James Martin will often appear on the small screen to share his cooking tips with Britons. In the past, the chef has been open about his incredible weight loss journey. What did he do to slim down?

The TV chef recently shared snaps online showing his ten year transformation.

He has dramatically slimmed down during his career and most recently showcased a 1st 7lb weight loss in May 2018.

Speaking at the time, he revealed his TV appearances motivated him to make a change.

James told Mail Online: You kind of watch and go, 'oh God there's a bit of chin happening there'. And everybody's TVs are bigger now.

READ MORE: Weight loss diet: One drink can help burn fat fast - how much should you have?

Before you used to watch TV on a small one and now they're massive."

Working in the public eye, he revealed negative comments persuaded him to change his lifestyle.

I looked on social media and every comment was about me being fat, he told The Sun.

So I lost a stone-and-a-half. And no doubt Ill lose another stone on this tour.

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It is reported he cut back on butter and foods high in fat to help him get into shape.

However, he has admitted he will use lashings of fatty foods when cooking on his show.

He said: If you want to do Weight Watchers this show probably isnt for you!

I have double cream, full fat milk, cheese and butter and thats just for one of the side orders on this tour.

But I like food. Ive always been surrounded by food. I was brought up on a farm, I worked on a farm producing pigs.

You have to understand food and I am seriously passionate about ingredients.

On social media, the popular chef will often share posts of healthy meals he has cooked.

However, it was exercising that first helped him lose a staggering amount of weight.

Previously weighing in at 19st 7lb, James lost a huge amount of weight when he competed in the reality dance show, Strictly Come Dancing in 2005.

While on the show, contestants will follow an intense training regime and James managed to dance off an impressive five stone.

Opening up on the training routine, he said he eventually trained seven days a week for 10 hours.

The routine helped him kick start his weight loss journey.

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James Martin weight loss: TV chef used this trick to shed a whopping six stone - Express

ARKPORT This time of year, were all looking for a fast and easy way to lose weight and theres no shortage of suspicious claims out there.

Fad diets create a buzz because they often promise just that. But anyone who is serious about losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle shouldnt be fooled. Katie Ferraro, MPH, RDN, CDE, nutrition expert for TOPS Club Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the nonprofit weight-loss support organization, provides five sound reasons to avoid the fad diets and eat sensibly instead.

Water Weight Is Not Fat Loss: The initial weight loss with most fad diets is water weight. It is easily gained back and then some when normal eating resumes.

Carbs Are Still King: Glucose is the preferred energy source for your body and brain. Healthy sources of carbohydrates, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, are optimal to fuel your body. Keep in mind: Nobody ever gained weight from eating raw veggies.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Research indicates that 1 to 2 pounds per week is the ideal rate for sustainable weight loss. Your friends may be losing over 5 pounds per week, but they will likely regain that and more.

Your Diet Shouldnt Deprive You: To truly follow some of the craziest fad diets out there, you would never be able to eat at a restaurant or enjoy food at a social event. The way you choose to craft a healthy diet should fit into your real life rather than being a barrier to living a full life.

The Scale Isnt All That Matters: When you eat healthy foods and exercise more, not only does your weight drop, but other metabolic measurements, such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar, will improve. A fad diet might help you shed pounds quickly, but if its raising your cholesterol and stressing you out, the weight loss isnt worth it.

TOPS Club Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is the original weight-loss support and wellness education organization. Founded more than 70 years ago, TOPS is the only nonprofit, noncommercial weight-loss organization of its kind. TOPS promotes successful weight management with a Real People. Real Weight Loss. philosophy that combines support from others at weekly chapter meetings, healthy eating, regular exercise and wellness information. TOPS has members male and female, age 7 and older in thousands of chapters throughout the United States and Canada.

Visitors are welcome to attend their first TOPS meeting free of charge. Membership is $32 per year in the U.S. plus nominal chapter fees.

Local chapters meet in Arkport, Hornell, Canisteo, Dansville, Wellsville and Bath.

To find a local chapter, visit http://www.tops.org or call (800) 932-8677.

