This is one of my favourite exercises, for posture, pulling the shoulders down and back, pulling in the waist and taking all the pressure away from the neck. It works the rear deltoids, the back of the shoulders, the exact opposite group of muscles to those at the front of our body - the pectorals and the chest – which we work all day every day when we are on our computers and phones. So many jobs, from all sorts of therapies, beauty to hairdressing, desk jobs to dentistry, even mechanics to carpentry…all have us positioned leaning & rounding forward....

The glutes - the great big mass of muscles around your hips, between your legs and your lower back… These are made of multiple muscles,  including the more renowned gluteus medius, minimus and maximus, amongst others,  and are an imperative member of what is commonly considered our “core”. The help support our entire body – effecting posture, protecting our back and knees,  and when active and strong, make all the difference to the power in our movement from hill walking to lunges & squats. In sports the benefits range from a stronger golf swing to tennis spring,  impacting both your...

How much protein we need will clearly depend on your activity, whether you exercise regularly and with intensity or are living a sedentary lifestyle. Indeed, whether you’re male or female, as well as your stage of life, as well as how much stress you’re under, all can play a role, as hormones from testosterone to cortisol can impact utilisation as well as break down. In fact, stress can play a very large role in terms of your daily requirement, as the cortisol breaks down the muscle to access the sugars. Excess training and low calorie diets can both ravage your...

How to increase your protein intake I’ve often found that clients can have greater difficulty with increasing their protein intake, than they expect to have. Before we discuss how to increase your protein intake, let’s briefly let’s run through why you should increase your protein intake. Which foods are protein foods?   Fish, meat, eggs and cheese are great, very highly absorbed, non-vegan sources of protein, whereas pulses – lentils, chickpeas, various forms of beans - as well as nuts and seeds, can be fabulous vegan sources of protein. Then we have the more hidden sources of protein, foods that contain...