Get your share of Sunny-D!

Hi Folks, (nope it's not a free drinks voucher)

You may have heard in the news this week that studies have shown that people with fair skin may be lacking in vitamin D. Sometimes news articles can be sketchy so here’s the low-down:

When our skin is exposed to the sun’s ultra violet (UV) light, it causes vitamin D to be produced. Vitamin D is known to at least be important for healthy bones & teeth, & therefore in preventing associated diseases such as osteoporosis.

It seems that due to the tendency of fair skin to burn easily, their behaviour is that they do not spend enough time in the sun light & so may be low in vitamin D. Similarly neither may elderly people who cover up or those wearing full body religious clothing.

Researches more conclusive evidence is needed before recommending supplements, however a 0.01mg daily supplement won’t do the vast majority of us any harm. A supplement is already recommended for people of dark / black skin.   

My personal advice is as always – get if from your food:  

•         Mackerel

•         Sardines

•         Tuna (canned in oil)

•         Eggs

•         Dairy products

These are all packed full of other nutrients too so get chomping!

James

Skin Deep

Hi folks,

Our skin is our largest organ & therefore is hugely influential. It helps stop bacteria, control temperature, & give us the sensation of touch. No wonder that when something is wrong on our insides, that it can show up in our skin. Below are a few signs that appear when your body is trying to tell you something.

•         Yellow / orangey skin (inc soles of hands & feet) may indicate an underactive thyroid as it isn’t processing beta–carotene properly.

•         Long dark lines on your palms suggest an issue with the adrenal gland, part of the endocrine system.

•         Tingly feeling followed by a rash on one side of the body may be a symptom of shingles, a virus that can be stimulated by stress or infection.

•         People with over 400 moles on their body may have a higher risk of skin cancer but their internal organs age slightly slower due to the length of the telomere in their cells!

Now that I’ve made you all super paranoid about your tongue, feet, eyes, & skin, remember not to go looking for these signs – just be aware of them. If you’re worried, as always consult your doctor. Most of all I hope this recent blog theme has shown just how amazing your body is, so eat clean, exercise regularly & look after it!

James 

Eye-eye, whats up?

Hi Folks,

One of the first things we notice about a person or when looking in the mirror are our eyes. Think how ill or ‘hangover eyes’ differ from excited or sparkly eyes. The eyes are often known as the window to your health as we can directly see veins, arteries a nerve without performing any surgery. Give your eyes a break form the screen & perform a health check with the info below.

1. Outside edge of your eyebrows disappearing? This could indicate a thyroid (metabolism) problem.

2. Small yellow bumpy patches on the eyelids? Fatty deposits that may be a sign of high cholesterol.

3. Yellow whites of the eyes? Possible indication of liver, gallbladder or bile duct problems as the body can’t remove waste products.

4. Constant blood-shot eyes?  May be a sign of high blood pressure or diabetes.

Of course, we all occasionally experience most of the above but if any of these symptoms become regular then ask the doctor to take a look. We often forget to book eye exams so try treat these as appointments like your dentist check-up.

Next weeks topic will conclude this blog theme & focuses on your biggest organ – your skin!  

James.

Uncover your feet

Hi folks,

As promised last week, here is my blog on how your feet can relay information about your internal health. My regular followers may remember a previous blog explaining the structural importance of our feet to the whole body (If you want to read this one click here.

The soles of our feet have a high concentration of nerve endings that travel up deep inside the body. Reflexology is based on the principle that a map of these nerves & reflexes correspond with internal organs & glands. A reflexology session consists of a type of foot massage where any discomfort or tenderness felt in a certain area of the foot is believed to indicate a corresponding internal problem. Despite limited scientific backing this treatment has been around for thousands of years & is still going strong today.

A more evidence-based foot assessment may reveal that:

•         Sunken or spoon shaped toes nails are a sign of iron deficiency.

•         Regular foot cramps may be a sign of low calcium, potassium, or magnesium.

•         Un-healing sores on the underneath of the foot may indicate diabetes.

•         Toes that turn upwards at the tips may suggest a form of lung disease.         

