We are often told a “calorie is a calorie” and the way to get fit and lose weight is by controlling our calorie (or energy) intake.

General advice is that men need about 2500 KCal per day and women about 2000 KCal per day – however these guidelines are anything but scientific – the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established these figures from self reported daily consumption levels in the 1990s and measured these against fluctuations in (self reported) weight.

To get back to the science, the body only uses carbohydrates and (to a lesser degree) fat to fuel the body (or metabolism).  Protein is only used in extreme situations to be burnt in metabolism – it’s main function being repair and renewal of cells and structures.

It has been seen that the healthiest of people have the ability to change quickly from burning carbohydrates to fats when sugars are exhausted.  This is called metabolic flexibility and is associated with correct weight maintenance, reduced risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, stroke and even dementia and cancer

On the other hand, the most unhealthy people tend to only burn carbs all day and suffer from numerous co-morbidities.  They have to consume large amounts of carbohydrates just to keep going.

So how can we become more metabolically fit and flexible.  Well initial studies seem to indicate that –

• Fasting may help – either one or two fasts per week OR fasting “windows” where we only eat for 8 to 10 hours per day.
• Reducing carbohydrates in our diet and replacing it with quality fats and proteins can work
• High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) often “shocks” the body into fat burning
• Cold therapy can speed up metabolism, activates brown fat stores and therapeutically stress the body so it begins to use fats for energy.

One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight and become more healthy.  Yet every year more and more people become overweight or obese (in 2021 the % of overweight or obese adults in England and Wales was a massive 67%).

There is a huge amount of data of the illnesses linked to being overweight – estimates suggest that up to 40% of chronic illnesses are linked to an unhealthy weight.

So with so much dietary advice around what is the science on losing weight?  Well from the data we currently have we can say the following with some certainty –

1. Eat real food – if you don’t recognise a food ingredient on a label, don’t buy it (this includes Vegan foods).  Try to cook with fresh ingredients.  As a general rule have MORE protein and fat and LESS carbohydrates.
2. Eggs are a complete food, try to have some in your diet.
3. Eat a largely plant based diet (60% – 80% of your daily calorific intake).
4. Where possible swap fish for meat (especially oily fish) which has a plentiful supply of Omega 3 and reduces heart and brain inflammation.
5. Fermented dairy products are fine – cheese and yoghurt – go easy on milk, butter and cream
6. Fats are not “the enemy”, simple sugars are!  Cold pressed plant oils (especially Olive oil) suppress inflammatory compounds being produced such as insulin, M-Tor and IGF1.
7. Use “Eating Windows“, ie only allow yourself to eat during a specific time band in the day.   The best “Eating Windows” appear to be 12 and 10 hour slots eg 8am to 8pm or 8am to 6pm
8. Eating late at night will pile on the pounds and insulin sensitivity is lower in the evenings, so calories consumed tend to end up as visceral fats stored by the body.  M-Tor and IGF1 are both stimulated by constant eating with a break, these chemicals put the body in permanent “growth mode” and encourage inflammation in the body.  If possible avoid eating after 8pm.
9. Fast – if you don’t have a medical condition, fasting not only encourages weight loss but slows down the ageing process.  Indeed well planned fasts can control and even cure a number of chronic diseases.   Most healthy adults can manage a one or two day fast (if in doubt always consult your doctor).  During fasting cellular cleaning (autophagy) and programmed cell death (apoptosis) rapidly increase.
10. Enjoy your food and don’t rush eating or eat on the go.
11. Be active during the day – try not to sit down for more than 20 minutes at a time.  Walk when possible.
12. Strength building exercises (2 or 3 times per week) eg core work or weights, increase lean muscle mass – muscles are one of the biggest burners of calories in the body particularly simple sugars.  Cardio exercise is important for the circulation, heart and brain – try to become breathless with cardio exercise 3 to 5 times per week.

The majority of people – including the inactive, active and very fit – tend to define balance as the ability to “not fall over”.

However balance is much more than not falling and lack of it can negatively affect a number of major bodily systems.  It is also connected with increased risk of a number of health conditions including diabetes, osteoporosis, neurological ailments, cardiovascular diseases and even dementia.  Poor balance is also linked to poor athletic performance by way of reduced motor control, strength and power.

