I am a male in my mid 40s and right from birth, I have always had a small stature. In fact, I think I would be counted as one of the 'smallest' males, if ever a survey was done in my area/town. I am 5 foot 1 inch and weight 67kg. I have always been teased throughout my life due to this, and called lots of names - the most popular being 'shorty'.

Many times I have started going to the gym and going on the thread mill together with lifting weights etc, but have always given up shortly afterwards, due to not seeing any significant changes in my body in terms of loosing weight and gaining muscle mass. However, After much thinking I have decided to start going to the gym again(!) in order to get fit and to bulk up. My question is - do you think due to my age, I should forget this idea and just go for a jog every now and again in order to keep my weight under control and forget about trying to grow my muscles etc?

If I do decide to continue going to the gym for the long term (on this occasion), what food do you think I should eat that would help me grow muscle? What about supplements?

I would be able to go to the gym about twice a week for an hour each and them possibly increasing that to three times a week, if I see some results in my body.

Please advice.

In 1967 Swami Vishnudevananda, founder of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers, taught the first Yoga Teachers' Training Course in the West. Today, this internationally renowned course is taught by his close disciples. Over 18,000 teachers worldwide have graduated from this comprehensive course. The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers organization is today the largest yoga organization of its kind in the world and has nearly forty years of experience in teaching this course.

This four-week course offers a profound personal experience, designed to build a firm foundation of inner discipline and provide the proficiency to teach yoga to others. The essence of yoga is learned through a combination of repeated practice and inspirational lessons. The approach to teaching is personal, focusing on the individual student. Among the many benefits students report are increased strength and flexibility, greater spiritual awareness, improved power of concentration, enhanced self esteem and a new found sense of self discipline.
Curriculum

Yoga Asanas
• The sun salutation and the twelve basic yoga postures
• Advanced variations
• Effects of asanas on the physical and astral body
• Proper posture alignment, deep relaxation, release of blocked energy

Pranayama
• The basic practices: kapalabhati, anuloma viloma (alternate nostril breathing)
• Advanced pranayama exercises

Kriyas
• The six classical exercises for purifying the body

Hatha Yoga Theory
• The astral body
• The nadis (energy channels) and chakras (energy centers)

How to Teach
• How to teach the sun salutation and the twelve basic postures
• Setting up a proper environment for class
• The basic class
• How to teach beginners and intermediate students
• How to teach children, the elderly, and prenatal yoga

Yoga Philosophy and Psychology

Last week I managed to develop a throat infection, as mentioned in my blog. I was off work from Wednesday afternoon until Friday. However, on Thursday evening, I felt a little better, and decided to do some weight training, and did an intensive (for me) squat session, plus the usual bench presses and rows.

By the weekend I developed a headache, and it go worse and worse. Been off work again this week, and my head i still really bad. Also, my shins are sore. Last Monday (8 days ago) in kung-fu, we did some shin conditioning. They should have healed by now, but they are still sore. I think that this is because my body, my immune system, and my ability to repair damage, is all shot to pieces as a result of this virus that I have.

Should we lift with free weights or machines?

I keep mentioning lipolysis in my weight loss blog, but few people understand what this is. Lipolysis is the key to losing fat, and not just losing weight. The Atkin's approach is really designed to encourage the body to enter a state of lipolysis, which means that rather than use carbohydrates (sugars) as its primary fuel source, it uses fat, both dietary fat and body fat. To get to this stage, you need to deprive your body of carbs, so that your metabolism switches from sugar burning to fat burning.

As I am following the Atkins Diet (Nutritional Approach) I thought that I would read up a little on the man himself, Robert Atkins. This is what I found.

In the general discussion on the Atkins diet, one topic that has come up is, how many eggs are safe to eat? It is generally thought that eggs are bad for us, as they are high in cholesterol, and this leads to CHD (coronary heart disease). However, Dr. Atkins does not think that this is the case. And I have found some interesting research that supports the idea that eggs are actually good for us, and you probably cannot get too many of them. Recent advice from the UK Department of Health said that adults should not have more than 2 eggs per week. Some other advice says that 4-7 eggs per week is OK for a healthy person. But is this all nonsense? Since being on Atkins, I have probably averaged 21 eggs per week.

After reading up on the Atkins Diet (got a copy of Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution) I have come to the conclusion that the Atkins diet is the best way for the average overweight/obese individual to lose weight. I have now been on the induction phase of the Atkins Diet for a week, and already have lost 3 pounds, and today managed to tighten my belt one notch, proof that I am slimmer too.

Many people think that to lose weight, diet alone is all that is required, and that exercise is for people wanting to get fit. This is not true. Diet and exercise go hand in hand. But, are there any recommended combinations? A restrictive diet can hinder exercise and fitness improvements. If you are weight training, what do you eat? When do you eat? How much do you eat? How often do you eat?

Over-training can be detrimental to our progress and performance. But how do you recognise that you are over-training?