However, we all know that the best way to make sure our guts are healthy in the first place is to eat a varied & balanced nutrition, right? So if you or your workforce would like any nutritional guidance on how to not only to say healthy on the inside but to perform at your best while at work, then enquire about our nutrition Workforce Workshop. It covers everything from how to use food to give you energy at certain points in the day, help you sleep, help you stay awake, as well as super-foods.

I am away on holiday shortly so the next blog will be on eye health indicators in two weeks time.

James.

Watch your tongue!

Hi folks,

How do we know if we’re in good health or not? – most of us probably presume we are until we feel ill then go to a doctor for medical advice right? As you know, I’m all about pro-active prevention so the next few weeks’ blogs are all about recognising the signs when the body is trying to tell you something. This week’s topic is your tongue!

Brushing our tongue is great for removing bacteria but our tongue also gives us an insight in to our internal health. Some acupuncture & Chinese medicine practitioners also inspect the tongue as any redness, swelling, sores, or dryness can represent nutritional deficiencies, digestive organ problems, infection elsewhere in the body, & even caners. 

Each major organ is represented on the tongue. The heart is at the tip of the tongue; just behind that is the lung area. The broad middle section shows the stomach and spleen, at the back are your kidneys and bladder, and liver is on the left side with gallbladder on the right side. So if you stick your tongue out in the mirror, you can practically see the condition of these organs. Your tongue should be pink, smooth, supple, slightly moist and fit perfectly in your mouth. If it has bumps, blemishes, spots, cuts then it maybe worth getting a medical opinion.

Its all quite obvious really, how do you know if you’re dogs healthy? Bright eyes, healthy teeth & gums, good quality coat (hair), these all apply to us. However if you have the wet nose to match then maybe you should see the doc!

Next weeks topic…Your feet!

James.

Vitamin supplements of the future!

Hi folks,

Did you take a vitamin tablet today? If so was it because you’re not eating a balanced nutrition for whatever reason or maybe you are but you take them as ‘back-up’? Many nutritionists believe that our 5-a-day, recommended daily allowance (RDA), & guideline daily amounts (GDA), are too low compared to what the body actually needs to combat inflammation & disease. Apparently due to centuries of intense farming our soils are so nutrient poor that we can no longer get substantial vitamins from the crop. So perhaps the reason that these figures continued to be quoted are to make the best of a bad situation. Now I’m not into scaremongering but we are increasingly learning more about our bodies & this may be a possibility as population expands.

So, what might the vitamin tablet of the future look like? Well, the latest research has discovered that we can only get the most out of vitamins when they are digested in certain combinations. In the gut some vitamins prevent others form being absorbed & some are needed to help others absorb. The correct combinations are found in the foods we eat, not through chance but by our bodies evolving to use them this way. So you see, our bodies have not evolved a gut that can make use of all the vitamins at once, only in various combinations. Imagine receiving a letter where all the words where jumbled up – useless! Therefore the pill of the future is most likely to be one that releases vitamin combinations into the gut at different stages (remember Willy Wonka’s ‘3 course meal’ chewing gum!).

But for the time-being my advice is to have a well rounded nutrition & undergo vitamin / mineral deficiency testing to discover if you are lacking in any. More on this testing in future blogs! Add a comment below to share your vitamin habits & opinions.

James

Don't exercise more than you need to.

Hi folks,

There are many questions to ask when you’re new to exercise, even the more advanced gym-go’ers actually have quite basic questions, a common one being “how often should I really exercise?” We have busy lives so lets not spend longer in the gym than we need to. The answer to this question really depends on what your goals are.

The national guidelines recommend spending 30min per day doing an activity that makes you slightly short of breath, 5 times per week. This is great for keeping healthy, however if you goal is to lose body fat then your body is only just starting to utilise it’s fat stores at the end of this 30min period, therefore I would perhaps recommend  40 – 90mins worth of moderate exercise 5 times per week for optimum results (after approx 90min of continuous exercise without fuel the body can start to breakdown muscle).

If your goal is to increase cardiovascular fitness levels then the good news is that you only need to go to the gym around 3 times per week but just make sure that the intensity covers a wider range, say up to 90% of your max.

