MANAGE STRESS FOR YOUR OWN WELLBEING

Do you think it's possible to manage your stress levels? Nowadays, stress is associated with a general feeling of unwellness, headaches and many other physical, emotional and mental ailments. But did you know that a certain level of stress is actually good for your body? 

Imagine your life entirely stress-free. It would be relatively dull, wouldn't it? This is one reason why stress can be addictive. 

Recognising when you are stressed and managing it can greatly improve your life. Short-term stress – the type that you feel before a presentation, test, interview or competition, for example – may actually give you the extra boost that you need to perform at your best. But long-term stress caused by, for example, your job, school or family – may actually drain your energy and your ability to perform well. It can also contribute to heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes and make you more vulnerable to less serious illnesses such as colds – as well as alcoholism, obesity drug addiction, cigarette use, depression and other harmful habits and behaviour. 

Stress is also often linked to the achievement of certain goals. Everyone knows that setting and aiming for goals is a good thing. But it's how one approaches these goals that produces a positive result.

Read the full article at http://www.integrated-training.co.uk/stress.html

Insomnia and weight. Advice for better sleep

Did you know that insomnia is more common among women and those who are obese, have high blood pressure, anxiety or depression? And more and more studies are linking weight gain with sleep loss. Numbers-wise, adults should sleep eight to nine hours per night to help maintain a healthy weight. One theory is that lack of sleep disrupts hormones such as leptin and insulin which regulate appetite and body weight. Another explanation is that sleep deprivation leaves us too tired for exercise. And since losing sleep can also make us moody, we may turn to food to cheer us up.

The first step is to understand exactly how much sleep is enough. While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need at least eight hours of sleep each night to function at their best.

The first rule is to keep a regular sleep schedule. By going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, you will feel much more refreshed and energised than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times. This holds true even if you alter your sleep schedule by only an hour or two. Consistency is important.



It's all about discovering your optimal sleep schedule. Find a period of time (a week or two should do) when you are free to experiment with different sleeping and waking times. Go to bed at the same time every night and allow yourself to sleep until you wake up naturally. No alarm clocks! If you’re sleep deprived, it may take a few weeks to fully recover.

One natural way to regulate your sleep is by using light. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin production is controlled by light exposure. Your brain should secrete more in the evening when it’s dark. However, many aspects of modern life, such as spending long days in the office without natural light can disrupt your body’s natural production of melatonin and with it your sleep-wake cycle. The other problem is your TV or computer screen. Both can suppress your body’s production of melatonin and make it harder to sleep. However, there are ways for you to naturally regulate your sleep-wake cycle, boost your body’s production of melatonin and keep your brain on a healthy schedule.

So, you need to increase light exposure during the day. Remove your sunglasses in the morning. Spend more time outside during daylight. Try to take your work breaks outside in sunlight, exercise outside or walk your dog during the day instead of at night. Let as much light into your home/workspace as possible. Keep curtains and blinds open during the day and move your desk closer to the window.

Boost melatonin production at night. Turn off your television and computer. Many people use the television to fall asleep or relax at the end of the day. Not only does the light suppress melatonin production, but TV can actually stimulate the mind, rather than relaxing it. Try listening to music or audio books instead or practice relaxation exercises.

Don’t read from a backlit device at night, such as an iPad. If you use a portable electronic device to read, use an eReader that isn't backlit, that is one that requires an additional light source such as a bedside lamp.

Change your light bulbs. Avoid bright lights before bed and use low-wattage bulbs instead.

When it’s time to sleep, make sure the room is dark. The darker it is, the better you’ll sleep. Cover electrical displays, use heavy curtains or shades to block light from windows or try an eye mask to cover your eyes. The key is to create a relaxing bedtime routine.

If you make a consistent effort to relax and unwind before bed, you will sleep easier and more deeply. A peaceful bedtime routine sends a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down and let go of the day’s stresses.

Keep noise down and your room cool. A bedroom that is too hot or too cold can interfere with quality sleep. Make sure your bed is comfortable.

But your everyday lifestyle is the most important factor to sleeping well. Eat right and get regular exercise. Your daytime eating and exercise habits play a role in how well you sleep. It’s particularly important to watch what you put in your body in the hours leading up to your bedtime.

Stay away from big meals at night. Avoid alcohol before bed. Many people think that a nightcap before bed will help them sleep. While it may make you fall asleep faster, alcohol reduces your sleep quality, waking you up later in the night. To avoid this, stay away from alcohol in the hours before bed.

