It might seem like common sense, but many people forgo a warm up, and dive straight into their exercise routine. While the type and intensity of a warm up varies, depending on the exercise you intend to follow it with, one thing remains the same; warming up is essential to ensure you have the safest and most effective work out possible.

Five reasons to warm up

1. Decrease chance of injury

By warming up, you increase muscle elasticity, thus reducing risk of strain and muscle pulls.

2. Enhancing performance

Warming up increases the temperature of blood as it passes through the working muscles. This means more oxygen is available to your muscles, which can lead to a better performance.

3. Increased muscle temperature 

When you are warming up, the temperature increases in the muscles you are using. This in turn allows the muscles to contract more forcefully, and relax quickly, enhancing speed and strength. 

4. Improved range of motion

The range of motion around a joint is increased, after a warm up. 

5. Mental preparation

Your warm up is a great time to clear your mind, and to focus on what you want to achieve from your work out.

 For a great guide to warming up, and suggested exercises, visit www.thestretchinghandbook.com.

If you think you have tried every diet there is, and still failed to maintain a healthy eating regime, the following might help you focus on where you are falling down. No more fad diets - now is as good a time as any to overhaul your day-to-day eating habits, and become healthier for life.

1. A healthy diet is a lifestyle change, not an immediate fix.

If you think you can change your diet for a short period of time, drop some pounds, and return to how you used to eat, well, think again. To keep weight off, and to feel your best, changes to your diet should be long term. Thats why weird diets don't work - how long can you exist on cabbage soup, before gorging out on fatty foods? Balance, balance, balance.

2. Eat as close to normal as possible.

Don't think you will eat only lentils and lettuce if you never have before. Put time and effort into discovering healthy recipes, using foods you like. That way you are closer to succeeding. Food is to be enjoyed, not endured.

3. Count calories - keep a journal.

You will be surprised at what you learn. You might think you have a healthy diet, but the odd cookie, or soda, really does add up. I'm not suggesting eliminating these things completely from your diet, but by keeping a food journal for a short period of time, you definitely become more concious of what you are eating, and how frequently. This in turn will help you develop healthier habits.

4. Monitor portion sizes.

This is the most underestimated diet tip. You are not going to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, if you are a chipmunk eating like a lion, now are you? Sure, you might be eating unrefined carbs, or salads, but even healthy foods can build up the calories, if you eat too much of them. Listen to your body, and note when you feel full. Often times this is after less food than we think, but we usually don't give our stomachs time to catch up with our brain. Eat slowly, enjoy your food, and understand how to recognise signs you are satisfied.

5. Drink plenty of water.

Many people mistake thirst for hunger. Drinking water regularly throughout the day will help take the edge off your appetite, ensure you stay regular, and is good for your complexion. Oh, and its calorie free!

6. Do NOT try and lose weight quickly.

The feeling of satisfaction gained from swift pound loss, is a large price to pay for certain long term failure. If you lose weight quickly, homeostasis, or the bodies ability to regulate itself, kicks in. This function is designed to resist sudden weight loss, and causes a slow down in metabolism if the body starts to lose weight rapidly. Usually sudden weight loss is caused by restricting calorific intake, which is something we cannot sustain. So the minute you revert to your regular diet, BANG!, your now slower metabolism causes weight gain.

7. Don't stay off the bandwagon, once you have a fall.

I think most peoplecanrelate to this. We feel guilt when we break a diet, and then think whats the point of continuing healthy eating, now that you have scoffed that pizza/cake/beer. Tomorrow is another day. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and recognise your dietary blip for exactly that - a mere blip. Then return to your healthy ways! I am a big believer in treating yourself every now and again - otherwise life gets a bit boring, and a controlled break tends to eliminate sponatneous pig outs!!!

8. Exercise, exercise, exercise.

You know it makes sense. It will tone your body, help you feel great, and best of all, burn calories.

9. Do not allow yourself to be dictated by your weighing scales.

If you follow Step 8, you will build muscle. Muscles help to keep our metabolism up, which with a healthy diet, can lead to weight loss. However, muscles weigh more than fat. Therefore, do not be a slave to your weighing scales. If your weight looks to be going upwards, or you are not losing as much as you would expect, you are probably replacing useless fat with very useful muscle. I like to give myself goals, like fitting into a pair of jeans that were a tad too tight, or being able to kiss bingo wings goodbye, rather than simply hitting a figure on my weighing scales.

10. Be realistic.

Its probably taken a few months/years for you to put on weight and feel sluggish about your eating habits. Thats not going to change overnight. Do not throw in the towel, if you do not see immediate results. Remember, you are not partaking in a fad, you are making changes for life.

An interesting article in the LA Times recently, challenged the idea that the lack of motivation to exercise might actually be genetic!The article examined various studies that were based on the exercise habits of identical (genetic duplicates), versus fraternal (share half genes on average), twins.

Findings showed that the exercise habits of identical twins were twice as closely matched, compared to those of fraternal twins. And so, the conclusion on this, and further studies, implied that there was a genetic influence on peoples desire to exercise.

Further research involved looking at mice, and their running habits. The results concluded that mice who ran continuously in their wheels (high runners), had far higher levels of a dopamine receptor (D2) in their brain, than their lazier brethren. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to the brains complex system of motivation and reward. Bottom line, the high runners, with their increased level of dopamine receptors, gained far more pleasure from spinning wheels all day. When its put like that, who can blame the ordinary mice for their languid lifestyle?!

However, before we can start pinpointing genetics as the defining factor for our less than active lives, apparently environment plays as big a part. Faced with an escalator and a stairs, we tend to opt for the escalator each and every time. Looking at how far we have come in terms of developing technology to make our lives easier, its a wonder we do any exercise at all.

Fitness fanatic or couch potato? Blame your DNA - LA Times

Though it would seem to defy logic (and sanity!), a recent study by the American Journal of Health Promotion, shows that those who drink, exercise more each week than their tee total counterparts. The lead author of the study, Michael French, also claimed "Alcohol users not only exercised more than abstainers, but the differential actually increased with more drinking".

The survey, conducted on about 230,000 Americans, showed that those who drank were 10% more likely to engage in vigorous physical activity. This averaged at working out for 7.2 minutes more per week, than those who don't drink. Moderate drinking has always been touted for its potential health benefits, so is it possible to say that another benefit is the incentive to exercise?

I wouldn't celebrate too soon. As French pointed out, the amount of exercise increased with the amount of alcohol consumed, perhaps in an effort to counteract the weight gain associated with many calorific beverages. In addition, however, heavy drinking is associated with serious illness, such as heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver, of which no amount of exercise can negate.

That said, the assumption is people exercise to counteract the negative effects of alcohol on their body.

Anybody think it might be that the opposite is true - exercise drives people to drink?!

'Regular drinkers get more exercise' - Reuters