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The uses of a pumpkin!

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  Following our morning out pumpkin picking, my wonderful girlfriend began preparing her infamous pumpkin soup. The sort of infamous that I have heard about for over two years, but never tried.      Meanwhile, I was preparing some HOT chicken strips and sweet potato chips. Looking over, I noticed she had some carrot and parsnip peels, ready for the food bin... Sneakily, I stole them and added them to my chicken. Then boasted about how good an idea it was, and instantly got caught out!     Having saved the peelings from the bin , I eyed up the other ingredients to see what else I could make... and a quick google search later, I found out that the whole pumpkin can be eaten (except the stem) . This sounded much nicer than onion skins, so I read on some more!     One suggestion was to pierce the pumpkin, then roast the whole thing – which is something to try next time I have a whole pumpkin laying around spare.      A few more suggestions were more suited to the leftovers. And these c
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No Excuses! Just Acceptance!

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  We all have times when we can't be motivated. And things we can't do.    But, for me, the true barriers to progress, are excuses.    I've had a few weeks of losing motivation myself, but I am back, I admit that I could not be bothered, and am moving on feeling a bit more inspired and motivated.  It is entirely normal to lose motivation for a few days, weeks and even months. It's natural that we aren't all experts at something. It's natural that life stops us doing what we want to do sometimes. And, naturally, we all come up with excuses, either true, exaggerated, or not quite true.    But self-acceptance is important!    For me, the time spent coming up with excuses, is time that could be spent doing something better.    The picture (above) from is from BBC Radio One, where Tom Hardy was interviewed. Of course, he could have said his rap career flopped due to illness, or traffic, or circumstances. Instead, he chose to recognise that he's just not a good ra
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10,000 Steps A Day?

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  I'm sure you are aware of the 10,000 steps a day suggestion... But, do you know what it really is and what it means? The 10,000 steps a day is suggested to be the ideal amount of steps you should aim for each day. So, why 10,000 steps? And what about individual variability?   The 10,000 steps advice was coined as an advertising ploy decades ago to encourage everyone to buy a step counter. And how much science and research went into deciding 10,000 was ideal? None, 10,000 was just a nice, round number.    Obviously, some people may be able to easily do 10,000 steps a day or more, while others may struggle with 1,000, so what really is an ideal amount of steps per day?   For me, I would say there is no ideal step count each day. On days with heavy training sessions, more steps could be detrimental, by reducing your recovery periods. On rest days, more steps can be beneficial (presuming a light intensity walk) to help improve blood flow and keep you moving a bit. The most important
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Cardio Training - For Any Goals?

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  You'll have probably heard something along the lines of 'cardio kills gains'.   But is this really true?    Mostly, no it is not true. Some people will tell you it is. Some people will tell you it's not. I will tell you it depends.    Lets look at the physiology. As we all know, to make 'gains', you must resistance train and have enough calories.  Cardio can burn a lot of calories, which is why it can be so effective for losing weight. And, why it can be tougher to build muscle alongside heavy cardio.  Muscle building from weight training generally results in increased Type 2 muscle fibres. Type 2 muscle fibres are larger than Type 1 muscle fibres, which are developed with cardio training. So, logically, to build more muscle you want to focus more on the Type 2 fibres.     However, cardio improves our heart, lungs, blood vessels and blood. This improves our bodies ability to deliver oxygen, nutrients, hormones and everything else we need around our bodies. And
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Fact? Fiction? Truth? Lies?

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  When it comes to chasing your goals, there are countless methods, techniques, diets, machines, and workout recommendations, that it seems impossible to know which will work.    Here, we look at how to decide on the effectiveness of these recommendations.  Firstly, when considering your options, always remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And even if there is 'proof', there are likely some unmentioned side effects. Perhaps, someone has said that they have lost 2 stone in a week from a cheap miracle drink or diet. Chances are this is not true. And if it is, it is probably an extremely unhealthy way to lose weight.   Secondly, consider where these options are coming from, and look into any research mentioned. Who is giving this advice and why? Perhaps, its a friend who has heard from a friend who heard from a friend. Perhaps its an advert on social media. Maybe its an article in a magazine. Wherever possible, go directly to the source. Often magazines and a
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The BEST Exercise!

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  What really makes the 'best' exercise?    I'm sure you will have heard that you must do this and that to achieve your goals, but is there really a singular 'best' exercise? Put simply... No there isn't!    Two exercises do receive a lot of support that they are the best... the deadlift and the burpee. And the science behind these claims?    Both actively use most the muscle groups - arms, legs, back, chest, core.   So, what do I think is best?   For me, exercise is all about enjoyment and specificity. So, any exercises should be specific to your goals, and as much as possible, enjoyable.    If you want to deadlift 100kg, then you will need to deadlift.  If you want to swim 5km, and hate deadlifts, then there is no need to do them.    Similarly with cardiovascular exercises, you will have often seen a chart or picture of calories burned per hour per exercise, sometimes with skipping as the highest calories per hour.  While skipping is a hugely beneficial exerci
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How to Recover After exercise!

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  Recovery during and after exercise is a largely forgotten aspect of training... And I am certainly guilty of forgetting the importance of recovery.    Here I discuss the two types of recovery, and their importance to exercise training.  The first type of recovery is one that is easy to recognise as rest, but is largely under valued. This is the rest period between sets or exercises. This could range from 15 seconds to over 2 minutes, dependant on your training and experience. But, do you know how long your rest should be for? Obviously, there are variations based on individual factors and fitness levels, however different training modalities require different rest periods. Commonly, this is suggested to be 1 minute, which is ideal for a hypertrophy (3/4 sets of 8-12 reps) programme. During this period, your body is able to replenish used glycogen from the muscles to ensure you can complete the next set.  For endurance training (4/5 sets to 15-20 reps or more) it is recommended to hav
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