The importance of exercise for brain health is an area which is gaining more and more attention.  There is increasing evidence to show that not only can exercise decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as some cancers, but it can also help prevent the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, depression and anxiety.  In addition to this, diet has also been found to have a big influence on cognitive health, with recommendations including 2-5 weekly portions of oily fish, plenty of dark or brightly coloured fruits, leafy vegetables and cereal rich diets.  Thus highlighting the importance of the right combination of diet and nutrition to boost brain development, function and performance.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a physiological signaling molecule of great importance.  It can alter skeletal muscle function through regulation of blood flow, muscle contractility, regulating glucose and calcium levels, and modulating mitochondrial respiration and biogenesis.  As a consequence, NO has been receiving a lot of attention lately, with various studies attempting to decipher its precise mechanisms (Jones, 2013). 

Larsen et al (2007) showed that following just three days of sodium nitrate supplementation, subjects had increased plasma nitrate (which can be recycled into bioactive NO by the body) and a reduction in oxygen cost of sub-maximal exercise, therefore lessening energy required to exercise at the same intensity and allowing the user to increase exercise performance.  Further studies by Bailey et al (2009) revealed similar findings, whereby 3 days of beetroot supplementation doubled plasma nitrate, reducing steady state V̇O₂ during moderate intensity exercise and constricting the V̇O₂ slow component during intense exercise, suggesting that a NO dietary intervention could improve muscular work efficiency.  Since this, more studies have tested the effects of NO on various variables, and have found similar results.

The timing and quality of your post-exercise nutrition is essential for helping you to reach your training goals whether it’s increasing in strength or power, improving your endurance capacity, helping to lose weight, or determining the intensity and performance of your next training session.  However, it can get difficult to work out how best to achieve this with the constant bombardments from different companies telling you what to do.  So here is a quick review of the latest research to help you.

There has long been talk of the ‘window’ following training or competition where it is important to consume the necessary nutrients to augment rebuilding of damaged tissue and restore energy levels.  It has been hypothesised that if individuals work to replenish themselves within this window, a super-compensation effect will occur, further augmenting the molecular mechanisms which enhance training adaptations.  However, the importance and prominence of the ‘window’ is dependent on a range of factors which include age, volume and intensity of training, training status, type of exercise performed, and whether you are fasted or fed before training.

This refers to the harnessed ability to increase lean muscle mass and promote muscular hypertrophy.  A constant protein turnover is an important process which allows for protein maintenance, though the removal of damaged proteins and the replacement of new proteins, thus allowing the muscle fibre to change its protein structure according to loading or diet demands.  This mechanism is primarily determined by the balance between muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB).

It is evident that resistance training alone and consumption of protein or amino acids alone, are stimulators of MPS, and when these are combined, the result is a synergistic stimulation of MPS.  This process is believed to be essential to the exercise induced muscle size increments which comprise hypertrophy.  Research has shown that nutritional provision has the ability to intercept changes in short term changes in MPS as well as long term adaptations to training in the form of increased muscle mass.

Many of us are familiar with the muscle aching which ensues a particularly strenuous training session.  The pain which occurs 24-72 hours following exercise is referred to as delay onset muscle soreness, or more simply, DOMS.  The precise mechanisms behind DOMS remains unclear, with many theories under disputation regarding their precise contribution to subsequent decrements in force, however, a large level of consensus believes it to be multi-factorial (Malm, 2001). 

Nonetheless, scientists tend to agree that it is primarily causation are eccentric contractions (the lengthening the muscles undergoes under tension such as when lowering weights, the downward motion following a pull up, or running downhill) rather than concentric contractions (the shortening phase such as lifting during a bicep curl) which promotes the greatest amount of muscle damage (Piitulainen et al, 2011).  There are a number of characteristics associated with DOMS, with common symptoms including temporary joint stiffness accompanied by a reduction in movement, swelling of the affected areas, temporary reduction in strength in the affected muscles and an elevation in creatine kinase levels in the blood (Sellwood et al, 2007)

Despite the fact that team sport success is generally categorised as the highest number of goals scored or points gained as opposed to being the fasted, strongest or fittest.  However, these components all make up the teams ability to win as these sports typically require its players to perform repeated maximal or near maximal efforts over an extended period of time.  Additionally, athletes are often needed to perform sudden acceleration, explosive jumps, tackles and changes of direction, entailing high energy expenditure to compete with the strength, power, speed and aerobic demands of the sport.  

Aesthetics are a major component of training, and many athletes strive towards increases in muscle mass.  Strength and hypertrophic gains are a result of a culmination of factors, working collaboratively to help you achieve your goals; these influences include genetics, training history, training programme and dietary intake.  Optimisation of these could elicit a 0.25-0.5kg gain of muscle mass each week.

Aesthetics are a major component of training, and many athletes strive towards increases in muscle mass.  Strength and hypertrophic gains are a result of a culmination of factors, working collaboratively to help you achieve your goals; these influences include genetics, training history, training programme and dietary intake.  Optimisation of these could elicit a 0.25-0.5kg gain of muscle mass each week.

