Category Archives: Health & Fitness

10 things to make 2023 great!

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2023 is set to be a great year don’t you think! There are some things that I need to absolutely focus on! There are some things I need to do better and there are some things I could do with doing a little less! Now though is a good time for me to embarking on a mission of self improvement. Things are settled. We’re in our new house and have managed to get done some of the things that needed doing and this will hopefully free up some time, some enthusiasm and some psychological capacity to achieve more. Here are the things I’m going to do and I’d urge you to do!

Get outside more

I love to run and cycle. I enjoy a good walk. Over the last couple of months I’ve started going to more gym classes so, while this is not a bad thing, it’s meant less outside time. And I love outside time! What are the benefits of being outside..

  • You will experience a great sense of well-being. Breathing in fresh air, embracing the space around you, feeling the cold upon your cheek. Even at this time of year getting wrapped up and going out for a walk will give you a boast.
  • And you’ll burn some calories! And let’s be honest we’re probably about to have too many of them in the next week or so! For those a little fitter get your running shoes on, on get your bike out and go out and get breathless and feel that cool refreshing air in your lung. Outdoor workouts are better than indoor ones. For example, running. Outdoors you are contending with different terrains or you are running against the wind… all better for you than the treadmill I feel!
  • Green exercise – or exercise in a natural environment – has been shown to boost self esteem and mood and you’ll get a well needed, at this time of year, boost in vitamin D which is reported to be good for your immune system – Now that’s got to be good!

Get lost in the moment

This one is simple. Just experience what is currently happening to you. The water on your skin in the shower, the air passing into and out of your lungs, the taste of the food in your mouth, the song on the radio….. Do any of these things or any others to the exclusion of other thoughts and distractions. The benefits of simply taking some time out to be mindful of a particular thing will reap benefits. Before you know where you are at you might find yourself wanting to try meditation! You never know!

Get myself (more!) organised

Being organised gives you a great sense of control and fuels your well being. As I’m fond of saying – if you don’t control it then it will control you. Try applying the two minute rule or grab a copy of David Allen’s book ‘Getting Things Done’. I can tell you, hand on heart, at work and at home my life is so much better for getting myself organised. I can do it better though, especially at home, to make sure I make the most productive use of the time I have. For me time is the most precious commodity we have and we waste it at our peril.

Drink more water

This one should be easy to do surely! How hard can it be to go to the tap and fill a glass up and just drink it! I know!! So why don’t I do it! I even have my phone remind me to drink water every few hours and still I don’t drink enough! Water is refreshing, calorie free, and it’s absolutely crucial for you body to function effectively. So come on! Flush those kidneys and feel great. More on this here.

Drink less coffee and alcohol

I don’t know how this one is going to go for me! I love coffee! And I do like the odd tipple on an evening. I read somewhere drinking coffee borrows time from later in the day…. You will crash later and be less productive. And drinking alcohol borrows time from tomorrow as it will affect your sleep and therefore your feeling of well being the next day. Must try harder!

Read for 15 minutes a day

I read every day. Knowledge is life improving, how could it not be! Reading for 15 minutes a day at an average speed of a page a minute will get you through a 300 page book in 20 days. That will get you through at least 15 books a year. Not a bad start to enhancing your knowledge! And I bet if you get the habit you’ll read more! Add the next thing on the list in and you’ll be amassing information at a fair rate of knots!

Embrace audio books

Time is the most precious of commodities and I want to put as much of it as I can to good use. It takes me 40 minutes to drive to work and the same to get back home or 30 minutes to walk the dog. Sometimes I listen to music – that’s a good thing. Sometimes I listen to the news on Radio 4….. but now mostly I listen to audio books and they are great! I get mine through Audible. They download to my iphone and play through the car stereo seamlessly! The books are anything from 4 to 7 hours long and one lasts me through most of the month when interspersed with other things…. And that’s another 12 books in a year… done! Sorted!

Set small achievable goals

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Several books I’ve read talk about setting achievable goals and some of the models I talk about in some workshops show that breaking down big tasks into smaller steps achieve progress. Problems or projects seem daunting when you just think of the end goal. But if you think of the many small steps and tackle them one at a time you stand more chance of achieving success! My goal for this year is weight loss – more about the steps I’m taking later. I’m read Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results by Stephen Guise where he talks about setting himself the target of doing one sit up a day… that was all! Just one! And he explores where that got him! Worth a read!

Sit quietly from time to time

This is a bit like ‘getting lost in a moment’ but slightly different. Getting lost in a moment can be about getting engrossed in an activity. But sometimes we need to just sit quietly. It could be, but doesn’t need to be, meditation. It could be sitting quietly while clearing your mind but, for me, more than this, sitting quietly can be a time for you to think things though in a calm, focussed way. In the rushing about of modern life our responses are, dare I say, reactionary rather than well thought through often. I’m going to sit and experience time just passing in a quiet state from time to time, maybe first thing on a morning…. Now that’s good use of time!

Once a month mix it up

Don’t get into a rut. For all the things above keep mixing it up. Been out running a lot this month? Then next month go out walking! Been spending quiet time on a morning? Then, for the next month do it on your lunch break… you get the idea. From an exercise point of view your body gets used to what you ask it to do so mixing it up challenges it to ‘re-think’. As for your mind, giving yourself space at different or being in the moment for different experiences will help you understand yourself and what works for you and what will, hopefully, lead you to a greater sense of well-being, a greater sense of inner-peace.

I’m going to try all of these things and I’ll let you know how I get on. Let me know what you get up to!

7 small steps that could lead to big things

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Last week I stumbled across a great Twitter thread by Dr. Nicole LePera (@Theholisticpsychttps) while I was pondering self-care, well-being and reflection… you know the usual stuff I ponder. She is a Psychologist, Author (How To Do The Work) and a podcast host. She listed 7 things that she felt were great small steps that could lead to big changes. And as you know, I am a fan of such things.

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She started by suggesting ‘self-witnessing’. I love this phrase! She says it’s helpful to observe yourself without judgment but with curiosity. This is reflection pure and simple I’d suggest. What did I do? Why did I do it? And what can I learn from it? A much better approach than mulling something over, dwelling on it, and then just sitting with it. We must analyse and ponder and then make some change if change is required. We may also not need to change because we might find something is outside of our control anyway and we just have to accept it and move on.

