Something I always want more of and never quite get enough of is sleep. However my body tells me when I haven't had enough, as was the case last week. When I start feeling lethargic, not performing so well at the gym, and ultimately getting a sore throat (common when the body is under stress) I know it's time for a catch-up, which is what I did last night when I had a blissful 10.5 hours sleep.
Sleep is so important for your health and well being, as it is when the body has the time and energy to repair itself, build new cells and detoxify, but is often the first thing to be cut when you're short on time. I certainly will rush around doing chores, that really could wait til the next day, when I ought to be going to bed and the problem with this is I often miss the sleep window. This is the point at which your natural cicardian rhythm is preparing you for sleep - your cortisol levels drop, you start to feel tired and if you get yourself to bed you'll usually fall asleep pretty quickly. Unfortunately this window for most people is from 9:30pm to 10:30pm, and if you're not asleep by 10:30 you've missed it. Factoring in that it usually takes poeople 15-30minutes to fall asleep after getting into bed, you need to be in bed by 10am for optimum sleep - not easy.
If you miss the window your body detects that despite feeling sleepy you're keeping yourself awake, assumes this is for a good reason, and then starts producing more cortisol to wake you up. This can give you a nice second wind, but also may keep you in an awake mode til 1am when the cortisol levels wear off. Even if you do go to sleep you may have disturbed or light sleep due to the elevated cortisol levels. This is also why you shouldn't exercise late in the evening as this pushes up your cortisol levels, also disrupting your sleeping pattern.
Even if it's not possible every night, you should try and have at least two nights a week where you're asleep by 10:30 to make sure you have a good deep sleep. And on that note, having missed the window myself, I'm off to bed!
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Make hay whilst the sun shines
Today we finally had some sunshine here in the big smoke and so I made the most of it and ate my lunch outside. It felt wonderful to be sat in full sunshine, but the benefits of sun exposure aren't limited to the temporary lift in mood - you need sunshine to manufacture vitamin D in your skin cells.
Vitamin D is one of the few nutrients which your body manufactures itself and most of the vitamin D found in the body will have been produced internally, rather than coming from food sources. It's also one of the main stored nutrients, whereas most nutrients wash out the body after a few days your clever body makes the most of the summer sun by storing Vitamin D in the liver for you to use over winter when your skin will be covered up.
This system works really well, unless of course the summer fails to materialise! So if you haven't got any holidays booked to more southern destinations you may be running low on Vitamin D right now.
Low levels of vitamin D put you at greater risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis, depression and most organ cancers - infact research into this vitamin continually digs up new ways in which it is vital for health.
The main food sources of vitamin D are oily fish and eggs so if you don't eat these foods regularly you're particularly likely to need a supplement. I usually supplement with drops over winter, but if the summer doesn't turn up soon I'm going to start a couple of months early!
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Vitamin D is one of the few nutrients which your body manufactures itself and most of the vitamin D found in the body will have been produced internally, rather than coming from food sources. It's also one of the main stored nutrients, whereas most nutrients wash out the body after a few days your clever body makes the most of the summer sun by storing Vitamin D in the liver for you to use over winter when your skin will be covered up.
This system works really well, unless of course the summer fails to materialise! So if you haven't got any holidays booked to more southern destinations you may be running low on Vitamin D right now.
Low levels of vitamin D put you at greater risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis, depression and most organ cancers - infact research into this vitamin continually digs up new ways in which it is vital for health.
The main food sources of vitamin D are oily fish and eggs so if you don't eat these foods regularly you're particularly likely to need a supplement. I usually supplement with drops over winter, but if the summer doesn't turn up soon I'm going to start a couple of months early!
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Wednesday, 27 July 2011
The dating diet
As I mentioned in my blog on Monday, a new relationship can bring with it a few extra unwanted pounds due to over-indulgent dining and drinking. Even if you're not coupled up, the dating scene usually involves a fair amount of imbibing and it can be hard to keep in shape.
This is where lessons from my beloved Mr Montignac come in handy. The author of the excellent 'Dine out and Lose Weight', first published in 1986, Mr Montignac set out to lose weight whilst dining out everyday, and succeeded!
