Overweight Man Loses 15 Stones Playing Rock Band

Marc Rodwell shed 15 stones in 18 months – battering out Green Day and Queen tunes on his Rock Band computer game.

The 32-year-old lost 15st after going on a diet and exercise regime.

And he managed to burn up 1000 calories a day on his PlayStation 3 drumkit.

Marc, said: “I had been overweight since I was 11 and it was starting to cause concern for my family and friends.

“I had been playing Rock Band for about four years but I saw a guy on the internet in America who had lost loads of weight by playing it a lot.

“It inspired me so I started playing it for two hours a day solid to try to turn it into a workout.

“One day, I played every song on my playlist for eight hours and I was knackered. In a session, I can burn 1000 calories – you use your arms for the drums and your feet for the kick pedals.

“My dad helps out by singing along and we have spent about £800 on songs for it and so far I have about 900 songs to use in my workout.

“My favourites include Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen and American Idiot by Green Day.

“As well as Rock Band, I have now started going to the gym and I’m now watching what I am eating.

“I have ditched pizzas and curries and I now eat a lot of fish and chicken.

“Rock Band has played a major part in my weight loss and it shows computer games don’t always make you lazy.”

For more info visit: ROCK BAND UK - US

LOSE 10ST IN 18 MONTHS?

IT seems Jodie Marsh has started a trend with her bulging biceps. But instead of eating egg-white omelettes and spending hours pumping iron in the gym, Sam Ling got her rippling muscles by playing a computer game.

Sam, 29, lost more than half her body weight shimmying to We Dance on her Nintendo Wii – dropping from a size 26 to a six.

And now she’s even planning to enter a bodybuilding contest to show off her new figure.

■ Just 18 months ago, Sam was an 18st couch potato, devouring whole packets of biscuits at a time.

“I’d binge-eat family packs of custard creams and put eight sugars in my tea,” she said.

“I would have three large bowls of cereal for breakfast, a pasty for lunch, crisps and chocolate in the afternoon and a Chinese takeaway or fish and chips in the evening.”

Sam’s size also affected her sex life, despite her being in a relationship from the age of 20 to 27.

■ “I would only have sex under the covers with the lights out,” she said. “I didn’t think I was good enough to have a boyfriend or enjoy sex.”

Then, while on a beach holiday with her dad in the Dominican Repuhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifblic, Sam decided things needed to change.

“I looked hideous in my started using We Dance after reading about it on the internet.

“I liked the idea of just dancing around the living room and losing weight,” she said. “I didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing me.

“I’d do two hours in the morning before work, an hour in my lunch, then finish off with another two hours in the evening.”

Now Sam has slimmed down to eight-and-a-half stone. “My figure has completely changed,” she said.

“I’ve got a really flat stomach and toned arms.

“I’m happy for the first time ever.

“The only downside is my boobs have shrivelled from a 42DD to a 32B.

“I can’t afford a boob job but if lessons anyone wants to treat me to one for my 30th birthday, they’re more than welcome!”

For more info visit: WE DANCE UK - US

10 brain foods for increased intelligence

Although it accounts for only 2% of your total body weight, the fact remains that the brain is a food-hungry organ with ten times the appetite of other organs. In order to function, it uses up a minimum of 20% of your daily calorie in-take.

In addition to calories, you should also make sure you get good nutrients for your neurons through a balanced and varied diet. To ensure your brain gets what it needs there are certain foods you should add to your diet.

1. Oily fish (mackerel, sardines salmon…) for brain maintenance

More than 50% of brain mass is made up of lipids, and over 70% of these are fatty acids that belong to the well-known Omega 3 group. These fats are crucial to the production and maintenance of brain cells, preserving the fluidity of cell membrane.

They also play a part in neuron activity. Weakening brain function and memory trouble can often be traced back to a deficiency in Omega 31. Oily fish are one of the best sources of Omega 3, but if fish isn't to your taste, consider nut oils and rapeseed oil as equally rich alternatives.

2. Pulses (lentils, chick-peas...) for brain energy

The brain is said to be glucose-dependent, which means it uses only glucose to function. It consumes more than 5g an hour, but doesn’t know how to store it. It therefore has to be regularly supplied your diet via the circulatory system. It has long been proven that the most difficult task within intellectual performance, the capacity to memorise, depends on the level of glucose in the blood2.