When it comes to weights training then there is lots of flexibility depending on what muscles you want to train & what the desired affects are, so it best to ask an instructor for detail on this one.

Another interesting fact is that it’s easier to maintain your fitness / strength levels than to progress them. In other words research shows that if you normally exercise 5 times per week & are happy with your health, then cut this back to 2 -3 times per week. As long as the usual intensity is kept in those sessions then you will stay the same (good news if your having a busy week or going on holiday).

Hope this is helpful

james

We need change!

Hi folks,

Although I’m no millionaire I really love my lifestyle. The thing that keeps me passionate & productive is having good variety in my day. I spend a lot of my time working on differnt areas of the company so this means dividing my time between working out & about, & working from home, then there’s house chores & social time too.

Keeping tabs on all these things is anything but boring & I know that it keeps me healthy in different ways. So if you’re feeling the mid-week grind & craving for the weekend to come then take note:

1. Where possible, try to fill your working day with a number of different tasks, spending a few hours on varied work projects. This will stimulate your brain, raise your productivity, make your day go quicker, & keep things off the back-burners.

2. Work in different locations. Get out of the office & travel to meetings, run a few work errands, or split your shift by going to the gym / supermarket for an hour then work a little later. Making your day more physically active not only burns a few more calories but lowers stress levels by changing your environment. It also reduces the risk of muscular-skeletal disorders (such as lower back pain) caused by postural fixity.

If you do have this amount of control over your job then use it to your advantage. The latest research regarding workplace health & productivity highlights psychosocial elements such as this!

 “A change is almost as good as a break”

                                                                        Quote by: Me, just now.

James

Going Organic?

Hi folks,

A quick note to clear up any mist regarding organic produce & to aid your shopping choices:

Organic crops

What is organic food? Before looking in to it, like me you might have thought that this was food grown without the use of man made chemicals – Nope! For crops to be classed as organic they are allowed to be grown with some pesticides & fertilizers but these are strictly monitored by DEFRA & FSA. However, farming techniques such as crop rotation & good environmental management are employed on organic farms to give a better quality crop.

Livestock:

We’ve all seen the awful TV documentaries of intensive chicken farming & I think it’s safe to say we all know this is not a great example. DEFRA & FSA check that organic livestock is kept in ethical conditions to ensure it has a good quality of life. It is fed on quality ‘real’ food & kept within specific breeding programs to ensure the least chance of pests or disease.

For a food to be labelled organic, it must contain at least 95% organic produce. Tests have shown that organic food can have significantly higher nutrient value & a preferred taste to the same amount of non- organic food. However due to the extra management effort described above, it also carries a higher price tag. I know that we would all eat organic if money was no object, but thinking realistically what choices will you make on your next shopping trip? (Do we spend our £10 on a larger amount of lower quality food, or a smaller amount of higher quality food?)

*I’ve just uploaded a video of my Workforce Release sessions at HETA to my You Tube channel! Click here to take a look then subscribe to be notified when the next clip goes up.

Thanks

James

Successfully Simple

Hi folks,

Like some other trainers, I often get myself on a deep thought track about new, better exercises for me to help my clients with, & this afternoon I hit the jackpot! No, they’re not intense, no you don’t need to be a gym-buff / bunny to do them, & no you don’t need complex equipment, - in fact you don’t need any!

These exercises I’ve designed will make your body functionally healthy, keeping your body moving the way it should & for as long as possible. Now not many ‘hardcore exercisers’ will achieve that, why? - Because they are overlooking it.

Sometimes when you follow the theory through, understand the biomechanics, & use your experience, you end up coming full circle. In other words, the simplest exercises are often the best, but for complex reasons.

So no matter what stage of exercise you’re at, it’s vital to involve these exercises at some level. I actually designed these when writing a Workforce Workshop on lower back pain for use on a corporate scale, so these exercises are valuable & perfectly suited to your workplace.

Contact me or ask me when we next meet & I might just give you a taster!!!

James

Feeling the pressure?

Hi folks,

How many of us have had our blood pressure (BP) measured before? – probably all of us. How many of us where told what the figures mean? – probably not many of us, that’s even if we were told at all.