Cut down on caffeine. You might be surprised to know that caffeine can cause sleep problems up to 10 to 12 hours after drinking it! Consider eliminating caffeine after lunch or cutting back your overall intake.

Avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening. Drinking lots of water, juice, tea or other fluids may result in frequent bathroom trips throughout the night. Caffeinated drinks act as diuretics and only make things worse.

Quit smoking. Smoking causes sleep troubles in numerous ways. Nicotine is a stimulant which disrupts sleep. Additionally, smokers actually experience nicotine withdrawal as the night progresses making it hard to sleep.

If you need a bedtime snack, try half a turkey sandwich, a small bowl of wholegrain, low–sugar cereal, Granola with low–fat milk or yoghurt or a banana.




Read the full article at http://www.integrated-training.co.uk/sleep.html

WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST?

Do you want to start your day healthy and feeling full of energy? Good news… it’s easy! As the most important meal of the day, don’t skip breakfast. Start your day with plenty of fuel and you’ll feel energised for the rest of the day. Want to lose some weight too? A healthy start is good for you and your family and can help with weight loss. Change those bad habits by starting with the first thing you eat when you wake up.

Nowadays, our fast and furious lives can leave us little time for breakfast. But all you need to do is make 10 minutes for breakfast. Start with a glass of water or fresh juice… the perfect start that will make a big difference. As well as cleaning your digestive system, it will also help your mood, improve your skin and increase your energy levels.

Next, crack an egg. Eggs are a great breakfast choice, not only because they leave you feeling fuller for longer but also because the protein and fat in eggs help sustain your energy levels. You’ll feel satisfied for longer, reducing the need for a mid-morning snack. And as one of the most complete protein sources, they contain all the essential amino acids we need from our diets.

Despite popular belief, they won’t raise your cholesterol levels. While it’s true that eggs do contain a significant amount of cholesterol, the belief that the cholesterol you eat impacts on your blood cholesterol levels, has been disproven. So don’t worry about egg consumption increasing your risk of heart disease. 

Eggs also help with brain development and memory. Choline, an essential nutrient found in eggs, stimulates brain development and function. It’s also been linked with increased memory retention and recall, as well as improved alertness. 

Eggs protect your eyesight. Two antioxidants, leutin and zeaxanthin, are present in eggs and have been linked to helping protect your eyes from the damage related to UV exposure. They have also been associated with reducing the likelihood of developing cataracts in old age.

As great as eggs are, variety is also the key to a perfectly balanced diet. Here are some other ideas:

Read the full article at: http://www.integrated-training.co.uk/breakfast.html

HOW CAN YOU CHALLENGE YOURSELF?

Summer and the Olympics are just around the corner. Many of you will be thinking about getting fit or to be sportier than ever. That’s great. But we'd like to suggest a new way of thinking about your goals. Instead of setting a weight loss goal, why not set yourself a fitness challenge? If you focus solely on weight loss, you will neglect the other benefits that come with exercising such as feeling happier and healthier and of enjoying yourself.

Of course there's nothing wrong with feeling confident and motivated by a specific weight target. But why not set a fitness goal such as "I want to run five miles". Completing a marathon is a great personal achievement that requires months of dedicated training and the exhilaration you’ll feel when crossing the line will be incredible. Challenging yourself is also important for your personal growth – even if it means changing your daily routine and stepping out of your comfort zone.

It doesn't mean making life difficult for yourself – but doing something differently is exhilarating and energising. Where's the challenge if your routine never changes or if your behaviour goes unchallenged. Take yourself out of the box... and do something different. 

Fitness presents you with a host of challenges. Ask your personal trainer for some ideas. You could introduce the use of a Swiss ball, train with more weights, set yourself a running time or undertake training with a specific goal in mind such as climbing a mountain. If fear takes over, start small and set yourself small challenges and move onto more ambitious goals. Who knows where they will take you?

If you’ve set yourself some personal challenges, why not spread the message and let your enthusiasm rub off on others? Whatever your goals, you can also help encourage others to set their own. They might even join you on some of the challenges you've set yourself resulting in you acting as a source of encouragement to each another. You could even make it your own personal challenge to encourage others to set their own challenges. Trust us, enthusiasm is contagious! 

http://www.integrated-training.co.uk/challenge.html

IS IT GOOD TO EXERCISE WHEN YOU HAVE A COLD?

