16 July 2013 The current doping story has raised some serious questions about the safety of sports supplements and whether taking them is a risk too far. Number one rule for an athlete – know what you’re putting into your body because you and you alone are strictly liable. You need make sure everything you…
28 May 2013 The Paleo Diet has gained an almost cult-like following since the book by Professor Loren Cordain was first published in 2002. No longer is it seen as an offshoot of ‘complementary and alternative medicine’, now many regular exercisers are jumping on the low-carb Paleo bandwagon. So, should we all be switching? First,…
3 April 2013 When it comes to muscle recovery the timing of your protein intake and the type of protein are just as important as the total amount eaten. In a recent study, a group of Canadian and Australian researchers found that four 20g doses of protein evenly spaced through the day is optimal for…
25 Feb 2013 Experts used to believe that cramps were caused by dehydration or electrolyte depletion. But no studies have actually linked the idea that dehydration or electrolyte depletion is the reason one athlete cramps and another doesn’t. Strong experimental evidence for either theory is lacking. A 2011 study from University of Cape Town researchers…
17 Feb 2013 Should you eat before you exercise or is it better to work out on an empty stomach? This is the question posed by researchers in several recent studies. And the answer to this age-old quandary, it seems, depends on your workout goals. If fat loss is your main goal, exercising on an…
12 Dec 2012 In these times of austerity, not many of us have money to throw around on expensive sports supplements, so I thought I’d save you money by telling you which recovery products you should be buying. I decided to compare the nutritional content and prices of milk, flavoured milk, milk shakes and commercial…
4 Nov 2012 The latest diet buzz is a regime called Intermittent Fasting (also known as the 5:2 Diet or Alternate Day Fasting). Incredibly, you can eat whatever you want most of the time. Does it work? Well, according to Dr Michael Mosley who followed it as part of his investigation for BBC2’s Horizon programme…
28 Sept 2012 At last we have evidence that ‘light’ and reduced fat’ foods are a big low-fat con! Last week, Which? published a report that spelled out how food manufacturers have been ripping us off with these pseudo-healthy products. The consumer watchdog highlighted 12 examples of ‘reduced fat’ and ‘light’ food that contain more…
2 July 2012 Why spend out on a sports drink when a banana and a bottle of water will do an equally good job? US researchers recently published a study (funded by Dole) that found just that. When cyclists were given equal amounts of carbs either as a sports drink or as bananas during a…