The full diet is too much to cover here but in essence it involves avoiding all sugar (only fruit or low sugar dark chocolate desserts are allowed for pudding) avoiding all carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (white rice, white bread, sugar, dried and tropical fruit, potatoes) and not eating any starchy foods other than pulses with a meal containing saturated fats ie any meal containing meat, cheese, butter, cream or eggs.
When it comes to drinking dry wine and champagne are allowed in small quantities, but sugary cocktails, diet or sugary mixers and beer are all out.
The Montignac Method promotes weight loss by regulating insulin production and in particular by reducing the damage of eating fatty foods by minimising insulin production when eating these foods. It also cuts out the addictive sugar and refined carbohydrates reducing the likelihood of over-eating. This means no crisps, biscuits, refined breakfast cereals and chocolate bars, but you can still enjoy a cheese board (no crackers). dark chocolate and fruit.
As for the dating scene, if you're lucky you may find a partner who has some healthy eating and exercise habits you might pick up. If you're a die hard carnivore and find yourself dating a vegetarian, instead of being horrified embrace it and try out some vegetarian restaurants.
If your new beau/belle is sporty then base some dates around an activity, play a game of tennis, go for a swim or even take up 'brunch jogging', which is Ms Haribos excellent idea of going for a run with friends motivated by the reward of brunch afterwards.
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Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Lifting the fog
Apologies if you all saw this story during Wimbledon, but somehow I totally missed the news that Novak Djokavic found Wimbledon success having followed a strict gluten free diet for a year on the recommendation of his nutritionist.
Djokovic isn't the first top athlete to benefit by following a gluten free diet, Paula Radcliffe recovered from her gastric problems and fatigue during the Greece Olympics by giving up gluten.
But what's interesting about this article in the Wall Street Journal is that Djokovic benefited from cutting out gluten not just physically (it turns out even athletes aren't immune to holding excess water weight) but also mentally, with improved mental focus.
Brain fog is a common symptom with food intolerances and I'm sure accounts for a significant portion of the glazed expressions I often see on colleagues after a sandwich or pasta based lunch.
Fortunately you don't need to be able to afford a top notch nutritionist to work out if wheat or gluten are a problem for you. Just give up wheat for two weeks and see how you feel:
Are you mentally clearer?
Have you lost some weight?
Do you feel less bloated?
If the answer to all three questions is yes then it's probably a good idea to limit your wheat intake to the occasional treat. It's also worth taking the next step and cutting out gluten too ... you might not win Wimbledon but you may feel a lot better for it.
Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703509104576327624238594818.html
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Djokovic isn't the first top athlete to benefit by following a gluten free diet, Paula Radcliffe recovered from her gastric problems and fatigue during the Greece Olympics by giving up gluten.
But what's interesting about this article in the Wall Street Journal is that Djokovic benefited from cutting out gluten not just physically (it turns out even athletes aren't immune to holding excess water weight) but also mentally, with improved mental focus.
Brain fog is a common symptom with food intolerances and I'm sure accounts for a significant portion of the glazed expressions I often see on colleagues after a sandwich or pasta based lunch.
Fortunately you don't need to be able to afford a top notch nutritionist to work out if wheat or gluten are a problem for you. Just give up wheat for two weeks and see how you feel:
Are you mentally clearer?
Have you lost some weight?
Do you feel less bloated?
If the answer to all three questions is yes then it's probably a good idea to limit your wheat intake to the occasional treat. It's also worth taking the next step and cutting out gluten too ... you might not win Wimbledon but you may feel a lot better for it.
Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703509104576327624238594818.html
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Monday, 25 July 2011
The switch
I don't have a lot of free time so as a result don't watch a lot of TV. This is probably a good thing as a lot of the advertisements, particularly regarding food, wind me up.
However this weekend, whilst watching a movie, I saw an ad for Quorn that I actually thought was sending a good message.