Simple put balance is defined as the ability to distribute your body weight within your “base of support” (the area in contact with the ground).  Balance also varies between fixed posture balance and moving balance – both are important.  The point to remember is that balance is complex and depends on the synergy of many body systems.

At the most obvious level good balance will reduce the risk of falling (it is estimated that for all falls of the over 75 year olds where the hip is fractured, 37% will die within a year of the fall and only 20% will make a full recover).

However by taking steps we need to address balance issues, we are also working to strengthen the muscular system, improving cardio function, respiratory health and surprisingly neurological health.  As our balance improves so do a number of our body systems.  Remember balance work and core work are synonymous, so balance work is also very toning.

Some Basic Principles for Improving Balance

Practice everyday

Start with static/non moving balance exercises until you are confident – then move to dynamic exercises

Slowly begin to work on more challenging surfaces eg uneven ground, beaches, going uphill/downhill

Work to strengthen the calves (esp outer calves) thighs, gluteal and core muscles

4 Simple Balance Exercises

• Simple Leg Lifts – lift one knee at a time to hip (lower if this is difficult) and hold for up to 1 minutes
• Standing Heel Lifts – lift both heels off the ground slowly and descend with control (for extra difficulty extend the arms overhead as well)
• Step Ups – using a bench, box or low wall, step up with one leg and lift the other leg to knee height. Repeat several times on each side
• Walking Lunge – start from upright and step one leg out bending both the front and back knee to 90 – push back to stand and repeat several times. When confident practice walking forward/backwards by lunging

We all look forward to the warmth and longer days of Summer.  However for some people Summer can be a real challenge with hayfever and/or sinusitis.

Well Yoga has a cure (possibly) in the form of Kapalabhati kriya.  This brilliant technique helps to clean the cranial and facial airways and leaves the practitioner energised.

Start slowly and practice every day for best results.

Kapalabhati Practice Sheet

Up until recently Yoga was seen purely in terms of flexibility and it’s benefits.

There are 2 questions that are now emerging after recent research –

1. Is Yoga JUST about stretching and flexibility?
2. How beneficial is stretching to our mental and physical health?

Besides stretching Yoga has strength work, core work, balance/motor skills, breath work, relaxation and mind control.  Indeed some authors argue that stretching is the least important part of Yoga.  The general public mistakenly often believe Yoga = stretching.

Much recent research points out that reduced mobility is best served working on alignment of joints, strength and muscle balance work. VERY LITTLE “TIGHTNESS” IS THE RESULT OF LACK OF FLEXIBILITY.

Moreover there is little hard evidence that stretching reduces the risk of injuries or even aids rehabilitation after injury.  However subjectivity Yogis consistently report that stretching does help them feel relaxed.

So is stretching is wrong?  If stretching is passive there is little evidence of the positive gains for this, however if the stretching is active (one group of muscles tightening, the opposite group relaxing ) this can lead to a better aligned and stronger body.

The key phrase here then is “strengthen to lengthen”.  Misaligned joints and weaknesses in soft tissue lead to shortening of muscle, tendon and fascia.  Alignment and strength is the way to progress.

As a society we have become obsessed with comfort and keep ourselves ourselves in an environment that promotes this.  We have centrally heated homes, hot tubs, air conditioning, cars with temperature control, food constantly available (and delivered to our doors if needed), covered shopping centres, medical care on hand 24 hours a day and all manner of devices to make things easier and more appealing.

All well and good you may say, but there is an increasing evidence that these “comforts” of the 21st century are also leading to a crisis in health with an overweight population, lifestyle illnesses burdening health systems (WHO – estimates that nearly 82% of illness in the modern “developed” world is caused by environmental and behavioural factors) and finally soaring mental health problems.

We are all told that we need to improve our diet and exercise on a regular basis.  But is there anything else we could do, that is quick and easy and fits into our busy lives?