As you’ll be aware high BP can cause, or be result of serious health issues that will affect you life at home & at work, so let’s get to grips with it!

What does high BP look like? possible constant red skin pigmentation around the face, or someone who always looks stressed, & often someone who is obese.

What is high BP? Our arteries need to be elastic so that they can widen when the heart pumps large volumes of blood through. If they firm-up or contain blockages, then the blood is being pushed though a smaller space = high BP. A raised heart rate also raises BP. A measurement consists of two values, systolic which is the pressure in the arteries when the pulse travels through, & your diastolic which is the pressure of blood between pulses. Generally speaking a healthy BP is below 130 / 80mmHg.

What can we do to bring high BP down? (Around 30% of us don’t realise we have it)

1.      30min moderate exercise per day

2.      Eat a healthy nutrition (high fruit & veg, low in salt, sugar, & saturated fat)

3.      Reduce alcohol intake

4.      Quit smoking

5.      Relaxation (breathing exercises / making time for yourself)

If you suspect you may have high BP or haven’t had it checked in the last 6 months then please consult your doctor, but don’t panic as it is relatively easy to bring down using a combination of the points above.

James

Good things come to those who…

Hi folks,

While there are times be patient & wait, yesterday I was chatting to a client encouraging them to take opportunities. If you think about it, our lives are full of opportunities but how many of them do we take?

Taking Opportunities:      e.g. Changing your next step / direction such as starting to eat healthily at your next meal rather than waiting until next Monday, or implementing a new work health programme rather than just following the usual procedures etc.

But what if we never seem to get any opportunities?

Making opportunities:      e.g. Even though its out of your comfort zone, arrange that meeting or go across to speak to that person who you may not know but could help you take a huge step forwards in your health or workplace protocols.

I have learnt that people who go places are good at being pro-active, not by waiting in case lady luck happens to come along, but by making opportunities. Think about all the things that you want to change about your life (floating in the back of your head), within every day lies an opportunity to do something about them! It's easier not to do anything, so for me the question I have to constantly ask myself is “Is there a good reason to not do this NOW?”

Hope you find this useful,

James

Top 5 shopping tips

Hi folks,

For me, Friday is my weekly food shopping day & for all of us this is when we can make a massive commitment to a healthy lifestyle. A healthy & varied shopping trolley = a balanced diet. Here are my top 5 fruit & veg tips for your next food shop:

1. Buy enough fruit & veg for 5-9 portions (handfuls) per day.

2. Don’t worry if it’s misshapen, e.g. the knobbly carrots that never get picked are just as good for you as the 5* ones!

3. Buy enough fresh veg to last into the first 3 days of your week. After this point use frozen veg as it will have retained more of its nutrients.

4. Buy fruit & veg spanning a wide range of colours, this it healthier than just greens alone.

5. Store your fruit & veg at the front of the shelf / drawer as this will prompt you to use it more & it hides ‘naughty’ foods until we actually want them.   

A great time to assess the balance of your shopping list is when it’s travelling down that belt towards the till or when packing. That’s the time to have a sneaky look at everyone else’s shopping then smugly strole out of there knowing you’ve make a great start to a healthy week.  

Have a great weekend

Another excuse to sunbathe!!

 

Hi guys,

Hope you coped last week without my usual blog, I was away on holiday which sparked inspiration for this one. How hot was it last weekend? ...& I think this coming weekend if supposed to be sunny too! If you feel guilty about a little sunbathing or if anyone thinks your being lazy, just say “I’m getting my dose of vitamin D!”

Our body cannot make vitamins itself so we have to attain them. We require 400 IU of vitamin D which can be found in fortified cereals, dairy products, & yes you guessed it, sunlight. The more intense the sunlight, the higher the ultra violet (UV) radiation we are exposed to which our bodies use to make vitamin D.

It is needed for healthy bones & teeth, plus for phosphorous & calcium production (also involved in nerve / muscle health). Deficiency in vitamin D is not uncommon; you may know it as rickets in children or osteomalacia in adults.  Both result in low mineral counts in bones & lower bone density, especially in the legs & spine. Symptoms may include thinning of tooth enamel & easily broken bones. Treatment involves vitamin D supplements until levels of calcium & phosphorous increase.

