Obviously there is no specific ‘one size fits all’ approach to bodybuilding. We all have different body types and metabolisms as well as aspirations and determination. Nevertheless, some basic advice has been proven applicable to nearly everyone.

Base your bodybuilding program on heavy compound exercises such as bench presses, squats, dead-lifts and leg presses. Complete your workout in an hour or less, otherwise you risk overtraining and under-recovering.

Resting is key- When understanding recovery it’s worth remembering that muscle growth is stimulated in the gym, but the actual growth takes place when at rest. To enhance this process don’t train more than two days without a full day off.

Protein is what builds and repairs muscle tissue, so make sure you’re getting enough. For most trainees 1gram of protein per pound of body weight per day should be sufficient. Your protein intake should be spread throughout the day in 5-7 smaller meals which are easier to digest.

Protein powders could provide for some of those meals. A protein shake containing 30-50 grams of good quality protein and 60-100 grams of carbohydrates will be absorbed more quickly and increase insulin levels to get the carbohydrates and amino acids into muscle cells for optimal gains in size and strength.  While the use of dietary supplements is not entirely necessary for natural bodybuilding, they can speed up your progress. The top three recommendations are quality protein powders as mentioned above, especially a blend of casein, whey and egg albumin taken before bed or in place of a whole food meal.

Creatine and Glutamine- Creatine whose benefits include increased strength, nitrogen retention, cell voluminization and lactic acid buffering. Finally, there’s glutamine which has multiple benefits for anyone training regularly. These include enhanced immune system glycogen storage, increased production of the antioxidant glutathione and natural growth hormone release.

Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important ingredients for long term health and well being as well as one of the most significant aspects of workout recovery. Sleep is as equal to overall health and well-being as a healthy diet and sufficient exercise. Lack of sleep increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and hardening of the arteries. Here are eight tips for a good night’s rest.

Cut out caffeine late in the day. The stimulating effects of caffeine last for up to eight hours. After lunch try decaf or herbal teas and avoid caffeinated drinks such as sodas and even hot chocolate. In general, avoid drinking at least an hour before bed time to avoid midnight runs to the bathroom.

Don’t eat late at night.  Late night eating leads to indigestion and interrupted sleep. However, some say a late night snack rich in tryptophan, such as turkey, yogurt or even ice cream, taken at least an hour before bed helps produce serotonin, a natural sedative.

Keep a regular sleep schedule. Going to bed and getting up at the same time, and avoiding excessive day time napping, will improve your sleep quality.

Find the best sleeping position that allows your muscles to fully relax. Sleeping on your back is the most stable position for your spine and placing a pillow under your legs can reduce lower back stress. If lying on your side use a supporting pillow between your legs and/or raise the top leg towards your chest to form a 90 degree support for the lower back.

Don’t sleep too hot or cold. Dress, or undress, appropriately for comfort.

Beware of pillows that are too high or too low, too soft or too hard. Your head and neck should be straight, neither propped up nor tilted down.

Keep your room dark and quiet. Thick curtains and earplugs can help, as does turning off all electronic devices. Use eye covers if necessary.

If all else fails use a natural, non-habit forming herbal sleep aid such as valerian.

Neurons in the brain produce adenosine, levels of which are monitored via receptors. When adenosine levels reach a certain level your body naturally begins to feel tired and ready to sleep or relax. However, when caffeine comes along in the form of a standard 100mg 8 oz cup of coffee its chemical similarities to adenosine deactivates the receptors and allows the brain’s natural stimulants – dopamine and glutamate – to flow freely producing a false energy rush. The effects vary according to genetics, physiology and tolerance.

Although caffeine can seemingly enhance energy and work output, this usually only applies to work that doesn’t require much abstract thought. It can enhance adrenaline and memory, which is perhaps why students preparing for exams like caffeine, but not it seems creativity. Caffeine becomes habit forming as tolerance levels increase over time leading to a vicious circle of increased consumption to achieve the same effects. In other words, to attain the same buzz it becomes necessary to consume more but this can sometimes only have the effect of increasing irritability.

Quitting can be painful with headaches and discomfort. A step by step reduction is recommended to let the brain ‘dry out’ over several days before any further cups of coffee, which should then achieve previous levels of mental and physical stimulation.

There are multiple factors, as well as opinions, to consider when determining how much rest your muscles require between workouts. In brief the main factors can be divided into three groups:

What you can’t control, such as genetics and age.

Factors related to your workouts such as past experience, how intense your workouts are, what other exercise you do and what you do on rest days.

