Your energy account

The function of sleep is to renew us and its gives us our vitality or give us energy to live our lives.  But while it may be ideal to have 7, 8 or 9 hours a sleep it’s not always possible with our 21^st century life styles.  For many people there is simply too much to do to sleep.  So given you can’t create time, what can you do.  First remember that sleep is only one way to recharge our energy battery. Energy How much energy you have right now isn’t purely based on how well you slept last night or how well you have been sleeping recently.  By “energy” I mean your personal ability to live life to its fullest capacity.  So where would you put yourself on an energy scale of 1 to 100% where 1 is very low energy and 100 is full of energy?  Below 30% we are de-motivated, low in self-esteem and feel out of control.  Just like jump-starting a car when the car battery has gone flat, if your energy falls below 30% then you need an energy boost from something like acupuncture, shiatsu or reiki.  Once your energy level is about 30% then it’s possible to help yourself boost your energy. Physical Energy Boosters This is what we do to care for ourselves physical and the things that give us our vitality and make us feel physically well and energised.

• Rest is not just the essential precursor to brilliant sleep; it is also a substitute for sleep as it allows us to recharge our batteries.
• A healthy diet provides the nutritional support your body needs to provide physical energy.
• Exercise including yoga, swimming, walking and tai chi help re-charge our batteries.

Emotional Energy Capacity This is related to your emotional health and energy – your ability to manage your guilt, worry, concerns, fears and anger.  How you nourish positive energy enhancing emotions such as joy, happiness, love and build supportive relationships with your nearest and dearest. Mental Energy Capacity This is about the ways in which we think, problem solve and nourish ourselves intellectually.  For most people this boils down to how we manage our need to control what’s going on around you and our tendency to be a perfectionist.  It also incorporates how we deal with uncertainty in our lives and how we generate optimism even in times of adversity. Spiritual Energy Capacity Spiritual energy is different for every one, I define it as what makes life worth living, its what motivates you.  Its unleashed when you tap into your values when we are doing something you believe in, and gives you determination and resilience. For anyone struggling with their physical energy levels, why not try Reiki, I offer 15 minute Reiki tasters for £12.50.

This week the daily mail reported that three in four office workers blame desk for sickness: badly set up desks and chairs cost companies 7bn each year. Rather than sitting in silence or popping pain killers to ease headaches or back pain,  here are my top 7 tips for staying healthy while working at your desk.

1. Sit up straight.  As you read this post, if you’re not running to an appointment or standing, how are you sitting? Really take notice of how you are sitting and poised. Are you legs crossed? Is your back hunched over as you read this? Or are you sitting up straight?  If you are sitting ensure that you are sitting up straight, not slouched, with your head directly over your torso and your feet on the ground, using a foot rest if necessary.
2. User a wrist support.  Repeatedly bending your wrists up and down (extension and flexion) compresses structures inside the carpal tunnel in the wrist. This can cause pain and lead to injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.  Place the heel of your palm on a wrists pad to minimise wrist pain.
3. Use a headset.  If you spend a lot of time on the phone user a head set rather to avoid holding the phone to your ear by raising your shoulder which may cause neck & shoulder pain.
4. Don't bang the keyboard instead use a light touch.  Try to use the minimum amount of force necessary to depress the keys. The tendons from your fingers connect near your elbow, so striking the keys too hard can lead to problems you might not associate with your keyboard-for example, pain and inflammation in your elbows (Epicondylitis).
5. Look straight ahead.  Maintaining proper eye level with your computer monitor is essential. This helps you avoid straining your back, neck, shoulders, and arms. In addition, proper eye level reduces unnecessary eye strain. To accomplish this sit in your office chair and stare straight ahead. You should be looking directly at the center of your monitor. If you are not looking at the center of the screen adjust the monitor until you have the correct measurement and use a monitor riser where necessary.
6. Save your work, save your shoulders.  Working as a massage therapist who specialise in Acupressure Neck & Shoulder massage withing an office environment, I know muscular tension in shoulders causing neck and shoulder pain is a common problem.  To minimise the build up of muscular tension in your shoulders, every time your save your work or send an email simply circle your shoulder three times clockwise and then three times anti-clockwise.
7. Book a massage.  If you are feeling the stain and pain for working long hours at your desk then book a massage which are highly effective at relieving neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain and tension headaches.

Joanne Mullins of Vitality Therapy offers Vitality Breaks - Acupressure Neck & Shoulder massage within a corporate environment allowing individuals to get well and stay well.

Every few months a new super food seems to emerge into the public domain.  Avocado seems to have caught the british public's imagination as sales soar.  With Avocado the hype seems to be justified. The fruit slows down and even reverses metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions -

• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• high body mass index (i.e. overweight)

Metabolic syndrome can lead to diabetes and heart disease. Avocado's bignest impact is on lipids, or fats, as it can alter levels of HDL and LDL cholesterol, trigylcerides and phospholipids. Researches who reviewed studies of Avocado say there is strong evidence that the fruit has all the ingredients to counter symtoms of metabolic syndrome.   It should be noted that the whole fruit that was studied including the peel, stone, flesh and leaves. Research J Tabeshpour, BM Razavi, H Husseingzadeh, 2017, Effects of Avacado (Persea americana) on Metabolic Syndrome: A comprehensive Systemic Review, Phytotherapy Research, Vol 31, Issue 6, pg 819-837