Remember though, use sunscreen when sunbathing and limit exposure according to your skin type. More guidance on this can be found on this NHS website.

Enjoy!

James.

A nation of inflammation?

Hi folks,

Last week I was chatting to a colleague who is training to be a nutritionist. It was one of those conversations where you find yourself getting more and more passionate about it as it gets more complex, the subject…inflammation!

We often think about inflammation around our joints, muscles, skin etc but actually it occurs inside us all the time. It is widely recognised that cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, viruses, arthritis, and in fact most diseases are caused by chronic low-grade inflammation.   

As you know from previous blogs, the food we choose to eat has a huge impact on the health of our bodies. Here are my top five super foods to reduce inflammation.

1. Coco-biotics & wholegrain-biotics are cultures from your local health food shop that boost the microflora (good bacteria) to rebalance your gut & ease inflammation.

2. Lightly steamed broccoli helps fight eye inflammation and is loaded with calcium & vitamin C.

3. Natural omega 3 fatty acid oils such as hemp oil, flaxseed oil, high-grade fish oil, or rapeseed oil. Make sure they are not refined or solvent tested.

4. The onion family, including leeks & garlic contain great antioxidants that help fight inflammation & stimulate your immune system.

5. Pineapple contains an antioxidant to help boost your immune system & also helps digest proteins.

Eat fresh unprocessed foods regularly & as many of the above foods as you can to significantly decrease your risk of falling victim to some of the worlds biggest killers!

Why not go out and get some this weekend?

James

Are you having a laugh!

Hi folks,

‘You don’t have to be mad to work here but it helps!’ Arrrrrrhhhhhhhhh!! do you cringe as much as me whenever you see that poster? Well this week’s blog shows there may be something in a little laughter at work. I know what you’re thinking, we go to work to earn money, not to mess around and have fun. But have you noticed that the people that enjoy their jobs tend to be the ones that are the most social and partake in a little banter? After all, we spend most of our time there so why not lighten the mood eh? Research shows that a little laughter goes a long way.

According to a recent survey, 63% of workers said that job pressures interfere with their personal lives, and that 60% said it affects their physical & emotional well-being. Further research found that good humour is one of the most cost effective ways of reducing such stresses:

• Laughter gives employees an effective way of releasing tensions, which allows them to concentrate on their work more efficiently.

• A good laugh counteracts boredom and reduces personal conflicts.

• Enjoying co-worker interaction reduces the need to get social support from outside the workplace by calling home, bunking off with friends or staying away from work. It seems that being able to laugh on the job does go hand in hand with increased productivity.

I’m not suggesting that you should have fancy dress days or start a comedy club (that would probably cause more stress) but maybe have an embarrassing photo / caption board up with the latest staff doo’s Polaroid’s on, play a harmless trick on a co-worker, or pull a face through the office window once in a while. It seems getting the right balance is the key - be serious about your work and problems but don’t take yourself too seriously. Build this ethos in to your workplace culture and the difference will be surprising!

Have a good weekend,

James

Essential calories

Hi folks,

At first, nothing sprang to mind for this week’s blog, but I soon came across what is potentially the most important blog ever!

Recently I conducted a health assessment with a client, this included everything from blood pressure to nutritional intake. We found that…

a)      He was under-eating (up to 500kcal a day less than guidelines recommended),

b)      His body mass index was low, indicating that he was slightly underweight for his height,

c)      Yet his body-fat percentage was high.

….work that one out!

All I could think was that on the occasions he was eating, he was eating the wrong foods. After consulting his food diary this proved true and I realised that this may be a common trend on a global scale.

The problem starts when people aim to reduce their body-fat by eating less, but still of the same food types. In fact what would be beneficial is to switch to healthier alternatives before reducing calorie intake. So, what the main lessons to take away from this?

1) Calories are good (it’s the media that’s made them bad). We need them to survive, the more we do – the more we need!

2) Make sure these are ‘good’ calories from simple foods rather than ‘bad’ calories from greasy, salty foods.