Secondly, and this this another crucial step, have boundaries around your time. Absolutely! In her book ‘Time Management from the Inside Out’ Julie Morgenstern observes, “Good time management is not about buying a great calendar or planner. It is not about learning tricks to move faster, or about doing everything with mechanical efficiency. It’s about creating days that are meaningful and rewarding to you and feeling a sense of satisfaction in each and every one of your tasks.” You cannot manage time – you can only manage what you do with it – and one of the things you can do with time if you have no boundaries is waste it. The other option would be to set your intention to something that would be useful to you, set some time aside for it, and get to it. You also though do need time to do nothing, slump in the chair, or lie down and rest, but be cautious as this can become counterproductive if not done with intent and you find yourself drifting through a whole day doing this.

Then, be aware of the company you keep. You might have heard the phrase ‘energy vampires’? People who just sap the energy from you. You may have people in your life who encourage you to do things that don’t fit with your identity and your goals. You need people in your life who support where you’re heading. Some can drag you back. You may need to ease them out of your time and life. You may need to just remove them straight away.

LePera then goes on to say, ‘Move Your Body’! Sound Advice! Exercise is a gateway habit. People who exercise are more likely to do other positive ‘life’ things and make healthier choices. And it makes you feel great. It doesn’t matter what you do in your life taking regular exercise will enhance it. Even those involved in roles where they predominantly use their brains will find they can do that better through exercise. The organ in your body that uses the most energy is your brain – so there’s a physical preparedness required for mental work.

Next, surround yourself with the voices of helpful, supportive people. This might be people close to you or people who you can tune into through podcasts, YouTube, blogs and the like. This, in LePera’s words keeps ‘inspiration flowing in your ears’.

Her penultimate suggestion is to give back. There is oodles of evidence that if we feel like we are contributing, feel like we are giving back then we feel positive. Circulate that positive energy.

And finally, another phrase that she uses is, ‘become your own wise inner parent’. Self-talk is crucial to our well-being. But the right self-talk. You need to love yourself, hold yourself, tell yourself how great you are. Because you are. Yes we have to live and learn and acknowledge the things we need to work on. But, right here, right now, for this moment you are all you need to be. We’ll work on tomorrow, tomorrow. David Allen (my favourite writer on getting things done says we can do anything, but we can’t do everything. He is absolutely right. As human being we are amazing and capable of taking ourselves to all sorts of ‘places’. But we need to take small steps in order to not overwhelm ourselves. We can’t do everything, but we can do something and LePera’s ideas give us some great starting points!

The Power of Small Steps for Making Big Changes

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Guest Blog by Emma Grace Brown

When it comes to building healthier habits, too many people decide to make huge, sweeping changes overnight. Almost inevitably, they realize that these massive lifestyle shifts are impossible to keep up and, after a few days of trying without success, they give up entirely and go back to their old ways. As you can see, this isn’t the picture of crafting an effective lifestyle change.

If you’re hoping to make a change in your life, your first step is to let go of this all-or-nothing, everything-at-once mentality. We promise: It’s holding you back. I have put together this guide with Social Work Shorts and Self Care Shorts about how to use incremental changes to point your life in the right direction:

For more helpful content, if you are a social worker or social care professional turn to Social Work Shorts your go-to source of information and obviously there are loads more self care and productivity tips here at Self Care Shorts!

Start Keeping Track

The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide: Why and How to Track Your Habits | James Clear

It’s hard to know where to go if you don’t know where you’re starting. That’s why it’s so important to start keeping track of your habits before you start trying to change them. You need a baseline in order to set realistic goals for yourself going forward. Give yourself a month or so to note your current habits, and use that information to inform your next steps.

There are several ways to track your routine. You can use a journal or planner to note how often you exercise, what kind of meals you tend to eat, as well as your mood throughout the day. You can also use a phone or smartwatch or fitness tracker to gauge your efforts. You can even take your tracking efforts one step further with more useful tech gadgets, such as a quality pair of headphones. They can come in handy when following along to a fitness video on your phone or listening to your favorite workout playlist.

No matter what you use to track, remember to take note of both the actions you take and how you feel during the day. For example, you might notice you tend to have more energy after a walk, or feel more anxious on days when you have two cups of coffee. Recognizing these patterns helps you define your goals and gives you solid proof that the choices you make really do matter.

Pelvic Pain When Walking: Causes, Treatment, Prevention

Pick One Small Change

Your first step should be to identify one small, effective change you can make based on the baseline habits you’ve noticed. Let’s come back to the walking example. If you notice you have more energy after your walks, you might decide to try and take a walk every day. Keep it simple – avoid adding specifications about the amount of time or distance you have to walk. Instead, focus on a “no zero days” mentality. If you walk around the block that still counts. Focus on consistency, not perfection.

Once you’ve kept up with this new habit for at least a month, you can start thinking about the next habit you’d like to build. However, it’s important that you use the notes you’ve taken since you added the new habit to define your next steps. After all, if you no longer feel anxious on two-coffee days now that you’re walking more, maybe having two cups of coffee isn’t a problem anymore.

Practice Self-Compassion

Changing habits isn’t easy, even when you give yourself the best start by going small and simple. That’s why it’s extremely important to go into goal-setting periods with self-compassion. If you mess up or fall behind, that’s not a sign of failure. It might be a sign that you need to make things simpler for yourself or try a different habit first, but it doesn’t close a door. Give yourself the space and time you need to grow, and remember that slow progress is still progress.

Self compassion through grief - SAS Life

The all-or-nothing mentality will always hold you back. Learn how to let go of it and, instead, focus on honouring the gradual, back-and-forth nature of change. You might just find that shifting your worldview brings your goals closer than ever before.

You can find more from Emma on her own website here

Photo Credit: Pexels

Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits for Highly Effective People

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How to Form Better Habits as an Entrepreneur

The message that I’m going to give you here is a simple one….

Keep engaging in the same habits and you’ll get the same results
Engage in different habits you’ll get different results

Simple!

So if you are aceing all of your habits – good job! But maybe a little reflection on our habits at some point is good for us all. What are the things that are constantly getting in your way? What are the things you do that seem to keep throwing you off course? What might you want to change, what might you want to be different? What habits would make things better. Pick better habits and you’ll get better results.

When thinking about developing a habit – Think trajectory as well as goal

We set goals quite easily but we need to plan how to get there. Habits help us achieve things. Habits help us achieve our goals (or they get in the way!)
How you go about your business is more important than the goal (even though the goal is important). ‘I will run 3 miles’ is a goal – but you won’t ever do it unless you figure out what the process is to get there. You need to break the goal down into manageable steps and form habits to get you there. And if you engage in negative habits they’ll get in the way of running 3 miles.