But beware of indulging in sugary foods and confectionery; though easy to snack on, they can lead to such strong fluctuations that your system can react violently and reduce blood sugar to below its normal level. The brain cannot tolerate this and the drop in blood sugar leads to fatigue and a shorter attention span.

The sugars that are said to be ‘complex’ and which have a low Glycaemic Index (GI) are therefore crucial. Pulses are rich in these ‘complex’ sugars, and their GI is one of the lowest. This really works to allow the regulation of glucose in the blood and its supply to the brain without creating a reaction of hyperglycaemia. If pulses aren’t to your taste either, consider wholegrain foods, especially cooked ‘al dente’.

3. Bananas for a calm brain

Rich in magnesium, which is essential in the transmission of nervous impulses, bananas are equally a source of Vitamin B6 (just one banana holds practically a quarter of the recommended daily amount). This vitamin is not only involved in the assimilation and use of magnesium in cells, but also in the metabolism of amino acids and the functioning of the nervous system through enabling the production of certain neurotransmitters, notably Serotonin and GABA (Gamma-amino butyric acid).

These two molecules seem to create the right state of mind for prudent, calm and measured behaviour. If you don’t like bananas, consider prunes or dried fruit instead.

4. Liver (veal, beef, chicken…) for intelligence

The brain accounts for around 20% of the body’s oxygen needs, and iron is needed to get oxygen to the brain by means of the blood’s haemoglobin. Liver is one of your diet’s assets guaranteed to contain this valuable metal. Equally, liver is one of the most important sources of Vitamin B. Since the mid 1980s, it has been shown that these vitamins, mainly B9, B12, B1 and B6, improve cognitive function and the results of intelligence tests. If you don’t like liver, consider ham, beef or nutritional yeast as a supplement.

5. Red berries for happy brain cells

All edible berries (blackcurrants, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries etc.) are veritable mines of Vitamin C (blackcurrants have twice as much concentration in Vitamin C as kiwi fruit, and three times as much as oranges). They have antioxidant micronutrients that make up their colour (anthocyanes, polyphenols, flavonoids…)

Together, they not only fight against free radicals which can affect nerve cells, notably brain cells, but also improve circulation and strengthen blood capillaries, which enable the best oxygenation of the brain. If you don’t like red berries, then go for kiwi fruit or garlic.

6. Shellfish for brain function

Though rich in Vitamin B12 and in protein (notably lysine, a precursor to dopamine, a powerful neurotransmitter), it is mostly the oligo-elements in seafood and crustaceans (oysters, clams, shrimp etc.) that are good for brain function. Oligo-elements are crucial in order to fight and prevent stress and its inconveniences. Some of these can be described as ‘therapeutic weapons’ as they have a hand in fighting anxiety, mental fatigue and nervous disposition.

Manganese, copper, lithium, zinc and iodine have this effect too and can also be found in seafood. If you don’t like shellfish, consider eating wholemeal bread, algae (which has iodised salt as in table salt) or wheat germ.

7. Eggs for brain connectivity

Eggs contain lecithin and phospholipids, integral to the construction of brain cell membrane. In terms of feeding intellect, their value lies mainly in the quality of their proteins. Long used as points of reference when analysing the quality of other dietary proteins by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA), eggs are actually rich in amino acids, essential in the production of the principal neurotransmitters.

This is also the case with acetylcholine, a synthesis made from methionine and serine used in the process of memorisation, where noradrenalin (which stimulates learning) and its production rely on the presence of tyrosine and phenylaline, which are again found in the proteins in eggs. If you don’t like eggs, consider white fish as an alternative.

8. Spinach for good memory

All leafy vegetables share a richness in Vitamin B9 (or folates), which is known to play an active role in the development of a foetus’ nervous tissue and also in the renewal of blood cells. One of the signs of Vitamin B9 deficiency is reduced awareness and memory deterioration3. This phenomenon, observed in people of advanced age with folate deficiency, can probably be explained by the fact that Vitamin B9 is needed for the maintenance of dendrites (arborisation of neurons, where B9 levels are high).

If you don’t like spinach, go for watercress, lamb’s lettuce, iceberg lettuce, broccoli or different types of herbs. Of these, rosemary is worth noting as it has certain flavonoids (notably apigenin) in its aroma, which possess stimulating properties affecting concentration and memory through encouraging cerebral blood flow.

