Skim milk is full of goodness, and it is a good choice for slimmers because of the extra calcium and fortified vitamins without the additional calories from whole milk. The latter may taste better, but which is healthier?

Why Use Skim Milk?

If you have ever tried whole milk, the lid is usually full of fat. With skim milk, this fat is skimmed off to reduce the overall fat content and calories. Fat is filling to the body and keeps us fuller for longer, but if the same foods can be purchased fat-free, most would choose the latter version. Skim milk contains 0.5 percent of milk fat or less, whereas whole milk contains 3.5 percent. Skim milk is obviously a healthier choice to reduce the consumption of fat in the body. For each cupful of skim milk (16 oz.) there are 91 calories compared to 147 in whole milk.

Positives and Negatives of Skim Milk

• Positive. Contains more calcium than whole milk. The top layer of whole milk containing fat does not contain calcium, so by drinking the same amount of skim milk more essential calcium is absorbed by the body to build strong bones.

• Negative. Can taste watery and bland. Extra sugar or sweeteners may be added to a low fat products to add depth of flavor.

• Positive. Contains less fat and calories. If you switch to skim milk, enjoy saving 1/3 of the calories in whole milk. The fat percentage is drastically reduced per 16 oz. cupful from 3.5 percent (whole milk) to 0.5 percent.

• Negative. The body cannot absorb calcium from skim milk without the fat.

• Negative. Both Vitamin A and D – contained in milk – are fat soluable. Without the fat, the body cannot absorb vitamins or the proteins in milk.

Why use Whole Milk?

Whole milk products do taste better than skim milk products if you can live with the fact that what you consume will be higher in fat and calories.

Positives and Negatives of Whole Milk

• Positive. The body is easily able to absorb calcium, essential amino acids contained in the proteins, and the vitamins because of the fat content in whole milk.

•Positive. Glycosphingolipids are contained in milk fat and improve the health of the immune system and metabolism.

• Positive. In moderation, consuming saturated fat has been shown in studies to raise High Density Lipoprotein levels (good cholesterol).

• Negative. Too much whole milk will cause weight gain because of the calorific and fat content.

• Positive. Whole foods are nutritional because they are not processed.

Which is Healthier?

Contrary to popular belief, most people believe that skim milk because of its lower fat content is healthier. Whole milk, in moderation, is healthier for the body because it can absorb the vitamins and calcium easily. When foods undergo processing, including skim milk, the nutrient content often reduces too. Skim milk may contain fortified vitamins, but if there is no fat in the product, how can the body absorb the essential amino acids in the proteins, or the calcium and vitamins?

The Russian Twist or seated oblique twist is an important abdominal exercise that strengthens various areas of the abdominals, specifically the rectus abdominis (six pack muscle), the internal obliques (cover the six pack muscle), and the external obliques (cover the internal obliques).

The abdominal muscles are one of the basic core muscles in the body, together with the trunk. Every movement performed by the body engages the core muscles, so it is always better when they are kept strong so you can live a stress free and painless free body. Strong internal and external oblique muscles prevent backache and can build strength and speed in competition-based events like sprinting and racquet sports.

How To Perform a Seated Oblique Twist Correctly

• Sit on a mat or flat cushion on the floor for extra comfort. Performing on a hard surface puts strain on the back. Bend your knees and make sure that your feet remain on the floor.

• With any abdominal exercise, it is important to pull in the abdominals so tense them to further work them and keep them stronger over the long term. Sit up at an angle of about 45 degrees.

• Remember to breathe throughout the exercise. Breathing correctly allows you the concentration to perform the oblique exercises correctly. Exhale during the exercise and inhale when resting after the rep.

• Grab hold of a medicine ball with handles (if possible). Aim to hold the medicine ball straight in front of the body.

• Keep the abdominals tense throughout, and use your abdominals and the weight of the medicine ball to twist your torso to the right side to touch the floor.

• Keep the abdominals tense, breathe correctly, and twist the medicine ball to the other side and the floor. That is one rep.

• In order to build strong abdominals, especially the oblique muscles, the muscles need to become slightly stressed in order for tears to take place in the abdominal area. With the right protein rich foods, the muscles grow in strength, strip off fat, and you will achieve a toned sexy body.

Benefits of Seated Oblique Twists

• This exercise tones the side abdominals which many people forget to train when they perform crunches. It will develop the enviable V side muscles as seen on athletes.

• A stronger abdominal and core prevents backache.

• It builds strength and speed in other areas; especially sprint work and racquet sports.

It is important to note that when any undertaking any bodyweight exercise like a seated oblique twist, rest days are important to refuel the muscles. Nutrition is also important, especially on training days. Always try to beat your target number of repetitions. For beginners, try to perform 5 to 10 repetitions. Sticking to the same number of reps will not build a strong body over the long term.

The body is designed to build in strength, so performing the correct exercises and fueling the body with protein rich foods like eggs, red meat, fish, and nuts/seeds will help your muscles to grow. Rest is essential. If the body ever feels overworked through training or even basic work, it can break down and become ill.

In order to lose weight, it is important to find out about your metabolic type. If you struggle to lose weight, look at the foods you are consuming throughout the day, or keep a food diary. Is your diet full of animal fats, or do you simply not eat enough throughout the day. Be honest with yourself. There are three metabolic types: slow, balanced, or fast. It is possible to change your current metabolic type with exercise and nutrition. Your current metabolism stems from your life style choices, it is nothing hereditary.

Slow Metabolic Type

Those with a slow metabolic type are often obese; suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (ME), osteoporosis from lack of exercise, and Type 2 diabetes. Every person is born with a fast metabolic rate, but drugs, unhealthy diets, and lack of exercise gradually slow down the metabolism, enough to cause rapid weight gain and internal problems.

Individuals who suffer from a slow metabolism need to eat more alkaline foods like those found in fresh fruit and vegetables and refrain from consuming foods too high in acid like animal fats. It is essential to maintain the perfect PH balance in the body so that the body can work sufficiently, and boost the immune system to prevent toxic diseases.

With a slow metabolic rate, the body is not working sufficiently to burn the energy from food.

Balanced Metabolic Types

Individuals who have a balanced metabolism will often stay at a healthy weight throughout their lifetime. They consume health foods but also ‘treat’ themselves to the unhealthy foods – in moderation.

Fast Metabolic Types

Lean body types and those individuals who can consume fast food and stay at the same weight often have a high metabolism. It could be nervous tension in the body that causes them to burn up foods rapidly, or it could be an overactive thyroid gland – hyperthyroidism. Eating constantly also takes advantage of dietary thermogenesis – the calories burnt during digestion.

Find Out Your Metabolic Type

Answer the following questions correctly to confirm your current metabolic type.  Alternatively, visit your physician for a blood test.

Note how often you eat throughout the day.

a) Two to three meals per day.

b) Three meals per day with one light snack.

c) Three meals, with constant snacks throughout the day.

Note your lunchtime appetite.

a) Light appetite.

b) Normal appetite.

c) Ravenous appetite.

Note what you consume at breakfast.

a) Nothing.

b) Cereal, toast, or fruit.

c) Bacon, eggs etc.

Note the foods consumed at a buffet?

a) Chicken, fish, vegetables, deserts.

b) Both foods from a) and b) food groups.

c) Heavy foods full of fat.

Do you have a good attitude with food?

a) Occasionally, I do not eat.

b) Enjoy food and never miss a meal.

c) Food rules my life.

What are the reasons to cause your weight gain?

a) Wrong food choices.

b) No particular foods cause my weight gain.

c) Bread, sweets, or fruit.

If you chose more As than Bs or Cs, your metabolism is slow.

If you chose more Bs than As or have an equal number of each you have a balanced metabolism.

If you chose more Cs than As or Bs, you have a fast metabolism.

Press-ups are the perfect bodyweight exercise. You do not need to join the gym to perform press-ups, although most people need an excuse not to workout. Press-ups use up to seventy percent of your bodyweight, so it is a perfect exercise in which to tone up, gain muscle mass, improve your resting metabolism, and burn off fat.

I can successfully perform around forty press-ups without a break. This is enough for a woman (or so I think) because it keeps my chest pert, as I hate uncomfortable bras. I used to attend boxing training, and I soon built up my upper-body strength. Press-ups will burn calories…and lots. It tones the upper body of the back, biceps, triceps, chest (perfect to tone the tits, girls), and abdomen. Remember to make sure that your back is straight while performing press-ups. If you are new to press-ups, perform them on your knees and make sure to lower your chest almost to the floor as one rep.

There are a variety of press-ups to try. I like to perform press-ups with my feet resting on a box. This is a tough exercise, but it works the abdomen perfectly. Try resting your feet on top of the other foot and perform fifteen press-ups before carrying out the workout on the other foot. This increases the amount of bodyweight that you lift during a press-up and will toughen the exercise.