Small changes over a period of time lead to big changes

Changes that are small and seem unimportant (going for a walk, eating well, drinking less caffeine) appear unimportant but compound over time – daily choices compound over time

Small – fairly inconsequential steps – lead to massive transformations. We needed to develop positive habits (and maybe hang onto one or two of the bad ones ;-)!) The problem is some of the ways we operate can have a negative impact on us overall.

Zoom out

The problem is when we’re stressed – when we’re up against it – we tend to have a narrow view of what’s going on – we focus on the single thing causing us stress. What we need to do is zoom out and look at the big picture. And when we stand back a clearer picture often emerges. When we stand back it allows us to think about a priority. It gives us the space to consider next steps. It gives us the chance to consider what we may need to change in our environment or in terms of our habits – what we need to change in ourselves. Looking at the bigger picture can help us overcome overwhelm as long as when we’re looking at the bigger picture we take what we find, break it down into what needs to be done, and then make a start.

Stop Setting Goals And Start Building Habits - Focus

Construct habits one step at a time – start small looking for small changes that will lead to transformation

So, what habits might we want to think about establishing – what things can we focus on that over time might transform how productive we are at life….

Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits

Proactive vs. Reactive: How Savvy Use of Analytics Helps Contact Centers Navigate and Adapt to Uncertainty | NICE inContact

1. Be Proactive

The problem is that people are much more inclined to be reactive. Rather than plan, rather than control what they can, they just wait to see what happens and then react. One of the things we can do is bring the future into the present and consider it, so that we can, as far as possible, predict it. This has a fancy word. It’s called planning. ‘Control it or it will control you’ (David Allen – Getting things Done)

Visualize: Business Lesson #1 - International Image Institute

2. Begin with the end in mind

Where are you going and how are you going to get there. Visualise what you want to achieve this week, this month, this year… this life! This is rooted in your values. Covey talks about Personality Ethics – how you look from the outside – your image – your concern for how other people view you. He says that this is not what we should be rooted in but rather we should be rooted in character ethics – what we are inside. The fabric of our person, not what we look like to other people is what’s important. Values – your values – should drive your goals and your habits

First Things First - YouTube

3. Put first things first

There is a disconnect about how we talk about the things that we know are good for us – or the things that we want to do – and actually doing them. Most of know what we should eat and that we need to exercise but do we do these things effectively!? We procrastinate – which is the art of ruining your life for no apparent reason!

We allow ourselves to disconnect from the things that really matter
From activities, family, friends and rest.

You need to figure out what your first things are by ‘Beginning With The End In Mind’ and then by ‘Being Proactive’ in pursuing your first things first. The science and the research tells us what the first things should be. Rest and recovery, sleep, exercise, nutrition, connecting with others.

How to Create Marketing Win-Win Scenarios - Trade Press Services

4. Think Win-Win

Thinking win-win is about connecting things together (This is not quite how Covey talks about it – but similar). Combine things to encourage habits by connecting something you don’t like doing with something you do like doing – win – win. Instead of walking the dog on a morning – I run with the dog. The dog gets ‘walked’ and I get a run!

Or see planning as a productive process, not time wasted, but time invested
It will mean that you feel more in control of the tasks you have to do and then when you get to the task it will mean you should have everything you need in place. You’ll be in the right place at the right time for the task you are undertaking. So stopping and taking precious time out will be good for you and will mean you get to stand back and take stock and then be better organised – win – win

Research tells us that unmanaged – incomplete tasks drain psychological energy and capacity but managed tasks – even when still not completed -have less of a psychological drain. This allows you to focus on the task at hand while the other tasks wait patiently for their turn. So spending that precious time in planning means you can leave behind the things that are waiting to be done and get on with the next thing you need to do.

Journal Club: How much you think you understand depends on what you believe others understand | National Academy of Sciences

5. Seek first to understand and then to be understood

By understanding the other person first, you will have taken time to build a relationship and you will be able to cooperate effectively in whatever you are doing. This will support a good working relationship or a good family relationship and will improve the emotional content of interactions.

Seeking to understand may be self reflection. You may be trying to know yourself better or understand what you may need to changed. Know yourself to lead yourself.

Use These 5 'Cogs' to Plan Lessons Like a Pro

6. Synergise

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In all the areas of self-care (physical, emotional, practical) small steps over time will lead to big changes and all of these things interact and support each other…..
– you eat better – you feel more like exercising – you exercise – you sleep better – you sleep better you work better – you work better (more efficiently) you feel more able to rest – you rest better you feel more able to look after your nutrition or you exercise – and so it goes.

Also, collaborate – synergise with others. Work with your family on meal prep, buddy up for exercise, make a pact to take a lunch break and lunch together with a colleague.

Self-care is very important. Here's why you need to invest in YOU! | Goodhomes.co.in

7. Sharpen the saw

Self care is a necessity not a luxury. If you spend all of your time sawing down trees your saw will become blunt. If you don’t take time to sharpen your saw the trees will take longer and longer to cut down. We need to keep our minds sharp by resting and recovering effectively and by initiating good self-care.

Growing Healthy Habits - CrossFit Leyland

Keep engaging in the same habits and you’ll get the same results

Engage in different habits you’ll get different results

Set your mind to the planning

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I’ve got into the habit when talking to people about self-care of finding myself often saying, “all we are doing here is playing psychological tricks on ourselves to get the best out of ourselves so ‘ourselves’ stop getting in the way”.

There’s a funny thing goes on in my head when I go for a run. Sometimes I head off and run a big loop but sometimes I run laps close to home. I have a route that is ‘near as damn it’ exactly a mile long and I have another route that is ‘as near as damn it’ one and a half miles long. If I want to run three miles I find it easier to run the longer route than the shorter one because I only have to do two loops and I’m done! On the shorter one I have to do 3 loops and that, psychologically, seems so much harder. Which is daft really because either way, it’s 3 miles! But it’s a very real thing. In fact, sometimes (like today) when I get to the end of the 3 miles on the 2-lap route, I think, well I might as do another lap because I usually have to! What’s that all about!

Everything we do has a psychological element to it that we can either let get in the way, make work for us, or use to trick us into convincing ourselves that something is a good idea.

Lockdown is difficult for a lot of us. Many people I sense are finding it hard to motivate themselves to do things they would usually just get on and do. Exercise is a good example of this. Lots of people seem to be finding it harder to motivate themselves to do what they know already is good for them.

How can we overcome that moment of inertia when, at the end of a busy day we know we should take some exercise but we just don’t feel like it.