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Local TOPS Club offers five reasons to forgo fad diets - Hornell Evening Tribune

Eric Gorder, For USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Published 9:18 a.m. CT Jan. 24, 2020

Heart healthy foods include berries, avocado, whole grains and leafy greens.(Photo: Alicia Devine/Democrat)

As we burn through January at warp speed, we will soon embark on February, American Heart Month a month of focus on heart disease prevention.

While most everyone is still focused on their New Years resolutions, this is a great time to start thinking about and changing the foods you are putting into your bodies. Many articles will come out in February pertaining to what the top five, 10 or 15 foods are to strengthen and protect your heart. I thought it would be interesting and fun to take it a step further with those popular heart healthy foods and tell you why they are important for you.

Leafy greens are high in minerals, antioxidants and vitamins, especially vitamin K, which helps protect arteries.

Whole grains are high in fiber, which is strongly linked to reducing bad cholesterol (LDL), and helps reduce inflammation.

Berries are super high in antioxidants, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation which contribute to heart disease.

Avocados are a great source of monounsaturated fats, which also help lower bad LDL cholesterol. They are also super high in potassium aiding in cholesterol management.

Walnuts are another super food in that the high amount of monounsaturated fats help lower your bad LDL cholesterol.

Careful with this one! Dark chocolate is high in flavonoids, which help boost heart health, but only in small amounts and it needs to be 70% or higher in cocoa.

Tomatoes are another superfood in that they contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene that promotes HDL, good, cholesterol.

Seeds are surprisingly high in fiber. They also have omega-3 fatty acids which help control blood pressure and cholesterol.

Like dark chocolate, edamame are high in flavonoids which help to control overall cholesterol levels.

Known for its ability to increase fat burning and improve insulin sensitivity, green tea is also very high in polyphenols and catechins, helping to prevent cell damage and reduce inflammation.

Notice, all of these foods are whole, unprocessed and available year-round. There is also a common theme of high fiber, omega 3 fatty acids and plenty of phytochemicals that help balance your LDL and HDL for a healthier total cholesterol. Most are very impactful in small amounts and combined with moderate exercise and a complete diet low in sugar will help protect your heart, control your weight and have you bragging all the way home from your most recent health checkup.

Do yourself a favor and incorporate these foods into your daily meal plans. Youll set a great example for your family and bulletproof yourself from the leading cause of death in the United States heart disease.

Eric Gorder is the senior healthy living director for Greater Green Bay YMCA and a certified corrective exercise specialist. Reach him at 920-436-9667 or eric.gorder@greenbayymca.org.

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Why you need to include these heart healthy foods in your diet - Green Bay Press Gazette

Endurance training while consuming a diet low in carbohydrates has garnered much interest lately. But is this the right approach for everyone and how does it impact protein requirements and performance?

Assistant Professor Jenna Gillen and Associate Professor Daniel Mooreof the University of Torontos Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) recently wrote anarticle for the Sports Medicine Bulletin of the American College of Sports Medicine in which they discussed the findings of their recentresearch study, published in the November 2019 issue of the journalMedicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,that investigated the relationship between training on alow-carb dietand the dietary protein requirements of endurance athletes.

KPE writer Jelena Damjanovic recently sat down with Gillen and Moore to find out more about their research and what it means for training regimens.

Jenna Gillen(left) and Daniel Moore(right) are both researchers in U of Ts Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (photos courtesy of KPE)

How would you define a low-carb/high-fat diet vs. a high-carb/low-fat diet?

Gillen: A high-carb/low-fat diet typically involves consuming 50 to 65 per cent or more of daily calorie intake as carbohydrates and 20 to 35 per cent as fat. Alternatively, a low-carb/high-fat diet consists of less than 25 per cent of your daily calorie needs from carbohydrates and greater than 60 per cent coming from fat. Protein intake isnt specifically increased or decreased with either approach, and is generally similar with both dietary strategies.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of following a low-carb/high-fat diet for endurance athletes? How does it influence performance?

Gillen: The rationale for athletes following a low-carb/high-fat diet is that it can increase our muscles ability to use fat as an energy source during exercise, which is a fuel source that we have an abundant supply of compared to our more limited reserves of carbohydrate. However, this adaptation comes at a cost as there is also a decrease in muscles ability to use carbohydrates during exercise. From a performance standpoint, this isnt optimal because carbohydrates are a more efficient energy source than fat they produce more energy per litre of oxygen consumed and we rely almost exclusively on carbohydrate to support high-intensity exercise. As a result, eating a low-carb/high-fat diet can actually compromise an athletes overall performance and ability to perform high-intensity exercise during a race or sporting event.

