The Optimise Health Blog

Current guidelines suggest that the minimum exercise a man needs to do is 20 minutes a day getting out of puff ie raising the heart rate above 120 bpm. Bear in mind that this is the MINIMUM daily requirement for prevention of cancer and heart disease amongst other preventable diseases. If you want to lose weight you will need get puffed for more than 20 minutes; you will only start to burn fat when you exercise for more than 20 minutes at a time, as the first 20 minutes of any exercise are fuelled by sugar stored in the muscles. The best way cover this daily exercise requirement is to include exercise in your journey to work; then any extra intentional exertion on top is a bonus in terms of weight loss. You may find setting a physical goal or target helpful in achieving motivation - take a look at this recent NHS article: couch to 5k for inspiration of a typical guy doing more exercise. If you dont already exercise then brisk walking is a good start, slowly increasing to

BBC News - Go Figure: Will we really keep getting fatter? : 'via Blog this' Interesting BBC critique of recent Lancet paper stating that half of UK men will be obese by 2030 at current rates of increase. Go figure Dr Ben Sinclair Twitter: @menshealthtips Sinclair Health Limited

Pyramid or plate? Explore these healthy diet options - MayoClinic.com : 'via Blog this' A helpful way of looking at your diet and what you should be eating, depending on your background and staple diet items Dr Ben Sinclair Twitter: @menshealthtips Sinclair Health Limited

Barefoot running shoes: Better than traditional running shoes? - MayoClinic.com : 'via Blog this' A colleague is interested in barefoot running and this is an interesting kit transition debate. check it out Dr Ben Sinclair Twitter: @menshealthtips Sinclair Health Limited

Testosterone drops when men become fathers | Science | The Guardian : 'via Blog this' An interesting read in the guardian. The most likely cause is that those men who are doing childcare are not able to do high levels of exercise which raise testosterone levels. Oh well at least if my testosterone falls I may go bald slower! Dr Ben Sinclair Twitter: @menshealthtips Sinclair Health Limited

The Best Weight Loss Trick of All Time : 'via Blog this' Loving this article about enriching your lifestyle - Get off the Couch! Dr Ben Sinclair Twitter: @menshealthtips Sinclair Health Limited

Much of the current obesity epidemic is due to convenience and priority decisions based on lack of time. Over the decades we have spent a greater percentage of our day time at work, often using time saving short cuts when we come to cook dinner by using pre-prepared foods or just eating out. Many processed foods or pre-prepared items contain much higher levels of salt, fat and sugar than would normally be in food we cook from scratch ourselves. Snacks are a good example of this, taking crisps as the main culprit, which often contain a significant supply of your RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of salt and fat in one small packet. Cooking sauces are another source of excess salt and fat. Processed foods like pizza, pies, ready meals are just a few on the list to reduce in your diet if you want to keep a healthy weight and reduce risks of cardiovascular disease. These time saving devices may ultimately shorten your life so in the end you really havent saved time, merely con

What is the thinking behind your size? In Yorkshire men are still praised by women for finishing large portions of food. An XL appetite used to be a prized quality when it meant men were strong and worked the land and could put away two plates of pie and peas with Yorkshire pud; but this traditional attitude doesn't cut the mustard these days. Lets take a step back and look at this objectively. Have you always been overweight, or has this weight gain come as a result of identifiable events or triggers? Do you really want to lose weight? Why? Do you eat too fast? Do you have to finish the plate? Are you known as the big guy or expected to eat and drink more than anyone else? Why? What do you attribute your XL size to? Many men just accept the status quo after they find they cant lose the weight and give up trying. Check out this video from a friend who had some success after realising he was overweight and took definitive action to change his size. Dr Ben Sinclai

So far I have updated this blog daily in the week and sometimes at the weekend. I am now finding it is a challenge to do this and still perform my important role as a dad. Instead of a laptop on my knees I have a beautiful baby girl to look at and care for. To keep this up I am going to reduce the frequency of blog posts to alternate days in order to keep sustainable. I may still reference and post the odd interest story or relevant article in-between posts. I hope you continue to enjoy the posts, please comment with other topics you might like covered here. Dr Ben Sinclair Twitter: @menshealthtips Sinclair Health Limited