Tag Archives: exercises

Plantar Fasciitis by Dr Kathleen Thompson

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With all those modern-day labour-saving devices, can we put our feet up and enjoy life? No, we are told to shed our sedentary life-style and get fit. But at what cost?

Having spent many Sunday afternoons, patching up sports injuries in A&E departments, the price often seems high.

Besides acute injuries acquired on rugby pitches or tennis courts, our new-found fitness enthusiasm can have more insidious effects, particularly if we dash out, after sitting at a computer for eight hours, to pound the tarmac in our new go-faster runners. We often forget to allow our bodies to gradually adjust and strengthen, pushing ourselves to train too fast and for too long.

This can all take its toll on our fascia. Which is …?

Fascia is an unsung hero. Much of our body is held together by fascia—fibrous sheets and cords under skin, around muscles and organs, forming a framework and providing structure.

Normally it has a smooth surface, allowing muscles to glide over each other. However if strained, it becomes sticky, lumpy and tight. That’s when we start to notice it.

The plantar fascia lies underneath our soles, connecting our heel bone to our toes, and supporting our foot arch. Plantar Fasciitis by Dr Kathleen Thompson3

We usually neglect our poor feet, which carry our weight and absorb intense and rapidly changing forces during many sports.  The plantar fascia struggles to support and maintain foot shape during these activities, but if it is strained, it develops small tears and becomes inflamed.

The first sign is pain under our heel, which, counter-intuitively, is usually worse on getting out of bed, and paradoxically improves when warmed up by exercise. However don’t be fooled. You need to rest your foot to recover. If you don’t you could have chronic problems.

It is most frequent in women, aged 40-60 years, and is induced by long-distance running, walking or dancing,
 obesity and occupations involving standing or walking.

Importantly, the root cause may be elsewhere in the leg, the plantar fasciitis being a manifestation of poor biomechanics and abnormal walking/running movement.

Besides resting, anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen help. Most people recommend stretching the plantar fascia, and, importantly, also the Achilles tendon and the calf, as tightness in these may aggravate the plantar fascia. Night splints can maintain stretching whilst you sleep. Others advise against stretching the fascia itself whilst it is inflamed.

Ice massage is useful, for example, rolling your foot on a frozen orange.  The massage is quite painful, and the ice has a numbing effect. Personally, I recommend buying a quarter bottle of Prosecco. Drink the contents, half-fill with water and freeze, then roll your sole on the frozen bottle (the Prosecco takes your mind off the pain).

Shoe arch supports ease the fascia, or your therapist may use strapping.

The fasciitis will eventually settle, but may take up to two years. Steroid injections, give temporary relief but weaken the fascia in the long-term.

So what inspired me to write about this? Let’s just say, I’m rolling my foot on a frozen Prosecco bottle as I write.

Further Information and References:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/basics/definition/con-20025664

http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/plantar-fasciitis

http://www.kttape.com/instructions/plantar-fasciitis/

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice

 

 

 

Emotional Support Through Breast Cancer: The Alternative Handbook. Dr Cordelia Galgut

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Emotional Support through breast cancerAlthough I have been lucky to never have cancer myself, I have seen firsthand how devastating it can be. Those who get diagnosed can also feel isolated and need emotional support. Knowing about the experience of others definitely helps and that is where Emotional Support Through Breast Cancer shines; it is written not only by a psychologist, but one who is a breast cancer survivor. It is also concise and easy-to-read.

This is a compassionate guide and has many personal testimonies from women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, it shares practical ideas to help support sufferers at all stages, be it at diagnosis, during treatment or during life after the initial treatments are over.

The book has exercises to develop an acceptance of thoughts and feelings, whilst the individual accounts validate the multitude of emotions felt by sufferers. Emotional Support Through Breast Cancer has had glowing reviews and it is easy to see why; it has the tone of a good friend and the wisdom of a health care professional. Anything to get through the trauma of breast cancer is a must, and this book impressed me on many levels: An essential.

