MEDITATION FOR FITNESS Posted on 14 July 202119 November 2021 by Michelle Jones All of that time spent challenging your body can wear you out, so sometimes you need to relax and exercise your mind instead of your body. There’s no need to jump off that treadmill and adopt the lotus position though; Meditation during a workout just means tapping into the benefits of meditation in a specific and deliberate way to help improve your metabolism, increase brain activity and lower blood pressure. Meditation for fitness can also intensify the stress-reducing benefits of exercise and help you get into better shape, faster, by forcing you to visualise the process and the results. Here are the main benefits of meditating to promote better health and a better workout: BOOST IMMUNITY Meditation can boost the electrical activity in your brain and this, in turn, may help to improve your immune function, according to recent research. Additionally, the practice of mindfulness, where the person meditating pays attention to their current experience in a non-judgemental fashion, helps you to understand yourself better. Once this is achieved, all the other benefits associated with meditation fall into place, such as reducing stress levels, reducing the risk to your heart and giving your system more energy to bolster your immune system and boost your workout. BETTER SLEEP You can improve your night-time sleep by practising deep relaxation methods during the day, according to several studies. And the more alert you feel for a workout, the longer you’ll last. LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE The American Heart Association already recommends meditation as an alternative to dieting and medication to lower blood pressure. One study found that mindfulness-based meditation lowered both diastolic and systolic blood pressure among those with pre-hypertension (a blood pressure that is higher than 120/80 but lower than 140/90). Lower blood pressure means a better workout too – you can push yourself that little bit harder to achieve the best possible results. LESS PAIN No pain, no gain? The next time you feel like halting a workout because it all gets too much, you may want to try meditating. It has been proven that meditating for little over an hour can dramatically reduce pain. BETTER HEART HEALTH By regularly practising Transcendental Meditation, which is a 20 minute twice-daily form of meditation, you could lower your risk of a stroke or heart attack by almost half. HOW TO INCORPORATE MEDITATION INTO YOUR WORKOUT: • Breathe – take deep, slow breaths through your nose and out of your mouth. This will relax your muscles and focus your mind. When your heart rate increases during a workout it can be difficult to breathe deeply and slowly, but this exercise will help you achieve this before you begin and throughout your workout. • Focus – remove the stresses of the day from your mind and focus on your workout. Put whatever your current workout goal is at the front of your mind and everything else to one side as you workout at our no contract gym. • Adopt a mantra – whether you use the same mantra for every workout or change it to accommodate your current goal, make sure you adopt a mantra that states your goals, desires or challenges. For example, if you want leaner and strong legs, visualise this and focus on the goal as you repeat “for legs that are lean and strong, I will work out hard and long”.
WHY IS DRINKING WATER SO IMPORTANT? Posted on 14 July 20215 November 2021 by Michelle Jones Most people are unaware that the human body is made up of approximately 70% water. This needs to be maintained for our body to function properly. The amount of water we need each day has been argued and debated for years. The age old advice was that, if you look at a 24-hour period, you should drink 8 glasses per day. However, advice has evolved to consider a person’s size versus recommended intake. If you take your body weight in KG and multiply by 37, you’ll get the amount you need in millilitres per day. For example, if you are 100kg you should drink 3.7 litres per day. On an average day, we lose 2.5 litres of water a day through perspiration (sweating), inhalation (breathing) and urination. However, if you are eating a well-balanced diet of fruit and vegetables the water from this food recovers about one litre. Water in its most natural form is generally the best way for hydrating the body, as fizzy drinks and other caffeinated soft drinks contain lots of sugar and caffeine and are generally low in nutritional value. Squeezing half a fresh lemon into the water will alkalise any acidic elements in the water and help with the body’s natural detoxification process. 6 benefits of drinking more water: Water is good for your skin. The moisture will reduce the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles! Keeping hydrated helps with weight loss, as it suppresses appetite and aides metabolism. Next time you think you are hungry in the middle of the day, try drinking a glass of water! Water helps muscles rehydrate, get stronger & is good for your joints. Good hydration improves concentration levels & performance. Drinking enough water reduces fatigue and headaches caused by dehydration. Don’t try to suddenly increase your water intake dramatically; Take it gradually and you will find it much easier to adapt.
IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP Posted on 14 July 202123 November 2021 by Michelle Jones Not getting enough sleep? Join the club – increasing numbers of us are suffering from constant fatigue. In today’s society, the pressures of work, running a home and maintaining a social life often means we burn the candle at both ends, often falling short of the recommended 8 hours sleep per day. Sleeping well promotes positive energy, increased concentration levels, good moods and physical health. Here are some tips regarding exercise and nutrition to help you improve your sleep: 1) TIME YOUR EXERCISETrain at a time when you are at your liveliest. If you are bright eyed & bushy tailed in the morning, it would be a great time to exercise. However, if getting up at the crack of dawn is your worst nightmare, it’s unlikely you’ll have a good workout. Exercising before you go to bed can actually make it harder to fall asleep. This surprises many people, as it’s often thought that working out makes you feel more tired. However, exercise stimulates your heart, brain and muscles: the opposite of what you want at bed time. Make sure you give yourself a few hours of relaxation before you plan to go to bed. Morning exercise can also relieve stress, improve mood & give you increased energy levels to tackle the day ahead. 2) TYPE OF EXERCISEThe best exercise for sleep is cardiovascular workout that raises the heart rate for at least 20 minutes. Holistic exercises, such as stretching and yoga will also help you relax and get ready for sleep. 3) EAT BREAKFASTThere’s a reason that breakfast is called “the most important meal of the day.” It gives you the energy you need to kick-start your day and fire up your metabolism. Try to begin the day with an energy-packed, low-fat, high-fibre breakfast. Reduce the amount of high-fat and high-sugar foods, which will to make you crash later on. 4) AVOID BIG MEALS AT NIGHTEat dinner earlier in the evening, and avoid heavy, rich foods within two hours of bed. Fatty foods take a lot of work for your stomach to digest and may keep you up. Also be cautious when it comes to spicy or acidic foods in the evening, as they can cause stomach trouble and heartburn. 5) AVOID CAFFEINE & ALCOHOLAs any coffee lover knows, caffeine is a stimulant that can keep you awake, so it’s best to avoid it for around four hours before bed time. Many people find that alcohol may help bring on sleep, but after a few hours it acts as a stimulant, increasing the number of times you wake up and decreasing the quality of your sleep.Prepare yourself for sleep by doing something to relax to take your mind away from your everyday stresses, like taking a bath, reading a book, or watching TV. Don’t take your problems to bed by doing work emails or talking about emotional issues – stressful activities can cause the body to secrete the stress hormone cortisol, which is associated with increasing alertness.Also, remember to go to bed when you are truly tired – struggling to fall sleep just leads to frustration. If you’re not asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed, go to another room, and do something relaxing, until you are tired enough to sleep.If you are suffering from constant fatigue, book an appointment to see your GP, who can give you specific advice regarding your symptoms.
