Formula One cars raced on the streets of Monaco on the most dangerous Grand Prix track in the world. It was 44 degrees on the grid, with pressure building the drivers tried to stay cool. Thousands of people flooded the principality, huge yachts populated the harbour in anticipation of the race. The noise which permeates the air is offensive, reverberating and echoing round the mountains, it reaches the boats at anchor in the bay.

Celebrations were in order for Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel [GER] who won the Monaco GP for the first time, Fernando Alonso [SPA] was second with Jenson Button [GBR] falling into third place, following a little bad luck.

When your brain wishes to move a muscle it transmits electrical impulses down the nerves of the spine and along controlling nerve branches where they pass along the surface membranes of the muscle fibres. On the arrival of the nerve impulse calcium is released from microscopic holding tanks pulling filaments fractionally in towards the centre of the muscle.

The shortening of an individual unit in response to one nerve signal is too weak to be of any use on its own but it occurs in several thousands of units linked together in each fibril inside thousands of fibres which make up each muscle. The single electrical trigger can therefore result in a powerful muscle twitch, yet muscle twitches alone, however strong are not capable of controlled movement.

A second electrical signal arrives before there is any time to relax. With the brain capable of 100 000 impulses per second, the result can be dramatic. The muscle exerts a steady pull and by regulating the firings and number of fibres triggered, the brain can exercise precise command over considerable forces.

Essential fatty acids like the omega-3 and omega-6 series can enhance oxygen delivery to cells and therefore improve circulation from the brain around the body. These fatty acids cannot be made in your body and must come from food such as oily fish. They are important for a number of reasons, the largest organ in the body, the skin, requires them to stay healthy. Studies show that people with the highest intake of omega-3 fatty acids have a lower risk of heart attacks.

This is because blood pressure is reduced also the red blood cells are less likely to clot. Oily fish such as mackerel, fresh salmon and sardines are the richest sources of essential fatty acids. Vegetarians can get good amounts from certain plant sources such as linseeds (flax seeds), linseed oil, rapeseed oil, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and soybeans. The dark green leaves of spinach, curly kale also sweet potatoes contain small amounts.

Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids can lead to improvements in strength and endurance by enhancing aerobic metabolism and therefore athletic performance. They have anti-inflammatory benefits which help to prevent joint, tendon and ligament strains and improve recovery following heavy training sessions.

Monaco: The Principality of Monaco  http://monaco.me/

Glossy magazine ‘Vanity Fair’ is not throwing their annual, lavish bash at the Cannes Film Festival which is due to start on Wednesday. Since the film industry is tightening it’s belt there will be less of Hollywood in town and fewer parties in £multi-million chateaux or on private yachts. A reduced level of celebrity excess is bound to take away from the spectacle and from the entries which depend so heavily on the surrounding hype.

Although high levels of activity in our ancestors contributed to the general fitness of the men and women who were selected to survive, it didn’t mean every individual had the same athletic abilities. The athletes of today fall into a range of categories between short burst, power events such as sprinting or weight-lifting and those designed for endurance events like running or rowing. Specific physiological traits and specialist training helped James Cracknell to win double Olympic gold.

All animals are designed for movement, as evolution led to larger and more complex organisms which needed to travel from place to place to find more to eat. Over millions of years a system based on muscles developed to propel them around the water, land or air. In the primates, those muscles and skeletons through which they operated became the greater part of the body. Today nearly ¾ of our body is dedicated to movement.

What, when and how much you eat before exercise will affect your performance, strength and endurance. Paradoxically, consuming carbohydrate increases carbohydrate burning in the muscle cells yet still delays the onset of fatigue. Numerous studies have concluded that consuming carbohydrate before exercise results in improved performance when compared with exercising on an empty stomach.

If you exercise early in the morning on an empty stomach the amount of fat that leaves the fat cells and travels to the muscles (where it is burned) is increased. Although this may lead to earlier fatigue and therefore a decrease in the level of exercise intensity – as a result you burn fewer calories. A short sharp burst of exercise first thing in the morning can be a good thing and a great way to start the day, just not for too long?

The majestic occasion marks the couple becoming Duke and Duchess of Cambridge although they have no connection with the city, the ceremony lasted just over an hour and finished with an almighty rendition of Jerusalem. The couple then proceeded down the Mall to Buckingham Palace, half a dozen planes heralded the wedding party’s arrival on the balcony, and Prince William drove his new wife away in Dad’s Aston.

