A little bit of love for the weekend....

I am piloting an ear acupuncture protocol to the staff members of a childrens charity to help with stress management, and before starting work there I had to attend one of their inductions the other day.

 

As well as being a charity supporting vulnerable children in London, they are also undertaking a huge research project investigating brain changes in children who have suffered significant mental and/or emotional trauma.  One of the main things they are concentrating on is how consistent high levels of cortisol being released into the body have huge effects on child brain development and function, setting them back years.  Cortisol is being released due to the fight and flight mechanism as their brains are processing that they are in constant danger - which they are.  This is a primal reaction that has helped the human race survive from Savannah and beyond.

 

When 'danger' is perceived a hormone called ACTH is released to create strength to fight the lion and cortisol is released to shut down all unnecessary functions in the body - including some brain functions - as we don't need to work out the colour of the lions' eyes or how thick its fur is, we just need to assess do we fight or run!....

 

Even though this research is on children and these children are in extreme situations, as adults we are also susceptable to the affects of cortisol (which Emilie has mentioned before).  I am sure we have all experienced, to a certain degree when we are under pressure, how we can sometimes forget the simplest of things in an important presentation or exam.  The reason for this is we have perceived this situation as dangerous and the primal hormonal processes have started to kick in and parts of our brains have shut down to protect us.

 

Even though we can use tai chi, yoga, meditation, other relaxation techniques and sometimes supplements (with advice) to help calm the fight or flight reaction, one very simple way of countering it is kindness.

 

In a video about the charity, the founder said, 'come and get high on compassion!'  What she was actually getting high on is oxytocin, a natural chemical released during moments of kindness and love.  Oxytocin will not only help to lower your own cortisol levels but also it will help to lower those of the person you are showing kindness to.

 

So something as simple as a hug, listening to someone who is having a hard time, giving someone a beaming smile, holding the door open for someone or volunteering your time with a charity - all these sorts of things can actually help to keep us healthy.

 

Sending all you NITC'ers some love for the weekend :o)

 

Zen Dog

 

P.S there will be another blog on the ear acupuncture protocol for stress management soon...

Roll with it....

A highly effective, if a little unlikely, tool to add to our toolbox of health is a foam roller!

In current economic times having a regular massage to de-stress and relieve tight muscles may have had to go out the window, but that is where the humble foam roller can help.

Personally I used to see them piled in the corner of the gym and not go near them, choosing to do yoga stretches as part of my cool down, but the foam roller has now become something I use daily to combat tight and tired muscles.

Our bodies hold both physical and emotional stress which manifests itself in shortened muscles, rising shoulders and tight hips amongst other things, so a cheap and easy way of working on these areas on a daily basis to prevent injury is with a foam roller.

Fascia has been the bodywork buzz word for a while now and put simply fascia is the network of connective tissue that holds everything in place in your body. It runs from your head to your feet continuously. Fascia is made up of collagen and elastin fibres. Like anything in the body fascia is prone to weakness or injury when put under stress by both physical and emotional factors. The fascia can become glued up which can lead to tight spots and sometimes pain as other parts of the body start to be pulled and strained to compensate.

You can do your own myofascial release with the foam roller in the comfort of your own home and without spending a fortune. Myofascial release is about time, so find the painful spot and lean your body weight into it on the foam roller and breath. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds depending on what you can take but breathing deeply during this process will really help the spot to release and the pain start to dissipate.

The roller can be rolled up and down the muscle to aid in lengthening and also you can use it to stretch, spending up to a minute relaxing in certain positions to stretch areas like the quads or the pectorals.

I have found using a foam roller regularly has definitely helped to increase my stability, balance, body awareness and alignment as well as keeping tight muscles in check. It is a cheap tool to have on hand so tensions and tightness don't get a chance to build up and impact your normal activities or your health.

So next time you are in the gym go and liberate a foam roller from the corner and experiment with it - below is a link to some examples to get you started. Happy rolling!

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=GB#/watch?v=QJLxruO3su0

Zen Dog

Disaster recovery

As part of my day job I have to make sure our disaster recovery systems are all in place and setup so that if some disaster befalls us and we can't use our main office.

This is critical to keep the show on the road, but got me thinking about what we should have in place to keep ourselves on the road in the face of our own health disasters!

Disaster: We all have times when we fall off the food wagon or go crazy at the buffet table and get home feeling bloated and sluggish.
What you need:
Lots of water (either bottled or filtered)
Fruit and veg (keep a stock of these in the freezer so you never run out)
What to do:
Firstly drink lots of water - this will help your liver process/detox all the cr@p you've eaten! And if you're still on a splurge will also stop a binge in it's tracks. 
Once you're properly hydrated don't eat again until you have a proper appetite - that could be some time! 
If you can face it go for a jog to burn off some of the calories.
When your appetite comes back (this could be the next day) eat a detox friendly meal of purely fruit/veg to mitigate the damage and get you back onto healthy foods.

Disaster: you wake up horribly hungover but need to get yourself to work.
You need: water, fruit, fruit smoothie
What to do: drink a big glass of water, have a shower to wake yourself up and wash off any alcohol sweat!  Have another glass of water and eat a piece of fruit if you're hungry (if you're not then just have a glass of fruit juice).
Head to work and buy a big bottle of fruit smoothie - sip it throughout the morning alternating with plenty more water. Have a low GI carb rich lunch with some brown rice or new or sweet potatoes or pasta and fresh salad. Follow with a green tea if you start flagging and have another one if you need it to get you to home wime.