9. Cocoa for brain stimulation

In Aztec times, cocoa was already considered a medicine. Later, Casanova, the legendary seducer of women, used chocolate as an aphrodisiac with the kind of effects we know well! Since then, the chemical analysis of cocoa paste has revealed many surprises; besides the important calorific benefits, the presence of molecules similar to caffeine (theobromine, theophylline) and amphetamines (phenylethylamine, tyramine) give chocolate its true power as a tonic and psycho-stimulant. At the same time, chocolate’s high magnesium content (330mg per 100g), and the molecules it contains which are similar to serotonin (the ‘relaxation’ hormone), account for its ‘anti-stress’ and anti-depressant effects.

But that’s not all! Scientists have demonstrated the positive role flavonoids present in cocoa play in encouraging better dilation of blood vessels4. These antioxidant compounds help fight free radicals and guard the brain’s activity. Beware of over-indulging, however. If you don’t like chocolate, drink tea (which also contains antioxidants) and weak coffee (for its caffeine and its psycho-stimulating effect5), but being mindful of excess and without indulging too much at the risk of cancelling out or even reversing the effects.

10. Avocado to keep the brain young

The avocado is exceptionally rich in Vitamin E. This vitamin constitutes one of the most powerful antioxidants and protects the fatty tissues of the brain from ageing. If you don’t like avocado, consider oleaginous fruit instead (nuts, particularly hazelnuts etc.).

And don’t forget that, in order to become a real intellectual athlete, you must equally train your brain with special exercises (cerebral games, memory puzzles…). And you mustn’t neglect rest either (sleep is crucial for the brain’s regeneration…). In following this advice, you may not pick up that Nobel Prize, but you will have a brain that’s at the top of its game nonetheless!

The Real Secret to a better life

Spring clean your life and change bad habits by improving your body, finances and friendships in 30 days.
According to new book The Real Secret, it takes up to 21 attempts to change a habit - so don't give up.
Authors Lucy McCarraher and Annabel Shaw offer practical tips on how to be happier and bring your life under control.
Lucy is a work-life balance expert and writer, while Annabel is a social psychologist and radiotherapist.
Maria Croce takes a look at how you can create healthier habits with The Real Secret.

BODY

If you want to look your best in the latest fashions, you have to develop healthier habits to improve your body.
A healthy body means a healthy mind, so think of the changes you are going to make as positive.
Don't judge yourself on your looks and count calories - it's about getting into good eating habits which will boost your happiness through improved health.
Start by keeping a record of what you eat and after a week see what you can change and improve.
Cut out junk food, eat only fresh food and don't eat too much. Stop eating when you feel full and only eat three times a day.
Make time to eat, enjoy and focus on your food and make sure you are getting five fruit or veg a day. For the month, make your own food and only drink water or herbal tea. I also helps if you reduce your alcohol and coffee intake. It's also important to get 30 minutes exercise at least twice a week.

FINANCES

Go on a money diet where rather than counting calories, you tot up the pennies and pounds for a month.
For the whole month you need to write down everything you spend, so you can work out how much money you are spending.
Doing this will make you more aware of the difference between what you need and what you want.
You need to identify the money drains so you can improve your cash management.
For the month, try to cut out all unnecessary expenditure. That means no treats, no clothes and try to buy cheaper alternatives with your food shopping.
Check out your insurance policies, phone and energy tariffs and use comparison websites or phone around to make sure you're on the cheapest deal.
Look through bank statements to make sure there aren't mistakes.
Then work out how much you have spent. Look at how much of your hardearned cash is being wasted and how much of what you usually buy brings you happiness.
Get into the habit of spending some time each month assessing your monthly outgoings and adjusting your spending habits. Knowing the difference between what you need and want will help you make wiser decisions in other areas of your life and will boost your happiness and success.

FRIENDSHIPS

Good relationships make us happy and the secret is knowing how to improve them and maintain them.
For most of us, getting key relationships right - from friendships to partners, children and family members - is the secret to a happy life.
We can't force other people or circumstances to change, but we can modify our own outlook and behaviour which will elicit different responses from others. Make sure you listen properly to others and give positive feedback and focus on the other person rather than yourself.
Good friends will enhance your selfesteem and self-worth and junk friends, like junk food, should only be indulged occasionally in your life.
Widen your friendship circle but beware of junk friends who tend to be demanding and aren't there when you need them.
The best way to drop people like this is to avoid them and don't rush to respond to communications.
Be a good friend and arrange to meet up with at least one good pal a month. If you can become a better friend, you'll have richer friendships.