Another way to strain the muscles through press-ups is to purchase a stability ball. Balance the feet on the ball, lower your chest to the floor in a press-ups, and then curl the feet in on the ball to work the hamstrings and abdomen. Try to work up to 10-12. I literally break out into a sweat just performing twelve of these bastards. Nevertheless, work through the pain barriers by training your mind with positive mantras like ‘no pain’ or ‘one more minute and its over’. Another great motivator is music. The right song makes me go further. Pendulum and Prodigy are fantastic to listen to during a hard bodyweight training sessions.

I am sick to death of listening to the radio and TV about weight loss programs to follow. Okay there are pills, potions, low fat foods, exercise programs, weight loss programs, and stupid dangerous diets that reduce the calorie count so much that it can invoke an eating disorder.

One I keep listening to every morning is the Jenny Craig Program. The thing about these weight loss programs is that they are often very low in calories, which over time will make you add on more weight because the basal metabolic rate (BMR) is slower than normal. Those individuals who miss breakfast are more likely to become overweight. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it invokes the metabolism and keeps it higher for longer. Stay away from sugary cereals like Special K (another con-merchant who uses colour therapy – red – to make you become hungry). All cereals are crap and full of additives – most likely sugar or sweeteners.

One of the best – and lowest calorie – breakfasts is to have two pieces of rye bread toasted, two poached or scrambled eggs, and two slices of bacon. You will take in around 500 calories, but you are also less likely to snack on sugary foods later, and the protein kick will be sufficient enough to last until lunch. Perfect snacks to munch on are nectarines and satsumas. Rice cakes are also good because they often use brown rice which is higher in fibre.

Weight loss programs that you pay for may cause short-term weight loss because of the reduced calories, but do you really want to follow an expensive food program forever? They are after your money. If you’re stuck for some meal ideas and you want to lose weight, write to me for free and I’ll give you some ideas.

To lose weight effectively you must:

• Eat breakfast. It triggers the metabolism to rise, and while you eat your body undergoes thermogenesis (burns calories while digesting). The more times you eat throughout the day the more you will take advantage of dietary thermogenesis.

• Take up weight-training. Muscle is metabolically active, and the more muscle there is in the body the more calories you will burn at rest. Press-ups are one of the most basic body-weight training exercises you can undertake, and they can be performed anywhere. During a press-up, you are holding up almost seventy percent of your own bodyweight. Squats are effective for building the glutes (buttocks) and strengthening the thighs. If you add just one pound of muscle mass per month over the space of three months, you will burn an extra 150 calories per day at rest.

• Stop eating Low-fat food. You think it is good for you, but it may have an opposing effect on you and help you to gain weight. Why? Low fat foods contain sweeteners, and these are often worse than natural sugar. Sweeteners stimulate the brain to produce ghelin – the hunger hormone – so the more you eat of them the more you will crave. How many of us feel guilty staring at a piece of chocolate cake let alone eating the piece? Where is the guilt coming from? The past? Emotional issues? Get rid of these niggling doubts by focusing on the now. Breath deeply through the nose making sure that the belly extends outwards, and exhale through the mouth. Continue five times to make you aware of where you are right now. Fuck the past, future, or how many chocolate biscuits you ate for lunch. Guilt is often what causes unhealthy eating habits. I love maltesers and pizza. Do I feel guilty about chomping a full sized ten inch pizza (or even a twelve inch) sometimes. No! I enjoy the occasional treats.

• Eat everything in moderation. If you want to eat a full sized pizza once a week, look forward to it and savour every bite. Try to eat healthily throughout the week and have a treat once or twice a week. If you fancy roast potatoes, brush the lightly with olive oil and roast until they  crunchy. Roast potatoes are full of goodness and it is okay to eat them every day, just steer clear of the goose fat and stick to Lurpak or olive oil. Add salt, black pepper, and chilli flakes for an added kick.

• Focus inwards at your emotions. Do you emotionally eat because you feel unhappy inside, or is it because of another issue. Begin meditation and learn to breath deeply anytime you feel distress or anxious. Flower Remedies are wonderful and they treat emotions in a drug-free way. I use them. They are also non-addictive and they are to be used for as long as necessary.

• Change for yourself. It is easy to know what is classed as perfection. Supermodels and actresses with size two figures, or those who cake their eyes, face, and lips in natural looking make-up. Forget about trying to look like another. You have your own body shape and muscle mass that is more unique than anybody elses. Why would you want to look like a supermodel and everyone else anyway? Men like curvy women. Those who only date stick thin females are shallow and have their own insecurities anyway. One guy jibed me about my untoned thighs once. He was a fellow Virgo, and I went off him after that because he was obviously looking for supermodel perfection and he didn’t see it in me. I am fit and healthy inside, why do I need to be toned to perfection? I would never change for anyone, only myself. If you want to lose weight, never do it for another person. Do it only for yourself. You, your body, and your mind are here together on Earth for a very long time, so learn to love yourself and your flaws.

• Stay away from fad diets and weight-loss programs. They want your money and their aim is to make sure that you stay on their diet for as long as possible. You will likely lose weight on their program, but you will also gain it if an inadequate calorie intake is sustained. Do you really need your mind made up for you as to what to eat to lose weight? Use fresh vegetables with meals. Use skinless meats and avoid frozen ready meals are these contain additional salt/sugar. Most diets state that you must follow a calorie controlled diet in order for the weight loss program to work anyway. They take out all the measuring and deliver the small portion sizes to you. Instead of chomping three fajitas (as I do), they will send you two. Remember, you pay for that, and what a stupid expense when you have YOUR own mindset as a tool to lose weight.

Of course I didn’t complete the thirty day juice fast. What the hell was I thinking! The food cravings for fries and KFC became too much! Damn it is hard. Fuck knows how I managed to complete a six day juice fast months ago.

I am in a weird phase of the Dark Night of The Soul at the moment. Living life is such a struggle. I have ecstatic moments where I feel on top of the world and other days, I feel like a zombie. I am not keeping on top of my training, although I did some tough weights, press-ups, and twenty minutes on the rower on Saturday morning. I’m aching now and walking like an old biddy.

I want to get to the gym later and do an hour on the bike at low and high resistances. I also didn’t manage to finish the 100 press-ups challenge. Damn, I must be getting weak just before I turn 30.

This phase is weird. I hardly do much training these days because I do not get the motivational urges. I will fight to get back my fitness no matter how difficult the journey. I did, however, make a confidence building video on Youtube. Check it out here!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Day one of my thirty-day juice fast took place yesterday. My toxic symptoms really weren’t that bad. I hardly drink alcohol, I perhaps drink too much coffee, and I do not smoke. I suffer from arthritis in my hands, probably from repetitive strain injury, and rather than take anti-inflammatories all my life I would rather treat myself naturally.

I started the day with a two pink grapefruit and lemon juice. It was yummy and filled me up until 4.00 pm. I drunk various herbal teas throughout the day, most of them made by Pukka. Really delicious!

People looked at me like I was a loon walking round Morrisons with my two massive bags of carrots, a swede, 2 pineapples, green cabbage, red peppers, celery, and apples. That’s just for starters. I need to get some spinach, radishes (for a little kick), and broccoli.

Okay, the hunger started getting to me about 4.30 pm so I decided to juice some green cabbage leaves, three carrots, two sticks of celery, and a red pepper. It was yummy, but then the real cravings for food started kicking in. No more pasta and cheese for thirty days. No more coffee. No pizza. No greasy chinese. What the hell am I putting myself through? I was so tempted to rummage through my fridge and freezer for something naughty to eat, but I managed to stop myself.

At 7.30 ish, I juiced a full pineapple, and it was so yummy! Whenever a nasty food craving hit me, I had another boring herbal tea. I keep thinking that this is only going to benefit me in the long run. The worst cravings hit me watching the adverts of Britains Got Talent. It’s sponsored my Dominos, and several times I wanted to reach for the phone and to dial the number for a meat feast. The two acts I voted for got through – Tobias Mead and Spellbound. I never usually vote so woohoo!

I’m only on day two, and I’ve taken my psyllium husks and am waiting for them to work before I have my first juice of the day. I’ve had no ‘detox’ symptoms yet, but my stomach is definitely flatter and my skin radiant. Day two tomorrow.

Does anyone else want to try this with me? At the end of six weeks I should be able to perform 100 press-ups easily. At the moment, I feel comfortable doing just 30-40. I spotted this in Men’s Health – such a great magazine. I tried the juice fasting from either Men’s Fitness or Men’s Health.

Anyway week one is easy. Perform various sets before trying 13 press-ups. So I must perform 11 press-ups, then 12, then do two sets of 9 press-ups. Obviously rest in between each set, then try the 13. Not sure if it my flat or the laminate floor, but I found it incredibly hard. I’m not sure if this is because I’m still knackered from a four and a half hour bike ride yesterday where I covered almost 50 k on uneven terrain. Still got up Blackstone Edge though. Still got the old fitness.

