Health & the City

Healthy Christmas Fun

2011-12-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to be jolly, but nobody wants to start the New Year too out of shape. Here are my eight tips to get you through the festive season somewhat healthily.

1. Sign-up for a new-year fitness event: Maintain your fitness throughout December by registering for a fitness event in January or February 2012. You may take on an open water swim, sweat it out in a 10km run or perform a mini-triathlon. Whichever you choose, the upcoming event will help you stay active during the party season.

2. Eat your favourite Christmas foods: Indulge in the mince tarts or Christmas pudding, tantalise your tastebuds with the trifle and crunch through the crackle. But leave the chocolates, lollies, candy canes and chips for someone else. These snack foods are not as special as the traditional Christmas foods, so they’re not worth the kilojoules.

3. P-A-R-T-Y wisely: The month of December is usually jam packed with catch-ups and celebrations, but you don’t always need to attend them all. Too many of us wear busyness like a badge of honour, when really it saps us of our energy. Attend only the most important events. That way, you won’t get run down and you’ll find the celebrations more enjoyable.

4. Wear tight clothing: Tight clothes like skinny jeans can work as an unpleasant reminder not to overeat. Feeling your stomach to the limits can make sitting and moving in tight clothes extremely uncomfortable. So, going easy on the portion sizes will seem like the better option at the time, as well as help you manage your weight in the longer term.

5. Succeed with salad: Before heading to your Christmas party, eat a low-kilojoule salad. According to Barbara Rolls in her volumetric plan, filling up on salads prior to your main meal eases hunger pangs and helps to fill you up. In fact, eating a low-kilojoule salad can help reduce your intake at your next meal by 20 per cent.

6. Reflect and re-evaluate: As you approach the end of another year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your achievements and re-evaluate your goals for 2012. Reflection and re-evaluation will give you a sense of achievement and self-fulfilment, which are both important for a happy and healthy mind.

7. Downsize your plates: Be like Goldilocks and eat off the smallest plate at the party. Research shows, the larger the plate, the more food dished up and the more food eaten. Serving utensils can also increase the amount of food you eat. A larger spoon can see you dish up 14.5 per cent more food than if you used a smaller spoon. So bear this in mind when you’re at a buffet-style function.

8. Schedule me time: Remain sane throughout December by taking time out to relax. Running yourself into the ground during this hectic time is going to see you start the New Year worse for ware. Enjoy some alone time each week and revitalise yourself.

Tackling Obesity in Young Women

2011-10-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

When it comes to successful weight loss strategies, most of research to date predominantly looks at middle-aged men and women, while young women are often forgotten about. However, with 21 per cent of Australian women aged 18-24 years being overweight and 15 per cent being obese, this group is quickly becoming more prone to obesity than any other age group. A lack of food skills, heavy alcohol consumption, regular meals eaten away from home and fad diets are just some of the reasons to blame for weight challenges in young women.

Effective weight loss in young women requires an understanding of their lifestyle, expectations and motivations. This generation wants quick results and expects weight loss to be fast and dramatic. They prefer to mix in groups of a similar age and enjoying a night out with the girls is a high priority. How young women manage their body goes a long way in predicting their weight and fat status throughout the rest of adulthood. To help young women tackle obesity, follow these tips:

Develop realistic strategies: Socialising is a big part of young women's lives therefore providing advice that excludes takeaway options from their menu is not going to get the desired results. For young women, eating out is a regular part of the week, not a treat. Educating young women on making better food choices by selecting a meal that provides low-GI carbohydrates, lean proteins and plenty of vegetables are a must.

Manage expectations: The media and celebrity diets create a false image that effective weight loss happens quickly. As a result, young women expect speedy weight loss results, when in actual fact slow and steady wins the weight loss war. Addressing the misinformation surrounding weight loss, as well as managing expectations for instant weight loss results can help women become more realistic with the goals

Teach cooking skills: Young women tend to dial for takeaway or eat out instead of cooking their own evening meal, as many lack the skills and knowledge required to plan, shop, prepare and cook a healthy meal. Educating women on essential kitchen appliances, grocery shopping and stocking a pantry is essential for this age group. Providing them with the skills to cook a range of quick and easy meals is also beneficial.

Be realistic about alcohol: Despite the extra kilojoules and poor food choices that accompany drinking, alcohol consumption is an important part of the social life of young women. Banning alcohol intake in young women merely isolates them from their social scene and is also an unrealistic strategy. Empower young women to adjust their drinking habits by educating them on the best choices and kilojoule content of popular beverages.

Treat emotional eating: Overeating among this age group is often in response to an emotional or psychological issue. Low self-esteem, loneliness, perfectionism and body dissatisfaction are associated with emotional eating, however using food as the main strategy to cope with managing emotions can develop into an "unhealthy food addiction". Emotional eating doesn't solve the problem and instead can further entrench self-loathing and negative thoughts and behaviours. Determining and addressing the cause of the emotional eating is recommended for weight management.

Variety isn't always the spice of life

2011-07-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

Variety is meant to be the spice of life, but in reality variety may make healthy eating and weight loss harder. According to new research published in the American Journal of Nutrition, less variety means less kilojoules throughout the week. For the study, researchers put 32 obese and non-obese women aged 20-50 years of age on an unhealthy diet of macaroni and cheese. The women were randomly assigned to eating macaroni and cheese five times, either daily for one week or once a week for five weeks. At the end of the study, both the obese and non-obese women who had eaten macaroni and cheese daily consumed fewer kilojoules than the women who ate it only once a week. In fact, the women who ate macaroni and cheese once a week ate more kilojoules.

Eating the same thing day after day may sound dull but it's a winning formula for weight loss. Monotony with eating eventually leads to a decrease response or habituation to that food. In other words, over exposure to food makes us lose interest in it and consequently reduce the amount we eat. This isn't the only research that believes variety to be an issue for weight loss, with research published in the journal Obesity Research finding people who have successfully maintained major weight loss for several years had less variety from all food groups and consumed fewer kilojoules than those who recently lost weight. While the people that succeeded in weight loss still ate foods from each category, they ate less variety within categories.

While our national nutrition guidelines recommend eating a wide variety of foods, this isn't always practical and it can contribute unnecessary waste. For many people our fast-paced lifestyle makes it hard enough to find the time to prepare healthy meals let alone making each one different. That's why creating a regular routine in which your breakfast, lunch and snacks are similar, if not the same, makes healthy eating easier. The grocery shopping is easier and meal preparation is easier. Too many different foods in the fridge means you need to come up with a range of recipes in order to use them all up. Otherwise these foods become part of the $5.2 billion worth of food wasted each year.

For overall health and well-being it's important to include a certain amount of variety in your diet, but you don't have to make every meal or snack you eat different. Instead aim to enjoy foods from each of the five food groups - fruit, vegetable, cereals and grains, meat and meat alternatives, and dairy products and non-dairy alternatives. Dish up a variety of non-starchy vegetables, while offer one option of carbohydrates and one option of protein at each meal. Keep your snack choices to a few different options and avoid a buffet style of eating. Controlling the variety of foods on offer isn't boring, it makes healthy eating easier.

Looking at Diabetes & Eye Health

2011-07-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

Did you know that diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in Australians under the age of 60? Yet few people realise the connection between diabetes and eye health. This year's Diabetes Awareness Week aims to highlight the link between diabetes and the eyes. With more than 3 million or one in four Australian adults over the age of 25 having either diabetes or pre-diabetes (impaired glucose intolerance), diabetes impact on eye health could do with a closer look.

How does diabetes affect eye health

High blood glucose levels changes the shape of the lens in the eyes, temporarily causing blurred vision. This blurred vision is common before diabetes is diagnosed or when diabetes is poorly controlled. When blood glucose levels are reduced though diet, exercise and/or medications, the blurriness usually disappears. Persistently high blood glucose levels can increase the risk of developing the following eye conditions:

Cataracts: result from changes to the lens that produce clouding, which decreases visual acuity. People with diabetes are more likely to develop cataracts at a younger age.
Retinopathy: High blood glucose levels affect the blood vessels supplying the retina, a light sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. These blood vessels weaken and narrow, causing blood and fluid to leak into the eye, a condition called retinopathy. Over the longer term, major haemorrhage can occur leading to retinal detachment and even permanent loss of eyesight. The development of retinopathy is strongly related to the length of time diabetes has been present and the degree of blood glucose control.
Glaucoma: an eye disease in which the optic nerve (which transmits electrical impulses from the retina to the brain) is damaged. While glaucoma can affect anybody, it appears to be more common in people with diabetes. In people with diabetes, glaucoma can develop as a result of severe diabetic retinopathy.

Tips for looking after your eyes:

Manage your blood sugar levels: Make a commitment to managing your diabetes by finding the time for healthy eating and physical activity each day. Take oral medications or insulin as directed and check and record your blood sugar levels several times each day. Regular monitoring is the only way to make sure that your blood sugar levels remain within your target range. Your GP can help you determine how often to test your blood sugar levels.
Control blood pressure: While most of us know that controlling our blood pressure is good for our heart, few realise how important it is for protecting our eyesight. High blood pressure can increase your risk of diabetic retinopathy in people with diabetes.
Quit smoking: Giving up cigarettes can improve the health of your eyes, reducing your risk of developing cataracts and retinopathy in people with diabetes. To help you quit smoking today call the Quitline today on 137848.
Get your eyes checked: Make sure you schedule for your yearly eye check up. If you experience any sudden vision changes or if your vision becomes hazy, blurry or spotty, contact your doctor straight away.

Is work making you fat?

2011-06-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the obesity epidemic, poor eating habits and inadequate exercise are the lifestyle factors that receive most of the blame. However, new research suggests there might be a new kid on the block to blame for our expanding waistlines....and it's our jobs!

Over the last 50 years, there has been a shift away from occupations that require moderate intensity physical activity to occupations that are largely composed of sitting and sedentary behaviour. In fact, according to research published in the journal PLoS ONE our daily occupation-related energy expenditure has decreased by more than 420 kilojoules in both men and women. The US researchers also speculate that this reduction in occupational energy expenditure accounts for a large portion of the observed increase in mean weight in the US over the last five decades.

While this is the first detailed study to look at the impact work has on our waistlines, the results don't come as a surprise to me. Over the years, physical activity has been engineered out of our lives and few of us think about the effect this is having on our health. Sure we think about working out in the gym or going for a run, but few of us think about the incidental stuff like taking the stairs instead of the elevator even to go up a single level. Few of us get off a few bus stops early and walk the rest of the way to work, nor will we get up to talk to a colleague instead of emailing. All of these scenarios get us moving more at work, yet they're often thought of as inconveniences rather than opportunities.

While it's unlikely that the lost occupational-related energy expenditure can ever be completely restored to the workplace, we can increase the opportunities for movement. Employers can subsidize gym memberships or provide group personal training sessions for employees at lunch time. Employees can go outside each lunch break for a run or walk, or exercise before or after work everyday. Offices can be designed to encourage walking and promote face-to-face communication instead of emails.

Moving at work is a good thing, so make sure you include it as much as possible, without rewarding yourself with food or letting your emotions tempt you with large amounts of comfort food when stressed at work. However, it's important to remember that moving more at work is just one of the things you can do to keep your waistline down. Eating a healthy balanced diet, controlling stress levels and getting adequate sleep are also important, so make time for these also.

Why is it so hard to change?

2011-05-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

If change is as good as a holiday, then why do so many of us struggle with it? Even when we know that making a particular change is for the best, it's still hard to commit to the process. For many of us, change is an inconvenience - we need to put in the effort to get the results. Even when we understand the benefits of making a change though, there still seems to be something standing in our way. This something is the fear of the unknown and our ability to cope with this unknown in the future. When we're not sure of how we're going to get from the old habit to the new habit, we become concerned and doubt our ability, particularly if there is a strong chance of failure.

Working as a health professional, I motivate and empower people to make changes every day. I assess their readiness to change, help them weigh up the pros and cons for changing, assist them in setting achievable goals and help them overcome barriers along the way. With so much of my work focused on empowering people to make positive changes, you would think I would excel at making my own changes. Yet knowing the theory and actually putting it into practice doesn't always seem to correlate. The change I need to make isn't about health and wellbeing (that I haven't any problem with), it's about taking the steps to create my business.

Just like many of my clients, I know want needs to be done, but the gap between knowing and putting the wheels into motion, just doesn't seem to be getting any smaller. Even when I know what needs to be done, I still find myself struggling to commit the time to do the things I know need to be done. This happens to more people than just me. So why?

From my point of view, I believe that one of the biggest reasons people choose not to change is because they fall victim to the temptation of instant gratification, which blurbs their bigger picture. Instead of making the choices that make our day-to-day lives more enjoyable, we need to commit the time and effort to working towards our long-term goals that have more meaning. We need to spend more time planning what we really want to achieve in life, commit to the process and then make it happen. Change may make you feel uncomfortable, but if you embrace it, your dreams just may come true. Even if they don't, you're bound to achieve something just as rewarding.

Take a Step Back

2011-04-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you're just too busy? Too busy to get through your to-do list each day and too busy to take time out for the things that you really love? Being busy makes us feel like we're making an impact with many of us wearing busyness like a badge of honour for how important we are. But just like today's society tainted by instant gratification, busyness makes us impatient.

I for one am guilty of being impatient in situations of little importance and it comes about because of my thoughts and beliefs. I like to jam so much into my day that I rush around, being dictated by the clock. If something or someone delays me in some way, it doesn't take long for the impatience to begin to creep in. See, I juggle a number of lines of work - writing or speaking one minute, seeing private clients or working with the Rabbitohs the next - and I am constantly rushing from one thing to the next, while still finding the time to exercise and socialise with family and friends. Recently, I also had to throw organising my wedding into the mix, which meant my time management had to be even more precise. Even with all my tasks timetabled into my week, lists absolutely everywhere and the realisation I probably had taken on more than I could chew, I still became irritated over the slightest of things. Of course, I was oblivious to my impatience at the time.

We had the most perfect wedding day even with all the rain. A few things may have not been the way we had planned, but it didn't bother us in the slightest. After our wedding we headed for a short honeymoon (or mini-moon as we called it) to Vanuatu. The minute we stepped off the plane, I felt instantly relaxed. Even standing in the customs queue for 20 minutes didn't bother me. I didn't have anywhere to be - I was on Vanuatu time now. Arriving at our resort, I immediately felt like I was in paradise. A divine beachfront villa, complete with a private plunge pool and beach access, and a total of three other couples to share the amazing sunsets with. For four days, I was going chill out with my new husband, read, snorkel, eat, drink and relax.

What I noticed over the next few days was just how relaxed I was. Even when we were stranded on a deserted island in the middle of a storm without any shelter, all I could do was laugh and enjoy the surroundings. I knew our boat would come back and get us eventually. Time was not an issue and I didn't have any iPhone, iPad or laptop to distract me. I was only away for four days (two days was a weekend), so anything important could wait till Monday.

As much as I didn't want to leave Vanuatu, the time came when we had to board our flight. I wanted to bottle up how relaxed I felt and take it back to Sydney with me. I wanted to be patient and relaxed in life, lose the sense of urgency and just enjoy the simple things more. When we arrived in Sydney, I turned on my iPhone only to hear an influx of sms, emails and missed calls beep from my phone. I put the phone back in my bag and decided to deal with it the next day...after all I was technically still on holidays.

As the working week started, the realisation of being back on Sydney time set in. Very quickly I noticed the pressure I was placing on myself to complete tasks and reach deadlines. (I pride myself on meeting all deadlines no matter how unrealistic they seem). What I realised though, was the thoughts that were racing through my mind were what were making me feel somewhat overwhelmed. Even when driving or doing the grocery shopping, I noticed feelings of annoyance grew with small inconveniences like being cut off by other cars or having to dodge trolleys in the middle of the aisle. Although I was only slightly annoyed, I hadn't felt these feelings at all when we were in Vanuatu. I knew I had to change my thinking.

