More how to chill out…
In my previous post I said that the activity you do to chill out doesn’t matter it you just need to enjoy it and it absorbs you.
So why not consider paying video games, yes video games. If you ask any gamer, who enjoys playing them and they will tell you it help them relax or de-stress. I know this may sound unlikey. However that is scientific research to support the idea that regularly playing video games can help people unwind an dimprove their ability to handle everyday stress.
In 2010 Associate Professor Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson of the Texas A&M Public Research Facility demonstrated that both men and women who play violent video games long-term seem to be able to adopt mental skills to handle stress, become less depressed and get less hostile during stressful tasks. In 2014 reserarchers from University College London found that people who played video games after work experienced faster recovery from work related stress.
While there are a number of video games on the market which are specifically aimed at helping people unwind and manage stress, it seems that almost any form of game playing will do the trick. Spending half an hour each day on a video console could be be as effective as going to the gym for helping you “chill out” at the end of a busy day.
References
http://www.christopherjferguson.com/hitman.pdf
http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1418103/
Related Posts
Tips to prevent lower back pain.
While on holiday I suddenly moved and strained my lower back muscles. My muscle strain was sorted out by a combination of massage, stretches and back exercises. So as I have now returned from sunny Bulgaria I thought I would remind people (including me) how to preventing lower back pain.
- Avoid sudden jerky movements. (Note to self, that includes while on holiday).
- Never slouch.
- Switch sitting positions often and periodically walk around or gently stretch muscles to relieve tension.
- Don’t bend over without supporting your back.
- Try to maintain your ideal body weight. Too much upper body weight can strain your lower back.
- Sleep on your side to reduce any curve in your spine, and always sleep on a firm surface.
- Lift with your legs.
- If you smoke, quit. Smoking reduces blood flow to the lower spine and causes the spinal discs to degenerate.
- Wear flat shoes with cushioned soles as they can help reduce the pressure on your back.
- Regular exercise, such as walking and swimming, is an excellent way of preventing back pain. In addition Yoga & Pilates can strengthen your core muscles reducing the strain on your back and improving the flexibility of your spine.
More causes of the low magnesium epidemic?
In my last blog article, I started to explore how every day food choices and medications were having an adverse impact on our magnesium levels. I now want to take a look at what we drink and ageing. 1. Cola drinks Most dark colored soft drinks contain phospates, which actually bind to magnesium inside the digestive tract making it unavailable to the body. 2. Caffinated drinks The kidneys regulate the level of magnesium in our body. Caffine found in tea and coffee caues the kidnesy to release extra magnesium. 3. Alcohol Alcohol increased the excretion of magnesium by the kidneys. 4. Ageing Finally if the list wasn't long enough, we need to add one more thing that we can't avoid, getting older. The over 55's are particularly vulnerable to low magnsium. Magnesium metabolism may be less efficient as we grow older as changes to the GI tract and kidneys contribute to older adults aborbing less and retaining less magnsium. References Dean C. The Magnesium Miracle. New York: Ballantine Books; 2007. Weiss GH, Sluss PM, Linke CA. Changes in urinary magnesium, citrate and oxalate levels due to cola consumption. Urology 1992;39:331-3 Brink E. J., Beynen A. C., Dekker P. R., Beresteijn E.C.H., Meer R. Interaction of calcium and phosphate decreases ileal magnesium solubility and apparent magnesium absorption. The Journal of Nutrition. 1992; 122:580-586 Seelig M, Rosanoff A. The Magnesium Factor. New York: Avery Books; 2003 Heaney RP, Rafferty K. Carbonated beverages and urinary calcium excretion. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2001; 74:343–347 Irwin R, Rippe J. Irwin and Rippe’s Intensive Care Medicine. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins; 2008 Bernstein A, Luggen AS. Nutrition for the Older Adult. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 2010.
