We have officially hit the festive season! For many, the Christmas period is a time filled with parties and other social gatherings, which often involve lots of food and alcohol, including Christmas Day itself! It's not surprising then, that research shows that weight gain over the festive season is a major contributor to excess yearly weight gain, especially for people who are already carrying more weight than they would like.

I have a sweet tooth, well actually, I also have a savoury tooth. I generally just love food! But I also love being healthy and fuelling my body well for a healthy and active life.

The swiss ball and medicine ball are common pieces of equipment in most gyms these days. But I find that many people are stuck on ideas on how to use them. Below is a great workout that will get your muscles burning and it will take you just over 30 minutes to complete!

Lifting weights for hours each day is pretty easy for me. Not easy in terms of actually doing it (sometimes it takes my whole physical and mental strength to get the work done) but in just getting myself in to the gym to do my session. I never give myself the option of not doing it, it just doesn't enter my mind. I enjoy lifting. But doing anything cardio related, that is a whole other story!

It can be hard to stay motivated with exercise over the winter months, when all you want to do is stay warm and cuddle your blankets inside. But just because it is freezing outside, doesn't mean you can't exercise in the comfort of your warm cosy house!

Desserts are generally seen as a 'naughty treat', but they don't have to be! I eat dessert most nights of the week. I love sweet things! But desserts don't have to be unhealthy, in fact they can be very highly nutritious!

Like most people, I love listening to music while I train. During my powerlifting sessions, I listen to a lot of rap and metal music. However, in my general weight training sessions and cardio sessions I listen to more pop, rock and even some alt-country music. It is in this vein I present to you my top 10 workout songs of 2014. Happy listening!

Medicine balls are a great piece of equipment. At home or in the gym, you can use a medicine ball to create an awesome intense cardio/conditioning session!

Calorie counting is premised on the idea that to lose weight you must be in a calorie deficit - that you need to burn more calories than you consume. This is true, however it is also a massive oversimplification of a very complex process. In my blog post I outline the pros and cons of calorie counting.

A few months ago I bought a new kitchen appliance which came with it's own recipe book. In it is two salad recipes that have become a weekly staple for me - they are really quick and easy to make and super healthy. With the warm weather now here, it's a great time to test out some new salad recipes, so I thought I would share these two with you.