Classes are quiet & clients tend to go away during the summer so August is an ideal time for me to get away too!  Although I’m sure many of you can think of lots of things you’d rather be doing, it really does pay to keep your body moving so that you don’t lose what you have worked so hard to achieve. 

PILATES

This months featured video is also available on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb9D256CMDo  and will definitely give you a good workout in 10 minutes a day, improving your mobility, flexibility and strength.  If you have time or do other forms of exercise during the week, I suggest you repeat 5 or 6 times to great results.

YOGA

This flow will reach every part of your body from top to toe.  Always warm up and then take the workout section slowly the first couple of times, holding postures to perfect technique.  Again, once a day will work wonders but if you have an hour, start off slowly and then let each posture flow smoothly to the next to increase intensity and fitness levels.  There are links to images of each posture

YOGA FLOW FOR MAINTENANCE

Part of the sun salutation

Warm up

Childs pose 

Cat pose  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/cat-flow.jpg

Box spine twists  (hands & knees, stretch arm out & up then under)

Crescent moon  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/Anjaneyasana.jpg

Downward facing dog  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/dog.jpg

Forward bend  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/Uttanasana.jpg

Mighty pose  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/chair.jpg

Mountain pose (standing)  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/tadasana-1.jpg

Workout

Side bend (standing, bending to side, look up)

Tree pose  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-postures-2/tree-pose-vrksasana.html

Forward bend  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/Uttanasana.jpg

Mighty pose  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/chair.jpg

Lunge twist  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/Parivrtta-Parsvakonasana.jpg

Plank  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/staff.jpg

Side Plank  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/Parsva-Dandasana.jpg

Locust   http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/Locust-Pose.jpg

Downward dog  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/dog.jpg

Warrior I  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/warrior1.jpg

Tadasana  http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-pose/yoga-pose-cards/tadasana-1.jpg

Prepatellar Bursitis

Bursae are tiny sacs filled with fluid which protect various joints throughout the body from friction and act as shock absorbers.  When

Avoid painful prepatellar bursitis/housemaids knee: get a mop!

the prepatellar bursa, one of 15 bursae surrounding the knee, becomes inflamed as a result of friction between skin and knee cap, it is known as Housemaid’s Knee or Prepatellar Bursitis.  The inflamed and tender knee will be painful and difficult to bend.  Occasionally, the fluid will become infected, causing further problems.  In chronic cases you may be able to feel a tender lump floating under the knee cap.

It is caused by spending too much time on the knees, although with modern appliances this is less of an issue, repetitive movements or as a result of injury, infection or an underlying inflammatory condition, although often the onset is unclear. 

Prevention:  

Obviously, avoiding repetitive movements and being on your knees, eg, carpet fitting, is the best way.  If kneeling can’t be avoided, then knee pads should be worn. 

Treatment: 

The 3 main points are Rest, Anti inflammatories and Hot and Cold treatment.  In some cases, the fluid may need to be drained off.  Rarely, the bursa will have to be surgically removed.

Energy/Sports Drinks

Many contain caffeine, salt and some form of sugar. If you are following a healthy, balanced diet and keep yourself well hydrated, sticking to water or diluted pure juices should be sufficient.

Healthy Snack Bars

They look healthy, you can see the whole nuts, grains and dried fruit in some of them, but have you looked at the label.  You may be surprised to see that the ingredients are far from healthy, loaded with sugars and preservatives.  Stick to a small handful of mixed nuts and fresh fruit. 

Healthy Breakfast Cereals

There are very few cereals that don’t contain sugar in some form and salt.  Always check the label.  Make your own muesli with oats, seeds, dried fruit and nuts or have porridge with a small spoon of honey 

A handful of nuts & dried fruit make a very healthy snack

Badly Prepared Pulses

It is vital than all pulses and beans, eg, soya, be prepared carefully.  Always follow the instructions and make sure that they are soaked sufficiently, fermented (soy sauce) or sprouted.  Health problems such as Crohns disease and colitis can result if they are not correctly used. 

Artificial Sweeteners

There have been many side-effects attributed to artificial sweeteners from brain tumours to epilepsy and birth defects.  Check labels and avoid it. 

Diet Products

Many foods sold as “diet” or “healthy” alternatives are not.  Most will replace fat for sugar or artificial flavourings to enhance the taste.  Stick to a whole food, fresh diet, but if you want a treat, keep it small!

Take frequent breaks when gardening to avoid injury

As soon as the weather improves, so do the number of aching backs judging by the number of people in class who are complaining right now!  A few sunny days and many people tend to rush out and attack gardening jobs with great energy and quickly find that they are in agony.  Just like the garden, the body needs careful cultivation to produce best results.