3) No single test / measure is enough to gauge your health by, especially not BMI. The more health tests - the more accurate the result.

Hope this makes sense and may relate to / help some people,

James

Don't get caught out!

Hi folks,

Have you ever noticed that we rarely eat the ‘bad foods’ intentionally? Foods that contain excessive salt, sugar, & saturates are either consumed in one of two ways:

1)      By eating foods that we don’t realise are high in these categories.

2)      By being tempted on-the-go by items, adverts or special offers.

If you’re like me, you will struggle with no.2.  I try to eat healthy balanced nutrition & my shopping list looks amazing, but then I fall victim to the biscuit / sweet isle or succumb to the isle-end special offers. Another hurdle is to drive on past that takeaway drive- through that springs up at every roundabout. Here are a few strategies to help you stop falling in to these habits:

•         Know the basic food groups & do a few quick checks of the food labels before you drop them in your trolley (even the ones that you trust can be misleading!)

•         Think about where that food has come from & any processes it may have been through to reach your plate.

•         Plan your shopping list in advance & stick to it. (schedule small treats in)

•         Only buy special offers if it’s something you would already buy.

•         Sail right passed the isles that contain unhealthy foods – don’t give temptation the chance!

•         Put treats at the back of the top shelf in your cupboard until u really want them, this will stop you grabbing them when you actually went in there for something else!

Research says that you have to do something / not do something 21 times before it becomes a habit. I’m not sure if this is true or not but it can’t hurt - pick one of the point above that’s relevant to you & your goal is to nail it 21 times! 

Let me know how you get on,

James

Mind over matter in your workforce!

Hi folks,

Despite it making tasks a lot easier, I’m not going to teach you how to turn your workforce in to Jedi’s. However, in the more recently published research papers on the management of musculoskeletal conditions (lower back pain, repetitive strain injury, etc), emphasis has been put on the mind of the worker – their attitudes. It’s easy to see how physical exercises & ergonomic aids can reduce such conditions but how can their psychology impact on them?

Here are a few of what we call ‘yellow flag’ psychosocial characteristics:

Ø     Believing that any physical injury is harmful long-term & leads

            to severe disability.

Ø      Avoiding activities in fear that it may cause injury / staying inactive.

Ø      Refraining from communication / social interaction with colleagues & management.

Ø      Believing that prolonged rest is a better management strategy than being active.

If an employee’s mindset ticks the boxes above then they are putting themselves (& those they influence) at a higher exposure to developing work-relevant physical health conditions.

As you can see, much of this is about creating a positive mindset to health & work in each employee, therefore breeding a new workplace culture – not any easy thing to do. The best way to achieve this is by investing in your employees & engaging with their individual job experiences through my Occupational Fitness Workplace Workshops. This type of training has proved a fantastic rate of return, so in this tough economic climate the question is “Can your company afford NOT to have this training?”

Thanks & have a great weekend

James

Alternative lunches

Hi folks,

Two weeks ago I posted a template for a balanced day’s nutrition. However I realise that staff canteen facilities differ greatly from workplace to workplace. A well rounded meal needs to contain some protein, some complex carbohydrate, some fibre, & some vitamins in the form of vegetables & fruit. So, here’s a little further help if you, like me, live out of your packed lunch box with only a kettle & microwave for company:

Home made batches – make up a large batch of spaghetti bolognaise or chili using 5% fat mince beef, tinned tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, & season with chili powder or mixed herbs to taste. This can be refrigerated & then reheated with pasta or baked potato at work!

While this is slowly cooking, why not make up a big tub of fresh fruit salad, or mixed salad leaves with spring onions, radishes & cherry tomatoes to use throughout the week too?

Other healthy meal ideas that can be stored in a container & reheated or eaten cold are:

•         Cold turkey, brown pasta, sliced red pepper, & spring onion, lightly seasoned & drizzle with olive oil.

•         Flaked salmon into brown rice with sweetcorn & chopped leeks.

•         Mini boiled potatoes mixed with sliced boiled eggs, grated beetroot & carrot, lightly seasoned.

•         Chicken, mushrooms & spring onion, on a mound of egg noodles lightly seasoned or drizzled in sweet chili sauce.