Living in our fast-paced society makes many of us feel frantic. Feeling frantic doesn't help us achieve what we need to; it actually makes mistakes more likely and increases impatience and feelings of anger. Many of us rush through life without any direction about what we are trying to achieve, taking on more and more tasks simply because they become available to us. I think it's important in life to assess our commitments and let go of anything we feel is not a priority. That way we can achieve more by doing less and when we feel ourselves become impatient we can take a step back and slow down our thoughts. Busyness is a state of mind, we don't have to act on it. So, next time you feel yourself getting irrationally angry or impatient, take a step back and get in tune with what really matters.

Achieve in 2011

2011-01-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Many of us realise that the start of a new year signals a time for reflection of the year that has past, as well as a time to re-evaluate our goals for the year ahead. However, few of us dedicate the time needed to really reflect on our achievements (or lack of them), nor do we think about the impact our accomplishments and failure to act have on our lives. Instead many of us make spur of the moment, flimsy goals of losing weight or eating better because we feel guilty about our indulgences over the festive season. We start the new year will all the best intentions of getting our act together in both work and home life, but before we know it, we're up to our armpits in work without any time left for family and friends, let alone the goals we had all the intentions of finally achieving. There we go again, drifting through the year without any direction or idea of whether we are on track to achieving what we want.

So do you know what you really want in life? Sure many of us have an idea of what we might like to achieve in the next year, but because of our fast-paced lives many of us forget about them until New Year's eve rolls around again. The good news is, this doesn't have to happen again this year, as there are a few changes you can make so that you really achieve what you want. For most of us, there are a couple of reasons why things aren't working out the way we might like it. Many of us keep our goals in our mind instead of writing them down, which means we can easily forget them when life gets in the way. However, the simple act of writing down your goals and revisiting them regularly throughout the year makes you more accountable and makes achieving your goals more likely. The other reason is, many of us don't set our goals properly.

Goals are usually set in a forward manner - we set our goals for the present year first, then we set our goals for the following year and then our goals for two years time. What happens with this forward thinking is we often overestimate what we can achieve in one year and underestimate what we can achieve in 10 years. A more constructive way to set your goals is to focus on the long-term goals first - that's what you want to achieve in 5-10 years time. Once you have these defined, you can break it down into three and one year goals. Your short-term goals over one or two years can then serve as a measure to keep you on track to achieving your long-term goals. This backward form of goal setting makes breaks large tasks into small, achievable steps and makes them less daunting. Don't believe me? Think back over the last 10 years and ask yourself if you had ever imagined that 10 years ago you would be in place you are today? Think about how far you could go in the next 10 years if you had a game plan.

To help you set your goals for the years to come and for 2011, spend some time reflecting on what you did and did not achieve in 2010? Why did this happen? What difference has this made to your life? What haven't you finished in 2010 that you need to carry over into 2011? Look at these questions for the following seven areas of your life: health, family/partner, leisure, finances, personal development, career and travel. Next, use this information to help you sent your long- and short-term goals in the areas of finances, property, family/partner, career, travel, possessions and community/charity. Remember to write your 5-10 year goals first, followed by your 3 year goals and then your 1 year goals. Write emotively and in the present tense e.g. "I feel elated and proud to have just completed my first ironman - it's October 2015".

Once you've pictured your life, make sure that you write your goals for 2011 and keep them in a place that you can visit regularly. Put the steps in place for you to achieve these goals and review your progress each month, so that you arrive at the end of 2011 with your short-term goals completed, as well as being well on the way to achieving your long-term goals. Now that's motivating!

Stand up for health

2010-10-13T02:52:00.000-07:00

Think your 30 minutes of exercise each day is enough to keep you healthy? Think again!

Most of us have heard that for better health we need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days of the week. However, what many of us don't realise is that this is not the only physical activity guideline that we should be following. According to the National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians, the minimum level of physical activity required for good health includes four steps:

Think of movement as an opportunity not as inconvenience
Be active every day in as many ways as you can
Put together at least 30 minute of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days
If you can, also enjoy some regular vigorous exercise for extra health and fitness benefits

What these guidelines attempt to show us is our current sedentary lifestyle isn't good enough for keeping us healthy; for better health, we need to move as often as we can. Now more and more research is telling us the same, with many studies showing us a daily exercise session is not enough to combat the damaging effects that being sedentary for the rest of the day is having on our waistlines, blood pressure, blood cholesterol levels and blood glucose levels.

According to the research, prolonged unbroken periods of immobilised muscle that occurs with extended periods of sitting (such as when we commute, watch television or sit at a desk), reduces the ability of lipoproteins (substances that carry cholesterol in our blood) to efficiently mange healthy blood cholesterol levels. These findings have even been found in people who report exercising for at least 150 minutes each week. (the same 30 minutes of exercise on five days of the week).

An Australian study found a detrimental relationship between television viewing time and waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose levels and triglyceride levels, even when the participants were meeting the exercise guidelines. The adverse consequences of prolonged sitting time have also been further verified in findings from a Canadian Fitness Survey that found people who spent the majority of the day sitting had a significantly poorer long-term mortality rate, even if they were deemed to be "physically active".

Before you go getting too depressed about the thought of having to find more time to exercise, there is some good news. Simply standing up more throughout your day can benefit your waistline, body mass index, blood pressure levels, blood cholesterol levels and blood glucose levels, irrespective of the amount of exercise you do. So for optimal health, make sure that on top of your 30-minute daily exercise session, you are also sitting less, moving more and moving often. Think of movement as an opportunity for better health, rather than an inconvenience and choose the active way to do things. You can start now by standing you from your desk and stretching your legs ..... it's that simple!

Spring Racing Carnival: Hold to keep your waistline

2010-09-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

Fashions on the Field, lawn parties, bubbles and amples of finger food - you've got to love the Spring Racing Carnival. While many of us attend Spring Carnival for the races, some of us are more interested in the antics on the other side of the fence. Picnics of the lawn complete with endless sparkling wine, beer and food can easily ruin anyone's attempt of reaching their perfect beach body, not to mention leaving us a little under the weather the following day. Arrive at the end of the Spring Racing Carnival with a spring in your step by following my six tips:

1. Choose the most important day: If you're attending a number of spring race days, limit the overindulgence by choosing the most important day to let your hair down. Too much of a good thing can see you drinking too much, eating poorly and skipping exercise sessions for a number of weeks, which is not good for your waistline or your health.

2. Include an early morning exercise session: Before you start getting ready for your day out in the sun, make a morning exercise session a must. Moving your body will help you compensate for some of the extra kilojoules you'll be consuming trackside.

3. Plan and pack food for the day: Not having food at hand will mean you'll have to waste time lining up with the other hundreds of people desperate for a bit to eat. It's either that or go without food for the day, which is definitely not recommended at any time, let alone when you're enjoying a few drinks. Pack a picnic basket full of sandwiches, low-fat dips, cheeses, fruit, nuts and crackers. These snacks will help keep you satisfied all day and reduce the likelihood of a post-race fast food dash.

4. Enjoy the day: Take your focus off the food and alcohol by enjoying the company around you and the entertainment in front of you. Make the day about having fun with your friends instead of seeing how much food and alcohol you can consume.

5. Be alcohol smart: Swap the regular wine and beer for lower alcoholic or carbohydrate varieties. While the lower alcoholic varieties are recommended over the low-carb varieties, both will offer you fewer kilojoules than their regular counterparts. Reduce your consumption by putting your drink down in between sips and remain hydrated by alternating your alcoholic beverages with water. This will also help reduce the likelihood of intoxication.

6. Eat the foods you love all year round: Develop a healthy relationship with food by enjoying the foods you love all year round, but in moderation. When we deprive ourselves of the foods we love, we;re more likely to overindulge when we do allow ourselves the chance to eat them, which sets up a cycle of deprivation and overindulgence. At the races, enjoy sandwiches and sparkling wine, but leave the fried foods for someone else.

Healthy Bones Week

2010-08-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

Every eight minutes, someone is admitted to an Australian hospital with an osteoporotic fracture. If we don't start looking after our bones, by 2021 this amount will double. The biggest problem is that osteoporosis (where the bones become fragile and more likely to break) is a silent thief, often progressing without any symptom until a bone breaks. However, the good news is that for many people, an osteoporotic fracture can be prevented or at least, the risk of fracture reduced.

Many of us think of bone as being solid, but its actually a living tissue that is constantly being renewed. Throughout life, old bone is lost and removed by cells called osteoclasts, while new bone is built by osteoblasts; a process of removal and formation that's usually balanced, thereby maintaining skeletal strength. However are we reach our peak bone mass (when our bones are at their strongest), our bone strength slowly begins to decline. It's this peak bone mass, and the resulting rate of bone loss that are the major determinants of osteoporosis development.

So to keep your bones healthy and help prevent the development of osteoporosis, follow my strategies for healthier bones.

Eat dairy: Dairy products or calcium-fortified alternatives are important for bone health, because 99 per cent of the calcium in the body is found in bone and teeth. The rest can be found circulating in your body, where it plays a tightly regulated role in heart health, muscle and nerve contraction, and clotting, Without adequate dietary calcium, circulating levels of calcium are maintained at the expense of our bones. Eat three serves of dairy products each day.

Drink milk in your coffee: The caffeine in coffee increases urinary calcium excretion and decreases calcium absorption, leading to a reduction in bone density. If your calcium intake is less than 750mg per day, a daily caffeine intake equivalent to about three cups of brewed coffee is enough to promote bone loss. However, research shows that this effect can be balanced out with a diet containing adequate calcium, as the body can balance out caffeine's effects by reducing calcium excretion later in the day. Make sure you're getting about 1000mg of calcium a day (in you're over 51 years you'll need more) and limit caffeine intake to no more than 300mg/day.

Limit your salt intake: Salt directly affects the amount of calcium our bodies excrete in urine. That means the more salt we eat, the more calcium we excrete. For every 6g of salt consumed, urinary calcium excretion rises by 20-60mg, which is quite alarming considering the average Australian consumes 9g of salt each day. Luckily for us however, our body has the ability to compensate for this form of calcium loss, by increasing calcium absorption in the small intestine. However, if dietary calcium is insufficient, then the amount of calcium absorbed is less than needed to offset this loss and the body takes it from the bones.

Resistance train regularly: Whatever you do, start resistance training. It will promote a slimmer appearance, stronger muscles and stronger bones. In fact, when it comes to exercise, bones are exactly like muscle: it responds by getting stronger. In fact, regular resistance training and weight-bearing exercise (such as running or walking) can reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis by 59 per cent (although it cannot reverse advanced bone loss). Include at lease 2-3 weekly resistance training sessions.

Enjoy a healthy, balanced diet: A lifetime of dieting is likely to lead to an inadequate intake of important bone nutrients such as calcium, which increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. On top of this, maintaining a low body weight reduces the mechanical load placed on an individual bone, which is a cause for concern because bone responds to mechanical stress such as body weight by stimulating the formation of osteoblasts - the bone-building cells - thereby improving strength.

Get outside more: Instead of sitting in front of your computer during your lunch break, why not go outside and soak up some of the sun’s rays. Why? Because UV rays are the best source of vitamin D – a fat-soluble vitamin that increases absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the gut, maintains calcium levels in the blood, and helps strengthen the skeleton. Without getting your daily does of sun, you are at risk of developing thin, brittle or misshaped bones, which leads to bone deformities and fractures. Exposing 15 per cent of your body to the sun for 6-8 minutes a day in summer or for 20 minutes in winter, will help you ensure you reach your daily vitamin D requirements.

How to be flat out and fabulous

2010-07-26T02:03:00.000-07:00

If you're like most people under the age of 30 (me included), there's a good chance you're currently not too concerned about what your health status maybe 30 years from now. It's safe to say, us younger generations have a greater sense of invincibility and we generally tend not to worry about the things that don't affect us. But that doesn't mean we don't care at all.

According to the HealthFocus Trend Study, the main wellness concerns for people under the age of 30 include fatigue, stress and depression. It seems all this striving for immediate gratification has left us overwhelmed and sapped of energy.

While there's no doubt that following a healthy lifestyle can help you in years to come, many of us forget about how it can benefit us right now. Being fit and healthy can change your frame of mind, push you to achieve your goals, give you the energy to do whatever you want when you want and enable you to simply to be your best. And the good news is, it doesn't take as much effort as you think. By making these small changes to your lifestyle, you can get a whole lot more out of life.

1. Forget perfectionism: Striving for perfectionism sets us up for a fall, particularly when things don't go our way. Succumbing to the negative thoughts that persist after an unfavourable event discourages us and reduces our desire for future success. That is however, unless you learn from the slip-up and use it as a vital step on your journey towards success. Remember, persistence is the key.

2. Nourish yourself from the inside out: The foods and drinks you put into your mouth affect not only your weight, but your appearance as a whole. Make sure you're getting plenty of wholefoods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, lean meats, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy products and legumes, as they contain essential nutrients that will keep you looking and functioning at your best.

3. Become Fit2Date: Put a new spin on your old workout sessions, by signing up to Fit2Date - the exercise session where fit singles train with other fit singles. It's the perfect way to multi-task; workout so you're looking and feeling great, while at the same time meeting new friends, and potentially a partner.

4. Make a Friday list: Instead of spending all your weekend running errands or doing housework, complete your chores during the week. Make a "Friday list" of all the tasks you want done by Friday. Monday could be for cleaning and Tuesday for washing, while Wednesday lunch could be for appointments. That way you can relax on your weekends.

5. Be happy now: Forget about waiting for that miraculous event to happen that will finally make you happy. By waiting for problems to resolve, you may never be happy. When one problem ends, another one starts and happiness becomes elusive. Life is not a dress rehearsal, so life it for today. Be happy with what you have right now, because tomorrow is another day.

Maintaining weight when active

2010-07-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

If you've been watching Dancing with the Stars lately you have probably seen a few of the contestants appearing a little bit lighter than when they first started with the show. First there was the image of Esther Anderson ribs protruding from her revealing outfit, and then there was Blair McDonough looking extremely "sick" as he lost between eight and 10kgs in less than two months. Both stars have been training about 20 hours a week, as well as keeping up with the other commitments, so it's no wonder the weight has been falling off them.

This weight loss is not an uncommon scenario by any means. Many athletes including NRL players, struggle to maintain their weight throughout the course of the season. Grueling training sessions, combined with long minutes on the field, mean players need to consume large amounts of food, at regular times throughout the day. This is not always possible for the players who suffer from a loss of appetite post game, who are too tired and sore to prepare any time consuming meals, and who lack the motivation to shop and cook. It's also likely that many of athletes and celeb come dancers, fail to realise the important role carbohydrates play in fueling their active bodies and ensuring weight maintenance is in fact possible.

To maintain weight, an athlete (or any person for that matter) needs to eat as many kilojoules as he or she is expending. If they are losing weight, then they are not eating enough food and it's likely that they are not making the best food choices either. Often the times of training sessions or sleep ins post-game can see athletes skip meals, while fatigue has many of them relying on takeaway foods or restaurants for their meals. These choices make maintaining weight extremely difficult.

For weight maintenance, it's important that an athlete follow a pattern of frequent meals and snacks so that high energy requirements are met. Relying on just two or three large meals a day is not enough to see high energy requirements being met. These eating patterns also do not make it possible to achieve the desired adaptations from training, as key nutrients are not being provided at the correct times i.e. pre- and post-training and competition. For the athlete to succeed with weight maintenance throughout the season, they need to be organised and disciplined at eating at regular intervals (5-6 times pre day), even if they don't feel hungry.

