How I discovered Earthing

A few weeks ago I was asked this question, how I discovered Earthing. So I decided to write a short blog about it. The fact is I didn’t discover it, it was there all the time, I just didn’t know the science behind it.

To try and answer and need to go back in time in my childhood.

I lived in a capital city with my parents in a flat in the middle of the city. Concrete and dust was (and still is) everywhere. Until the age of 15 or so, I used to spend my school summer holiday, 3 months, in the countryside with my grandparents. I also used to go fishing with my father. And play with my friends at my grandparents’ house at the outskirts of the capital city I was living in.

Every time I went to the countryside, fishing or playing with my friends my mother used to send me out barefoot. Actually naked until I reached the age where I became aware of my nakedness :)).

In high school things changed. I was growing up and I stopped going visiting my grandparents as often. I was spending time with my friends in the city, in clubs and pubs.

Long story short. I went back to connecting with the Earth when I went into my worse wave of depression ever (I suffered from depression ever since I was a child). What triggered me to think of going outdoors I do not remember but I remember instant relief. As if a stone I was carrying for many years came off my shoulders. I was able to breathe, to explore and had room to move.

When I moved to London I began training with Michael Cohen coach at Wild Forest Gym where I still train today, 2 years later. Michael trains us for Obstacle Racing, we don’t talk much about Earthing but I began digging into the topic myself.

Then I began talking and writing about the concept of Earthing so friends were sending me articles they would bump into online.

I began to be more and more fascinated about the idea and I started reading more about the scientific research. I am not a tree hugger….not yet at least, ha ha.

I found out that scientists have discovered a connection between connecting with the Earth and reducing inflammation in the body which is responsible for many – if not most – diseases we suffer from. Earthing helps muscle recovery and reduces muscle soreness. It heals wounds and improves blood circulation. It also shows big improvement in people who are stressed, suffer from depression, insomnia, anxiety and other illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases.

This is the reason I am so fascinated about this topic. The cure is literally underneath our feet but we are too busy looking at the top shelf in the local pharmacy for chemical treatments.

At this point in time we cannot just replace professional medical treatment with Earthing. Our bodies will need time to adapt and react so please do not replace professional medical treatment.

If you’d like to learn more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body” orbook a free consultation with me.

December 31, 2014May 17, 2015

The difference between Flexibility and Mobility

Many of us understand the importance of being more flexible and the benefits we associate with it such as freedom of movement, recovery after workout and a general feeling of relaxation.

However, we use flexibility and mobility as one and the same thing. Or we talk about one but actually use the wrong terminology. So I wanted to shed some light on the difference between flexibility and mobility.

So here are the differences

By definition…

MOBILITY is the ability to move or be moved freely and easily. MOBILITY is an indication on how well and efficiently we move.

FLEXIBILITY is the quality of bending easily without breaking. FLEXIBILITY is a component of MOBILITY.

MOBILITY deals with how loose you feel, or how stiff you feel.

FLEXIBILITY deals with muscles length

MOBILITY is about the whole picture, how easy the body can move.

FLEXIBILITY is specific to a particular movement or joint and it can vary around the body.

A person with MOBILITY can perform daily activities or certain exercises with more ease.

A FLEXIBLE person may not be able to move as easily. They have the flexibility but not necessary the freedom of movement. Mobility can limit the potential we gain through flexibility.

Physical Therapist, Author and Coach Gray Cook explains that MOBILITY is actually more anatomically and physiologically correct because it encompasses any structure that could restrict motion.

FLEXIBILITY would only imply structures having tension on them. Calling all limited motion problems “flexibility problems” assumes that all can be helped with stretching. Sometimes it cannot.

Example

Mobility could limit the potential of flexibility. Let’s say your muscles (lats) are flexible enough to lift your arm vertical. But your mobility in your shoulder can limit that potential. Mobility is not limited to joints though. There is soft tissue mobility as well.

Important areas to keep flexible/mobile

Physical therapist and trainer, Joe Vega recommends we look after:

1. our neck

2. mid back

3. lower back

4. hip flexors

5. hamstrings

6. calf muscles.

It is important to foam roll/massage, stretch and strengthen these areas but not only. As your whole body is interconnected a tight muscles anywhere in your body may lead to tightness in another part of the body.

Benefits of flexibility and mobility

1. Prepare the body for physical activity

2. Reduce the risk of injuries or help recover faster from one. Whether we refer to sports injuries or simply slip on the ice or trip inside the house.

3. More ease of movement means more relaxation in the whole body thus less aches and pains, including that annoying lower back pain.

4. Helps with post workout recovery reducing soreness by driving blood flow to soft tissue

5. Improved posture. Tight muscles affect your spine’s alignment.

6. Increased endurance and metabolism

Factors influencing flexibility and mobility

1. Temperature, both body and environmental

2. Type of training. A gymnast will be more flexible and mobile than a cyclist, not matter how much the cyclist stretches.

3. Age. Although I do not totally agree with it. I have examples in my life who contradict this theory. It’s about maintaining what you gained through hard work.

4. Emotions. In his book “Stretching Scientifically” Thomas Kurz says that flexibility can be affected by anger, happiness, sadness, frustration, stress or how mentally burnt out we are.

5. Time of stretching. In the morning when you wake up you may feel a bit stiffer than normally. Although if you have a regular routine involving flexibility and mobility you could be flexible any time of the day.

If you’d like to know more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body” or book a free consultation with me.

December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

How much rest do you need for fitness gains

How much rest do you need for fitness gains

What are rest and recovery

Rest is part of recovery. Recovery is what happens in your body after the end of a workout. So rest includes sleep, nutrition, time for stillness—both mental and physical, activities that provide active-recovery that provides mental/physical relaxation such as yoga and swimming, frisbee, tennis, a walk in the park etc. Rest can include movement as long as it does not challenge the body.

Recovery it’s largely about tissue regeneration and nutrient delivery. Exercise creates a physical stimulus for the body to get better at a given challenge and this requires blood flow or circulation. Circulation brings nutrients to the tissues, nutrients provide the material to facilitate the improvement, and circulation is enhanced by movement. So lighter workouts can be a good idea for recovery as they enhance circulation.

Thus, a “rest” day is characterized by a need for some movement and not by sleeping and sitting on the couch all day. Movement is a daily occurrence. A rest day is a day where you you remove the challenge of hard exercise.

Rest time to gain fitness and not to lose it

It is important to first distinguish between the rest required to gain fitness, and the rest that will cause a loss of fitness. We don’t get stronger, fitter, and faster during exercise. Training benefits occur immediately after exercise. Furthermore the body needs up to 7 days to adapt to an exercise stimulus. Thus the workout is the stimulus, while recovery and improvement is the physical response.

It works like this. Intense exercise drives fitness down. During rest fitness increases and eventually ‘supercompensates’, thus elevating fitness above level before training. When the process is repeated as fitness reaches its peak, fitness continues to improve.

Supercompensation is the period after training during which there is a higher performance capacity than prior to the training period.

The key to getting this to work correctly is proper timing of rest between workouts. Not giving enough rest, or resuming activity too soon (i.e. before supercompensation) will result in decreased overall fitness. Wait too long, however and there may be no gain in fitness.

The correct resting period depends on the individual and intensity of the activity, but should generally fall within 24-48 hours for most athletes.

When do fitness levels begin to fall?

I did my research and these are some figures I found regarding the time length needed for fitness and strength to suffer a noticeable decrease.

The studies referenced herein assume rest to be complete inactivity and that you have a decent base of regular training for several months. Infrequent training without goals or commitment is just random activity and will not lead to fitness gains so talking about rest and recovery doesn’t make much sense.

Fitness in terms of VO2 max

VO2 max is the volume of oxygen that your lungs and blood can deliver to your muscles. This is important for sports like cycling and running.

Fitness, from VO2 measurements starts to be affected beginning the 4th-7th day of rest. Until then nothing changes but your mood.

When rest time reaches 14-30 days there is up to 6-20% of VO2 max loss.

At 90+ days VO2 max falls 27.5% from peak fitness.

Strength

In terms of strength, changes are slower. There significant decrease in strength for up to 7 days or so. After than chemical changes in the muscles begin to take place but muscle endurance is more affected than strength.

At 14-30 days muscles begin to decrease in size and fewer repetitions are possible. Endurance is affected even more.

After 30 days of rest there is a noticeable decrease in strength by up to 10% as well as power. A 300lb max back squat now becomes 270lb.

At 90+ days A 300lb max back squat now becomes 237lb. Strength performance can decrease 16-21%.

Maintaining fitness gains, especially strength gains, can be done with maintenance training at a significantly reduced volume and intensity.

The initial fitness losses shouldn’t trouble the recreational athlete. Adding 30 seconds your running benchmark is not make much difference. In fact, it may even be helpful as strategic detraining (decrease in fitness) can help overcome plateaus.

Since the studies referenced herein assume rest to be complete inactivity this is good news as usually when we “rest” we still do our daily activities and not sit all day.

Conclusions

Proper recovery is as important as proper training. And, as with nutrition and everything else, there are many strategies claiming to be the correct way to train and recover.

Also as usual, there are rarely any strategies that will work for everyone universally. Manipulating training-recovery strategy to fit a specific individual can take some trial and error, but it provides a better understanding of what the body needs.

An appropriately challenging workout will, in general, require one to two recovery days.

An appropriate workout creates a sense of mild soreness, where you can feel that the muscles were challenged. Soreness should not be a debilitating and painful experience that lasts for several days. That is a poorly designed workout.

Many people wrongly believe that a workout must be so hard that you should feel significant soreness for several days (unfortunately, many trainers deliver this well).

It is important to train just above—but not too far above—one’s current abilities. Better fitness is not achieved by long gaps between training days which you’d need if you experience extreme soreness.

If you’d like to know more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body”

Sources, research and further reading:

http://www.crestedbuttecrossfit.com/cbcf_blog/2014/10/rest-recovery-and-detraining-.html

https://www.acefitness.org/blog/3565/recovery-redefined-how-much-rest-you-actually-need

http://www.builtlean.com/2012/06/05/overtraining/

1	1. Detraining Definition: Mujika, Padilla S
	Cardiorespiratory and metabolic characteristics of detraining in humans. NCBI/PubMed

2	Stephen Brooks, Jacky Burrin, Mary E. Cheetham, George M. Hall, Tom Yeo, Clyde Williams
	The responses of the catecholamines and β-endorphin to brief maximal exercise in man
	European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology 1988, Volume 57, Issue 2, pp 230-234

3	Stephenson, Roy
	Comeback Trail: Detraining, Retraining and Maintenance of Fitness for Ultra Endurance Runners
	TrailRunner Magazine, December 2011

4	COSTILL, D. L.; FINK, W. J.; HARGREAVES, M.; KING, D. S.; THOMAS, R.; FIELDING, R.
	Metabolic characteristics of skeletal muscle during detraining from competitive swimming.
	Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: June 1985

5	Dr. P. Darrell Neufer The Effect of Detraining and Reduced Training on the
	Physiological Adaptations to Aerobic Exercise Training
	Sports Medicine, November 1989, Volume 8, Issue 5, pp 302-320

6	E.F. Coyle, M K. Hemmert , A.R. Coggan Effects of Detraining on Cardiovascular
	Responses to Exercise: The Role Of Blood Volume
	Journal of Applied Physiology Published 1 January 1986Vol. 60no. 1, 95-99

7	K. Madsen , P. K. Pedersen , M. S. Djurhuus , N. A. Klitgaard Effects of detraining on endurance
	capacity and metabolic changes during prolonged exhaustive exercise
	Journal of Applied Physiology Published 1 October 1993 Vol. 75 no. 4, 1444-1451

8	Hortobágyi T, Houmard JA, Stevenson JR, Fraser DD, Johns RA, Israel RG
	The effects of detraining on power athletes.
	Europe PubMed Central [1993, 25(8):929-935]

9	Mujika I, Padilla S
	Muscular characteristics of detraining in humans.
	Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise [2001, 33(8):1297-1303]

10	Hakkinen K, Komi PV (1985). Changes in electrical and mechanical behaviour
	of leg extensor muscles during heavy resistance strength training.
	Scandinavian Journal of Sports Science 7: 55-64

11	M. E. Houston, E. A. Froese, St. P. Valeriote, H. J. Green, D. A. Ranney Muscle performance,
	morphology and metabolic capacity during strength training and detraining: A one leg model
	European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology1983, Volume 51, Issue 1, pp 25-35

12	READY, A. ELIZABETH; QUINNEY, H. ARTHUR
	Alterations in anaerobic threshold as the result of endurance training and detraining.
	Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: 1982

13	NICHOLS, J. F., D. ROBINSON, D. DOUGLASS and J. ANTHONY
	Retraining of a competitive master athlete following traumatic injury: a case study.
	Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 1037–1042, 2000.

14	Calculation based on the Daniels & Gilbert VO2 max equation, which applies best to running with variables
	only for velocity and time. The “Fran” workout is equated to a 1500m run, until more research on VO2 max
	and CrossFit is available.

15	KRAEMER, WILLIAM J.; KOZIRIS, L. PERRY; RATAMESS, NICHOLAS A.; HÄKKINEN, KEIJO;
	Detraining Produces Minimal Changes in Physical Performance and Hormonal Variables in
	Recreationally Strength-Trained Men.
	Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: August 2002

16	Neufer, PD.
	The effect of detraining and reduced training on the physiological adaptations to aerobic exercise training.
	Sports Med. 1989 Nov; 9(5): 302-‐320.

17	William A. Sands PhD, CSCS
	Incorporating Recovery into Your Microcycle
	National Strength and Conditioning Association Online Edition: http://www.nsca.com/education/articles/incorporating-recovery-into-your-microcycle/

December 29, 2014May 25, 2015

Why on earth would you want a Coach?

You see top athletes, Olympic athletes, World champions still being coached. Have you ever wondered why is that? They already know everything they need to know, many of them are the best in the world. What can a coach possibly help them with even more?

When you want to achieve something there are times when you need a kick in the butt. And no one is more able, motivated and caring enough than your coach to do that.

She not only prepares you physically but she gets your mind ready whether for athletic purposes or for lifting heavy life obstacles, it’s all training, it’s all conditioning.

So if athletes deserve a coach’s attention why shouldn’t you?

I’ve selected a few reasons why I believe a coach is important for everyone at any level and for, probably, any goal. There are many more though

1. Objectivity

When someone is emotionally involved in the completion of a goal or regarding a project they can’t see all the details or look at the problem from all possible angles.

I had a client in her late 50’s who trained with me after a few knee surgeries. She used to play tennis and wanted to get back into shape to play again. She wanted conditioning, cardio, strength and all that. However we had a sit and talked about what is most important: conditioning or preparing the body to avoid recurring injuries, to avoid another sugery. She didn’t like when I told her we need to prepare her knee, both of them even, to withstand the pressure, twisting and bending common in tennis players. Of course in time she agreed with me and saw the benefits. After less than 1 year training with me she got back into playing tennis happy and healthy.

Having a good coach gives you the assurance you work or train in the most efficient and effective way to reach you goal without causing long term injuries, or leading to other type of consequences. A coach is not influenced by personal feelings concerning your personal goals.

2. Accountability

I have a client who sometimes comes to our session tired and grumpy, saying that if I wasn’t waiting for her she would have given up on training a long time ago. She manages her own business, has children and a husband and many other responsibilities. She would have given up on physical exercises, on thinking about health, on everything, although after we see each other she feels rejuvenated, happy and relaxed leaving with a smile on her face. At the end of every session she feels like a different woman ready to take on her daily responsibilities.

Accountability to yourself is extremely important. However we are all human and there are tough times when we feel like giving up and if we do so we are sorry afterwards.