•         Tinned mixed beans, mixed leaf salad, sliced peppers, sweetcorn, crusty brown bread, seasoned & olive oil.

Liven your lunch up a bit for a tasty change! All it needs is a little preparation the night before & you’ll be the envy of all the boring stodgy sandwich munchers.

Thanks

James

Supping energy drinks?

Hi Folks,

In both the fitness and the workplace environment, people are always asking my opinion on the effects of energy drinks. Below is my advice on their use & effects:

If you are exercising continuously for 90 minutes or more, and to a high intensity (breathing heavily) our glycogen stores (preferred energy source from carbs) begin to run out. At this intensity your body cannot effectively convert stored fat to energy so this means our body may then start to break down muscle tissue for an emergency energy source. The sugary carbohydrates in an isotonic energy drink taken halfway through the long session will help prevent this.

If you regularly drink energy drinks at work or when not exercising then you may be damaging your body. When your body experiences a boost in sugars, your pancreas releases insulin to help remove the high sugar concentration in your blood stream to your cells. Initially you feel the positive affects but around one hour later you experience an energy crash which makes us want to drink another one (mood swings). By continuously taking such drinks & not burning off their energy, your pancreas is taking a hammering & your insulin levels become erratic. If this is a regular habit of your lifestyle then you are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes where your cells become insulin resistant.

Here’s my quote…‘If you’re not going to use it – lose it! However, if you do need to use energy drinks then why not try making your own? 50% squeezed orange fruit juice, 50% water, with a sprinkle of salt to compensate for sodium loss.

Thanks,

James

Eating @ work

Hi folks,

One of my blog-followers Steve, has asked me to give some information about what food to eat while at work. So without boring you with too much detail, below is my basic guide:

Breakfast:

This is important to give you slow release energy for the day & stop cravings! Go for complex carbs such as wholegrain cereals or toast, add eggs for protein to wake you up. You could also involve a few sugars in the way of fruit / fruit juice.

Mid-morning snack:

If you really can’t manage breakfast then make sure you have some of the above foods here. If you have had breakfast then go for a healthy cereal bar, yogurt & fruit here. Eating smaller meals every three hours is much better for your digestion than just three big meals.

Lunch:

Aim for a balanced lunch containing complex carbs such as a baked potato, protein such as lean chicken/ fish, with some mixed salad for fibre & vitamins. Use cold olive oil as a healthy drizzle if needed.

Mid afternoon snack:

This is a great time for a couple pieces of fruit which will give you an energy boost up to tea time. If you’re going to be exercising after work then a source of protein such as mixed nuts, eggs, or small meat sandwich would be good here.

Tea time:

Go big on the meat / fish & vegetables here! Just a small amount of complex carbs (potato, rice, pasta, bread) as the body is winding down soon. If you’ve been exercising & just got home then it’s still important to eat – no matter how late.

This is a balanced diet based on a typical working day (not shifts), & remember to drink around 8 glasses of water between meals if possible.

Enjoy the Royal wedding!

James

Burn the brain fog!

Hi folks,

Most of us have little spare time, whether it’s filled with important responsibilities or a compilation of daily tasks that have become part of a routine. We often jam our days full of jobs then flop down on the sofa just before bedtime, next morning it all starts again! These jobs could be something you absolutely love doing, or hate but either way take a step back & analyse them. Often our brains don’t get chance to ‘wake up’ as they’re constantly obsessed with the next task.

Think about your priorities in life, what’s important to you, and the overall aim of your daily activities. Do your daily routines / tasks make the best headway to achieving this aim? If yes, perfect! If no, what do you need to change?

Give yourself 5 minutes right now to think if you are heading in the right direction, & then what the next productive step needs to be. No, I'm not turning in to a life coach, just a thought that may help improve workplace health & performance.

Use this technique in the workplace & with your workforce in one-to-one appraisals or consultations, emphasising job performance & satisfaction as the aims. Also why not use this approach in group training exercises & meetings to really boost those increasingly vital psychosocial factors of workplace health?

Have a great bank holiday weekend

james

The best exercise!

