The most important part of any diet is being able to stay on it to achieve the desired results. By making the diet too extreme or limiting, it can become too difficult to follow.

Whether you’re wine tasting in Italy or sampling the local delicacies in France, most holidays involve major food indulgences. There’s almost an unwritten rule that when you’re away from home, there’s a no-holds-barred mindset where all healthy eating habits are thrown out of the window.

1) “Eating past 7pm is bad for you” – Our body doesn’t store more calories just because it’s later in the day however ideally you should aim to have your last main meal around 2-3 hours before bedtime to avoid indigestion. Eating late at night isn’t problematic if you truly are hungry or have just come in late from work etc. however it may be problematic if you are snacking on high fat/sugar foods out of boredom and subsequently eating too many calories over the course of the day.

Luckily we've uncovered 5 of the healthiest ingredients that you probably haven't used yet!

WHAT IS THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET?

Thanks to dense coastlines and rich soils, the islands caressing the Mediterranean Sea serve up diets full of nuts, veggies and legumes, and olive oils. Traditionally a peasant-style diet, it’s largely plant-based, with little meat, and next to no hyper-processed foods. However, it is relatively high in fat – meaning if the Mediterranean diet is as healthy as research shows, fat is not the enemy commonly thought of in Western diets.

Vitamin A is a potent antioxidant necessary for collagen and keratin production – a type of protein responsible for skin strength and smooth, plump appearance (not quite the same as what you find in fancy skin creams. Be sure to include lots of sweet potato, carrots, dark leafy greens, pumpkin, capsicum, mangoes and broccoli in your diet.

1. Willpower is a mind-body response

You may have heard the mantra ‘tell your mind what to do and your body will follow.’ It seems logical that willpower works simply through your mindset, however, it’s actually a full-blown mind-body response. This mind-body response triggers a ‘pause and plan’ effect, which puts your body into a calmer state, unlike the adrenaline rush of stress, which depletes your willpower reserves and leads to poor decision making. The result is the difference between reaching for that chocolate bar or taking a deep breath and making a cup of tea instead.

Losing fat and gaining muscle has nutritional, physical and psychological aspects. The following 15 strategies can help you reach your goals:

• Increasing your protein intake helps protect muscles when calories are low and helps release stored energy.
• Eating smaller meals more often provides a continuous flow of nutrients when calories are low. Foods high in nutrient volume but low in calories, such as spinach, broccoli and cabbage help you stay lean while feeling full. Beaten egg white expands for the same effect.
• Eat more green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits to keep your body functioning and maintain your acid balance. Starches such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, etc. Should be kept for post workout meals.

Okay so you’re planning on going to the gym for a great workout but want to make it count and don’t know what to eat after a workout, right?

Why not try a delicious whey protein shake packed with carbs and nutritional goodness? What are the benefits of “shakes”?

Overtraining is something that many people are facing nowadays. It hasn’t always been strictly hard exercise but has usually come from just pushing too hard in a few sets of just working out too frequently. Just putting too much strain on the body, going that extra unnecessary mile.

There are a few vital clues that our bodies give out when they have had enough and require some rest – or at least time off exercise all together (in the conventional sense). I believe movement and activity is always good but sometimes we need to take it easy with things like weight lifting, running, and other intense exercise.

Keep an eye out for when:

• Sleep becomes disturbed
• Digestion isn’t what it usually is
• Constant feeling of tension in neck and shoulder muscles
• Muscles feel heavy

This happens for a variety of reasons - our nervous system gets tired, and our muscle glycogen gets depleted leading us to feeling grumpy, irritable, tired, lethargic and like we don’t want to move – a sort of tired but wired feeling. Basically all the things that we do not want to feel especially when trying to look and feel healthy – the trouble is our nervous system needs a lot of time to repair, only good sleep, relaxation and food can help.

Everyone have seen the cut/bulk cycle that many people go through adding weight for the winter with the pipe dream of gaining some extra muscle and dieting the whole summer to reveal those abs…..Its not something you want to do you can look and feel great all year round by following a few rules!

- Don’t attempt to bulk!