When Usain Bolt or Frankie Fredericks go down on the blocks for the sprint to glory or dismay they command bodies that are designed to move quickly. Since birth their genes have dictated their leg muscles would be packed with specialised, fast-contracting types of fibre but that in itself is not enough. They put in endless training in deliberate, effective running styles and pay careful attention to how they fuel their bodies. Their training also hones heart and lungs to the point where they can pump twice as much oxygen as an average man’s. Although this exceptional oxygen delivery will not have enough time to affect their aerobic fuel system during a sprint. They are ultimate speed machines with legs set up to produce a short burst of power which is dependent on chemical energy stored and ready within them. When the starting pistol is fired, more than one hundred thousand muscle fibres in each limb propel the competitors forward.

To describe more accurately the effect different foods have on your blood sugar levels, scientist’s developed the glycaemic index (GI) which can also help regular exercisers and athletes. The higher the GI, the higher the blood sugar levels after eating food like refined starchy foods including potatoes, white rice, white bread aswell as sugary foods, soft drinks and biscuits are high on GI. Less refined starchy foods like porridge, beans, lentils, muesli aswell as fruit and dairy products are low on GI. They produce a much lower rise in blood sugar (compared with glucose).

High GI foods have a smaller effect on blood glucose and insulin in regular exercisers compared with non-exercisers. Eating little and often, avoiding overloading on carbohydrates and sticking to balanced combinations of carbohydrate, proteins and fat; there’s no need to cut out high glycaemic foods but eat in small amounts or combined with protein and/or little healthy fat. Both protein and fat put a break on the digestive process, slowing down the release of glucose.

this is the more experimental of two blogs

if the unwanted tagline Hello World attaches itself ignore it

I’ve tried to remove it and hopefully succeeded

Hope not to detract from this blog

 Hopefully they will have a happy future together, Prince Charles will be next in line for a celebration when he becomes king, we might have a coronation soon. For our hunter-gatherer ancestors older members of groups imparted knowledge they may have become slower as they aged but they would continue to lead an active lifestyle. They could have been simply left behind by the group but this was found to be counter productive to the group’s advancement.

 The elder members would know things like where water holes were to be found in a once-in-a-thirty-year drought or where herds might have gone if they were not following their usual migration route. They were useful babysitters while younger members were gathering food. Group survival depended to some extent on grandparents and on selection of genes conveying longevity.

 Different energy systems using ATP to produce energy are employed during every sporting activity we undertake. Each system works according to exercise intensity, existing ATP is used for explosive power action for example sprint starts. The act of sprinting 100-200m uses two systems; energy is generated by ATP and phosphocreatine which is stored in muscle cells for maximal power bursts combined with the breaking down of muscle glycogen through anaerobic glycolysis.

Power endurance races like 400-800m require energy to be produced both anaerobically and aerobically. In 5-10km events aerobic power is created by muscle glycogen breakdown which produces ATP via aerobic glycolysis. Aerobic events which last 2 hours or more such as half-marathons and marathons use muscle glycogen, liver glycogen, intra-muscular fat and fat from adipose tissue as main fuels.

 With winter approaching marathon running might be limited so it’s time for skiing or sledging and ice-skating?

The best event for me is New Art Club which is an act as striking as it is individual. The guys are outrageous and funny with flawless comedic timing. It’s a heady mix of humour and outstanding physical talent.

In the Western world it has become increasingly accepted that we become less active as the years pass by. Abandoning physical exertion in favour of driving cars, watching shows (on tv or elsewhere) reading and the internet. Early man was gathering food all day every day travelling large distances in the vast outdoors in order to ward off starvation. Everyone must have been extremely fit whatever their age in order to survive.

Energy is produced by the splitting of the chemical bond Andenosine TriPhosphate (ATP) providing the body’s energy currency. Carbohydrates like sugar and alcohol can be used to produce short term energy while fat, which is more concentrated, is a long term source and not the best way to find energy. Proteins can be used either in emergencies when carbohydrate are in short supply or when they have reached the end of their useful life. Sooner or later all food and drink components are broken down to release energy.

With a low rate of distractions in September I’d like to keep writing.