Meals and snacks need to be high in carbohydrate (the number one fuel when you're exercising), moderate in protein and low in fat. Often it's not possible to eat all the necessary kilojoules, so this is when high-kilojoule fluids such as flavoured milks, smoothies, liquid meal supplements such as Sustagen, cordials, fruit juices and sports drinks become handy. Fluids supply a compact form of kilojoules and nutrients, and are more easily consumed than large amounts of food.

It's also important to add extra kilojoules to snacks and meals. For example, sugar, honey or jam can be added to breads or cereals; smoothies can have added ice-cream, yoghurt, honey or protein powder; and avocado or other spreads can be added to sandwiches. Another option is too look for lower fibre foods. While it's important to meet fibre needs, too much can lead to fullness and gastrointestinal discomfort, which can stop athletes from meeting their daily energy needs. Choosing lower-fibre forms of breads and cereals is recommended occasionally.

Finally, it's important to remember that for weight maintenance it's about eating the right quantity of good quality food. It's not about pigging out on nutrient-poor, kilojoule-dense foods. Excessive kilojoule intake will promote fat storage, while a reliance on nutrient-poor food may result in nutrient deficiencies. Weight maintenance is about achieving balance in the food you eat.

Caffeine in sport

2010-07-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Pill popping in sport has again been bought into the spotlight with the recent hospitalisation of AFL star Ben Cousins. This time it wasn't for his illegal drug taking but instead his legal concoction of caffeine and sleeping pills. I'm not going to talk about the sleeping pills he used to wind down after the game, but what I will focus on is the use of caffeine in sport.

This is not the first time the issue of caffeine use in athletes has been a hot topic of discussion. In 1988, pentathlete Alex Watson was thrown out of the Olympics for caffeine use. Although caffeine has never been a banned substance, it has appeared on the restricted list with a positive test recorded when caffeine in the urine was above a certain level. The reason for this classification related to the fact it is impossible to ban caffeine completely without banning coffee and other beverages and foodstuffs that contain caffeine. In 2004 however, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed caffeine from the prohibited list allowing full use of it in sport. Despite its removal from the prohibited list, caffeine use in sport has continued to be scrutinised.

In 2005, WADA reconsidered placing caffeine tablets back on the prohibited list when reports that our very own rugby players, including George Gregan, were taking caffeine tablets for performance benefits. After this, WADA placed caffeine on a monitoring program for its use in competition. Now after the latest caffeine issues to hit our footballers, WADA will reconsider placing caffeine back on the prohibited list when they meet in September this year.

So why the big uproar with athletes using caffeine in sport? The answer is simple - caffeine is an ergogenic aid, which means using it can improve an athlete's performance. Caffeine is known to stimulate the central nervous system, reducing an athlete's perceived effort and increasing their time to fatigue. This means they can train and compete for harder and for longer. New research is also showing that caffeine can increase muscle contractility and subsequently increase power and endurance in relatively low-intensity activities.

To get these benefits, research shows athletes need to consume low-to-moderate levels of caffeine which is equivalent to 3mg of caffeine or less per kilogram of body weight, in order to receive the performance benefits from caffeine. This amount of caffeine can be taken before and during endurance exercise and research shows that more gains in performance are not seen with caffeine doses above 3mg/kg of body weight. Despite this, research has seen some studies use caffeine amounts as high as 13mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight, which increases the likelihood of side effects.

Like the general population, caffeine affects athletes differently. However, research shows high levels of caffeine consumption (classified as intakes above 500mg/day) can increase heart rate, impair or alter fine motor control and technique and result in over-arousal. Impairments in fine motor control and technique can lead to poor ball skills in sports such as rugby, AFL and netball, while over-arousal can interfere with recovery and sleep patterns, causing athletes to look for other pills and portions to help them sleep. The long-term consumption of high doses of caffeine are discouraged by health authorities.

Athletes rarely turn to coffee for their caffeine hit because coffee has a variable caffeine content - an Australian study in 2008 found that caffeine content in a single shot of coffee varied from 25-214mg of caffeine. It also contains other compounds that may negate the ergogenic effects of caffeine. This is why athletes turn to No-Doz (caffeine tablets) for their caffeine hit. No-Doz contains 100mg of caffeine per tablet making them perfect way to take a measurable amount of caffeine, free from other compounds. Even if caffeine is considered legal, ethically the idea of popping a pill to improve performance is something athletes need to consider.

At the AIS, athletes are educated about caffeine, including the potential situations of performance enhancement, the benefits of using low doses of caffeine to achieve these effects and the risk of side effects. However, the AIS does not stock concentrated forms of caffeine and does not provide caffeine to athletes for performance enhancement, which quietly suggests, ethically there may not be as much of a place for caffeine in sport as athlete would like to believe.

Like the AIS, athletes of all sports need to be educated about the positive and negative effects of caffeine consumption. Sport is competitive and there's no doubt athletes are looking for the competitive edge over their rivals, but even if caffeine is considered a legal substance by WADA, ethically idea of popping a pill to improve performance needs to be considered by all athletes. It's through education athletes can make a better choice for themselves.

Getting better balance

2010-07-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

It's hard to stay healthy when you work full-time and enjoy your social life or have a family to look after. If only it was as simple as getting out of bed, arriving at work-stress and being able to eat well, exercise and de-stress whenever you felt like it. The reality is though too many of us find it hard enough coping with the demands of everyday life to even spare a thought for our health....well until something goes wrong that is. Don't wait until your health starts to deteriorate before your start to find time for it. Start today by making small changes to your day-to-day life and you'll notice the benefits immediately.

For many of us, the biggest threat to our health is busy-ness, as it destroys our productivity and eats away our ability to prioritise. One of the most common saying in today's fast-paced world is "I don't have time". We eat convenience foods because we don't have time to cook, and sit motionless in front of our computers because our work doesn't allow us time to exercise.

Not only is this lifestyle clogging up our arteries and expanding our waistlines, its also stopping us from being our best and getting the most out of life. Poor health reduces our concentration, memory and our ability to make good decisions, all of which makes overtime inevitable. Overtime blurbs the boundaries between work and home, not to mention places strain on relationships with family and friends. So, what can you do to improve your health without affecting your work? It's as simple as adding my eight tips to your daily To-Do list.

1. Break-the-fast: Start your day the best way - eat breakfast! Aim to get up before the kids and eat your breakfast in peace. If this is not possible, keep breakfast options such as breakfast cereal, wholegrain bread, or fruit at work so you can eat breakfast as soon as you arrive. Regularly enjoying your morning munch will improve your concentration and alertness throughout the day.

2. Savour that morning coffee: Gone are the days of the Nescafe with a dash of milk - you can now get anything from a cafe latte to a frappuccino-blended creme with cream on top! These coffees contain loads more milk (not to mention sugar and syrup) and can easily sabotage any weight loss attempt. Then of course there's the caffeine issue, which can lead to poor quality sleep if you consume too much. Enjoy your coffee, but aim to limit your daily intake to one regular skinny espresso coffee without any sugar and two instant coffees each day. If you currently consume more, slowly wean yourself off by first reducing the size and then the number of coffees you drink each day.

3. Sit less, move more, more often: Extended periods sitting in front of our computers are damaging our backs and increasing our risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. While there's no doubt 30 minutes of exercise daily is good for your health, new research shows we need to combine this with standing up more throughout the day. Each hour, stand up from your desk and stretch or go for a short walk around the office.

4. Utilise your lunch hour: Forget about working through your lunch hour - this is not going to help you get more done. Taking a bread during the day gives you time to relax and re-focus so you're more productivity in the afternoon. Use your lunch hour to take part in a group training session with your work colleagues. It's a great way to boost workplace moral while improving your fitness and boosting your vitamin D levels.

5. Conquer 3:30itis: Instead of aimlessly diving into the biscuit barrel or chocolate stash at 3:30pm, consider some better options. A small handful of nuts, a piece of fruit or unsalted air-popped popcorn are all good choices. If you need a sugar fix, try a tub of low-fat yoghurt, a skinny hot chocolate or a small handful of dried apricots.

6. Decide on dinner early: be organised and plan your evening meals before the week even starts. Plan quick and easy dishes for those nights when you'll be late home from work. Alternatively , cook a double batch of food on the quieter nights and keep half for those nights when you have less time to cook. If working back late, stop dinner at a reasonable hour.

7. Protect your private time: Create a distinction between work and home life by going for a walk, reading a book or spending time with your family when you get home from work. Avoid being constantly available by switching off your mobile phone and computers when at home. Use this time to improve family relationships or recharge with some alone time.

8. Manage your time: At the end of the day, set your priorities for the following day and designate a strict time frame for each. Be realistic about what you can achieve during this time, so you're not taking on too much work. At home, spread the chores out over the week instead of leaving them all until the weekend.

Product News: Chia Seeds

2010-06-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Chia seeds have been around since 3500BC, but they have only recently made a come back. These wholegrains are a rich source of fibre and protein, which helps with satiety and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Chai seeds contain omega-3 fats and antioxidants, and are also a source of key vitamins including thiamin, folate, magnesium and iron. These small seeds come in both black and white, which appears to be their only major difference; in terms of taste, size and smell these seeds are the same. There is however, a slight seasonal nutritional difference between the two colours of chia.

Chia seeds have a mild nutty taste and can be added to any food or beverage without altering the original flavour. One tablespoon a day sprinkled over salads, cereals and muesli, or incorporated into breads, muffins and cookies is the recommended amount. If you don't make your own bread, you can try chia seeds in Bakers Delight white and wholemeal bread and rolls. The seeds make a nice addition to the regular soft white and wholemeal loafs. For more information on the nutrition profile of these loafs, visit www.bakersdelight.com.au

Avoid the Winter Weight Gain

2010-06-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

When the mercury starts to drop outside, many of us move ourselves inside to where it's warm. Early morning exercise sessions are replaced with more time under the sheets and Saturday nights out with friends are instead spent curled up in front of the heater and telly. It's not until we go to strut our stuff at the beach in summer that we realise the damage to our shape these winter wonders have caused. But the good news is this doesn't have to happen to you this winter. Simply follow my tips to avoiding the winter weight gain:

1. Keep moving: Kill two birds with the one stone by warming yourself up while you get your daily exercise. Make sure you fit in an hour, particularly if you spend most of the day sitting down at a desk. I've found that registering for a sporting event that requires training such as a fun run or long ride or regularly training with a friend are both great ways to help you stick to your winter training schedule.

2. Wear tight clothes: How uncomfortable is it wearing your skinny jeans with a little bit of extra weight on your hips or around your waist? Use your tight clothes as motivation to keep the kilos off in winter and wear them once a week. Avoid lazing about in loose trackie pants all the time.

3. Fill up with vegetables: Steamed vegetables or vegetable soup are both fantastic choices for filling up on during the cooler months. They will keep you feeling fuller for longer, without the need to consume large amounts of unnecessary kilojoules.

4. Track it: Tracking the food and drink you consume is a great way of creating awareness and accountability for what you're putting in to your mouth. My clients who keep a food record are more successful in their weight loss attempts than others who aren't motivated to record. Which makes sense seeing the research says people who keep food diaries lose twice as much weight as those who don't write it down. If you'd prefer an electronic version of recording an iPhone app such as "Lose it" is also fantastic for tracking your daily intake and setting yourself goals. Whichever your preferred method, just make sure you keep tabs and you'll be more likely to succeed with weight and fitness management.

5. Don't get too cocky: Being confident in your ability to resist temptations is not always a good thing. New research published in Psychological Science found that people who felt most confident in their self-control were in fact most likely to give into temptation as they were more likely to expose themselves to more indulgent food situations. Avoid keeping too many tempting foods in the house, and if you do make sure you buy the portion-controlled variety and keep them in a difficult to access place.

6. Make it one or the other: Plan your indulgences ahead of time so that you avoid eating unnecessarily. If you're like me and occasionally enjoy your red wine with dark chocolate, make a choice and enjoy one or the other. Then, eat perfectly for the rest of the day.

Men's Health Week

2010-06-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

With today through to June 22nd marking International Men's Health Week, it's time for the men in our lives to focus on adopting healthy behaviours to help improve physical, sexual and mental health. One men's health issue that's on the rise in prostate cancer, so I thought it was fitting to discuss this somewhat preventable disease.

Each day, approximately 32 men discover they have prostate cancer. Tragically, one man loses his battle with the disease every three hours. Yearly check-ups are recommended for males over the age of 50 (from 40 for those with a family history of prostate cancer).

Whilst the risk of developing prostate cancer has an ethnic component (dark-skinned people appear to be at a greater risk than white people, and white-skinned people have a higher risk than Asian populations), developing the disease is also strongly linked to lifestyle. Not getting enough physical activity and consuming too many kilojoules, sugar, salt and unhealthy fats means unhealthy weight gain is more likely. Excess fat (especially across the middle of the body) has been associated with many disease including prostate cancer, as fat secretes hormones and specialised proteins that can increase inflammation and oxidation in the body's cells - two natural processes that strongly contribute to the development and progression of prostate cancer. Diet modification and increasing exercise levels might decrease the chances of developing prostate cancer, reduce the likelihood of prostate cancer recurrence or help slow the progression of the disease.

There are many anti-inflammatory and antioxidant substances found in wholefoods. By including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, fish, nuts and seeds in your diet, you can increase the protective anti-inflammatory components and benefit from their effects. For example, tomato-based products such as soups, pasta sauces and juices contain the antioxidant lycopene, which helps to reduce cell damage in the body by fighting against free radicals. Beverages such as green and black tea can increase the levels of polyphenol antioxidants in the body, while cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and bok choy, all also contain protective substances.

Finally make sure you get plenty of exercise. Regular physical activity helps to control your body weight and influences the hormones believed to stimulate prostate cancer, boost immune function and reduce inflammation. How these factors work together to affect prostate cancer risk is still being studied, but until we know more you can still enjoy the array of health benefits that daily exercise brings.

Heart disease: Are you doing enough?

2010-06-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

You may be surprised to learn that four times more women die from heart disease than breast cancer That's equivalent to more than 11,000 Australian women dying from this preventable disease each year! While cancer organisations have done a fantastic job at raising breast cancer awareness, it's time to take heart and protect this vital organ. A few tweaks to your lifestyle is all you need to slash the odds of developing heart disease.

1. Move more: When we talk about moving more, we're not just talking about reaching the exercise guidelines of 150 (five 30 minute sessions) moderate physical activity each week. We're also talking about sitting less. According to new research, you can be 'active' and meeting the exercise guidelines, but highly sedentary and this is anything but healthy. Sitting down for prolonged, unbroken periods of time induce muscular inactivity and have been linked to increased waist circumference, blood pressure, triglyceride levels (a type of blood fat) and good HDL cholesterol levels. So on top of getting your daily 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise make sure you sit less, move more and move often.

2. Reduce your waistline: For optimal health, it's best for us females to keep our waist circumference under 80cm. A larger waist circumference means there is excess fat around the vital organs and this fat is also closer to the heart. As your waist circumference increases, you are more at risk of developing high cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels and high blood pressure levels. All these factors significantly increase your risk of developing heart disease.

3. Stress less: Ladies, are you stressed at work? If you're younger than 50, you have a 35 per cent greater risk of developing heart disease than women who are comfortable with their workplace pressure, says new Danish research. However, the study also found that workplace stress did not have the same effect in women 50-64 years. If you're feeling the pressure at work, tackle it in a positive way by getting active during work hours or finding another way to de-stress - it may be having a cup of tea. Its also a good idea to speak to your colleagues to determine the best way to manage the pressures.

4. Quit smoking: If you smoke, quitting is one of the best things you can do for your heart. Smoking is a major cause of atherosclerosis - the build up of fatty substances in arteries - which reduces blood flow and increases you risk of heart disease and stroke. While there is no safe level of smoking, women who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day have more than twice the risk of developing heart disease than non-smokers. For those of you who smoke and take an oral contraceptive pill this also greatly increases your heart disease disk, particularly if you're 35 years or over.

