FAQ'S

If you need to lose a little weight, you could probably lose about half a stone (3kg) without resorting to a crash-type diet. If you need to lose a lot more, you could probably lose a few pounds more. If you do regular weight training and aerobic exercise (say, every other day), you could firm your stomach, slim down your waist a little, and improve posture and the appearance of your arms, legs and bottom.

Lose weight if you need to. No matter how terrific your stomach muscles, they won't show through layers of fat – and do lots of regular abdominal work for your muscles, exercising not only the rectus abdominis – the large 'six pack' muscle that runs the central length of your abdomen, but also the obliques, to either side, and the transverses abdominis, the 'core' muscles that lie across your abdominal region. You only need a few different exercises to work all these areas, but you need to do them slowly and well. The reason your stomach is often the first area to get slack if you don't pay attention is that it is an area of your body that doesn't get exercised much in the normal course of a sedentary life. To target the abs during your normal day, try getting up from chairs without using your hands to help, walk uphill and downhill when you can.

The main difference is that the average man has a higher metabolic rate than the average woman – because he is heavier, taller and with a higher % of lean tissue (muscle). Therefore he will need to eat more calories (food) on his reduced calorie diet than she does, otherwise he will feel too hungry and he may lose weight too quickly.

Yes, one of the best ways of reducing stress is simply to exercise. Exercise will enhance your mood and it's a great way of motivating your mind.

It is important always to stretch after your workout. The purpose of stretching is to keep your muscles healthy – it will prevent soreness and injuries. To get the full benefit of your workout, always finish off by stretching.

It's all about speed and pressure, when you walk you load your joints with three to four times your body weight. When you run, you're loading them with six to eight times your body weight. With walking, you always have a foot on the ground; when you run, there are moments when both feet are off the ground.

Over 35, our metabolic rate gradually slows, and this is progressive, so at , say, 70 you will burn up about 350 calories/day less than you did at 35 (the equation is an average of 50 calories/day less for every 5 years of your adult life) So if you don't want to put on weight, you either have to eat a little less or exercise more. The advice for people in their 50s and 60s is, roughly , the advice to anyone – cut down on 'junk' – type foods like high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt processed snacks, etc... eat as healthy & varied diet as you can and increase exercise as much as you're able, depending on health and circumstance. Maintaining a reasonable weight in mid-and later life is one of the best ways to stay healthly.

We are facing an obesity epidemic that looks set to get even worse unless we can find solutions quickly. The main problem is that studies show that a high percentage of children and adolescents become fat adults, with all the health implications that brings. There are not many truly fat children who manage to lose the weight and go on to be slim adults, so it is obviously much better to prevent overweight in your child as a way to combat adult obesity. And, if your child has become overweight, the sooner you do something about it, the easier it should be to resolve.

First check with the growth charts that he really is overweight – if prepubescent, his increased appetite and weight may be natural. If really overweight, you need to cut his calorie intake a little, but rather than cut the portion in total, make sure the parts you reduce are those that are densest – highest in calories weight for weight. In general, these will be foods highest in fat e.g. if you usually offer 2 large lamb chops, but substitute 2 small well trimmed ones instead, you might save many calories.

Basal metabolic rate(BMR), is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment, in the post-absorptive state (meaning that the digestive system is inactive). The release of energy in this state is sufficient only for the functioning of the vital organs, the heart, lungs and kidneys and the rest of the nervous system, intestine, liver, lungs, sex organs, muscles and skin. BMR decreases with age and with the loss of lean body mass. Increasing muscle mass increases BMR. Illness, previously consumed food and beverages, environmental temperature, and stress levels can affect one's overall energy expenditure as well as one's BMR.

Each of these has roughly the same calorie content (about 90-100 calories): half a pint of ordinary beer or lager, a double of spirits, or a small glass (about a fifth of a bottle) of wine. You will see than that whichever tipple you prefer doesn't make a lot of difference, calorie-wise, unless you are likely to down significantly more of one than the other in the same length of time.