It is useful to carry out this week one 3-4 times per week to build up the stamina in the biceps/triceps. I always find it easier to perform press-ups on a mat at the gym, or perhaps it the motivation of loads of fit men training around me that makes me want to work hard. I can do the diamond press-ups, but I struggle to do the clap press-up and throw the body off the floor and clap press-ups. I had a dream once that I could do them like Stallone in Rocky. Dreams are so great!

Anyway, weeks two-six get harder, but apparently doing the reps before the required set of press-ups builds arm strength. Mental strength is also required. The body often lets down the mind when pain creeps in – well I suppose it is normal, but if you choose to push through the pain, you can do with mental strength. Good luck! I’ll let you know how I get on.

I’m having a break from bodyweight training, and doing more cardiovascular exercise these days. I’ve just been to the gym and cycled for an hour. I still kept it intense and hard, one minute riding on high resistance, one minute casual riding. Then I did twenty minutes of hills, and finally I pressed the ‘fat burning’ button for the last twenty.

Apparently, for my age the ideal fat burning heart rate for me is 123. Bearing in mind I had stoked it up to 180 after my rapid cycling, it took about five minutes to bring it down to this level. I felt so lazy, and sweat started to dry on me and turn me goose pimply. During a workout, I like to sweat sweat sweat, or what’s the friggin point? After three minutes, I gave up and went back to my tough workouts.

How the hell can people get fit if they don’t even try to work their heart? A heart rate of 123 for me  during a workout is absolutely nothing. Even when I used to speed walk to work, I would have a guess that my heart rate was 150 or something in that region. Intense training is the best way to burn off fat. Keep the heart rate high, and the metabolism heightens. My goodness, if I would have cycled at 123 beats per minute for sixty minutes, I probably would have only burnt off 150 calories next to my 450 effort. It did make me feel extremely euphoric afterward.

The whole point of this blog is to give informative articles about fitness, nutrition, and to design my own short tough workouts that build strength, tone the muscles, and burn off stubborn fat. Occasionally though, I feel I do have to go over the 30 minutes.

This workout took me around fifty minutes, and I’m feeling its positive effects today in two sore buttocks, a tight back, tender triceps, and aching abdominals.

The weights are optional for the squats, but weight are needed for the dead lift. Adding weights makes each exercise harder. Take a minute between each exercise if you need it. These moves draw out perspiration and require healthy lung power, so therefore the moves dry the throat easily.

Equipment Needed:

• Mat
• Stability ball
• Weights 30-80kg
• Skipping rope (optional)

The Workout:

Start off with 3-5 minutes of jump rope or jogging on the spot to warm the muscles.

• Twenty normal press-ups, twenty squat thrusts, and twenty star jumps, without taking a break, followed by twenty sit-ups on the stability ball.

• Nineteen weighted squats. Feet hip width apart, and try to squat down slowly rather than rush the move. Really work those buttock muscles. After several you will feel the ache. Nineteen sit-ups on the stability ball.

• Eighteen dead lifts. Feet close together. Suck in the abdominals. Reach for the weight and pull up to stomach. Do not curl the back, rather stand up naturally. Follow the weight down keeping the back straight and bend the knees slightly until you feel a pull in the hamstring and buttock areas. Eighteen sit-ups on the stability ball.

• Seventeen wide press-ups. Widen the hands as far as possible and perform seventeen. Straight onto seventeen squat thrusts, and seventeen star jumps, followed by seventeen sit-ups on stability ball.

• Sixteen weighted squats, but widen the legs slightly. Sixteen sit-ups on stability ball.

• Fifteen dead lifts followed by fifteen sit ups on stability ball.

• Fourteen diamond shaped press-ups, followed by fourteen squat thrusts, fourteen star jumps, and fourteen sit-ups on stability ball.

• Thirteen weighted squats feet closer together, followed by thirteen sit-ups on stability ball.

• Twelve dead lifts, followed by twelve sit-ups on stability ball.

• Eleven normal press-ups, followed by eleven squat thrusts, eleven star jumps, and eleven sit-ups on stability ball.

• Ten weighted squats, feet wider, followed by ten sit-ups on stability ball.

• Nine dead lifts, followed by nine sit-ups on stability ball.

• Eight wide press-ups, followed by eight squat thrusts, eight star jumps, and eight sit-ups on stability ball.

• Seven weighted squats, feet close together, followed by, you guessed it, seven sit-ups on stability ball.

• Six dead lifts, followed by sit-ups on ball.

• Five diamond shaped press-ups, followed by five squat thrusts, five star jumps, and five sit-ups on ball.

• Four weighted squats, feet wider. Four sit-ups on stability ball.

• Three dead lifts. Three sit-ups on ball.

• Two normal press-ups, two squat thrusts, two star jumps, and two sit-ups on stability ball.

• One weighted squat, feet closer, followed by one last sit-up on stability ball.

Try to perform the moves without taking a break before the sit-ups. Performing sit-ups on a stability ball works on core strength because it requires some effort to remain on the ball and perform the exercise. There are a wide array of activities to perform on a stability ball, more of which I’ll discuss another time.

Be sure to eat protein rich food 30-60 minutes after the workout. If you can, try to go from five to one without taking a break to really stress the muscles. The physical act of lifting the weight, even for only one rep still stresses the muscles, and will help then grow back stronger – with the right nutrition.

This short workout is timed three minutes for each separate sequence. Boxing, skipping, and weight training incorporates to provide the body with a thorough workout.

Equipment Needed

• Mat
• Medicine ball
• Boxing gloves and bag
• 10-20kg dumbells
• Stability ball
• Skipping rope

The Workout

• Jump rope for three minutes to warm up the muscles.

• Do alternate punches to the heavy bag for three minutes. Try not to take a break, and if you do stay on your toes to keep the heart rate high. Throw upper cuts, jabs, and straight punches.

• Sit on stability ball and grab your medicine ball. Perform three minutes of sit-ups slowly. If you struggle with the last minute and a half, transfer the sit-ups to the mat. Remember to exhale as you rise, and inhale when you drop your shoulders. This will hurt but will build strong abdominals. Alternatively, do sit-ups against the heavy bag and punch the bag with each crunch.

• Pick up your weights and perform three minutes of weighted squats. Try to perform the exercise slowly to really work the buttock and thigh muscles.

• Rest hands on mat and position feet closely on stability ball. Dip down into a press-up and then pull the ball in with your feet. This is a hard move but try to perform twelve. It strengthens core strength, works on balance, and tones the calves, back, and arms.

• That’s one round. Try to perform two of the same circuit.

This workout will take on average 25 minutes. Take a rest in between each move for 30 seconds to one minute.  I really was sore the next day after this short workout.

Juicing has changed my way of thinking. I am a big believer in it and how clarified my mind feels. So what kinds of ailments can juicing help with. Okay, I am not too sure how long some juice fasts have to go on for to get rid of a certain disorder but I would say continue until the problem has gone. After seven days of juice fasting, however, the muscle tissue starts to break down, and heart tissue can wean away too. I know, a scary thought.

I have decided that the benefits of juice fasting are so beneficial for me that every month I am going to do a five day juice fast. Others may state, “Oh I can’t do a juice fast because I HAVE to eat.” But how do you know if you don’t at least try it?

What about if you suffer from mental health issues, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, skin problems such as acne and eczema, negativity, weight trouble, even cancers. Juice fasting can heal the body from within and reverse the original problem. If you think I’m a bullshitter then prove me wrong!

Now I know that my body – which is a marvel in itself – does need time to detox. Actual diseases start in the body because of clogged up foods in the colon. The thought of decayed, rotten food stuck in the colon for years may surprise some people, but for unhealthy people who follow a high protein, high fat diet, the colon is the place where many problems can start. A juice fast can rid the body of pounds of toxic fat and therefore flush out ‘the toxic problems’.

Okay, I admit I was a bit of a skeptic before I tried it. I am a full of energy person but on a juice fast and calories of probably just over 700-800 calories, I had too much energy. If you start a juice fast and think that you can’t continue…please persevere. I got hunger pangs for solid food but my stomach wasn’t actually hungry for it, they were merely memories. If people knew this secret, doctors wouldn’t be needed. Our bodies are wonderful and self-healing so give it a break with a juice fast and let the fresh vitamins, minerals and enzymes flood your body with vitality.