I am looking for some good health information blogs and websites  and your comments on them. The catagories are women,men,children and even pets. CAM, Complementary and alternative health sites are of interst as well. With so many blogs out there  I would like to have a list for easy reference. Something smaller and more select than Google or Yahoo brings up.  Lookingforward to  what you  have have found to be useful and your comments about your … Read More

via Mina's Blog

Apparently a few dozen meteors were visible last night but the sun was shining during open water training. I nearly got mowed down by a motor boat since swimming as best as I could. It was wavy enough to lose sight of the lead group but managed to keep going anyway and didn’t get run over.    

Although the high levels of activity undertaken by our ancestors led to the selection of men and women who were all physically fit, all individuals did not possess the same type of athletic ability. Athletes of today cover a variety of sports including sprint and power events like weight lifting, and endurance events like 1500 metres or marathons. Variations in physiology make specialising in these different areas possible; today nearly three quarters of our weight is dedicated to movement.

You should be hydrated before you start training for competition and minimise hydration during exercise. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) recommends matching your fluid intake to your fluid losses as closely as possible. While the IAAF (International Athletics Association Federations) warns against over-hydrating yourself before and during exercise particularly in events lasting longer than 4 hours.

Constantly drinking water may dilute your blood so much that your sodium levels fall. Drink when your thirsty; sports drinks are better than water during intense exercise (over 60 minutes) because their sodium content promotes water retention. However it is advisable to dilute these drinks since they are full of sugar or make your own:

Allow a cup of green tea with a spoonful of honey to cool, add to a water bottle with a pinch of salt, squeeze half a lemon and top up with water.

While intense exercise increases the requirement for several vitamins and minerals there is no need for supplementation provided you are eating a balanced diet.

However it’s the week-end and the hardcore are still training heavily, I can just remember what that’s like.

Today Stephen Hawking predicted the planet is doomed. I felt low since moving to space Avatar-style could be disruptive. However coaching kids freestyle tricks and seeing how much thye enjoy it has refueled my optimism for the human spirit. They can’t stand to take a break, an example of their endless energy.

We all eat a mixture of carbohydrate, protein and fat every day. The more active you are the more carbohydrate you need, for fuel purposes. Athletes require more protein than non-active people. If we’re not exercising, we don’t need that much protein. A high protein diet does not necessarily lead to increased strength and muscle mass, but using the muscles through exercise results in muscle growth. Refueling with carbohydrate and protein as soon as possible after exercise promotes faster recovery and muscle building.

Good fats include Omega 3s which are especially good for athletes since they help to increase the delivery of oxygen to the muscles, improve endurance and may help to speed recovery, reduce inflammation and joint stiffness. Living in Scotland we have a good supply of salmon in our rivers, if I haven’t managed to eat fish I never miss taking an Omega 3 supplement. Don’t pay attention to products claiming to be rich in Omega 3 rich since the amounts aren’t enough to make a difference, there’s nothing good about margarine except that spreads easily.

I plan to write about marathon or distance running this week.

Someone who’s not having a lot of fun is Naomi Campbell since her agent saw her flirting with a known rebel leader. He is believed to have bankrolled the Liberian civil war with blood diamonds although she wouldn’t have realised this at the time.

He arranged to get some diamonds to her in the middle of the night, it’s amazing she was looking for men in the garden and didn’t think about what she was doing. A couple of unidentified men did turn up at her door when some debate followed whether to let them in or not but Naomi did.

Africa’s most prominent warlord was a president of Liberia and accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Sierra Leone Civil War. She was annoyed to have to testify against the man and after finding the conflict diamonds unimpressive she later justified the incident by saying she gets given gifts all the time at all hours of the night.

Back to healthy stuff:

Physical activity includes housework, walking, going to the gym. The number of calories you burn depends on your weight, the type of activity and the duration of that activity.

If you’re going on holiday and want to look good: do 20 minutes of exercise every day for a week or two before you leave. If you can, try the odd massage which helps to move retained water away from your legs. Freezing cold showers tighten everything up – there’s a surprise! Not really.  

When you exercise your body must start producing more energy than it does when at rest. The muscles contract more strenuously, the heart beats faster to pump blood around the body and the lungs work harder. This extra energy comes from fuel and is a result of a chemical reaction within the body.

Will return with more facts ..