Health and Fitness

On: Galen

Posted by

The history of medicine is littered with men, and women, who even today, have an impact on the way we treat and are treated when we are ill.

One of these, and one of my favourite, was Galen. A Greek physician who practiced in the 1st Century CE Roman Empire, he studied extensively before moving to Rome and eventually becoming physician to the Emperors, and Gladiators. This gave him significant insight into many areas, and although we now know that many of his thoughts on illess and physiology are incorrect, a great deal of his work is still relevant.

Two of his tenets, which I believe still stand, and we still use are:

The body is a complex interconnect system, which has the capacity to heal itself. This is very similar to the osteopathic principles.

Use physical therapies first, then drugs, then surgery.

This last principle is still undervalued by both patient and practitioner, as it is not an easy fix, and given today’s current phamacopea, it is too easy to reach into the cabinet and take a pill rather than look for an underlying cause.

I would advocate to choose to be different. Seek the cause, make a change and overall health will improve.

How we move affects how we think

Posted by

There is a connection between how we move, how we breathe and how we think. This connection is well known and recognised in many traditions, and even by a running shoe manufacturer, but most of us ignore the cues that are there, if we were to tune into our bodies a little more.

I was discussing this recently with a professional singing and breathwork coach, and having worked with people with varying levels of paralysis, it is possible to see the way thought is entrained to the breath cycle.

As the coach showed me, we begin each thought with a breath and generally reach the end of the thought before the end of the breath. However, if we are unable to hold a deep breath for long enough, our thoughts can get chopped off by the need for air.

Thus we may begin the thought again, creating a frustrating cycle of thought and breath. But by allowing ourselves the space to breath and think, to move and breath, and to move and think, by acknowledging that this cycle takes place then we can help it all to work more effectively.

And, through seeking professional support, to optimise our breathing, to find balance in the respiratory system as well as the rest of the body, then we can improve even more.

The big secret the fitness industry doesn’t want you to know.

Posted by

They’re lying to you. They have been for years and maybe even they’re lying to themselves.

They’re selling you all these messages and machines and plans and regimes. And they’re not going to work, leaving you disappointed and looking for the next big secret. The next short cut.

So, what is the secret they don’t want you to know?

Exercise won’t make you lose weight. Diet won’t get you fitter.

All the booty classes and HIIT training and smoothies and shakes don’t work alone.

Maybe if you’re running 5-6 hours plus a week then yes. You may lose some weight. You are going to create a significant enough caloric deficit to see a difference. But not much and not for a sustained period. If you don’t back it up with a solid refuelling and recovery strategy.

You’ve got to do both, in the correct proportions.

Look at a visually super fit person, that influencer, gym bunny. Not only are they exercising frequently, they’re looking after their nutrition. They’re not completing the circuit class and immediately down the coffee shop for a syrupy latte. The inside is reflected on the outside.

Exercise is for fitness, nutrition is for weight management. The combination leads to improved health. Which is reflected in your physique.

You don’t need their latest method or protocol or supplement. It’s been said before but you don’t like it because it’s hard and slow and repetitive and dull.

  • Eat to sustain activity, refuel and recover.
  • Eat occasionally for pleasure.
  • Exercise to improve muscle mass
  • Exercise to improve cardiovascular health
  • Exercise to maintain balance and skill
  • Exercise because it’s fun
  • Do it regularly and seek healthcare advice when something seems wrong for a while.

Simple is not the same as easy. But consistency and iteration works.

Resilience and capacity

Posted by

In the end you have to have something that I give to give the disease as a price of recovery.

Not sure where I heard that but it makes sense.

The more fitness, the more muscle you have to give a serious illness, the more likely you are to come out the other side.

Professor Oliver (geriatrics) noted that he could guess someone’s probability of a safe discharge from the quality of their handshake. Firm, strong, reassuring. Weak, flaccid, concerning. A handshake conveys vitality, determination, strength, even psychological state.

Put the work in now so your future self can live to fight another day.

On: timing shift

Posted by

From the beginning of May 23, we will be open on Thursdays rather than the previous Fridays.

Roles are changing at other organisations, leading to a change in clinical hours.

We will be available from 1000 – 1700 on Thursdays.

On: Toxic Productivity

Posted by

Rise and grind.

Hustle harder.

Do this one thing to be 10x more productive.

Entrepreneurs and millionaires do this one thing to be more productive.

This stuff is pushed at us all the time.

The secret trick to getting more done, the subconsious message that we are not being as productive as we could be, that we could do more, get more, have more shiny things.

Why? Why be more productive just for the sake of it? Why push yourself, risk burning the candle too far, neglecting the things that are actually important for the things that we are told are, but are simply marketing mush for someones company.

Step back, slow down, reassess.

Turn the question around. Am I doing enough to be satisfied? Do you need the second job, the productivity hack, the apparent short cut? If you do for financial reasons, then accept that, it sucks, especially if it is out of your control. If you are doing it to keep up with the challenges at where you work, are the pressures on you realistic or are the people above you using you?