Juice Day 4

Woke up with no appetite…again  but I had a fruit juice anyway. Took my psyllium husks and they do work to clean the colon. Take them 30-60 minutes beforehand with 250 ml of water or other fruit juice (not from concentrate). I’ve been reading up on juice fasting on other websites and some of the ‘toxic’ symptoms include: nausea, headaches, irritability, moodiness etc etc. I can’t say I’ve suffered from nausea or headaches but I was very over emotional on day 4 of my juice feast (and yes, I meant to say feast not fast). It was awful. Felt like I was going through some kind of a spiritual crisis. Thoughts of what’s the bloody point (career choice) and how I piss people off came to mind. Of course, I couldn’t sleep so I got up and did some work on my erotica. From out of the blue, I got an email from a New York publisher about my erotica. She wants to offer me a contract. Boy, the universe does send a clear message to lead us on the right path when we feel stuck, like I did that night.

Throughout the day, I felt no hunger and had four pints of fruits and vegetable juices. Tomato juice is divine and excellent for men to drink as it contains lycopene, a powerful antioxidant which helps to prevent testicular cancer. I used some of the carrot, red pepper, and celery fiber to make a soup because I was so bored and wanted something warm in my stomach. I simmered it for 45 minutes, and added black pepper. I strained it and it looked like piss juice (sorry but it did). Fuck me! When I drank it, I coughed manically. I had really over peppered it. Peppered piss juice. Mmm (not). I suppose without the pepper it would have been okay. Must strain the fiber though and drink only the broth.

I was so over emotional on juice day 4 that I almost gave in and ate solid food. Advert after advert on the TV showed some luscious looking food, which made me just want to break it. However, I got through the pain and remained on the juice fast.

I don’t feel like I’ve lost any weight, although my clothes state I have by several inches. Perhaps I’m not at all toxic inside, although after my emotional ‘paddy’ I did feel clear minded and more focused.

Juice Day 5

Again woke up with no hunger. I had a carrot juice in a rush and I would not recommend to drink a pint of juice fast. I almost felt sick. Plus with each swig of fruit or vegetable juice it must be swished in the mouth so that the body can absorb the nutrients. I had no time to swish the juice, and it filled me up for about ten minutes before I had hunger pangs again. Two small bottles of apple juice helped that (again not from concentrate).

My mate bought me an orange and ginger juice in Manchester, and the scent coming from one of the food outlets really overpowered my nasal passage. All the time I kept thinking, only one more day to go. Stick to it and I have.

I weighed myself today. Last Saturday I was exactly twelve stones (not sure what that is in kilos). Today, magnificently, I weighed 11.2lbs. I have lost 12 pounds. My clothes are definitely looser and my mind is focused and full of beans. I have a zest for life.

And no folks, it’s not water loss because I’ve been drinking my fluids in warm water with lemon and my vegetable and fruit juices. This is fat loss.

A little information about juice fasting

While some people may think that a juice fast is a silly detox, it detoxifies the body much more slowly than a plain old water fast. The fruits and vegetables supply enough calories, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Because all of the fiber is taken off through the juicer, the body absorbs no fiber so, therefore, this why psyllium husks or a daily enema is required to help your colon flush out the toxins.

Days one and two the body gets rid of old fecal matter through the colon. Days three and four the body turns to ketosis, and old fat is used up to supply your energy, hence the extremely fast weight loss. If you are a beginner to a detox, do try and do this juice fast for only 1-7 days (I chose 5-6).

I won’t say that it has been easy but my stomach has been content. The memories of food are still at the forefront of my mind, so it is merely memories that make us eat. This juice fast has taught me that I am only going to eat when I am hungry rather than snacking on stuff when I feel bored. Keep at it. It is a mental challenge but definitely worth it. Twice a year ritual for me now. Almost lost a stone in weight. I’m buzzing!

I woke up this morning with no hunger pangs…again. Usually I’m desperate for my eggs, bacon, and toast in the morning but. This is strange because I always thought I was hungry before but feeling hungry is not the same as being hungry. Food is manipulating. Should have seen how many adverts last night were about food. It was torture.

I have definitely lost weight in only three days. I have lost weight off my stomach definitely. It is so flat. I am worried that I am not so toxic though because I have not had the headaches or feelings or nausea. I feel bright eyed and full of energy, like on day 2 of my juice fast.

I know I’m definitely going to stick to this plan for five days. Fuck what the medical experts say. They only promote drugs anyway. If this juice fast can cure multiple sclerosis I’m on it there’s got to be something good in it.  I can’t wait for the ongoing positivity (as it states on some websites). I believe that we should juice fast a couple of times a year. I will definitely be putting myself through this again because it is positive for my body. I’m off to get some psyllium husks or else my colon will get clogged up again, but apparently one can lose 5-7lbs per day from toxic waste. How amazing!

I did want to write about my Juice Fast yesterday, but there was trouble uploading a blog. Anyhow day one was hard. I was constantly hungry and craving KFC. I must have looked a right juicing plonker walking round Morrisons with my two cucumbers, three packets of mixed peppers, three massive bags of carrots, two packets of celery, oranges, grapefruits, and I forgot the most essential item of all, the one that I needed the most; bloody handwash.

Anyhow I started with a vegetable juice of three carrots, two sticks of celery, and a red pepper. It was delicious and filled me up for about ten minutes. By this time I was craving white bread with lurpak and I usually hate white bread, always stick to the healthier rye breads or seeded loafs.

About an hour or so later I had a fruit juice made with four satsumas, a pink grapefruit, and one lemon. This was delicious and seemed to stave off the hunger. Throughout the night I had no other juices only drank hot water with lemon juice.

I slept for England last night and woke up full of energy and feeling no hunger, which was weird. I cleaned up and watered my plants without any energy in my body yet I was full of it. I then made my vegetable juice. Even now after my vegetable juice, the hunger has gone. I’m going to keep this up for 5-6 days as any longer than 7 days can be dangerous because the heart muscle can break down as well as other muscles.

The positives of juice fasting is that is cleanses the body and fills it with live enzymes. It can help mental health and cure depression, enlivens spirituality, fast weight loss because the body does not have to digest anything. My farts from the sprouts I ate last week have gone and my stomach was as flat as a pancake this morning. Usually when it’s that flat I am desperately hungry but I’m not craving any food. I’m not going to keep this juice fast up for longer than 5-6 days though because I love food.

So far I’ve not been emotional, which is what can happen during a juice fast.  Because I am not adding toxins to my body, I do feel full of energy and beans. I might even get a gym workout in as I just feel like I want to jump up and do something. Weird feeling. You’d have to try it for yourself.

That’s just me. I decide to do something and I go through with it. I have never ever done a detox in my life. I tried the high protein diet once but I had the shits from it so that’s not recommended. This juice fast is very different and differs from the water only detox, which can take a lot longer to shed the toxins. Add a juice fast to the picture and you have a very different story because you’re filling your body with a multitude of vitamins/minerals and live enzymes. I’ll keep you updated tomorrow!

If you’re new to exercise or want to increase your fitness in an easy way by getting fresh air and walking with friends then rambling may be the sport for you. Rambling is very similar to hiking, although poles are usually used with hiking for the steep hills. Rambling is perfect for people of all ages and is walking on country paths. Working out in fresh air vs. the gym has many benefits.

• Combats Depression – Fresh air clears the mind and helps those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and it also helps sufferers of depression. Natural daylight also provides the skin with Vitamin D, which is wonderful for boosting the nervous system and banishing negative thoughts. Vitamin D also helps the body to absorb calcium, so it helps joint health and prevents age related diseases like osteoarthritis and brittle bone disease.

• Regular rambling will increase fitness –  The heart will grow larger and the resting heart rate will be a lot slower  (a good sign of fitness).

• Weight loss – Rambling will increase the metabolism if performed regularly. As we grow older, the body naturally needs less calories and muscle tissue breaks down therefore reducing the body’s basal metabolic rate. A good way to increase the metabolic rate over the long term is to participate in weight bearing exercises, such as rambling. The changes may be slight but you will definitely feel better in yourself.

• Protect your joints – It is important when you undertake any form of exercise to protect the leg joints so make sure that you buy a good pair of walking boots that have a good grip but are also light so that you can carry on with the sport for hours.

A few things to consider with rambling is the countryside codes.  Some areas may be private so be well aware.

Exercise is very important to heart and joint health. Weight bearing exercises, such as walking, skipping, and jogging strengthen the leg joints and help to prevent age degenerative diseases like osteoporosis (brittle bone disease). It is important to train at least every two days to give the body time to rest. It is during the rest periods that muscles grow bigger and stronger. Regular weight training is important to heighten the metabolism, and lean muscle tissue is sexy, but how can people avoid overworking their joints during exercise?

I am not stating that exercising every day is wrong. Some people like to train the upper half of their body one day and work on their lower half the next. That is perfectly fine, but working the entire body out every day can really put a strain on the joints. An excellent supplement to take to help cartilage repair is Glucosamine. It is a well known supplement that keeps the joints supple, and millions of people take it because it is safe and very useful for training and people of all ages can feel its benefits, even those who suffer from joint problems.