Are there other ways that carbohydrate availability can be manipulated to improve endurance performance?

Gillen: Instead of following a low-carb/high-fat diet, athletes may choose to perform some of their endurance training sessions under conditions of low-carbohydrate availability. With this approach, athletes still consume high amounts of carbohydrate daily, for example 50 to 65 per cent of energy needs, or six to 10 grams ofcarbohydrate per kilogram body weight, but perform select training sessions at times when liver and muscle carbohydrate stores (glycogen) are lower. Examples would be performing exercise following an overnight fast and/or in close proximity to an earlier high-intensity exercise session. This type of carbohydrate periodization throughout training has been shown to increase energy-producing mitochondria in muscle and improve endurance performance.

What are the current recommendations for daily carbs, fat and protein intake among endurance athletes?

Moore: Recommended carbohydrates vary depending on the volume of training an athlete is doing. However, if they want to make sure their training is high quality, which would be fueled by carbohydrates because they are a faster, more efficient energy source, then theyd likely be in the range of sixto 10 g/kg/d. We speculate that protein requirements scale with training volume, but if theyre running more than 50 kilometres per week, that requirement would be around 1.6 to 1.8 g/kg/d and perhaps more with higher volumes. However, provided they are meeting their energy requirements, most endurance athletes consume sufficient protein. Fat generally just makes up the balance of the energy unless athletes are specifically eating low-carbohydrate diets. This is not suggested if their goal is to train or compete as fast as they can, as fat cant provide energy as quickly as carbohydrates.

Does following a low-carb diet increase dietary protein requirements of endurance athletes? How much more?

Moore: Our research would suggest requirements may indeed be elevated, at least during the initial adaptation to a low-carb diet. This is because amino acids provide a greater percentage of energy when exercise is performed with low-carbohydrate availability, such as before a meal and with low muscle and liver glycogen (the bodys carbohydrate stores). However, as mentioned, this is not recommended if theirgoal is to train or compete at a high intensity or perform a personal best. As for how much more protein is required, research has not addressed this question yet. Our study did suggest that just periodizing carbohydrate intake so that exercise is performed with low liver or muscle glycogen may increase protein requirements by about 10 per cent with only a short 10-kilometre run.

Why is it important to make that adjustment in protein intake (if on a low carb diet) and how best to do it?

Moore: It is important to increase your protein intake if you are training with low-carbohydrate availability as the extra amino acids that are used as energy must be replaced through the diet. This can be accomplished by modestly increasing the protein content of your post-workout meal or including an extra protein-containing snack throughout the day.

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Training on a low-carb diet boosts protein needs for endurance athletes: U of T researchers - News@UofT

Jessica Simpson is not holding back in her new memoir, Open Book. The 39-year-old singer just revealed that she took diet pills for 20 years after she was told to lose weight as a teenager, per People.

She says it all started after she auditioned for Tommy Mottola at Columbia Records on her 17th birthday. After belting Amazing Grace, the music executive offered her a contract, but under one condition: You gotta lose 15 pounds. Thats what it will take to be Jessica Simpson, he said.

Simpson, who weighed 118 pounds at the time, immediately went on an extremely strict diet and started taking diet pills, which she would take for the next 20 years. I started to hear voices when I was alone at night, waiting for the sleeping pill to kick in Do more sit-ups, fat ass.

The pressure only continued to grow as she became more successful in her career. We all see our flaws, and mine were just there for the world to rip apart. They werent even flaws! They were made into flaws that I didnt even know I had, Simpson told People. Its insane what can make a headline.

The mother of three also revealed in her memoir that she suffered from sexual abuse as a child, which she kept to herself for years. Simpson developed anxiety from the trauma and began to self-medicate with alcohol and stimulants. I was killing myself with all the drinking and pills, she wrote.