What you can control outside the gym, including diet, drug use (medicinal or otherwise), sleep, stress and overall mental strength.

In genetical terms there are both fast and slow muscles. Fast muscles are designed for quick explosive movements as in sprinting, jumping and power lifting. These muscles require more recovery time than the slower muscles used in endurance activities such as jogging. Your body type will probably be biased one way or the other as in the case of marathon runners compared to shot-putters and this will affect which muscle fibers are used and how your training should be slanted.

Your program routine and focus will also determine your required rest periods. In general, a full-body or compound workout tends to require days of complete rest to recover whereas with isolation type workouts your recovery days can be spent working other muscle groups. Workout intensity is another issue especially if yours is not as intense as it could or should be. Of course, the more intense the workout the more recovery time required, but if two days after your workout you can still lift the same weight for the same exercise and reps, you probably weren’t at your maximum lifting intensity. Intense workouts require approximately one week recovery time, whereas with less intense workouts two days should be sufficient.

Chicken is popular with fitness fanatics for good reason: it’s inexpensive, easy to cook, low fat and high in protein. However, it can get boring if eaten every day. So here are eight cooking options.

1. Before grilling or boiling, marinating your bird for 24 hours will increase the flavour. Keep it in the fridge while marinating and try adding chicken broth or fruit juice instead of oil based marinades.
2. Experiment with different seasonings such as grated lemon peel, chopped hot peppers or fresh herbs.
3. A trick to cut down on oil or butter is to use a non-stick skillet. Trim off the fat and add green peppers and spice.
4. To keep the flavour and avoid drying out the meat, keep the skin on a whole chicken while cooking. Also, soaking it in brine – salt water – will also add flavour and tenderness. Keep it covered and completely immersed. Refrigerate for 3 to 12 hours. Rinse and dry before cooking. This adds moisture and flavour and helps it cook faster.
5. To avoid drying out the chicken don’t overcook. A whole chicken should reach an internal temperature of 180F and breasts should be cooked at 170F. If the juices are clear, not pink, it’s ready.
6. Spice is nice for an international flavour. For Italian include grated garlic, dried oregano, basil and thyme. Indian style mixes coriander, turmeric, cardamom and bay leaves. Thai includes cilantro, lime juice, ginger, coconut milk and lemongrass. Tex-Mex flavour includes cumin, sage and minced chilli peppers.
7. Another marinade is a salt-sugar rub. For chicken breasts blend 1/3 cup of sea salt with 1/3 cup brown sugar plus seasonings. Place in a large reusable plastic freezer bag and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 4-8 hours. Rinse before cooking.
8. Finally, there’s leftovers which can be re-heated or eaten cold. When heating cover to retain moisture. Try it with pita bread and salad.

Eat five times a day at 2-3 hour intervals. This keeps you saturated with the amino acids and glycogen from protein and carbohydrate sources that you need to push abnormal muscle growth. This also prevents muscle loss due to a bodily starvation reaction to heavy workouts.

Focus on compound movements such as squats and presses for maximum efficiency of effort and to work as many muscle groups as possible in fewer sets. This also gives you more recovery ability outside the gym.

Don’t over-train. Do no more than two days in a row and 30 all-out sets per workout. Overtraining reduces muscle weight and your system needs a break too. After 4-6 weeks of high intensity training take a full week off, or reduce your intensity for two weeks. This will promote new muscle growth.

Take a protein drink after every training session. Boosting insulin levels after an intense workout promotes protein synthesis and leads to faster muscle growth.

Finally, just stay cool. Avoid stress. This can drain energy which could be better used for muscle growth.

Childhood obesity is a complex issue involving many aspects of contemporary lifestyles and social attitudes and priorities as well as the mass marketing of convenience foods. In the space of this blog it is only possible to scratch the surface. Generally the facts are well known: it is a disease of our time. Prior to approximately the 1970s, in Britain childhood obesity was a rarity. Anyone growing up in the 50s or 60s most likely, depending on where they lived, either walked or rode a bicycle to school, played outdoors and was less exposed to advertising. Most had at least one meal a day prepared at home by their mothers.
Fast forward and nowadays everyone’s busy and families are just looking for the easiest options. For children there are just so many distractions: computer and video games or text messaging each other from the couch. Not only are they not getting enough exercise they don’t eat healthily and may be forgetting how to communicate face to face. The streets are considered dangerous, parents are paranoid and the kids stay home and frequently get driven to school even into their teens.