The Real Secret - What To Do When The Universe Hasn't Delivered, by Lucy McCarraher and Annabel Shaw retails at £9.99

The first anti-ageing cream to backed up by scientific evidence.

AN anti-ageing cream using an ingredient from a tropical plant is the first to be supported by scientists, claim the makers.

The product, L'Oreal's Lift-Activ, will be launched in April and heralds a new generation of Cosmeceuticals - cosmetics created from research in the pharmaceutical industry.

Computer software has identified a naturally-occurring chemical called rhamnose.

L'Oreal say the chemical, rubbed into the skin once a day for eight weeks, fools ageing skin cells into pumping out levels of collagen normally seen in younger people - plumping up the skin.

Rhamnose is a sugar that is found in a flowering plant called uncaria or cat's claw, which mostly grows in Asia.

The resulting product has been proved in lab tests and human trials to combat wrinkles.

L'Oreal are leading the way, but are being followed by Proctor & Gamble, who will put out their own scientifically-backed wrinkle cream under the Olay Professional brand later this year.

Until now, the cosmetics industry has promoted creams which sit on the surface of the skin, reducing moisture loss by creating a waterproof barrier.

Veronique Bataille, senior clinical research fellow in dermatology at King's College London, said: "No one had ever heard of rhamnose.

It is a breakthrough' It was selected by screening thousands of compounds which could have an effect on fibroblasts (skin cells)."

Lift-Activ will cost £28 for 50ml. It was trialled by 400 women, aged 50-70, from all ethnic backgrounds. Once patents are granted, L'Oreal will publish the full results.

The firm's head of scientific affairs Julie McManus said: "'We've shown that we're having an effect exactly where we want it.

"For us this is a breakthrough because we have found a compound which can produce an effect on this very important group of cells."

How to make your life a success in seven steps

Ever wondered how to get the life you've always wanted, one filled with success and happiness?

Well, author Patricia Elliot claims to have all the answers.

The psychology tutor has formulated seven steps that she says can lead to a life of achievement - whatever your background, financial situation or personal circumstances.

And after years spent teaching the steps, she's written a book about them - 7 Attributes For Success.

Grandmother Patricia's expertise comes from her own experiences and achievements.

She was abandoned by her mother as a youngster and put up for adoption.

And a wrist injury ended what was shaping up to be a promising musical career for the former Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama student. Patricia also claims she was told by schoolteachers that her life would never amount to anything.

Now, she is a well-respected graduate and has 25 years' experience in the fields of law, stress management and psychology.

The 56-year-old is an examiner and author of legal aspects at the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and lead examiner in managing corporate and banking relationships.

It all started as childhood "therapy", when she would write down her thoughts in her diary.

But years later, Patricia took control of her life using the power of the mind and her own "ABC" techniques - affirmations, breathing and creativity.

Patricia puts her success down to focusing on experiences - positive and negative - and altering them in a positive way to help deal with work, home and life in general, and visualising what she wants.

Now, she's passing the message on to others in her book, calling it "a friend on the shoulder". So what makes her work different?

Patricia explained: "The shelves are full of self-help books and I don't understand some. I wanted to write a non-jargon, friendly book. The 7 Attributes For Success is friendly, engaging and readable.

"People have the seven attributes already but they don't know they do.

"I am trying to get people to realise this, even the ones who pooh-pooh self-help books. It's not difficult to improve your lives, the difficulty is to actually do it."

One-time gifted concert pianist Patricia, who has written a number of academic books, added: "I thought I would change the world with my music.

"Now I am hoping to change people's lives with my words. My vision is to change the world.

"When I speak at conferences, I often ask how many people work out in the gym and loads of hands go up. Then I ask how many people see a counsellor and very few raise their hands. I don't expect them to but my point is we all work out our bodies but we don't work out our minds.

"I hope people understand they can feel better and more positive by using the technique and strategies in this book to self-empower. You don't just read this book, you must do it too.

That's the hard bit and it's not a quick fix."


Here are Patricia's 7 Attributes for Success:

1. Self-awareness
About finding out who we are. We have a coloured view of ourselves because of conditioning. We all have strengths and weaknesses and we usually think of more weaknesses, so we might not like what we see. Being self-aware is often blurred because of conditioning and because of what you're told. For example, we were often told by parents "children are seen and not heard".