Dairy is rich in important nutrients such as calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B12, zinc and magnesium.  There is also growing support for the importance of dairy for sports nutrition before, during and after exercise.  Preliminary to exercise, it provides you with your carbohydrate and fluid needs to prepare you for your workout.  Research has also indicated that the protein can increase protein synthesis further and elevate resting energy expentidure for 24 hours following when taken 30 minutes before and then 30 minutes following resistance exercise.  During exercise, the carbohydrates and fluids can delay the onset of fatigue which can keep you going stronger for longer.  This is particularly important for exercise lasting longer than 60 minutes, where glycogen stores are depleted.

Dairy is rich in important nutrients such as calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B12, zinc and magnesium.  There is also growing support for the importance of dairy for sports nutrition before, during and after exercise.  Preliminary to exercise, it provides you with your carbohydrate and fluid needs to prepare you for your workout.  Research has also indicated that the protein can increase protein synthesis further and elevate resting energy expentidure for 24 hours following when taken 30 minutes before and then 30 minutes following resistance exercise.  During exercise, the carbohydrates and fluids can delay the onset of fatigue which can keep you going stronger for longer.  This is particularly important for exercise lasting longer than 60 minutes, where glycogen stores are depleted.

Burning Calories

As every dieter knows - losing weight is incredibly hard work. Many people also know that in order to lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume. However not everyone knows that just to lose one pound of body fat you must burn on average around 3,500 calories

It is a known fact that dieting alone does not produce a speedy weight loss. This is due to the fact that 3,500 calories is a lot to burn off and can take some time. In order to increase weight loss you should try to keep to a daily diet of about 1250 calories, eating 3 meals per day, also drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. (View calorie list)

Calories are burnt all the time – even while you are reading this you will have burnt around two calories normally. However if you do no or little exercise then you will burn off calories at a very slow rate, and in order to lose that excess weight you will have to burn of those calories. There are many products that WWS offer, to help with this one of which is the Thermo Burn XTR which may help to speed up the metabolism and has been link to helping cut down carbohydrate cravings which may help to burn of some of those excess calories. 

I decided that in the last few weeks of 2011 that 2012 would be the year to change.  I’ve been now training on and off for the last 2 years but nothing that serious, well serious for about two weeks then the motivation disappears.

Quite Simply! Cross Flow Microfiltration is a process where a microscopic filter is used to separate the proteins, to yield a high quality, low fat, low lactose whey protein. This method has the highest potential for preserving the most nutritious parts of whey protein.

Nutritional supplements for everyone including sports people should be taken in addition to a healthy diet and not as a substitute for eating a poor diet. However, in today’s busy lifestyles where sports people push themselves to the limit and where highly processed foods, pesticides, pollution and stress are part and parcel of everyday life optimal nutritional status without supplementation is often difficult to achieve.

 By eating a healthy diet and adding in appropriate nutritional supplements sports people can achieve optimal health, prevent injury, and attain the goals which they have set themselves for their particular sport.

What is Creatine and how does it work?

Creatine is a non-essential dietary component –a metabolite of two amino acids glycine and arginine. And it is found in abundance in meat and fish. Creatine is not a drug and is used and endorsed by many Olympic athletes. It is estimated that up to 80% of top athletes use Creatine.

 It is taken up by muscle cells and converted into creatine phosphate. Creatine phosphate serves as a readily available source of the energy of cells called ATP.

This takes a lot more than going to the gym and banging out lots of weights. You body also needs fuel to grow. Without this you’re wasting your time

Glutamine is an amino acid, which plays many important and essential roles in health. It supports the immune system, maintains the integrity of the gastrointestinal system, helps to support growth and repair of tissues, and supports muscular anabolism.

It is easily depleted and activities such as regular training and participating in sports and athletics increase the body’s demand for glutamine.

After an intense workout it may take your body several hours to replenish its supply of glutamine. Therefore for sports people, taking additional glutamine as a supplement is advisable.

Supplementing with glutamine may help your body replenish its stores quickly and help maintain muscle strength as well as supporting the body in recovery from exercise.

Strong Foundations

Some of the most basic exercises can help you bulk, bench presses, deadlifts, squats just to name a few engage large muscle groups which is a necessity for muscle growth.

Eating More Food

When you’re building muscle you need a constant supply of energy. You can accomplish this by eating 5 -7 small meals a day. The best way is to structure your meal routine is from waking up in the morning and then at every 1.5 hour – 2 hours intervals. It’s also important you eat the correct foods and also take some supplements or sports nutrition.

Reduce the Cardio

Cardio is great if you’re looking to lose weight but when your bulking this could seriously slow down your progress and any noticeable changes. Doing cardio maximises strength to weight ratio this in return cuts muscle mass.

Creatine Monohydrate is a natural source of energy which helps the body during a high intensity workout. Creatine Monohydrate is produced inside the body from arginine, glycine and methionine which plays a important role in energy metabolism for any body builder. Taking creatine monohydrate has been proven to increase the resynthesis of ATP (andenosine triphosphate) from ADP (andenosine diphosphate) during muscle contractions.

Creatine is a compound found in the body that helps the production of energy in the body. Creatine is made in the liver and about 95% of that ends up being stored in the skeletal muscles and the rest is then sent to the brain heart and testes. Once used it is then turned into waste in excreted in the urine.

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