When you know you committed to regular meetings with your Coach you know she is waiting for you. 99% of the time you will be there no matter what.

3. Time saving

Look, you are able to do everything by yourself. If you are a business owner you can learn everything about accounting and never need an accountant. If you have an injury you can do your own physiotherapy, you just buy loads of books, learn and practice. You can do your own nutritional and fitness program. You can and are able to do anything if you had the time to spend on learning every little detail of that job.

A coach gives you that information PLUS the experience she’s gained coaching hundreds or even thousands of other people like yourself.

We spend hundreds and thousands of hours studying and experimenting before we teach you the proper way. Are you ready to spend as much time to make sure you don’t irreparably injure yourself?

4. Motivation and inspiration

As a coached athlete from the age of 8 (now 28) I know how it feels for your coach or Personal Trainer to make you do exercises and he/she standing and looking around bored or texting.

I also know how inspired and motivated you can be when you coach trains with you. Maybe not 100% of the time but even 10% makes a bit difference.

Now, as a coach myself I lead by example. I live and breathe what I teach. I will never ask you to do something I have never done or never tried at least.

Furthermore, as I am an outdoor coach how can I possibly ask you to come out in winter if I never go out alone to train myself?

The same goes for having a coach. If I wouldn’t have a coach or never had one how could I tell you to get a coach for yourself? I can’t, not in my world.

Encouragement, inspiration, positive and strong attitude are elements of a coach who will take your hand and walk the journey with you. It’s always better when you are not alone on an unknown road.

When in doubt get a coach

December 26, 2014March 13, 2015

Natural Painkillers in your kitchen Part 3 salt, cider vinegar, cherries, blueberries, garlic

Natural Painkillers in your kitchen Part 3/4

– salt, cider vinegar, cherries, blueberries, garlic

Salt

Soothe foot pain with salt. Regularly soaking ingrown nails in warm salt water baths can cure those painful infections caused by ingrown toenails within four days, say scientists at California ’s Stanford University (and my grandma for that matter) . The salt in the mix naturally reduces inflammation and it’s anti-bacterial, so it quickly destroys the germs that cause swelling and pain. Just mix 1 teaspoon of salt into each cup of water, heat to a temperature you can comfortably stand, and then soak the affected foot area for 20 minutes twice daily, until your infection goes down.

Cider Vinegar

Did you know you can heal heartburn with cider vinegar. Sip 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with 8 ounces of water before every meal. Experts say you could shut down painful bouts of heartburn in as little as 24 hours.

According to Joseph Brasco, M.D. “Cider vinegar is rich in malic and tartaric acids, powerful digestive aids that speed the breakdown of fats and proteins so your stomach can empty quickly, before food washes up into the esophagus, triggering heartburn pain,”.

Cherries

Who knew that you can calm joint and headache pain with cherries. I didn’t. Studies show that at least one in four women is struggling with arthritis, gout or chronic headaches. A daily bowl of cherries could ease your ache, without the stomach upset so often triggered by today’s painkillers.

Research conducted by scientists at at East Lansing ’s Michigan State University reveals that anthocyanins, the compounds that give cherries their brilliant red color, are anti-inflammatory 10 times stronger than ibuprofen and aspirin. Muraleedharan Nair, Ph.D., professor of food science at Michigan State University advises us to enjoy 20 cherries (fresh, frozen or dried) daily, then continue until the pain disappears.

Blueberries

You can beat bladder infections with blueberries. Now this is cool, I love blueberries…and cherries….and all other fruit as a matter of fact.

Blueberries are loaded with tannins, plant compounds that wrap around problem-causing bacteria in the bladder, so they can’t get a toehold and create an infection, says Amy Howell, Ph.D. a scientist at Rutgers University .

Eating 1 cup of blueberries daily, fresh, frozen or in juice form, can cut your risk of a urinary tract infection (UTIs) by 60%, according to researchers at New Jersey’s Rutgers University.

Garlic

We know garlic is the best for colds and the flu but did you know that it can help you can get rid of earaches as well?

To cure an earache fast, just place two drops of warm garlic oil into your aching ear twice daily for five days. This simple treatment can clear up ear infections faster than prescription medication, say experts at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

Scientists say garlic’s active ingredients (germanium, selenium, and sulfur compounds) are naturally toxic to dozens of different pain-causing bacteria.

How can you make your own garlic oil. Gently simmer 3 cloves of crushed garlic in a half a cup of extra virgin olive oil for two minutes, strain, then refrigerate for up to two weeks, suggests Teresa Graedon, Ph.D., co-author of the book, Best Choices From The People’s Pharmacy. For a warm and soothing feeling in your ear canal warm this mix slightly before using.

Remember, these old school treatments may not work for everybody so do seek professional medical treatment if you consider necessary.

Natural Painkillers Part 1 – ginger, cloves, peppermint, honey, tomato juice

Natural Painkillers Part 2 – pineapple, fish, water, oats, coffee

If you’d like to know more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body”

December 25, 2014December 25, 2014

How nutrition affects our Mental Health

Although no one has ever seen the mind, we can consider the brain as the platform for the mind and thus a platform for out mental wellbeing.

The brain is made up in large part of essential fatty acids, water and other nutrients. We know that food affects how we feel, think and behave. You felt it , I felt it, everyone knows it. But how many of us, especially busy professionals take the time to invest in this knowledge which actually has the potential to make their businesses a success?

Most of your brain is derived directly from food. The last fifty years have witnessed remarkable alterations to what we eat, how we process and refined it, food additives, use of pesticides and the alteration of animal fats through intensive farming. And here we are thinking we actually eat healthy fats.

Studies estimate that the average person in the UK and other industrialised countries will eat more than 4 kilogrammes of additives every year!!! So the importance of reducing processed food as much as possible is critical. At least the obvious ones.

Different methods of farming have also introduced higher levels and different types of fat into our diet. Nowadays chickens grow twice as fast as 30 years ago and this changes the quality of the meat. A chicken carcass used to be 2% fat, it is now 22%. according to Dr Deborah Cornah, Consultant to the Mental Health Foundation

The chicken’s changed diets have reduced omega-3 fatty acids and increased omega-6 fatty acids in the meat.

Unequal intakes of omega-3 (fish and oils) and omega-6 fats (cereals, eggs, poultry) have been implicated in a number of mental health problems, including depression, concentration and memory problems. Scientists have observed that western diets contain far too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3.

Smoking, drinking alcohol, tea, coffee or eating chocolate, improves one’s mood, we all know this, at least temporarily. What we don’t know, or rather ignore, is that some foods can have a lasting influence on mood and mental wellbeing because of the impact they have on the structure and function of the brain.

Food and Depression

Evidence shows that the presentation of depression in the UK population has increased dramatically over recent decades, with more cases being reported in children, adolescents and young adults. And the only way we address it is through pills, to suppress the symptoms but not addressing the cause.

There seems to be a correlation between low intakes of fish by a country and high levels of depression amongst its citizens, as well as the reverse. This correlation has been shown for major depression, post-natal depression, seasonal affective disorder and bipolar affective disorder.

Complex carbohydrates as well as certain food components such as folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and tryptophan are thought to decrease the symptoms of depression. Those with low intakes of folate, or folic acid, have been found to be significantly more likely to be diagnosed with depression than those with higher intakes.

Similar conclusions have been drawn from studies looking at the association of depression with low levels of zinc and vitamins B1, B2 and C.

In other studies standard treatments have been supplemented with these micronutrients resulting in significant relief of symptoms in people with depression and bi-polar affective disorder, in some cases by 50%.

In one epidemiological study it was found that levels of depression were rising at the same time that traditional diets were being abandoned for more processed foods.

Food and Schizophrenia

I don’t know much about Schizophrenia but according to the research out there, people with schizophrenia have lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (oils made from seeds, corn, nuts, vegetables) in their bodies than those with no experience of illness.

There has also been evidence which suggests that antioxidant enzymes (found in orange

and red peppers, spinach and tomatoes.) are lower in the brains of people with schizophrenia.

Food and Attention Hyperactivity Disorder

If my parents were to ever take me to the doctor I would have been diagnosed with ADHD for sure. But they never did, they raised and nurtured and helped me develop in a traditional and healthy way as best they could. Most importantly they gave me the chance to use up all my energy through various sports. I didn’t spend too much time indoors eating and sleeping.

However, for more serious cases of ADHD, there have been great improvements when dietary changes are introduced to children with ADHD. Two food groups have been identified, fatty acids and minerals.

It seems that children diagnosed with ADHD commonly share characteristics of Essential fatty acid (Cereal, pasta, bread, vegetables) deficiency. A deficiency in zinc (red meat, beans and poultry) was also discovered among children with ADHD.

There is even more research out there linking diet with mental health is growing at a rapid pace. The quality of the food we eat has a great impact on feelings of mood and general wellbeing, but the evidence demonstrates its contribution to the development, prevention and management of specific mental health problems like the ones described above.

What can we do?

Balanced mood and feelings of well being can be maintained by ensuring that our diet provides adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates, essential fats, amino acids, vitamins and minerals and water in balanced amounts.

I encourage you to do your research so you make informed decisions rather than believe everything you are told. Read shorts articles on macronutrients and micronutrients and decide for yourself whether a type of food is good or not.

Educating our children is our number one priority. However instead of teaching by example we say something it not healthy and we still eat it. Kids copy adults’ behaviours and no matter how many times we tell them it’s not good they will still copy what we do. Lead by example, walk the talk.

If you’d like to learn more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body”

Primary sources:

Feeding Minds: The impact of food on mental health by Mental Health Foundation

Diet and the effects on emotional wellbeing and mental health by Jonathan Stanley, National Children’s Bureau and National Center of Excellence in Residential Child Care.

December 24, 2014June 4, 2015

How to do a full press-up and Why

Women have smaller muscles so it is more difficult to do full press-ups, I hear this very often. While that might be true up to a certain extent it usually has to do with training and conditioning.

As usual, I am here to challenge traditional way of thinking, and say that it is possible for a woman to do a considerable more amount of press-ups than a man.

In school, I was about 12 years old, I used to do fist press-ups without too much effort. I was an extremely skinny and short little girl but very strong.

One day the boys in my class challenged me…again. They were doing the “I bet I can do more press-ups that you” thing. And they bet I could not do more than them. Most of the guys had big , bulky muscles from gym work or other sports.

I was a very shy girl so one of my class mates had to convince me to “show them how it’s done”. So I went in front of the class, planted my fists on the wooden floor and began, 1,2,3…..all the way down with the chest….12…..15…..18…23….then, unfortunately for them, our teacher returned for the next lesson.

All the boys tried but could not even manage to do 1 full fist press up.

Today not much has changed.

Press-ups are not limited by muscle mass. You do not need muscles to be strong and those who have muscles are not necessarily stronger than those who don’t.

What are the benefits of doing a full press-up?

1. Strong core. I believe that the core in our body is the twin of the core in our mind. The stronger our physical core the stronger our mental core is. Learning a good technique press-up will strengthen both of them. Your physical core is formed by abs – side of abs – hips and pelvis – back – diaphragm.

2. Stability. Press-ups stabilize your whole body. That means your core again but also your shoulders and upper back. This means your joints and ligaments will become stronger and recover faster from an injury. It also helps you maintain a good posture and engage in daily activities such as bending or lifting without the risk of an injury.

3. Body awareness. This is about quality over quantity. When you are able to do a press-ups with a straight, plank like body, you are in control over your body and aware of its position and how it moves. This is mindfulness.

4. Toning. Working the chest and arm muscles (especially triceps – the back of your arm). This says it all. Toning all around upper body and even lower body to a certain extent.

5. Learn the general breathing pattern. Almost every exercise you will do follows the rule of breathing out on the effort. Master the breathing in a full press-up and most of the other exercises will come easier to do from a breathing point of view.

So how do you do a full press-up on your hands or fists, your choice?

Step 1 – Position

Learn to stay in a press-up position until you can hold it without moving or shaking for 1 min. More than that and it gets boring if you ask me

Place your hands under your shoulders and shoulder width apart .

Feet apart, not too wide (the wider the easier) but not next to each other (the more narrow the more difficult), hip width apart is just fine.

Step 2 – Bending elbows

When you can stand in a press-up position for 1 min or more start bending your elbows. Ideally you should bend your elbows backwards towards your ribs but that is more difficult. For the time being just bend your elbows however you can.

Oh you can’t go all the way down? That’s ok, you don’t have to. Go half way, a quarter, even less. Just keep your body straight, like a plank.

Lead with your chest. Don’t allow the hips to drop further or come up sooner than your chest. Your body stops wherever your chest stops. Your chest leads the way.

If you can’t bend your elbows at all go back to Step 1 or put your knees on the floor. However I do not recommend that because you will have the tendency to put a lot of weight on your knees without realising and that will not get you to do press-ups.

Step 3 – Breathing

When you do a press up breathing is very important to get the strength where and when you need it and to avoid blocking your airways.

The general rule is to breathe OUT on the effort. So when you lower yourself down your breath IN, when you push or press up your breath OUT

DOWN – BREATHE IN
UP – BREATHE OUT

Step 4 – Negatives

Negatives press ups. This means that you go down as low as you can (half way down, a quarter, even less) very, very slow. Like a snail. The you come up at normal speed or you get help from your knees. Then you repeat.

Step 5 – Practice

Practice, Practice, Practice.

You want to do a full press-up? Try doing 10 (no matter how low of high) every single day. You can do 1 at a time, stopping after each one. Does not matter, do 10 every single day. You can also do 10 negative press-ups or 5 negatives and 5 normal. You will see improvements probably within the first 7 days.

It is all about experimenting.

Important: Don’t sacrifice technique for speed or quantity. Learn to do it properly and you will never forget it, or rather your body won’t.

If you’d like to learn more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body”

December 23, 2014May 17, 2015

The role of mindfulness in my childhood

Author’s note

Hi. I think this is one of the most difficult blogs I’ve written lately. That is because I am sharing with you another part of my life, the one which involved meditation. It is very difficult for me to put this into words. So if there is anything that doesn’t make sense and creates even more confusion please let me know so I can try to explain in a different way to make it more clear.

Today I was in the forest trying to fluidly move on a narrow path through branches and leaves. I was paying attention on how my body was moving, the items (branches, leaves, mud) around me and I was just experiencing the moment.

At one point I began thinking about Urban Women Fitness, and without even realizing I went straight through the foliage in front of me. When I was asked why I answered I just lost focus. It’s that simple.

And doesn’t this happen to all of us? We seldom let go of the daily thoughts we carry around with us day and night. Doesn’t it feel like pulling a boulder up a hill?

When you come in the present moment you cut the rope and the boulder just falls. Instant relief. There was no use getting it up that hill anyway.

The leaf the at the top of the tree

Mindfulness is a type or style of meditation otherwise called ‘Vipassana’. But didn’t I say in another blog that meditation is not an actual technique? Yes, I did, right here.

Meditation, in any form, is about letting go. Whether you let go by relaxing you body, or your breath or about letting go of thoughts, anger or frustrating, it’s about allowing for a little space in your life, your mind and your heart.

Mindfulness has been something I’ve been doing since I was a little girl without realising. It just made me feel so good. It felt like I was coming out of the grown up world and retreating into my own world.

I remember I used to go my local park and to search for the highest tree I could find. Then I would lie down on a bench, look for the leaf at the very top of the tree and watch how it moved in the wind. The patterns it created, its speed, its colour, its shape. And I would spend a long time watching that. At the end I was ready to go back, with a smile on my face, a happy child.

It was like running away for home

Mindfulness is one of the things I carried with me through my tough moments in life as a depressed child, teenager and young adult.

