This exercise will help you tone the back of your arms and will help you to achieve balance in your programme when combined with more common bicep training exercises. 

If you need any equipment to help you with your workouts, why not visit our shop?  We have a wide range of quality equipment! 

For the tricep dip exercise:

• Sit on the edge of a stable bench/chair with hands close to sides holding on to the edge
• Place feet flat on the floor about hip width apart – feet far enough away so knees are bent to less than 90 degrees
• Slide bottom off the bench/chair so that you support your body weight with your arms
• Bend arms at the elbows to move your body vertically up and down close to the bench
• Lower body so that elbows are bent to 90 degrees and there is no strain on shoulders
• Keep your hands facing forwards and avoid placing excessive strain through the wrists
• Return to your starting position with arms straight

To progress this exercise, place your feet further away from body so legs are straighter to begin with. 

Performance Nutrition

Everyone, including top athletes, should stick to a ‘healthy balanced diet’ comprising around 20% protein, 20% fat and 60% carbohydrate. Once you’ve achieved this, here are some performance-specific nutrition tips to enable you to recover rapidly after exercise, build muscle &/or improve your sports performance.

• Protein - most athletes & exercisers require 1.2g–1.7g protein/kg/day (multiply 1.2 & 1.7 by your weight (kg) to work out your protein requirement range). Eating excessive protein (>2g/kg/day) confers no additional performance benefits and may cause health problems.

• Starchy carbohydrates - consume sufficient starchy carbs to fuel your workouts and replace your glycogen stores. Around 60% of your daily energy intake should come from these foods. Typically, 5g-7g/kg/day are recommended for those performing 5+ training sessions/week.

• Hydration - stay well hydrated at all times, particularly before, during and after exercise. Drinking 500ml water, 30min before, sipping water or an isotonic sports drink every 5-15min during and consuming a further 1 litre of fluid in the hour after a workout will maintain your fluid levels.

• Fat - this is necessary in the diet but it digests slowly so it is best avoided in the 4 hours before exercise.

• Fruit & veg – eat plenty of fresh, frozen or dried fruit & veg - more like 10 servings/day than 5. These provide additional fluid and natural carbohydrate along with antioxidant vitamins & minerals that are required in greater amounts by exercisers & athletes compared to their sedentary counterparts.

• Food labels - read labels and count up the grams of protein, carbohydrate and fat you eat each day to make sure you get the right amounts of each nutrient.

• Supplements – you may benefit from using a whey protein supplement immediately before, during or immediately after exercise sessions to improve muscle protein synthesis, recovery and hypertrophy.

• Sports drinks – sports drinks/energy gels are useful during CV sessions or competitions lasting longer than 60 minutes to top up blood sugars and give you a mental & physical boost.

• Immediately after - consume 50g high sugar foods such as jelly sweets or a sports drink immediately after workouts to boost glycogen re-synthesis

• Recovery - eat a meal within 2 hours of exercise in addition to any sugary food or protein supplements. This will help to further restore your glycogen levels and promote muscle repair and recovery.

If you are interested in finding out whether your diet is optimal for your sport or activity, why not ask BlueSkies to carry out a full dietary analysis for you?  Click here to find out more. 

Food Of The Month – Eggs

A large egg provides ~85 calories, 7g protein & 6g fat. Egg whites are low in calories (17/large egg), high in protein and low in fat. The whites are a great source of protein containing all 8 essential amino acids which are readily digested, absorbed and used by the human body for growth and repair of tissue. The yolks are higher in calories, lower in protein and higher in fat - they contain essential fatty acids, vitamins A, D & E and many minerals.

However, eggs – in particular the yolks – should be eaten in moderation due to their relatively high saturated fat and cholesterol content. One large egg contains ~245mg cholesterol and it is recommended that we eat less than 350mg total per day! It’s generally considered safe to eat one whole egg/day, unless you have high cholesterol in which case it’s best to limit your intake a little more.

Are Veggies Really Healthy?!

Ask any vegetarian if their diet is healthy and the answer will probably be ‘Yes’! But, ask most meat-eaters if vegetarian diets are healthy and you may not get the same reply!

For a lot of non-vegetarians, the concept of not eating fish or meat still seems a little extreme and common questions that they ask include:

• How can it be healthy not to eat meat?
• Aren’t all vegetarians iron-deficient?
• Where do vegetarians get their protein from?

This article addresses some of the commonly asked questions associated with ‘going vegetarian’ and highlights some of the benefits of a vegetarian diet.

But first, let’s find out the true meaning of the word. A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, fish, poultry or any slaughterhouse by-product such as gelatine. Vegetarians who do not eat milk or dairy products are called vegans.