Nowadays, our lives are packed full of work, activities and chores and often, you feel ill but are well enough to go to work. But should you carry on exercising when you have a cold? It's difficult to tell whether exercising will make you feel better or worse, but there are signs that will help you make the right decision.

Exercising when you have a fever can cause your body temperature to rise even higher, potentially leading to heatstroke, according to sports-medicine specialist Lewis G. Maharam, M.D. A fever is a sign that your body is fighting a virus and exercise may cause that virus to invade the heart muscle or pericardium, the sac around the heart. When your body temperature is above normal, fluids are diminished by 5 to 10%, increasing the risk of dehydration and subsequent complications connected to the original illness. Therefore, always drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and don't try to cut back on food when you're ill and can't exercise. Having a fever requires more calories, not less.

Read article: http://www.integrated-training.co.uk/cold.html

What you need to eat depends on your fitness goal

You are what you eat, so planning your meals can make a big difference.

Food for runners

Did you know that a 5ft 9" tall, 11-stone marathon runner needs around 3500 to 4000 calories a day? So don't cut calories if you want to be a serious runner. Obviously, if you run for fun, you don’t need so many. Good calorie sources are porridge oats, wholegrain bread or pasta, brown rice and beans. Grab your high-carb snack two hours before heading out for a run.

As a general guide, Wendy Martinson, Sports Nutritionist for the British Olympic Association advises consuming four to five grams of carbohydrates per kg of your body weight if you run for a total of three to five hours a week. If you run five to seven hours a week, aim for five to six grams per kg.

Variety is important in any diet, but protein is the one to watch here as it helps muscle repair and recovery.

And water is also key for runners – hydrate yourself before running and if you're out for more than 30 minutes, carry water with you.

Food for weight loss

Don't forget that crazy, crash diets don’t work. You will be moody and won’t have the energy you need for everyday life. If you are thinking of losing weight, you need to change your lifestyle by doing exercise and following a healthy diet. As my grandma say, all you need to do is eat a little bit of everything in small portions – and she's 95 now so she's doing something right!

One secret is to add lots of vegetables, fruit and water to your diet. This way, you'll feel full and have a healthy digestive system. And you can have some treats, but save them for when you've eaten a healthy meal. Did you know that your body absorbs more of what you eat first? So first thing in the morning, drink a glass of water, eat some fruit and maybe some porridge or toast. And be careful of your portion sizes, choose the healthiest options and nothing can go wrong. Proteins and carbs are important to your body when taken in the right amount. More tips: replace fizzy drinks and fruit cordials with water, swap whole milk for semi-skimmed or semi-skimmed for skimmed, eat a smaller lunch than usual, stop taking sugar in tea and coffee and cut down on your alcohol intake – make it your New Year's Resolution! And remember to exercise at least twice a week.

Food for muscle gain

As we said before, 'proteins repair muscles'. When you do weight training, you're breaking down muscle meaning that protein is an important part of your diet. Carbohydrates are equally important as you're using a lot of energy in your workouts. Here are 10 foods that will help: eggs – a big source of protein and easy to assimilate, fish – a good source of Omega3 fatty acids, blueberries – loaded with antioxidants, lean beef in moderation, chicken – high in protein and low in fat, almonds – a great source of protein and energy metabolism, oatmeal – helps reduce cholesterol and a great carbohydrate, water – more in the morning kick starts your metabolism and last, but not least... vegetables – high in fibre, they keep you hydrated and help your muscles recover.

Just by thinking about the benefits of various foods and what they're providing our bodies will help us eat differently and make us all happy eaters!

www.integrated-training.co.uk

HOW TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

As the weather gets colder, coughs and sneezes start to kick in. So now's the time to boost your immune system! Often, even the smallest of changes can make all the difference – from improving your diet, sleeping longer, exercising a little more to reducing your stress levels. All of these and more help build up your immune system. Here are some simple things you can do to make sure that you're fighting fit for the autumn and winter months ahead… 

1. Keep moving!

Disease is often the result of a blockage in the body's intricate working mechanism. Therefore, it's important to keep on the move, exercising the body's muscles regularly as well as moving the internal involuntary muscles. The large internal muscles make up the walls of the esophagus, the stomach, the alimentary canal, the colon, bladder and other internal organs. Two or three bowel movements per day makes sure that the body's defence system is not put under any excess strain as less frequent bowel movements can cause putrid material to leak into the body's cavity, weaken the body's immune system and lead to serious internal diseases.