2. Resilience
It's about being flexible and bouncing back against adversity. Change is all around us. People who are resilient move on - they can't change their past but they can change how they view it.

3. Audacity
About having the courage to be brave and facing the fear. The mind is powerful and we can change how we feel about a situation by taking 30 seconds to visualise it in a different way. That's the power of the mind.

4. De-attachment
This is the most difficult attribute to understand. It's about being able to let go of one's jealousies and pre-conceptions and de-attaching yourself from them or people who are bad for you.

5. Encouragement (and praise)
We are told not to praise ourselves but we should be doing exactly that. Think about the people who work or live alone. Who encourages them?

6. Value (and respect)
People with very low self-esteem rarely look at themselves in the mirror, yet we should all be looking and valuing ourselves. It's about self respect. It's all about yourself first. People say you earn respect but if you respect yourself, respect will come from others.

7. Know-how
You can only understand others if you understand yourself. Be able to ask questions of yourself, others and the world around you. If you have more knowledge and love yourself, you will have more to give other people.

7 Attributes For Success by Patricia Elliot ***UK---US***

Today's Green Campaigners Should Take Inspiration From World War II

With all the talk of carbon footprints, bags for life and food miles, you'd be forgiven for thinking we've never been greener.
But if you want to find a time when people really looked after the world around them, go back 70 years.
During World War II, our grandparents and great-grandparents had little choice available to them - from food to clothing to fuel.
But this thrifty generation of make-do-and-menders could teach us a lot in the 21st century.
Author Patricia Nicol agrees, as she explains in her book Sucking Eggs: What Your Wartime Granny Could Teach You About Diet, Thrift And Going Green.
And she reckons we should take more notice of how the war effort changed the lives cvilians - in case we have to learn the same lessons as we look to save the planet.
Patricia said: "My grandparents were thrifty people and there were habits ingrained in them which my parents then forgot"
So what can we learn from the wartime generation?

FOOD
At the start of World War II, Britain imported 70 per cent of all the food it consumed. This changed as supplies dried up but the resulting rationing had a positive effect on the health of the nation as people turned instead to locally-sourced food.
Patricia said: "People ate more during the war - partly because they were working more but they were also often away from home, so there was a booming restaurant scene.
"Although the country was going through its most difficult period, peoples health improved as fruit and vegetables were going to those most in nedd.
"We could do with something like that again and it has worked in places like Finland."

CLOTHES
It wasn't only food that was rationed. Restrictions on buying clothes increased as the war progressed forcing the nation's sewing machines into overdrive.
Patricia said: "The average British women is buying something like three times the amount of clothes she was just 10 years ago. That has a knock-on effect on landfill as clothes are not easy to recycle.
"During the war, the Government launched their own fashion line using the premier designers of the day. The clothes they produced were made to last using locally-sourced materials. It was the ultimate ethical label.

COSMETICS
When Anita Roddick launched the Body Shop, she was hailed as being ahead of her time for using natural ingredients in her products and recycling her containers.
But 35 years earlier, wartime women were doing much the same thing, making the most out of the meagre amounts of beauty products they had access to.
Eggs were added to shampoo to make a cleansing lather and a mixture of olive oil and beeswax served as a moisturiser.
Beetroot juice and vaseline worked as lip gloss and chemists got in on the act by creating their own natural lotions and potions, depending on what was available.

RECYCLING
We all give ourselves a big pat on the back for taking the empties to the bottle bank and separating our daily rubish into a multitude of categories but it was also happening 70 years earlier.
Every last scrap was neede for the war effort - from iron to rubber to paper - meaning that recycling had to become a way of life.
Patricia said: "People would take turns to maintain the bins and local councils became competitive about the effort they were making. This is something that is definitely coming back."

TRAVEL AND FUEL
In peacetime, airlines and train operators do everytthing they can to encourage people to travel but in wartime, the opposite was true.
In every ticket office in every train station, passengers were greeted with a poster asking: "Is your journey really necessary"
Fuel was a scarce resource too. Families were told to take note of the energy they used and to do what they could to cut down.
Patricia said: "More and more people are applying some of the same principles which existed back then because of the environmental impact"

Sucking Eggs: What Your Wartime Granny Could Teach You About Diet, Thrift and Going Green, by Patricia Nicol