The advertisement suggested switching regular sausages for quorn vegetarian sausages as a simple way to make sausage and mash healthy. Now whilst I'm not a fan of Quorn products myself, there are lots of great tasting vegetarian substitutes for unhealthy cuts of meat available in the supermarkets.
By substituting these into your favourite dishes you will dramatically reduce the saturated fat (and total fat) content making the dish much healthier and at the same time reducing the calories of your meal for those trying to lose weight. Vegetable based replacements will have the added bonus of upping your fibre intake benefiting your bowels (meat consumption is not good for bowel health).
Easy switches to make are:
vegetarian sausages in sausage and mash (I like Cauldron veggie sausages) or in a brunch sausage sandwich
Veggie burgers in wholemeal rolls for a bbq (tesco do tasty soy, mushroom or spicy bean burgers)
Substitute kidney beans for mince in chilli con carne
Use soy mince or lentils instead of mince in bologneise
For those die hard meat eaters amongst you don't dismiss this suggestion out of hand - at a recent party we served soy burgers rather than beef burgers and they went down well with the meat and non-meat eaters alike.
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However this weekend, whilst watching a movie, I saw an ad for Quorn that I actually thought was sending a good message.
The advertisement suggested switching regular sausages for quorn vegetarian sausages as a simple way to make sausage and mash healthy. Now whilst I'm not a fan of Quorn products myself, there are lots of great tasting vegetarian substitutes for unhealthy cuts of meat available in the supermarkets.
By substituting these into your favourite dishes you will dramatically reduce the saturated fat (and total fat) content making the dish much healthier and at the same time reducing the calories of your meal for those trying to lose weight. Vegetable based replacements will have the added bonus of upping your fibre intake benefiting your bowels (meat consumption is not good for bowel health).
Easy switches to make are:
vegetarian sausages in sausage and mash (I like Cauldron veggie sausages) or in a brunch sausage sandwich
Veggie burgers in wholemeal rolls for a bbq (tesco do tasty soy, mushroom or spicy bean burgers)
Substitute kidney beans for mince in chilli con carne
Use soy mince or lentils instead of mince in bologneise
For those die hard meat eaters amongst you don't dismiss this suggestion out of hand - at a recent party we served soy burgers rather than beef burgers and they went down well with the meat and non-meat eaters alike.
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Sunday, 24 July 2011
A bit of a dish
Whilst new relationships are great for the psyche they can be bad for the waistline ... with a few pounds of 'happy fat' easily accruing. This isn't surprising as eating out in fancy restaurants or impressing your partner with your culinary skills at home is an integral part of courtship.
Luckily for me the new BF not only enjoys cooking but is just as happy to cook up healthy creations as rich and heavy dishes. So this weeks recipe wasn't actually prepared by myself, but the hot doc made it look so easy I think even I could manage it. It's reasonably quick to prepare, impressive looking and delicious so great to impress your date. The minty pea sauce would also be great served as a pea and mint soup on it's own served with a crusty wholemeal (or gluten free) roll.
Sea Bass and Scallops with Minty Pea sauce
First make the pea sauce. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a saucepan and saute one small shallot very gently, stirring, until soft but not brown, about 1 minute. Add 1/2tsp minced garlic, 225g frozen peas thawed, 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves and 250ml vegetable stock from 500ml. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Puree in a blender, adding enough of the remaining stock to give a thick but pourable consistency. Return to the pan and set aside.
Season 2 small (115g each) sea bass fillets and 4 king (or 8 small) scallops with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the frying pan until very hot but not smoking. Saute the sea bass, skin-side down, with the scallops until golden, 1–2 minutes. Gently turn the fish and scallops over and quickly sear the other sides for 1–2 minutes longer. Take care not to overcook the fish. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Reheat the pea sauce and spoon onto deep, warmed plates, spreading it out to a large pool. Place two pieces of sea bass, skin-side down, and two scallops on top of each pool and garnish with chopped fresh chives.
Serve with sides of steamed fine green beans and boiled new potatoes drizzled with olive oil.