2. Drink water!

I know, I know, you hear this all the time. But there's a good reason why you should take heed. The lymphatic system drains the 'waste' fluid from cells (the word 'lymph' comes from the Latin lympha meaning 'water'). The lymphatic system consists of glands – such as the tonsils, the spleen and the small glands in the armpits – all linked by large lymph channels. The lymph glands filter out and destroy foreign substances and produce antibodies and lymphatic cells for the lymph system, the biggest tool that your body has to maintain its immunity to disease. Regular water intake of at least six to eight glasses of filtered water a day, in addition to any tea you may drink, will help boost your lymphatic system to the max.

Here's another interesting fact. Research has shown that the movement that produces the fastest lymph movement is deep breathing! So any exercise that makes you breath just that little bit harder is better than none.

3. Keep up your Vitamin C intake

Vitamin C increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies and increases interferon levels, the antibody that coats cell surfaces to prevent the entry of viruses. Vitamin C also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by raising levels of HDL (good) cholesterol while lowering blood pressure and interfering with the process by which fat is converted to plaque in the arteries. As an added advantage, people with diets high in Vitamin C also have lower rates of colon, prostate and breast cancer. And you really don't even need that much! Around 200 milligrams a day – served up in at least six servings of fruits and vegetables – does the trick.

4. Generate antibodies with Vitamin E 

Adequate intake of Vitamin E is just as important as Vitamin C. Vitamin E stimulates the production of natural killer cells, those which seek out and destroy germs and cancer cells. Vitamin E enhances the production of B-cells, the immune cells that produce the antibodies that destroy bacteria. It's not difficult to take in a daily dose of 30 to 60 milligrams of Vitamin E from a diet rich in seeds, vegetable oils, and grains, but it is difficult for most people to consume more than 60 milligrams a day consistently through diet alone. Supplements may be necessary to get enough Vitamin E to boost your immune system. You need 100 to 400 milligrams per day, depending on your general lifestyle. For example, those people who don't exercise, who smoke and who consume high amounts of alcoholic beverages will need more. Those with a more moderate lifestyle can get by with less.

5. Fight infection with Zinc

Zinc is a valuable mineral that increases the production of white blood cells that fight infection. It helps these cells fight more aggressively by increasing the number of infection-fighting T-cells, especially in elderly people who are often deficient in Zinc and whose immune systems often weaken with age. A word of caution however: too much Zinc in supplement form (more than 75 milligrams a day) can actually inhibit immune function. It's safest to stick to getting it from your diet and aim for 15 to 25 milligrams a day. The best source of Zinc for infants and young children is Zinc-fortified cereals. Rich sources include oysters zinc-fortified cereals, crab, beef, turkey, dark meat and beans.

6. The immune booster winner… garlic!

The immune-boosting properties of garlic are thought to be down to its sulfur-containing compounds such as allicin and sulfides. Garlic can also act as an antioxidant reducing the build-up of free radicals in the bloodstream and may also play a part in getting rid of potential carcinogens and other toxic substances, cultures with a garlic-rich diet demonstrating a lower incidence of intestinal cancer. It is also a heart-friendly food since it keeps platelets from sticking together and clogging up tiny blood vessels.

7. Omega-3 fatty acids 

A study found that children who take half a teaspoon of flax oil a day experienced fewer and less severe respiratory infections and fewer days off school because of sickness. The Omega-3 fatty acids found in flax oil and fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) act as immune boosters by increasing the activity of phagocytes, the white blood cells that eat up bacteria. Maybe there is something to be said for the old wives' tale of daily doses of unpalatable cod liver oil! Essential fatty acids also protect the body against damage from over-reactions to infection. When taking essential fatty acid supplements such as flax or fish oils, for added effect, take additional Vitamin E as they act together with essential fatty acids to boost the immune system. One way to get more Omega-3 fatty acids in yours or your children's' diets is to add one to three teaspoons of flax oil to a fruit and yogurt smoothie.

So keep moving, exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, watch your diet and breathe deeply and you'll be heading for a healthy season, even in the coldest of conditions. And our final tip... smile! Laughter really is the best medicine with research concluding that every one of the body's cells have receptors for the substances produced when we're happy. So take note of our tips, act on them, be happy and you'll be a long way down the road to being in tip-top condition!