I used to be a very panicked child. I would feel uncomfortable in crowds and around my friends, so I didn’t have many. I liked to be alone, to retreat in my own universe (a 2x3m room in our apartment).

Listen, or rather read. The #1 reason mindfulness was an escape route for me is thanks to my parents. I am serious, I am grateful for this. They used to fight every single day (I actually logged their fights). So I wanted to run away from home, to escape.

Mindfulness, because now I have a name for it, helped that child calm down and slowly make sense of what was going on. It was like running away for home for a while, escaping the fights my parents had.

But I am grateful for what they gave me. As I am writing this I realize that what I am doing today is thanks to them and the negative charged environment I grew up in. They brought light into my life.

So what is mindfulness all about?

Mindfulness is about being present, about slowing down, observe and not judge. It’s non-intrusive, you don’t interfere.

You allow your thoughts to come up and go past you, without interfering in any way – judging or forcing them out of your mind. Just let them float like bubbles on the surface of an otherwise still lake. When they reach the surface they pop and disappear.

Observe your breathing

It is usually done by focusing on your breath. When focusing on breathing your mind cannot focus on something else unless you split the focus and come out of meditation.

There is no attempt to change the breathing. Just observe it and observe the different feelings throughout your body.

What else can you be mindful about besides breathing:

objects around your room; say out loud “there is the printer, there is the door, there is the window” etc. See how that affects you.
people passing by; glimpse for a fraction of a second at a the pattern on a tie, at a woman’s freckles on her checks, without judging, just observe (just don’t stare, that’s awkward)
mindful walking; how you touch the ground, how fluid you move around, what you feel under your feet or through your shoes
mindful eating; see, smell, feel the experience. I wrote a full blog on this topic.
mindful sitting
mindful standing

You got the point. Mindfulness is paying attention rather than anything else. Mindfulness is everywhere and in everything we do. Or it should be.

For example if you live in a noisy city, you don’t have to block out the outside sirens and screaming children, you let your mind be aware of the sounds. You observe.

You literally just let your mind be fluid and flow from one thought to the next, not really focusing on one particular thing, just let them unfold.

If you’d like to learn more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body”

December 22, 2014May 17, 2015

How I breathed my way into physical and mental well-being

“Everything breathes: breathing is the inspiration of Life within all living forms of reality. All matter is in a continual state of particle exchange. In humans, breathing is the biological basis and spiritual expression that renews life, propels awareness and focuses body-mind functioning in time and space.” (1st Principle of Conscious Connected Breathing – J. Yost)

I love this, says it all.

Many years ago I seriously went onto a “breathing diet”, but not to lose weight. Every evening for 3 months, not exception, I would do 30 min of deep abdominal breathing, before falling asleep.

I was studying at James Madison University in Virginia, USA, at that time and I was doing 2 things every single day: studying and going to the recreational center to swim, climb, play squash, run (outdoor) and all sorts of indoor and outdoor activities.

My aim

I was taking exams after exams, every other week I had an exam, in a foreign language and within a totally different education system than the one I was used to. Stress levels were at their highest. And with me being a nerd, a perfectionist one, I was determined to get all A’s. I put a lot of pressure on me.

From the sports point of view I wanted to swim 25 meter without taking a single breath.

And so I decided to do breathing exercises to increase my lung capacity but also to keep me calm and focused for my exams and presentations. Do you know what happened within the 3 months of daily breathing exercises? I transformed

What I did

The breathing techniques I was doing were the triangle, the square and the rectangle breathing. Allow me to briefly describe them below.

First things first. If you have a heart or cardiovascular condition, high or low blood pressure or a condition or illness that could be affected by the breathing exercises then please seek medical advice before commencing breathing exercises.

Step 1. Make sure you breathe correctly, that means when you breathe in you make your stomach big, when you breathe out you pull your stomach in.

Step 2. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth

Step 3. The exercise. Let’s take 4 seconds as count for breathing in, out and holds. You can adjust them to fit your level:

Linear breathing technique

I use this as a warm up for the others.

• BREATHE IN through your nose on a count of 4

• BREATHE OUT through your nose on a count of 4.

• Repeat

Triangle breathing technique

Imagine an equilateral triangle. It has 3 equal sides

• BREATHE IN through your nose on a count of 4.

• HOLD on a count of 4.

• BREATHE OUT through your nose on a count of 4.

• No hold after this one. Repeat

Square breathing technique

A square has 4 equal sides.

• Thus BREATHE IN through your nose on a count of 4.

• HOLD on a count of 4.

• BREATHE OUT through your nose on a count of 4.

• HOLD on a count of 4.

• Repeat

Rectangle breathing technique

A rectangle has 2 short equal sides and 2 longer sides equal as well.

• BREATHE IN through your nose on a count of 4.

• HOLD on a count of 8 (longer than the in breathe).

• BREATHE OUT through your nose on a count of 4.

• HOLD on a count of 8 (longer than the out breathe).

• Repeat

When you breathe in you are not actually sending oxygen into your stomach. All oxygen goes into your lungs. Inflating your stomach helps fill in the lungs. And it gives you something to focus your mind on.

The results

So what happened after the first week of doing breathing exercises religiously?

Physical benefits:

• It improved my cardiovascular capacity

• Increased the amount of oxygen in my blood, so I would recover better and faster

• My heart became stronger. The heart is a muscle and like any other muscle in it can be developed with practice.

• When I injured myself it would heal faster. Breathing stimulates on a healing level as well calming in the case of a pain.

Psychological benefits:

• As mentioned before I was studying in a foreign language, within a different education system and stress levels we very high. Breathing helped me calm my nerves before my exams and presentations.

• Breathing also helped me control my anxiety and have patience with people around me.

• I used to be extremely angry. Breathing helped regain control over my emotions. I could not change my thoughts but I could change my actions and that changed my mental well-being.

So give them a try and if you’d like to know more If you’d like to know more please download my free ebook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body”

December 20, 2014March 6, 2015

13 simple nutritional habits to improve your health right now

13 simple nutritional habits to improve your health right now

These are 13 of my nutrition habits which can heal you improve your health and well-being starting today.

1. Avoid carbs – fruit – after a high carb meal

2. Have protein with every meal

3. Carbs, fats and protein in excessive amounts can lead to fat gain

4. Have protein with fruit, such as yoghurt, nuts and seeds

5. Don’t deprive yourself from eating this or that, your body will crave it sooner or later, rather eat a little bit of everything

6. For a food to taste good it need fats and sugars, if it lacks one it has more of the other. Watch out fat free food lovers.

Grapes — Photo Credit: AHMED… via Compfight cc

7. Don’t neglect vitamins and minerals. Minerals “unlock” the energy from the food you eat while vitamins are required for vital reactions within the body

8. Don’t starve yourself to lose weight, you will just put it back on

9. Don’t eat until you can’t stand up anymore, you get nothing out of it

10. About 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. Your body is about 70% water. Water is life so make sure you drink a good amount of water, 8 glasses a day is enough.

11. Drink water throughout the day, gulping it all in 10 min has not purpose

12. Carbs, protein and fats are macronutrients you need for your body to thrive.

13. Healthy fats DO NOT make you fat.

If you’d like to know more please download my free ebook

December 19, 2014December 28, 2014

6 reasons why I choose the outdoors over the gym

No doubt gyms have their purpose in forming the complete athlete. When training specific muscle groups, for rehabilitation or for other purposes such as the type of sport you practice what the gym offers can help you take your training to high levels if that is what you are looking for.

But those of us who are seeking mental and physical health, who want a break from the overwhelming world around us, not looking to beat the marathon record, we do not seek to become the strongest, the fastest, the mightiest. We are looking to be fit, strong, maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress levels, have more energy and joy in life.

What I’ve experienced while training outdoor from a physical and mental perspective beats 19+ years of indoor training. Besides getting stronger and fitter I’ve gained so much more, higher self esteem, confidence, calmness, patience, resilience. Different people have different experiences, here I will tell you mine.

1. Getting some space

One of the things I don’t enjoy in a gym is the lack of space. I feel like I’m going from 1 box (the office or house) into another box (the gym). Most gyms don’t even have windows.

Outdoor I can have all the space I want, there are no limits to where I can go and what I can do. There are no walls to stop me.

2. Clean, fresh air

I admit the fresh air in the countryside where I used to spend my 3 months summer holiday with my grandparents was pure. In a city not so much. In a gym not at all.

However, although pollution is omnipresent we can still find patches of cleaner air, especially in winter. And what beautiful places we have in London, you only need to stick your nose out the door to see the beauty around you.

Go outside and smell the fresh air.

3. Virus free

Gyms are the heavens of viruses. I wish they weren’t. If one person has the flu virus and touches half a dozen machines or sneezes over them there are good chances many other people will catch the virus as well.

Outdoor there are small chances for that to happen. Plus viruses cannot thrive in cold weather.

4. Benefits of Earthing on mental and physical health

Research suggests that disconnecting from the Earth may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and general unwellness.

Several studies have shown that being in contact with the ground may promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being.

In patients who experience anxiety, emotional stress, panic, fear, and/or symptoms of autonomic dystonia, including headaches, cardiac palpitations, and dizziness, grounding could be a very realistic therapy. These patients may see positive effects most likely within 20 to 30 minutes and in almost all cases in 40 minutes.

Read my full articles on this topic here

5. Never boring, never the same

Every session is different. And I don’t only mean different exercises, but different everything: terrain – muddy, frozen, hilly, wet, dry, even if you are in the same place; different weather – rain, snow, wind, hot.

Every time you move your hand and foot you will never ever place them in an similar place as you would on the nicely finished, shiny, straight gym floor. There are roots, stones, logs, mud, water, ice waiting for you. Never the same. Every time you lift a rock or piece of wood it will always be different every time you pick it up.

This is training in a multilateral way and it means that your body will develop muscles which were asleep for a very long time but your body needs them. Your body will be prepared for anything, whether it’s lifting, carrying, throwing, catching or unexpected events such as falling or slipping.

6. Resilience

I left this one last on purpose, because I want you to remember it. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly form difficulties, to fall, get up and go again.

Never in my life I thought I would reach a point where I would decide on a path and follow it to completion no matter what. Two years ago, when I was introduced to natural movement by my coach Michael Cohen, I told myself “yep this is what I want to do”. And guess what, 2 years later this is what I’m doing.

But in these 2 years I went through many tough moments, and there are more to come. Every single time I picked myself up and went on, no matter how difficult it was.

When you wake up at 4:30 am often after 2-3 hours of sleep, you look outside and see poring rain, or snow, or frost on cars. You don’t really want to go in the middle of the woods to do balance exercises or tree scrambling. But you put your shorts on (yes, shorts), your compression top, warm coat and step outdoor. The fresh, crisp air fills your lungs, you smile and walk slowly down the road.

And you do this every week, never missing, never cancelling. This kind of experience literally changes your beliefs about yourself and the world around you. This creates a different version of you. I tell you from my personal experience and seeing others going through similar changes.

You will be amazed of how far you can reach after you face the forces of nature. Nature is the strongest. And if you want to be strong you need to face those who are stronger than you.

If you’d like to know more please download my free ebook

December 18, 2014December 18, 2014

3 steps to Mindful Eating and its benefits

Mindful eating is not about how many calories you get it but more about what you’re eating and why you’re eating it, what’s the benefit you get out of it.

Many times we do things for the sake of it. When it comes to eating, sometimes we eat just because we have food in front of us. Think about weddings, they bring you so much food you end up eating it just because it’s there.

About Mindfulness

NHS actually encourages mindfulness for mental wellbeing. Mindfulness is about being aware of what’s going on inside of us as well as what’s going on outside of us.

Whether we talk about mindful eating, walking or running, they all contribute to our mental and physical wellbeing.

There are many ways to be mindful. You can and should be mindful every moment of the day. But when “life gets in the way” we lose sight of what’s happening around and within us. It so easy to do that.

However we forget that mindfulness is an actual solution to our problems. When we are stressed about work, the only way to get out of a tough situation is to find the best solution. You find the best solution when you are relaxed, in the flow, mindful then you can get creative.

But we end up saying “I have no time to be mindful”. On the other hand we do have time to stress out without finding a solution to our problems. Isn’t that a waste of time?

Mindful eating

You eat every day. How many times do you actually see your food, smell it, taste it? I mean really feel its essence. Not a superficial experience.

I will be honest with you, I’ve struggled with this. Since I was a child my mother kept telling me off for eating too fast and no chewing my food properly. I’ve been working on it myself I know it’s difficult.

Instead of giving you many things to think about when you eat I would like you to focus on 3 things only.

3 Steps to mindful eating and its benefits

1. Have a sit

I used to eat standing and walking. I used to do this many many times, and I’m still doing it sometimes. This is mostly due to lack of time and the fact that if I am not home I don’t like eating out so I eat walking to my next destination. But these are some the excuses we all use, especially lack of time. Not a very good excuse.

Sitting encourages you to eat slower and pay more attention to what you are eating. It’s a break in the routine which slows you down and brings you in the present moment where you can truly experience the moment you are in. Your mind is nowhere in the past or in the future..

2. Chew your food

When you are mindful about chewing your food, you feel its texture, its temperature, its taste. You are in the moment where you can feel, listen, taste, touch and see.

From a nutrition point of view chewing your food has many benefit, among them:

– your body has access to more quality nutrients from the food.

– your digestive system doesn’t have to overwork, as the food reaches it already well chewed, so less chances indigestion.

– it slows you down and you are more aware of what you eat and how you eat.

– more aware of how much you eat

– it takes about 20 min for the feeling of fullness to reach your brain. So by chewing properly, you will slow down so it takes 20 min to eat your food (or less of it) of 10 min, you feel fuller faster with less food.

3. Disconnect

When there are several things happening around you there is little chance you are actually paying attention to what you are doing, let alone what you are eating, why and how much. So you end up overeating.

When watching a movie or the news the flood of information affects us at a mind level but also physically. Depending on what you’re watching you automatically frown, tense your lips, your jaw, you start tensing your whole body. Experiencing the moment is out of the question at this point.

Physically you are no functioning properly, you are not relaxed and you experience nothing. You end up eating for the sake of it, no matter what, why or how much.

If you want to experience the benefits of mindful eating, you have to cut out all distractions as much as possible.

To fully experience the moment you need to actually be in the moment.

If you would like to learn more please download my free ebook “15 Healthy Habits for the Body”

December 17, 2014December 26, 2014

7 reasons why you shouldn’t sleep with your phone

Why is sleep so important?

Firstly we briefly need to answer this question.

I cannot emphasize enough how important sleep it for us. It is the only time our bodies regenerate and naturally heal themselves.

1. When you’re sleep deprived, your body almost immediately develops conditions that resemble the insulin resistance of diabetes. Sleeping, or lack of it, is linked to Diabetes.

2. Studies have found that people who aren’t getting enough sleep drive just as unsafely as someone who’s drunk.

3. Several studies over the past decade point to a link between sleep deprivation and obesity — in both adults and children. Your body takes energy from 2 sources: food and sleep. If there is no sleep, guess what….you will eat more and you will eat more junk food as well.

4. Sleeping more when fighting illness aids recovery, it helps resist infection.

5. Sleep is the ONLY time the body undergoes repair and detoxification.

6. People suffering from stress and depression feel a lot better after they sleep.

Thus sleep has a profound effect on our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

Improve the quantity and quality of your sleep by taking your phone out of the bedroom or turn it off before you go to bed. Here are 6 reasons why you should do that starting tonight.

1. Hypervigilance

What are you looking for after a hard day at work? Constant tension and alertness or peace and relaxation? If you chose the latter but sleep with your phone close by you won’t get any of it.

