-rate variability," says Dr Tim Church, coauthor of exercise guide Move Yourself. Think of it as having only two gears to tackle the Alpe d'Huez when you need 20. Low heart-rate variability leaves you at a higher risk for a fatal heart attack.Muscles:When you

haemoglobin and ferritin levels. Ferritin is an iron-storing protein and this test can give a good indication of your body's iron stores.Iron aweIf you're active, you may be more prone to anaemia. Heavy training can increase your iron needs by 1-2mg per day

're not getting enough omega-3s," says Leslie Bonci, one of the authors of Total Fitness for Women."What do we athletes do instead? We go straight for anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen. What we should be doing is aiming for 1,000g to 2,000mg of omega-3 a day

.In general, plants contain less iron than animal foods and only two to 20 per cent of iron from plants is absorbed by the body, compared with 15 to 35 per cent from meat. Worse still, there are various compounds in everyday foods that affect iron absorption

to 20 per cent of your daily needs), which helps to build new bone. A study of women aged 38 to 74, revealed that those who ate lettuce once or twice a day had a 45 per cent lower risk of hip fracture than those who ate lettuce one or fewer times per

pastry on your pies instead of short crust or puff pastry," says Norris. Switching to filo saves you 110kcal and 10g of fat per serving, reducing its effect on your blood pressure and cholesterol.17. Chilli peppersThey add heat to a meal, but they also

little time for preparing a decent meal.Sometimes you just need to grab something quickly and that's where the trouble can begin. We asked Dr Kevin Currell, Performance Nutritionist for British Triathlon, for advice on 10 high-street takeaway options

little time for preparing a decent meal.Sometimes you just need to grab something quickly and that's where the trouble can begin. We asked Dr Kevin Currell, Performance Nutritionist for British Triathlon, for advice on 10 high-street takeaway options

for 45 to 60 minutes, their blood pressure fell - specifically, by an average of 10.4 millimetres of mercury (mm/Hg) systolic, and 5.3 (mm/Hg) diastolic. The effect of plinky-plonky music on blood pressure has not been measured.Lower-back pain

of running for an hour, you might schedule a track workout for 30 minutes. Do an easy warm-up, and then run 4x400m at your 5K pace, with an easy 200m recovery jog between intervals. You can add a repeat every 1-2 weeks, until you're up to, say, eight. If you