Firstly, let’s give ourselves a break and in some ways identify the problem. When you are feeling stressed you don’t feel like exercising. This is a fact – well researched – well established. An American study from Yale University tested this out and found that levels of stress are a predictor for low physical activity. But it’s a double bind because exercise is a great stress buster. Indeed the same Yale University study showed that those who managed 30 minutes of exercise during the day experienced a reduction in stress.

There are lots of reasons why this might be and all have been researched. Which it is for you is probably down to your own uniqueness! For some the exercise simply takes their attention away from the thing that’s causing them stress and gives them a break from it so they can return to it refreshed.

For others it could the rush of feel good endorphins, the ‘runners high’ you might have heard of. It could be that our stress response, the fight or flight adrenaline and cortisol rush, readies us for physical activity, so in doing something physical we ‘burn off’ these chemicals and we return our body to a state of calm. We in effect ‘took flight’.

So, given exercise is good for us, how do we get past our inertia?

We need to plan for our future self – arrange what it is our future self needs to do. Then, trust our past self to have arranged things that are good for us. The just do them at the moment our past self planned them, safe in the knowledge that our future self will thank us for doing what we planned!

When we try to imagine our future we are strongly influenced by how we are feeling in the present moment. So if you try to imagine what something later in the week will be like when you are experiencing a tiring Thursday and you are just a tad grumpy and ‘down-in-the-mouth’ you are likely to think about the future event negatively. ‘That run will be hard work’, ‘Getting my gear on to do the online workout will be sooooo time consuming!’ And the same works the other way – if you are in a good place then you will think positively about the future. (See Daniel Gilbert’s book ‘Stumbling on Happiness’ for more – Professor Gilbert has spent his life studying the psychology of happiness – he knows his stuff!)

So, how do we make this psychological quirk work for us. Let’s keep going with the exercise example. When on a weekend are you feeling in a good place? I find I have a sweet spot that usually occurs early afternoon on a Sunday. I’m feeling rested and I’m not yet grumpy because it’s nearly time for work again. In this sweet spot I plan my exercise for the week because I’m feeling at the top of my game in terms of motivation. I still keep my planning realistic. I bring the future into the present so I can do something with it. I plan what I will do. I remind myself that about 20 minutes a day is sufficient and if I can do more great!

Then, my week starts. And, as we know, motivation wanes as the week goes on and stress rises. So when I spot at 5.30 on Wednesday evening that my diary says ‘3-mile run’ I trust my past self, when I was in a good place to have thought, ‘I’m going to need something to pick me up by Wednesday and I’ll feel great after a run. Clear headed, invigorated, and if I get some exercise I’ll probably sleep well’. Had I left my planning for exercise on Wednesday until I got home at 5.30 I would probably have said, ‘I can’t be bothered, stuff it, where’s the wine’. Familiar?

In that moment when you think, ‘I can’t be bothered with this running thing in my diary’, you have to trust your past self to have done the right thing for your future self and thought, when in a good place, he’s going to NEED a run by Wednesday. On Wednesday his future self will thank his past self for insisting he went for a run!

There is great power in planning. And there is great power in trusting what you have planned. David Allen (productivity guru of the highest order) says you can’t plan and do at the same time and this is why. The feelings of past self, present self, and future self will get all confused. Our ‘selves’ need to find a good positive moment and plan for our future selves so when we hit that ‘present’ moment we can be fully in that present moment knowing that this must be the best thing that can be done right now or why would I have planned it so!?

Plan.
Then deliver on the plan.
You’ll thank your past self in the future for knowing what will be good for you.

Music for Meditation

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I don’t know about you but despite being a regular meditator I find it really really difficult. My mind just keeps chattering away!

I do like to think of meditation as having many facets and methods and I have written about ‘meditating on’ something as being a thing. I do like to quieten myself and see what comes to mind and then think about that. I have some wonderful thoughts and ideas when ‘meditating on’. But you have to be careful that you don’t get into ruminating and worrying and overthinking something so that ‘meditating on’ becomes negative.

Sometimes though I do like to (try to) clear my mind – and there are two things that I find helpful in doing this.

The first is my Shakti Mat – I’ve written about that here. I love it. Yes, in the first instance it’s uncomfortable but it does become blissful after a few minutes. But what I find is I have to concentrate on managing the discomfort and this helps me clear my mind of other things as I relax into that.

The other thing that helps is music. I listen to lots of meditative music not only when trying to meditate but also when working as it creates the right atmosphere for me in which to work. Now, you may or may not know but I am also a musician so I thought why not write some music for myself to meditate to and then i thought – well – why not share it with everyone.

And that is what I’ve done – and here it is! Available on Spotify and iTunes/Apple Music as well as many other lesser known but equally fabulous platforms!

Give it a listen and tell me what you think!

Reworked – Let me tell you about the new book!

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Excited to be telling you that today (Friday 15th January 2021) the new book is out! Strictly speaking it’s a reworking of the other book – a remix if you like for the music people among you!

We wrote a book (myself, Lisa and Steph) and we aimed that book at Social Workers because we are all social workers and wanted to provide some sort of ‘toolbox’ to social workers to help them with their self-care, wellbeing, and productivity, because we knew for ourselves and from our social work friends that social work takes its toll.

But, what we and the publisher noted, as we were finishing the book and it was set for publication, was that the advice in it was relevant to so many more people than just social workers because many people in many workplaces experience work based stress and indeed many people experience the stresses of life overall. The book would work for everyone.

So, the publisher, Critical Publishing, had me re-write the book for the general market as the launch of their Business in Mind series – and there are more books to come in that series! Exciting!

So there are two ‘How to Thrive….’ books. How to Thrive in Professional Practice is the one aimed at Social Workers and How to Thrive at Work is the one aimed at everyone (and social workers would find it useful too). So buy one or the other – whichever suits who you are – but don’t buy both as they are very very similar.

I would say though there’s a very nice chapter in the How to Thrive at Work one on Rest which isn’t in the first one…. and even though I say it myself it’s a very nice addition!

Whichever you were to buy – I hope you get something from it!

Happy days!

The health benefits of Mushrooms

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“Mushrooms are miniature pharmaceutical factories, and of the thousands of mushroom species in nature, our ancestors and modern scientists have identified several dozen that have a unique combination of talents that improve our health”.

(Quote by Paul Stamets, (2011)

It’s surprising what mother nature gives us as a means of keeping us healthy. Have you ever considered the medicinal benefits of mushrooms? 

Disclaimer

Before we take a closer look, as always, seek medical attention or advice before pursuing any natural remedies and this blog is NOT about diagnosing any condition or even saying the following products will be right for you. So please use your own judgement and common sense especially if pregnant, nursing or on other pharmaceutical medication. Nor have I received any payment from the below mentioned companies.

