So, you go to the gym regularly, follow all the latest exercises trends, but are still not getting the results you wanted.  It’s frustrating isn't it.  You want that sculptured body, but it seems elusive.  Well helps may be coming.  Until now scientists haven't been fully able to understand how muscle responds to exercise especially in the early stages of an exercises program - when we are tempted to give up because we aren't yet seeing the results. Scientists at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne have established a new technique for studying muscle growth in humans.  The technique, termed Dynamic Proteome Profiling, provides comprehensive coverage of the early changes that occur within human muscle in response to exercise training. This was the first data on the rate at which new muscle proteins are made when volunteers performed strength training exercises. Muscle is composed of thousands of different proteins and each protein makes a specific contribution to muscle function, for example, some proteins are responsible for movement while others are required to provide energy.  The proteins in muscle have a tough time and often become damaged, but in healthy cells a sophisticated recycling system keeps protein quality high by continually breaking down and remaking each protein. When muscle fibres grow in response to weight training the amount of specific proteins is increased, and therefore muscle becomes larger and stronger. Because of Dynamic Proteome Profiling, scientists are now able to identify exactly which proteins are most responsive to exercise and whether that response is due to more of the protein being made or less of the protein being degraded/ broken down by the cell’s recycling machinery. This profiling will allow a finer level of detail of muscle response to exercises which could lead to better training methods, nutritional strategies or medicines that can be used to promote muscle growth, and hopefully less frustration on getting the results from hours spent in the gym! References https://www.gmjournal.co.uk/scientists-identify-muscle-proteins-most-responsive-to-exercise-1

I am sure it hasn't escaped your attention that there has been a huge increase in the focus on mental health over the last couple of years.  So I wanted to share with you the results and conclusions of the largest study carried out here in the uk to help people with mental health issues. The Get Set To Go program started in 2015 was funded by the national lottery and supported by Sport England.  The study had 3,585 participants, of these 1,000 particpants progess was actively tracked.  This makes it the largest study of its kind to assit people with mental health issues to get physically active. A report by the Mind Charity,  two years into the project concluded that:

• Physical activity plays an important role in building resilience.
• Physical activity plays an important role in mental healty recovery.
• People who are physically active on a regular basis are more likely to experience better wellbeing.

• Reducing the risk of depression by up to 30%.
• Lifting mood.
• Improving self-esteem

I have often wondered weather paying that bit more for organic food is worth it.  Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.  I normally buy organic eggs and meat but with vegatables I am really not very consistent.  I know with organic vegatables you get less pesticides but is it worth it.  I know in the past studies have shown that there was no benefit. However recently researches in France tracked 68,946 adults and decided to compare cancer rates in people who eat organic food and those who didn't.  They discovered that eating organic food

• reduces your risk of cancer by 25%
• reduces your risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma by 73%
• reduces your risk of post-menopausal breast cancer by 21%