The good news is though, within one day of quitting smoking your heart rate slows down and your blood pressure drops slightly. Within two to three months, your ability to smell and taste improves, as too does the blood flow to your hands and feet, while your lungs regain the ability to clean themselves. After one year of quitting, your risk of heart attack is greatly reduced. If you're a smoker, pick up the phone today and call the Quitline on 131 848.

5. Drop the salt: A diet high in salt causes high blood pressure, which is the leading risk factor factor for heart attack and stroke. The average Australian consumes 9g of salt each day, when in fact we should be consuming just 1-2g of salt daily. Seventy-five per cent of salt we eat comes already added to foods such as sauces, breads, breakfast cereals and soups, to name a few. A 3g drop in salt intake reduces stroke and heart disease risk by 15 and nine per cent respectively. Reduce salt intake by ceasing to add salt during cooking at the table, purchase reduced salt and no added salt products, and limit the amount of processed meats consumed. Learn to use herbs in your cooking instead of salt.

Give your brain a boost

2010-05-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was asked to take part in Sunraysia's 7-Day Brain Fitness Challenge. Seeing good health includes taking care of both body and mind, I decided to step-up to the challenge. The 7-Day Brain Fitness Challenge required me to complete a daily brain boosting activity and drink one glass of Sunraysia's new blueberry juice drink (which was quite tasty and this is coming from someone who's not much of a juice fan).

To see how my brain stacked, I took a Uber Brain Test before starting the challenge. This involved a five-minute test assessing five areas of my brain including concentration, visual-spatial, executive function, memory and language. From the Uber Brain Test, my memory proved to be the best area - Mum has always said I have a memory like an elephant! My worst area was visual-spatial, which makes sense seeing I rarely mentally manipulate 2D and 3D objects throughout my day. Overall, I scored 3725 in the test.

Now to see if the brain activities and blueberry juice can give my brain a boost. The 7-Day Brain Fitness Challenge saw me:

- Learn a new language: Ciao! Un cappuccino, per favore. I learnt the important things; I can now order my coffee in Italian.

- Complete my first Suduko: I'm officially hooked! Now I have to complete all the Suduko in the weekend paper.

- Write a postcard to my Grandma back in Victoria: Writing requires a lot of concentration so that no mistakes are made. Very different to the emails that has spell check and a delete button.

- Get active with a 1/2 marathon: Ok so I wasn't required to run a 21km race, but the run just happened to fall on the same day as the get active challenge.

- Cook a lamb curry for the first time: The meal proved a winner with my fiance.

- Relax with a session of yoga

- Write a poem: Can't see myself doing that again anytime soon.

After a week, I completed the Uber Brain Test again and my score was well above the first one. Memory was still my best area and visual-spatial still my worst, but overall I was better and achieved a score of 5058. So why the improvement?

While research shows that blueberries and blueberry juice can assist with brain health, as well as improve memory, I have some other theories for my brain boost. Ever since day two of the challenge, I have been challenging my brain with daily Suduko, which was not previously on my weekly planner. Also, when I took the test for the second time I knew what to expect with the test - I was no longer wasting time reading the instructions as the time started to count down, which is what I did during the first test. So overall, the brain boost came from a combination of mental stimulation, diet and exercise, all of which have been proven by research to improve brain function.

You too can flex your brains by taking part in the 7-Day Brain Fitness Challenge. Simply visit www.sunraysia.com and sign-up today. The first 300 to register for the challenge will receive cash back on two 750ml bottles of Sunraysia Blueberry juice drink. To go in the running to win a copy Dr Kawashima's Train Your Brain book, tell us in 25 words or less what you do to boost your brain power.

Is Your Postcode Making You Unhealthy?

2010-04-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

April 7th marks World Health day (1000 cities - 1000 lives), which this year focuses on health in an urban environment. Here I examine why urban dwellers fall short on health and how to have Health & the City.

Location, location, location! It's one of the most important things to consider when we buy or rent a place. However, few of us think about how this postcode may impact our health. Rising property prices and a competitive rental market, combined with people wanting larger homes has seen many of us move to the outer suburbs. This phenomenon, known as urban sprawl, is characterised by unplanned and uncontrolled spread or urban development and results in a dependency on cars or public transport to travel from home to office.

Thanks to urban design, not all of us have access to parks, gyms and sporting fields; have any healthy food outlets close by; are in walking distance to local shops; or have decent footpaths to walk on. Alarmingly, growing research is suggesting that the shape of our cities could be dictating the shape of our waistline.

Irrespective of income, research shows people living in sprawled cities are less likely to walk to due safety concerns; are less likely to purchase healthy food as more fast food outlets are present; have a higher body mass index; and exercise less because they have access to fewer kilometres of walking tracks.

While changing your postcode may not be a feasible strategy, you can still become aware of how your living environment influences your health and wellbeing so that you manipulate your circumstances towards a healthier lifestyle. Here's how:

Know your surroundings: Investigate your local area for parks, walking tracks, healthy cafes and takeaway outlets, fitness centres, public transport routes, supermarkets and corner stores. Identifying what you have access to makes living a healthy lifestyle easier.
Exercise in numbers: If you're living in a dangerous area, workout in numbers. Train with a group of friends or join a personal training group. Alternatively search for a local fitness club or workout in the comfort of your own home.
Become a smart traveller: While you may not be able to actively commute the whole way into the office, you can still walk or cycle part of the way. You could walk to the train station or get off a few stops early and jog the rest of the way.
Shop regularly: Plan your meals out each week and make an effort to visit the supermarket weekly. If you know you will be working back late cook a lasagne or quiche on the weekend in preparation. This will reduce the need to swing by the drive thru after a long day in the office.
Walk, walk, walk: Ever noticed that it can take the same amount of time to drive to the shops as it takes to walk? So instead of wasting time in the traffic, get your daily exercise in by walking to get the paper or visit a friend.

Happiness is the key to achieving your New Years Resolutions

2010-02-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

Happiness is the key to staying on track and achieving your New Year healthy eating and exercise goals. Many of us would have already fallen off the wagon with our New Year's Resolutions, thanks to our unrealistic expectations. If you want to successful with your goals (whatever they are), then you need to set sensible and achievable goals so feelings of disappointment and food deprivation are avoided.

Think about the time you made chocolate a forbidden food - did you overindulge on it the next time you allowed yourself to eat it? If you just answered yes, you can rest easy knowing that you're not allow. Restricting the foods we love, often leads to an increased desire for these foods, which ultimately leads to over-consumption of the very foods we were trying to avoid.

The best way to achieve a healthy balanced lifestyle is to set small but realistic goals that can be reached; this way it's far easier to stay on track and you will generally feel happier with your achievements. Many of us enjoy a creamy pasta sauce or a creamy ice cream on a hot day, but take away these experiences and people can feel like they're missing out. In fact, a recent Carnation Soy Cooking Milk Survey found that an incredible 81% of Australians say if they couldn't eat creamy comfort foods, their general happiness would be severely compromised. This just shows how closely food and emotions are linked.

To help you achieve your happy and healthy New Year Resolutions, follow my tips:

Set small, realistic goals that you can achieve
Find substitutes for the foods you crave, for example Carnation Soy Creamy Cooking Milk is a nutritious non-dairy substitute for cooking
Buddy up with a friend and support each other
Combine healthy eating with regular exercise to release endorphins and boost mood
Reward yourself with a non-food related treat, when you have achieved your goals
Enjoy your favourite foods in moderation and control your portion sizes

Supporter or Saboteurs? Who's really on your side

2010-02-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

There's no doubt that enlisting the support of family and friends can motivate to achieve your health goals. Family and friends can keep focused when you start to veer off course or they can join and give you someone to experience the change with. But keep an eye out for those people who can sabotage your work and set out to deliberately de-motivate you.

If you want to success, you must learn to distinguish your supporters from your saboteurs. Use the definitions below to distinguish which category your family and friends are in.

Buddies: Team up with you and provide you with great support - these are the people you want around while you get healthy. They could be friends that go running with you or a partner that goes on a healthy eating plan with you.

Cheerleaders: Congratulate you on your efforts, but don't join in. They may be your work colleagues or friends that admire from afar. They usually ask how everything is going and are also great to have on your side.

Saboteurs: Stand between you and your goals. they sabotage your best efforts. They make negative comments and offer you things that you are trying to avoid. A perfect example of a saboteur is an un healthy partner who doesn't want to see you healthy and improve your appearance, because they fear you will be more attractive to the opposite sex.

Hecklers: Are not interested in getting healthy themselves and out of habit they may offer you things that you are trying to avoid. They don't realise the negative effects they are having. Let them know what you are going, so that they don't demotivate you.

Feb Fast

2010-01-31T12:16:00.000-08:00

Australian’s weekly alcohol intake triples during the festive season, reveals a new survey by the Australian charity FebFast. According to the survey, a quarter of respondents spend between $200 and $1000 on alcohol during the months of December and January and one third or respondents believe that their alcohol intake is excessive. Alarmingly, seven per cent of us turn to alcohol to cope with our family. To look after your health and save moolah along the way, take part in FebFast and give up alcohol for the month of February. Only one in five of us have actually tried to give up or reduce the booze as a New Year’s resolution and out of those that have tried, 40 per cent of us fail in less than a month.

Health & the City challenges you to become a FebFaster this February and raise some funds along the way. To join the Health & the City team or donate visit http://www.febfastfundraising.com.au/health__the_city.

Healthy Weight Week: 24th-31st January

2010-01-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

The number of overweight Aussies is increasing, with 7.4 million now overweight or obese. That’s two thirds of adults and one quarter of our children. To help combat the rising obesity rates, the Dietitians Association of Australia has launched Australia’s Healthy Weight Week – it’s a time for all Australians to eat better, feel better and move more NOW!

So, for the last week of January, why not try the DAA’s Take 10 in 2010 and complete 10 steps towards healthy weight loss in 2010:

1. Eat breakfast
2. Include vegetables or salad with lunch or dinner
3. Choose fruit as a snack
4. Replace full-fat food and drinks with reduced-fat alternatives
5. Choose wholegrain foods in place of more refined ones
6. Eat smaller servings sizes by using smaller plates and glasses
7. Eat slowly and stop when you are satisfied not stuffed full
8. Eat when you genuinely feel hungry rather than for emotional or other reasons
9. Swap sweetened beverages such as cordial, soft drink and juice with water
10. Eat your evening meal at the dinner table with the TV turned off

For more information visit www.healthyweightweek.com.au

Health & the City 10-week Health Challenge

2010-01-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

New Year, New You - we've heard it all before. With the beginning of 2010, many of us will set New Year's Resolutions to get healthy and improve our lifestyles. It's safe to say that most of us have set these resolutions before - motivated to change for the first few weeks or months, only then to fall victim to our old unhealthy habits again. We try the same approaches year after year, keep falling short of out goals and are left feeling discouraged and wondering what went wrong. But this year, it doesn't have to end like that, thanks to the Health & the City 10-week Health Challenge.

Designed to help you improve your lifestyle for the better, the Health & the CIty 10-week Health Challenge mixes nutrition, fitness and health to help you make the lifestyle changes you have always wanted to make but can't find the time for. In small intermediate groups, each week will consist of a fun and intense exercise session combined with a topic-focused lifestyle chat. Week 1 will see fitness and health assessments taken, which will be compared to the results in week 10. The healthiest person wins a prize!

What you get

For just $350.00 (including GST), on top of the 10 exercise and lifestyle sessions, all the participants receive a copy of Health & the City, a copy of the Healthy Food Guide magazine, weekly health factsheets, weekly motivational emails and other bits and pieces throughout the course of the 10-weeks. The sessions are conducted by dual qualified dietitians and exercise physiologists and are currently available in Balmain, Sydney.

For more information or to book your place email info@healthandthecity.com.au.

Festive Fun

2009-12-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

Looking for a delicious way to decorate your Christmas tree this festive season? Then, why not try Sunbeam's Edible Oraments. They're cute delicious and easy to make. Decorate your own Christmas tree with them or give them to family or friends as a Christmas treat.

Edible Ornaments

Makes: ~30 ornaments

Preparation Time: 25 minutes plus decorating time

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

- 110g Sunbeam Almond meal
- 50g Sunbeam Currants

- 125g table spread, softened

- ¼ cup honey

- 1/3 cup brown sugar

- 1 ½ cups plain flour

- ½ tsp bi-carb soda

- 1 tbsp ground ginger

- 1 tsp mixed spice

- 1 tsp cinnamon

Decorations

- 200g white chocolate, melted

- Silver cachous

- Angus Park Cranberries

- Sunbeam Currants and Sultanas

- Coloured ribbon cut into 40cm lengths

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C

1. Cream butter, golden syrup and brown sugar until light and fluffy, stir in almond meal.

2. Sift plain flour with the bi-carb soda, ginger, mixed spice and cinnamon. Add currants and butter mixture, bring the mixture together to form a soft dough, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Roll dough on a floured surface to 5mm thickness. Using your favourite Christmas cutter shape, cut out 30 pieces and arrange on a baking paper lined oven tray. Using a straw cut out a hole at the top of the biscuit to thread ribbon through. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks.

To Decorate:

Dress the cooled biscuits with piped white chocolate, coloured cachous, cranberries and currants. Once the chocolate is set thread each biscuit with a length of ribbon, tying a knot or bow and hang on your Christmas tree.

For other great Christmas recipes, visit www.sunbeamfoods.com.au for your free downloadable 40-page Christmas Recipe Book.

When a full cream dairy milk coffee just won't cut it!

2009-11-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

My partner Michael and I have just moved to Leichhardt. Over the last few weekends we've been frequenting a number of the coffee shops. For those of you who are not familiar with Leichhardt, it has a distinct Italian feel with coffee to match. Michael had been raving about a particular cafe on Norton street, so we went in to grab a coffee. Well, Michael did.... the big sign saying "No Skim, No Soy, No Light Milk" stopped me from even ordering.

I thought that the lack of variety in milk offered was a really poor business decision, as there's a number of reasons why people won't or can't drink regular cow's milk - think intolerances, allergies or veganism. For me, I've been brought up on skim milk so my refusal to drink full cream milk is purely because I don't like the taste, even in a coffee. Michael had a different opinion though - "it's their shop, they can serve what they want". Of course they can, but I did start to feel that it was a bit insensitive, especially for those people who choose to drink soy for health, ethical or personal reasons.

You could image my surprise when I flicked open yesterday's The Sunday Telegraph to read an article "Baristas put Seinfeld soup nazi to shame: No soy for you". It appears Leichhardt isn't the only suburb that thinks soy milk should not be offered. According to reporter Lisa Mayoh from The Sunday Telegraph, a couple of cafes in Mosman and Balmoral have also decided serving the dairy alternative, for reasons including "it's too much trouble"; or "it's not traditional"; or "because too few drink it and supplies are wasted".

During my university days I use work as barista, so I can understand why cafes don't want the trouble. Think coffee rush hour where you can hardly fit into your coffee shop because everyone else is after their morning coffee too. Well, for the barista they've got three or more milks jugs, plus takeaway cups, different bottles of milk, numerous coffee cups and order documents cramming up their workstation, all while trying to churn out coffees to the impatiently waiting business people. (C'mon we all know we stand there looking at our watches).

Irrespective of this though, people with intolerances and allergies already feel excluded because they can't eat the foods they love. They also feel like they're a "hassle" because they can't eat the same foods as their family and friends, so imagine how they must feel when they can't even order a simple coffee. Not providing a variety of milks, is like a restaurant not catering for vegetarians. How can restaurants and cafes not provide for people with special dietary requirements, especially when the rate of allergies and intolerances are on the rise? I guess the patrons can always go to other restaurants and cafes, but should this failure to meet special dietary requirements really be taking place in the 21st century?