Vitalflow’s top ten tips for avoiding stress and strains associated with gardening are:

1.   Bend your knees when lifting so that your legs do the work, not your back.
2.   Use a wheelbarrow for moving heavy items such as compost, stones, etc.
3.   Keep weeds to a minimum by mulching and keep low maintenance plants. However, if you have to get down low, use a kneeling pad  or  knee pads.
4. Try to use raised beds to avoid bending or reaching and stretching.
5. Do some warm up exercises before gardening to prepare the muscles and have a good stretch afterwards.  Try the featured video or find it here.  Always engage the abdominal muscles to protect the back.
6. Take frequent breaks.
7. Use lightweight, long handled tools and power tools where you can.
8. Use a small spade when digging.
9. Have a couple of jobs on the go at the same time and alternate so as to avoid repetitive movements.
10. If you feel even a slight twinge, it’s time to stop for the day.

Gardening can cause many injuries, especially back problems

Many health issues and back problems are caused by sedentary lifestyles, especially if your job involves sitting at a desk for hours on end.  You may well be surprised at how much you can do whilst sitting down to relieve stress and tension from the face, neck and shoulders, energise by breathing  properly and give your body a good stretch, as well as tone a few muscles.  But that’s for a future post.  Just getting out of your chair and walking around every hour, drinking  plenty of water and taking your lunch break – preferably in the fresh air – will go a long way to keeping you healthier.

Relax your Eyes 

It’s not just the obvious areas of the body that come under a great deal of strain, though.  These days with most people working from laptops, blackberries and iphones, the eyes can suffer greatly.  So here are a few little exercises you can do to help relax your eyes. 

Exercises 

1. Cup your hands and cover your eyes without pressing against any part of the face.  Gaze into the darkness for 30 seconds, breathing deeply and rhythmically.  Open your eyes, take a good look around, then repeat.  3 times in total.
2. Keeping your head still, look up for 5 seconds, then to the right for 5 seconds, down for 5 seconds, then left for 5 seconds.  Repeat in the opposite direction.  Repeat the whole sequence 3 times each way.
3. Roll your eyes in circles: 3 clockwise and 3 anticlockwise.
4. Look at the tip of your nose for 5 seconds, then look up for 5 seconds.  Repeat 3 times.
5. Screw your eyes up, shut tight, or 5 seconds then open wide for 5 seconds.  Repeat 3 times.

Avoid eye strain: take care of your eyes at work

Alternative Ways to Soothe Skin 

Soooo … any of you a bit red and sore today?  I must admit I am just a tiny bit pink: I thought I would read the papers for half an hour – HALF AN HOUR! – in the garden and on account of the fact that my body hasn’t really seen much sun for a couple of years, I am certainly seeing the effects such is the strength of the rays. 

Except for those living in countries where they see the sun for most of the year, many of us are taken by surprise when it finally makes an appearance, being unaccustomed and ill-prepared for its strength.  During the last couple of decades our awareness of the dangers of over-exposure has been heightened and we tend not to sunbathe for hours on end in the midday sun, preferring to use sunshades and sunscreens instead.  Hopefully, nobody out there is still using sunbeds, especially as there are some really good fake tans on the market.  However, it is easy to make a mistake once in a while (or miss bits when trying to get to parts of the body with the sunscreen – although if you practice Pilates & yoga you can probably reach most parts ; )), so here are some natural ways of dealing with sunburn.  Obviously, the first thing to do is avoid further exposure and drink plenty of fluids.  Water is good and so are fresh fruit juices for their Vitamin C content which may help the healing process. 

Ayurveda 

Use cold, wet compresses to take the heat out of the sunburn – 10 minutes, three times a day.  Gently massage pure aloe vera gel onto the affected areas to soothe the discomfort.  You can buy this from any health food shop and it is used in some hospitals when treating burns.  If your face has been burned, place some cucumber slices on those areas, especially over the eyes which tend to become puffy. 

Aromatherapy

Chamomile oil is very soothing and should be diluted with cold water at a ratio of 1:5 and then dabbed onto the affected areas.  If there is blistering, use lavender oil instead: it is anti-inflammatory, analgesic and will help repair damaged tissue.  You can add either of these oil to a base oil, such as almond oil at a ratio of 1:50 and use this as a very effective after sun moisturiser.  Wheatgerm oil is high in vitamin E, an anti-oxidant which protects the skin from ultra violet light and other cell damaging elements and is anti-aging.  You may prefer to add this to your base oil in a ratio of 1:10, perhaps combine 2 or 3 oils. 