Well yes there is!!  There is increasing evidence that exposure to cold helps to boost the immune system, helps regulate our metabolic health, assists weight loss (by activating Brown Adipose Tissue – BAT), tones up our cardio vascular health and helps us to maintain a more peaceful mindset. Famous proponents of this approach include Wim Hof (aka “the Ice Man”), professional sports players, cold water swimming clubs and lifestyle doctors.

Below I have detailed a brief and simple programme of cold exposure.  This programme is suitable for all – HOWEVER IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION, ESPECIALLY A HEART PROBLEM OR ARE PREGNANT SEEK THE ADVICE OF A MEDICAL PRACTITIONER BEFORE ATTEMPTING.

Simple Cold Programme

• Start with taking 3 to 5 cold showers per week – start with a warm shower and at the end switch to cold water
• Increase the number of sessions to 7 days per week
• Over two or three months attempt to increase the cold duration of the showers by 15 second increments up to 2 minutes per session.
• If cold water is too shocking, start with cool/tepid water (any water below 16^oC has physiological benefits)
• You will gasp when you start this programme, this mild hyperventilation is normal.  Over the weeks and months this will lessen.
• Try to relax as much as possible during the cold showers
• An alternative is to use a cold pack on the upper back (just below the neck) for up to 20 minutes a time

 

Up until quite recently, the received wisdom was that high blood pressure (hypertension) was generally idiopathic (of unknown origin) in most cases.  Excess excess salt could increase any tendency to hypertension, but in general other foods had little effect.

A number of studies dating from 2014 have now shown that excess sugar is as bad or worse than salt in the diet.  If you think of our ancestors who ate large amounts of salted food, but rarely suffered hypertension, this may make sense.

It is believed that sugar (especially fruit sugar/fructose) raises blood pressure chiefly by it’s effect in increasing insulin levels in the blood.  Chronically raised insulin can,

1.  Increase the development of smooth muscles in arteries (insulin is a growth hormone)
2. Triggers the sympathetic nervous system – the “flight and fight” part of the autonomic nervous system
3. Reduces the sensitivity of the body’s blood pressure monitoring receptors
4. Depletes the body’s store of ATP (the energy “currency” of cells) leading to artery constriction

So we may all do worse than limiting our sugar consumption, particularly fruit sugar (whole fruit is fine though).  Watch out for the following on food labels as these are ALL SUGARS and limit your intake –

• Sugar
• Glucose
• Fructose
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Corn Syrup
• Agave
• Golden Syrup
• Fruit Juice (yes really!!)
• Invertase
• Molasses
• Barley Malt
• Dextrin/Dextrose/Maltodetrin
• Maltose
• Treacle
• Caramel

There are many traps to get caught in when practicing Yoga.  Some of the most common ones are becoming obsessed with “achieving” or “mastering” an asana (posture) OR perhaps losing ourselves in the physicality/sensualness of the practice OR perhaps just letting the mind drift with thoughts, hopes and dreams.

Well a clever little technique to bring mindfulness back into our body when practicing involves asking ourselves the following when we are on the mat,

1. Is the breath free?  When we hold or control our breath we tend to lose awareness – ALWAYS SET THE BREATH FREE
2. What is the direction of an asana, ie what spatial direction should we moving into?
3. Where is our centre of gravity (centre of our mass/weight)?

By asking these 3 questions as we practice we can move into Sthira and Sukha (Steadiness and Ease) which is the essence of a true Yoga asana practice.

Many people looking to get a flat toned tummy invariably try curl ups or sit ups, whether at the gym, studio or home.  These exercises involve lying on the back (with the knees either bent or flat on the ground) and slowly lifting the trunk off the floor.  This strengthens the superficial muscles of the abdomen – the rectus abdominus, but may cause a number of problems if you do not already have a very strong core and well aligned spine and pelvis, such as;

1. They target the most superficial muscle group in the abdomen – the rectus abdominus. These muscles are used to flex the trunk DO NOT to flatten the tummy, but can lead to a bigger bulge!
2. It is very easy to use the lower back and neck muscles to assist sitting up, this can cause back pain. Indeed taking the lumbar spine into repeated flexion can lead to disc prolapse.
3. Because of the pressure that curl ups and sit ups exert at the diaphragm and pelvic floor, problems with hiatus hernia and pelvic floor prolapse can and do occur IF THE CORE IS NOT ALREADY STRONG.
4. Too much of sit ups and curls can lead to over recruitment of the hip flexor muscles (psoas and rectus femoris) and this in turn can lead to lower back pain, poor gait (walking/running patterns) and dysfunctional posture.