Emotional Support Through Breast Cancer can be bought here

How To Keep Calm And Carry On Book Review

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Keep calm and carry on bookHow to Keep Calm and Carry On: Inspiring Ways to Worry Less and Live a Happier Life by Professor Daniel Freeman and Jason Freeman is certainly a book for our age. With unemployment on the rise and the the effects of the recession still causing trouble it is no wonder anxiety and stress are on the rise.

The book starts with what anxiety actually is, then it goes into tackling your anxiety and how it can be done. Whilst reading about tackling anxious thoughts and reducing worry I learned a lot, mostly that I worry too much! About everything, even things that will probably never happen. The book also has great tables and exercises to do. A section on coping with nightmares is particularly helpful as I find when I am stressed I usually have bad dreams.

The chapter on relaxing body and mind was informative and interesting. I find that I never switch off and it is just not healthy for me. Some of the tips in this book are incredibly useful and I will be adding them to my life.

The chapter on eating and drinking your way to calmness reminded me to drink less caffeine (no wonder I can’t sleep!) and eat more pasta. All in all, an incredibly knowledgeable and fun book to help you keep calm and carry on. Highly recommended.

~ Worry and anxiety affects millions worldwide. How to Keep Calm and Carry On takes the latest scientific research and tested clinical techniques to show readers how to beat it ~

Britain is on the verge of a stress epidemic. One in five adults worry for at least 60 minutes every day. And more than seven million Brits are believed to have a certifiable anxiety disorder.

Even low-level worry can negatively impact work, home and quality of life. It’s a situation that costs the UK economy over £6.5billion each year.

But as new stress management guide How to Keep Calm and Carry On shows, anxiety need not be an issue in people’s lives any longer.

Calling upon the latest cutting-edge clinical research and proven-to-work techniques, leading British clinical psychologist Professor Daniel Freeman and psychology writer Jason Freeman offer a simple, straightforward roadmap to enjoying a happy and worry-free life.

Throughout the 176-page book, the Freeman brothers — dubbed the UK’s “Worry Tzars” — put the ‘How To’ into the world-famous “Keep Calm” mantra, offering friendly guidance, exercises and

motivating ‘quick wins’ to allow readers to build a realistic and highly-practical programme to keep fears in check and anxieties under control.

Refreshingly and reassuringly, Keep Calm and Carry On is science-based without being technical — something which, ironically, could cause reader anxiety in itself. There’s no jargon or scary psychobabble to be found across its 12 guaranteed stuffiness-free chapters.

Instead, the book — which has just been released by leading educational publisher Pearson —provides an effortlessly accessible manual to feeling more calm, composed and centred.

Speaking about the book, Daniel Freeman — Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford University — said: “Our aim is to take the very best psychological research and make it accessible so people can effectively deal with stress and anxiety.”

Whatever life throws at you, the Freeman brothers can show how best to keep calm and carry on.

How to Keep Calm and Carry On: Inspiring Ways to Worry Less and Live a Happier Life by Daniel & Jason Freeman (Pearson) is out now, priced £10.99, from Amazon and all good book shops

Get Fit On The Move With James Haskell’s Fitness Advice

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Want to get fit but can’t find the time? Here are some tips from James Haskell. James is the health and fitness ambassador for The Healthcounter.

 

Planes, trains and automobiles Exercises to do on the move, don’t let that long haul journey effect your health

 

Lululemon_Yellow_YogaThe obvious one is walking the cabin. If it’s a Jumbo or a large plane you can create a circuit by walking down one aisle and back-up the next. However you might not be too popular with the Air Hostesses if they are working the aisles with the drinks trolley or they are in the galley, when you do your circuit end turns!

Another must-do exercise is stretching, when you get the chance. You can also do some simple exercises to switch muscles on. Like standing, feet slightly apart, one leg to the front the other behind and imagine that you are trying to push the earth apart. Hold this for 20 seconds and then rest for 20 seconds.