Let me know what you think Or have you been refused a special dietary requirement? Tell us your story.

Iodine Fortification in Bread - How does it affect you?

2009-10-12T02:33:00.000-07:00

Bread in Australia is now being fortified with folic acid and iodine, under two new mandatory fortification Standards. Folic acid is being added to wheat flour for bread making purposes, in an attempt to reduce the number of neural tube defects in newborns. However, it's the mandatory iodine fortification that has raised questions among many people.

Why add iodine to bread?

Iodine is essential for the healthy functioning of the thyroid gland, being necessary for the normal growth, development and functioning of the brain and body. We only need a small amount of iodine each day, but we need a regular intake as we cannot store iodine in the body.

Inadequate iodine intake during pregnancy and childhood can lead to developmental delays, as well as reductions in mental performance. In adults, iodine deficiency leads to goitre (swelling of the thyroid gland). Iodine is found in seaweed, fish, seafood, dairy products and eggs, but due to the low iodine content in Australian soil many foods are low in iodine. This, combined with the reduction in iodised salt added during cooking and at the table, has lead to widespread iodine deficiency throughout the population.

To correct this deficiency, iodine fortification of bread in the form iodised salt, is now mandatory within Australia. The only exception to this rule is organic bread, which is exempt from iodine fortification. Mandatory iodine fortification is expected to reduce inadequate iodine intake from 43% to less than 5% in the Australian population.

How much extra iodine will I get each day?

Mandatory iodine fortification will increase the iodine intake of Australians by approximately 54 micrograms per day. This amount is similar to the iodine content found in a 300ml glass of milk.

What if I have a thyroid problem?

For people with a thyroid problem, the expected daily increase in iodine fortification is modest and unlikely to cause harm, says Paul Brent, Chief Scientist for Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). If you have any concerns though, it's best to consult your doctor for individual advice.

People with hyperthyroidism (an overproduction of thyroid hormone) may be more sensitive to increases in iodine intake. As a result, they may be advised to avoid certain medications, supplements, foods high in iodine and kelp/seaweed. A single serve of these products usually contains hundreds of micrograms to several milligrams of iodine, which is much more than the expected amounts of iodine that will be consumed via mandatory iodine fortification.

Is mandatory iodine fortification safe?

According to the FSANZ Iodine Scientific Advisory Group, which includes experts in a variety of fields, the risk of any adverse health effects from mandatory iodine fortification is very small across all groups. Mandatory iodine fortification is not sufficient enough to meet the iodine needs of pregnant and breastfeeding women, therefore supplements will be required.

NEW NUTRITIOUS AND TASTY BREAKFAST CEREAL

2009-08-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

When I was invited to the Goodness Superfood's breakfast launch yesterday morning, I thought simply that just another breakfast cereal had hit the supermarket shelves. But, I was pleasantly surprised by these breakfast cereals - Digestive 1st and Protein 1st - they not only have fantastic nutrition profiles, they also taste great!

Both breakfast cereals contain the wholegrain BARLEYmax - a new non-GM barley grain developed over the last 12 years by the CSIRO. BARLEYmax has all the health benefits of regular barley, but is higher in protein, healthy fats and fibre. In particular, BARLEYmax is high in a type of fibre called resistant starch. Resistant starch passes through the small intestine undigested and is fermented by the healthy bacteria in the bowel, improving digestive health and providing a range of health benefits.

Along with BARLEYmax, the cereals also contain soy, amaranth, honey and golden syrup, make them high in protein and fibre, low in added sugars, low in salt and low GI. I enjoyed Protein 1st with yoghurt, honey and fruit yesterday morning. It had delicious flavour, crunchy texture and kept me satisfied all morning. It's great to see a high protein product that also contains such high levels of fibre. These breakfast cereals are definitely worth adding to your shopping list.

GIRL'S TIP: 5 Essentials for Women

2008-02-04T00:47:00.001-08:00

With all the coverage of body weight, sometimes a lot of us forget about all the important nutrients we need to eat to be healthy. For women, there are five important nutrients we really shouldn't forget about.

Iron needs - due to our menstrual cycle, pre-menopausal women need more iron as we lose a lot during our period. To make sure your iron needs are met, it's important that you include iron-rich foods such as lean red meat, fish, chicken, beans and iron enriched cereals in your diet. Iron-rich foods should also be eaten with vitamin C as this increases the absorption.
Calcium and vitamin D - both these are important for bone and teeth development. Vitamin D plays a key role in calcium metabolism and therefore needs to be consumed in adequate amounts. Get 20 minutes of sunlight on most days and consume three serves of dairy each day.
Eat breakfast - breakfast boosts your metabolism and helps you concentrate first thing in the morning. It helps to control body weight and studies show people who eat breakfast weight less than those who skip breakfast.
Enjoy your leafy green vegetables - it's important for women in child-bearing years, to consume enough folate. Inadequate folate increases the risk of developing neural tube defects in the unborn infant. Get your folate from dark green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals and asparagus.
Exercise daily - it doesn't have to be a hard exercise - you can still walk and get benefits. Enjoy at least 30 minutes of physical activity in most, preferably all days of the week.

FOOD TIP: Feb Fast

2008-02-04T00:46:00.002-08:00

After a large festive season that starts on the first of December last year and continues till Australia, our bodies often feel like they are if a definite need of a break. And that is what you should give it. During the month of February, choose to go alcohol-free. FebFast is a new charity that encourages Australians to give up alcohol during the month of February.

When taking part if this great initiative, ask friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor your self-imposed prohibition and all proceeds will go to projects such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Youth Substance Abuse Service.

If you have a special event during February, such as Valentine's Day or a birthday, you can buy a $15.00 date stamped "Time Out Certificate" so that you can enjoy the event with an alcoholic drink. Then you can resume your FebFast the next down without feeling guilty.

Spend $25.00 and sign-up today. Registration will give you access to your own blogpage, write a short bio and document your experiences through the fast. For more information or to sign-up today visit www.febfast.com.au

EXERCISE TIP: Ab Roll-Outs

2008-02-04T00:46:00.001-08:00

The fitball is a great tool and our can do a whole workout on. To strengthen your lower back and abs, use the fitball to perform Ab Roll-Outs. Here's how:

Start with your bottom on your heels and your arms out straight with your wrists sitting on the ball.
Pull your belly button towards your spine, tightening your torso. Slowly roll the ball forward without arching or straining on your back.
Push your elbows into the ball and hold in the outstretched position for 5 seconds.
Squeeze your abs to pull the body back to start. Just before your bottom reaches your bottom roll forward again.
Repeat 10-12 repetitions and 3 sets.

EATING OUT TIP: Breakfast Tips

2008-02-04T00:45:00.000-08:00

Breakfast is becoming a popular meal to enjoy at a cafe - especially on the weekends. Some breakfast options are great choices, while others can be loaded with fat and kilojoules. Next time you are eating out for breakfast, follow this brekky tips:

Have a glass of water before you start your meal.
Order wholegrain or wholemeal bread instead of white bread.
Look for high-fibre cereals, but keep an eye out for the high kilojoule, fat-laden granola clusters.
Choose skim milk on your cereal and in your coffee.
Ask for low-fat yoghurt with your fruit, cereal or pancakes.
Enjoy your eggs poached instead of fried or scrambled. Order a vegetable side such as tomatoes or spinach, instead of bacon.
Only order the big breakfast on special occasions. Other times, order poached eggs on toast with one or two vegetable sides.

BUSINESS TIP: Biscuit Barrels

2008-02-04T00:44:00.000-08:00

A lot of workplaces supply their employees with coffee, tea, fruit and endless supplies of sweet and savory biscuits. We grab a couple of sweet biscuits in the morning - they're perfect with our morning coffee. Then of course by 3pm , we need a sugar hit to get us through the rest of the day. So we reach for the biscuit barrel again. We definitely don't need to get these biscuits everyday - they're not vital for life, but they do give us some enjoyment when eating. And of course they're convenient and require no time to prepare. When these foods are so readily available, it's hard to resist them, even though we all know we don't need them. Next time you want to reach for the biscuit barrel, try these handy hints:

Store biscuits in opaque jars. Studies have should, biscuits out of sight are also out of mind, and even simply making a jar opaque reduces the amount of biscuits you reach for.
Drink water. When the 3pm sugar cravings hit, have a glass of water. A lot of the time, at 3pm we're thirsty not hungry and out brain gets this confused. Drink 1-2 glasses of water before reaching for the barrel.
Enjoy mint. Munch on chewing gum or even brush your teeth. The mint flavour will stop you from wanting anything sweet as the taste will be ruined.
Give yourself one day. Choose one day a week, and allow yourself to have biscuits or chocolates only on this day. You can look forward to only having chocolate each Friday. Remember: you don't have to eat blocks of chocolate to make up for the other days you've gone without. Enjoy one or two squares of good quality chocolate.

PRODUCT NEWS: Cheeky Monkey

2008-02-04T00:27:00.000-08:00

These bite-sized nut clusters are perfect for a mid afternoon snack. Cheeky Monkey Nut Mania contain almonds, peanuts and cashews with a hint of honey. They're low in sodium, high in fibre and a source of protein, so share a packet with a friend. These nut clusters are delicious and oven-roasted. Cheeky Monkeys can be purchased for the snack food aisle of your supermarket. You can also purchase two other varieties, which are Casablanca Crunch and Orchard Situation.

RECIPE: Oven roasted asparagus with smoked salmon

2008-02-03T23:23:00.000-08:00

Serves 4: as a starter

Ingredients:

8 spears asparagus

2 tablespoons olive oil

Black pepper

1 slice smoked salmon, cut into strips

Lemon slices

Method:

In a bowl, toss the asparagus with oil and freshly ground black pepper.
Lay asparagus on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven (220oC) for 10 minutes.
Transfer the asparagus to a warmed serving dish and arrange the smoked salmon over the spears.
Serve with lemon wedges.

Reprinted with permission from Fresh Asparagus.

GUY and GIRL TIP: Smart Goals

2008-01-09T02:11:00.000-08:00

With the start of the New Year comes new years resolution. And a lot of these resolutions are normally health related. We may want to lose weight, exercise more or eat better. They all sound like a great idea at the time, and probably for the first couple of months, but then the old habits set back in and the new year's resolution stay on the back burner until the following year.

A lot of the time the goals we set are just too unrealistic. We may say that we want to lose 30kg in 3 months and then after the first month when the scales haven't moved we get disheartened and start to think what is the point. Then the goals are forgotten about and old ways sneak back in.

To be successful in your new year resolutions, you need to make SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time-based. So to say that I want to lose weight is not specific enough. You need to say something more along the lines of this: "Starting by the end of this month I will have lost 2kg" or "Starting from Monday I will exercise three days a week for 30 minutes each session". Both of these goals have a time frame, you can measure your success, and the are achievable.

If your goals are unrealistic, you won't achieve them by the deadline. It's important to understand this does not equal failure. You have learnt that the goal was unrealistic and you need to sit down and reassess what a more realistic goal would look like. If you achieve the goal, you can then redefine your goal for the next month.

When goal setting, it's always important to have both short-term and long-term goals. Your long-term goal can be how much weight you want to lose by the end of the year - remember to be realistic. You short-term goals are immediate goals that you redefine after every two weeks or a month. Short-term goals help you to achieve the long term goals, and in a way a more important than the long-term goals. If you get the short-term goals wrong, there is no way you will achieve you long-term goal.

Start your goal setting today and remember each goal has to be SMART - doesn't matter if it is a short-term or a long-term goal. Write your goals down an put them in a place that you will see them every day. Assess your success after every two weeks or one month. When you reach your goal, sent another one and reward yourself. You could go for a massage, get your hair done or go for a game of golf - anything but a reward based on food.

Good luck with all your goals and have a great 2008.

FOOD TIP: Portion Distortion

2008-01-09T02:00:00.001-08:00

Over the last 30 years, there has been a significant increase in the average portion size of food served. A Kit Kat once weighted 20g, where as today you can purchase a king size Kit Kat weighing 78g - that's nearly four times the old size. Soft drinks have been up-sized from 375ml to 600ml, which is equivalent to an extra 400 kilojoules. Eating only 100kJ extra each day for a year, will increase your body weight by 1kg ear year. Imagine how much weight you could put on in a year if you consumed a chocolate bar or soft drink each day.

Fast-food meals can also be super-sized, but by doing this you will consume 57 per cent more French fries, 6 per cent more soft drink and 18 per cent more burger. This super sizing of meals was developed as a marketing tactic rather than an answer to consumer demand. Offering you more food, for a little extra price may be good business, but it's bad for your waistline.

The large portion sizes served today have changed what we consider to be a "normal" serve of food. Extra large bowls of pasta, mega muffins, and enormous burgers are not only purchased from restaurants, cafes and take-away outlets, but are served at home too. Super sized juices and mega salads are designed for the healthy conscious person, but it doesn't matter what type of food you eat. More food equals more kilojoules and weight gain.

Reduce the portion sizes: If you buy bulk packets of food such as corn chips or meat, portion up the food into smaller sizes and store them separately. When ordering from a fast-food menu, never super size a meal - order a small or a medium-sized meal. Always order an entree or a small-sized meal at a restaurant or cafe. If you're hungry, order a side salad or a side of vegetables instead of the large meal. You could also share a meal with a friend or family member, instead of eating it all yourself. Finally, always transfer any food you plan to eat from the packet to a plat or bowl, as eating straight from the packet will make estimating the amount of food you eat difficult.

EXERCISE TIP: Fitness Fundamentals

2008-01-09T01:48:00.000-08:00

A lot of us think that fitness is the ability to run long distances or be able to lift the heaviest weights. However, fitness is more than this. Complete fitness is defined by how well you can cope with everyday life - the ability to walk up stairs carrying groceries or boxes.

To achieve complete fitness, you need to focus on the five fitness fundamentals - aerobic fitness, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility.

Aerobic fitness is defined by how well your heart and lungs work. It's the ability of your heart to pump oxygen rich blood to your working muscles and the ability of your lungs to remove carbon dioxide. The fitter you are, the more efficient your heart and lungs work to sustain the same intensity of physical activity.

Body composition can be broken up into two components - your fat mass and your fat-free mass (muscles, bones, organs, ligaments and tendons). Everyone has a different physique and it's important to keep the fat mass within a healthy range as this makes completing daily activities easier.

Muscular strength is the ability of the muscle to exert force. The stronger you are the more force you are to exert. The more muscle you have, generally means the stronger you are. Muscular strength is extremely important in all parts of life. Without muscular strength, you would be able to lift objects and transport them from one place to another.

Muscular endurance refers to your muscle's ability to perform without fatigue. A perfect example of how you use muscular endurance everyday is when you carry your groceries inside from your car. Without any muscular endurance, you wouldn't be able to do this simple chore.

Flexibility is the ability of your joint to move through a full range of motion. Good flexibility is important in protecting the joints and reducing the muscle-tendon injuries. Without flexibility, a lot of daily tasks become hard. Without flexibility, you wouldn't be able to tie up your shoelaces.

Now you know about the five fitness fundamentals, it's time to commit to be fit - complete fitness that. For more information on this topic, see the February issue of the Australian Healthy Food Guide magazine.

EATING OUT: Fish 'n Chip

2008-01-09T01:46:00.000-08:00

With summer comes fish 'n chips by the beach. They're quick, easy and a tasty summer tradition. But your average fish 'n chips can contain almost half your daily kilojoule intake. So, instead of buying fried fish, it's a good idea to ask for your fish grilled - you'll half the kilojoules. As for the chips, just have one helping and only take what can fit in one hand - that's about 12 or 15 chips in total. This amount of chips is a serve, so only order a minimum of chips and discard what you don't eat. If you want something else beside the fish and chips, order any of your season grilled. Grilled prawns, scallops and calamari rings are also better than the fired versions, as you'll save on kilojoules, total fat and saturated fat. Finally, order a salad with your fish 'n chips. Dish up on our fish 'n chips and serve them on a plate with your salad taking up half the plate.

