While we are all so similar in so many ways, we also have different needs when it comes to looking after our health. Women have different dietary requirements than men, for example, and it's important for women to recognize and respond to these nutritional differences.

If you've decided to change your lifestyle to lead a healthier life and to get fit, then firstly well done for making that mental decision to make a difference for the better. Your next stage is to strike while your motivation is high and get practical.

Negativity can get you down and when you are making a valiant attempt to make healthy changes to your life, it can also slow you down and create an uphill struggle. Of course, you can simply try and battle your way through the negative obstacles in your way but you might save energy and get further if you confidently and proactively find ways to deflect negativity successfully!

You don't have to bounce around with a big grin on your face every time you work out - although with us we wouldn't blame you! - but you do need to keep motivation levels up and this means feeling positive about what you can achieve and how you are going about it.

Getting fit might be all about the physical but you can give your body workouts a boost if you engage your mind in some workable fitness strategies too. The attitude and approach you bring to each and every workout can determine whether you not only enjoy keeping fit and integrate it into your lifestyle but also ultimately whether it works.

African American women who exercise regularly could be lowering their risk of breast cancer, according to a new study. While links between breast cancer and exercise levels and intensity have been found in previous studies involving women, the participants have primarily been white women.

It's been around for thousands of years; NASA could be sending it into space; and the UN General Assembly thinks it could be important for future nutritional needs and to help eradicate poverty. Quinoa is a superfood in more ways than one and has recently had a resurgence of popularity.

With so much high-fat, high-calorie, not to mention, high-sugar foods so easily at hand, it is no big surprise that many women suffer with a weight problem. However, to eat healthily it is not just a matter of women eating less but understanding how their diets need to differ from men and what their nutritional needs are.

Kids who keep fit and active are not only faster when it comes to muscle power and agility but also have faster nerve activity in their brains too, according to a recent study. The University of Illinois and Beckman Institute research found aerobic fitness created more fibrous and compact white-matter in youngsters in the tracts in the brain that are connected to attention and memory.

Over 50s who believe a gentle stroll a few times a week is all they need to maintain good health might be surprised to hear a recent study is urging them to crank up the intensity and the volume. While adopting healthy habits needs to be part of the plan, it could be that a solid exercise program is also needed, rather than simply a generally active lifestyle.

Motivation might be all in the mind, springing from your attitudes, approach and focus but it might also be in the brain too! Recent research suggests an area of the brain which controls your motivation to work out might have been discovered. The Seattle Children's Research Institute study is interesting as a person who is motivated to work out can enhance their mood and this in turn could help researchers develop more targeted treatments in the fight against depression.