You should feel all the muscles in your leg work. You can repeat this with your feet a shoulder width a part. Find a wall or divide in the cabin – put your hands on it and try to either push-in the wall, keeping straight arms, or trying to split the wall down the middle of your hands. Hold all of these for 20 seconds and repeat 4 times

 

Spare 5 minutes? Exercise you can do in your garden, on the beach etc. Simples exercises that will work the all muscles as well as target areas

 

“I would say you should do a 5 minute tabata, which is a form of high intensity interval training. It is a method that is much more beneficial within this specific time frame than regular, moderate intensity training, such as jogging, biking, skipping, and so forth and in my view much more fun!”

 

One suggested circuit which is guaranteed to get your heart rate-up and sweating.

 

10 x standard press-ups

No rest

 

10 burpee jumps – start standing up – feet slightly apart. Then drop down to a crouching position on the floor, with your knees, which should be up to the chest, with your hands either side of the knees, palms to the floor. Then jump out into a press-up position. Then jump back into a crouching position and then jump back up into the air landing back into the standing position. Then repeat

No rest

 

10 Spiderman’s – Position yourself on the ground in a push-up position with hands a shoulder width apart and feet together, resting on your toes. Keeping one’s spine straight. Then using your abdominals, move your leg forward, bring your left leg to your left hand and then back to the neutral position. Repeating for the right leg.

No rest

 

10 sit-ups – Unlike the “Crunch”, which is predominantly a shoulder movement as the lower back should be kept on the ground. The sit-up you lift-up your whole torso off the ground moving through the vertical sit-up position and then back down again.

No rest

 

10 each leg lunge change-up to the other leg

No rest

 

Sprinting on the spot for 10 seconds

 

Repeat as many circuits as you can within the scheduled 5 minutes.

 

James’s top 10 lifestyle changes to get you on the path to fitness

 

1.            Diet is everything. In any successful programme diet will always comprise 70% and exercise 30%. Most people think it’s the reverse. There is a great truth in the saying “You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet!”

2.            Make small changes and stick to them. Don’t try everything or indeed to do everything in one go. Sadly you will never stick to it.

3.            Have breakfast every day – protein based ideally. Eggs are great

4.            Eat a massive variety of vegetables, put a lot colours into your food. Don’t worry too much about fruit. Vegetables are more important and remember with vegetables you can eat as much as you want

5.            Avoid processed food and ready meals

6.            Try and exercise for at least 10 minutes a day, every day. Get your heart rate-up. Walk the dog; go running, do some body weight work just do something!

7.            Always seek advice and guidance before you start. So may diets and exercise plans fail because people get disillusioned. That’s because they were doing it all wrong to start with and sadly they were never going to achieve what they wanted.

8.            Create a plan. As Scott Alexander says “if you walk into a gym without a game plan then walk straight back out again. Get one sorted and then re-enter the gym with purpose, knowledge and vision. Execute the plan with precision.” So start properly and stick with it for a minimum of 4 weeks. You have got to give anything you do reasonable time to work. Everyone has an opinion, try it and if you don’t get results after giving it a reasonable shot then change. Don’t change every 5 minutes and don’t give up after the first week or two

9.            Preparation is the key. Double-up food when making dinner and put in the fridge for the next day. Hydration is also key, Avoid fizzy drinks, especially the diet ones as they are more often or not worst for you to drink because of the hidden sugar levels.

10.          Keep a record of your results and achievements through pictures and measurement’s. Avoid worrying about the scales.

James Haskell is the health and fitness ambassador for The Healthcounter, to see James’s blog topics visit www.thehealthcounter.com”

 

How to Stop Being a Couch Potato and Start Enjoying Life

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Lululemon_Yellow_Yoga

 

It’s no joke: a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to numerous preventable causes of death. A person who is seated for over five hours a day is put considerably more at risk of contracting cardiovascular disease than one who exercises for even just four hours per week. Furthermore, lack of exercise can cause depression or anxiety. If you want to start enjoying life you have to stand up and say no to being a couch potato.