Whether you are aware of it or not, leaving your phone on or nearby can create a sense of hypervigilance. Hypervigilance is an experience often associated with post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD that involves feeling constantly tense or on guard.

Your brain is naturally turned on when the phone is around. Waiting for alerts from it. This prevents the body from achieving the desired state of total relaxation.

Somewhere in the back of your brain, you’re expecting a call, or a text, or facebook message and this makes you less relaxed and more tensed.

So how important is relaxation for you really?

2. Slow down before going to bed

Every time you check your phone, twitter or facebook your brain releases dopamine. Dopamine is created in various parts of the brain and is critical in all sorts of brain functions, including thinking, moving, sleeping, mood, attention, motivation, seeking and reward.

Dopamine causes you to want, desire, seek out, and search. It increases your general level of arousal and your goal-directed behavior.

Set a switch off time for your phone, ideali 30 min- 1 hour before you go to bed. Give your bain the opportunity to slow down and relax rather than stimulate it.

3. The light disturbs the body’s natural circardian rhythm

Probably the biggest danger to your sleep is the light your device emits. According to Dr Charles Czeisler, a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard University, the light interferes with the body’s natural rhythm, it’s tricking our bodies into believing it’s daytime.

If you wake up in the middle of the night refrain yourself from using your phone. Put it somewhere where you can’t see it or reach it easily. The light will simply disturb you further.
We sleep in cycles of 1½-2 hours, with brief moments of waking in between that normally go unnoticed. That is our natural sleep cycle. A simple flash of light or vibration of your phone at the wrong moment could make you fully conscious.

A few more reasons why you should leave your phone out of the bedroom when you sleep

1. Increase productivity

The two hours after becoming fully awake are likely to be the best. You feel refreshed, relaxed, ready to take on your daily challenges.

Instead of checking facebook sit down, have you breakfast and do your to do list for the day. Then begin with the most difficult tasks on the list. You will finish them in no time.

Of course, if you don’t want to be more productive you don’t have to follow this advice.

2. More/Better sex life

Couples who keep mobile devices in their bedroom have less sex than those who don’t.

And spouses who choose to interact with one another on an emotional level have better, more fulfilling sex.

That makes complete sense, you don’t hurry up so you can watch the next episode of your favourite show, answer the phone, or play Angry Birds.

3. More/Better relationship with your family

Don’t get me wrong, I am not against using technology in your home. I use it every day. And I only have one room, the only place to take my phone is in the bathroom where there is dampness so I chose to turn it off.

Removing technology from bedrooms fosters interaction, you can see this with your own family and friends, I am sure. No one is distracted.

Re-create the relationships with your family

The 7th reason is the fast that your body undergoes the healing process when sleeping.

Wow, how important sleep and switching off is for us, from mental and physical health to better sex life, productivity and more quality time with our families. This can truly be called a balanced lifestyle.

Pictures from http://pixabay.com/

December 15, 2014May 17, 2015

Why 99 percent of my clients are afraid of outdoor winter training

Why 99% of my clients are afraid of outdoor winter training

It’s cold, It’s freezing

My father used to say that a little frost will get our blood moving around our bodies.

This will change your beliefs about yourself, about what you are capable of and how you see the world around you.

Cold is merely a perception. It is a belief that we were programmed with, winter is cold and summer is hot. Chocolate is sweet and grapefruit is bitter.

I challenge everyone, in my shorts in mid December, to come out of their comfort zone, to change their beliefs and so change their lives.

The famous Earl Nightingale says that attitude is the position as indicating action, feeling or mood and it is our actions, feelings and moods which determine the actions feeling and moods of others and of course of ourselves.

If you want to make any changes in your life then you need to change your attitude. That’s what training in cold weather does.

It changes your attitude towards one element of nature, which changes your attitude towards yourself, your family and colleagues.

With a changed attitude you gain control over your own life. You are the Captain of your ship now, you decide how your life will progress.

It’s muddy, it’s dirty, it’s wet

This is the cocktail which breaks the patterns of what women should and should not do, of which society expects you to be.

This means breaking the rules we grew up with. It’s one of the things that excited me when I train outdoor. And also one of the things everyone is excited about only after their first session with me.

There are no rules, there are no barriers to whom you can be outdoor. No more masks, no more faking, it’s just you and nature. And nature will not judge you.

It’s raining or snowing

You can put your mind to do anything. You and I both know that this is how things are.

You can train in the rain and in the snow. Snow is not cold and sun is not hot. You were told that’s how they are. But now you can change that and change your life with it.

You will have the right equipment, the right coaching and motivation and the right attitude.

Your attitude will decide whether you will change your life from being stressed, angry or depressed to calm, patient and in control of your own life or you will let the world around dictate how and who you should be.

I’ll catch a cold or I’ve already caught one

This is one of the things I love most when I’m outdoor. Boosting the immune system and non exposure to viruses, especially now that the flu season has started.

Your outdoors adventures will keep your immune system up and running for days after you train. I can tell you that from my experience.

I haven’t has a sign of cold in 2 years, no supplements or vitamins. Just healthy nutrition and outdoor training. I was coaching in a gym environment, and my clients were catching colds and flues but I was so well protected that the viruses would not touch me.

As convenient as gyms are they are also hotbeds of germs ranging from athlete’s foot to staph, according to the Center for Disease Control, besides the flu virus.

Steer clear of these bugs by taking your routine out in the crisp air.

It’s too dark early in the morning and in the evening

This is how our adventure changes from one season to another, from one day to another. Never boring, always challenging your focus, your will and determination.

Variation in your training will help you cope better with sudden changes in your life. You will feel more comfortable to make decisions based on rapid changing situations and you will feel confident and strong.

We will use head torches when it’s dark. Usually this is for the first 10-15 min of the session. I will make sure you are prepared.

Why would I want to put myself through all this?

Do you really want to change your life? Then you are looking for a life changing experience. It’s as simple as that.

Our training will challenge you at a physical, mental and emotional level. It will leave no stone unturned.

It will challenge your beliefs about yourself and the world around. It will push your boundaries little by little every day. It will help you discover who you really are and what you are capable of.

I’ve been training outdoor, coached and by myself, for 8 years. Particularly in the past 2 years I’ve been waking up at 4:30-5:00 am to go to my weekly training with my coach. Believe me I know how it feels. Until the world, as you know it, changes before your eyes.

When I have those freezing, wet and difficult training sessions my day is unbelievable. There are no ups and downs, only ups. There is nothing I cannot do. I am strong, I believe in myself, I have constant breakthroughs in my personal and professional lives. I am more balanced emotionally, mentally, physically. I am more complete.

Nowadays this is how I start most of my days, my life has completely changed in just 2 years. And the process is not over.

I am here now to change Your Life.

To give you strength to carry out your daily activities with a confident, clear mind. To give freedom to the passion inside of yourself. To release the warrior waiting behind a closed door. To give you the possibility, the knowledge, the inspiration to take your life into your own hands.

Regain control over your life. Talk to me, I am here for you.

December 13, 2014April 21, 2015

Meditation: what, where, how and why

Meditation

What, Where, How, When & Why

Since I began incorporating meditation in my work with clients I get a constant type of feedback such as “I tried so many times but can’t empty my mind”, “I can’t sit still even for 1 min let alone 30 min” or “I get bored when trying to meditate”.

Every time I go into detail with my clients about how they meditate and what they do, they usually tell me they sit with crossed legs (uncomfortable for many), close their eyes and they try, or rather struggle, to empty their mind or quiet their thoughts.

This is one of the many misconceptions of meditation. That we have to empty our mind otherwise it’s not use. We already see it as a struggle, as a chore.

Meditation is not only about quieting your mind, but rather allowing your thoughts to pass, one by one, without judging them in any way.

What do you do while meditating

You can sit for a few minutes and focus your attention on the position of your body. Don’t change anything, just observe. That’s your meditation.
Focus your attention on different parts of your body and, as you do so, relax that part of the body you focus one. Relax your body one portion at a time.
Observe your breath. Don’t do anything, just observe it.
Visualize relaxing, passive scenes such as walking on a beach, walking through a forest, a day out fishing. This will relax your mind and release stress.
You know when you say “I was miles away”? That is a trans you were in. Whether you are on the bus watching outside the window or walking around and suddenly found yourself arriving at your destination without realizing when, that is a form of mediation, you were in a type of trans.

Where can you meditate

Anywhere really, for example:

When you sit on the bus or train focus your attention on the position of your body
When you walk focus your attention on how you walk, are you heavy or light?
When you walk again focus on relaxing your shoulders and keeping your posture, elongating your body
When you wait in a line focus your attention in the middle of your chest and breath into that spot
When you sit or lie down, you can visualize and go in a deeper meditation
Even when you run. Runner’s high is a form of meditation

How to meditate

Meditation is not an actual technique. We learn them as techniques for a reason. But it’s just about just letting go.

Whether you let go by relaxing you body, or your breath or about letting go of thoughts, anger or frustrating, it’s about allowing for a little space in your life, your mind and your heart.

Here are some tips:

Find you most comfortable position, sitting, standing, laying on your bed etc
Close your eyes and just let go, see what happens
Listen to guided meditations (you have a list at the end of this blog)
Focus in the centre of your chest and breath into that spot

When to meditate

You can literally meditate anywhere. Just not in moving vehicles please or dangerous environment

You can meditate any time of the day. You can meditate in almost any place you want, on the bus, on the train, in a forest, at the table.

When you meditate you may be running, walking, standing, sitting or lying down. You may be washing dished or doing doing some gardening. These are all forms of meditation because they all lead to awareness of yourself, of a trans-like relaxing feeling.

Why meditate?

Besides the wonderful feeling it leaves you with for the rest of the day there is scientific proof that meditation has significant benefits at a physiological and psychological level as well as emotional.

Benefits of meditation, some of them at least

Physiological changes

Relaxes your body and so reduces many aches and pains. When we walk in cold weather we tend to tens up our body until something starts to hurt. Why do we do that? We also cut blood flow which actually keeps us warm

Improves focus, memory and productivity. There are many studies regarding these benefits
Improves quality of sleep. Meditate while you are in bed for a few minutes, focus on your breath or listen to a guided meditation.
Psychological changes.

Meditation releases stress, frustrations, anger or similar feeling. Some studies suggest mediation helps with mental illnesses.

Change the brain’s plasticity, increasing grey-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection.

At an advanced level you can literally reprogram your subconscious to overcome phobias, bad habits, heal yourself and more.

Help with meditation

Here are some of my favourite sources where you can get free guided mediations:

Silva method
Subliminal Guru
Omvana – this is an app, free to join but then you have to pay for some of the tracks, it’s worth it though.
Self healing meditation guided by Kelly Howell

Want even more information, sources and guidance on meditation? Don’t hesitate to book a FREE call with me and we can do a guided meditation or talk about how you can do it yourself.

Other articles

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/12/11/harvard-study-unveils-what-meditation-literally-does-to-the-brain/?utm_content=bufferc1d3b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-to-a-better-brain/

December 12, 2014March 13, 2015

What does Earthing have to do with Mental Health

What does Earthing have to do with mental health?

Earlier this year I went through more than 14 research papers and studies on Earthing. I have seen a shift in my wellbeing over the years.

From good to bad and good again. I was not aware however why that happened and exclusively blamed it on sport performance, nutrition, sleep deprivation or simply growing up.

What is Earthing?

Earthing (grounding or Electron Transfer Technology) is defined as placing one’s skin on the ground (especially when humid or wet), whether it be dirt, grass, sand, or concrete.

Earthing can be done in direct skin contact to earth or through patches attached to the human feet and/or palms of hands and an earthing cord leading to the outdoors to a rod driven into the earth.

There are different technologies which try to imitate the effects of Earthing. Nikken for example is a Japanese company which created insoles, mattresses, pendants and more which mimic de electromagnetic field of the Earth to help healing and better functioning of the body as a whole. It is however better to send as much time outdoor barefoot.

Earthing and health and well-being

Many research papers ask us to allow for the possibility that human beings have been and always will be connected to the Earth and any attempt to change this universal law may disturb the natural and healthy processes in the human body.

Until a few generations ago, most humans walked and slept in direct contact with the surface of the Earth. Our modern lifestyle involves wearing insulating shoes and sleeping in buildings that electrically isolate the body from the ground plane.

Furthermore, although the internet and mobile phones are a blessing to many of us, all the waves and frequencies go through and around us and so disconnect us from the Earth’s electromagnetic field.

The science of Earthing

Emerging scientific research has revealed a surprisingly positive and overlooked environmental factor on health: direct physical contact with the vast supply of electrons on the surface of the Earth.

In our fight to achieve a more comfortable lifestyle we have separated ourselves from such contact or connection. The research suggests that this disconnect may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and general unwellness.

Reconnection with the Earth’s electrons has been proved to promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being.

Earthing (or grounding) refers to the discovery of benefits—including better sleep and reduced pain—from walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the Earth’s electrons from the ground into the body.

While some people intuitively sense that they feel better when they walk or even sleep directly on the earth (as on a camping trip), most of the population is more or less permanently isolated from the earth’s electrical influences.

Living in direct contact with the earth grounds the body, inducing favorable physiological and electrophysiological changes that promote optimum health.

Earthing and stress, anxiety or depression

Earthing is the oldest and most basic form of natural bioelectric potential that supports physiological and electrophysiological changes in the body.

The many unpredictable sociological, economic, and political events of the 21st century have increased the stress of modern living as compared to earlier and simpler times.

Since the ANS (autonomic nervous system) is linked to the stress response, previous investigations have demonstrated that grounded subjects experience a reduction in stress and a normalization of the ANS.

When one grounds to the electron-enriched earth, an improved balance of the sympathetic (flight-or-fight response, which can lead to hypertension and cardiovascular disease) and parasympathetic nervous system occurs.

In patients who experience anxiety, emotional stress, panic, fear, and/or symptoms of autonomic dystonia, including headaches, cardiac palpitations, and dizziness, grounding could be a very realistic therapy. These patients may see positive effects most likely within 20 to 30 minutes and in almost all cases in 40 minutes.

Negative emotions such as panic, depression, anxiety, and hostility have all demonstrated reduced HRV (Heart Rate Variability).

Grounding has the potential to help support Heart Rate Variability, reduce excessive sympathetic overdrive, balance the ANS, and, thus, attenuate the stress response.

This is very important especially because an association between depression and increased risk of cardiovascular events has been repeatedly observed in both the healthy population and patients with established cardiovascular disease.

WARNING: It is important to follow your doctor’s instructions. You may use earthing in addition to your planned medical care but do not replace it.

My (personal) Earthing story

As a child my parents would send me in the country side to spend up to 3 months of summer holiday with my grandparents.

I used to spend those 3 months barefoot, day and night really. Through rivers and lakes, up on hills and through forests. Looking in retrospective, I was the happiest child, I was free from the city, I was wild.

With time I developed symptoms of depression, panic attacks and anxiety. I was a stressed out child form a very early age. Being outdoor kept my mental health stable, but who knew that then?

Growing up I stopped spending time at my grandparents’ and lived my days in school or university and in a busy city. Much like London just smaller but packed.

My depression, panic attacks and anxiety became more difficult to control and this lead to years of struggle for my parents who spent a lot of money to help me grow up … in a normal way. The pressure was especially on my mother’s shoulders.

Long story short, about 3 years ago (when my mental health was quite worrying), in a moment of clarity, I began connecting with the outdoors, to re-connect I should say. I don’t know how I made that decision but it happened.

And thus a new journey began. A journey of discovering another self, of understanding the cause of my mental and physical unbalances. At least from one point of view

Now, after going through this research, things start to make sense. At least I discovered one of the causes of my unbalanced health

This may not be the only cause but it is the only big thing that changed throughout my life, looking in retrospective.