Herbalism 

Cool the skin with chilled aloe vera juice or an infusion made with lavender or chamomile (25g dried or 50g fresh herbs to half a litre of boiling water, brew for 20 minutes, strain and store in the fridge).  St John’s Wort oil will apparently take away the pain of sunburn as well as being an anti-inflammatory.

Nuturopathy 

Take some vitamin E in capsule form – about 1,000mg for a few days to help heal the skin and apply a cream containing vitamin E or add some wheatgerm oil to a base oil, as in aromatherapy above.  You could dab full fat milk onto the sites or black, sugarless tea – the fats and tannins in these two remedies are very soothing.  If your eyes are puffy, a teabag on each lid will help.

Take care in the sun, but if you do burn, soothe and repair the skin with these alternative remedies.

I was writing about inflammation today and how chronic inflammation is responsible to so many modern day diseases, diabetes being one of them.  I remembered that I had an article in my archives from a year or two ago which may interest you.  The fact is that exercise is essential for our health.

Type 2 diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40 and is linked to poor lifestyle choices and obesity.  Recently, more children are being diagnosed with the condition, some as young as seven.

The Facts:- 

• 74% rise in new cases of diabetes between 1997 to 2003
• By 2005, more than 4% of the population was classed as having diabetes – twice that of 10 years earlier.
• Rates of diabetes are increasing at a faster rate in the UK than they are in the US
• New cases of type 2 diabetes increased by 69% over the decade.
• Research shows that losing weight can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58%.
• Half a million people with diabetes who have the condition and don’t know it.
• The NHS is spending £1m an hour – 10% of its yearly budget – treating diabetes and its complications!
• Type 2 diabetes affects an estimated 246 million adults worldwide and accounts for 6 percent of all global deaths. 

Diabetes is not only avoidable, but reversible, so long as you follow a healthy diet and take 30 minutes exercise a day.  However, many people find it difficult to fit a 30 minutes workout in each day, but scientists now believe that you can avoid diabetes by taking just 7 minutes exercise a week!  

The key is to make it vigorous so that the body will use the glucose floating around in the blood as its energy supply, thereby helping the body control blood sugar levels.  A scientific study was carried recently on a group of 16 young men who were fairly unfit.  They cycled fast in 30 second bursts 4 times a day twice a week.  After two weeks, there was a 23% improvement in the way in which their body used insulin to clear glucose from the blood stream.

7 minutes a week of fast cycling can prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes

There is mounting evidence that inflammation is at the root of many diseases we see today which are increasing at an alarming rate.  Most people are unaware of this type of inflammation as it is invisible, unlike the swelling you would see as a result of an injury.

Acute Inflammation 

Inflammation is the body’s response to injury, infection or irritation, the key features being swelling, heat, redness and pain.  Most of us are familiar with inflammation, from the acute – the simple childhood fall and injuries from sport – to the chronic – perhaps encountering health issues later on in life such as back problems or arthritis.  Chronic inflammation is associated with poor health and is linked to many diseases. 

The main causes for the pain are from the swelling pressing on the nerves and the body’s mechanism to alert you to the fact that there is a problem which needs to be dealt with.  The classic way to deal with inflammation is RICE:- 

• Rest to prevent making the problem worse
• Ice to take the heat out of it, reduce swelling and pain
• Compression to reduce swelling
• Elevation, reducing swelling 

Anti inflammatory medication may also be taken and used in conjunction with RICE. Most of us will see a positive result within 24 to 48 hours if we follow this course of treatment. 

Chronic Inflammation

Unfortunately, chronic inflammation is not so easy to deal with.  It can be caused in two ways: 

1. A faulty response by our immune systems leading to diseases such as arthritis, psoriasis, lupus, celiac disease.  Unfortunately, these are very difficult to treat and are thought to be down to genes.
2. Conditions such as back pain and atherosclerosis can often be traced back to poor lifestyle choices.  In fact, experts cite inflammation as the root of many diseases including hypertension and diabetes.  

Exercise & Inflammation

There have been many studies in the past couple of decades which clearly prove that a moderate amount of exercise each day significantly reduces inflammation.  In fact, experiments seemed to prove that exercise had more of an impact than diet or exercise and diet combined.  Moderate exercise will reduce fat and the belly fat is particularly dangerous to your health in that it produces inflammatory molecules that enter the bloodstream and increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.  Exercise can help in other ways, for example, Pilates and yoga will correct muscle imbalances, creating a strong, flexible body, thereby reducing the likelihood of back pain due to inflammation.