The muscles need energy in the form of glucose, and Glucosamine provides this. The body already produces Glucosamine in an adequate quantity to repair and maintain cartilage, but if you participate in hard exercise, it is always useful to take a supplement. There are two varieties available, Glucosamine Sulphate and Glucosamine Hydrochloride. Glucosamine Sulphate is more easily absorbed in the intestine by up to 98% in some arthritis sufferers.

Glucosamine is also an effective supplement to take to prevent arthritis, and millions of people worldwide suffer with this. Even in arthritis sufferers, especially those who suffer from osteoarthritis, Glucosamine can help to relieve inflammation. Studies have also shown that Glucosamine is more effective than mainstream anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen.

Weight problems can stem through late nights, even insomnia. During 11.00 – 1.00 pm the body produces collagen for the skin so it is the ideal time to put regenerative creams on the skin. What is also important is the exact time you go to bed. After 1.00 pm, the body produces ghelin (the hunger hormone). During sleep, obviously this hormone is satisfied and does not need to come out to play.

Midnight snacking is simply too much ghelin secretion, which causes a person to overeat. This can lead to weight gain. Try getting into a regular pattern of going to bed around 11.00 – 12.00pm and your body will slim during sleep, the body is able to maintain health, boost collagen, burn calories at rest, and the body will wake up refreshed, with plumper skin, the brain is revitalised, and the body will  be hungry and crave breakfast, another slimmers secret.

Foods to help you sleep are those rich in carbohydrates, hot milk, lettuce. Avoid overstimulation like too much TV, computer games, or loud music. Have a warm bath, burn candles and incense, and use relaxing aromatherapy oils to aid sleep. Lavender oil is perfect.

Aint’ it strange that you can never really notice weight loss in yourself until someone else spots it. A couple of weeks ago a person I hadn’t seen in years told me I had lost weight. The same day, a girl at the gym asked me if I had lost weight. Of course, I have been doing my usual weight training and skipping workouts and much less spinning. It’s so strange. Then I weighed myself at weekend and found that I had put half a stone on.

So perhaps I’ve added a lot of muscle tissue, which obviously weighs more than fat, although I have a fairly athletic build, but I don’t think I have added seven pounds of muscle. That is way too much.

Anyhow, I need something quick to get me fit and I’m now attending boxing training twice a week, body pump once a week and body combat once a week. That’s enough for me. I’m already aching after my gym session last night and boxing training tonight.

If you’re serious about conditioning your body, I would highly recommend boxing training. The hour and a half session started off with skipping. I used a weighted rope, which makes it a little harder but tones the shoulders nicely. Then there were sprints on the spot, high jumps, press-ups, burpees, star jumps, and sit-ups. Then it was out into the nippy air for a mile and half job followed by tiring two minute heavy bag punches non-stop. Sit ups and press-ups followed, then knees up throwing shots at the bag thirty seconds, heavy blows for half a minute, and alternate punches for a final thirty seconds. Two sets of these were performed.

Finally the last twenty minutes contained some seriously hard body weight training, some of which I coudn’t do (throw your body off the floor press-ups) but at least I tried but almost splatted my nose on the carpet. More tough sit-ups followed and then it was a stretch and warm down.

I am not sure what attracts me to hard training such as this but I know that the pain is worth it in fitness and the positive changes it gives to the body. Even my punching power has gained in strength and I am able to keep my guard up. I have big respect for boxers. I struggled throwing punches for just two minutes, let alone twelve rounds of three minutes.

The Breath of Fire is an advanced meditation technique that has many benefits. If you already practice basic meditation, this one will be weird to try but will give you a wonderful feeling of calmness internally.

It is a used in Kundalini Yoga. This breath of fire meditation technique is best performed in the lotus position rather than lay down. Sit up straight, hands in a comfortable position. Close the mouth and breathe rapidly out through the nose. It should sound like fast sniffing. Make sure that when you sniff your diaphragm raises and falls but it should do this involuntary so you will not have to think about it. The fitter you are the more snuffs you will able to do in one minute. I wasn’t taught to put the tongue out beforehand like shown on the video but could be worth a try. Try to build up to three minutes.

Practice makes perfect so if you feel weird, just do it alone and practice.

Here’s the Breath of Fire in action.

Advanced Meditation Technique – Breath of Fire

The benefits of this Breath of Fire Advanced Meditation Technique:

• Calms and strengthens the nervous system tremendously. When we are nervous we turn to nicotine, unhealthy foods, feel lethargic, try the Breath of Fire Advanced Meditation Technique instead.
• Can lengthen the life.
• Generates good chi energy flow in the body
• Helps the body to detoxify quickly and much more effectively than other detoxifying methods.
• Strengthens lung capacity
• Improves the digestive system

Contra-indications to Breath of Fire:

• Do avoid if you suffer with vertigo or dizziness.
• Avoid during menstruation
• Avoid if you suffer with hypertension (high blood pressure), epilepsy, heart disease, or have suffered a stroke. Those with ulcers – be cautious.

What is important to remember when you are undertaking any exercise or weight loss programme is that if you perform weight training, you WILL put on weight. If you’re obsessed with weighing yourself, this isn’t going to help you one bit and can lead you off the right path onto the wrong.

Instead, get rid of the scales and let your clothes tell the truth. I always know when I’ve lost weight because my clothes are loose. The scales always show me at the same weight or more but I do a lot of weight training.

The reason I state this is because muscle does weigh more than fat, so obviously if you are doing regular weight training the muscle gain will show up on the scale. This can make some people panic but remember muscle is your best friend and will help to burn off the fat over the long term. It may not be overnight but you will certainly look leaner if you keep up weight training.

Another myth that most people worry about with weight training is that they will bulk up to look like Arnie. Even if you start with light weights and perform 20-30 reps, you will start to build muscle. To burn serious fat, try to increase the weights every week. The more weight you can squat or press, the more leaner your muscles will become. Avoid pyramid training which use heavy weights and you’ll be fine. I would highly recommend Body Pump. It is tough but work on building your mental strength to perform weight training.

Even today I weighed myself and I usually never do. Twelve stone. I am lean but I perform a boxing training, body pump, spinning, and skipping over the week so my metabolism is high. Another great thing you must know about weight training is that it will burn still be burning off fat for up to 48 hours afterward. Cardio may burn it for up to 2-3 hours afterward so how cool would it be to burn fat through the night.

Remember to eat lots of protein to fuel the additional muscle.

I hate bras and underwear and avoid them at all times.  Because I hate bras so much I have my own little discipline programme that I undertake every day – 20-30 pressups. This has always kept my breasts toned and full, even when I do the pen test.

Pressups are wonderful and tone the surrounding breasts tissue wonderfully. I first started getting into pressups when I started attending boxing training  in 2003. Performed regularly, pressups will help to make your breasts appear fuller. Breasts do not contain muscle so you must strengthen its surrounding tissue. Please do not waste your money on expensive breast toning creams. Why do people think that these work anyway? They are ridiculously expensive, probably contains some seaweed or firming extract, and will not work over the long term. The best way to tone the breasts is through exercise.

I would highly recommend pressups. Obviously, the more challenging the pressups the better the workout. As well as toning the chest area, pressups will also tone the triceps, back, and abdomen. Pressups are wonderful and so verstatile. Beginners can perform effective pressups on their knees.

Other much easier exercises to tone the chest are is to press the hands together in a prayer position and clench the chest area or try the bench press. This is a wonderful exercise for both men and women. The pen test is a test to find out if your breasts are toned or saggy. Simply hold one arm over your head, place the pen under the breast. If it drops, your breasts are pert. If it stays, your breasts are starting to sag slightly. I would highly recommend toning the breasts with pressups. They are free and can be performed anywhere, even against the wall while you are waiting for the kettle to boil.

I have not worn a bra for years and years. I really do loathe them for some reason. My breasts have remained the same because I like to put in the effort through exercise.

It’s now my third day off dairy and I feel less bloated, am going to the toilet a lot less, and my stomach is flatter. Apparently, there is this thought that milk is good for people but cow’s milk was made for a cow not a human.

I have changed to Soya Milk, Rice Milk, and Almond Milk. The only thing I can state about these milks is that they are expensive, taste nothing like normal milk, and they’re watery. I suppose it’s a taste I will gradually get used to. The sad fact with drinking coffee with these alternative milks is that I don’t want to drink coffee too much. I’ve had three cups today. On milk I would have been on my eighth or ninth cup now. That could be a good thing.

I am going to have cheese once a week though. There is no way in the world I can give up cheese. I will allow it on my cheat day.

Dairy free diets can improve the body’s digestion and prevent mucus building up in the body. Milk or dairy products can also cause allergies and these can be tiresome for those who suffer.