Read More http://www.ivillage.com/sea-bass-and-scallops-minty-pea-sauce/3-r-65004#ixzz1T2n8e0Hr
Luckily for me the new BF not only enjoys cooking but is just as happy to cook up healthy creations as rich and heavy dishes. So this weeks recipe wasn't actually prepared by myself, but the hot doc made it look so easy I think even I could manage it. It's reasonably quick to prepare, impressive looking and delicious so great to impress your date. The minty pea sauce would also be great served as a pea and mint soup on it's own served with a crusty wholemeal (or gluten free) roll.
Sea Bass and Scallops with Minty Pea sauce
First make the pea sauce. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a saucepan and saute one small shallot very gently, stirring, until soft but not brown, about 1 minute. Add 1/2tsp minced garlic, 225g frozen peas thawed, 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves and 250ml vegetable stock from 500ml. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Puree in a blender, adding enough of the remaining stock to give a thick but pourable consistency. Return to the pan and set aside.
Season 2 small (115g each) sea bass fillets and 4 king (or 8 small) scallops with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the frying pan until very hot but not smoking. Saute the sea bass, skin-side down, with the scallops until golden, 1–2 minutes. Gently turn the fish and scallops over and quickly sear the other sides for 1–2 minutes longer. Take care not to overcook the fish. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Reheat the pea sauce and spoon onto deep, warmed plates, spreading it out to a large pool. Place two pieces of sea bass, skin-side down, and two scallops on top of each pool and garnish with chopped fresh chives.
Serve with sides of steamed fine green beans and boiled new potatoes drizzled with olive oil.
Read More http://www.ivillage.com/sea-bass-and-scallops-minty-pea-sauce/3-r-65004#ixzz1T2n8e0Hr
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Stripping in the city
Finding yourself on stage in front of a couple of hundred people in just your underwear is likely most peoples idea of a nightmare but this clearly wasn't the case for the cast of Wunderkammer the circus show currently on at the barbican. The cast managed to somehow incorporate some element of stripping into pretty much every segment of their show, including the trapeze act (much to Miss Haribos delight) and their curtain call!
Still they had nothing to worry about, circus skills are incredibly physically demanding resulting in a lean cut physique. However for the rest of us, suffering from 'desk bottom', the sight of honed abs provoked serious body envy!
Whilst joining the circus is an extreme course of action to stay in shape, doing exercises that use multiple muscle groups such as rowing, kettle bells, medicine balls and sandbag training can be very effective for toning up. Not only can these exercises help get you to look good in your undies, but they can also be highly beneficial physically encouraging good posture, core strength and lymphatic drainage throughout the body.
Crossfit training, based in canary Wharf (http://thamescrossfit.com/) offer intensive full body circuit training and periodically hold free park sessions as a taster. However if the idea of heaving around kettle bells and sandbags turns you off there are also more fun ways to achieve this: gardening (weeding and mowing), modern dancing (particularly hip hop and pole dancing) and of course circus classes, available in the city at circus space www.thecircusspace.co.uk and in Greenwich at aircraft circus www.aircraftcircus.com, for all the fun you'll be having swinging from the trapeze you'll forget you're even working out!
Still they had nothing to worry about, circus skills are incredibly physically demanding resulting in a lean cut physique. However for the rest of us, suffering from 'desk bottom', the sight of honed abs provoked serious body envy!
Whilst joining the circus is an extreme course of action to stay in shape, doing exercises that use multiple muscle groups such as rowing, kettle bells, medicine balls and sandbag training can be very effective for toning up. Not only can these exercises help get you to look good in your undies, but they can also be highly beneficial physically encouraging good posture, core strength and lymphatic drainage throughout the body.
Crossfit training, based in canary Wharf (http://thamescrossfit.com/) offer intensive full body circuit training and periodically hold free park sessions as a taster. However if the idea of heaving around kettle bells and sandbags turns you off there are also more fun ways to achieve this: gardening (weeding and mowing), modern dancing (particularly hip hop and pole dancing) and of course circus classes, available in the city at circus space www.thecircusspace.co.uk and in Greenwich at aircraft circus www.aircraftcircus.com, for all the fun you'll be having swinging from the trapeze you'll forget you're even working out!
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