Exercise and a healthy diet will reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of disease

Diet & Inflammation 

So much has been written on this subject I need hardly repeat it.  Suffice to say that a poor diet of processed, packaged, high fat/sugar/salt, low nutritional value foods will cause inflammation.  A healthy diet of fresh, good quality fruit and vegetables, oily fish, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and plenty of water will reduce inflammation.  www.nutritiondata.com is a brilliant resource for information on the nutritional value of all foods.  I did a quick search on chocolate by typing the name of the food into the search bar at the top – I wish I hadn’t!  Portion size is vital: too much of any food will lead to excess body fat.  We talk at great length about the negative effects of fats, but sugar presents enormous dangers.

Top 6 Ways to Reduce Inflammation

1. Reduce stress
2. Reduce your waist size
3. Stop smoking
4. Get some sleep
5. Omega 3
6. Take some exercise 

Habits are hard to break, but a successful way to take stock of your life and get it back on track is to remove yourself from your usual environment.  A retreat is the ideal way to do this.

I was listening to the radio recently and they were talking about the amount of food that is wasted: 50% between the plough and the plate, 25% of which is from our home.  I don’t know about you, but I HATE throwing any food away and am generally very careful about meal planning, writing a shopping list and ignoring those 2 for 1 offers of perishable goods.  Still, though, every week I throw away an item or two: milk (should have checked the sell by date), an avocado (didn’t get round to eating it quickly enough), broccoli (fewer of us eating than I’d expected).  Apart from the fact that some people don’t have enough to eat and here we are, throwing food away, think of the expense. 

Lentils are inexpensive, nutritious, versatile & satisfying

Lentils are part of the answer and should be on your shopping list for many reasons:- 

1. Cost:  they are inexpensive.
2. Wastage: they don’t have a shelf life if stored correctly.
3. Nutritious:  high in fibre, manganese, protein, iron, potassium, phosphorus and thiamine; low in fat and cholesterol.  They give you plenty of energy whilst stabilizing your blood sugar levels.
4. Satisfying:  because they fill you up, you are less likely to eat less nutritious foods.
5. Versatile:  as well as being one of the main ingredients in a dish such as sausage casserole, they can be served as an accompaniment and added to soups or casseroles. 

Lentils have been around since prehistoric times and are amongst the first foodstuffs to have been cultivated, originating in Asia, it is believed.  Lentil seeds have been found at archaeological sites dating back some 8,000 years and are mentioned in the Old Testament. 

A few things you should know:-

• Always rinse thoroughly before use, but no need to soak overnight.
• Put in boiling water rather than bring to the boil: easier to digest.
• Cooking times vary, but quick anyway: from 10 to 20 minutes.
• It’s worth checking for stones or debris before cooking.

I’m not going to complain about the weather – it’s brilliant to see the sunshine again at last.  I have noticed the first signs of hay fever, though.  Hay fever is an allergic reaction, not just to grass but to flower and tree pollens too.  Symptoms include congestion or streaming nose with sneezing, sore throat and sore, itchy eyes.  Rather than relying on over-the-counter medication, try these natural remedies, especially if you need help with all year round allergies to moulds, house dust and fur. 

Aromatherapy 

You can either sniff essential oils or put a couple of drops into boiling water and steam to relieve symptoms.  Rather than using the same oil all of the time, try rotating them:- 

• Chamomile, tea tree, pine and eucalyptus 

Herbal Remedy 

Chamomile and Euphrasia (eyebright) are very useful and soothing.  Drinking chamomile tea is one way of using this herb, but you can also make an infusion, soak cotton wool pads and placing them on your eyelids for 10 minutes whilst resting.  You can buy Euphrasia from health food shops, so follow the instructions for dilution.  Chamomile tea bags are freely available in supermarkets, but you can grow your own and make your own infusion by pouring 500mls of boiling water over 50g of the herb.  Leave for 10 minutes.  You can keep the infusion for 2 or 3 days in the fridge. 

Naturopathy

Ensure your diet is healthy and full of fresh fruit and vegetable, including garlic to boost the immune system.  Vitamin C is generally believed to be a natural anti- histamine.  Use a mild saline solution to rinse your eyes and, if you can bear it, use it to rinse the nasal passages by turning your head to one side and pouring the solution into one nostril, allowing it to come through the other (neti): not as bad as you think it would be!

A neti pot is the most convenient vessel to use to rinse the nasal passages with salty water, a great way to help deal with hayfever