Anatomy:

Your back (spine) is made up of vertebrae (bones) that make up 5 spinal regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and the coccyx. Between each vertebrae sits a shock-absorbing disc that allows movement and provides flexibility.

The purpose of your spine is to protect your spinal cord. Nerves from the spinal cord pass through the intervertebral foramen to the body, allowing messages to be transmitted to and from the brain and the periphery (e.g., your limbs).

The spine is supported by ligaments such as the anterior longitudinal ligament, the posterior longitudinal ligament, and the ligament flavum, and the core muscles such as the transversus abdominis and the multifidus. The unique and complex structure of spine allows humans to move with great freedom, but also requires coordinated interactions between vertebrae, vertebral discs, ligaments, and supporting musculature in order to achieve healthy function.

Everyone needs a certain amount of protein in their diet and anyone involved in fitness training and body building will logically need more in a daily basis. One way to get an energy boost after working out while avoiding the dangers of high fat sources of protein, such as fatty meats, is by shaking up a shake based on protein powder alternatives or buy one of the hundreds brands in the market.

There are a number of such alternative sources of protein that are ideal for making shakes, including soy, egg and whey. All are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. All you need is a blender, 1-2 minutes and some imagination.

While all vegetables are basically good for your health some are better than others. Cruciferous veggies are special due to their chemical composition which includes sulphurous compounds which give then their pungent flavour. When broken down by either chewing or chopping these sulphurous compounds are converted into isothiocyanates (ITCs) which can prevent and help fight cancer as well as boosting the immune system. Cruciferous veggies also contain antiviral/bacterial agents that can help keep you disease free.

Cruciferous veggies include beets and their greens, bok choy, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radishes, turnip greens and watercress.

Summer is next to our door, and clean eating is a must, if you want to have a healthy body. Clean eating basically means to avoid pre-packaged and processed foods and return to basics – fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains *(preferably organic) and lean protein from fish.

Let’s start with vegetables. Dark green veggies such as broccoli, spinach and kale are high in folates – a cardiovascular booster – and low in carbohydrates.

Tomatoes are high in vitamin C and can be mixed with fresh basil in a salad or eaten alone as a snack. Try adding some roasted garlic to the mix. Garlic is a strong anti-oxidant that boosts the immune system, increases blood flow and lowers cholesterol.

“Why am I not losing weight even though I’m training more?”

A very common question from many people, have many answers...First we need to make sure that everyone understands the difference between weight loss and fat loss.
What’s the difference?
Weight Loss = Wanting to lose body weight on a scale – The sum weight of bones, muscles, organs, fat, etc.
Fat loss = Wanting to reduce the fat on your body regardless of weight – The amount of fat between muscle and skin.

Weight loss can be achieved through gradually reducing the amount of calories you take in or by doing repetitive exercise for any given duration i.e. walking, jogging, running, cycling etc

Weight loss problems

So, while it may not look or feel like spring outside, it’s spring! The end of Spring when Summer should be teasing us. Bringing all the fun things you’d associate – holiday weekends, barbecues, weddings, evenings drinking outside….. all of which add up to bad news for your clean eating and training regime. We are all human though and the odd blow out is not going to have hugely detrimental effects to your overall goal if it is exactly that – occasional. If you eat cleanly and exercise regularly, nothing wrong with treating yourself every now and again. What is wrong though is allowing what should be a cheat “meal” to become a full –on blow out. So you have a glass of wine and a dessert at lunchtime…. This does not give you licence to finish the rest of the bottle over the course of the afternoon and then have a takeaway pizza for dinner and raid the biscuit tin for a midnight snack. Do not let treats become pig outs!

If your serious about developing your physical potential, whether by competitive running, pumping iron in the gym, or even just doing yoga at home you’ll know there’s a whole lot more than seven potential ways in which your body can not only protest but cause some serious grief.

Whatever your genetic strengths or weaknesses, learning to listen and respond to your body’s initial warning signs makes all the difference between a short or long recovery time and is crucial if you want to keep doing what you do well. Here the focus is on some of the most common injuries affecting competitive runners, but the information applies to most physical workouts and regimes.

Stress is higher and higher with the pressures of modern life. Stress increases cortisol levels which have a negative impact on muscle tissue as well as increasing the risk of stroke, heart disease and depression.

Lifestyle choices are both the cause and the cure of too much stress. If you can’t change your lifestyle, at least try to eat more stress reducing foods. Here are five of the best.