BUSINESS TIP: Inflexibility at Work

2008-01-09T01:38:00.000-08:00

So many of us spend more time on our bottoms during the day than doing any other activity. And it's this sitting that is ruining our health. The average desk worker loses a quarter to a third of their flexibility (range of motion) during their adult life. This is not good as inflexibility worsens and your ability to perform everyday chores such as getting dressed in the morning or getting out of bed. It also means you could end up in a nursing home before the age of 80.

To prevent the ill-effects of inflexibility, it's important that you include regular stretching exercises into your day. Spending 10 to 12 minutes each day to stretch is nothing compared to the benefits you will get. At a minimum, you should stress three times a week. Another great option is to practice yoga. The perfect yoga move for tight leg and trunk muscles is downward dog, Downward dog involves making a "V". Standing upright, bend forward from the hips, so you and up with your hands flat on the floor and you are on your toes - looking like a "V". Shoulders should not be up near your ears - push your shoulders down. Also, push your heels towards the fall.

Don't forget to take little breaks during work too. Get up and go for a two-minute walk. Roll your shoulders and neck.

PRODUCT NEWS: Latina Fresh Wholegrain

2008-01-09T01:27:00.000-08:00

Latina Fresh has gone wholegrain. This delicious pasta is high in fibre and contains no added colours or flavours. It comes in two varieties - Wholegrain Fettuccine and Wholegrain Spinach and Ricotta Ravoli. It can be purchased from the chiller section of your local supermarket.

BOOK REVIEW: Cook's Companion

2008-01-09T01:04:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Alexander's Cook's Companion is a must have cookbook for any budding chef. The hundreds of recipes this cookbook contains loads of information about cooking terminology, the best herbs and foods to serve together and also information about different types of food. The Cook's Companion is definitely that. Cook's Companion retails for about $130.

RECIPE: Salmon & Cannellini Bean Salad

2008-01-09T00:57:00.000-08:00

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 cups mixed greens

1 Lebanese cucumber sliced

1 carrot cut into julienned strips

1 1/2 tsp oil

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 tsp grainy mustard

200g can cannellini beans

185g can salmon drained with the bones remaining

2 small tomatoes, cut into quarters

Cracked black pepper

Preparation:

Wash and dry the salad greens. Combine the oil, rice, vinegar, mustard and toss half of the dressing over the leaves, cucumber. Drain the cannellini beans and toss the remaining dressing through the beans.

Method:

1. Arrange the salad on individual plates. Top with cannellini beans, salmon and tomatoes, and sesaon with black pepper.

Note: left over cannellini beans are delicious pureed with olive oil, garlic and a little vinegar and served as a low GI dip alternative to mashed potatoes or rice.

GUY'S TIP: Food For Thought

2007-12-04T02:14:00.001-08:00

Life today is so hectic and as a result so many Australian males are stressed, anxious and suffering from mood swings. There's no doubt a bloke's lifestyle plays a big part in how he thinks and feels, but it's definitely not the only thing. The food you put in your mouth also plays a big part in how you function mentally. There are four essential nutritional factors your brain needs each day to help it function at its best. To keep your mind in prime condition include these nutrition principles in you daily eating regimen:

- Low GI carbs - the only fuel your brain can use is glucose and this happens day and night, therefore you need you a constant supply. That's why it's important to not only have breakfast in the morning, but to have a good quality breakfast. Including low glycaemic index (GI) carbohydrates such as wholegrain toast, wholegrain cereals such as oats, or fruit, for breakfast slows the digestion and release of glucose in the brain and muscles. Low GI carbohydrates ensure your brain has a constant supply of fuel.

Fantastic fats - your brain contains more fat than any other organ, with the exception of your fat tissue of course. The main architect of your brain is the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, and a deficiency in these can affect how you think and feel. You cannot make omega-3 fatty acids in your body therefore you need to get them from your food. To meet your omega-3 requirement, include oily fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines herring or mackerel two to three times per week. Also include one tablespoon of seeds such as linseeds or pumpkin seeds each day. You can also get some omega-3 from lean red meat and some varieties of eggs and yoghurts.
Amazing amino acids - amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are the brains voice and helps it communicate with the rest of the body. The words the brain uses to send messages from one cell to another are call neurotransmitters, and amino acids make up the neurotransmitters. Deficiency in amino acids can result in depression, lack of motivation and an inability to relax. To make sure you get enough amino acids, have one serve of protein at each meal. You can have low-fat milk with cereal for breakfast, tuna or lentil salad for lunch and lean red meat and vegetables for dinner.
Vital vitamins - vitamins are help your brain use the glucose, turn the omega-3 fatty acids into into complex fats and amino acids into neurotransmitters. B vitamins found in wholegrains and leafy green vegetables, are essential for your brain. They affect how you think and feel, and they help to turn the glucose from you food into energy. Vitamin C and E and beta-carotene (converted to vitamin A by the body) work as antioxidants and help to slow the progression of natural ageing of the brain. Include plenty of citrus fruits, carrots, pumpkin and almonds in your daily diet.

GIRL'S TIP: Christmas Drinking

2007-12-04T02:13:00.000-08:00

During the festive season there's a lot of eating and drinking. Whether it's a staff Christmas party, catching up with friends or getting together with family, wine, champagne, beer and spirits can all be enjoyed in numbers. Whilst evidence shows that a little alcohol might be good, sadly more is not better, and drinking to excess is definitely harmful to your health and can often leave you doing things you wouldn't normally do. Before you start drinking this Christmas, take a few moments to think about what you're going to be consuming.

Standard drinks

A standard serve of alcohol is equal to 10g of alcohol which in terms of drinks equals:
- 100ml of wine
- 425ml of lite beer
- 285ml of full strength beer
- 30ml of spirits
- 60ml of fortified wine

More often than not, a glass of wine contains over 100ml of wine and the schooners of beer are definitely more than a standard drink. So you just may be consuming more drinks than you realise.

Number of drinks

It's recommended that girls have no more than two standard drinks per day and for those of you that have high blood pressure, the limit is one standard drinks of alcohol per day. Also, you need to include two alcohol free days each week and no, you can't save your daily drink intake for a binge session at the Christmas party.

Bad points of binge drinking
For those of you who do binge on alcohol, here's a snapshot of what it's doing to your health:

Cancer - alcohol doesn't reduce the risk of nay cancers, but increases the risk the more you drink. Drinking more than five standard drinks a day will increase the likelihood of any cancer. Excessive drinking can increase cancers of the throat, oesophagus and airways into the lungs.
Liver function - excess alcohol consumption can lead to cirrhosis - death of the cells in the liver. This can lead to many complications including ascites (excess fluid retention), portal hypertension (high blood pressure in the portal vein) and oesphageal varices (enlarged veins in the throat).
Excess weight - alcoholic drinks contain a lot of kilojoules and excess consumption can lead to weight gain. We also tend to eat a lot of snack food such as potato chips, hot chips and kebabs which also contributes to excess weight gain.

Pointers for drinking at the party
Take these tips with your Christmas festivities this year:

Choose wisely: You don't need to go to every party that comes up. Choose only the most important parties.
Drink for enjoyment: Drink for enjoy and not intoxication. Your body will thank you in the morning.
Go slow: Drink at your own pace. You don't have to keep up with everyone else. Buy or get your own drinks and skip the shouts.
Alternate: Alternate your alcoholic drinks with a non-alcoholic drink.
Dance instead: Spend more time on the dance floor. A lot of the time you're not allowed to glasses on the dance floor so this is bound to slow down your drinking.

FOOD TIP: Christmas Kilos

2007-12-04T02:04:00.000-08:00

At Christmas time, everything seems to be in excess, with food and alcohol topping the list. We attend Christmas party after Christmas party, we stock up on food and alcohol as if the shops will never open again and we eat and drink all the things we know we shouldn't. Christmas is a time for celebrating and this time is on December 25th - Christmas Day. If we only consumed excess on Christmas Day, everything would be OK - one day of excessive eating is not going to brake the scales. But most of us don't tend to celebrate Christmas on just one day of the year - it's now a month long celebration that start on the 1st of December and ends on the 1st of January the following year. It's in the new year when we start to wish we never ate and drank so much.

Seeing the scales tick over a few kilos past your average weight doesn't have to be your start to the new year. But in order to see this happen, you may need to change a few of your party plans. Nothing too big, just some small changes that can make huge differences. Follow these party plans to help you stay happy and healthy throughout the festive season:

- Plan ahead: never go to a party hungry, instead eat something substantial before you head to the party. This will reduce the chance of you overeating when at the function. Try a chicken salad with a slice of bread, a pasta salad, sushi or crackers with tuna, tomato, cucumber and lettuce.
- Party wisely: you don't have to go to every single Christmas party. Why not choose the most important parties and skip the rest.
- Move away from the food table: when you're at a Christmas party, you're there to socialise not taste test all the food and drink. Move away from the food table and remember that just because it's free alcohol, doesn't mean you have to take as "all-you-can-drink".
- Reduce the courses: just because other people have order three courses, doesn't mean you have to. Become aware of how hungry you are - only have two courses instead of three.
- Shake your groove think: burn off some of those kilojoules by shaking your tail feather on the dance floor. The "no drinks on the dance floor" rule will also stop you from over drinking.
- Hostess with the mostess: playing the host means you get to control what food is being served. Opt for healthy, yet tasty finger food such as sushi rolls, vegetables sticks and dips or grilled seafood and dips. Or prepare healthy mains based on vegetables.

Remember, Christmas is about spending time with the people you care about, not the alcohol and food. Have a Merry Christmas.

EXERCISE TIP: Fun Flirty Fitness

2007-12-04T01:30:00.000-08:00

If you're single and wanting a change from your normal fitness regime, why not join Fit2Date? Far from your stock standard personal training session, Fit2Date will have you getting hot and sweaty while you refine your flirting skills. Head Fitness Flirt Erica French started Fit2Date in 2007 as an answer to today's hectic lifestyle which makes it almost impossible to find time for us to meet our soul make ad keep fit. "We're all so busy in today's society, so Fit2Date combines meeting people and fitness in one fun-filled hour. Fit2Date is for fit singles wanting to meet and train with other fit singles," says Erica.

The fitness flirts working out at Fit2Date range from twilight twenties to roaring forties and groups are not based on age - it's all just pot luck. Each fitness flirt is put into a group of 16, including eight people of the opposite sex and seven people of the same sex. Each Fit2date course runs for four weeks with one session each week. Here's a brief run down on the fitness flirts four workout sessions:

Week 1: Group Day - the fitness flirts are divided into 2 groups of eight.
Week 2: Double Date - groups consist of four people - 2 girls and 2 guys
Week 3: Blind Date - exercise with blind-folds
Week 4: Your Choice - spend you last week with your 3 most favourite people.

Relationships are formed not only during the personal training (PT) sessions but also over email. Each fitness flirt is given an email buddy, which helps to motivate the other. Communication by the entire group also continues throughout the week via email. "The communication and PT sessions really help to bond the group and after the four weeks we all go out for dinner together," says Erica.

So far, there has been heaps of hook-ups from the sessions and two relationships. Fit2Date is available in all capital cities throughout the East coast of Australia and is the perfect opportunity to meet your soul mate all while improving your fitness and health. Become a fitness flirt today by emailing hookmeup@fit2date.com.au or visit www.fit2date.com.au

EATING OUT TIP: Healthy fast food options

2007-12-04T01:27:00.000-08:00

Eating occastionally at a fast food restaurant can fit into a healthy diet plan. The key is to choose wisely. Here are a few tips you can follow when the only lunch or dinner option is a fast food choice.

Small portion sizes - always choice the smallest size, never up size. If there are hamburgers available, always go for only a single patty and steer clear of the two or three patty high burgers. Choose the small drink and if you have to have fries, purchase the small.
Choose grilled items - grilling is a far healthier option than fried or baked. Be careful as words such as 'crispy' or 'breaded' and just other words for fried and are also high in fat and kilojoules. Choose grilled or roasted varieties of fast foods such as roast beef, chicken breast or lean ham.
Watch your beverages - don't forget that beverages are kilojoules too! Soft drinks are at least 10 per cent sugar and contain about 440kJ per 250ml - imagine how many kilojoules are in the mega soft drinks you can buy. Instead of drinking soft drinks, choose mineral water, water, diet soft drinks or unsweetened iced tea. Also give the shakes and other ice-cream drinks a miss, as they're high in kilojoules and saturated fat.
Healthier sides - choose healthy side dishes. Instead of fries, choose mash potato, corn on a cob or a side salad. Or you could add a fruit salad, a low fat small muffin, piece of fruit or yoghurt.
Make changes - make alterations such as having the dressing on the side, choosing water instead or soft drink, ask for no cheese or order a low-fat dressing. Making a few alterations to the menu can help reduce the kilojoules, saturated fat and the sodium content.

BUSINESS TIP: Menulog

2007-12-04T01:18:00.000-08:00

One in three Australians skipping lunch at least once per week and one in ten Australians rarely or never eat lunch. The top reasons for skipping lunch is we don't have enough time, too many personal tasks to do and we're not hungry. The problem with skipping lunch is you are missing out on some extremely important fuel that will keep you going till the end of the day and increase you productivity at work.

If you're unable to get out of work for a least a 15 minute lunch break, instead of missing your lunch altogether, jump online and have your lunch delivered to your desk. Menulog is an online service which lists over 400 restaurants on the east coast of Australia that will deliver lunch straight to your desk. There are more restaurants available on Menulog, but you have to go to the restaurant and pick them up - they don't deliver.

To order on Menulog, simply visit www,menulog.com.au, choose your restaurant, look at the menu use the online browser to email your order, and receive your lunch within 60 minutes. It's that simple! Menulog is also great as a thank you for employees who work back late, as you can order your evening meal in exactly the same way.

PRODUCT NEWS: Wine Without The Guilt

2007-12-04T01:02:00.000-08:00

With Christmas fast approaching, most of us have Christmas parties, family gatherings, work break-ups and Christmas catch-ups to attend. Irrespective of which event we attend, we are normally surrounded by food and drink. A month long of festive celebrations with too much food and a few too many drinks can leave us a few kilos heavier. Not to mention leave us feeling physically drained.

If you are conscious about your health and what to reduce the amount of alcohol you consume over the month of December, yet still enjoy a few drinks with your friends, LINDEMANS Early Harvest may just be what you're looking for. LINDEMANS Early Harvest wines are a unique range of light and refreshing wines that are on average 30 per cent lighter in alcohol and contain 30 per cent less kilojoules than average wines. This drop is extremely light on the palate too.

LINDEMANS Early Harvest comes in two varieties - Crisp Dry White and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. Both are available from retail stores for rrp $13.99.

BOOK REVIEW: If not dieting, then what?

2007-12-04T00:47:00.000-08:00

Dr Rick Kausman's book, If Not Dieting, Then What? is a book about empowerment. This book is a no-nonsense guide to weight management and focuses on changing your attitude to weight loss. If Not Dieting, Then What? shows you how to look at food in a more positive way. It will have you enjoying food, whilst fine-tuning the fat and not feeling guilty. This great weight management book will also have you feeling great about yourself.

If Not Dieting, Then What? can be purchased for $14.95 from all local books stores.