Also, it is extremely dangerous to pick your own mushrooms as there are many which are poisonous and can result in death. We are not advocating you do this. We would advise you buy from a reputable source as an alternative.

What are Mushrooms exactly?

Encyclopaedia Britannica, (2020) explains mushrooms are…..”…..edible sporophores…. fleshy fungus fruiting structure of fields and meadows….”  Paul Stamets, (2011) explains there are an estimated 2-4 million species of ‘fungi’, with 150,000 thought to be mushroom-forming fungi, although only 14,000 species are formally identified.

Ancient History

Mushrooms used for medicinal purposes is not a new concept as revealed by the frozen human mummified remains of Ötzi, found on the Ötztal Alps on the Austrian–Italian border in 1991. Ötzi is believed to have died around 3300 BCE, and amongst his remains were Birch Fungi, known for their Anthelmintic properties, (Capasso, 1998), and the ability to expel parasitic worms and other internal parasites from the body.

Egyptian Hieroglyphics suggest society saw mushrooms as a plant of immortality, (Grocycle, no date). They would also apply a poultice of mouldy bread to infected wounds, (ACS, 1999).

Texts about Chinese Medicine dating as far back to 100 BCE discuss various mushrooms and fungi that were used to treat cancer, respiratory ailments, and many other conditions, (Grocycle, No date).

Modern Times

Whilst not all mushrooms are edible, culinary mushrooms such as Shiitake, Maitake, Oyster, Enoki, Shimeji, and Pioppinos are low in fat, have no cholesterol and are rich in vitamins, so from a nutritional viewpoint, help with boosting the immune system, (Stamets, 2011).

Picture-courtesy-of-Getty-Images

It’s interesting to note the medicines available to us these days such as antibiotics. It is mind boggling to think that as little as a hundred years ago, if you developed a bacterial infection such as Pneumonia or blood poisoning from a simple scratch, the chances were, you may well have died. The discovery of Penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928 changed how we treat infections, when he identified the healing properties of ‘mould juice’, (ACS, 1999).

Mycologists, (people who study Fungi) and other types of scientists are now starting to understand how mushrooms can offer safer alternatives to many modern pharmaceuticals.

Here are some of the more popular benefits.

Antiviral, and Antibacterial Properties

Like all live moulds and fungi, they are a food source, so as a means of staving off being eaten or to fight off bacteria which may kill them fungi produce toxins to protect themselves. It is these toxins that can act as natural antibiotics in our bodies when we consume them.

High in Antioxidants

UV sunlight, inflammation, air pollution, and smoking all contribute towards Free Radicals that can cause oxidative stress and damage to our cells and DNA. Mushrooms contain antioxidants which seek out free radicals and thus diminish the damage they cause. I view them a bit like Batman seeking out villains in Gotham City!!

Beta Glucan:
is a substance that helps to stimulate the immune system.

Polysaccharides Compounds:
found in mushrooms are known to offer anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-diabetes, and antibiotic properties.

Health Benefits

As we have mentioned above, there are a huge range of mushroom types, but generally the health benefits include the following:

  • Help prevent DNA damage, cell mutation, and tumour formation so aid fight against cancer and Leukaemia
  • Loaded with antiviral and antibacterial properties so are good for boosting your Immune System
  • Contain natural ‘Statins’, the compound used to lower blood cholesterol that can cause hardening of the arteries, thus can protect against heart attacks, strokes and heart disease.
  • Improving Energy Levels due to compounds that increase the flow of oxygenated blood cells to muscles, clearing toxins from the body that otherwise can leave you feeling tired.
  • improving Brain Health by producing nerve growth in the brain, to improve memory, focus and cognitive functioning.
  • Low in fat and calories, so a diet high in mushrooms can aid weight loss (which brings with it its own health benefits)
  • Has a hypoglycaemic effect, meaning they lower and regulate blood sugar levels, good for diabetes
  • Mushrooms inhibit histamine release so are good for relieving symptoms of asthma or allergies

Some Basic Types And To Use Them

Some of the more popular and well known ‘healthy’ mushrooms are:

Reishi Mushrooms which grow on the side of trees, they are too bitter to eat, but their Terpenoids compounds mean they are good for reducing inflammation. They also help with heart disease, cancer, diabetes and liver damage to name few.

Reishi Mushrooms

Consumed either in soup or made into a tea, they are usually dried and come in either powder or capsule form.

Chaga Mushrooms grow on Birch Trees, (not to be confused with Birch Fungi found on our Ötzi man). Come across this and you would be forgiven for thinking it is charred wood as it looks more like charcoal, again not edible in its natural state.

Chaga Mushrooms

Often combined with other mushrooms, Chaga can be consumed as herbal tea, in a powder or capsule form. Its healing properties are believed to aid the fight against cancer, improve immunity, chronic inflammation, blood sugar and reduce cholesterol levels.

Maitake Mushrooms

Unlike the above two, Maitake Mushrooms are edible and are said to have a mild flavour and grow at the bottom of Oak, Elm, and Maple trees, normally found in parts of Japan, China, and North America.

Maitake Mushrooms (image courtesy of Andrew Weil)

Maitake are a good candidate for all of the above health benefits but are also useful for fighting cold and flu viruses, managing both high and low blood pressure, boosting immune function and reducing side effects of chemotherapy. You can add to any meals such as salads, stir fry, pasta and also be taken in either liquid or capsule form.  

Cordyceps Mushrooms

For an unknown reason, I like the word Cordyceps, just thought, I’d throw that snippet of useless information in there! Cordyceps is considered to be a ‘parasitic’ fungus in as much as its spores attach to the larvae of insects such as ants and caterpillar’s.

Cordyceps Mushrooms (Image courtesy of Wikimedia)

It feeds and sprouts on its host insect growing into a mushroom and remains attached for most of its life, growing mainly in high altitude regions of about 3800 m above sea level, in cold, grassy, alpine meadows of the Himalayan mountains. So evidently not the edible type!

Cordyceps is known to enhance energy, aerobic capacity (breathing), reduce fatigue, anti-sickness, promotes health kidney function and can even boost low sex drive!   You can buy cordyceps in tinctures, liquid extracts, capsules, and powders.

Shiitake Mushrooms

Thanks to Catherine Tate, Shiitake mushrooms are probably one of the more well known, edible variety. Native to East Asia, Shiitake grow on decaying hardwood trees in United States, Canada, Singapore, China, with 83% of the worlds production coming from Japan. Coming in dried and fresh varieties shiitake mushrooms can be used in dishes such as stir-fries, soups and stews

Shiitake Mushrooms

Benefits include being antibacterial and antiviral, fight infections, cancer, strengthen bones, reduce high blood pressure. They also come in powders, capsules and liquid format.