A beer belly is a fat stomach by another name. Whether you take in too many calories via pints of beer or via too many takeaways or too much food on your plate too many times a day and thus create a positive calorie balance, you will eventually put on weight. It is just that a lot of men do get fat through too many 'beer' calories (e.g. 5 pints in an evening are around 1,000 calories, so if this is in addition to a normal adequate diet, the beer will put weight on).

Food groups refers to a method of classification for the various foods that we consume in our everyday lives, based on the nutritional properties of these types of foods and their location in a hierarchy of nutrition. Eating certain amounts and proportions of foods from the different categories is recommended by most guides to healthy eating as one of the most important ways to achieve a healthy lifestyle through diet. The different food groups are carbohydrates, protein, dairy, fats, vitamins, fibre and minerals.

Cardio exercise is any form of activity that works your heart and lungs (your cardiovascular system). If you're not sure if an activity is classed as cardio exercise or not, think about how you feel when you are doing it. If you get out of breath with effort, then it will be cardio.

Functional training involves mainly weight bearing activities targeted at core muscles of the abdomen and lower back and attempts to adapt or develop exercises which allow individuals to perform the activities of daily life more easily and without injuries. Functional training may lead to better muscular balance and joint stability, possibly decreasing the number of injuries sustained in an individual's performance in a sport.

Weight-training, also known as resistance exercise, involves working your muscles against a resistance in order to make them stronger and more sculpted. The resistance can be provided by weights, a machine, another person or simply by your own body weight. This kind of training builds lean muscle tissue, which is crucial for weight-loss and, more importantly, for weight maintenance.

The amount of fluid you need will depend on a variety of factors including the environmental conditions, any diuretic substances you may have consumed (alcohol, caffeine containing drinks, etc), the intensity and duration of your exercise session and whether you are particularly susceptible to dehydration. Certainly, every exerciser is well advised to consume at least four litres of water daily, with regular sips or fluid throughout any exercise session: about 0.25l every 15 minutes.

This will depend on your preferences, current fitness level and what you're are most suited to. If you're a novice, then a high-energy, high–calorie burning class may be unsuitable. However if you're already quite active, spinning classes, circuit training and kickboxercise classes are renowned for expending masses of calories.

First things first: you'd need to lift a lot of weights to transform your biceps Madonna style! To target your arm muscles without bulking up, try three sets of 15 tricep dips (perch on the edge of a chair and drop your bottom towards the floor to work the backs of your arms) and half or full press-ups , these will help tone the muscles without adding mass. But to burn the excess fat you'll need to check your diet – simple but true: you've got to use up more calories than you're taking in.

Be aware of your body and build up your fitness progressively. The hormone Relaxin, which helps to enlarge your pelvis in pregnancy, weakens all your joints and stays in your system for six months after the birth or after you stop breast feeding, so avoid exercises that stress your joints. Just try to be as generally active as possible – with walking, cycling, light weights, gentle yoga and pelvic floor exercises. And, if you are breastfeeding remember that doing big arm movements during a workout can stimulate milk flow!

All tea (green and black) is derived from the same plant. The difference is in how the leaves are prepared. Green tea leaves are picked, lightly steamed and allowed to dry. Because of the difference in their preparation, the active compounds in black tea are destroyed, but in green tea they remain active. Carefully controlled studies show that green-tea extract has a powerful effect on body fat, reducing fat storage and accelerating the loss of stored fat.

Your body needs protein every day. Carbohydrates provide your body with energy, whilst protein helps your muscles tone, recover and repair more quickly after exercise. Foods high in quality protein include fish, meat, and yoghurt.

Regular training will increase your body's protein requirements. Muscle tone is very important to keep your metabolic rate up and shape and tone your body. Consuming extra protein supplies the building blocks for muscle tone, as well as supporting other important areas e.g. strong nails, good skin and hair.

The recommended daily protein intake for active individuals is between 1.5 – 2 grams per kilogram of body weight, therefore someone weighing around 133lbs(60kg), needs around 90 – 120 grams of protein a day.