 

Here are some useful ideas to help you get up off the couch and back in the game:

 

  • Avoid eating on the settee. The more you get used to doing this the more time you will be able to spend on the couch. Try to make a habit of setting aside time for meals away from the TV.
  • Rest and relaxation are integral ingredients of a healthy and happy life, but too much idle behavior will do you no good in the end. When you go to sit down in front of the TV, set yourself a limit on the time spent in front of it.
  • Get rid of your unwanted DVDs and video games. You’ve seen or played them all before and it’s time for something new. You can sell them easily on http://www.musicmagpie.com/ and use the money for a gym membership or a bicycle.
  • Why not watch TV while riding an exercise bike and THEN see how many episodes of Prison Break you can watch in a row!
  • Studies have shown that prolonged periods of little or no movement inhibit the effectiveness of one of the key enzymes which break down blood fat. If your occupation requires you to spend lots of time sitting down, make sure to periodically stand up and stretch your legs.
  • Apply the principle of active transport to your daily life. We spend too much time in a sitting position, even while travelling. Walk or ride a bike, leave early and take the scenic route to work and you’ll feel the benefits of a greater sense of wellbeing.
  • Get a hobby. Count up the hours you spend on the sofa in a year and think what you could do with that time. If you cut out just an hour of TV time every day just imagine what you could achieve in a year. Whether it’s Ping-Pong or marathon running, find something to suit you and stick at it.
  • Join a sports team. It could be at your local soccer club or it could be as simple as forming a bowling team with good friends. The commitment necessary to be a valued team player will give you the encouragement you need get off the settee regularly.

Everybody needs time to relax and a good long couch session every now and again can be good for your state of mind – but too much is detrimental to your health. Don’t think of it as a loss of relaxation time, but rather as time gained socialising, improving your health and extending your lifespan

 

Get Rich Blogging | Book Review

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get-rich-bloggingI met Zoe Griffin at a fundraising event for cervical cancer which was hosted by Jo’s Trust. Zoe is very vivacious and it is hard not to notice her as she is a social butterfly. I chatted to her on the night and said I would review her book, “Get Rich Blogging”. Zoe was the Sunday Mirror’s showbiz gossip columnist. She bravely left her job to start her blog, Livelikeavip. She did this three years ago and now earns a six-figure income and gets 80,000 hits a month. An impressive achievement. But what about the book? Here is my opinion….

Part one lets you know all about blogs and what Zoe wished she knew when she started hers. The book also has great exercises to get your business brain into gear. You may think you know all about blogging and what a blog is but Zoe leaves no stone unturned.

The section on making money will be popular – obviously, otherwise why would you have bought the book- and it does have a lot of great information on Skimlinks, google adsense, link-based advertising and other ad networks. This information is valuable and took me a lot of research to find when I started Frost. I do have to say that earning money from some of these is not as easy as you think, in the three years I had Skimlinks on my blog I made £32, and only $50 per year from infolinks. It is hardly setting the world on fire, and barely covered the cost of running the site. Zoe’s book has given me lots of ideas for other revenue streams though, and I was lucky enough to become a member of Handpicked Media.

The income section is separated between direct and indirect revenue. The above is direct while the indirect is things such as speaking arrangements, public appearances, collaboration and freelance contracts.

The other great thing about the book is that it helps you find the marketplace, and therefore the readers, of your blog. It is full of exercises, tips and quotes. The end of each chapter also has a checklist. The book then talks you through design, preparing for business, getting images and building your brand.

It also has a great chapter on social media: very important in these times. Building a loyal readership and boosting your income are also covered.

Part II is a great chapter of interviews with other bloggers, sectioned into their niche area. Along with tips of each niche area.