Nowadays I start at least 5 days out of 7 outdoor and many times barefoot. Sometimes with my clients, other times with myself.

WARNING: It is important to follow your doctor’s instructions. You may use earthing in addition to your planned medical care but do not replace it.

Would you like to know more about what I do? Please book a 30 min free consultation and let’s just talk.

December 11, 2014March 13, 2015

Natural Painkillers in your kitchen Part 2: pineapple, fish, water, oats, coffee

Natural Painkillers in your kitchen

Part 2/4

– pineapple, fish, water, oats, coffee –

This is the second part of the 20 painkillers for your kitchen. In this blog we will see what pineapple, fish, water, oats and coffee are good for other than being tasty meals.

Read the first part here to learn about ginger, cloves, peppermint, honey, tomato juice and how they help with muscle and joint pain, toothaches, sore muscles or mouth sores

I write these series of natural painkillers to maybe help you live a healthier life by reducing the chemicals in your body. Whether we are at home surrounded by plastic and metal or outdoor in engine fumes, we are constantly bombarded with chemicals. So let’s try at least to avoid ingesting chemicals directly. We cannot control everything but let’s control what we can.

1. Pineapple

Pineapple may prevent digestive upsets with. Researchers at California ’s Stanford University say that one cup of fresh pineapple daily can cut painful bloating within 72 hours.

This happens thanks to the proteolytic enzymes naturally found in pineappl, which helps speed the breakdown of pain-causing proteins in the stomach and small intestine, say USDA researchers.

2. Fish

Fish seems to help with tummy troubles such as Indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases.

According to repeated studies fatty acids in fish, called EPA and DHA, can significantly reduce intestinal inflammation, cramping and belly pain as well as provide as much relief as corticosteroids and other prescription meds.

According to biological chemist Barry Sears, Ph.D., president of the Inflammation Research Foundation in Marblehead , MA “EPA and DHA are powerful, natural, side effect-free anti-inflammatories, that can dramatically improve the function of the entire gastrointestinal tract,”.

Look for oily fish like salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel, trout and herring.

3. Water

We all know about water and its effects on our health. But did you know your can wash away pain injuries with it?

We are literally made our of water, around 85-90% according to some studies. So whether it’s your feet, your knees or your shoulders that are throbbing, experts at New York ’s Manhattan College , say you could kick-start your recovery in one week by drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. The reason this happens is because water dilutes, and then helps flush out, histamine, a pain-triggering compound produced by injured tissues.

“Plus water is a key building block of the cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones, your joints’ lubricating fluid, and the soft discs in your spine,” adds Susan M. Kleiner, Ph.D., author of the book, The Good Mood Diet. “And when these tissues are well-hydrated, they can move and glide over each other without causing pain.”

4. Oats

This is a great idea to know for women. End endometrial pain with oats. Sooth endometriosis pain could be a daily bowl of oatmeal. Endometriosis occurs when little bits of the uterine lining detach and grow outside of the uterus.

According to experts these migrating cells can turn menstruation into a misery. They cause so much inflammation that they trigger severe cramping during your period.

Scientists say opting for a diet rich in oats can help reduce endometrial pain for up to 60 percent of women within six months.

The reason behind this is because oats don’t contain gluten, a trouble-making protein that triggers inflammation for many women, making endometriosis difficult to bear, according to Peter Green, M.D., professor of medicine at Colombia University .

5. Coffee

Coffee, under sensible amounts, can help cure migraines. I haven’t tried it myself but try taking your painkiller with coffee.

Whatever over-the-counter pain med you prefer, researchers at the National Headache Foundation say washing it down with a strong 12 ounce cup of coffee will boost the effectiveness of your medication by 40% or more. Experts say caffeine stimulates the stomach lining to absorb painkillers more quickly and more effectively.

Not sure how this works or it’s consequences. If you try it let me know how it goes.

Read the first part here to learn about ginger, cloves, peppermint, honey and tomato juice

If you would like to know more please book a free consultation with me.

Don’t miss the next 5 natural painkillers, sign up for our newsletter NOW.

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December 9, 2014December 24, 2014

The squat: Why to do it, How to do it

Why squat

1. It’s a natural movement

We squat, or we should squat, almost every time we pick or put down something. You see cultures who eat or work while squatting. It’s a healthy way to treat your body.

Build the habit of squatting. No matter how light the load it or how high from the ground we should squat. It’s about building a good habit and when the weight is heavy and closer to the ground then we will be prepared for it. Habits, habits, habits.

2. Strengthens the core

The core is where every movement and every word we throw out starts. Whether we talk, laugh, burp, lift or run it all starts from the core. And remember that a strong core in the body allows for a strong core in the mind.

The squat, when done correctly, strengthens the core of your body:

– abdominal muscles
– pelvis
– diaphragm
– obliques or side of the abs
– back muscles, strengthening the lumbar spine

3. Strengthening stability muscles

I am a big believer in the power of stability muscles. While we have big stability muscles, such as quadriceps, we also have the small, miniscule muscles deeply hidden in our body, which support the joints. It’s the details that make the whole.

The squat, even without any weight and when done properly, strengthens your stability muscles to help you:

– recover faster after an injury, small or big
– regain your balance faster and injury free when you trip, slip or otherwise lose balance
– balance how the body functions, strengthening the weaker points

How to squat

Source: Precision Nutrition

10 general guidelines for a good deep squat:

1. Elongate your spine and puff your chest out

2. Plant your feet into the ground, feel grounded with the toes and the heel, with toes facing straight forward

3. Push down with the big toes so the arch of the foot does not collapse inwards

4. Slowly, on a count of 10, lower yourself down breathing out on the way down

3. Imagine you are sitting on a very small stool placed right behind your heel

5. Keep your knees behind the toes or aligned with them

7. Go as low as you can keeping the heels on the ground and a straight back. Go half way if needed but to it right

8. When you come up imagine someone is pulling you up from the top of the head. Lead with your head not with your bum. Chest out, looking forward.

9. Start squeezing your bum/gluteal muscles as soon as you can on the way up, to push your hips forward

10. Breath out on the way up

If you would like to know more please book a free consultation with me.

Here is a video to help you visualize the technique

December 8, 2014December 24, 2014

10 Habits for a Happier, Healthier Monday

Do you dread Mondays? No need to, it’s a day like all the others. But here are my top 10 tips to get your week started positive, healthy and full of energy.

1. Push yourself into an early morning WORKOUT.

Better yet do it outdoor. The fresh, crisp air will wake you up, boost your immune system and get the engine going for the rest of the week.

2. Start with a healthy, colorful BREAKFAST.

And looking forward to it the evening before.

3. Start your week with a morning MEDITATION.

It can be any type of meditation, you can do Tai Chi, walking meditation, yoga, visualization or meditate like a monk. Whatever works for you.

4. Watch and listen to INSPIRATIONAL, POSITIVE speeches and videos.

Nothing better to get your brain into thinking positive from the beginning of the week and get motivated.

Try this amazing track on youtube, one of my all time favorites 50 Positive Thoughts To Live An Awesome Life

5. Start with a SMILE.

Whoever passes your way smile, it will make you feel better and it will brighten up their day as well.

6. Morning STRETCH.

This always wakes me up and relaxes tight muscles from the night before. Don’t be too harsh on yourself, just light stretching. If you have injuries or pains leave the stretches for a bit later after your body moves a little.

7. SILENT your phone at night and don’t use it for 1 hour after you wake up.

According to some studies people who don’t check their social media or use mobile devices are more productive during the day. I would add more clear minded and have more energy. Tried and tested many years ago before reading any statistics. Try it.

8. Make someone a COMPLIMENT

Throughout the day make at least one person a compliment, it can be anyone and about anything. Like the smile this will make their day and you will feel better as well. Win-Win.

9. Start with a list of five things you are GRATEFUL for.

Appreciate the little things as much as the big, important events in your life. They are all part of you and complete your life, and the more you acknowledge them the more often they will happen to you.

10. Each time you meet someone, silently wish them HAPPINESS, JOY and LAUGHTER.

I think this is my favourite. I do all of the above throughout the week and like all of them but this is so powerful that it has to be at the top of my list.

December 6, 2014December 24, 2014

How fitness changes you at a physical and psychological level

Fitness is not only an aspect of a visibly fit and healthy human being but more of one who is confident and strong in the way she stands, sits, moves, runs or talks.

Fitness, power and strength shape our bodies yes, but as a consequence our mental processes, our self esteem and finally the actions we take on a daily basis dramatically change.

Feeling unfit, soft and heavy will not help you when you walk up and down the stairs at work, play with your kids or simply run for the bus. I makes you feel old and sluggish, feeling like you don’t want to do anything anymore.

So we are here to change that by sharing with you 3 ways to train your body:

1. Run/fast walk/walk

I am a runner I know running is seen as dangerous. I totally agree with it, but only because we have lost our ability to run in an efficient way. We take our joints on a painful journey, we put so much pressure and tension in the way we run.

But because I am a runner I learnt that pain is not the only way to run. There is a better way, and since I changed my running style and the one of my clients we have all seen amazing improvement and ….. no more pain, no more suffering. The techniques I use are Chi Running and Pose Method of running.

2. Balancing

When you balance your cannot think about what you will have for dinner. Once your mind gets away you lose your balance. It’s really that simple. Balance exercises teach you how to focus, how to be in the now. A balanced body allows for a balanced mind.

3. Hanging

Hanging is again a powerful exercise for core strength. But also upper body. If you hang and lift your knees and then your feet to the branch the your will work your entire mid section of your body. This is by far my more favourite natural movement exercise.

December 5, 2014December 11, 2014

Good carbs Bad Carbs

Rather than me or anyone else telling you what to eat I wanted to give you a very very brief explanation of what carbs are,, what are their properties and types of carbs are there. The reason I want you to know this is because then you will be able to make informed decisions by yourself rather than rely on someone else to do it for you.

Dietary carbohydrate (CHO) is digested and utilised in the body in a variety of ways. It is ultimately sent to the liver, muscles, or used immediately as a fuel. Some glucose may enter the adipose tissue (fat tissue), where it is used to help store fat.
Carbohydrates are often thought of as the primary source of energy in the human body.

However, it really depends on what the body is doing at the time.

– under normal daily activities we use carbohydrates and fats for energy

– as the intensity of an activity increases the contribution from fats diminishes and carbohydrates increases.

There are three basic categories::

simple carbohydrates also referred to as “sugar”
complex carbohydrates also referred to as “starches”
non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) referred to as “fiber”

Sugar

Simple carbohydrates have a very basic structure and usually only contain one or two units of sugar, made up from a combination of glucose, fructose and galactose.

Fruit: a healthy choice	Less healthy options: biscuits, cakes, confectionery, soft drinks
contain fructose and glucose in varying amounts contain vitamins and minerals contain antioxidants and phytochemicals contain high levels of dietary fibre contain trace of amino acids	contain excessive sugar – higher than 15g per 100g (FSA) contain processed, low quality fats high energy density contain no vitamins or minerals adversely affects insulin response

The importance of vitamins

The energy contained in these foods cannot be released without specific vitamins and minerals.

For example we cannot utilise any carbohydrate without the B vitamins.

Fresh fruit provides its own vitamin and mineral requirements for the body.

Heavily refined and processed foods provide us with energy but without needed vitamins and prolonged use of refined carbohydrates can lead to a depletion of certain nutrients. This type of food is often referred to as an “anti-nutrient”.

Starch

They consist of multiple molecules which join together to form molecules of glucose called polysaccharides. Once eaten the polysaccharides are broken down into glucose, absorbed into the bloodstream and either stored or metabolised accordingly.

All such carbohydrates will provide energy. However, their real dietary value centers on whether they are refined or unrefined.

Refined carbohydrate	Unrefined carbohydrate
white bread white pasta cakes, biscuits and pastries rice cakes CHO content of processed foods white rice	wholemeal or whole grain products whole grain rice frozen vegetables fresh vegetables sweet potatoes yams pulses quinoa
Properties	Properties
contain excessive sugar – higher than 15g per 100g contains processed, low quality fats high energy density contain no vitamins or minerals adversely affects insulin response	contains fructose and glucose in varying amounts contains vitamins and minerals contains antioxidants and phytochemicals contains high levels of dietary fibre contains trace of amino acids

Fiber

consists of non-starch polysaccharide (NSP), indigestible plant material such as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin, gums and mucilages.:
found in: fruits, vegetables, grains, beans
doesn’t provide any energy, yet scientists believe it is vital for a healthy body as it aids it the transportation of foods through the digestive tract by bulking out the food and faeces for ease of movement.

Insoluble Fiber – the outer protective layer of plants.

unrefined wheat
bran
rye
rice
most other grains
fruit and vegetable skins

Soluble Fiber – found on the inner part of plants.

beans
barley
broccoli
prunes
apples
citrus fruits
oats

Soluble fiber has been proposed to help with the reduction in cholesterol by binding with fats in the digestive tract and carrying them out in the stools.

Now the question is which of the 3 types of carbs is better. The answer would be none and all of them.

The reason I give this answer is because every type of carb has it’s benefits on the body. An we need all of them if we are to have a well rounded and healthy diet.

Simple carbs (sugars) give us energy, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Remember we need vitamins to be able to utilise the carbohydrate.

Complex carbs (starches) contributes to energy and has fibres, vitamins and minerals.

We need fibers for a healthy digestion process.

The real issue is the quality of carbs we ingest and the quantity, as well as what we do with all that stored energy, where does it go?

UK Nutritional Guidelines recommend about 50% of calories to come from carbohydrate. More than that and it’s probably not a great idea.

The specifics of the national food model provide the following targets:

Adult males: 2550 calories per day
Adult females: 1950 calories per day

The total amount of calories should be divided across each of the macronutrients to achieve the following ratios:

• minimum of 50% calories from carbohydrates
• maximum of 35% calories from fats
• minimum of 55g of protein per day (9-12% calories)

If you would like to know more please book a free consultation with me.

December 4, 2014

How to easily create healthy habits that stick long-term

Our life is made out of a bundle of many habits. Just think about it, you brush your teeth every morning – habit, you drink your coffee/tea every morning, you lock the door, drive to work, change your clothes when you go to bed, that’s a habit as well. Almost everything we do is a habit, and a habit is automatic and painless.

When you want to improve productivity, focus, reduce stress and be healthier but you struggle, there is nothing better that creating and nurturing a good habit, which comes automatic, it’s fast and easy.

However, to create a habit is easier said than done right? Well, don’t jump to conclusions, there are ways to easily create and maintain a habit for a long time, to make it part of your life routine.

Before you continue, chose a habit you’d like to create, whether it is health and fitness related, business or personal.

These are 3 of the steps I take my clients through when we have a habit we want to create transform as part of The 6 Guiding Principles of a Healthier Lifestyle:

1. Start small

It is important not to just throw yourself into something new. Your body and brain need time to learn the new habit, it’s a change for them. It’s like jumping into ice cold water when you’ve never even experienced a cold shower. It’s all about adaptation.

Let’s say you want to go for a run 5 days a week for 1 hour. Start with a run 1 day a week for 30 min, or even 10 min. After 4 runs, go up to 2 runs a week or stay with 1 a week but add 5-10 more minutes. Simple and painless.

You will see how easy and comfortable you build this habit and stick to it.

You can apply this even in an office environment or personal goals.

2. Focus on the tasks

When you make tasks part of your daily routine, you build a habit that sticks. Instead of focusing on the end goal, create many small daily or weekly tasks which lead to the end result. Then you only need to get those small, fast tasks done, to tick them off the list. That’s it, slowly building to the end result.