Turkey Tail Mushrooms

Growing on almost any type of wood, these mushrooms can be found in woodlands all over Europe and China. The tend to grow in colonies and their black, brown shades of thin, wavy rosettes bodies take on a similar appearance of the plumage of a turkey’s tail, hence its name!

Turkey Tail Mushrooms

Although edible, they are known to be very chewy, so powder or capsule form tends to be the most common. Turkey Tail Mushrooms are said to be useful in reducing phlegm, increasing energy, helping with pulmonary problems, promoting a healthy liver, boost immune system, effective in managing diabetes and reducing inflammation.

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Doesn’t take much guess work to understand how this mushroom gets its name. Its large, shaggy white appearance resembles a lion’s mane. Edible, some describe its flavour as akin to crab or lobster and can be eaten raw, cooked, dried or steeped as a tea.

They grow on hardwoods such as oak, maple and birch, found in Europe, North America, Japan, China and Korea.

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms (Image Courtesy of Medicinal Herbals)

Lion’s main mushrooms are believed to promote mental wellbeing, reduce symptoms of depression, slow down signs of memory loss and reduced cognitive functioning, promote good digestive health, reduce risks associated with heart disease, beneficial for diabetes, reduce inflammation, fight against cancer and boosts immune system. Primarily capsule form, but is also available as a powder.

Conclusion

Its astonishing how beneficial mushrooms are said to be. I can remember drinking mushroom infused coffee and whilst it does sound pretty gross, actually it tasted ok. There is a range of products on the market these days and I have to say one of my favourite brands has to be Vida Divina. This is because I have had close links with the company for a few years now so have a good understanding of their products which is what got me interested in the concept of mushrooms for promoting good health. But having said that there are other companies and products available.

Given their general ability to the boost immune system, reduce inflammation as well as having antibacterial and antiviral properties I would say we are onto a winner with these. 

If you’d like to grow your own mushrooms there’s some great advice here

Much Love Lisa


Health Benefits of Mushrooms blog
By Lisa Watson,
Co-author, How to Thrive in Professional Practice: A Self-care Handbook available for pre-order here www.criticalpublishing.com/how-to-thrive-in-professional-practice

Further reading

I came across some really useful websites if you wanted to take a closer look at the mushrooms mentioned above, a lot of which I have used as references:

Medicinal Mushrooms: The Complete Guide

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/maitake-mushroom

https://www.drweil.com/vitamins-supplements-herbs/herbs/maitake/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/chaga-mushroom

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/reishi-mushroom-benefits#section7

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3121254/ (Cordyceps)

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cordyceps-benefits#section2

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/shiitake-mushrooms

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/turkey-tail-mushroom

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lions-mane-mushroom

I also came across an article about immune boosting as whole

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/immune-boosting-supplements

If you wanted to check out Vida Divina products more, you can visit their website: https://vidadivina.com/

References

Alexander Fleming Image https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/prof-alexander-fleming-working-in-laboratory-picture-id50489701?s=612×612

American Chemical Society, (1999) Discovery and Development of Penicillin https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html

Birch Fungi Image https://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife-in-norfolk/species-explorer/fungi/birch-polypore

Capasso, L. (1998), 5300 Years Ago, The Ice Man Used Natural Laxatives And Antibiotics, Lancet, 352 (9143): 1864

Cordyceps Mushroom Image https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/2010-08-06_Cordyceps_militaris_1.jpg

Encyclopaedia Britannica, (2020) Mushroom, Fungus   https://www.britannica.com/science/mushroom

Grocycle, (No date) Medicinal Mushrooms: The Complete Guide  https://grocycle.com/medicinal-mushrooms-the-complete-guide/

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms Image  https://medicinalherbals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Lions-Mane-Mushroom.jpg

Maitake Mushroom Image https://cdn.drweil.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/vitamins-supplements-herbs_herbs_maitake_20090976.jpg

Paul Stamets Interview with Patricia Fitzgerald, www.huffingtonpost.com. November 2, 2011. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mushrooms-breast-cancer_b_1070744

To De-caf or Not to De-Caf 

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Hug in a mug

One of the first things I do on a morning is make myself a cup of coffee. A well-known brand of instant coffee granules and splash of skimmed milk, then I settle in my armchair to debate the morning’s news. It helps me wake up and enables me to face the day ahead, especially during the week, when the day ahead entails doing good deeds! It dawns on me that I’m using caffeine to kick start my day, but would de-caf coffee do the same? Is there any difference between fully caffeinated or de-caf? Which is better for you? Lets take a closer look.

Background to Coffee in The UK

The first coffee house to open in the UK, was in Oxford, England AD 1652. Later the same year one opened in London and from there onwards, they became fashionable places to meet, conduct business,  and ‘see and be seen’.

A cup of coffee cost a ‘penny’ and coffee houses soon became known as ‘penny universities’. In London alone, by 1739, there were over 550 coffeehouses, however by the end of the same century tea became the new fashion and coffee became less popular.

London Coffee House in the 1700’s

The Temperance Movement during the reign of Queen Victoria brought back to life coffeehouses as a suitable alternative to public houses for working class people to meet and socialise and so coffee regained popularity. It was not until the late 20th century that coffee houses took on the status we know today with the rise of companies such as Costa, Starbucks and Coffee Republic, (info taken from Ben Johnson, Historic UK).

The British Coffee Association states in the UK, we consume approximately a whopping 95 million cups of coffee a day (I think I drink about half of those Lol! – Stephen). 80% of UK households buy instant coffee for in-home consumption, whilst 80% of people visit coffee shops at least once a week and 16% visiting them daily. 

Background to De-caf

That’s a lot of coffee!  Coffee beans that have had at least 97% of their caffeine removed is referred to as decaffeinated. The first known de-caffeination process is known to have been invented by Ludwig Roselius, a German coffee merchant in 1903 with him patenting the process in 1906.

“The Roselius Process” involved rinsing coffee beans with a water / salt solution, (brine) and Benzene. Benzene is no longer used as it is highly toxic and known to be carcinogenic.  There are 4 main decaf processes, all of which continue to use water. 

Direct Solvent Based Decaffeination Process involves steaming unroasted coffee beans before rinsing them in a solvent, usually either methylene dichloride or ethyl acetate extracting the caffeine whilst leaving the other ingredients unharmed. The process is repeated until the desired amount of caffeine remains to meet the required standards to enable the product to be named de-caff (Ramalakshmi and Raghavan, 1999). In Europe, soluble/instant coffee must contain a maximum of 0.3% caffeine to enable it to be labelled as de-caf.

