have more after burn, where you feel hot and energised ater the session and also promote faster adaptive fitness gains.

If you want to get fit, boost energy levels and improve your mood don’t go to the gym says the Daily Mail. A walk in the great outdoors is better for the body and the mind than pounding away on the treadmill says a new study. Those who burn calories in the park or hiking also feel happier than their gym counterparts. The outdoors exercisers also have more energy and can concentrate at work better. It is thought that being surrounded by nature encourages the mind to relax, while the feeling of escaping from everyday life may help to beat the blues. You might also feel happier about saving money on your gym memnership.

The findings come from a review of 25 studies comparing exercise in natural environments (parks, university grounds, forests) with synthetic ones like the gym and leisure centres. Exercising outdoors is better at reducing anger, fatigue and sadness, says the journal BMC Public Health. Those who chose an open air workout also felt more energetic and often found it easier to concentrate. However there was no evidence to show that this outdoors action had any extra benefits over the gym in terms of immune system strength or blood pressure.

The University of Bangor researchers said “this systematic review contributes a rigorous and objective synthesis of the evidence for added benefits to health from activities in a natural environment”.

Part of the services provided by a personal trainer from Diets Don’t Work is the option to train not just at home or in your garden but also in some of the very pretty spaces and parks in London and Berkshire. Training outdoors also burns more calories as the body has to work harder to maintain core temperature in colder weather.

Curry spices could olay a critical role in the battle to prevent global warming by reducing the vast amounts of greenhouse gasses emitted by agricultural animals like cows and sheep. Based on laboratory research, a team at the Universith of Newcastle concludes that adding the spices to the animals’ diet could reduce the amount of methane produced in their stomachs by up to 40%. It is believed that the spices kill off the gut bacteria that create the gas. Methane emissions from livestock (farting, basically) has been estimated to make uo 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Now don’t get the wrong idea here and think that you can help by going out and having lots of curry. According to the Diets Don’t Work personal trainer advice bureau (me) you should of course only have a curry as a special treat and be sure to do lots of exercise to counteract the huge calorific input-the nation’s favourite dish, chicken tikka masala, with pilau rice and plain nan, contains on average 1,338 calories. It also has more fat in it than you should eat in a whole day. So proceed with moderation.

Our personal trainer client Nick in Virginia Water recently had his annual BUPA health check. As well as doing tremendously well his doctor had some other interesting advice. Although you may be eating really well, and having lots of fibre, lean protein, fruit and vegetables, if everything going down your throat is a similar colour (brownish for example) than you need to try to eat more primary coloured foods. These bright colours (reds, yellows, greens, oranges) are indicative of foods that contain micro-nutrients that are not found in other things.

Many clients that have their BUPA health checks done also suffer from being too good-that have all read or heard that too much red meat can cause CHD (chronic heart disease) and arterial problems later on in life. However by avoiding it altogether people can end up with a low red blood cell count and low iron. So long as the red meat is of good quality (filet, sirloin, rump) and has had the fat cut off then red meat is good for you. Don’t have it every day but a least once a week is the recommendation of us here at Diets Don’t Work.

So to ensure that you are getting all the micro nutrients as well as all the main vitamins and minerals that you need to look like a young svelte gazelle and be mistaken for someone half your age, eat some lean red meat with primary coloured vegetables!