Top Tips for Health, Vibrancy, Performance & Longevity

General Top Tips

1. 20 minutes of light to medium cardiovascular exercise before breakfast as soon as you wake up will kick start and increase your metabolic rate, helped burn fat for fuel and set you up for the day.
2. Examples of 20 minutes of light to medium cardiovascular exercise could be skipping running or swimming. If you have access to a gym, then consider using a cross trainer and stair master.
3. Research the glycaemic index. The body breaks down carbs and converts them into a sugar called glucose. The glycaemic index measures how fast and how much a food raises the blood glucose levels. Food with a higher glycaemic index raises blood sugar more than food with a lower glycaemic index. In old money, this was known as simple and complex carbohydrates.
4. Research catabolic training. Some remarkably interesting facts that could benefit you but please research. It's not for everyone.
5. Also, research Apple cider vinegar. You need to get this in your life as it is a great element to have in your diet, having multiple health and wellbeing benefits.

Ten Top Tips during Training

1. An injury does not grant you a holiday from exercise. Work out the body parts that don’t aggravate your injury so that you retain your fitness.
2. You can control pain with strength. Strong muscles support and stabilise a vulnerable joint.
3. If a joint is swollen, see a Doctor.
4. A strong backside is the key to a happy life. Healthy glutes mean healthy hips, back and hamstrings.
5. Have two massages a month for healthier muscles.
6. Sleep is the most important activity of your day, so don’t skimp on it.
7. Try to exercise every single day. Exercise is a medicine. It will keep you healthy and happy.
8. Train your entire body as full functional fitness for real-world movement, even if you play only one sport. Isolated single-muscle exercises have no basis in reality.
9. Single leg exercises such as squats, hops, lunges all build strength and stability in your ankles, knees and hips.
10. Never forget to have fun.

What does a week without exercise do to your body?

2 Days without

• Two days without exercise is enough to cause muscle wastage if you are used to exercise.
• Five to ten days of inactivity can result in significant shrinking of muscle mass.
• The older you get the more significant the losses become – after the age of 35 we lose muscle mass through aging but the more activity you do the slower the rate of those losses.
• If you stop exercising you will notice the difference in your muscle tone and mass quite quickly over the age of 40.
• Physical activity stimulates mood raising hormones such as endorphins and lowers stress hormones such as cortisol with an immediate and cumulative effect.
• Depression is linked to physical inactivity.
• Excessive and unhealthy eating and drinking increases calories radically.
• Cardio-respiratory fitness (the efficiency with which oxygen is supplied to muscles during activity) and mitochondrial function (the energy production of our cells which is important for muscle and metabolic health) plummet mong older adults who don’t exercise for a couple of weeks.
• Muscle mass is far easier to lose than it is to get back, particularly as you get older.
• Daily walking for 20 minutes is linked to better health and longer life.
• Adding one hour a week of exercise can significantly protect against depression.

4 days without

• 4 days without alcohol with boost concentration.
• A week of sleep disruption e.g. 6 hours sleep per night leads to hundreds of the bodies genes including those associated with metabolism, immunity and the bodies circadian rhythm.
• Sleep disruption leads to raised levels of cortisol, the stress hormone which affects the bodies ability to build and repair muscle.
• When we are tired, we eat more (and of the wrong foods.)
• Sleep regulates the way we react to stress, disrupted sleep alters chemicals in the brain that affect our emotions and ability to cope, even after a few nights!
• In the long-term sleep loss is associated with raised risk of obesity as well as raised blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, so it’s important to re-establish a healthy sleep routine as quickly as you can.                                                                              
• You can achieve a positive sleep pattern change by having a 15-minute nap during each day for a week. Do not try to catch up by having more sleep hours during the night as this will alter the body clock in a negative way.

1 day without

• 1 day without going outside can affect your body clock.
• Cutting out drinking alcohol will improve your skin, energy levels and health in as little as one week.
• When you first stop drinking you may miss the soporific effect of having a nightcap before bedtime.
• Alcohol before bed will leave you feeling exhausted in the morning!
• By days 4-7 your bodies system is usually back to it’s normal working levels which will leave you feeling more energy and better concentration.
• You will lose weight by not drinking alcohol.
• Alcohol contains little in terms of nutritional value but contributes a lot to excess calories.
• Alcohol can also lead you to snack more of the unhealthy things so it’s easy to pile on the pounds.
• Alcohol also dehydrates the skin making problems such as rosacea and eczema more likely if you are vulnerable to them and is thought to have an effect on hormones which may make spots and acne worse.
• Drinking too much alcohol can lead to heart disease, cancer, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
• Giving up red meat for a week could give your health a real boost.
• No more than 70g of red and processed meat per day.
• A rasher of bacon or slice of ham weighs about 20g.
• The bowel is at risk of disease if you eat excess amounts of meat and also linked to increase blood pressure.
• Replace your meat content with more vegetables and pulses for the seven days and your digestion will improve and so will your bowel movements.
• An increased fibre intake will boost your health and diversity of your microbiome, which brings more health benefits.
• Red meat is a valuable source of haem iron but also so is dark leafy green vegetables, kidney beans and chickpeas.
• You want to access complete protein sources, which red meat is, however it is also found in soya, quinoa and Quorn.