Before we get into the details of the junk food addiction aspect let’s first define the subject. The official definition of junk food is food, meaning some substance that is basically edible, with little or virtually zero nutritional value. Junk food is often high in saturated fats and sugar and contains calories but little in the way of either protein, vitamins or minerals – as numerous scientific studies have proven. 

You have likely experienced the evil of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) several times before. It is the intense feeling of pain in certain used muscles around your body after a hard workout.

It becomes most noticeable 2 – 3 days later when getting out of bed is suddenly a painful challenge, showering becomes a nightmare as we struggle to lift our arms high enough to wash above our hips and we might even have to slide down the stairs on our… well, you get the idea.

Winter is harsh on skin specially if you live in the city. As the chill winds howl and snow falls down from the sky, every other part of your body gets covered – except for the face. Exposed to the elements, the face will often suffer from dry, irritated skin. With a number of creams on the market aimed at tackling such an ailment, it probably seems like no big deal if skin starts to crack a little. But, it can cause great discomfort, and can actually be prevented by using a simple little product you’re almost certain to have at home: Honey.

Sometimes the hardest part of making a positive shift is knowing where to start. It can be overwhelming when there are a number of changes to make or even when there is one big one. If you want to adopt healthy habits that will last, then the easiest way to do it is by making small, gradual changes.

Recent research indicates that simply following a regular yoga exercise routine and/or practicing mindful meditation for about 45 minutes a day is just as effective as an anti-flu shot in reducing your chances of an acute respiratory infection.

Quoting the results as ‘remarkable,’ professor of family medicine at the university of Wisconsin-Madison, Bruce Barrett found an overall 40 to 50% reduction in respiratory infections from the study compared with 50-60% protection rates for only a few strains of flu viruses when prescribing flu vaccines.

Everyone loves a day out on the water! The sun, the surf, food, drinks and friends… It all combines to create some fantastic memories. The water is so ingrained in many cultures that it’s quite common for people to spend days on the water – or even live on it (e.g. in a houseboat). If you’re new to the scene or just need a refresher, here’s a checklist of the things you’ll want to have on hand next time you hit the beach, ocean or lake.

1. Entertainment

What’s the point of going on the water if you can’t enjoy it? There are plenty of ways to have fun. Paragliding, jet skiing, surfing, and fishing all provide great thrills. If skimming through the water on a motored vehicle sounds like a dream come true, for example, be sure to pick up a top-notch jet ski from a store such as JSW Powersports before you head out.

Hello, luscious, creamy vat of peanut butter. I’m diving in. Before I do though – does anyone know who invented peanut butter? Or any nut butter for that matter? I have no idea, I’m just throwing it out for conversation. Cause they certainly should get a Nobel Prize. Or something.

I actually don’t have a peanut recipe to share today, just some news about one of America’s fave foods.

Your skin is the outside indicator of how your body is doing on the inside. Although important, taking care of it purely from the outside isn’t going to be enough if you want a glowing healthy looking skin.

Here are our top five foods for great looking skin

Come March, it’s not uncommon for people to start cleaning up their diet and look for new foods to help them achieve optimal health. Months like December, January and February can be tough on the body, with later nights becoming more frequent and more booze and inflammatory foods being consumed.

Here are some of the best cleansing ingredients to start eating today. You should feel better in no time.

If you viеw fооd аѕ thе enemy, hеrе are itеmѕ thаt might mаkе you сhаngе уоur mind аnd hаvе them work fоr you inѕtеаd of against уоu. Whilе they mау bе рrеttу ѕuреr, you ѕhоuldn’t put аll of уоur attention on аnу one of them. Start bу introducing a few mоrе super fооdѕ that burn fat intо уоur diеt еасh wееk until you find that you’re еаting much more оf thеm thаn you used to. 

There’s just something about the comfort that food brings us in winter. If you find it hard to resist the munchies on a cold night, you’re not alone.

Do you need to buy organic all the time? There’s a difference between organic and conventionally grown foods when it comes to nutrition, safety and price. The organic food aisle can be difficult to navigate – not to mention, costly – but there are a few organic and pesticide-free products that are certainly worth the investment.

A lot of people incorrectly assume that fat needs to be avoided at all costs. We’ve decided to take a look at what this food group actually does, and why it’s essential to staying fit and healthy.

When we eat healthy foods we think we are helping oursleves, but eat them the wrong way, and we could be removing valuable nutrients or getting more calories than we expected. Here are six healthy foods that are frequently eaten in unhealthy ways.