In 2017, she had a wake-up call and immediately became sober. The star hasnt had a sip of alcohol since. When I finally said I needed help, it was like I was that little girl that found her calling again in life, she told People. I found direction and that was to walk straight ahead with no fear.

Jessica Simpson Opens About Battle With Addiction

Today, she uses exercise as a way to cope with stress. When I work out, a lot of it is to release anxietythats one of my tools for sobriety, she told the outlet. Just going walking and talking with my husband.

I just thank God that times are changing and people are standing up for themselves and not making it about body image, she added. I hope I can be part of that change and that my daughters will grow up in a world where they can accept themselves at any size.

Like what you just read? Youll love our magazine! Go here to subscribe. Dont miss a thing by downloading Apple News here and following Prevention. Oh, and were on Instagram too.

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Jessica Simpson Took Diet Pills for 20 Years After Being Told to Lose Weight As a Teen - Prevention.com

Forty-three volunteers with high blood pressure completed the one-year trial. To measure the effects, the researchers gave their subjects questionnaires to gauge how well they identified and controlled their emotions as well as tests to assess their ability to pay attention to a task before the program began and again three months, six months and 12 months after it ended. The study also evaluated its subjects physical-activity level, diet, body mass index, perceived stress, alcohol consumption, medication adherence and blood pressure. Those who werent following official guidelines on heart health at the outset all showed improvements when it came to physical activity, diet and alcohol consumption; all participants reported lower stress. On average, a year later, the study participants had lowered their systolic blood pressure by six points and their diastolic pressure by an average of one point, a significant overall improvement.

But the study also illustrates the difficulties inherent in trying to judge the health effects of any psychological intervention. The scientific method, in comparison, is well suited to testing drugs like blood-pressure medications: One group of trial subjects gets the medication, another gets a placebo and neither the researchers nor the participants know who gets what until the clinical trial is over, eliminating the possibility that their expectations about the drugs effectiveness influence the results. In other words, the conditions for each group are exactly the same, except for the chemical makeup of the pill they are ingesting. In theory, then, any difference in health outcomes between the groups must be a result of that difference in chemicals.

It is impossible, though, for persons practicing mindfulness not to know whether or not they are doing it, so how do you create a placebo for a control group? Louckss study compared participants with themselves before and after the mindfulness training, but its impossible to be certain whether the training itself caused the observed changes. It could be that simply meeting in a group for two hours a week (or 10 minutes a week, for that matter) improves health. To find out, you would need to convene such a gathering for the same length of time as the mindfulness training group and then give them something to do, Loucks says. What is that content? taking a health class? and is it messing with our question? To put it another way, can you say what the precise difference is between the mindfulness training and that health class, which is the behavioral equivalent of the chemical difference between a drug and its placebo, that accounts for a difference in outcomes?

That difference, the aspect of mindfulness that impacts health, may become clearer as researchers develop increasingly specific mindfulness-training programs and test them on larger, more diverse groups of people. In Louckss study, as in many mindfulness studies, most of the participants who responded to advertisements seeking volunteers were white, college-educated and by definition interested in trying the practice, so its not clear if the results apply more widely. Loucks is currently running a randomized trial of his mindfulness-based blood-pressure program with 200 volunteers; those in the control group work with a physician to manage their blood pressure and receive a blood-pressure monitor to keep at home along with training on its use, which has been shown to improve how well patients manage their condition. (Not having all the answers yet doesnt mean we shouldnt act; health officials approve many drugs without knowing for whom they will work best, at what dose and why, or what their long-term effects might be, variables that even the most rigorous trials cant always determine.)

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Can Mindfulness Evolve From Wellness Pursuit to Medical Treatment? - The New York Times

Its estimated that one in 10 adults will deal with bone spurs in the heel in their lifetime

But bone spurs can appear throughout the body and they can happen to anyone, for many reasons: age, weak bone structure, level of physical activity, pH imbalances, or anywhere there has been an injury, poor blood supply, or scar tissue. But they dont have to be inevitable.

In healthy bone, osteoblasts add fresh mineralsprimarily calciumand osteoclasts remove older bone tissue by breaking down minerals and reabsorbing them into the bloodstream. Both processes are intricately interlinked and crucial for health. Unfortunately, the bone-building process doesnt always work the way it should. Sometimes, a person can build up areas of what is essentially dead calcium, which results in painful bone spurs (osteophytes) or kidney stones.