Indirect Solvent Based Decaffeination Process involves soaking coffee beans in hot water for several hours to extract as much of the caffeine from the beans as possible. The beans are then removed from the water before Methylene Chloride solvent is added to the liquid in order to bond with the caffeine which form a compound which is skimmed from the surface of the mixture. The coffee beans are re-introduced to absorb the de-cafeinated liquid, (Kencaf, 2016).

Swiss Water Process involves combining green coffee extract, (GCE a solution containing the water-soluble components of green coffee which has had the caffeine removed) and caffeine rich green coffee. Gradient pressure forces caffeine molecules to migrate from the caffeinated coffee to the green coffee extract.

Once the green coffee extract is caffeine rich, carbon absorbers are used for percolation in order to attract the caffeine molecule from the GCE. Once GCE is once again lean of caffeine it is then used to remove additional caffeine from the green coffee and the whole process is repeated with a new batch. The process takes around 8-10 hours, (Emden, 2014)

Carbon Dioxide Decaffeination Process involves steaming green coffee beans. The beans are then added to a high-pressure vessel that is sealed and liquid Carbon Dioxide, (Co2) forced into the coffee at pressures of 1,000 pounds per square inch to extract the caffeine, (Lorenzo 2014).

Carbon dioxide aids the dissolving of caffeine drawn from the beans. The caffeine laden CO2 is then transferred to another container where the pressure is released and the CO2 returns to its gaseous state, leaving the caffeine behind. The caffeine free CO2 gas is pumped back into a pressurized container for reuse (Ramalakshmi and Raghavan, 1999).

Caffeine is it good or bad for you?

Kick starting the day with a large cup of coffee is not just a hug in mug, it literally does help wake us up. Caffeine helps open our airways allowing increased blood flow to muscles which tighten in readiness for action. Caffeine also increases our blood pressure, the liver releases sugar into the bloodstream thus giving us a surge of energy. In a complex physiological process, caffeine helps the body prepare for upcoming activity, pretty similar to the way the body responds to “fight or flight” response to danger. 

Cappelletti, et al (2015) claim after water, coffee worldwide, is the most consumed beverage with  people drinking approximately 1.6 billion cups a day.

Some benefits of caffeine include:

Improved Mood, reaction time, memory and mental function (Nehlig, et al 1992)

Increased metabolic rate and fat burning, (Bracco et al, 1995)

Enhanced athletic performance, (Doherty and Smith, 2004).

Benefits of De-caf      

In the west, coffee is the largest source of antioxidants according to Liang and Kitts (2014). One of the things to understand is de-caf is not 100% caffeine free, however, generally it tends to be milder in taste and smell than regular coffee. Despite its reduced caffeine content, Buscemi et al (2010) claim de-caf coffee still contains similar amounts of antioxidants, albeit slightly lower in volume.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants help combat free radicals which are basically waste products from physiological chemical reactions within the body, when these reactions build up on the bodies’ cells, it can lead to oxidative damage. Oxidative damage has been linked with health conditions such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. (Healthy Options, 2019)

Is there much difference healthwise between the two?

Studies seem to indicate both caffeinated and de-caf coffee may have similar health benefits when it comes to health conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, Liver Function Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases, whilst decaf is noted as being more beneficial with reducing reflux acid and risks associated with rectal cancer, (Bjarnadottir, 2017).

Does Caffeine have the edge?

Whilst de-caf has a massively reduced caffeine content, it is only natural the benefits of caffeine will be more prevalent in fully caffeinated products. But then again there has been more research done around the health benefits of caffeine over de-caf !

Some people’s central nervous system can become overwhelmed with too much caffeine, thus experience anxiety, restlessness or heart arrhythmia, so those with chronic heart disease should probably tend to limit caffeine intake, (McCusker et al, 2006)

Conclusion

There is simply no denying coffee is a firm favourite with the nation and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. From what I can see in reality I don’t seem to think either de-caf or caffeinated coffee have much difference to them in terms of health benefits. I can always remember years ago watching a documentary showing the process for stripping caffeine from coffee beans and thinking probably safer to just drink normal coffee!!

Although I must admit doing the research for this blog has given me a better understanding of the de-caf process and I will look towards the de-caf variety again moving forward. But for now, I’m going to pop the kettle on and make a cuppa whilst I ponder further. Care to join me?

There are lots more interesting coffee facts here
from our good friends at Happy Barista

By Lisa Watson, Co-author of, How to Thrive in Professional Practice: A Self-care Handbook – click here

REFERENCES

Ancient Pages (No date) Picture of London Coffee House http://www.ancientpages.com/2018/06/18/king-charles-ii-of-england-banned-coffeehouses-in-1675/accessed 23.03.2020

Bjarnadottir, A, (2017),Decaf Coffee: Good or Bad? https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/decaf-coffee-good-or-bad accessed 19.03.2020

Bracco, D, Ferrarra, J.M., Arnaud, M.J.,Jéquier, E and Schutz, Y (1995) Effects Of Caffeine On Energy Metabolism, Heart Rate, And Methylxanthine Metabolism In Lean And Obese Women  in The American Journal of Physiology 1995 Oct;269 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7485480

British Coffee Association (No date) Coffee Facts https://www.britishcoffeeassociation.org/coffee-in-the-uk/coffee-facts accessed 23.03.2020

Buscemi, S., Batsis, J.A., Arcoleo, G. and Verga, S. (2010) Coffee And Endothelial Function: A Battle Between Caffeine And Antioxidants? in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2010 Oct;64(10):1242-3.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20664622 accessed 23.03.2020

Doherty, M. and Smith, P.M. (2004) Effects Of Caffeine Ingestion On Exercise Testing: A Meta-Analysis in International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 2004 Dec;14(6):626-46.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15657469/ accessed 23.03.2020

Emden, Lorenzo. “Decaffeination 101: Four Ways to Decaffeinate Coffee” Coffee Confidential. Retrieved 29 October 2014.