3. Design your environment for success

Why make life difficult for yourself? Design your environment so it helps you with your tasks and ultimately your goal or habit.

For example, let’s say you want to take trash out every Friday morning when you leave to work at 5 am. Why not place the bag in front of the door an evening before so at 5 am you don’t run around the house for the bin bag. You will have to pick it up to open the door (if you want to leave the house of course). You will build the habit of taking the trash out every Friday morning.

Again, you can apply this to anything you do, whether you want to create a new habit or to changing a habit

Want to go for a run first thing in the morning? Then get your kit ready next to your bed.

Want to have your own home cooked lunch at work? Prepare something the day before and put it in a plastic container ready to just throw it in your bag. Put a note on the front door so you don’t forget to take it with you.

All simple and painless.

Do you have a habit or tasks you want to implement into your life? Try these 3 steps and let me know how it works out for you.

December 3, 2014May 17, 2015

How to use your body to reduce aches and pains

How To Use Your Body To Reduce Aches And Pains

Do you feel aches and pains around your body and you don’t like them and want them to disappear?

If you do then consider acknowledging how you use your body. Use determines function – Alexander Principles. How you use your it determines how it works and how it feels. Your body can be a well oiled machine or an old and rusty pickup truck.

[tweetthis]Your body can be a well oiled machine or an old and rusty pickup truck.[/tweetthis]

If you look after it and use it in a proper way it will function at its peak and carry you wherever you want it. It will do everything you asked it to do. You cannot change it, but you can care for it.

I have experienced extreme pain throughout the years as part of the Romanian National Karate Shotokan Squad, since I was 8 years old. But in the past few years I’ve learnt, applied and experienced a 180 degrees change in how I experience life as a competitive athlete and coach.

Now, throughout your day I would like to ask you to focus your attention on:

1. How you MOVE your body

Is it stiff, tight and achy? Or is it light, flexible and moves fluidly? The less resistance you put onto your body the better you will feel. And that indeed leads to less stress and happiness.

2. Your POSTURE

If there would be one thing and one thing only that I’ve learnt in the past 20 years from working with all my coaches and Martial Arts Sensei that’s posture.

And that is what I emphasize every single moment in my life and when I coach you. Posture will help your body relax. But more than that, it will give you confidence and self esteem, when you walk with a great posture people see the greatness in you. I tell you this from personal experience.

So relax your body by elongating from the top of the head instead of pulling your shoulders back. You will have a great posture and be relaxed in the same time.

Do this when you run, walk, stand or sit. All the time, elongate your body.

3. How you USE your body

Use determines function. Every time you pick up a pen there is a reaction chain going on in your body. You see only your hand moving but there are so many muscles involved in picking up a pen.

Just my standing we use about 300 muscles. When we talk we use about 72, and they are not all in the head and neck area. Everything in interconnected in your body, without exception.

Thus the more tensed you are when you handle life around you the more tensed your body is, which leads to aches and injuries in the long term.

And let me tell you a secret (which actually you already know): When your body is relaxed and fluid your mind is relaxed and fluid as well. No more anger, stress or depression, only joyful movement in the body and in the mind.

All this is part of my program The 6 Guiding Principles of a Healthier Lifestyle.

With all this being said I hope you will start your day and all the following ones relaxed and with a great, confident, posture.

December 2, 2014March 13, 2015

How to let go of stress instantly

As women we wear multiple hats. We take upon us many responsibilities and a lot of stress. That builds up and before you know it, gets out of control. This in turn leads to anxiety, more stress and even depression.

It is important to learn simple and fast ways you can do instantly to relieve the stress, center yourself and regain focus. And here are 3 of them that I use most:

1. Focus on your Heart

Close your eyes, focus on your heart and breath 3 times (deeper than you normally would). Do this now…

Breathing straight into your heart helps you center, find quietness and inner peace. This is particularly important when you feel angry and you want to respond to the situation without regretting it later. This will help you respond rather than just react, throwing out whatever comes to you.

Photo Credit: martinak15 via Compfight cc

2. Relax your Muscles

Close your eyes and feel how your tensed muscles on your face, shoulders, back and arms just relax and drop. A deep breath or sigh can help with this.

Many times we hold our stress and frustration in our bodies. Actually most of the time and especially around the shoulders. When we close the outside world by closing our eyes, we allow ourselves to internalize the feeling, and just let go of the physical tension and with it goes the mental tension.

3. Fake the Smile

There has been scientific research done to prove that even a fake smile has the power to change your mood. Your brain does not make the difference between a fake and a real smile and it reacts the same, releasing hormones in the body which make you feel happier. Try this now…fake a smile.

All these elements are essential parts in my 6 step Outdoor Health and Wellness Program when I work with stressed out women to leave them feeling energized and transformed in as little as 12 weeks.

Please leave your feedback below, I would love to hear how all this has made a difference in how you feel while reading this.

If you’d like to know more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body”

November 28, 2014March 13, 2015

Painkillers in your kitchen Part 1: ginger, cloves, peppermint, honey, tomato juice

Painkillers in your kitchen Part 1/4

– ginger, cloves, peppermint, honey, tomato juice –

Special posts for the next 4 weeks. We will go through 20 natural painkillers.

For the first blog we will look at ginger, cloves, peppermint, honey and tomato juice and how they can help us in painful moments.

Don’t miss them.

1. Ginger
Use Ginger to reduce muscle and joint pain, swelling and stiffness. Danish researchers asked people with aches to include ginger in their diets and the stiffness, pain and ached reduces by up to 63% within 2 months. The study-recommends to add daily at least 1 teaspoon of dried ginger or 2 teaspoons of chopped ginger to meals.

2. Cloves
Cloves are a good cure for toothaches. You can ease tooth pain and gum inflammation by gently chewing on a clove for 2 hours without stopping, according to UCLA researchers. Researchers say that the reason this works is due to eugenol, a powerful, natural anesthetic, a natural compound found in cloves. Sprinkling a ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves on meals daily can also helps stabilize blood sugar.

3. Peppermint
Peppermint is great for us active people as it helps relax painful, tight, sore muscles. Mark Stengler, N.D. author of the book “The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies” suggests the following approach: three times a week, add 10 drops of peppermint oil warm tub. The warm water will relax your muscles and the peppermint oil will naturally soothe your nerves. This combination of warm water and peppermint oil can ease muscle cramping 25 percent more effectively than over-the-counter painkillers, and cut the frequency of future flare-ups in half.

4. Honey
Honey helps heal mouth sores. Researchers at the Dubai Specialized Medical Center in the United Arab Emirates suggest us to use unpasteurized honey four times daily until these skin woes disappear. They’ll heal 43 percent faster than if you use a prescription cream, researchers say. This happens because of the raw honey’s natural enzymes reduce inflammation, destroy invading viruses and speed the healing of damaged tissues, according to the study authors.

5. Tomato juice
Leg cramps are one of a runners fear. But we have tomato juice to help with it. Leg cramps because of Potassium deficiencies, which occur when this mineral is flushed out by diuretics, caffeinated beverages (commercial energy drinks anyone?) or heavy perspiration during exercise. UCLA researchers suggest to sip 10 ounces of potassium-rich tomato juice daily to not only speed recovery but also reduce your risk of painful cramp flare-ups in as little as 10 days.

Don’t miss the next 5 natural painkillers, sign up for our newsletter NOW.

November 21, 2014March 13, 2015

7 Things I do to avoid the Flu

1. Drink water with lemon and ginger every morning.

Boosts immune system
Alkaline food – Balances pH Levels
Cleanse
Aids digestion
Lemons are high in pectin fiber – helps fight hunger cravings – Aids in Weight Loss

2. Training outdoor.

Especially if you feel a start of a cold, you need to get your immune system up and running asap.

Don’t wait until it is very very bad. It will also make you feel better mentally.

The great thing about training outdoor is that you avoid the viruses which incubate in indoor, hot places. Even if you immune system is down you have less changes of contacting a virus outdoor than indoor with 100 other people.

Boosts immunity
Away from viruses
Oxygen for your brain, blood and muscles

4. Eat citrus fruit or drink citrus fruit juice made by yourself

Citrus are ins season in winter. Indeed they are high in sugar but they are not high on Glycemic Index.

What can they do for you?

Boost of Vitamins
Keeps the whole fruit so you don’t miss any nutrients
No added sugars, colours, preservatives etc
Low Glycemic Index
Grapefruit give you about 59% of your daily recommended value of Vit C

5. Drink lots of tea.

Cleanse body of toxins
Boosts immunity
Green tea and other herbal teas are best

If you fancy a tea with a twist, but still green, healthy and full of antioxidants, check out Matcha Tea on our store, as well as our review on it

6. Eat fresh vegetables of all colours
Every colour has its vitamins and minerals the body needs to stay healthy, strong and fight illnesses.

Green – vin A, B9, B2, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron,
Red – vit A, vit C (red apples contain quercetin, a compound that can fight colds, flu, and allergies)
Orange – vitamins C, A, B6, potassium, and fiber
Yellow – potassium, fiber, manganese, vitamin A, magnesium
Blue – antioxidants, fibre
Purple – anthocyanins (antioxidants that protect blood vessels and preserve healthy skin), vitamin A and flavonoids
White – vitamins and minerals: vitamins C, K, and folate, contain fiber

7. Sleep good.

Sleeping properly, a restful sleep, 6-8 hours every night gives the body a change to regenerate and heal. It is probably the most important tool to fight illnesses, if you ask me.
I use meditation and relaxation tracks which help me relax and also help me have positive thoughts before I go to bed.

8. Your mind has the power

Never say “I will get sick” or “I am sick”

Since high school, when I had the odd cold, I used to tell everyone that I am not sick and I actually produce antibodies.

My friends always wondered how come I was ill but had more energy than when I wasn’t, I would train harder, laugh harder and be very cheerful all the time. What you think and what you tell yourself and others influence the outcome in reality.

I did not know then that this was actually a science, I had no idea why I was so energetic when ill. Well now I know.

And I have the perfect article to support this

November 21, 2014March 13, 2015

What meaning do you give to depression?

Dr Alan Cohen, a GP with a special interest in mental health, says that when people get depressed or anxious, they often feel they’re not in control of their lives.

One in Four women suffer from this biological illness (depression) at some point in her lifetime.

A child with a depressed parent is 2 to 4 times more likely to develop depression himself before adulthood.

Extensive research has shown that a mother’s depression, especially when untreated, can interfere with her child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development.

A review of studies going back to 1981 concluded that regular exercise can improve mood in people with mild to moderate depression and it can also play a supporting role in treating severe depression.

There are less people in control of their lives and more people who suffer from depression.

We need and can take control over our lives, through exercise, meditation or anything than brings us joy, calmness, mindfulness and relaxes us.

IMPORTANT: Below are some experiences I went through by myself, I do not assume it is a treatment for depression rather an experience with it (not just sadness) and how it affected me. Please do not use these ideas to replace professional medical treatment.

You give it meaning

When we have a feeling that’s all it is, just a feeling. It does not become good or bad and it does not affect us until we judge it, until we label it as good or bad.

Any experience can have many meanings and we are the ones who give those experiences the meaning in our lives. We have the power to alter the consequence of any experience we go through right this moment.

The only true meaning of any experience is the one we give it. Through meditation and other mental techniques we can also alter the meanings of past experiences.

Questions for yourself

What is the experience you are going through?

What is the meaning you give it?

What is the new meaning you give it?

It is a map for you follow

An experience can show us where we need to focus our attention if we have the wisdom to see it. And we do…

These feelings we have give us a clue that something or someone crossed our way and we are invited to explore that feeling, to ask “why am I having this feeling”, “what is the lesson I am supposed to learn”.

And so the feelings we label as negative become our friends and mentors because they teach us rather than hurt us.

Questions for yourself

Why are you having this feeling, emotion or experience?

What is the lesson you are supposed to learn?

Everything happens in cycles

Everything in our lives unfolds in cycles. Seasons, years, day and night, even ice age and global warming, they happen at shorter or longer periods of time but they are a cycle.

The same is true with our thoughts, emotions and feelings. There is a cycle if you have enough time to observe.

And you should have enough time, or make time, because it is about You, Your Family and Your Child. Isn’t that a good enough reason to “make time”?

Questions for yourself

When, in my past, has this feeling or experience happened again? Or is it a new one?

If it did happen in the past then what was it that I needed to learn and I didn’t?

What is the lesson you are supposed to learn?

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Pull when pushed and Push when pulled, follow the flow

Most modern treatments teach us how to push away the experiences and feelings which might be painful and may hurt us.

In ancient cultures and traditions such as Japanese martial Arts Aikido the opposite is true.

In Aikido you pull when pushed and push when pulled. That means that you go with the flow and the flow will show you where to go.

When we experience something that our beliefs tell us is negative or bad or may lead to negative or bad consequences, we are actually invited to allow this experience to unfold, and not to resist it, not to use strength.

This does not mean we do not follow our doctors recommendations, we do.

This does not mean we have to like it. It means that we can learn from it, we can evolve and ReCreate ourselves based on an experience which showed us a glimpse of who we really are.

Or maybe you can give it a different meaning? 😉

Questions for yourself

Am I trying to suppress my feelings and push away my experiences?

My experience taught me…

I experienced many cycles of depression from the age of 6, with and without sport and exercise. I was part of the National Karate Squat an still being depressed.

That was the result of the environment I lived in and the people I spent my time with, mainly adults with financial, personal and emotional challenges.

In the past 3 years I went through my deepest depression ever, I got over it and I found out what I loved most and what I wanted to do in life. I did not take pills, no therapies, but instead I connected with Earth and with myself and discovered something that was not there before.

At that time I did not know that my believes and interpretation of that experience was the way out of it. I did not know that training outdoor would help me in any way. I knew that being outdoor made me feel calm, clear-minded and relaxed. And that’s all I needed

But I took action nonetheless, I did not wait for it to get worse. I began training outdoor and since then I coached myself and was coached and learned how to use nature for training and achieve a healthier life.

So this is my experience and now, looking back, I can talk about the journey.

It is, however, important to remember that this is not a replacement for professional medical treatment.

There were and are many people in my life who directly and indirectly mentored me. The ideas I believe in and I expressed in this article are lessons learnt from teachers in personal development and applied in my own life whether consciously or unconsciously, but if they worked for me it does not mean they will work for every single person, we are all different.

Finally, give these lessons I learned and wrote here a meaning by yourself.

November 10, 2014March 13, 2015

Why what you put on your body is very unhealthy and how you can change that

Why what you Put On Your Body is very Unhealthy and how you can Change that

What you put on your skin is as important as what you but into your body. Your skin absorbs anything you put on it from water to chemicals we use every single day several time a day.

All those chemicals go past the skin, into your blood stream and then all over your body and organs.

Think about: toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, shower gel, shampoo, deodorant, hand cream, face cream, body lotions and these are only the basics which most of us use.

Plus make up, powders, gels, sprays and so on.

We look after what we eat but not about what goes into our body through our skin..

Here is a basic idea of what you put onto your skin and thus into your body.

1. Lead

Lead can be found in sunscreens, foundation, nail colors, lipsticks and whitening toothpaste. Lead is a neurotoxin, linked to learning and behavioral problems. It is also linked to miscarriag and reduced fertility (men and women).

2. Parabens

Parabens are used as preservative and antimicrobial agent in creams, lotions, ointments and other cosmetics, including deodorants. As all chemicals we put on our skin, they are absorbed through the skin and have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors.

3. Triclosan

Triclosan classified as a pesticide yet we use it as antibacterial in toothpastes, cleansers and antiperspirants. Triclosan can disrupt the endocrine system and contribute to antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

4. Placental Extract

Placental Extract comes from animal of human placenta and is used in hair conditioners, shampoos and other hair products especially for women with colored hair.

