The Optimise Health Blog

 Here in the UK many still practise the Christian tradition of Lent: the discipline of giving something up to consider living simply, frequently a food item and for health benefit. The idea is to mimic the 40 day fast undertaken by Jesus in the wilderness, when he was tested by the devil and tempted to prove he was ready to start his mission. In England we start by making pancakes on Shrove Tuesday - to use up the sweet stuff in the larder so we are not tempted to eat it again for the duration of lent and to fuel the fast. Today the focus may be more about the challenge of reining in appetite or curbing bad habits like smoking or eating treats to excess and less about Christs' 40 days and nights in the desert being stalked by satan. Interestingly most ancient traditions held in them the concept of feasts: I.E. celebrating a particular event or time of year with a party and food. This meant eating special luxuries or taking pleasure in rarer foods or harvest time...

Do you use artificial sweeteners? Did you start this because you felt they would help you maintain or lose weight? Long term evidence is pointing towards links between sweetener use and causation of obesity and Diabetes - two major man killers! Read this article from Harvard Medical School for more information and I suggest you just go for real sugar next time - just get used to using less and burn off what you use. Dr Ben Sinclair Linked In Profile Twitter: Follow @menshealthtips  About Sinclair Health Ltd

Goal setting is a thorny challenge - how high can we afford to set the bar by creating realistic yet achievable goals without selling ourselves short? The old saying goes if you aim for nothing you will hit it every time; equally there are plenty of proverbs prompting action over inaction. So how can we make and achieve goals in an upward ascent to reach the pinnacle of overall health we strive for? A recent practical article from Harvard Health describes a way of making and achieving realistic goals step by step. This stepwise approach is key to achieving the most achievable goals first, enabling an attempt a new higher goal - like training to climb everest by starting with smaller mountains and working up to the main event. If you are trying to lose weight you need to set a realistic timeframe and fast weight loss is never healthy or sustainable long term; reaserch shows many yo-yo dieters put it all back on again in the following weeks; any weight loss needs to be sustainable ...

Weigh Yourself Often - 10 Strategies for Successful Weight Loss : 'via Blog this' Ok I know I have just cited mens health mag yesterday. Sometimes they quote research worth repeating and there is a reason why they are the best selling mens magazine in the UK. This article states 10 strategies for successful weight loss - why not pick one and give it a go this week? Dr Ben Sinclair Twitter: @menshealthtips Sinclair Health Limited

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...

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