One for all you amateur athletes

We have all heard about the target of walking about 10,000 steps per day which roughly equates to walking 5 miles per day.  Well many years ago when I worked long hours in IT some days, and lets be frank even some months, the possibility of me walking 10,000 steps per day was a pipe dream.  I would say this was especially true in the winter when the dark skies, cold, wind and rain didn't exactly entice me to go outside even though I love walking. Researchers in Trondenheim University in Norway have discovered that in heart patients after just 12 weeks of walking 3000 steps every day, the hearts pumping function improved which in turn improved their ability to exercise. They concluded that moderate continuous exercise, such as walking 3,000 steps or 1.5 miles in 30 minutes had as much benefit on the heart as more vigorous, intensive exercising.  Moderate walking decreased the strain on the heart, improved heart muscle function, improved blood vessel dilatation, helped form new blood vessels and lowered blood pressure. On average a sedentary person completes between 1,000 to 3,000 steps per day.  Which is good news for the desk bound as you can now aim for 3,000 continuous steps which is much easier to achieve than 10,000! Reference http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2017/01/19/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.022924  

This week the press seem to be full of articles on sleep, ranging from recent research to the reasons why we lose sleep - the top reason being a heavy workload. I am sure that most people reading this blog post know that if they have a good night’s sleep they wake up feeling refreshed.  So the recent discovery by scientists from University of Wisconsin which shows sleep restores your brain will be of no surprise.  (For any geeks out there the research showed that sleep boosts myelin which is essential in the growth and repair of our brains.  The research also revealed that deep sleep doubles the rate of reproduction of some cells.)  While over in Stockholm researchers have discovered that people think sleep deprived individuals “look sad, unhealthy and unattractive”.   For anyone that is struggling to get a good night’s sleep knowing science has proved that they look as awful as they feel isn’t exactly helpful either!  So I wanted to share a few tips with you on getting a good night’s sleep.

• Try to go to bed and get up at the same time as bodies like routine and it will help you sleep better.
• Ensure your bedroom is quiet, dark, restful and the right temperature i.e. not to hot and not to cold. Remember it isn’t ideal to watch TV or work in your bedroom that includes trying to sleep while keeping one eye on your blackberry.
• Try to mentally and physically relax before going to bed by turning of the TV or computer and having a warm bath, listen to some relaxing music, read a book or simply sip a cup of Chamomile tea.
• Valerian is a dietary supplement that has been used since ancient times to help with a good nights sleep as it is known for combat insomnia and nervousness.
• While exercise is great to combat stress, exercising too close to bedtime can actually make it harder to sleep.
• It is best to avoid alcohol before your go to bed as for some people it will interrupt their sleep pattern later in the night.
• It is best to avoid coffee from later afternoon onwards as for some people it will keeps them awake.

Following on from part 1, I want to introduce you to more ways to do simple mindfulness. 1. Tuning into sounds The hum of a gan, tickeing of a cloack, the round of rain on the window, voices outside the room.  Realing tuning in ot hte volume, pitch and noticing if there's a rthythmic quality to the sound. 2. Experimenting with taste Using a small pleasant tasting boiled sweet, chocolate melting int he mouth or taking a few sips of water.  Noticing the flavour, physical sensations and returning the attention when it wanders. 3. Smell Simply light a scented candle where your like the smell or inhale the sent of your favourite essential oil by placing a drop on a tissue. 4. Hold an object in your hands A pebble, wooden bead pen, cup etc any everyday object.  Focus your attention in to notice the temperature, the texture (roughness/smoothness), the shape and how it feels.  Experiment with your eyes start with open and then notice the difference if you close your eyes. Remember mindfulness is about training the mind, so you don't need to use breath as your anchor be creative, be kind to yourself and start simple with 30 seconds and build up the time slowly and gradually - its a practice not a race!