This book is an essential resource for those who are not only starting a blog, but also those who already have one. A great book. Five stars.

You can buy Get Rich Blogging here

I will be interviewing Zoe soon so check back for that,

 

Frost Magazine’s Diet Books Special

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bellyfatdietWant to get the weight off or even just get healthy? Well Frost Magazine has the answer. A diet book special. Read on….

Living Paleo For Dummies, by Melissa Joulwan and Dr. Kellyann Petrucci.

Some people might not know what living Paleo means but basically it is the caveman diet. It is big on meat but nothing that our ancestors would not have eaten. Which means no sweets, diary, legumes, grains, gluten, sugar, potatoes, processed food and to go easy on the alcohol. While a vegetarian could do the Paleo diet, I reckon it wouldn’t be easy. Although the book does give you information on how to do so. The Paleo diet is mostly meat, fish, fowl, eggs and vegetables.

The first chapter tells you all about Paleo. It is a lifestyle, not just a diet. It tells you the science behind Paleo and why you should adopt the Paleo way. It is very interesting and they certainly do present their case. We do eat a lot of things our ancestors would never have heard of.

The book has a 30 day reset program. The authors bill this as the ultimate health plan. One that will not only help you lose weight, but will also make you healthier and stop you getting ill and aging badly. It informs you on what will be happening to your body during the reset program and how to cope. The book lets you know how to stock your kitchen. It certainly covers everything and makes living a Paleo lifestyle easy as long as you have the willpower.

The book also covers sleep, supplements and sunshine. It even tells you about your home and what toxins you should avoid.

Of course the book also has over 40 recipes and step-by-step exercises. Potential pitfalls are covered too. This is a very good informative book. Worth a read if you want to know more about the Paleo diet.

The Paleo movement is one of today’s hottest diet and healthy-eating approaches. The paleo diet is about using natural foods to achieve great health and a perfect physique. Published in January 2013, Living Paleo For Dummies gives readers a fun and practical guide for adopting paleo diet principles into their daily lives. Offering more than 40 recipes for all meals of the day, and providing tips for getting around common roadblocks such as eating out, this essential guide to adopting a primal diet also provides the latest, cutting edge research from genetics, biochemistry, and anthropology to help readers look, feel, and perform their best.

 

Acid Alkaline Diet For Dummies, by Julie Wilkinson

The whole acid/alkaline thing is something I have always been interested in. Occasionally I would get indigestion or acid reflux and I knew this meant I was not eating properly. In fact acid reflux is widely known to cause esophageal cancer so the need to get my body more alkaline was strong.

Like all of the diet books, the diet is written about in detail. What it entails, what it can do for you, the information on acids and alkaline and handy information boxes on a variety of things from the top ten reasons to pay attention to your diet to how long the digestion process takes.

Any diet can seem scary and too difficult but the acid/alkaline diet makes things easier by letting you follow an 80/20 rule. This means your food should be 80 per cent alkaline and 20 per cent acid-forming. And unlike the Paleo diet, the acid/alkaline diet tells you to limit the meat you eat, and to stay clear of red meat.

For inspiration the book also goes through the different systems in the body (digestive, muscular) and tells you what happens to each with an acid-forming diet. To be honest it really does make you think. The human body was never supposed to be acidic. The food we eat makes it so.

This book will be great for the results-driven. The author tells you how to check your PH balance and monitor your progress. You can even test the water in your area. The tests in this book are excellent. It tells you how to test your pulse, your body fat, your calorie needs: the list goes on.

It takes you through your food cupboards and tells you what to buy. Of course it also has a lot of delicious recipes and an exercise program. It has a section on overcoming PH obstacles and helps you eat well when out and about. All of the books do this but to be honest if you are going to the expense of eating out I think you should take a day off from your diet and eat whatever you want.

I loved this book. I have recommended it to my friends and family. I will do the same to you.