Hi folks,

As a trainer people always ask me what types of exercises are best? If you’re slaving away down the gym & putting 100% in to that class then you want to make sure it's blood, sweat, & tears well spent right?

If you’re training for a certain goal such as increasing sport specific performance or training a particular part of the body then yes there are strict guidelines to follow. But if you want to stay healthy, fit, & get the whole range of benefits associated with fitness then there is one answer……holistic training! This means training the whole body, not splitting it up & working through the muscle groups, but performing movements that involve all muscle groups.

Your body is made up of fascia, muscles, tendons, nerves, & ligaments that act over your different joints. These have grown to perform best working in sequence with each other, each supporting the next. In fact is when body parts are isolated & worked intensely that you change their movement patterns, likely exposing them to injury!

So which exercise machine will burn lots of calories, increase muscular fitness, increase heart & lung health, flexibility & motor skills? Well non on any gym floor I’ve seen. Use your own body weight or grab a medicine ball and pull off a move that involves as many joints as possible across all three planes (forwards & back, up & down, rotation). Chances are it will look pretty funky so just get a trainer to make sure its safe, but there you have it – your own beautifully efficient exercise!

Of course, examples of these already exist such as a ‘squat-press’ or a ‘lunge-twist’ which are often known as functional exercises. Make exercise interesting & try them for yourself. It is precisely these exercises that I include in Occupational Fitness’s 'Workforce Workouts' to benefit your employee’s tasks. Please contact me for a FREE taster session!

Have a great weekend

James

Whistle while you work

Hi folks,

Does music help you work? Well know that it can alter our mood, upbeat music in the car may spice-up our driving, while chill out music in the sun may relax us. At times we may not even notice the music but still be influenced by its atmosphere.

There is a lack of solid evidence for this topic, most statistical data comes from music magazine surveys & guess what they say! However while digging through the HSE archives there was one paper that mentioned music played in the workplace could help with the psychosocial issues.

There are so many variables, what type of music, what type of work, volume of music, individual preferences, other noise pollution present etc. Therefore, unfortunately I cannot give any conclusive evidence. But keep reading as here are some bits I did find:

1) To boost concentration at work, a steady beat & light melodies are recommended.

2) A person's ability to recognize images, letters & numbers, is quicker when either rock or classical music is playing in the background (from a report in the journal Neuroscience of Behaviour and Physiology).

3) If you are aiming to be more productive through being more relaxed, then upbeat music can reduce stress hormone levels by as much as 41% in a group tested.

My personal recommendations are that background upbeat music can raise productivity of a manual workforce doing a low-risk task if all workers give their consent. Also if you are a solitary worker then listening to a radio station may not only act as physical stimulus but as a social connection to the ‘outside world’.

Why not analyse your workforce’s demographics & tasks to see if music may raise moral & productivity in your company? Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below.

Enjoy the good weather this weekend!

James

Cholesterol - What is it?

Hi folks,

We’ve all heard of it & we all know we should keep it low right, but what exactly is it? Here is my quick guide:

1. Cholesterol is mainly made in your liver from the ‘bad fats’ (saturated) you may have eaten.

2. Our body needs a little cholesterol for our cells to function, but too much & we are at risk from heart & circulatory diseases.

3. Good cholesterol (High Density Lipoproteins) carry any surplus ‘bad fat’ out of the bloodstream & back to the liver. (aim for >1mmol/l)

4. Bad cholesterol (Low Density Lipoproteins) carry ‘bad fats’ through the blood stream to the cells – too much of this & it gets deposited on the artery walls (aim for <2mmol/l).

5. Triglycerides mainly produced in the body from eating unhealthily are also a fatty substance like LDL cholesterol that needs to be kept low (<1.7mmol/l).

6. Cholesterol is checked by taking a very small blood sample from a finger prick. You can have this done at your doctors, most chemists, & maybe your occupational health dept at work.

7. We can improve the balance of our cholesterol by eating foods high in soluble fibre (porridge, beans & pulses, fruit & veg) & taking regular moderate exercise.

Hope this clears things up a little & helps you adjust your lifestyle / that of your workforce accordingly if needed. If you would like to know more please visit www.bhf.org.uk

Thanks,

james