Sports Medicine/ Fitness/ Nutrition and Weight Loss clinics

Being well and feeling healthy, energetic, confident and fit involves more than just the absence of illness. We know that it involves nutrition, exercise and a lifestyle that involves activity, social interaction/ relationships, adequate rest and one that maintains a healthy life/work balance! Not always easy to achieve but we can control our diet/ nutrition/ weight, our activity levels (within our individual physical capabilities) and our attitudes toward the lifestyle we should aim to achieve. Weight loss and achieving fitness levels for some is easy but for others is a lifelong struggle. Fad, extreme diets and brief sudden exercise surges are the norm for those trying to achieve immediate and dramatic weight loss and instant fitness. This results in injuries and transient or unsustainable weight loss. Body weight is made up of bone, muscle, (organs, skin) and body fat – our aim is ridding ourselves only of the unneccessary body fat while at the same time improving cardiovascular fitness. This body fat includes both the visible adipose deposits around the tummy, back, buttocks, legs etc and the invisible fatty deposits surrounding the internal organs, liver, heart, kidneys etc. The most recent research is moving away from the idea of using BMI ( Body mass index) and more toward waist circumference ( representing tummy fat) as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The theory being that if we get rid of tummy fat, its disappearing around our organs too!

The approach  is not the same for everyone – some are able for an intensive nutrition and fitness programme that focuses on body fat loss and improved cardiovascular fitness. For others, the goals and expected results are the same but are reached a little more steadily through very specific, subtle important changes to the diet and activity levels that are not too taxing and therefore, sustainable over longer periods, if not for life. In addition to targeted weight loss, nutrition and fitness consultations in the surgery, we run once weekly weight loss clinics that will involve pre and post programme medicals, nutrition advice and tailored exercise instruction with a personal trainer. The idea of this programme is to focus on body fat loss, and not just body weight, by improving nutrition, activity and fitness with the dual benefits of improved body tone and general health.  The pre and post medicals aim to identify the resultant effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar, activity levels and body weight.