Category: Updates

When Nike unveiled its original Air Max in 1987, Margaret Thatcher was prime minister and Ronald Reagan was in the White House. At first glance not much has changed in 30 years – the UK has a female Conservative PM, a former TV star is the US president and Nike’s revolutionary trainers still have those innovative air-cushioned soles. But look closer and the changes are obvious (to the shoe, at least). Nike has taken a technological leap with the new Air VaporMax, making the entire air pocket a standalone unit – removing the need for a bulky rubber midsole – to create a lightweight and flexible trainer that never compromises its consistent cushioning. £TBC,store.nike.com

4.12pm

The time in the afternoon when office workers are most likely to reach for high-fat and high-sugar snacks, according to a study by Seasonal Berries. Have a pint of cold water at 4pm to kill your cravings.

Delay eating the doughnut

It might seem too simple to be effective, but telling yourself (ideally not out loud) that you’re not going to have that sweet snack now but you will later in the day is often enough to quell your cravings, according to research published in the Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology. This approach means you’re not technically denying yourself, although the chances are you won’t be bothered later on and so avoid snacking altogether.

Kill cravings with water

Feeling hungry can often be your brain misinterpreting a thirst, so next time you’re tempted by the biscuit tin have a glass of cold water to see off your cravings. Research published in the European Journal Of Nutrition found that 500ml of water is enough to stretch your stomach and send signals to tell your brain you’re full. The study also found people who drink half a litre of water before a meal eat 22% fewer calories than those who don’t.

Be smart on social media

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just eat healthier more often, a sensible strategy is to get off social media. Simply seeing food can stimulate cravings and hunger and even increase portion size when you next sit down to eat, according to research published in the International Journal Of Obesity. Limit your exposure to stomach-rumbling food pics by unfollowing all those avocado-loving accounts on Instagram and other social media.

1 Build your chest

Archer press-ups work your “pressing” muscles and enable you to overload them unilaterally to trigger growth.

How to do it

Start in a press-up position, then straighten your right arm out to the side. Bend your left arm to lower your chest, then press back up using your right arm for support. At the top, switch arms and repeat.

The workout

Do archer press-ups for 30sec then go straight into 30sec of regular press-ups. Rest for 60sec then repeat for a total of five rounds.

2 Broaden your back

Hit your back, biceps and forearms to help build a V-shaped torso.

How to do it

Hang from a bar with an underhand grip. Keep your core tight and pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar.

The workout

Do as many chin-ups as you can until your form fails. Put your feet on the ground, then jump back to the top. Hold for a second, then lower. Repeat until you can’t do another rep, then hang from the bar until your grip goes. Rest for 90sec. Do four rounds.

3 Get big shoulders

This routine works your delts, chest and triceps.

How to do it

Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor 15-30cm from a wall. Kick up into a handstand with your heels on the wall and keep your body tight. Engage your shoulders by trying to push the floor away and hold the position.

The workout

Start a timer and get in position. After 30sec drop down and do 30sec of press-ups, then 30sec of incline press-ups. Rest for 90sec. Repeat for five rounds.

4 Strip away belly fat

Hit your quads, hamstrings and glutes with this fat-torching combo.

How to do it

Start with reverse lunges. Take a large step back with one foot and lower until both thighs are parallel to the floor. Return to the start and swap legs. Then for jump squats, lower and push off the ground explosively.

The workout

Do ten reverse lunges per leg, then ten jump squats, then 20 bodyweight squats (squat deep but don’t lock out your knees at the top). Rest for 2min. Do five rounds.

5 Sculpt a six-pack

Target your abs, obliques, delts and chest to transform your torso.

How to do it

Start in a press-up position then lower yourself onto your forearms so you’re in a plank, one arm at a time. Then reverse the movement. That’s one rep.

The workout

Set a timer and do press-up-to-plank reps for 30sec, then hold the press-up position for 30sec (or you could even do press-ups for that time if you’re feeling strong). Rest for 30sec then repeat. Do six rounds in total.

6 Up your heart rate

Here you’ll tax your upper-body muscles, heart and lungs.