Disaster: you've burnt the candle at both ends and feel exhausted and run down but have a full day at work
You need: B vitamins, a fresh fruit smoothie (I love Prets vitamin volcano for this), oat cakes spread with nut butter or low-fat cheese or hummous and a lime
What to do:
You need to ttake in as many vitamins as you can to compensate for the lack of sleep whilst snacking on wholegrain snacks with protein to keep energy levels up. Start your day with a fruit smoothie (preferably with some protein powder) and take a B complex. Eat little and often snacking on oat cakes or rye crackerbreads with some protein. Also drink plenty of water and squeeze the juice of half a lime into a cup with your breakfast and lunch for a vitamin C fix. 
Sleep as soon as possible, if you're really struggling you might want to try and grab a twenty minute cat nap either at the gym or in your first aid room during the day, otherwise have as early a night as possible - there's nothing wrong with going to bed at 8pm if that's what you need!  In this circumstance ready meals are acceptable as a quick no effort dinner, go for something clean though like an 'innocent' veg pot or an m+s steam cuisine dinner.

Tell tails - sleep disturbances

I love my sleep, infact sleeping is one of my favourite past times and I love to get 8-9 hours whenever possible.

Still it wasn't always so easy and I used to suffer from insomnia, the classic kind where you can't get to sleep. By taking up running to burn off my nervous energy I managed to bat that into touch, but I still suffer from early morning waking if I'm stressed which is a classic sign of stress, as is not sleeping soundly or not waking feeling rested.

If you're not sleeping well there are a few tips you can follow to try and improve your sleep patterns, but this is also a strong sign that you need to address your stress levels before you get exhausted.

Eat a snack rich in magnesium and potassium and hour before bed such as bananas and oatcakes with nut butter . Magnesium is a relaxant but this will also top up your blood sugar levels to avoid a blood sugar drop in the night which could wake you up.

Turn off the tv and computer an hour before bed time, these both are too stimulating for the nervous system. 

Have a cup of herbal tea before bed, and steer clear of caffeine from 2pm onwards. Caffeine is infact best avoided totally if you have any kind of disturbed sleep as is alcohol.

Spending 20 minutes doing something truly relaxing every evening such as soaking in the tub or doing some stretching and breathing exercises can help turn the nervous energy off and send you to sleep.

Go to bed an hour earlier and preferably by 10pm, this will get you to sleep cycle before cortisol levels go back up again, and help you sleep for longer. Ideally you'll go to bed early enough to wake naturally 15-20Mins before your alarm clock.

Tell tails - immunity

One of the main systems to suffer when you're pushing your stress limits is your immune system. Getting more colds or cold and flu like symptoms is a classic sign, as is suffering from more allergies or intolerances.

However it isn't as cut and dried as that. You see the stress hormone cortisol is a steroid so it suppresses the immune system.  Therefore if you're stressed all the time you may suppress any immune symptoms that you should be showing and not realise you're ill when you are. 

That might sound odd but if you're running from a tiger (what your stress response is meant for) then it's not a convenient time to be feeling a little peaky!

You'll know if this applies to you because firstly you'll probably be feeling somewhat invincible (party all night, work all day and never get a cold - definitely too good to be true), but also because every time you get any extended period of relaxation such as going on holiday you'll more than likely get sick and feel dreadful as your cortisol levels will have dropped.

If this sounds like you it's time to take action, before you push yourself over the edge. In particular you need to address all sources of stress and work on relaxing - you're probably not the type of person who likes to relax so it may take some effort!

Tell tails - Bs

The family of B vitamins are vital in the bodies stress response. They are also an essential input in the Krebs cycle - the chemical reaction in your body that produces energy.

Therefore if you're stressed you'll use up your B vitamins more quickly and so find it harder to generate energy.

For me the tell tail signs I'm low in Bs is a general lower energy level and fatigue/reduced stamina when exercising.

B vitamins are also important for skin health so dry skin and flaking or split nails can also be a sign - I tend to get dry circles on my upper arms when I'm stressed which is my prompt to have the brilliant Nutri Muscleze supplement which is rich in Bs and Magnesium.

Food wise you need to eat plenty of brown rice and other wholegrains, leafy greens, oily fish and eggs, so if these aren't a regular part of your diet they should be, especially when you're going through a stressful time.

Tell tails - Vit C

Vitamin C is a vital nutrient for your adrenal glands, and if you get low your ability to deal with stress can quickly diminish.

It's also a water soluble nutrient so isn't stored in the body which means you can get depleted pretty quickly and is why you need to eat fruit and vegetables daily.

Vitamin C is also very important for the health of endothelial cells such as those found in the lining of the mouth so early indicators of low vitamin C status are mouth ulcers, cold sores or cracked sore lips.

If you get any of these it's time to take action - for me this means drinking some fresh fruit and vegetable juices, I'll also add half a squeezed lime to every hot drink I have. 

Remember also that sugar inhibits vitamin C absorption so cut out sugar til you've recovered.