The clue is in the name – everything we do here at CoActive Health is underpinned by us striving for and maintaining robust good health.

I’m sure by now you appreciate just how important quality sleep is to your health and general wellbeing. If you could bottle it then it would arguably be the greatest drug on earth!

I don’t know about you but by the 1st of Jan my liver and kidneys are at a pretty low point and screaming out for some TLC. This gives us an excellent opportunity to reflect on how we might best support them in 2019!

When I started out in the fitness industry nearly 20 years ago I saw dramatic results with basic programs and simple dietary advice, the majority of clients seemed to respond very quickly to new habits and behaviours. Today the same advice simply doesn’t go far enough towards getting clients what they want. The big difference is stress.

Can you visualise what you want? I mean really see it, feel it, describe it, maybe even draw it? If you think about what you haven’t achieved in your life, could you describe it in detail, the impact, the benefits, the costs?

When you first start out on a journey of transformation, new habits, self-critiquing thoughts and mindful life choices feel alien and laboured. I am not going to dress it up, it’s hard work and something that needs focus and dedication to keep front of mind.

Applied knowledge is power! Before looking ahead to 2018 we thought it would be a good idea to consolidate some of the lessons learnt over the course of 2017.

We are in the results business but we are also in the ‘people’ business. It’s important to have a life outside of the gym and this time of year for many it will involve social nights out and drinking. With this in mind we thought it a good idea to give our take on alcohol.

Christmas can be a tricky time of year for the goal orientated training population. On top of the ‘healthy’ stress of training comes inevitable social late nights out, alcohol and excess food. Although it is important to enjoy your life outside the gym there are a few points worth making to help better prepare you for the holiday season.

For most of us, the goal in life isn’t to own the biggest house, drive the most expensive car or go on the most exclusive holidays. It’s happiness. Some people are born with a happier disposition, where’s others tend to see the ‘glass as half empty’.

The concept of bioprint was developed by Charles Poliquin who was the first to make strong correlations with body fat measurements and corresponding blood hormone profiles.

It has been suggested that lack of quality sleep is the greatest obstacle to fat loss in the UK. (1) There is a direct correlation between weight gain and sleep quality or lack of.