Of course. We have worked with a wide range of medical issues and injuries. Our personal trainers are educated and experienced.

Foods are made of different amounts of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and alcohol. Each of these nutrients provides a certain quantity of energy when it is broken down in the body. For the amount of carbohydrate, fat and protein it contains. For example, one slice of wholemeal bread provides roughly the same amount of energy as one pat (7 g) of butter. However, their composition is very different. In bread, most energy (75%) comes from carbohydrate, while in butter, virtually all (99.7%) comes from fat.

Carbohydrate is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, along with about three times its own weight of water. Altogether there is about three times more glycogen stored in the muscles than in the liver. Glycogen is a large molecule, similar to starch, made up of many glucose units joined together. However, the body can store only a relatively small amount of glycogen there is no endless supply! Like the petrol tank in a car, the body can only hold a certain amount.

Fat is stored as adipose (fat) tissue in almost every region of the body. A small amount of fat, about 300–400 g, is stored in muscles – this is called intramuscular fat – but the majority is stored around the organs and beneath the skin. The amount stored in different parts of the body depends on genetic make-up and individual hormone balance. The average 70 kg person stores 10–15 kg fat. Interestingly, people who store fat mostly around their abdomen (the classic pot-belly shape) have a higher risk of heart disease than those who store fat mostly around their hips and thighs (the classic pear shape).

Protein is not stored in the same way as carbohydrate and fat. It forms muscle and organ tissue, so it is mainly used as a building material rather than an energy store. However, proteins can be broken down to release energy if need be, so muscles and organs represent a large source of potential energy.