Why go vegetarian?

For many people, becoming vegetarian is to do with their beliefs – the majority of people become vegetarian because they do not approve of the killing of animals for food. Sometimes the reasons extend to disagreeing with the way that animals are kept, treated and killed. However, for other vegetarians, it is more to do with the fact that they wish to adopt a low fat, high fibre diet.

Do vegetarians struggle to get all the nutrients they need?

This is a common question, often asked by the worried parents whose offspring have just announced that they are no longer eating meat. As anyone who follows a vegetarian diet will testify, it is very easy to get all of the correct nutrients as long as you follow a varied, balanced diet.

What about iron?

The common misconception is that vegetarians lack iron in their diets but foods such as leafy green veg, wholegrain cereals, lentils, chick peas, dried apricots and kidney beans are all excellent sources of iron. It is true that iron from plant sources is less readily absorbed but research shows that vegetarians are no more likely to suffer from iron deficiency than meat eaters.

And protein?

In the case of protein, it’s important to remember that it's not only found in meat! Protein is present in dairy products, eggs, seeds, nuts, Tofu and Quorn – in fact it would be difficult to eat a vegetarian diet that didn’t include enough protein. We must also remember that excess dietary protein may lead to health problems and many ‘normal’ Western diets contain far too much protein so one of the benefits of a vegetarian diet is that it contains an adequate, but not excessive, amount of protein.

So what should a vegetarian eat?

Apart from replacing the meat and fish with alternatives such as Tofu, Quorn, pulses and grains – vegetarians should follow the advice given to the general population and every day try to eat:

• 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables
• 5-11 servings of bread, cereals, grains or potatoes
• 2 or 3 servings of high protein foods
• 2 or 3 servings of dairy products
• 0 to 3 servings of fatty or sugary foods

Are vegetarians healthier?

As with all diets, there are healthy and unhealthy vegetarian diets. However, a vegetarian diet is known to offer a wide range of health benefits, not least due to the large amount of fruit and vegetables. In addition, vegetarians tend to eat less saturated fat which is found in animal products and more polyunsaturated fat.

Research shows that vegetarians suffer less heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, certain cancers, bowel disorders, gall stones, kidney stones and osteoporosis. Additionally, vegetarian diets are sometimes prescribed in the treatment of illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Thinking about it?

If you, or a member of your family, are thinking about becoming vegetarian, here are a few useful tips:

• Buy a decent vegetarian cookbook to give you some inspiration
• Visit www.vegsoc.org– the Vegetarian Society’s website which is full of useful information  
• Start gradually by adapting regular meals such as lasagne or spaghetti bolognese using soy/Quorn mince &/or vegetables to replace the meat
• Read labels to see if there are hidden animal products such as gelatine in your food
• Look for The Vegetarian Society's Symbol on foods – it tells you at a glance whether they are suitable for a vegetarian diet

Product Of The Month – blood pressure monitors

Sick Of Snoring?

Snoring is one of those things that people often joke about but, for the millions of people who snore, it can be much more serious both for them and for their families. This article looks at snoring prior to National Stop Snoring Week in April.

What is snoring?

Snoring is a coarse sound made by vibrations in the mouth, nose and throat – it is caused by ‘turbulence’ in the airway that occurs when a snorer breathes in. This turbulence can be caused by a partial blockage in the airway that may occur anywhere from the nose to the vocal chords. For some people, this blockage only affects them when they are asleep but others are affected constantly.

Why do people snore?

Snoring can occur for a variety of reasons including:

• The person is overweight, doesn’t exercise enough and/or overeats
• The person has consumed alcohol or has taken sleeping pills
• The person smokes
• The person sleeps in a poor position i.e. on their back
• The person has an allergy
• The person has a blocked nose

Is snoring dangerous?

Snoring itself is not dangerous but it is sometimes linked with a condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). OSA only occurs during sleep and is defined as the ‘cessation of airflow during sleep preventing air from entering the lungs’ – it is caused by an obstruction. Occurrences of OSA literally stop sufferers from breathing for short periods of time but they only become clinically significant if they last for more than 10 seconds and occur more than 10 times per hour.

OSA episodes cause sufferers to wake up with a very loud snort or snore as their brain reminds them to breathe again and this can happen frequently during the night. If you think you may be suffering from OSA, consult your GP.

Can snoring be cured?

Snoring cannot be stopped at will and it can’t be cured. However, snoring can be controlled and there is a control out there for everybody. Before this can happen though, you need to identify the cause of the snoring and this is often a ‘hit and miss’ process. British Snoring have developed a series of on-line tests that allow you to identify what is making you snore, click here to visit their diagnostic page and take the first step towards a better nights sleep!

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