Just think how many times a day we put these things into our bodies?

At Urban Women Fitness we want to create an all natural environment, from fitness to organic food and cosmetics which come from all natural sources.

Thus one of our preferred sellers is Arbonne line of cosmetics and toiletries.

Some of the reasons we teamed up with Arbonne are:

1. Its products were developed in Switzerland in 1975.

These are Swiss certified products and we all know Swiss products are of high quality.

2. Botanical principles

Arbonne’s skin care products are based on botanical principles using vegetable oil and fruit as ingredients

3. Encourages green innovations, leaving a green legacy for generations to come.

Also their product shipments are certified carbon neutral.

4. It is not commercial.

I always like and trust brands which although global they are not everywhere around the world. This tells me they are investing money in developing their products rather than expanding uncontrollably.

5. Arbonne is present in Switzerland, USA, UK, Australia.

I picked a few random examples of what ingredients you can find in Arbonne Products.

For full list access this link

1. Apricot Kernel Oil

2. Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) Leaf Extract

3. Sage (Salvia officinalis) Oil

4. Sea Algae

5. Yucca (Yucca brevifolia) Extract

Do you think you use products which contain the above mentioned ingredients? Would you like to replace them with other products to:

1. Protect yourself and your family from chemicals and toxins
2. Achieve a real Holistic Health
3. Keep your family as far as possible from a Flood of Chemicals they are exposed to every single moment of the day

Fill in this form and I will get back to you within 2 business days

[contact-form to=’alexandramerisoiu@yahoo.com, alexandra@urbanwomenfitness.com’][contact-field label=’First Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Last Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Your enquiry’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

November 8, 2014December 24, 2014

Vivid Drink Matcha Tea Review

View my YouTube Review

I had the unique opportunity to find a drink which meets my standards. If you know me at all you know I am very skeptical even after I see the ingredients on labels. It is very difficult to convince me that something is natural and healthy.

So every time I find something new I look at it with my skeptical eyes and read the label. I did this for all tea brands, for coconut water and many others.

One day however the story line changes. I found a less known brand of tea, new for me at least. My mother always said that the small brands are the most trusted ones because they do not mass produce and so they do not need to use preservatives to keep them last longer.

Vivid Drinks Matcha Tea is a brand of tea which meets my standards. There is nothing in it than fruit and tea, you can taste it, you can feel it, you can smell it.

Vivid Drink Matcha Tea selection

Matcha tea with lime, ginger & honey with
Matcha tea with pear, rhubarb and rooibos
Matcha tea with grape, elderflower and white tea

What is Matcha Tea?

Matcha tea is a natural caffeine boost & green tea finely milled or fine powdered. In the Japanese culture, the tea ceremony centers on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha.

Caffeine, in moderation, helps concentration and cognition.

Matcha tea has more antioxidants that other teas and contains L-Theanine which keeps you calm, relaxed and alert.

As a green tea, Matcha tea, boost your metabolism and helps with your weight loss plan.

matcha_tea_pouder — By 121stephen (Matcha Tee) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

My experience with Vivid Drink Matcha Tea

These are the main elements I looked at when I tested Vivid Matcha Tea

1. Taste.

I know how a sweetened drink or tea tastes like and I also know how an unsweetened tea or drink tastes like. I can usually taste the difference between sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweetened and plain unsweetened tea. And so do out students at UWF, this tea allows us to actually taste the tea and the fruit in it. Delicious.

2. Colour.

If you look at the juices in carton, let’s say the pear juice, the colour is bright, appealing. Producers say that we want our foods and drinks to look like this otherwise we would not buy them. But those intense colours tell me that there are chemicals in that drink.

With regards to Vivid Drink however, the colour is not intense, like you’d expect from a bottled orange or pear juice. After a while any natural drink has a slightly darker colour, it oxidizes. This does not mean it is not good, it simply means the fruit or the drink is not full of preservatives to make its self life longer and make it more appealing to the eye.

Cut a piece out of a pear or apple and, if the fruit is not treated with chemicals, you will see how it darkens.

3. Clarity

What I love about Vivid Drink tea is that it is not clear, if a drink has real fruit in it then the colour would be cloudy and darker as explained above.

Vivid Drinks Matcha Tea — Source: http://cardiffinateacup.wordpress.com/

4. Texture.

While you will not find chunks of fruit in this tea you will find that fine trace of pulp which makes it taste just a little bit sweet. For example the pear, rhubarb, matcha and rooibos tea the texture is that of pear pulp.

5. Best before date.

Now this is a very important aspect of drinks and food in general. The longer the shelf live the more chemicals inside. As a child and teenager my mother used to buy food, such as yoghurt, with the expiration date a few days after they were produced. You know there is nothing in it.

Vivid drinks tea, packed with antioxidants, has natural preservatives to keep it on the shelf just a few months. Many other drinks and bottled tea last for years.

7. Ingredients on the label

Vivid Drinks Matcha tea ingredients

Water
Fruit puree
Tea
Natural Flavouring
Vitamin C

Thus, after all this detailed analysis, Urban Women Fitness teamed up with Vivid Drinks to get the word out there about this wonderful, all natural drink. Vivid Drinks are one of UWF sponsors.

You can also find Vivid Drink Matcha Tea in selected stores such as Waitrose, Whole Foods Market, WHSmith, Planet Organic and other.

But, to make it easier to purchase, we have it here in our Amazon Nutrition Store.

October 9, 2014August 20, 2015

Passionate About Sports? Massage London Sessions Will Keep You In Shape !

Passionate About Sports?
Massage London Sessions Will Keep You In Shape !

Compared to the average individual, an athlete logs in several more hours of intense
physical activity on a regular basis. Aside from the hours actually spent playing a game
with a team (like in football, basketball, baseball, and such) or engaging in an individual
sport or activity (like swimming, yoga, cycling, or participating in triathlon), an athlete
would also need several minutes for warm-up and cool-down drills which help the body
prepare before or begin to calm down after the activity; this helps keep the body from
becoming prone to injuries and contributes in improving his or her ability to perform.

It follows, then, that athletes would need specialised attention in terms of maintaining
their strong physical condition for their athletic pursuits. Sports massage, in particular,
is an important practice that helps athletes keep in shape, maximise their physical
abilities, avoid injuries, and recover successfully in the event that an injury takes place.

What are the different aspects of sports therapy that athletic individuals can benefit
from? Described below are a few:

Evaluation

A person may need to have a specific level of physical fitness or possess the crucial
physical abilities in order to participate in a sport. A sports massage therapist can
perform the proper evaluation to assess the individual’s current condition and prescribe
a fitness programme to help the person become fit for the sport.

For people who have been participating in sports for quite some time, aches and pains
are generally facts of life — after intense training and high-energy performances, there
will always be a body part that experiences pain or soreness.

If these pains persist, a sports therapist can conduct an evaluation and determine whether
there are neuromusculoskeletal injuries and if surgical or non-surgical procedures are
necessary to help the patient safely return to physical activity.

Treatment and Rehabilitation

Sprains, strains, tears, fractures, dislocations — athletes who are constantly pushing
their bodies to the limit are at high risk of experiencing any (or all) of these injuries at
some point in their athletic life or career. While general practitioners will have
sufficient skills and training to address these medical concerns, a specialist of sports
massage will have the expertise to design treatment and rehabilitation programmes
precisely for the purpose of leading the body to complete recovery and getting it back in
shape for a specific sport.

Performance Enhancement

Injuries are not the only opportunities for athletes to receive expert help from a sports
therapist. An athlete may want to explore ways to improve his performance in his game;
his sports therapist would be the right person to evaluate the athlete’s individual
abilities, outline his strengths, take note of any weaknesses, and develop a programme
with the athlete’s goals in mind. The programme can help improve the athlete’s
endurance, for example, or enhance his flexibility, or encourage muscular strength.

Sports Massage

Massaggi is the premier location to fully experience bespoke sports massage in London
for muscle tension to more complex neuromuscular injuries following trauma, muscle
contraction or specific treatments for postural imbalance.

Guest Author: Massage Therapist Ben Pianese “Massaggi“

August 14, 2014December 24, 2014

Learn The Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique For Running

Post Source: JoggingYourLife.com / Learn The Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique For Running

August 3, 2014August 6, 2015

‘Engage your core’, what does that mean? Why should I do it?

‘Engage your core’, what does that mean? Why should I do?

crunch — Photo Credit: ShareHows.com via Compfight cc

‘Engage your core’, ‘suck your belly in’ or ‘squeeze your abs’ are terms repeatedly used by fitness professionals, including myself, but do we really think about what that means? Due to a limited time frame we never really delve into the benefits of building up a strong ‘core’ or how specifically to do it, in each training session.

So today I am drawing on my experiences as a gymnast, dancer and personal trainer to give you the low down on why you really should be engaging your core throughout exercise and how to do it.

Have you ever wondered how a particular dancer/gymnast/ice-skater effortlessly glides around the stage or floor? Well here is your answer in basic terms.

I have been taught from a young age in gymnastics and dance how to ‘shift my weight’, ‘stay on top of my supporting leg’, ‘find where my weight is’. All of these demands require you to connect your mind to your body. The individual tells their body to move a certain way and it responds correctly.

This is Mind-body connection is something innate to dancers and gymnasts. It is not, however, natural to everyone, which is why there is often difficulty when a non-dancer/gymnast is asked to engage his or her core.

So initially, I would suggest mindfulness as a useful tool for reconnecting the body to the mind, and incorporating breathing techniques into exercise.

girl — Photo Credit: martinak15 via Compfight cc

So once the individual manages to connect to their core, why should they focus their time on building strength in that area?

1. Keeps you graceful – It helps with your ability to control your movement, particularly when you come across a difficult exercise or you are starting to fatigue.

2. Back health – It is estimated that four out of every five adults (80%) will experience back pain at some stage in their life. Back pain is the number 2 reason for long – term sickness in much of the UK.(http://www.backcare.org.uk/factsandfigures).

The ‘Core’ is made up of a group of muscles that begin with your ‘abs’ and wrap right around to your back.

A strong core will support your back in times when it may be vulnerable to injury.

3. Power – A strong core is the starting point in powerful explosive movement, such as lifting and jumping.

4. Balance – Our bodies have the potential to do a lot more than we think. If ever in a situation where your stability is compromised a strong core will enable you or increase your chances of staying upright.

5. Light on your toes – If you ever start to feel fatigued and tired during exercise, your core is there to get you through and ensure that keep exercising effectively and efficiently.

But how do I do it?

I have found this to be the easiest way to activate connection to the core:
1. Start by lying or standing up

2. Place your hands on your stomach

3. Take a deep breath in allowing the stomach to balloon

4. Start breathing out feeling the abdominal muscles pushing the air out your lungs

5. Keep breathing out until your lungs are completely empty, to do this requires more effort then normal breathing and so you should feel your abdominals fully contract/tighten.

This exercise can be used as a core activation exercise or throughout your workout.

handstand1 — Photo Credit: Evil Erin via Compfight cc

What’s my ultimate core strength exercise?

It has to be pike handstands (influenced by my gymnastic days). I love playfulness of the movement, challenging your body’s ability to respond to the movement quickly and you feel like you are doing something really impressive.

For those still building up core strength an easier, but equally impressive, version can be done by using a Swiss Ball to support the legs.

About the author: Alice Bowmaker

Alice is an East London based, YMCA qualified personal trainer on a mission to inspire and motivate people to push themselves past their expectations and help them rediscover their love for the beauty and strength of their bodies.

She has a background in dance and gymnastics which he uses extensively in her training repertoire. She also holds memberships with REPs and NRPT.

You can contact Alice at www.alicepteast.com

July 27, 2014December 19, 2014

7 Easy Ways to Reduce Sugar Intake

7 Easy Ways to Reduce Sugar Intake

1. Replace Breakfast cereals with

– Eggs
– Porridge
– Yoghurt – natural no added sugar or the ones you buy with fruit in it
– Yoghurt with fresh or frozen fruit (made by yourself)
– Yoghurt with honey
– Fruit or berries salad with a hand of nuts

2. Replace Milk Chocolate with Dark Chocolate over 70% cacao (used to hate it but I got used
to it, you can as well)

3. Replace Ready-Made Foods which an alarming amount of sugar (have a look under ‘carbohydrate’)
by cooking from scratch. I know you will find many reasons why you can’t do it. I challenge you to
find the reasons why you can do it.

4. Replace High Carbs foods with Low Carbs and High Protein.

Sugar cravings hit when your blood sugar levels spike, then plummet. Tackle this by increasing the
protein in your diet – it’ll leave you feeling satisfied for longer by keeping your blood sugar levels
more stable.

5. More Wholegrain

Basically try eating foods in a state as close to natural as possible. Consider swapping white
carbs for wholegrain or wholemeal wherever you can.

6. Just because it’s fruit doesn’t mean it’s good for you, if you are trying to reduce the
amount of sugar intake.

If you’re trying to reduce the amount of sugar you consume, don’t overlook your fruit intake.
Fruit juice and dried fruit are full of fructose, just another type of sugar. Even if they count
towards one of your five-a-day, they’re very sugary.

7. Consider making your own bread
If you have the time and a bread machine, replace shop bought bread with your own home baking.

July 22, 2014December 24, 2014

Nutritional Guidelines

In the UK we have adapted the original food pyramid and underpinning guidance to follow what is called
‘The Eatwell Plate’ . This simple guidance model in its current form was introduced in 2007, though earlier
versions existed prior to this.

It provides an alternative illustration of the similar basic guidelines around food
and nutrition found within the US pyramid. Whilst the above illustration itself is very simplistic and provides
less descriptive guidance than the pyramid, the guideline documents behind the national model provide some
more directed advice.

‘The Eatwell Plate’ is also supported by 8 specific healthy eating tips as stated by the Foods Standards Agency:

1. Base your meals on starchy foods
2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables (5 portions per day)
3. Eat more fish ( 2 portions a week, 1 oily)
4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
5. Try to eat less salt, no more than 6g a day
6. Get active and try to be a healthy weight
7. Drink plenty of water (6-8 glasses per day)
8. Don’t skip breakfast

Although I do not fully agree with the first one, the others are very good tips and should be taken into account.

lemon — Photo Credit: Zé.Valdi via Compfight cc

The specifics of the national food model provide the following targets:

Adult males: 2550 calories per day
Adult females: 1950 calories per day

The total amount of calories should be divided across each of the macronutrients to achieve the following ratios:

• minimum of 50% calories from carbohydrates
• maximum of 35% calories from fats
• minimum of 55g of protein per day (9-12% calories)

The different macronutrients contain calories and useable energy. The values vary slightly, but are usually referred to with the following approximate figures:

• carbohydrates 4 calories per gram
• proteins 4 calories per gram
• fats 9 calories per gram
• alcohol (not a nutrient) 7 calories per gram

Kiwi — Photo Credit: Sergiu Bacioiu via Compfight cc

In trying to eat according to the national guidelines some may find incessant calorie counting a challenge
and may prefer instead to guide themselves less intensely by following the suggested portion sizes.

The following table provides some guidelines as to what counts as a typical portion. Manufacturers can
vary what they call a ‘portion’ in their favour to ensure their label information fits better with current
nutrition trends. Be sure to read labels carefully.