Whether I can keep this up I do not know. I do miss a cup of coffee with sterilized milk so badly but if it’s helping my body then it’s worth it. So I can’t really say I’m on a dairy free diet if I have cheese once a week but that is my choice. Before deciding to opt for dairy free I was having cheese almost every day, just a little bit but it is full of saturated fat and calorific too.

Two people have stated they thought I had lost weight. Whether it’s this simple change or whether I have added muscle and shed fat I do not know, but it’s put me on a buzz.

We all have beautiful killer abs inside us. It is only because fat covers the muscles that we do not see them. It is pretty simple. Lose weight and  improve muscle tone equals weight loss. What many people seem to think is that starvation diets will help them to lose weight or thousands of crunches will burn off fat around the stomach. This is a myth!

In order to shed weight and show off those killer abs, it is important to carry out both aerobic and anaerobic training. Aerobic training may be cycling, walking, rowing, skipping, running etc. Anaerobic training can take advantage of body weight training ie. sit-ups, pressups etc, weighted machines like the leg press and chest press, or free weight training, which involves using the core muscles and specific weights to tone areas of the body. Free weight training is a lot more effective than weighted machines but this kind of training may cause an injury if the exercises are not performed correctly.

Remember that muscle tissue does weigh more than fat so if your weight increases slightly and you have made no changes to the diet, this may be because you have gained muscle tissue. This is good because, over time, it will get rid of fat and shrink the cells. Although your weight may stay the same your body will look leaner because the body is burning many more calories per day and at rest.

If you are serious about getting killer abs, both weight training and aerobic exercise is extremely important. Women need to get their body fat percentage down to around 12-15% for sexy muscle tissue to be visible. Men need to lower it to 8-12%.

Obviously, do it the right way without any silly diets. It is important to eat a lot of protein when you are undertaking weight training to repair the microscopic tears to the muscle tissue. Also have a rest day every two days. Weight training performed regularly will increase the metabolism for up to 48 hours afterward.

What many fad diets do not allow are treats for achievements. Following a healthy diet six days out of seven is an achievement. It is tough to watch whatever you eat all week. To know exactly what you put into your body it is important to keep a food diary. Coffee, tea, alcohol, those few Quality Street…everything counts.

We may not count regular drinking with meals as ‘drinking’ because it is not binge drinking as society wants us to believe. Too much alcohol in the system can cause weight problems. When alcohol is consumed, it converts to instant and usable sugar in the body. If the alcohol is burnt off, for example dancing, great but if it is not it will be stored as fat. Alcohol is also high in calories. Per pint expect to consume over 200 calories. A large glass of wine is over 100. Spirits are the least calorific but when doubles and triples are ordered, the calories are going up. Try to give up alcohol altogether of if you do have a glass of water between each drink to care for the liver and take Milk Thistle, a liver detoxifier.

What I believe is everything in moderation. I love cheese and onion pie, I could eat it for breakfast, dinner, and tea but I would also feel stodgy and lethargic and I hate to feel like that. However, on my cheat day after I have followed a very healthy diet for six days of the week, I can look forward to my pie.

What I have also learnt about cheat days is that when the body consumes healthy foods for six days of the week, the metabolism eventually starts to slow down because the body does not have to get rid of as much waste. Having a cheat day not only boosts the body’s metabolism productively but also can help you to lose weight. Causing this spike by having just one cheat day a week is an effective way to eat what you love and ALSO lose weight.

Get off the silly fad diets or points system. They are getting all the money because you usually have to buy the foods that go with a diet. It is YOU and only you who can make a change. First a healthy body starts with a healthy mindset. Get rid of the negativity and focus on others to make you slim and you can achieve anything.

Body brushing is fantastic and an excellent way to shift the pounds. When foods and drinks are consumed every day, toxins start to build up. A great way to reduce toxins in the body and help the lymph drainage system is to body brush. Just 2-5 minutes of body brushing before every shower or bath every day can help to shift a couple of pounds a week.

Swedish Remedial Massage is also an effective way to flush toxins out of the system. All types of massage use strokes that focus on draining fluids out of the lymphatic system. Unfortunately, there is no pump that will perform this miraculous task, this is why drinking warm water with lemon juice, massage, and body brushing is so important.

Other ways to rid the body of toxins is via the diet and drinking a lot of clear, natural fluids. Body wraps are effective but can be expensive. If you wish to get rid of cellulite or boost a sluggish system, body brushing will certainly help you on your weight loss journey.

Nuts contain a lot of fat, yes. You only need to look at the nutritional content for a packet of salted peanuts to find that out but, in moderation, they contain essential fatty acids, which help your body to shift the bad fats, that’s what we want isn’t it, to get rid of the excess fat.

Nuts are nutritious and protein packed. They will help with any muscle building programme. I always have a small plateful before gym sessions and it gives me enough energy to last a couple of hours. Try to steer clear from the salted varieties. Get an old biscuit tin and fill it with cashew nuts, almonds, peanuts (unsalted varieties), pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, sunflower seeds, pecan nuts, hazelnuts, and brazil nuts. Grab a handful or have a small plateful whenever you feel hunger strike. Guaranteed they will fill you up longer than white carbs and they’re supplying your body with essential fatty acids and omega 3. Nuts are so healthy.

For anyone on a weight reduction diet, nuts are really your best friend. You do not need to follow these silly weight watchers or eat less carbs diets, everything eaten in moderation, together with a good exercise programme will shift the fat for you. Do not spend large amounts of money on dietary supplements either because they can upset your body in various ways, ie. diarrhea or loose stools.

The sad fact that no-body wants to tell a dieter is that FATS are important. You should not reduce them from your diet, only the saturated fats but, monosaturated fats, contained in nuts and seeds are ESSENTIAL to weight loss. Seriously!

This tough workout is so effective. It gets the heart pumping, burns fat, and builds important lean muscle tissue. This short circuit has no rests, which keeps the heart pumping and burns calories.

Equipment required

• Stability ball
• Medicine ball
• Skipping rope
• Exercise mat

The workout

• Skip for 4-5 minutes to warm up the muscles.

• Perform thirty high jumps non-stop to work the heart. This requires mental strength to perform the exercise correctly. Try to jump to waist height. Motivate yourself with mantras.

• Grab your medicine ball and jump on the stability ball. Roll the ball over your abs and push the medicine ball over your head. Perform 20-30 non-stop.

• These are tough. Press-ups on a stability ball. Place your hands on the exercise mat, your feet on the stability ball. Steadily push down into press-up position without your legs falling off stability ball. Raise up and then pull your legs in to your chest slowly on the ball, then push out again. That’s one rep. Try to do 5-10. These are very tough but work effectively to tone the core muscles.

• Perform thirty squat thrusts to further kill the arm muscles after press-ups.

• Do 20-30 tricep dips on the stability ball. If you can hold your legs out straight for a harder burn or keep the knees bent for an effective exercise.

• To finish off, perform 20-30 squats. Place your hands behind your head and squat down so that your thighs are parallel with your feet. Keep the back straight and feel the burn in your thighs and buttocks.

How’s that for a short, intensive, fat burning, muscle building workout?

For beginners to meditation, it can be difficult to let go of the thoughts and relax with meditation. How is it possible to get into a meditative state easily with the tens of thousands of thoughts of both positive and negative swimming around?

Firstly, the way you breathe is important. Most of us do not breathe correctly in day to day life. This is when stress can occur. Shallow breathing (when the diaphragm is not utilized) does not take in enough oxygen to penetrate the body and can cause ailments. Even I do it too, but during meditation you can change all that by breathing correctly.

Make sure that you breathe in through your nose. Fill your stomach with air and then exhale through the mouth. The longer you can hold your breath the more calmer you will feel. Test yourself when you carry out the breathing by placing a hand on your stomach. If it expands you are breathing correctly. When most of us are in a nervous state or stressed, we often take a deep breath for assurance, imagine working on those breaths and reaching serenity.

There are a variety of breathing techniques to use during meditation. Once you start to breathe slowly and correctly, your mind will start to become clear and free of thoughts. This is the exact state you want to be in. Even meditating for just five minutes a day will help. Meditation will help you to feel calmer and gives you some time to get to know yourself, release your negativities, and take control of your mind.

There are some more advanced techniques which I will discuss in my next blog. I hope this blog has helped you to become calmer and appreciative of of helpful meditation really is.

Those expensive toning machines that promise to tone muscles by tensing and releasing them are available all over the world. They simply perform isometric exercises on the body, but these can be done easily without a machine. All you need to done is clench and release the muscles.

Obviously, weight training and cardiovascular exercise will get you toned faster but isometric training is still effective. Try to repeat the clench and release of muscle 5-10 times. This may take twenty minutes but it will help to tone the body. Those toning pads that are placed on the body simply clench the muscles through an electronic signal. These pads are usually added to the problem areas, such as buttocks, abdominals, thighs, arms. Isometric training requires work but it is free and effective. Clenching and releasing the muscles repetitively will then cause that body part to tone.

