This Weeks Top Tip

The average weight of a human head is though to weigh between 4.5 - 5kgs constituting around 8% of your total body mass.

Research suggests that for every 0.5cm of forward neck displacement, the neck ages prematurely by 5 years!

With today's lifestyle being what it is, the majority of people suffer from poor postural aligment and a forward head posture.

Training the neck extensors are often over looked in most peoples programs, however if correctly trained,  can have a huge impact on upper body strength development.

This Weeks Top Tip

Eating a vegetarian diet is healthy?
Wrong!

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the annual all-cause death rate of vegetarian men is slightly more than that of non-vegetarian men (.93% vs .89%); the annual death rate of vegetarian women is significantly more than that of non-vegetarian women (.86% vs .54%) 

A Vegetarians diet often lacks important vitamins and minerals to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I strongly suggest all vegetarians supplement into their diet a good multivitamin, Vitamin B6/B12, zinc and some kind of protein supplement.

Source: (Am J Clin Nutr 1982 36:873)

This Weeks Top Tip

According to a new study recently published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who supplemented with zinc demonstrated reductions in anger and hostility and improvements in mood compared to those women who did not supplement with zinc.

I test for zinc levels in all my clients and since I introduced the test a year ago only two people have shown to have optimal zinc levels.

Apart from the research above, zinc has over 300 roles in the body and is vital for immune health and testosterone levels.

For clients who are sub optimal in zinc I prescribed an 8 week course of 120mgs per day and then retest.

Source: Effect of zinc supplementation on mood states in young women: a pilot study

This Weeks Top Tip

Just the expectation of a mirthful laughter increases endorphin levels by 27% and Human growth hormone by 87%

In a paper presented in an American Physiological Society session at Experimental Biology 2006, Lee S. Berk published a study that showed the significance between "mirthful laughter" and neuroendocrine/hormone effects.

According to Berk: "subjects just before they watched the video had 27% more beta-endorphins and 87% more human growth hormone, compared to blood from the control group, which didn't anticipate the watching of a humorous video.

My advice would be to book yourself a ticket for the pictures this weekend and watch your GH levels sore.

Source: Just the expectation of 'mirthful laughter' experiences boosts in endophins 27 percent, HGH 87 percent, American Physiological Society, Berk, 2006

This Weeks Top Tip

When it comes to organic food there's always some debate as to whether it's better for you or has a higher nutritional value. Although some organic food may not posses more nutrients than non-organic, one thing's for sure; non-organic food is ridiculed with toxins that can be detrimental to your health.

I can understand if you're not one for buying organic, however these two common day-to-day foods are a must when it comes to going organic.

Butter                   Coffee

These two foods have been tested to have the highest levels of pesticides/herbicides, compared with other foods

I recommend Rachel's Organic Butter and Percols Fairtrade Organic Coffee

Protein Cup Cakes

For people who are trying to improve their body composition I will always look at addressing their diet. For most people, carbohydrates seem to be the culprit on why people are getting fat.

I normally restrict carbohydrates completely for the first 14 days as it maximizes the fat loss enzymatic process. However this can be quite difficult for some, and cravings for cakes and sweet foods will sometimes emerge.
The problem is that most cakes and sweet things tend to loaded with sugar and will certainly  have detrimental impacts on your fat loss efforts.
Nevertheless, thanks to one of my clients I was introduced to a sugar free, carb free recipe for protein cup cakes. Although they aren't the most prettiest looking cakes in the world, they're far healthier, are loaded with good fats, and taste pretty good too.

Protein Cup Cake Recipe:

• 200grams of ground almonds
• 100grams of whey protein (flavor optional)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 cup of melted organic butter
• For added flavor you could add the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Pre-heat oven to 180c 
2. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowel until smooth and then pour into cup cake holders.
3. Place in the oven and leave to bake for 12-15 mins.
4. For added flavor I recommend dusting with a cinnamon and serve warm

The above recipe will make anywhere between 10-20 cakes, each containing containing approximately 10 grams of protein depending on their size.

Try the recipe today and enjoy eating cake without the associated guilt.

This Weeks Top Tip

Add cinnamon into your diet today for improved sugar management and greater fat loss 

(especially around the love handle area)

According to some studies, cinnamon may improve blood glucose and cholesterol levels in people with Type 2 diabetes. The results of a study from 2003 in Pakistan showed lower levels of fasting glucose, triglycerides, LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol after 40 days with levels continuing to drop for 20 days after that.

I recommend clients mix 1/3rd teaspoon of ground cinnamon into hot water. Begin by consuming 4 cups of cinnamon tea per day for two weeks then drop back to 1-2 cups per day thereafter.

 Adding it to your coffee and consuming 40mins pre-workout will enhance the fat burning effects of your workout.

Source:

Khan, MS, PHD, Alam, Safdar, MS, Mahpara, Ali Khan, MS, PHD, Mohammad Muzaffar, Khattak, MS, Khan Nawaz, and Anderson, PHD, Richard A.. "Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes." Diabetes Care 26(2003): 3215-3218.

Body Transformation Photo

I'm wanting to share with you a client of mine, who's seen fantastic results from his training. For confidentiality reasons I'm unable to reveal his name, but Mr X has seen a huge change in his physique over the last 6 weeks - losing an incredible 24.4lbs.

Mr X came to me with only 12 weeks in which to transform his physique. He trains with me once a week and an additional 2 times following my program.  The following protocol is what I have prescribed to him over these last 6 weeks:

• Substituting his breakfast of toast and cereal to a meat and nut breakfast.
• Omega 3 fish oil liquid - 10 grams 3-4 times per day with meals.
• L'Carnitine - 3-4 grams per day.
• Taurine - 3 grams post workout and 3 grams with evening meal.

With only a few adjustments made to his lifestyle Mr X has seen great results, and with another 6 weeks to go and more improvements to be made we're both looking forward to seeing the end result.

This Weeks Top Tip

According to top strength coaches the trunk or 'core' muscles are the least trainable muscle group in regards to increasing strength. The calfs on the other hand have the most potential for the greatest increases in strength.

In other words, spend an initial 6-8 week period on your functional 'core' exercises and then let the big lifts, such as squats, deadlifts and chin ups take care of the rest. Time spent after this period is, in my experience time wasted.

This Weeks Top Tip

By adding the following foods to your meal you can effectively lower the glycemic index of the meal by 30%

• Green Olives
• Dills and Sweet pickles
• Horseadish
• 1/2 lemon or lime
• Pickled beets, peppers, garlic, legumes
• Vinegar

I often use this tip for clients who eat out regularly and find it hard to avoid low carbohydrate meals.