Exercise

• Two days without exercise is enough to cause muscle wastage if you are used to exercise.
• Five to ten days of inactivity can result in significant shrinking of muscle mass.
• The older you get the more significant the losses become – after the age of 35 we lose muscle mass through aging but the more activity you do the slower the rate of those losses.
• If you stop exercising you will notice the difference in your muscle tone and mass quite quickly over the age of 40.
• Physical activity stimulates mood raising hormones such as endorphins and lowers stress hormones such as cortisol with an immediate and cumulative effect.
• Depression is linked to physical inactivity.
• Excessive and unhealthy eating and drinking increases calories radically.
• Cardio-respiratory fitness (the efficiency with which oxygen is supplied to muscles during activity) and mitochondrial function (the energy production of our cells which is important for muscle and metabolic health) plummet among older adults who don’t exercise fora couple of weeks.
• Muscle mass is far easier to lose than it is to get back, particularly as you get older.
• Daily walking for 20 minutes is linked to better health and longer life.
• Adding one hour a week of exercise can significantly protect against depression.

Alcohol & Sleep

• 4 days without alcohol with boost concentration.
• A week of sleep disruption e.g. 6 hours sleep per night leads to hundreds of the bodies genes including those associated with metabolism, immunity and the bodies circadian rhythm.
• Sleep disruption leads to raised levels of cortisol, the stress hormone which affects the bodies ability to build and repair muscle.
• When we are tired, we eat more (and of the wrong foods.)
• Sleep regulates the way we react to stress, disrupted sleep alters chemicals in the brain that affect our emotions and ability to cope, even after a few nights!
• In the long-term sleep loss is associated with raised risk of obesity as well as raised blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, so it’s important to re-establish a healthy sleep routine as quickly as you can.
• You can achieve a positive sleep pattern change by having a 15-minute nap during each day for a week. Do not try to catch up by having more sleep hours during the night as this will alter the body clock in a negative way.
• 1 day without going outside can affect your body clock.
• Cutting out drinking alcohol will improve your skin, energy levels and health in as little as one week.
• When you first stop drinking you may miss the soporific effect of having a nightcap before bedtime.
• Alcohol before bed will leave you feeling exhausted in the morning!
• By days 4-7 your bodies system is usually back to it’s normal working levels which will leave you feeling more energy and better concentration.
• You will lose weight by not drinking alcohol.
• Alcohol contains little in terms of nutritional value but contributes a lot to excess calories.
• Alcohol can also lead you to snack more of the unhealthy things so it’s easy to pile on the pounds.
• Alcohol also dehydrates the skin making problems such as rosacea and eczema more likely if you are vulnerable to them and is thought to have an effect on hormones which may make spots and acne worse.
• Drinking too much alcohol can lead to heart disease, cancer, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
• Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, running in the background to carry out essential functions and processes. One of the most important and well-known circadian rhythms is the sleep-wake cycle.
• Different systems of the body follow circadian rhythms that are synchronized with a master clock in the brain. This master clock is directly influenced by environmental cues, especially light, which is why circadian rhythms are tied to the cycle of day and night.
• When properly aligned, a circadian rhythm can promote consistent and restorative sleep. But when this circadian rhythm is thrown off, it can create significant sleeping problems, including insomnia. Research is also revealing that circadian rhythms play an integral role in diverse aspects of physical and mental health.

Red Meat & Diet

• Giving up red meat for a week could give your health a real boost.
• No more than 70g of red and processed meat per day.
• A rasher of bacon or slice of ham weighs about 20g.
• The bowel is at risk of disease if you eat excess amounts of meat and also linked to increase blood pressure.
• Replace your meat content with more vegetables and pulses for the seven days and your digestion will improve and so will your bowel movements.
• An increased fibre intake will boost your health and diversity of your microbiome, which brings more health benefits.
• Red meat is a valuable source of haem iron but also so is dark leafy green vegetables, kidney beans and chickpeas.
• You want to access complete protein sources, which red meat is, however it is also found in soya, quinoa and Quorn.
• Fish can boost your mood and green vegetables can help you sleep!
• Lamb, brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds can aid a healthy sex life!
• Cut your salt intake to a third to protect your heart.
• Omega-3, zinc and selenium are all good to help aid quality fertility.
• Omega-3 promotes good brain health and magnesium helps aid good sleep. Magnesium encourages muscle relaxation.
• Vitamin C prevents muscles wastage and as diets go, the Mediterranean diet works best!
• High fat, high sugar diets provoke body wide inflammation which is known to prompt mood disorders.

Outside and Fresh Air

• A lack of exposure to daylight, however grey it seems outside, can seriously disrupt your body clock, ultimately affecting how well you eat, sleep and work.
• Natural light is essential for keeping our circadian rhythms on track. Even one day of not experiencing it can affect your body clock. Your physical and mental energy is also affected.
• Getting outside can heighten your focus and reduce stress levels in the body and brain.
• Your heart rate will slow down and if you walk in woodland or greenery, then lower levels of inflammation inducing stress hormones course through your body, which helps to heighten your immunity.
• Morning walks after getting up even for just 10 minutes each day has significant health benefits including reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and your circadian rhythm will respond positively to that day light along with significantly lowering the stress hormone cortisol.
• During the Winter months and shorter daylight days, there isn’t enough UVB radiation for our skin to be able to make vitamin D, so a supplement is advisable.
• Regular exposure to green space has diverse and significant health benefits.

Regular screen breaks

• Keep your eye level looking slightly down to the PC/Laptop screen asthis is the most natural position for the eyes to view.
• Our eyes are not designed to look at screens for long periods of time– they are more used to viewing various depths and positions constantly.
• Every 20 minutes take a break and look into the distance at least 20ft away for a few minutes to give the eyes a break from the screen.
• Reducing screen time and taking it away completely after work will help to increase your mood, quality of sleep, energy and immune system, even if abstaining for only 7 days.