Any why are we talking about this at a health clinic? Because that pressure to be “more” can have negative consequences on your mental and physical health. Yes, pushing to complete a specific goal is sometimes worth the expended effort and the recovery time after, but to keep that up endlessly leads to the wheels falling off at some unspecified time in the future, which can make you more of a liability.

Instead, aim for minimal effective dose. The least output required to exceed your needs. This leaves some in the metaphorical tank for situations beyond control, develops stress resilience and still allows you to meet the expectations on you.

Don’t be a liability.

Do that which satisfies you.

On: Simple

Posted by

Simple is not easy.

Its simple to do the right thing in any situation, but most of the time it is neither easy to discern, nor to act on.

The discernment is the first and possibly most challenging step. This requires much reflection and patience.

Once you have identified the overall goal, it is easier to understand the steps to progressing.

To simplify, and once you have removed the obviously superfluous, you can also:

  • Delegate
  • Habituate
  • Automate

If there is something that you do daily, can you automate it? Is there a way of making technology support you, so you don’t need to worry about it?

If you can afford it and have no love for it, or no skill for it, can you delegate it?

If you have to do it yourself, can you make it a habit so that it is an unconsious process?

Looking at 2 common goals, weight loss and fitness.

Very broad brush and one reason why most people fail is that there is no end point, and therefore no positive feedback or marker of success.

Rather than weight loss, focus on improving a marker for health thats pertinent to your, whether that is HbA1c (a long term marker of blood sugar), cholesterol, blood pressure and so forth. The changes you will make to improve those will often have a positive side effect of improving your weight as well. Or, improve your height to waist ratio, which will have the same outcome.

How? Simplify – remove the things from your cupboards that you know tempt you, or ask people to reduce your access to them. Delegate: See input from a qualified professional who can provide both motivation and expert guidance towards your goal, not just an internet celebrity. Automate: Set up reminders,

With fitness, choose an event you wish to complete. Then tell people about it. By putting a public commitment up, you will have more drive to do the work necessary to succeed. And you will improve your fitness almost as a side effect.

Play

Posted by
Eventually we forget to play. Sometime around our teenage years, we forget to play. Activity becomes organised or shunned.

We play sports, we play chess, but we forget how to play.

How to explore our natural environment through movement, and skill development.

Flex, extend, twist, push, pull, squat, lunge, balance, throw, run, play.

Through play, we can explore and improve our capacity, our skills, our human experience.

You don’t need special equipment, simply comfortable, flexible clothes.

Curbs become balance bars, parks become play areas, street furniture… you choose.

Fluid

Posted by

We are 60 -70% fluid. It flows in our blood vessels, squeezes round the lymphatic system, cushions our joints, sits between our cells and keeps us moving.

Yet we rarely use fluid movements when we move. We rarely think about it when we stretch, exercise or train. We almost never consider the effect of movement on the fluid flow, how we pump that precious ocean around us.

And most of the time that’s fine, the body will manage itself ok, it has done for years.

But maybe, being present and considering fluid might add an extra dimension.

When stretching, imagine the tissue being squeezed like a sponge, and allow a fluid pump to take place. When mobilising joints, hold that synovial fluid in your mind and feel it cushion, protect and lubricate. Give time in each position for the fluid to flow, in or out.

And be fluid in your movement.

Admin and organisation

Posted by

Most truly successful people have one secret.

A very simple one.

Not a ritual, or protocol or supplement.

Its a practice that they have either had thrust upon them or is inately part of who they are.

Good personal administration.

Making sure the correct item is where it needs to be when its needed. Making sure the correct paperwork has been filed.
Making sure they have kept up their contact network efficiently.
Making sure they have prepared to be on time the majority of the time.
Making sure they have the support network they need.

Some of us are better than others, many achieve fantastic things in spite of thier percieved inability to be “organised”.

More of us are discovering that we are neurodiverse and have been fighting an uphill battle against our own unique pyschology.

That feeling that we are pushing water all the time, while others are gliding smoothly ahead.

They are simply swans. Paddling furiously against the current while looking effortless.

For the rest of us, good admin means finding the correct tool. The unique system that allows you to remember where to be, when, and with what.

Not lots of them, as that adds layers of chaos, but one, or maybe two.

For me, it starts with mind maps and spider diagrams. this allows me to get the noise in my head onto a screen. Ideas are recorded in a notebook. Appointments are on a big wall planner. Family information goes on a white board in the kitchen. It all builds constructively and allows for good communication.

I like the pocket notebooks from Kurzgesagt (https://shop-eu.kurzgesagt.org/collections/pocket-notebooks) as I am a supporter of their channel, but you can find lot of others ways.

What has this to do with fitness, health and being a better human?

Everything.

If you find it challenging to exercise, as there is not enough time, find a tool that helps you choose. If you find meals and nutrition a barrier, look for a way of planning ahead and removing those blocks. If you’re under stress due to constant tardiness, take a few moments to look ahead.

For me, I am always slightly late for things as I remember a hundred other things that need to be done just as I’m heading out, underestimate the time taken to complete that task, constantly believe I can time travel, and can never find the kit and keys i need.

I’m working on it, and so can you.

Good admin can save the world, just a tiny bit.