The Optimise Health Blog

Copyright Castle Howard I went to see my friends complete the Castle Howard Triathlon on Sunday morning. When I got the all clear I vowed to myself to complete this challenge to give myself a goal to work towards and prove to myself that I was better. So after 4 months of recuperation after surgery and complications of scar burst, infection and then a lumbar disc prolapse I am starting to plan my year of training to complete the Triathlon. As a sprint distance it involves a 400m swim then a 23km cycle followed by a 5km run.  I have been able to achieve each of these individually in the past, but to achieve a reasonable time and the fitness level to do all three at full pace will require a gradual build up in endurance, a change in my usual diet, fitness activity and a focus on endurance training which may (hopefully) change my body shape and composition in the process! After 4 months of relative inactivity my weight and fat levels are not good so this is the ideal time ...

I had surgery for malignant melanoma on April 18th 2012. I don't normally remember dates but as this was the first general anaesthetic and the first time I had ever had significant surgery I remember the day and the events leading up to it very clearly. I spent the next 8 weeks off work willing my leg wound to close up and heal which it has now done and all the bizzare nerve jolts and tingling sensations have ended. This is a relief as a jolting leg can be quite embarrassing and disruptive when you're trying to work or talking to a client! My leg finally healed leaving an impressive war wound for which I have invented many stories in case I don't want to go into the "you survived cancer, i'm so proud of you have a medal" conversation. After the op everyone kept telling me how well I looked, to which I replied that I had only had a lump of dodgy flesh removed from my leg and groin, it was not an illness but disease prevention for the future and that I w...

We just hit 2000 pageviews since starting this blog for fathers day this year! We are now firing on all cylinders again with a new series this week focusing on breakfasts. Follow or sign up to the RSS and lets BEATTHEBELLY by Christmas! Thanks for looking! Sign up to the blog Follow me on Twitter: @menshealthtips Dr Ben Sinclair Twitter: @menshealthtips Sinclair Health Limited

Sorry for the delay in postings -I have been in hospital the last 5 days making sure my wife and newborn Daughter are cared for. Pleased to say we are now all home, but don't anticipate doing any blogging for up to 2 weeks now, so take a rain check and I will be back as soon as I can. Dr Ben Sinclair Sinclair Health Limited Twitter: @menshealthtips http://ow.ly/5iykm"Linked In

So you're eating breakfast and starting the energy "boiler" on a fast burn every morning. The boiler needs regular stoking to keep burning at this pace, with stimulation from regular exercise alongside regular food and fluid intake to keep the fires burning. In the old days when men worked the land they might eat up to four times a day without getting fat because they were constantly exercising in daily life, walking to work, hefting loads and digging etc. These days we have to trick our sedentary bodies into running at a higher metabolic rate by eating smaller portions, more often, while catching exercise where we can. So have smaller meals and healthy snacks imbetween with fluids, while increaseing exercise. A days food/fluid intake might look like this: 0730 get up drink 1 pint cold water 0745 eat small bowl of low sugar muesli and drink black coffee or tea 0800 cycle to work 1100 eat a banana and drink more water 1300 eat a sandwich and drink pint o...

It seems your mum was right about one thing - breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Imagine your body metabolism is like a boiler. You light the boiler first thing in the day and it burns more energy throughout the whole 24 hours, supplying the body with what it needs. If you don't eat breakfast you don't light the boiler - your body remains in "starvation mode" and you will only start burning energy when your energy levels slump having used up all readily available glycogen stores in your muscles -these are broken down into sugar for the bloodstream to the brain and other essential organs. When your energy slumps you crave sugar fast and reach for the wrong snack at elevensies. If your body is in starvation it immediately saves all energy intake in the form of fat because it is uncertain when the next meal will come. Now you don't have to eat half a pig and ten eggs to light the boiler - just some slow release carbs in bread or cereal (get...

So are you up to the challenge? This one launched at The CVM Gathering 2011 #TG2011 today where 36 guys and counting stepped up to commit to lose weight by Christmas. This next challenge is to help us guys get the belly fat off - we want to reduce our waist at the widest point breathing out, so we are healthier, have lower risk of heart disease and cancer and can live to see our grandkids grow up. The challenge is to #BEATTHEBELLY and lose a stone in 6 months by Christmas 2011. The longer timeframe means that this is aimed to be a sustained change, not a crash diet! Regular tips on how to do this will follow in the blog - feel free to comment and give feedback on your experience and if you have any other tips to share please let all of us know -we need all the help we can get. So follow on twitter #BEATTHEBELLY or follow this blog and to accept the challenge send an email to me at info@sinclairhealth.co.uk Good luck and lets hope we are all a little more trim come Chr...