RECIPE: Strawberry Mousse Cups

2007-12-04T00:32:00.000-08:00

Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 180g quality white cooking chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup thickened cream
- 500g Victorian strawberries, stalks removed
- ½ cup sifted pure icing sugar, plus 1 tablespoon extra for topping
- ¼ cup orange liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier), plus 1 teaspoon extra for topping
- 2 teaspoons powdered gelatine
- 1 tablespoon water
- 8 ready-made chocolate dessert cups*
- mint leaves, to garnish

Method:
1. Place chocolate and ¼ cup cream in a medium size heat proof bowl; place over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat.
2. Reserve 250g strawberries for topping. Place remainder in a food processor along with icing sugar and liqueur; process until pureed. Gradually stir into chocolate mixture.
3. Combine gelatine and water in a small glass jug or bowl. Fill sink about 2cm deep with boiling water; stand jug or bowl in sink and stir until gelatine dissolves. Stir into strawberry mixture. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until just starting to thicken.
4. Beat remaining cream until thick. Whisk ¼ of the cream into the strawberry mixture, then fold in remainder.
5. Place chocolate cups on a tray. Divide strawberry mixture between cups and refrigerate for about 3 hours or until set (once set, the pots can be stored in the fridge, loosely covered with cling wrap for up to 24 hours).
6. Just before serving, slice reserved strawberries and place in a bowl. Add extra icing sugar and extra liqueur; stir gently. Set aside for about.

Reprinted with permission from Victorian Strawberries.

GUY'S TIP: Movember

2007-11-03T15:50:00.004-07:00

In the past, visiting the doctor or worrying about your health was not something commonly scene among males. But today in the 21st century, things are changing! With guys now living on average five years less than their female counterparts, men's health issues, namely prostate cancer, heart disease and depression, are starting to be acknowledged.

Despite reductions in heart disease rates in Australia, more men than women suffer from the disease, and if it doesn't kill, it can leaves them with a disability. In Australia last year, 18,7000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 2900 died from it. And guys aren't as mentally strong as we may think - at any given time, one in six men suffers from depression.

To raise money and awareness about men's health, November is of Movember! Guy's change the face of your health this month, and get involved by growing the best Mo you can throughout the month of November. To congratulate you on your efforts, there will be a Mo Bro bash at the end of the month.

For those of you guys who grow a Mo, you will be called Mo Bro's, and while the females, Mo Sistas, can't participate in the facial hair experience, they can support the cause by getting the boys involved and helping to raise money. All money raised will be donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and Beyond Blue - a national depression initiative.

To be part of the action, follow these 5 simple steps:

Register your involvement at the start of November. Visit www.movember.com.au
Start November clean shaven
Grow and groom your manly Mo throughout the rest of November
Don't forget to raise some serious moolah along the way
Then CELEBRATE any way you please. Attend the official Gala Parte in your capital city or hold your own Mo Town Party.

Sign up today!!

GIRL'S TIP:Weight for it!

2007-11-03T15:50:00.003-07:00

Girls seem to be extremely critical about their small amounts of excess weight, and if they're not complaining about their own weight, they're criticising the girl's butt in front of them. Those wobbly bits that girls tend to hate - the extra weight on her hips, her perceived "thunder" thighs and her wobbly tummy under her belly - are not as bad as she may think.

Females tend to be pear-shaped, meaning that as girls store weight on our hips, butt and thighs. Males on the other hand are more apple-shaped, storing their excess weight on their stomach. It's the excess stomach weight that is the big concern - not the weight on your hips, butt and thighs.

The weight on your stomach, also known as abdominal fat or central obesity, is considered to be high risk fat. It's the fat that surrounds all your vital organs and is closer to your heart than the weight girls tend to store on their hip, butt and thighs.

Regardless of whether you are male or female, excess weight on your stomach increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, syndrome X and some types of cancer. Therefore, it's a good idea to try and keep your waistline less than 80cm (or 94cm for men). If it means you have to store a little bit of extra weight on your butt instead of your stomach, then so be it. You'll be healthy for it.

FOOD TIP: Is it really goodbye to an Ozzie tradition?

2007-11-03T15:50:00.001-07:00

You've probably heard recently that the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) released a report listing Ten Recommendations for Cancer Prevention which included:

Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.
Limit consumption of energy-dense foods.
Eat mostly foods of plant origin
Limit red meat and avoid processed meats.
Limit alcoholic drinks
Limit consumption of salt
Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone
Mothers should breastfeed; children to be breastfed
Cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention

Out of these 10 recommendations, limiting red meat and avoiding processed meats, has received the most media attention. The report indicates there is strong evidence that excess amounts of red meat and processed meats cause colorectal cancer, but there is only limiting evidence to suggest red and processed meat cause other types of cancer. Your risk of colon cancer is also increased with excess alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and excess body weight and abdominal fat.

It's important to note the report is not saying to never have a BBQ again and to avoid red meat completely - it's saying not to overdo it. The WCRF recommends you consume no more than 500g of cooked meat (700-750g raw weight) each week. The average Ozzie currently consumes on average of 460g of red meat each week and nine out of ten Australians choose lean meat varieties. This translates to the average Ozzie consumes a healthy amount of red meat each week.

On the other hand, the report did report strong evidence to show that processed meats such as bacon, ham and some sausages to cause colon cancer. Unlike red meat, there has not be a recognised safe level of processed meat consumption that WILL NOT increase colon cancer risk, and therefore processed meats should be avoided.

It's important to remember that red meat is an important source protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12. It does contain high levels of animal fats, therefore a lean variety is recommended where ever possible. It's also important to take any visible fat off your meat prior to cooking it and use healthy cooking methods such as grilling and BBQing, rather than frying.

This summer, don't give up your BBQ, but may change some of the foods being served. You can always make some kebabs with lean meat and vegies, grill some salmon or white fish, some chicken and some lean red med. Avoid throwing the snags on the BBQ. There is better quality meat that will get your taste buds watering - and they're better for your health.

If you eat meat, continue to enjoy 3-4 serves of 100g of lean red meat each week and include a variety of plant-based foods including wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. And throw some exercise and weight management in there as well. Combining all of these points will help you reduce risk of developing colon cancer and you still get to enjoy the Ozzie summer tradition.

EXERCISE TIP: Alternate Arm and Leg Raises

2007-11-03T15:49:00.001-07:00

Most of us experience at least one episode of lower back pain during our lifetme. In most cases we cannot pinpoint the exact source of the back trouble, but the good news is exercise is effective in preventing it.

On good back exercise for you is the alternate arm and leg raise. To get started, you're going to have to get down on the ground - grab a yoga mat if you want a bit of cushion.

1. Lye down on your stomach with arms outstretched next your ears.
2. Keeping your neck down and your spine straight, lift you right arm and your leg at the same time. Lift to a point when you feel a slight pull, but no discomfort. Maintain a straight spine.
3. Hold for 3-5 seconds and then lower your arm and leg back
down to the ground.
4. Repeat with the left arm and right leg.
5. Repeat 12-15 times on each side.
6. Complete another set of 12-15 reps.

Make it harder - Instead of lying face down on the floor, rest on your hands and knees (on all fours). Use the same technique and straighten out alternate arms and legs. Maintain a straight spine. This exercise will require more work from your abdominal muscles, as well as your back.

EATING OUT TIP: Cafe lunching

2007-11-03T15:48:00.003-07:00

A quick cafe lunch is so trendy these days - stylish decor, trendy music and decedent foods. There's a different cafe on every corner throughout the city, all with so many delicious-sounding foods and drinks on the menu. Focaccias, BLT, quiches, iced-chocolate and mega muffins. We tend to love these cafe foods for all the wrong reasons - nutritionally speaking that is! So what are the best lunch choices to enjoy at your local cafe? Here's a bit of a guide to cafe menus.

Best Choices

Frittata
Salads - green, vegetable, legume or couscous-based
Sandwiches or wraps - made fresh with lean grilled meats, tuna, low-fat cheese, chicken, egg, salmon or roasted vegetables
Soup - vegetable, tomato-based or clear soups
Antipasto or dips to share (NB - these are very kilojoule dense, so share them with a work colleague)
Sushi
Parcels made with filo pastry filled with vegetables and/or lean meat
Pasta - tomato based sauce with vegetables and seafood/chicken/lean meat.
Risotto
Vegie burger made with roasted vegetables (hold the fries and enjoy a salad instead)
Grilled chicken or lean beef burger - without heaps of salad and no bacon or cheese (again hold the fries)

Choices to limit

Quiches and pastries
Creamy salads such as Caesar salad
Cream-based soup
BLT and chicken schnitzel burger
Quesadillas and nachos
Creamy pasta sauces
Garlic and herb bread
Focaccia

Pastries are high in saturated fat, especially the ones made with puff pastry over filo pastry. And when they are filled with fatty cheese and meat the kilojoules sky rocket. A creamy quiche is rich in eggs and also has a nice kilojoule-laden pastry crust. Top it with regular cheddar cheese and you've got yourself a nice little fat trap. Mexican dishes can be extremely high in fat and kilojoules, especially after you have added the cheese, sour cream and guacamole. The vegetable frittata is a better option out of these foods as it is high in protein, is a source of fibre and contains less kilojoules.

With salads, ask for your dressing on the side so you can control how much goes on your salad and around your waistline. Chefs love to drown food in oil and creamy dressing, and there tends to be a stack more dressing than you really need on salads. Here's a tip, if there is an oily layer on the salad there's a tad too much dressing.

Yummy focaccias, BLTs, burgers and schnitzels are hard to pass by and appear on not only cafe menus, but also on the menus of pubs, bistros and even some restaurants. There is always a healthier way to order a burger or sandwich - ask for small amounts of cheese, get them to hold the bacon, give you a side of salad instead of fries and put the creamy mayo on the side instead of covering the burger. You could also share a burger with your work colleague and order a side of something else to share.

With pastas and risottos, choose a tomato-based sauce and select the entree size. also you don't have to eat it all in one go. If you can't finish it, you could ask for a dodgy bag and take it home for tomorrow's lunch or simply leave - it's better in the waste than around your waist! Happy lunching.

BUSINESS TIP: Water all-round

2007-11-03T15:48:00.001-07:00

When sitting in an air-conditioned building all day and running to and from back to back meetings, you can forget that you need to keep your fluids up - an this doesn't mean coffee after coffee. Water is essential for the body - you go live longer without food than you can without water. It makes up about two-thirds of your body weight and is needed to transport nutrients around the body, absorb nutrients from food and remove waste products.

Water is continually being lost from the body in the form of perspiration, urine and through breathing. However, despite its importance, it's easy to forget that your body continually needs to be topped up with water. If you don't drink any water for an hour, your will be at least 1-2% dehydrated and this is enough to affect performance.

At least eight glasses of water needs to be consumed each day, and this figure will increase if you're active, living in top temperatures or are a big sweater.

Signs of dehydration include:
· Thirst
· Dry mouth, tongue and lips
· Dark coloured urine
· Reduced urine
· Dry, loose skin
· Muscle cramps and weakness
· Fatigue
· Headaches

It's important to keep an eye out for the above signs. If you are experiencing theses you may be dehydrated. Another way to determine if you are dehydrated is to look at the colour of your urine. If it is a deep dark yellow colour (as you'll have first thing in the morning), you are dehydrated. Ideally you want to have plain yellow or clear urine.

If you are someone who struggles to drink enough water each day, here's tips on how you can increase you intake and meet you needs.

Strategies for hydrating at work:
· Carry a water bottle with you at work.
· Have water bottles in convenient places at work.
· When you wake-up in the morning drink a glass of water when you brush your teeth.
· Every time you go to the toilet, drink a glass of water.
· Try drinking herbal teas, or adding fresh lemon or lime juice to water if you don’t like drinking plain water.
· At meetings always say yes to a glass of water.

PRODUCT NEWS: Vaalia Low Fat Yoghurt with Omega-3

2007-11-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Vaalia has just brought out a new Low Fat Yoghurt with Omega-3 DHA. Vaalia yoghurts already contained gut-friendly probiotics such as LGG, Acidophilus and Bifidus, and now also contain omega-3 DHA to support healthy brain function. Good sources of omega-3 are oily fish such as herring, salmon, mackerel and tuna, whilst fish oil tablets are also available for consumption.

For those of you who don't like the taste of fish, the new Vaalia Low Fat Yoghurt with Omega-3 DHA is perfect for you. The omega-3 DHA used in this yoghurt comes from the plant source, algae, and the good news is it doesn't leave a fishy aftertaste in your mouth.

This yoghurt is available in Vanilla Mango, Pomegranate Raspberry and Orange Mango Chai.

BOOK REVIEW: The No Diet Diet - Do Something Different

2007-11-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

So many of us try fad diets in an attempt to lose weight. Most do lose weight, only to put it all (plus more) back on again. Then another new fad diet comes along and the same results happen and we're left weighing more than when we started the diet. If you're one of these yo-yo dieters, maybe you should consider that it’s time to do something different. You can start by purchasing the book The No Diet Diet - Do Something Different!

The authors of this great book, claim to have discovered the secret to losing weight, and it has nothing to do with what you put in your mouth. This book discusses the idea that people are overweight because they are imprisoned by their bad habits. The No Diet Diet shows you how to break your bad habits which you don't even know exist. Breaking these habits is the key losing weight effortlessly and without feeling hungry. The book is based on years of research and there's no diet for you to follow.

The No Diet Diet - Do Something Different can be purchased for $32.95.

RECIPE: Warm Prawn Waldorf Salad

2007-11-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
1 kg green prawns, with their shells
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp fresh ginger juice
1½ cups baby spinach leaves
1½ cups watercress, trimmed
1 green apple, slivered
3 stalks celery, sliced
½cup walnuts
3 tbsp Phase 5 Organic Camellia Tea Oil (refined)
1 Kaffir lime leaf, finely shredded
1 tbsp pear concentrate

PREPARATION
Peel the prawns, leaving the tail on. Combine 2 tbsp of the apple cider vinegar and the ginger juice and toss through the prawns. Set aside. Bring a steamer to the boil and steam the prawn for 3 - 4 minutes. Prepare the salad greens, celery and apple and place them in a bowl. Dry roast the walnuts and set aside.

METHOD
1. Combine the oil, remaining apple cider vinegar, kaffir lime and pear concentrate together and toss through the salad, leaving a small amount to drizzle over the prawns.
2. Arrange the greens on a plate. Top with prawns and walnuts and sprinkle the remaining dressing on top.
3. Season with black pepper and serve.

Reprinted with permission from Camellia Tea Oil. Recipe by Judy Davis from The Food Coach.

GUY'S TIP: Rev it up

2007-09-29T17:11:00.001-07:00

It seems logical – skip a meal and you will lose weight. Right? WRONG! Believe it or not, if you want to aid weight loss or maintain your current weight you need food. This may sound stupid but our bodies are not designed to lose weight. You can thank our ancestors for that!

Like a car, your body needs fuel to help get you through the day. Glucose (sugar) is the main fuel for your body and the only fuel that your brain can use. Your body is designed to keep your blood glucose levels within a limited range. If you skip a meal your body will go into what is called starvation mode.

During starvation mode, your body will use up you carbohydrate for energy, when your carbohydrate stores run out, you will start to burn up protein and finally fat. As you fast, your stores of carbohydrates become depleted as they are used to supply the body with glucose. Prolonged fasting, will see your blood glucose levels drop. This will then result in your body looking for another fuel source to maintain daily functions.

Instead of using the fat stores which a lot of us assume we use, protein stores are next to be broken down and used for energy. This protein normally comes from your muscles. However, because protein is essential for proper functioning of your body and is vital for survival, the remaining protein is preserved and your body starts to breakdown fat for energy. Fat is broken down to form ketone bodies which is not your body's most preferred fuel source and as a result can have negative effects such as nausea, fatigue, constipation, lowered blood pressure and a stale mouth taste.

When you swap from using carbohydrate as a fuel source, to using protein and fat, your body reduces its energy output or energy expenditure, in an attempt to protect fat and muscle tissue. As you breakdown your body's protein stores, you are losing muscle which results in a weaker muscle that burns less energy. At the same time, your body’s hormone production slows down your body's metabolism (or metabolic rate) also in an attempt to conserve muscle tissue. These combined actions result in a reduced weight loss and a slower metabolism, the opposite of what you want to achieve.