The Alternative

Why not try this simple alternative from the Pilates repertoire of matwork exercises – they are called KNEE FOLDS and are very effective at targeting the muscles that do draw the tummy back, that is the Transversus Abdominus (TVA) and Oblique muscles.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.  Check to make sure you are in neutral spine (a slight gap under the lumbar and neck)
2. Lift the pelvic floor up and “scoop” the abdomen by drawing the navel back and up. Keep the neck and face relaxed
3. Alternatively lift one knee to the chest – as this drops, lift the other knee up.
4. Continue for up to 2 minutes (start with 1 minute)
5. Ensure that you keep the core engaged, the spine in neutral and the breathing quiet.
6. IF THE LUMBAR IS VERY UNSTABLE/PAIN IS PRESENT – press the lower back to the floor when executing the moves. You may also wish to only move on an exhalation (outbreath)

Good breathing is for your overall health and wellbeing. Your breath affects all of your vital systems, right down to the cellular level. Poor breathing patterns affect not only the physical body, but can lead to anxiety/depression, insomnia and reduced concentration.

One of the main reasons for poor breathing in otherwise healthy people is an overly tight diaphragm.  The diaphragm is the body’s main breathing muscle and sits under the ribs and is attached to the lower ribs and spine.  There are myofascial connections into the lower trunk and even thighs.

Poor posture (especially rounded spinal posture and “tucking” the tailbone), limited movement (particularly spinal movement), a weak core and excess weight all adversely affect the diaphragm.

The diaphragm isn’t typically talked about in the context of your core. But located right at the centre of your trunk, it connects to many of your body’s stabilisers. Working in close relationship with the deep abdominals, the pelvic floor, and the multifidus muscles in the lower back, the diaphragm has a dual role of both stabilising AND supporting breathing. 

Problems for many people start when the diaphragm starts losing elasticity and strength.  When this starts compensatory patterns start to develop in other areas.  For example typically the front thighs, lower back and neck muscles may start gripping and the front chest tighten and depress.

OVER TIME A WEAK OVERLY TIGHT DIAPHRAGM WILL LEAD TO POOR MOVEMENT PATTERNS AND POSSIBLY THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC INJURIES.

 Ways to Stretch and Strengthen the Diaphragm

• Find your Diaphragm

Running the fingers under the ribs trace the course of your diaphragm right to the spine at the rear of the body.

Next lie face down with your solar plexus/lower ribs on a small folded towel.  Feel the inhalations pressing into the towel.

• Don’t “Tuck Your Tailbone”

When sitting, walking or exercising don’t tuck the tailbone and rotate the pelvis backwards.  Let the tailbone naturally lift when bending forward or backward.

• Backbend

Add some backbends to your daily activity list.

IMPORTANT POINTS –

1. Remember backbends involve LENGTHENING THE FRONT BODY NOT COMPRESSING THE SPINE.
2. When you backbend LET GO OF YOUR CORE!
3. Lift the kidney area up and forwards.
4. Have the legs wide enough apart to allow the sacrum to tilt – experiment with what your ideal leg distance is.
5. Try “entering” the backbend on an exhalation – this stretches the muscle more!

• Straw Breathing

This Yoga technique is brilliant toning all the breathing muscles including the diaphragm.

Lie comfortably on your back with a support under your head or sit upright. Allow your shoulders to fall back and your chest to open. Holding a straw between your lips (or pursing the lips), inhale through your nose and exhale through the straw/puckered lips. Breathing out like this will naturally extend the exhalation.

After a few cycles, you can start to notice if a natural pause occurs after the out breath. You may wish to slightly backbend at this point to add an extra stretch – but let the bend go into the lumbar. Keep your breathing as easy as possible.

Stay for 3 minutes or more.