So, what to do? Children of any age are notoriously finicky with food and easily influenced by advertising. Two of the biggest contributors to weight gain are fructose and corn syrup both of which are found in sodas, sweets and processed foods. Packing healthier lunches for your kids might help, but providing a good role model at home is essential.

Physical activity doesn’t need to be organized or complicated, just going for walks together can help or encouraging basic movements like jumping, running and climbing. Even light weight training could help so long as it can be seen as being fun and is supervised. Strengthening activities not only lower body weight, it also builds stronger bones and more muscle mass which results in a higher metabolic rate. Just make sure they do it with a certified fitness professional.

Whether it’s the Christmas/New Year period or a summer season break you can put on weight faster than you get a sun burn if you relax your dietary rules while having fun. Christmas and New Year is probably the worst time for dieters as it basically celebrates gluttony, but the rules are the same for any place or time when we may be tempted to over-indulge. So here are a few ways to stay in shape.

Drinking alcohol in moderation may be difficult if everyone around is being immoderate. Alcoholic beverages – especially eggnog – are high in calories and the carbohydrates in Guinness are 100% sugar which can result in an insulin rush.
Although drinking water while eating is not good for digestion, having a glass before a meal will suppress your appetite as well as help avoid dehydration.

A simple way to avoid overeating in social situations is to choose a smaller plate. A larger plate means you just fill it with more food.

Another trick to help control food intake is to separate the different food items on your plate into islands. The empty space between the islands means less food on the plate and less calories to consume.

Keep a balance between protein and carbohydrates. White meat protein sources such as chicken, turkey and fish are healthier than red meat and should not exceed an approximate 4 oz serving size. Vegetables and rice, preferably brown, should make up the rest. Be aware of casseroles which typically are high in fats.

Desert is another dieters calorie minefield. Limit desert to items no bigger than your thumb – or go for a fruit salad. But no going back for second servings.

Finally, even if you still feel hungry, wait 20 minutes before going back for more. That’s how long it takes your stomach to appreciate that you’ve really had enough.

Here are some fat loss tip suggestions to lower your calorie intake while seemingly continuing to indulge in your favourite foods. A fat loss diet doesn’t have to mean bland tasteless meals. However, it does require a certain amount of imagination as well as close attention to preparation and ingredients.

Watch the add-ons. Often it isn’t so much the main ingredient that’s to blame as what gets added on top. Instead of pouring sour cream and bacon bits on top of an otherwise healthy baked potato try using salsa, low fat cottage cheese and green onions instead. Likewise with a meat main course. Skip the gravy and use chutney or a fruit/raw veggie combo to add flavour, especially to poultry.  Similarly, use chicken broth with stir fries instead of oil. It also works with casseroles and can replace butter on mashed potatoes.

Cut the bread at main meals and eliminate the carbohydrates that release insulin and fat storing hormones.

Cut the cheese please. Regular cheese like cheddar is high in fat and calories compared to low fat goat, sheep or cottage cheeses.

Choose low-fat turkey rather than beef when making burgers, meat balls or casseroles. Add chicken broth if the turkey seems low in moisture.

Finally, avoid ramen noodles and replace them with a whole wheat noodle. Although noodles of all kinds are high in carbohydrates and calories, ramen noodles are also high in fat – up to 20 grams per serving size. Better still replace pasta with spaghetti squash which has pasta-like texture without the calories.

As you become more aware and sensitized to your body all sorts of previously overlooked bodily issues and imperfections begin to take on a far greater significance. Intestinal bloating causes discomfort as well as ruining your waist line. Here are some of the causes and cures:

A sudden increase in fiber-rich foods to your diet can overload the digestive system leading to cramps, diarrhea and bloating.

Slowing down your fiber increase should help reduce bloating while you gradually work towards your calorie intake goal .

Carbonated drinks such as sodas – including diet soda – often cause bloating as well as adding extra calories to your diet.

Artificial sweeteners are another bloating culprit.

Any sweet tasting products referred to as ‘low carb’ are likely to contain them.

Cures include the following:

Eating more potassium rich foods such as bananas, cantaloupe, mangoes, spinach, tomatoes, beans, fish, nuts and yogurt will help restore the sodium/potassium balance in your body. When your sodium/potassium balance is out bloating can occur.
Parsley is a good source of vitamins and iron, as well as being a natural diuretic which will help alleviate bloating.
Finally, there’s regular exercise, which anyway should be a well established part of your health regime. This will help reduce water retention and salt through sweating. A 30-60 minute session can help cure bloating.