Another negative side effect of skipping meals is that this action normally results in binge eating at a later date which leads to a rapid increase in your blood glucose levels and an increase in your blood triglycerides (transport vehicle for fat). This can result in an increase in fat storage - often not what you are looking for.

Rules for driving a metabolism to help aid weight loss or achieve weight maintenance includes:

Don't skip breakfast - get up at least 10 minutes earlier in the morning so that you have time for breakfast in the morning. A mega muffin and an extra large coffee at 10am is not the best start to your day.
Eat lunch - at the start of each week, take some bread, fruit, crackers, tins of tuna and baked beans and nuts to work, and keep them in your fridge and desk drawer. There will be no excuse for skipping lunch as you will always have something on hand.
Get active - start to include some structured exercise into your day. The more you move the more energy you will burn and this will impact on your weight. Aim for at least 5 sessions of 30-40 mins of moderate intensity exercise each week.
Lift weights - weight training will increase muscle mass and help to boost your metabolism. It'll also tone you up and keep you looking good for your partner.
Eat slowly - it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to register that there is food present, so put you knife and fork down between each mouthful and chew slowly. Do scoff food down when you get home from work either. Prepare a meal and sit down at the table to eat it.

GIRL'S TIP: Keep Abreast of Things

2007-09-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

Throughout your life, your breasts will change in size and how they feel. This is as a result of menstrual cycles, pregnancy and weight gain or loss. You should be away of how your breasts feel - all women should. Generally changes in breasts are normal, but occasionally changes can be found which can be early signs of breast cancer.

Most changes or lumps are not caused by cancer, but as breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Australia, it is important to know what changes in your breasts mean. Always see a doctor if you have any changes in your breasts. Early detection of breast cancer is the key to successful treatment and survival. It is important to visit your doctor to have a routine breast check, but it worthwhile to do regular checks on your breasts yourself.

Here's how to check your breasts:

From the collarbone at the top to the bra-line at the bottom, fell each breast. Always feel from midway between your breasts to an imaginary line down from the middle of your armpit.
When touching your breasts always use the flat part of your fingers including the sensitive finger pads, and move in small circle motions at every spot that you touch.
You should move down and up from your armpit in vertical strips across your whole breast. Alternate the pressure between light and firm.
Light pressure will allow you to feel just below the surface - do this motion first. At the same spot make a second circle pressing quite firmly so that you can feel any deep lumps in your breast. Press as firmly as you can without discomfort.

When feeling and looking at your breast, you need to pay attention to the following:

A breast lump
Skin rash or itching
Discharge or leaking from the nipple
Changes in skin colour
Puckering, rough or dimpling of the skin
Pulling in of the nipple
Pain anywhere in the breast
Any change from the usual look of your breasts
Swelling or discomfort in the armpit

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their life, but they're not the only ones affected by breast cancer. This year 95 Australian men will also be diagnosed with breast cancer. So girls (and guys), as October is Breast Cancer Month, it's the perfect time for you to go and get your breasts checked out.

So many of us know someone who has been affected in some way by breast cancer - it may a mother, a sister, a partner, a friend, a cousin, an aunty or a daughter. This October, there are ample of opportunities for you to help support and raise awareness for this killer disease. Here are just some of the ways that you can support breast cancer research:

Dove Pink Star Walk – grab the girls and guys together to take part in this 5km walk and don’t forget to wear your pink. There are heaps of prizes for the best costumes and also goodies bag for all participants at the end.
Pink Ribbon Day – don’t forget to grab your pink ribbon, pin or wrist band and wear them on October 22nd.
Pink Ribbon Magazine – the Australian Women’s Weekly puts together a 100 page magazine celebrating women and is on sale from September 26th until the end of October.
Pink Ribbon Breakfast – get the group together for an early morning get-to-together. You can hold the breakfast anytime during October.
Porches in Pink – grab yourself some bright pink OSRAM light blobs for $2 and decorate your house or unit in pink.
Pink Products – purchase food products with a pink ribbon on the pack and some of the money from each purchase will go to the breast cancer research. Some tasty breast cancer products include Sanitarium Light ‘n Tasty, V8 body balance juice, Mount Franklin water, Pink Wish Tim Tams.

Visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation website at www.nbcf.org.au, for more news on all the events in your state.

FOOD TIP: Ingredients List

2007-09-29T17:09:00.002-07:00

Most packaged foods will feature an ingredients list in descending order by weight. This means that the first food listed will be the highest quantity of all ingredients in the food. In the example below, whole grain wheat is the major ingredient, making up most of the food product, followed by fruit and then sugar.

Ingredients List: Whole wheat cereal

Whole Grain Wheat (56%), Fruit (17%) {Sultanas, (12%), Dried Apple (5%) [Contains Preservative (221)]}, Sugar, Wheat Bran (4.5%), Wholemeal Wheat Flour (4%), Oligofructose, Maize Starch, Minerals (Calcium Phosphate, Iron), Honey, Barley Malt Extract, Salt, Vegetable Oil, Vitamins {Niacin, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, E (Contains Soy)}

If fat, salt or sugar are in the first three products listed, the food is more than likely going to be high in fat, salt or sugar and therefore is probably not the best choice. Don't forget that there may be hidden fat, sugar and salt in your food. These nutrients can be listed under different names. Here's what to look for:

Fat can also be called - vegetable oil/fat, lard, copha, butter, coconut cream or milk, milk solid, animal oil/fat, ghee, dripping, shortening, palm oil, tallow, chocolate, monoglycerides, diglycerides.
Sugar can also be labeled as - glucose, lactose, sucrose, fructose, cane sugar, molasses, maltose, dextrose, malt extract, treacle, brown sugar, raw sugar, castor sugar, golden syrup, disaccharides, polysaccharides, honey, invert sugar
Salt can also be called - sodium, sodium chloride, sea salt, garlic salt, chicken salt, sodium nitrite, Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

The percentages that appear in brackets within the ingredients list are called key or characterising ingredients. If a product mentions a particular ingredient in the name of the food i.e. Strawberry yoghurt or if a particular food is associated with the product by a consumer such as wheat in cereal, the ingredients list must show what percentage of the food comes from this ingredient. These are known as the key ingredients.

Any additives in a product will be shown in ingredients list. They are easily identified and will have be written as the class name, followed by either an identification number or the name of the additive. This makes it easy for people who wish or need to avoid certain additives, to identify their presence in packaged foods. Allergens will also be highlighted near the ingredients list, and this is a labeling requirement. Stay tuned for more information on allergens.

EATING OUT TIP: Thai terrific

2007-09-29T17:08:00.003-07:00

Thai restaurants seem to be popping up everywhere these days and the price of a meal can range substantially. Irrespective of the money though, there are some food choices on the Thai menu that are better choices than others, so if you tend to eat out at the Thai restaurants a lot, it may be best to consider what you are eating as a few slight changes to your choices could do wonders for your waistline and health.

Traditional Thai cuisine combines spicy reds, vibrant greens and fragrant herbs and spices that are packed with flavour. Meals are normally fairly generous in size and splitting a main meal between two people can be the best way to control kilojoule intake if you are conscious of your waistline. Oils and fats are widely used in Thai cooking to enhance the flavour. It's important to look out for words such as "fried" or "crispy" on the menu as these foods will have been cooked in oil, while "creamy" dishes will contain coconut milk or cream which is high in saturated "bad" fat. Healthier Thai cooking methods are pan-fried, stir-fried, sauteed, char-grilled and marinated.

Here's some of the healthier main meal choices on the Thai menu:

Stir-fries using lean meat, seafood, vegetables or tofu in light sauces such as oyster, sweet and sour, sweet chilli and basil, fish sauces, or sauces with nuts, chilli, ginger, lemon juice or herbs
Jungle curry - curries without coconut milk or cream added
Seafood dishes that have been BBQ, sauteed or steamed such as Goong Sam Ross
Steamed noodle dishes
Steamed rice - white, Jasmine or wild

The main meals to limit include:

Stir-fries in heavy sauces, especially peanut satay sauce
Creamy curries using coconut milk or cream including massaman, green and panang curry
Duck dishes with the skin left on
Fried noodle dishes such as Pad Thai
Thai fried rice

PRODUCT NEWS: V8 Berry Body Balance

2007-09-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

In line with Breast Cancer month, October’s product review is of V8 Plus Berry Body Balance juice. A serve of this bright pink juice is a delicious blend of lush berries with naturally sweet carrot juice and also contains grape skin extract which is a powerful antioxidant.

Berry Body Balance contains no preservatives or added sugar, and one glass (250ml) will provide you with 100% of your recommended dietary intake (RDI) of vitamin C and 66% of the RDI for vitamin A. Finally for every bottle with a pink lid and ribbon purchased, V8 will donate 10 cents to breast cancer research so that we can find a cure to this deadly disease.

BOOK REVIEW: Change Your Thinking

2007-09-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

We all experience negative thoughts at some stage in our lives which can be difficult to manage, and can leave us feeling stressed and self-defeated. Sometimes we are aware that our negative thoughts contribute to the way we are felling but we don't know what to do about it.

The second edition of Sarah Edelman's Change Your Thinking is a practical guide to help you change your outlook on life and the different situations that arise in it. This book uses cognitive behavioural therapy to help you find a more positive way of dealing with negative thoughts and emotions. Change Your Thinking explains how it is within our ability to interrupt and challenge these patterns and change habitual responses. Learning to change your perception on things can give you a sense of self-control.

You can find Change Your Thinking in local bookstores for $32.95 rrp.

SPECIAL EVENT: Good Food Month

2007-09-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

Sydneysiders love their food and wine, so you can imagine how a-buzz the city is when Good Food Month starts in October. The month of October sees growers bring their produce to town, as well as special cocktails being poured and night noodle markets for busy business people unwilling to cook. Other events include wine testing, beer festivals, high tea and special hats off dinners, where chefs provide menus different from their normal fare. For more information on the program for Good Food month visit www.gfm.smh.com.au.

RECIPE: Stir-Fry Beef & Asparagus

2007-09-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Serves 4

Ingredients

400 grams rump steak, cut into strips
2 tsp Phase 5 Organic Camellia Tea Oil
6 shallots cut into lengths about 6cm long
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed, cut in half
100 grams snowpeas
1 red capsicum cut into strips
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ginger, chopped
¼ cup tamari
¼ cup mirin
1 tbsp sake
½ bunch garlic shoots, finely chopped
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method:

Heat the Phase 5 Camellia Tea Oil in the wok. Brown the beef in batches for about 2 minutes.
Place the veggies in a bowl and sprinkle the sesame oil over them. Add them to the wok and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Stir through the ginger, tamari, mirin and sake and stir until it's heated through.
Sprinkle the garlic shoots and sesame seeds through and serve.

Reprinted with permission from Phase 5 Camellia Tea Oil. Recipe by Judy Davis from The Food Coach.

GUY'S TIP: Male Menopause

2007-09-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

So you've heard about menopause and it's on for females right? Well actually, menopause isn't just for the females. Androgen deficiency, sometimes known as male menopause, is a condition in men characterised by lower amounts of the male hormones, including testosterone. Androgens are a group of sex hormones that men their 'manlihood' and are crucial to sexual and reproductive function. They are also responsible for secondary sexual characteristics such as body hair growth including beards, and bone and muscle development.

Testosterone is the major sex hormone in males and is produced in the testes. Some major functions of testosterone in the male body are:

Assisting with bone and muscle development
Growth of body hair including a beard
Starting and completing puberty
Change in vocal cords
Sexual drive and function
Prostate gland growth and function
Sperm production

The pituitary gland in the brain controls the testes with two hormones called luteinising hormone and follicle stimulating hormone. Lower levels of these hormones or problems in the brain signals to the tests, result in androgen deficiency. some of the symptoms of androgen deficiency are non-specific and can mimic symptoms of other disease and include reduced sexual desire, hot flushes and sweating, breast development, depression, reduced muscle mass and strength, fatigue and hair loss.

The effects of androgen deficiency depends on how severe the deficiency is, its cause and the age at which the deficiency begins. Unlike female menopause, not all males experience androgen deficiency, therefore the term male menopause is technically incorrect as it implies all males experience the deficiency. If you think you may be suffering from androgen deficiency consult your GP.

GIRL'S TIP: Weights Training

2007-09-08T20:23:00.001-07:00

Cardiovascular exercises such as running, spin classes and aerobics, work on increasing your fitness levels, but it's not going to tone your body that way that you may want. Resistance exercises using weights, therabands and your own body weight is what is needed to tone your body, keeping you looking strong and lean. So it may be time to rethink your training program and begin to incorporate some resistance exercises - here's some motivating reasons why:

Stronger bones - resistance training of any description places stress on the bones where the msucles are attached. This results in increased bone mineral deposits, strengthening the bone and making it less likely break or fracture.
Increase metabolism and burn more fat - muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body, meaning that the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism and the more fat you will burn. Lighting weights will help to increase your muscle mass and reduce your fat mass.
Improve posture - spending a lot of time at our desks working means that a lot of us can end up with bad posture. Resistance training of postural muscles such as the abdominals and back will strengthen and increase their ability to support you properly for longer.

For those of you who are reluctant to lift weights because you think that you are going to bulk up like Arnie, the good news is this isn't likely to happen as females are not designed to have huge muscle mass. For women who do want to bulk up, it requires extra hard work.

FOOD TIP: Nutrition Claims

2007-09-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Nutrition claims are the brightly coloured words that can be seen on the front, side and sometimes the back of food packages. Manufacturers use nutrition claims to grab your attention, but sometimes these claims can be misleading. Here what some of them mean:

Light or lite - can refer the colour, texture, flavour, kilojoule content or fat content. It does not always mean that the product contains less kilojoules. Lite olive oil contains exactly the same kilojoule content as Extra Virgin but it is light in colour and flavour.
Low in fat - means the product contain 3g or less of fat per 100g of the product.
Fat reduced - the food has at least 25% less fat than its normal counterpart. A reduced fat food can still be high in both total and saturated fat as is the chance with reduced fat cheese.
Cholesterol free - the product contains less than 3mg of cholesterol per 100g, but be careful as products that have cholesterol free written on them can still be high in total and saturated fat. Another point to note is that cholesterol is only found in animal products, so vegetable oils will always be cholesterol free.
High fibre - the product must contain at least 3g of dietary fibre per serve of the product.
No added sugar - means that no sugar has been added to the product, but natural sugar can still be present as is the case with honey and dried fruit. Always read the ingredients list and nutrition information panel to see if natural sugar is present in the product.
Low joule or diet - the solid food or a semi-solid food contains less than 170kJ per 100g or for beverages contains less than 80kJ per 100ml.
Low salt - the product must contain less than 120mg of sodium per 100g of the food.

Nutrition claims do not give you enough information about the food product as a whole. So it is always important to read the nutrition information panel and the ingredients list.

EXERCISE TIP: Cycling

2007-09-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

When you were a kid, riding your bike was a big deal - especially when you rode it with training wheels for the first time. Back in your younger years you rode a bike for sheer enjoyment and you didn't think about the fitness boost you got along the way. Maybe it's time to revisit your childhood and dust off your bike and ride for fun and fitness.

Cycling is convenient and a great way to avoid the parking meters and the parking fines from the money-hungry parking men or women. Riding your bike is also an excellent way increase your fitness and tone your lower body such as your glutes, calves and thighs. A good cycling program can also help you to lose weight from all over your body.

For those of you with joint pain in you knees, hips or ankles, cycling is the perfect sport for you, as it is low impact, which means it places less stress on the joints than weight-bearing exercise such as running. Cycling also improves posture, balance and is a great form of relaxation for the mind.

And the good news is, cycling is for everyone - old or young, tall or short, big or small, fit or unfit. So dust off that bike and start riding for health and fun today!