Summer is traditionally peak time for movie blockbusters and 2010 is no different. First up we had Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Prince of Persia’ , sixty-something Sylvester Stallone hit the gym hard for the upcoming ‘The Expendables’, while Bradley Cooper (left) left ‘The Hangover’ crew in Vegas to bulk up his physique as Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck in ‘The A-Team’, out this week. It is refreshing to see Hollywood’s leading men receiving press attention for getting in…

As the World Cup reaches its climax, only the best teams are left to fight for this coveted trophy. There are many others, like England and France, who have left South Africa with their tails between their legs after disappointing performances.   The post-mortems will go on for months. Heads will roll, stories from training camps will emerge and preparations and training methods will be analysed in order to try and find out what went…

It is often said weight loss is 80pc nutrition and 20pc exercise but sometimes I think it’s 110pc mental. In nutrition, it is often more dangerous for you to diet and fall off the wagon than to not diet at all. This is because not only are you losing your fat-burning lipolytic cells and gaining more fat cells when dieting, but dieting also impacts negatively on your emotional and mental states. When your head is…

The release of the new Sex and the City movie has led to thousands of Irish females to check out Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda’s latest adventures. But it isn’t just their glossy and glamorous lives that entrance women everywhere, it’s their never-ending collection of fashions and fancy footwear. The Sex and the City franchise made Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Cosmopolitans and Rampant Rabbits famous, but its real legacy may be the rise in chronic foot and back problems….

Summer is here, and, for many, it’s an opportunity to show off the results of their hard work in the gym over the last number of months. In winter you can hide your food indiscretions under layers of clothing, but hot weather brings added pressure to expose more flesh. Many dare not to bare because to do so would mean revealing their unsightly muffin top. A muffin top is when a layer of fat hangs…

Ireland’s summer has truly begun. The farmer’s tans were in full view recently as many availed of the rare sunshine to go to the beaches, walk the piers or play sports with their kids. It was the first opportunity we had in a long while to top up our much-needed vitamin D stores, which boosts our immune systems. The countdown to beaches and bikinis is on. But the excitement of looking forward to a sun-kissed…

THE INAUGURAL EUROPEAN OBESITY DAY WAS HELD RECENTLY IN A BID TO RAISE AWARENESS AND INITIATE ACTION TO TACKLE THE CONDITION. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), obesity is currently responsible for more than one million deaths and 12 million life-years of ill health each year. It is a leading cause of preventable death and disease in Europe and, as we all know by now, it has reached epidemic proportions. Preventing people from becoming…

YVONNE’S BODY FAT IS DOWN BY 10PC SINCE THE START, SO SHE’S STILL MAKING GOOD PROGRESS, BUT DON’T SETTLE INTO A COMFORT ZONE IF YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE LASTING RESULTS Yvonne’s transformation is continuing. It is nearly 12 weeks since she embarked on the road less travelled on her journey to health. This road involved a change of eating habits and the implementation of a regular exercise programme. There are many people who try to…

THERE ARE FOUR GYM STEREOTYPES: THE VICTIM, THE CHILD, THE DRAMA QUEEN AND THE PROSTITUTE It can be hard to make the changes required for a healthier lifestyle. There may be occasions when you find yourself slipping back into the old routine because this is the easier option. Our brain has learned patterns and it is easier to stay with these patterns than to make new ones. When you interlock your fingers or cross your…

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO PILING ON WEIGHT AND INCREASING YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE As summer approaches, you may be one of the people who want to lose weight and get in shape. You look at the options and they all claim to get the same results. Some want you to cut out food groups or live on liquid supplements. Others involve counting points, motivation coaching, counting calories or only consuming foods in certain combinations. The…