Your body is very self regulating if you start lifting heavy weights and doing intense workouts your appetite will ramp up and so long as you stick to good wholesome food 80% of the time you will gain quality muscle and your strength in the gym will increase….
Take your time with gaining size if your getting stronger it means you are getting bigger, simply having trust in that will keep you progressing in the gym. Find new ways to challenge your body and trigger growth whether thats 100 rep body weight squats or a fully loaded leg press just keep your body guessing! You can’t force feed yourself into growth it will just leave you feeling bloated and chubby….

After a really heavy winter in NYC, spring is coming and many of us - especially women- have been looking for different ways to lose weight. Recently I flipped a typical women magazine at my colleague’s desk, I saw advertisements selling magic cream, magic foods, uknown slimming pills and many other too good to be true weight loss products or services. Look as if those companies are never getting tired in coming out with new products which promise easy way to lose weight. Unfortunately, customers become the victim of many of these products but seldom they learn from it. Why? Because they too continue to look for easy fast and way to achieve the ideal weight.

There is only one secret to guarantee you to lose weight. This method has proved to be working well, whether it is in year 1968, 2008 or even 2048. Actually, instead of lose weight, you should lose fat to be exact. Weight can be fat, muscle and bones. What we need to get rid of is the body fat.

Present day work environments and schedules are not usually very sympathetic or flexible towards those trying to follow a healthy lifestyle or on a diet. Shift work, overtime, deadlines, family responsibilities and commuting can all wreck your fitness regime if you let them. While some compromises may be necessary the secret is to stay in control of the situation as much as possible.

Here are few suggestions to help maintain your weight loss program while also keeping your job.

Control your eating environment. Don’t let others dictate your food choices and don’t be afraid to turn down offers of unhealthy snack foods or drinks at meetings or office parties. Don’t be intimidated by other people’s views on your dieting. If necessary, explain what you’re doing and why. Be positive and assertive. Choose who you hang out with. Try to find like-minded co-workers to help give support to your health regime.

Eating carbohydrates late at night is, as we all should know, real bad news for our digestive systems and for putting on weight – right?

The hypothesis behind the assertion that ingesting carbohydrates at night is based on the fact – well, supposed fact – that as you approach bed time your metabolism begins to slow down and thus during sleep your digestive system is also likely to be in a low power state. As you are burning fewer calories during this time your metabolic rate switches off or goes into a low power mode. At least that is the conventional wisdom.

However, research has shown there are rises and falls in the metabolic rate even during deep REM sleep – known as the sleeping metabolic rate (SMR), which often correlates with day time rates. There’s also evidence that exercise increases metabolic rates, which perhaps proves the old adage, ‘after supper walk a mile.’ Obese individuals are likely to have lower metabolic rates than the average.

Fat never goes out of fashion at least not the numerous approaches to getting rid of it. How it gets there is generally well documented usually under the headings of an unbalanced diet and lifestyle. Of course, getting rid of just about anything is always going to be harder than if we’d simply avoided it in the first place, but here we have a recent study that looks at making a cure for too much fat from one of the main culprits: namely dairy products.

It is a truth generally acknowledged that one of the main causes of obesity is a diet high in dairy fats. However, it has been discovered that diets high in low-fat dairy calcium in fact helped burn off more fat than low calcium diets mainly because calcium plays an important role in regulating body weight and fat metabolism.

Although better known for maintaining bone density and strength, calcium also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and has been shown to increase weight loss. A recent study found an increase in dietary calcium intake to 1200 1300 mg per day together with a normal intake of protein increased fat and energy excretion by about 350 calories per day.

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.

Beets may not have occurred, or appealed to you as a body building option let alone something you should consume more often. Enough to put anyone off beets! However, fresh beets, if you can find them in farmer’s markets or health food stores are far better tasting either grated raw in a salad or as the colourful main ingredient in borscht soup. Minus the vinegar beets are naturally delicious and their nitrates increase vasodilation – the widening of blood vessels which increases blood flow to tissues that most need it enabling the body to work harder and also lowers blood pressure.