Often, the standard American diet is to blame for the development of weak bones, bone spurs, and kidney stones. Contributing foods and ingredients include high-fructose corn syrup, soda, apple juice, fluoridated water, other refined sugars, and animal protein.

Virtually any fast-food meal sets the stage for making the body prone to kidney stones. Because the American diet is so high in these types of acidic foods, the body pulls calcium out of the bones to act as a buffer against them.

The problem is, once this calcium is removed from the bones, it cant be properly reabsorbed, and instead forms clumps in the body that can cause problems. Combine that with the fact that most people dont hydrate enough during the day, and you have a perfect storm of conditions.

Of course, bone spurs in the heel can result from repetitive activity, like pitching or carpentry. The irritation, pain, and stiffness people feel might not just be muscle aches, but an actual change in the structure of their joints. In these cases, bone spurs can often appear in the shoulders, where bones, muscles, and ligaments wear against one another, and in the heels, which take a lot of punishment from exercise, work, and everyday life.

Fashion can take a toll as well. Tight shoes can restrict the movement of tendons and damage bones in the feet. The plantar bones of the bottom of the feet are covered with tough fibrous fascia tissue. Plantar fasciitis results when this tissue is stretched, damaged, and inflamed. This muscle-based damage can be the first step in developing heel spurs, because in the course of trying to repair damage to the feet, extra emergency bone can develop, becoming a spur of unwantedand potentially debilitatingcalcium.

And in other cases, body chemistry is the culprit. To function at its best, the body must maintain a proper and delicate acid-to-alkaline (pH) balance. If a persons pH tends toward the more alkaline end of the scale, it sets the stage for calcium to build up where it shouldnt.

The strange thing about bone spur development and the connection to pH is that most peoples diets are so acidic that the body has a tough time keeping things equal (close to a 7 on the pH scale). But high alkalinity canand clearly doeshappen nonetheless.

An over-alkaline system struggles harder to absorb calcium, which is essential for strengthening bones. In this case, when load-bearing bones are under stress, they try various ways of protecting themselves, one of which is the formation of bone spurs in the heel.

No matter the cause, dead calcium or dead bone needs to be removed from the body to stop pain and discomfort. What the body actually needsironically is a group of acidifying ingredients to bring the system back into balance and dissolve the dead calcium and other minerals.

The question is how.

Conventional treatments for bone spurs can be risky and unnecessary, especially when the right nutrients can help put the body back on track naturally and non-invasively.

Ammonium chloride sounds like a potentially unhealthy thing, but its absolutely essential in helping support the normal growth cycle of bones. It is mildly acidic and can help the body return to a healthy pH balance. It is actually a component of digestive juices and stomach acid, and is crucial for mineral absorption.

Smaller amounts of calcium chloride and calcium phosphate (the same form that makes up bones and teeth) help keep the overall bone resorption process running smoothly. People shouldnt cut calcium from their diet and supplement regimen in order to fight bone spursthey are actually more likely to develop them without appropriate calcium intake.

Betaine hydrochloric acid mimics the stomach acid created naturally by the body to help break down minerals properly. In an over-alkaline environment, where calcium and other minerals arent prepared for the body to absorb well, youll see the formation of bone spurs in the heel, calcium deposits, and kidney stones. When calcium crystals collect at the site of an injury or a weak bone, a bone spur is likely to follow.

Vitamin C is crucial for collagen formation during the tissue rebuilding phase after injury or other heavy activity. A deficiency of vitamin C can weaken ligaments and tendons. It is thus essential to keep the cushioning and connective tissue of the joints healthy so that the body doesnt overcompensate by creating bone spurs. Plus, vitamin C fights oxidative stress that can hinder joint repair.

Vitamin B6 in the pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P-5-P) form is readily absorbed by the body and doesnt need to be converted by the liver. It is the perfect nutrient to combine with magnesium to ensure proper calcium absorption and use by the body.

After all, most people will still get calcium through diet and supplementation, even while theyre getting rid of bone spurs in the heeland thats a good thing. Its just important to be sure the calcium stays fluid and doesnt form into clumps that can cause improper buildup at the joints or form kidney stones. Since the P-5-P form of vitamin B6 works so well with magnesium, its essential for this type of regimen.