Food group	Portion guide
Fruit	Small fruit – 2 satsumas, 2 plums, 2 kiwi, 7 strawberries, 14 cherries. Medium fruit – 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 pear, 1 orange. Large fruit – half grapefruit, one 5cm slice of melon, 1 large slice of pineapple. Dried fruit – about 30g, one large heaped tablespoon of raisins or sultanas, handful of banana chips. Fruit juice – 150ml glass of unsweetened juice
Vegetables	Green veg – 2 broccoli spears, 4 heaped table spoons of kale, spinach, or green beans. Salad veg – 3 sticks of celery, 5cm piece of cucumber, 1 medium tomato, 7 cherry tomatoes. Cooked veg – 3 heaped tablespoons carrots, peas, corn or cauliflower
Bread, rice, pasta and potatoes	1 slice of bread. Handful of rice or pasta, Handful of breakfast cereal. One small to medium potato
Meat, fish, eggs and beans	Lean meat the size of a deck of cards1 large egg. Side of fish the size of a standard checkbook. Handful of beans, nuts or seeds
Milk and dairy	Small cup of milk150ml of yoghurt. Piece of cheese size of small matchbox
Food and drinks high in fat or sugar	Limit these foods to no more than 8% of total intake

Organic food

The Soil Association states that some of the key reasons for purchasing organic are:
• minimal use of additives
• no pesticides, fungicides or herbicides used in production
• no genetically modified foods used
• no routine antibiotic use on animals
• animal welfare is paramount

abdomen — Photo Credit: LaVladina via Compfight cc

Nutrition and health

There is no doubt that the food we eat and physical activity, or lack of it, plays a significant role in both
preventing and managing health problems.

The following list of commonly occurring, modern day health complications and diseases have all been
shown to have a root cause or risk factor associated with food and diet.

• obesity
• heart disease
• stroke
• some cancers
• metabolic syndrome
• diabetes
• hypertension
• high cholesterol
• asthma
• some types of arthritis
• menstrual irregularities
• infertility
• eczema

If you would like to read more about nutrition, recognised places to seek nutritional information include:

• Food Standards Agency
• Committee on Medical Aspects (COMA) of Food and Nutrition
• British Nutrition Foundation
• Institute of Optimal Nutrition
• scientific nutrition journals e.g. British Journal of Nutrition

July 2, 2014December 24, 2014

Stress, anxiety and depression

Stress, anxiety and depression

We tend to try and solve our health and energy drawbacks by changing our
external environment. We try and take pills, supplements in the form of shakes,
energy drinks or vitamins.

Yet, if we were to look within us we would notice that probably the #1 cause
for anxiety, irritable or low self esteem, depression or loss of temper is stress.

NHS UK associates stress with: muscle tension, headaches, muscle pain and dizziness.

Stress can also cause a surge of hormones in your body. These stress hormones
are released to enable you to deal with pressures or threats – the so-called “fight or flight”
response, according to NHS UK.

If you’re constantly under stress, these hormones will remain in your body, leading to the symptoms of stress.

In the end stress is one of the weight gain triggers, or excessive, worrying weight loss
and is detrimental to our long-term health.

I think I made my point that stress is not good – I think we all know that – and, in time,
can lead to serious illnesses and addiction such as drinking, smoking, eating sugar to be able to cope with it.

What triggers the Stress?

Anything really and, as we are all different, the triggers are different as well.
However there are a few common stress triggers:

1. money problems
2. relationships
3. work – job you hate
4. time constraints
5. holiday pressures
6. overload – taking on too many tasks
7. not enough quality time for yourself with yourself
8. striving for perfection
9. lack of passion
10. disorganized clutter – messy home, messy desk, overflowing inbox just adds to the pile

So what can you do about it?

I read quite a bit about keeping a diary and make notes of stressful episodes for 2-4 weeks.

This will help detect what causes stress in your life.

You should write down information such as:

1. the date, time and place of a stressful episode
2. what you were doing
3. who you were with
4. how you felt emotionally
5. what you were thinking
6. what you started doing
7. how you felt physically
8. a stress rating (0-10 where 10 is the most stressed you could ever feel)

I used to be a very impatient child and now I am an impatient adult, of course.
I used to be very stressed and depressed since I was, maybe, 7-8 years old.

So I created my own stress coping mechanisms.

While the diary is a really good advice which you should definitely try I will give you
some of my own techniques I use to get rid of stress without drinking, smoking or overeating.

1. Breath, breathe and breathe some more.

Breathing exercises release muscle tension .
If you do them constantly you will feel great improvement on your stress levels,
patience and coping mechanisms.

Here is a basic breathing technique: Rectangular deep abdominal breathing.

1. In breathe & Out breathe the same length.

2. Then the holds are longer after the in breath and the out breath. i.e. 5 seconds in
breath, hold 10 seconds, out breath 5 seconds, hold 10 seconds.

3. If you want, make the rectangle as long as is needed to take your lungs, diaphragm,
and heart to the gym.

4. Make sure you are not doing it in a dusty, dirty or polluted location. So NOT in the
warehouse/storerooms, trains, busy roads. Not at work as you have lots of perfume
sprays/chemicals and air conditioning all around you.

5. You can do it before you go to bed or while you are in bed but after you leave
the window open for a while.

6. Breath through your nose, if needed breath out through your mouth

Even writing this article I find myself closing my eyes from time to time,
and take a deep breath to help me focus on the task.

This takes us to the next technique

2. Close your eyes and pay attention to just 1 inhalation 1 exhalation.

This is such a powerful and calming exercise which takes only 3 seconds.

Close your eyes and pay attention

3. Stretching.

We tend to “store” stress primarily in our abdomen and shoulders but
also in muscles throughout our body.

Mix stretching with breathing and closed eyes and stress and anxiety will
melt away.

4. None of these working? Take a nap.

Surprised?

My mother used to say that out of 4 hours of studying while exhausted, if I slept
(or just lay down with my eyes closed) for 30 min, I would be twice more productive
in the time left than if I just pushed through.

To this day I prove this to myself over and over again. And when I refuse to listen to
my body I prove that my mother was right all the time.

Arianna Huffington mentions sleep in her speech “The Third Metric” as well. It’s good
to listen to the whole speech.

Sleeping is not a waste of time. Take a 10 min, 20 min, or 1 hour nap, you may feel
tired right after it but in 5 min your mind will be fully energized.

If I have 2 hours time for a nap I am in paradise.

Follow your passion

5. Follow your passion

Many wise people talk about this and, as I found mine in the health and fitness
industry, I understand how powerful and life changing this is.

Sure, it can be really, really difficult, but it’s what you love to do and you will
never feel like you are working one day for the rest of your life.

Don’t let your passion orbit around your life, rather embrace it and build your future with it.

Meditation

6. Deep meditation

I used to do this as a child as part of Karate Shotokan classes every single day
without knowing what or why I was doing it.

Now a lot of people talk about it. It is not viewed as a religious practice or only
reserved for certain people.

There are many free meditation programs online. I personally use Mindvalley classes and courses.
They give a lot of quality classes for free and if you want more they have really good deals.
There are also great, inspiring people in the team.

Other things to try:

1. practice your favorite sport
2. try something new
3. eat real, nutritious foods
4. nutritious food
5. just be nice to yourself once in a while

I don’t want to make this article too long and boring. These are just a
few techniques you can start using and see if any of them work for you.

You just need to find your way.

So what action will you take when you lack energy, you start gaining
weight or frustrated? Will you reach for the pills or address the way you live your life?

Source: this article was written by Alexandra Merisoiu and syndicated from www.moosin.net

July 2, 2014February 13, 2018

Healthy Snack Ideas For You

Healthy Snack Ideas For You

Until recently I didn’t snack, I used to eat “real food”.

However, the busier my life got – and that’s a great thing – I found I needed to snack otherwise I would end up eating 1 huge meal a day and that’s not good either.

The snacks I choose are of good quality and nutritious, I think a bit before buying and/or eating something.

To bridge the gap between meals, nutritious snacks are good to keep your body working at full speed.

Eating healthy snacks between meals helps control your weight and provides healthy protein, healthy fats, fiber and carbohydrates.

Making different choices still allows you to enjoy delicious foods but with the benefits of important vitamins and minerals that junk food lacks and it can also saves you calories.

1. Trail Mix of just nuts and dried fruit.

2. Fresh fruit would seem like such an obvious choice, but for some reason it is often overlooked as a snack choice and eaten more for desert.

Mix them with natural yoghurt to add a little protein and healthy fats.

3. Nuts are great for your heart because of the healthy fats they contain and, according Harvard Medical School, may help lower your levels of bad cholesterol if eaten regularly.

There is a downside to nuts – their high calorie hit, however it only takes a handful to satisfy your hunger because of the fibre and protein they contain and so you will probably not eat big amounts.

There is a misunderstanding in some cases that roasted nuts, salty nuts or any other variation is ok. Well it’s not ok, they are processed and this is what we want to avoid. Preferably the nuts should be all natural.

4. Low Fat Cheese like string cheese for a choice of low carb, high protein and healthy fats.

5. Popcorn, a 5000 year old snack, is considered to be loaded with calories, so many people avoid it. It is actually a very healthy option encouraged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Air-popped popcorn is low in both calories and fat and is packed with fibre. If you do not have an air popper and have to choose microwave popcorn, be sure to choose a brand that advertises natural popcorn and not one that is loaded with butter and salt which most of them are.

If you chose popcorn at the cinema avoid the cheese, salt, caramel or other modern varieties. They bring nothing nutritious your body can use.

6. Carrot Sticks. If you are craving potato chips, it’s possible that your mind just wants something crunchy.

7. A medium apple and milk makes for a nutritious and satisfying snack.

Apples provide you with fibre and carbohydrates and the milk gives you a boost of calcium, vitamin B12 and protein.

8. Cottage cheese contains protein, which encourages weight loss and the building of lean muscle tissue, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. It also contains calcium and riboflavin.

You enjoy cottage cheese on its own, but if you are craving something sweet, add some of your favourite fresh fruits such as blueberries, sliced peaches, strawberries or pineapple.

I take cottage cheese with me on my Obstacle Races especially when I race in the cold season to eat afterwards.

Frozen yoghurt — Photo Credit: p3nnylan3 via Compfight cc

9. If you have ice cream on your mind, you can reach for frozen yogurt instead. Frozen yogurt contains fewer calories than ice cream and comes in a variety of flavours.Many frozen yogurt options contain no fat but you should look for brands that contain very little sugar, as too much sugar defeats the purpose of choosing an ice cream alternative.

Fat is not a bad thing, it is an important element to maintain homeostasis, the property of a system in which variables are regulated to keep internal conditions functioning at optimal level. Instead of topping your frozen yogurt with caramel sauce or sprinkles, try some raspberries on top.

10. Greek yogurt with raspberries and honey.

Sweet, creamy, and filling, this trio feels completely indulgent.

The combination of fiber, healthy fats, and protein are sure to get you over any 3pm slump.

Combine a single-serving container of Greek yogurt, a cup of raspberries, and a half-tablespoon of honey.

11. Grapes and walnuts

No matter how much you love either, there are only so many you can eat. That’s because grapes are very high in sugar and walnuts are high in fats and even more filling.

A cup of grapes and a handful of walnuts together are a power-combo of natural sugars, fiber, healthy fats, and protein—all of which make for more long-lasting energy.

There are things we cannot control but when it comes to eating it is only about what we can control.

Source: The article was originally published by Alexandra Merisoiu on Moosin.com – Healthy Snack Ideas For You

May 5, 2014May 11, 2015

Benefits of Exercising Outdoor

Benefits of Exercising Outdoor

At UWF we believe in the outdoor, the Oxygen, Vit D, space and silence
it brings with it.

Nature is a place where you can find your rhythm and flow.

5 scientifically proven benefits of spending time outdoor:

1. Your vitamin D levels will go up

Continue reading “Benefits of Exercising Outdoor”

How I discovered Earthing

The difference between Flexibility and Mobility

How much rest do you need for fitness gains

What are rest and recovery

Rest time to gain fitness and not to lose it

When do fitness levels begin to fall?

Fitness in terms of VO2 max

Strength

Conclusions

Sources, research and further reading:

http://www.crestedbuttecrossfit.com/cbcf_blog/2014/10/rest-recovery-and-detraining-.html

https://www.acefitness.org/blog/3565/recovery-redefined-how-much-rest-you-actually-need

http://www.builtlean.com/2012/06/05/overtraining/

1

1. Detraining Definition: Mujika, Padilla S

Cardiorespiratory and metabolic characteristics of detraining in humans. NCBI/PubMed

2

Stephen Brooks, Jacky Burrin, Mary E. Cheetham, George M. Hall, Tom Yeo, Clyde Williams

The responses of the catecholamines and β-endorphin to brief maximal exercise in man

European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology 1988, Volume 57, Issue 2, pp 230-234

3

Stephenson, Roy

Comeback Trail: Detraining, Retraining and Maintenance of Fitness for Ultra Endurance Runners

TrailRunner Magazine, December 2011

4

COSTILL, D. L.; FINK, W. J.; HARGREAVES, M.; KING, D. S.; THOMAS, R.; FIELDING, R.

Metabolic characteristics of skeletal muscle during detraining from competitive swimming.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: June 1985

5

Dr. P. Darrell Neufer The Effect of Detraining and Reduced Training on the

Physiological Adaptations to Aerobic Exercise Training

Sports Medicine, November 1989, Volume 8, Issue 5, pp 302-320

6

E.F. Coyle, M K. Hemmert , A.R. Coggan Effects of Detraining on Cardiovascular

Responses to Exercise: The Role Of Blood Volume

Journal of Applied Physiology Published 1 January 1986Vol. 60no. 1, 95-99

7

K. Madsen , P. K. Pedersen , M. S. Djurhuus , N. A. Klitgaard Effects of detraining on endurance

capacity and metabolic changes during prolonged exhaustive exercise

Journal of Applied Physiology Published 1 October 1993 Vol. 75 no. 4, 1444-1451

8

Hortobágyi T, Houmard JA, Stevenson JR, Fraser DD, Johns RA, Israel RG

The effects of detraining on power athletes.

Europe PubMed Central [1993, 25(8):929-935]

9

Mujika I, Padilla S

Muscular characteristics of detraining in humans.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise [2001, 33(8):1297-1303]

10

Hakkinen K, Komi PV (1985). Changes in electrical and mechanical behaviour

of leg extensor muscles during heavy resistance strength training.

Scandinavian Journal of Sports Science 7: 55-64

11

M. E. Houston, E. A. Froese, St. P. Valeriote, H. J. Green, D. A. Ranney Muscle performance,

morphology and metabolic capacity during strength training and detraining: A one leg model

European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology1983, Volume 51, Issue 1, pp 25-35

12

READY, A. ELIZABETH; QUINNEY, H. ARTHUR

Alterations in anaerobic threshold as the result of endurance training and detraining.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: 1982

13

NICHOLS, J. F., D. ROBINSON, D. DOUGLASS and J. ANTHONY

Retraining of a competitive master athlete following traumatic injury: a case study.

Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 1037–1042, 2000.

14

Calculation based on the Daniels & Gilbert VO2 max equation, which applies best to running with variables

only for velocity and time. The “Fran” workout is equated to a 1500m run, until more research on VO2 max

and CrossFit is available.

15

KRAEMER, WILLIAM J.; KOZIRIS, L. PERRY; RATAMESS, NICHOLAS A.; HÄKKINEN, KEIJO;

Detraining Produces Minimal Changes in Physical Performance and Hormonal Variables in

Recreationally Strength-Trained Men.

Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: August 2002

16

Neufer, PD.

The effect of detraining and reduced training on the physiological adaptations to aerobic exercise training.

Sports Med. 1989 Nov; 9(5): 302-­‐320.

17

William A. Sands PhD, CSCS

Incorporating Recovery into Your Microcycle

Sports Med. 1989 Nov; 9(5): 302-‐320.