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1 July 2010
Bye Bye Back Pain
I got some good feedback about the recent post Unlock Your Aching Back so here are 3 more moves that really help to loosen up the whole of the back. Whether you're suffering from too much activity or just too much time at the desk, these three moves will are great. Adopt each position slowly in turn and hold the stretches for 5-10 seconds each.
29 June 2010
Unlock Your Aching Back
Recently I've spoken to a few people suffering with back pain which can happen when you're a regular exerciser or when you're inactive for a while. It's frustrating but it needn't mean you're confined to bed. There are a few exercises that are great for stretching around the lower back, pelvis and legs that can unlock your back quickly and get you back on the road. Here's one fantastic move that I always recommend. It's borrowed from my Yoga friends and really works.
Warrior Pose
- Stand upright with your feet flat and together
- Take a wide step sideways and stretch your arms out to the sides, palms downwards
- Your feet should be beneath your wrists a little further apart than hip width, with your toes both pointing forwards. Imagine a straight line running vertically down the centre of your body and, keeping your shoulders relaxed, push your arms and legs away from the centre line and push your feet firmly into the floor
- Turn your left foot out to 90 degrees and your right foot out to 70 degrees, take a deep breathe in, and then as you exhale, bend your left leg to form a right angle at the knee
- Take another deep breathe and as you exhale turn your head to look along your left arm. Hold this position for three breaths and then twist your shoulders and arms 90 degrees to your left
- Raise your arms directly above your head. Hold this position for three breaths, squeezing the feet into the floor and adjusting the hips gradually to fully stretch and release the hip flexors and inner thighs
- Reverse the sequence to return to your starting point before repeating on the other side
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23 February 2010
Teach every child about food
Check it out.
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17 February 2010
What does good look like? Part 2 - Healthy Eating
I've touched on this before in the post Why a food diary keeps you slim so here's the next step.
Keep track of everything you eat and drink for one week only.
Then review your diary asking yourself the following questions:
- Did I eat / drink the right things?
- Did I eat / drink at the right times?
- Did I eat / drink the right amounts?
You'll now be wondering, 'Right for what?' The answer is right for what you are trying to achieve.
What we eat and drink dictates how we feel, our energy levels, our mood, our weight, our body shape and our confidence.
Whichever of these areas you're looking to improve, judge your food diary by the results you're getting in this area. Then experiment with different approaches until you know the routine of what you eat, when you eat it and how much you eat in order to achieve fantastic results.
Bear in mind the golden rules of eating for great results though, which are...
Hold on, this post is too long already, I'll let you know the golden rules in a few days...
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9 February 2010
What does good look like? Part 1 - Exercise
Here's my simple strategy for overcoming the idea that you don't have time for exercise.
Instead of blasting through everything on your agenda and hoping that you'll have time for exercise somewhere during the week, adopt a different approach.
Take a few minutes to plan out what good looks like for you when it comes to exercise. How much, how often, what kinds of activity, who with, for how long.
For one week only, make your exercise the first thing you write into your diary, planner, calendar or schedule.
Then add everything else.
For one week only complete every diary appointment to exercise.
At the end of the week, review what happened. Did you enjoy the exercise sessions, were the activities right for you, did you need longer or could you have got away with more time efficient options?
You'll be pleasantly surprised to find that by aiming to follow through with this approach for just one week, you'll have completed a lot of exercise. The good news is that if you manage it for one week, you can manage it for other weeks from now on.
Use the feedback to plan for the next exercise week.
After a few weeks of refining the process you'll find that you have a routine that works for you and that's easy to stick to.
You'll also find that you've become more creative at fitting other tasks around your exercise.
I guarantee with this approach you won't miss out on anything and you won't get less done. In fact, with the extra energy you generate by taking regular exercise, you'll get more done.
And you'll relieve yourself of a whole lot of guilt at not exercising as much as you thought you should.
Give it a go this week. It works.
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1 February 2010
How Much Do You Drink?
A while ago I wrote about how easy it is to 'accidentally' consume an entire extra day's worth of calories over the course of a week by drinking alcohol. You can read the post on Boozy Nights here.
What's shocking is that you can find yourself in this situation even with moderate drinking. In fact, chances are you'll be consuming these extra calories even if you stay within the UK Government guidelines of 14-21 units of alcohol per week.
What's also shocking is how quickly you can rack up the units of alcohol that make up our recommended 'allowance'. A common mistake people make is to think that one drink equates to one unit of alcohol.
· A 500ml can or bottle of 5% beer or lager contains 2.5 units
· A 175ml glass of wine, many of which are now around 12% alcohol by volume, contains 2 units. A 250ml glass which is often served in bars is nearer 3 units
· Bar measures of spirits are often 35ml which is closer to 1.5 units than to 1 unit
I'm not highlighting these issues to make you feel bad about drinking - everything in moderation after all - I simply flag them up so that you can make more informed choices as part of your overall plan of what you eat and drink in relation to how you want to look and feel.
If you want the best results with your energy, fitness and body shape, keep in mind how much you drink and how often and experiment with different patterns of drinking until you find a routine that suits you.
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26 January 2010
Are You Heading For Burn Out Part 2
It was about taking breaks to recharge your batteries and nourish your mind and body, and it was prompted by a snowboarding trip that I took, but almost didn't take, because I was worried about the work I was leaving behind.
I've just come back from another snowboarding trip and was reminded of the post. I re-read it and was amazed at how different my state of mind was leading up to this trip.
The trip itself was every bit as fantastic as the previous one but I had none of the anxiety about taking a few days out from my regular routine. And that's because my regular routine is much better than it used to be.
The last trip made me think about how I run my schedule, what I can delegate and how I prioritise. I acted on these thoughts when I returned and now I can go away for trips like this without worry.
It was really great to have the opportunity to review how things have changed for the better because, in a busy routine, it's all too easy to get caught up in what you're doing and not realise that life is continually getting better.
So, here's the next installment of snowboard wisdom:
1) As I said in the previous post, never skip vacation time
2) When you've made time for your mind to be creative, act quickly on the new thoughts you generate
3) Highlight regular events in your life and use them to review your progress. Vacations are ideal for this but you can do it weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually, or preferably all of the above. However you do it, keep track of how life is shaping up and take action to ensure you're moving forwards as quickly as you want to be with everything that matters to you.
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19 January 2010
Feeling Blue? Not any more...
Yesterday was the day known as 'Blue Monday' - the most depressing day of the year. The day when the combination of bad weather, holiday credit card bills and the long time left until pay day gets the better of us and we decide to hibernate and avoid getting out of bed.
I don't believe in things like Blue Monday and I know plenty of people who know what they need to do to manage their mental and physical state appropriately and ride out any periods that are generally recognised as being challenging.
I asked some of the people that I've been working with recently what changes they've made to their approach to healthy living in the last couple of months, and what difference these changes have made to their professional and personal lives. In other words, what changes have they made that will help them feel great and perform well all year round in spite of seasonal hot spots like Blue Monday.
The top 5 changes reported were:
- Take more exercise
- Drink more water
- Make a plan for sleep, rest and recovery
- Eat more healthily throughout the day
- Make time for me and my family
The top 5 benefits of making these changes were:
- Increased energy
- A sense of calm
- Feeling fitter
- Feeling less irritable
- A reassuring sense of balance
Nothing earth shattering there you'll notice, it's all pretty much common sense.
But what really matters is these people are living with the benefits of making these changes, not just thinking about making these changes.
So don't waste any more time lamenting the fact that sometimes circumstances conspire to make you feel rotten. Take charge of what you need to do to make every day fantastic.
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