Magnesium glycerophosphate is the acidic form of the mineral, so it will not alkalize body tissues and potentially add to the problem of bone spurs in the heel. Magnesium is an important mineral for health, and yet is often missing from the diet. Thats unfortunate, because magnesium helps cells build energy, assists calcium in bone-building, and helps relieve pain by blocking NMDA pain receptors.

While there is no specific body of clinical research yet concerning a nutritional protocol for ridding the body of bone spurs, if your patients try this approach, they will likely get good results. In the future, clinical trials should prove what years of practical experience have shown: bone spurs can be resolved naturally without resorting to invasive surgeries.

Terry Lemerond is a natural health expert with more than 40 years experience. He has owned health food stores, founded dietary supplement companies, and formulated more than 400 products.A published author, he appears on radio, television, and is a frequent guest speaker. He can be contacted through europharmausa.com.

References:

1American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Plantar Fasciitis and Bone Spurs. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00149. Last reviewed June 2010. Accessed October 27, 2014.

2 Mohseni-Bandpei MA, et al. Application of ultrasound in the assessment of plantar fascia in patients with plantar fasciitis: a systematic review. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2014;40(8):1737-54. Epub 2014 May 3.

3 Rogers J, Shepstone L, Dieppe P. Bone formers: osteophyte and enthesophyte formation are positively associated. Ann Rheum Dis. 1997;56(2):85-90.

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Dietary strategy to prevent bone spurs in the heel - Chiropractic Economics

Aussies are living longer than ever before, thanks to improvements in healthcare services and medical technology. However, many of us may still feel apprehensive about the effects of ageing on our body and may resign ourselves into thinking certain outcomes are inevitable as we tick off another birthday. Ive heard several old wives tales about what people believe happens to our bodies as we get older, so Im going to let you in on the truth of the matter.

Many of the most common age-related health hurdles can be overcome easier than you may think by tweaking aspects of your diet and lifestyle. To help you, Ive debunked five common healthy ageing myths and shared my top tips on feeling great at any age.

Making drastic changes to your diet at any age can sometimes do more harm than good, so its always recommended that you speak to a health professional before doing so. Big changes might be hard to maintain so focus on smaller tweaks to your diet, which can have great results on your health. As our bodies age slowly over time, ensure you eat a balanced diet of all five core food groups carbohydrates, vegetables, fruit, dairy and lean meat as this will help to ensure you provide your body with the right nutrition, regardless of your age.

Our energy comes from the food we eat, so if youre fueling your body properly and eating a balanced diet, you will have energy no matter what your age. You may feel a little lackluster though as you get older, so consider getting out and socialising, incorporating regular exercise or taking up a new hobby to feel motivated each day and maintain energy levels. You can also consider incorporating an energy-boosting supplement with the key ingredients of nicotinamide, also known as the molecule of youth, which has been shown to boost energy levels. And remember, if you have a medical condition, speak to a health professional first before taking any new supplements.

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What really happens to our bodies as we age: Health myths debunked - Starts at 60

This is a question that I get asked on a daily basis how do I make my muscles grow? Over the years, a number of hypotheses have been put forward. Most of them have not been proven to be true. But now we seem to know with a fair bit of certainty what works and what does not. Before I get to the muscle growth question, let me state some basics if you are not ingesting enough food, real food and not supplements, getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night and drinking enough water, then you have bigger issues to worry about than what to do in the gym. This bears repeating that we cannot out train a bad diet and applies equally to fat loss as well as muscle gain. Its a clich now, but muscle growth is a three legged stool exercise, diet and rest. All three have to be spot on otherwise you are going to spin your wheels in the gym!

The top three factors for muscle growth

1. Mechanical tension: This is what is called progressive overload increasing the load so that body has to adapt to the increased weight. But the increase in weight should not be done mindlessly you need to connect to the muscle you are working. Focus on contracting and squeezing the muscle as hard as possible. Load the muscle through its entire range of motion. Too many trainees seem to think that just loading the bar and then using body language to move the weight will effectively work the targeted muscle.