Healthy Options, (2019) What Are Free Radicals?https://www.healthyoptions.com.ph/newsdigest/thanks-to-vaccines/what-are-free-radicals accessed 19.03.2020

Johnson, B, (no date), English Coffeehouses, Penny Universities https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/English-Coffeehouses-Penny-Universities/ accessed 23.03.2020

Kencaf, (2016) KVW – The Most Common Decaffeination Process  https://kencaf.com/kvw-the-most-common-decaffeination-process/ accessed 23.03.2020

Liang, N. and Kitts, D.D.(2014) Antioxidant Property Of Coffee Components: Assessment Of Methods That Define Mechanisms Of Action in Molecules. 2014 Nov 19;19(11):19180-208. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25415479

McCusker, R.R., Fuehrlein, B., Goldberger, B.A., Gold, M.S. and Cone, E.J. (2006) Caffeine Content Of Decaffeinated Coffee in Journal of Analytical Toxicology (2006) Oct;30(8):611-3.

Nehlig, A., Daval, J.L and Debry, G. (1992) Caffeine And The Central Nervous System: Mechanisms Of Action, Biochemical, Metabolic And Psychostimulant Effects in Brain Research Brain Research Reviews. 1992 May-Aug;17(2):139-70 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1356551 accessed 23.03.2020

Ramalakshmi, K. and Raghavan, B. (1999). “Caffeine in Coffee: Its Removal. Why and How?” in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 39 (5): 441–56.

Time to set some real goals! 10 things!

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Now that we’ve got January out of the way it’s time to set some real goals. We’ve moved past the New Year resolutions we’ve probably already forgotten about (!!), we’ve finished off the Christmas sweets, and now we have the rest of the year to go at! Come on!

Here’s 10 things I’m going to do, that you could do too, to make you feel great!

Get outside more

I’ve always ran and cycled a lot. I enjoy a good walk. I’ve set myself the challenge of running, walking and cycling 500 miles this year. I love outside time! And there are great benefits to being outside..

  • You will experience a great sense of well-being. Breathing in fresh air, embracing the space around you, feeling the cold upon your cheek. Even at this time of year getting wrapped up and going out for a walk will give you a boast.
  • And you’ll burn some calories! And let’s be honest we’ve probably all had too many of them in the last week or so! For those a little fitter get your running shoes on, on get your bike out and go out and get breathless and feel that cool refreshing air in your lung. Outdoor workouts are better than indoor ones. For example, running. Outdoors you are contending with different terrains or you are running against the wind… all better for you than the treadmill!
  • Green exercise – or exercise in a natural environment – has been shown to boost self esteem and mood and you’ll get a well needed, at this time of year, boost in vitamin D which is reported to be good for your immune system. Now that’s got to be good! Read more.

Get lost in the moment

This one is simple. Just experience what is currently happening to you. The water on your skin in the shower, the air passing into and out of your lungs, the taste of the food in your mouth, the song on the radio….. Do any of these things or any others to the exclusion of other thoughts and distractions. The benefits of simply taking some time out to be mindful of a particular thing will reap benefits. Before you know where you are at you might find yourself wanting to try meditation! You never know!

Get more organised

Not matter how organised you are you can always be more organised! Being organised gives you a great sense of control and fuels your well being. As I’m fond of saying – if you don’t control it then it will control you. Try applying the two minute rule or grab a copy of David Allen’s book ‘Getting Things Done’. I’m going to blog about this more (as well as the other things in this list very soon) so ‘stay tuned’ for that. I can tell you, hand on heart, at work and at home my life is so much better for getting myself organised. I can do it better though, especially at home, to make sure I make the most productive use of the time I have. For me time is the most precious commodity we have and we waste it at our peril.

Drink more water

This one should be easy to do surely! How hard can it be to go to the tap and fill a glass up and just drink it! I know!! So why don’t I do it! I even have my phone remind me to drink water every few hours and still I don’t drink enough! Water is refreshing, calorie free, and it’s absolutely crucial for you body to function effectively. So come on! Flush those kidneys and feel great. Read more.

Drink less coffee and alcohol

I don’t know how this one is going to go for me! I love coffee! And I do like the odd tipple on an evening. I read somewhere drinking coffee borrows time from later in the day…. You will crash later and be less productive. And drinking alcohol borrows time from tomorrow as it will affect your sleep and therefore your feeling of well being the next day.

Read for 15 minutes a day

Knowledge is life improving, how could it not be! Reading for 15 minutes a day at an average speed of a page a minute will get you through a 300 page book in 20 days. That will get you through at least 15 books a year. Not a bad start to enhancing your knowledge! And I bet if you get the habit you’ll read more! Add the next thing on the list in and you’ll be amassing information at a fair rate of knots!

Get into more audio books

I said earlier that, for me, time if the most precious of commodities and I want to put as much of it as I can to good use. It takes me 40 minutes to drive to work and the same to get back home. That’s and hour and a half a day. Sometimes I listen to music – that’s a good thing. Sometimes I listen to the news on Radio 4….. but now mostly I listen to audio books and they are great! I get mine through Audible. I pay £7.99 a month and this gets me one credit that I can use to buy any book. The download to my iphone and play through the car stereo seamlessly! The books are anything from 4 to 7 hours long and one lasts me through most of the month when interspersed with other things…. And that’s another 12 books in a year… done! Sorted!

Set small achievable goals

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Several books I’ve read talk about setting achievable goals and some of the models I talk about in some lectures show that breaking down big tasks into smaller steps achieve progressing better than big steps. Problems or projects seem daunting when you just think of the end goal. But if you think of the many small steps and tackle them one at a time you stand more chance of achieving success! My goal for this year is weight loss – more about the steps I’m taking later. I’m currently reading Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results by Stephen Guise where he talks about setting himself the target of doing one sit up a day… that was all! Just one! And he explores where that got him! Worth a read!

Sit quietly from time to time

This is a bit like ‘getting lost in a moment’ but slightly different. Getting lost in a moment can be about getting in grossed in an activity. But sometimes we need to just sit quietly. It could be, but doesn’t need to be, meditation. It could be sitting quietly while clearing your mind but, for me, more than this, sitting quietly can be a time for you to think things though in a calm, focussed way. In the rushing about of modern life our responses are, dare I say, reactionary rather than well though through often. I’m going to sit and experience time just passing in a quiet state from time to time, maybe first thing on a morning…. Now that’s good use of time!

Once a month mix it up

Don’t get into a rut. Of all the things above keep mixing it up. Been out running a lot this month? Then next month go out walking! Been spending quiet time on a morning? Then, for the next month do it on your lunch break… you get the idea. From an exercise point of view your body gets used to what you ask it to do so mixing it up challenges it to ‘re-think’. As for your mind, giving yourself space at different or being in the moment for different experiences will help you understand yourself and what works for you and what will, hopefully, lead you to a greater sense of well-being, a greater sense of inner-peace.

Image result for challenge

I’m going to try all of these things and I’ll let you know how I get on. Let me know what you get up to!