Isometric training can be useful for anyone who wants to lose weight or tone up before joining a gym. The body burns fat on a daily basis through the basal metabolic rate (BMR). The more lean muscle tissue that rests in the body the higher the metabolic rate will be. Isometric training is simple and can be performed anywhere. In the car while driving, queuing at a supermarket, watching TV, cooking, reading a book, anywhere.

Try out various techniques. Squeeze and hold for a couple of seconds before release or time yourself for thirty seconds and see how many reps you can perform.  Isometric training is simple and effective. Results may not be seen overnight but they will definitely be visible in a couple of weeks time.

I am not sure if you have tried the zone or high protein diet. I did once and I was extremely ill. I would never do something stupid as to stress my body out again. I eat regularly with healthy foods and I’ve never had a weight problem.

The media and celebrities promote these silly diets. There are diets for everything. Okay, I believe in the blood group diet because I am sure that some blood groups may struggle with digestion of some foods, and others will be fine. I will focus on blood group diets in my next blog.

So, are there any benefits to a high protein diet besides weight loss?

Positives of High Protein Diets

• You’ll lose weight…and fast. During high protein diets the body starts to produce ketones, which suppress the appetite, may cause nausea and causes water loss in the body through the lack of carbohydrates, which contain water.

• Protein rich foods fill you up for longer, supposedly (they didn’t for me, especially not with carbohydrates.

• May be useful to follow for a day but try not to follow long-term. The negatives of a high protein diet far outweigh the benefits / positives.

Negatives of High Protein Diets

• The body does not receive carbohydrates so therefore the body will suffer  with fatigue (tiredness).

• Vitamins and minerals must be consumed to add the nutrients that the body is not receiving.

• May cause diarrhea in some individuals due to the excess protein.

• Many protein rich foods like cheese contain a lot of saturated fat. We all know what happens when too much saturated fat is consumed don’t we…high blood pressure, heart disease etc. the list goes on.

• As well as feeling ill and tired, a high protein diet will cause  halitosis (bad breath).

I will admit to trying this stupid diet just to see if it worked. I was hungry all the time and desperately craved a nice crumpet with loads of butter. I lasted three days then had severe stomach cramps, nausea, and bad shits.

I would not recommend a high protein diet to anyone. Obviously, if you need to build muscle, increase your protein intake but make sure you have carbohydrates too for energy.

Weight gain can be caused by stress. What do most of us do when we feel stressed? Turn to smoking or junk food to release our feel good endorphins. Okay, chocolate tastes nice and, dark chocolate in moderation is extremely beneficial for heart health, but sugar is sugar and it causes the blood sugar levels to raise to give a feeling of happiness. It is the downside, however, that is the nasty bit.

This is when the body can feel sluggish and turn to more junk food to keep it on an even keel. One of the best ways to calm the mind and, therefore de-stress the body is through meditation. Many of us forget to breath properly. Correct breathing is a fantastic rejuvenator and can stop kill off stress in an instant.

I meditate a lot, usually at night and I use crystals to help me on my spiritual path. With meditation, it is important to focus on your breath and how you feel. Slowly, you will start to feel your mind calm. Meditation is also excellent for insomniacs.

If you feel stressed, do not start on painkillers or anti-depressants, try out meditation too. As well as a stress reducer it may also help you to lose weight. A positive mindset will make you feel good and may help you to make healthy lifestyle choices, such as changing the diet to include more fruit and vegetables.

Here are some easy ways to lose weight. I have never dieted in my life but have always managed to stay slim so I am going to let you in on my secrets.

• You do not need to calorie count – This can become obsessive. Calories are listed on every single supermarket item except fruits and vegetables, and we all know that they are the lowest calorie foods and also the healthiest.

• Start weight training – Weight training will NOT build up the muscles in the body, it only aims to make you look leaner overall. Now that is sexy! Adding just one pound of lean muscle tissue will boost your metabolism and burn an extra fifty calories per day. This may not seem like a lot but it accounts for over five pounds of weight loss per year. Build up the weights gradually but if you want best results I would advise doing body weight training, like press-ups, sit-ups, burpees etc, and carry out weight training with free weights. Always tense your stomach muscles throughout any exercise to work the core muscles.

• Eat regularly – I do not mean large meals but break up your meals from three to six smaller ones throughout the day. Just at least try it for a week. It will not cost more either because you are simply breaking up your normal routine and eating when your body feels hungry. When you start to eat regularly, the body has no option but to increase its thermogenic rate and burn calories. The body burns 10% of calories through thermogenesis, simply when the body has to break down food and digest it. If you eat more you can take advantage and burn more calories. Regular eating will soon keep your metabolic rate that high and you will feel hungry every three or so hours.

• Eat Butter – Believe it or not and with all the hype out there about these rich omega 3 spreads like Flora Pro-Active, Butter is good for you. It contains a good amount of Essential Fatty Acids and Omega 3, which help heart health. Remember, everything in moderation. I find that Lurpak is the best butter by far. This might put you off margarines and spreads for life. They are actually grey before colorants are added. Look at the natural colour of butter next to flora. When I found out that was enough for me to change to butter forever.

• Start Power Walking - A little faster than walking but not as fast as a jogger, Power Walking will shift fat stores big style. Expect to burn around 250 calories per mile, depending on your current weight. When the average jogger or walker burns 100-102 calories per mile, power walking can help to shift weight and FAST. How to practice? If you have a treadmill this is ideal or set yourself targets like your normal walking route minus ten minutes etc.

I’ll offer more weight loss tips later in the week but I hope these get you started on the right track.

After several weeks of not carrying out my short little workouts due to stresses at home, writers block, and pretty much feeling out of sorts with myself, I today finally set off to the gym with a mission in mind…to get sweaty in less than thirty minutes.

This workout took a little over 30 minutes including stretches afterward. It was tough, probably because I have not performed body weight training for a short while. When I pressed play on my iPod it was almost red (red when running out green when full battery power) and I hate working out with no music. Music is my motivator. Anyhow, weirdly the music stayed on. I had Eye of the Tiger, Heart’s on Fire, Creeps, bit of Bobby Brown, K Klass and a few other funky tunes and the best one of all, Take me to the Hospital by The Prodigy, my fav group.

This little workout can be performed at home or the gym.

Items required:

• Skipping rope
• Boxing gloves
• Punch bag
• Mat
• Medicine ball

The Workout

• First off, start with a little skipping for three minutes. Pick out a funky track and skip non stop. Finally finish with ten double unders if you can.

• If you’re at the gym and you have a punch bag to hand, put on your boxing gloves and perform jabs, uppercuts, and straight jabs at the punch bag. Remember to keep your guard up and when the arms are fatigued stay on the balls of your feet to keep the heart rate up. Time yourself for three minutes or a short song length. If you do not have a punch bag perform three minutes of shadow boxing. With the sit-ups, throw punches with every crunch.

• Grab your mat beside the punch bag and try your best to raise your body and punch the bag with every sit-up. After a minute or two the abs will start to ache heavily. Use a mantra to push yourself through the pain. Your abs will thank you for it with strength and burn off fat.

• Take a minute break. Grab your barbell or free weights and perform thirty weighted squats. Push the weight into the ankles and keep the back straight. Your back should not feel any strain, only your buttocks. Perform it in front of a mirror to view your posture.

• Thirty chest presses with 10-40 kg if you can.

• Grab your mat again and perform thirty press-ups on an incline to make it that little bit tougher, just like I love it.

• Straight into thirty squat thrusts.

• Grab a medicine ball and pick it up while in the squat position and use your arms to pull it slightly over your head. Keep the arms slightly bent and keep the back straight as you bring it back down and perform twenty.

• Using the medicine ball again start off in the middle and bring the medicine ball up to the right of your head, slightly using your torso to twist to the right but keep your body facing the front. Perform one on the right and then the left. Try to perform twenty on each side.

• Perform thirty high jumps non-stop.

• Use the medicine ball and holding your arms out slightly bring the medicine ball as fast as possible to your left hip and then swivel it to you right. Perform twenty on each side. Boxers usually work with a partner on this and throw it backwards after spinning it round and then picking it up from the right side to spin to the left again. This works the oblique and hip muscles.

• At this time, Hearts on Fire from Rocky came on so I had to skip to this motivating music. I skipped non-stop for four minutes and finished off with ten double unders.

• I grabbed the medicine ball and performed twenty side bends.

• Finished with twenty lunges on each leg holding the medicine ball straight to tire the arms. After the twenty I pulsed my legs for another ten lunges to kill my leg.

• Finally stretch out the legs and arms.