Focus on contracting and squeezing the muscle as hard as possible ( Shutterstock )

2. Muscle damage : Focus on creating micro-trauma by lowering the weight under control. Eccentric exercise or the lowering of the weight under control causes the most amount of muscle damage. Next day, the trainee would be sore as the body repairs the damage done in the gym. This results in muscular size increase over the long term.

3. Metabolic stress : Body-builders call it chasing the Pump. Researchers call this cell swelling which is a result of pooling of blood in muscles. It was assumed that the pump was just a temporary cosmetic condition. But now we know that the pump creates protein synthesis and shuts down protein breakdown.

Applying the three factors for increasing muscle size

Mechanical tension is pretty simple. Add weight to the bar every week or every other week. Move the weight in a controlled fashion through the muscles entire range of motion. You should have the weight under your control. Most of the time, trainees are in a hurry to increase the weight while their form goes out of the window. Rinse, repeat.

To increase muscle, add weight to the bar every week or every other week ( Shutterstock )

Muscle damage happens when the weight is lowered slowly. Take two to four seconds on the eccentric portion of the lift. You would be sore the next day but rest assured if you recover from the workout, you will gain size and strength.

For Metabolic stress, extend the set by increasing repetitions using short pauses. Do it this way if you can get eight repetitions with a weight, pause for 10-15 seconds after the 8th rep, do two more, pause 20 seconds, do two more. Or you can do strip sets hit failure at the 8th rep, quickly reduce the weight and do 2-3 reps more, then reduce it some more and get two reps more.

If you incorporate the above in your gym workouts and eat enough food, your muscle size should go up. In the next column, I shall reveal how to calculate how many calories are needed for gaining weight and also for fat loss.

Author bio: Kamal Singh is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist who has been coaching for 15 years

From HT Brunch, January 26, 2020

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Fit and fine: How to get that muscular body - Hindustan Times

High blood pressure, medically known as hypertension, can lead to all sorts of health conditions. For one, it can lead to a heart attack or, two, it could result in a stroke. Kidney failure, heart failure and vascular dementia are also associated risks. Fortunately, one tasty and versatile piece of meat has been shown to lower blood pressure.

Researchers in Japan conducted a study to see if collagen a protein found in chicken legs could be broken up by the stomach into smaller proteins that lower blood pressure.

Positively, the smaller proteins were found to work akin to ACE inhibitors a type of medication prescribed by doctors to manage high blood pressure.

To test this theory further, the smaller proteins were then fed to rats whose blood pressures were measured for a whole day.

The chicken leg proteins did in fact cause a fall in the rats blood pressures that slowly wore off after the 24-hour period.

Due to these results, the studys researchers are suggesting that people could eat chicken soup made from chicken leg meat to help lower their blood pressure.

They do note that chicken legs dont contain enough collagen to replace taking blood pressure medications if youve already been prescribed them.

Nevertheless, a warm bowl of chicken soup is a good option to help manage the health condition.

READ MORE:Eczema: Does this unsightly skin condition worsen with age? Experts have their say

Blood Pressure UK does list other recommendations on how to help lower blood pressure readings. These include:

Salt

The more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure will be. It causes the body to retain too much water, and can disturb how diuretic medication for high blood pressure works.

An adult is recommended to eat no more than 6g of salt per day. Blood Pressure UK add to stop using salt at the dinner table.

There are already far too many ways hidden salt enters our body through our diet. Did you know that salt is contained in biscuits, breakfast cereals and bread? Well, they are.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and fibre to keep your body in good condition.

They also contain potassium, which helps balance out the negative effects of salt thus helping to lower your blood pressure.

A mixture of at least five different fruits and vegetables are best eaten every day with each portion being about the same size as your fist.

Recommended daily alcohol limits

Alcohol contains a lot of calories which can cause weight gain and can lead to a higher blood pressure.

The current UK guidelines point out that men and women should drink no more than 14 units per week.

What does 14 units look like?

Binge drinking is frowned upon by Blood Pressure UK. It states that binge drinking is classed as drinking more than six units in six hours thats less than three 175ml glasses of wine or three pints of beer in an evening.

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High blood pressure: Best meat to include in your diet if you want to lower your reading - Express