The acid alkaline diet is designed to restore the pH balance in our bodies. To keep healthy, the body needs balanced quantities of alkaline and acid substances, and a simple change in our diets to achieve this important acid-alkaline balance can result in a vast improvement in our overall health. Acid Alkaline Diet for Dummies will show readers how to restore the necessary pH balance and live a healthier life, covering areas including: Symptoms of a high acid diet; Foods to avoid; Foods that have a high alkaline quality;  and how to lose weight, prevent illness and increase energy. It also contains a month’s worth of grocery lists for items to have on hand and over 40 healthy recipes to help balance pH, making it easier to follow the acid alkaline diet

 

Belly Fat Diet For Dummies, by Erin Palinski-Wade

The main complaint with most of my friends is belly fat. Even if you are slim you can still get that little bit of fat that just won’t go away. So I was quite excited to review the belly fat diet book.

The book starts of with telling you about belly fat, what it is and what it can do to your health. It has tests and information to identify your body type to start you off. The great thing about this diet is that it tells you what to eat to lose the belly fat. Okay it also has a list of things you shouldn’t eat but the good list has enough delicious stuff to keep you going. Not only that but it also has the portion sizes which I find especially handy.

This book is great. It it has three different plans, which are different for men and women. The turbocharged plans are from level 1 to level 3. The step-by-step exercises are well laid out and there is also over 40 recipes. To help you along after you get started it also tells you how to overcome potential pitfalls and has a belly fat maintenance plan.

All in all an excellent book. For anyone who wants to get rid of their belly fat I would highly recommend it.

Including a proven 7-day quick-start programme, a no-gym fitness plan and a month’s worth of shopping lists and recipes, this recently published title gives readers the information they need to help them lose unwanted weight around the middle.

So which book is best? It is too hard to say as each diet would be best for different people. Each book is great and really gets to the nitty gritty of each diet. I would say you should look at your individual needs. For those with belly fat, the Belly Fat Diet would obviously benefit, if you want to go back to a more natural way of living and eat meat, the Paleo diet would suit you. If your PH balance is out of whack the Acid Alkaline diet will get you back on track. Of course you could try all of the diets and at Frost that is what we will be doing.

Are you on a diet? Let us know what diet you are doing and the results you are getting. We could write about you in a future article.

 

 

Free Fitness Workout Videos For A Better Body In 12 Weeks

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Sick of your workout? Really want to get in shape? Frost has teamed up with the 2013 USN Makeover Challenge to bring you five free workout videos. They guarantee a better body in 12 weeks. Enjoy and let us know how you get on.

1. The Perfect Exercises to Firm up your Legs and Bums

The 2013 USN Makeover Challenge presents to you their legs and bums workout video. Taken from the highly proclaimed work out challenge, these exercises will tone your legs and bum in a routine that will take you less than half an hour.

2. Lose those love handles and firm up those Abs – exercises from the USN Makeover Challenge.

Taken from the 2013 USN Makeover challenge, these ab and love handle exercises guarantee results. The USN Makeover Challenge is a weight loss programme that will help you shape up and get fit fast.

3. Be Proud of your Arms with these must-do Exercises from the USN Makeover Challenge.

Taken from the 2013 USN Makeover challenge, these bingo wings and bicep workouts guarantee results. The USN Makeover Challenge is a weight loss programme that will help you shape up and get fit fast.

4. USN Present to you the Full Body Workout from their 2013 Makeover Challenge.

Fitness Challenges don’t come more rewarding than this. These full body exercises combine cardio and strength and are taken from the USN Body Makeover Challenge where the exercises and health benefits guarantee results.

5. The Best Circuit Training for your Body from the USN Makeover Challenge

These full circuit training exercises are taken from the USN Body Makeover Challenge and can be performed anywhere which is perfect for people always on the go. The USN Makeover Challenge is a proclaimed weight loss programme that will help you shape up and get fit fast through a series of exercises and diet plans.

For more information visit www.usn.co.uk