How to do it

Start in a press-up position. Lower your chest and bring your right knee in to your right elbow. Press up and repeat with your left knee. Then bring both knees to your chest and do a tuck jump. That’s one rep.

The workout

Start the clock. Do a rep, then hold the press-up position until the timer hits 1min. Then do two reps and rest until it hits 2min, and so on. Stop when you can’t do the target reps within the minute.

30

The number of days it takes for your liver to completely repair damaged tissue, according to University of Iowa research. However, scar tissue caused by excessive alcohol can’t be healed

In the pursuit of getting lean you probably already know you should steer clear of alcohol – it’s called a beer belly for good reason, after all. But if you don’t want to give up the grog then you should aim for at least one night of abstaining a week to help prevent the onset of cirrhosis, which is a build-up of fatty tissue in your liver that can be deadly. As your main detoxification organ your liver filters out damaging toxins, and going to bed sober gives it time to repair, according to the Journal Of Hepatology. Research found that people who drank six nights a week had a significantly lower chance of developing cirrhosis than those who drank every day.

Eating too much sugar is being increasingly blamed for the Western world’s obesity epidemic, but there is one type of sugar – honey – that is actually really good for your health, according to a study published in the Journal Of Agriculture And Food Chemistry. Subjects who were given honey had higher levels of antioxidants in their blood plasma – and the higher your level, the better your body can combat the cell-damaging free radicals that are behind ageing as well as many diseases. With people consuming an average of more than 70kg of sugar and artificial sweeteners a year, adding honey to tea or porridge instead of sugar could provide multiple health benefits, said the scientists behind the research.

43

Honey’s score on the glycemic index, making it a medium GI food unlike other sugars. This makes honey a smart source of post-workout carbs because it doesn’t lead to a big blood sugar spike.

1 Better sex

Watermelon has been described as “nature’s Viagra” thanks to its ability to increase libido and enhance blood flow to you-knowwhere. That’s down to its high concentration of citrulline, an amino acid that relaxes blood vessels.

2 Dodge disease

When you eat watermelon some of the citrulline is converted into another amino acid, arginine, which both improves heart health and helps maintain a stronger immune system, meaning you’ll spend less time on the sidelines.

3 Healthy heart

Drinking watermelon juice can decrease your risk of developing atherosclerosis –a build-up of fat in your arteries that’s a contributor to heart disease – according to an animal study by the University of Kentucky.

4 Recover faster

Necking some of the fruit’s juice after a hard weights session could help reduce the severity of post-workout muscular aches and pains, according to the American Chemical Society. That means you’ll be back under the bar sooner.

Finding the motivation to work up a real sweat, whether that’s going for a morning run or an after-work gym session, can be tough at this time of year when it’s still dark most of the day. The good news is that spring is just around the corner and you can start that season in better shape if you treat yourself to some new workout kit right now. Why? Wearing new exercise clothing can give you the added willpower you need to start moving, and simply putting on your fresh clobber gets you in the right frame of mind for exercise and increases the chances of you training that day, according to research from Northwestern University in the US. So treat yourself to a new top and shorts or leggings – bright colours are good, especially if you’ll be running outside – and put them on first thing Saturday morning to boost your chances of increasing your activity levels.

What’s the biggest obstacle blocking your path to a fitter, healthier and happier life? For many of us, at least some of the time, a shortage of motivation to make small but significant changes to our daily routine keeps us stuck in a vicious circle.

A friend explained his lapsed gym membership to me like this: every morning he wakes up with ten Enthusiasm and Motivation Units (EMUs). He’ll lose one EMU on his commute, a couple more during meetings, one in the queue for lunch and so on every time his patience is tested. He only ever gets to the gym after work if he has at least one EMU left. If not, the only bar he’s going near is his local.

His motivation model makes a lot of sense – we all wish we could instantly summon up extra EMUs when we need them. Like when we know we should go to the gym or for a run (because we always feel amazing afterwards) but going straight home or to the pub requires far less effort. Now, thanks to our guide to maximising your motivation levels with minimal effort (p56), you’ll be able to make the right call every time and build a stronger, leaner and healthier body. So I’ll see you at the bar. You know which one.