Surprisingly Psy forgot one truly important icon of Korean culture in his Gangnam Style spoof of Seoul lifestyles – kimchi! In Korea everyone eats it almost with every meal, including breakfast. This is beyond being simply a super food although foreigners may wonder what all the fuss is about. Kimchi has an acquired taste. Made from fermented cabbage, onions, garlic and spices it kicks a powerful punch as well as providing beneficial bacteria that aid digestion and nutrient absorption. A diet containing kimchi has been found to decrease waist size and body fat while improving blood sugar levels. Eat it as a side dish with any meal.

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.

People constantly thinking that weight loss is linked to many hours of gym and sweat… Well, let's say that this is just a myth.
You dont need to go for an hour 4 times a week to get results. All you need is a regular ’Fastie’ and you will feel the difference. 

If you’re an Olympic athlete – preferably a cyclist, rower or tennis player – do manual work, live in England, as opposed to Scotland or Northern Ireland, and fast one day a week we have good news for you: you’ll probably be healthier and live longer than those who aren’t or don’t.

According to recent research published on the British Medical Journal website Olympian athletes live 2.8 years longer than average and the cyclists, rowers and tennis players lived longest of all. The study examined the life spans of 25,000 athletes who competed in the Games going back as far as 1896. Those involved in contact sports such as boxing gained the least whereas cyclists and rowers had the best health. However, even those who practised lower intensity sports like golf also had a boost in health and public health specialists from Australia and the US have suggested that even moderate exercise on a regular basis of 150 minutes a week will result in a life extension of several years.

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.

The term ‘fat-free’ is one of the more common forms of labelling that should raise a warning flag. If you’re new to losing weight it’s an easy mistake. ‘Fat-free’ yogurt may be relatively free of fat but when the fat is taken out the yogurt doesn’t taste so good. Manufacturers compensate by adding more sugar as well as thickening agents neither of which are good for your health or your diet plan. Fat free ice cream is much the same with added sugar in the form of corn syrup that is high in fructose – one of the main causes of obesity. 

What steps do you currently have in place to ensure you become healthier, stronger and fitter each day? There are many health habits we can implement to ensure we develop both physically and mentally and find that happier more confident place. Here are four very simple, yet highly effective, healthy decisions you can start to make immediately:

Eat more Thin Skinned Fruits

Eating more thin skinned fruits will provide us with an abundance of antioxidants and anti–inflammatory effects, especially useful for athletes and committed exercise enthusiasts to help speed up and improve recovery. 

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.

Let’s start off with the basics – what does the word Macros mean? Ultimately Macros is short for Macronutrients – Macronutrients refers to the nutrients you get from food that gives us calories or energy. The word ‘macro’ means large, therefore macronutrients are nutrients needed in large quantities. There are three types of macronutrients and they come in the form of Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins.

WHAT DOES TRACKING YOUR MACROS MEAN?

Fundamentally, tracking your macros means counting how many grams of carbohydrates, fats and proteins that you consume on a daily basis.

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. 

You’re getting up early, putting on gym gear and heading out to train… yet nothing’s happening. It’s very demotivating when you’re making the effort and you’re not seeing results, but sticking on a pair of runners and joining your local gym doesn't automatically equal better fitting jeans. If you’re struggling to reach your goals despite doing all the right things, check this list out and make sure you’re not being held to ransom by self-sabotaging habits.

Eating healthy and sticking to a budget is not always easy, but with a few simple tricks you can keep your wallet fat and your waistline trim!

 1. Ditch the Gum

When you chew gum, you also swallow a whole heap of air, which can lead to stomach distention.

When choosing a nutritious snack to tide you over, remember three things you need: Protein + Fat + Fiber and here's why. 

Thinking of going gluten free? Whether you’re battling an intolerance or simply want to test the waters, it’s easy to be put off by all the foods on the chopping block. Here are five common mistakes made by many who go gluten free and how to avoid them.

You’ve heard it before: breakfast is the most important meal, helping to kick start your metabolism, stabilize blood sugar levels and reduces the chance of making poor food choices throughout the rest of the day. But with our demanding lives we often find ourselves scratching our heads to think of quick and healthy foods to eat.