Drink plenty of fluid throughout. This workout uses body weight exercises, cardio, and works the entire body. Eat well afterward and rest for a day or two before another workout. Give the muscles time to grow stronger.

This is a wonderful quick meal that will feed up to four people. I like to use basmati rice rather than risotto rice. You can make it as spicy as ever or reduce the spices if you are not a fan of hot foods. I use the spices that go into a normal curry. The taste is extravagant and does not require salt.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of garamasala
• 1 teaspoon of tumeric
• 1 tablespoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of chili power or flakes
• 1 onion
• 7 mushrooms
• 1 red/yellow/green pepper
• Pack of back bacon (remove fat)
• Mug of basmati rice
• 2 vegetable or chicken stock cubes
• 2 mugs of boiling water

Method of cooking

• Add the oil to the pan and let it heat up.

• Cut the onion and add to the heated oil.

• Add the tumeric, garamasala, chilli, and cumin and coat the onions in the mixture.

• Cut up the mushrooms and peppers and add to the pan.

• Add a little water to the pan if the paste has already soaked up the oil.

• Cut up the bacon into strips and add to the pan.

• Measure the basmati rice and add to the pan. Crumble the stock cubes over the rice.

• Heat some water in the kettle and pour out two mugfuls of boiling water.

• Bring to the boil and then simmer for around 15-20 minutes, until the rice is cooked or has absorbed the water.

This is a quick healthy nutritious meal that contains three of the daily fruit and vegetables, adds healthy protein from the bacon, and supplies carbohydrates from the basmati rice. The spices boost the health of the immune system and boosts the metabolism slightly. You could add different vegetables. Others that work well in this recipe is celery, broccoli, and potatoes, or add them all for a healthier kick.

Short bursts of training is just as effective as a longer session. For example, thirty minutes of running can be broke up into three ten minute sessions throughout the day. Obviously, not everyone has the time to break up a workout, but this can work wonders for your metabolism.

You don’t even need to join a gym to work out your body just thirty minutes per day. Here’s an easy example of how to cram thirty minutes of effective training per day. Rather than take the car, walk 5-10 minute journey to the shops. Grab a skipping rope and skip for ten minutes in the afternoon non stop. Later in the afternoon, perform set a timer for ten minutes and perform squats, press-ups, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, and sit-ups until fatigue.

These short intensive workouts will boost the metabolism because the muscles are worked. When the muscles are worked repetitively, they grow back stronger. It is important to eat protein after working the muscles to ensure the small muscle tears are nourished and build in strength.

This short workout is perfect for those who hate exercising. By breaking the exercise up, it also boosts the metabolism, and therefore increases the appetite. This is when thermogenesis takes effect, the calorie burn that takes place when the body undergoes the absorption of nutrients. This accounts for ten percent of the daily calories in the diet.

Thirty percent of calories burnt per day are through activities, such as walking, washing up, brushing teeth, sleeping, all those basic activities we perform daily. Finally, sixty percent of the daily calories are burnt through the basal metabolic rate, which is the rate the body burns calories at rest. Increase this with weight training, and you’ll burn more calories. One pound of fat burns one calorie but one pound of muscle burns fifty calories, so muscle bulk is very important with weight loss and tone.

This is a tough little magic workout that fatigues the arms, works the pectoral muscles, abdominals, arms, back, buttocks, legs, and the heart through the cardiovascular workout and the skipping.

This workout will take around 25-30 minutes depending on how many breaks you take. It makes use of jump rope, plyometric training, and bodyweight training.

This can be performed anywhere, but somewhere like a laminate floor or gym based floor is best. Concrete is harsh on the joints, and grass will more than likely slow the speed of jump rope. Put a good album on which motivates you, and try a take at break when you reach 10 reps.

Items required

• Skipping rope
• Mat

The Workout

• Perform one minute of skipping. Time yourself. Just to the basic moves to warm up the body.

• Carry out fifteen press-up burpees. Jump down into a press-up, pull the feet in to a squat thrust, then finish with a high jump. That’s one rep. Try to perform fifteen without a break.

• One minute of skipping.

• Perform fourteen press-ups, fourteen squat thrusts, and fourteen jumping jacks.

• One minute of skipping.

• Perform thirteen press-up burpees.

• One minute of skipping.

• Perform twelve press-ups, twelve squat thrusts, and twelve jumping jacks.

• One minute of skipping.

• Perform eleven press-up burpees.

Take a break for about  one minute and lay flat out on the mat. Now it’s sit-up time. Use your abdominals to pull yourself up, and reach toward your knees. Perform fifteen reps, then fourteen, thirteen, twelve, then eleven.

• Back to the original workout. Perform ten press-ups, ten squat thrusts, and ten jumping jacks.

• One minute of skipping

• Perform nine press-up burpees.

• One minute of skipping.

• Perform eight press-ups, eight squat thrusts, and eight jumping jacks.

• One minute of skipping

• Perform seven press-up burpees.

• One minute of skipping

• Six press-ups, six squat thrusts, and six jumping jacks.

• Rest if you need to.

• One minute of skipping.

• Five press-ups burpees.

• One minute of skipping.

• Four press-ups, four squat thrusts, and four jumping jacks.

• One minute of skipping.

• Three press-up burpees.

• One minute of skipping

• Two press-ups, two squat thrusts, and two jumping jacks.

• One minute of skipping.

• One press-up burpee.

• One minute of skipping.

• Lie fully down on mat and perform ten down to one on the sit-ups. Use the abdominal muscles to pull yourself up and touch the knees. Remember to inhale as you go down and exhale as you perform the rep.

A quick intense workout that works the whole body but incorporate plyometric training, cardiovascular exercise, and bodyweight training. This torches a lot of calories in a short space of time, plus it will cause small tears in the muscles, which will then grow back stronger.

The skipping alone will burn around 150 calories. Performing the fifteen down to one of these exercises would be over in around ten to fifteen minutes, but adding the skipping in between lengthens it and challenges mental strength. Try out this workout just twice a week for four weeks to see benefits.

This workout only takes 35  minutes, but makes you buzz with health afterward. It includes my favourite exercise, jump rope, and weight training exercises performed with a medicine ball and free weights. It is a killer on the muscles. It is only three sets of twelve reps, but it’s enough to cause a burn and help build those powerful muscles.

Equipment required

• Medicine Ball
• Jump rope
• Stability ball
• 20-40kg barbells
• 1 dumbbell

The Workout

• Start off with a quick five minute skipping session to warm up the muscles of the legs. If you feel like pushing yourself, perform a couple of sets of double unders before the next stage of the workout.

• Sit on stability ball, grab medicine ball, and each time you raise the abdominals, push the medicine ball into the air. Perform twelve reps.

• Grab the medicine ball. Stand slightly wider than hip length and swing the medicine ball to the feet, bending the knees and then pull it over your head, gently stretching your back. Perform twelve reps.

• Keep a grip of the medicine ball and twist it quickly from side to side with a hip movement. Perform twelve on each side.

• Similar to exercise one. The legs are a little wider than hip distance. Medicine ball in the middle but instead of raising it over the head, gently turn the hips to the left as you lift the medicine ball firstly to the right. Push the ball down to the bottom and raise again, gently moving the hips and bringing the medicine ball to the left side of the head. Perform twelve on each side.

• Holding the medicine ball directly at chest height, perform 12 squats. Keep the back straight and push the buttocks out as far as they will go. Perform twelve reps.

• Keep the medicine ball at chest height and perform twelve lunges on one leg and twelve on the other.

• Grab the hand weight and perform twelve tricep dips on the right arm, and twelve on the other.

• Perform twelve side bends with the weight on each side.

• Finally, with the weighted barbell, maintain strength and perform twelve dead lifts. Keep the back straight and the legs slightly bent. When this exercise is performed correctly there should be a slight burn in the buttock area.

That’s one set. Perform two more sets with five minutes of skipping throughout. Remember to stretch the muscles afterward to help prevent stiffness and muscle injury.

I love skipping, and if you’re new to my blogs, you’ll find that I use skipping in every one of my workouts. This workout only takes 20 minutes, but it’s very intensive and keeps the heart rate up. It can be performed anywhere too. You need only a skipping rope and a stop watch or if there’s a clock on the wall watch the hand.

The Workout

For each minute of skipping you will perform 10 double unders (the rope slips under the feet twice). Double unders are tough, and you have to make sure you jump high enough for the rope to slip under the feet twice before the feet land for another jump. Double unders boost the heart rate and are great for improving the fitness in a short period of time.

Try not to take any breaks throughout. As it’s a fairly long time to skip, experiment with your moves. Perhaps perform one minute of heel digs, another minute of jumping jacks, and another minute of hopping on one foot for thirty seconds. The twenty minutes of skipping is yours to play with as long as you add ten double unders for each minute.