10 WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY THIS SUMMER

With summer now fully here on our doorstep in the UK, it is important to take advantage of the warmer weather and longer hours of daylight to boost our health. Many people are keen to finally get away on well-deserved holidays which have been restricted for so many months. Relaxing on holiday and ideally every few months is key to our health with the amount of daily stress we all experience. 

Staying healthy requires a couple of key pieces. Firstly our immune system needs to be strong to be able to deal with viruses which are pretty hard to avoid these days! If it is not coronavirus, it may be the latest outbreak of norovirus. Keep washing those hands! Secondly, we also need to keep our body “functioning well” - this involves keeping our blood sugar stable so that we don’t have insulin problems in the long term which can lead to diabetes and also involves keeping all our hormones balanced. We also need to keep our liver working well to be able to deal with the toxins that we are exposed to through daily life. Staying healthy is not complex but it does require good lifestyle and dietary habits.  

Here are ten tips that will help you keep your immune system and body functioning strong during the summer months so that you can stay healthy all year round:

1. Get out in the sun daily and top up your vitamin D. Be careful not to get burnt, there is a careful balance between being in the sun between 11am and 3pm so that you can obtain vitamin D from the sun and not staying out too long without protection. Try to expose as much of your body to just 15 minutes of sunlight daily. Vitamin D is vital for a strong immune system and for good gut health (over 70% of the immune system is housed in the gut).   
   
   

2. Prioritise sleep - even though you will be tempted to stay up late due to the longer hours of light, target 7-9 hours of sleep every night and try to keep the same sleeping and waking times. Lack of sleep impacts our hormones and can also lead to us being tempted by carbohydrate-rich, high-sugar foods and stimulants like coffee and chocolate.
   
   

3. Eat protein, fat and fibre at each meal - this will help keep your blood sugar stable which avoids insulin spikes and therefore you can reduce your risk of diabetes. Great sources of fat are coconut, avocado, extra virgin olive oil and salmon.
   
   

4. Eat the rainbow - eat at least 5-9 colourful fruits and vegetables each day to help your body be hydrated and obtain many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This also helps with your intake of fibre which helps keep your bowel movements regular and is vital for regular excretion of toxins.
   
   

5. See friends and family - now that lockdown is officially ending in the UK, it is time to get together with all those friends and family you have been neglecting over the last many months. Relationships are key to our health and happiness, and hanging out with the right people who make us laugh and feel appreciated can significantly reduce stress which negatively impacts our health.
   
   

6. Stay hydrated - hydration is always important as our bodies are mostly made up of water. However, during the summer, we are much more prone to dehydration due to the heat. Dehydration can cause headaches and fatigue and results in cracked lips. Regularly drink filtered water and eat 2 portions of fresh raw fruit daily. Coconut water is great to help us stay hydrated as it balances our electrolytes. 
   
   

7. Daily movement is important for our health to help our bodies move toxins efficiently out of the body via lymph fluid and if you can sweat while you are doing it, this releases even more toxins. Our bodies protect our organs from toxins by placing them in adipose tissue so better to try and get toxins out of the body to avoid excess body fat. Try to get those 10,000 daily steps in!
   
   

8. Work on your strength regularly - try to strengthen your muscles daily because we lose muscle mass as we age. According to Harvard Medical School, “after age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade”. The NHS advises that we should “do strengthening activities that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least 2 days a week”. Perhaps you can allocate each day of the week to a different muscle group to ensure you never forget any of them. Just 5 minutes a day is enough - you can try these quick pilates videos or Dr Chatterjee’s 5 minute kitchen workout. Strength is vital for staying mobile and pain-free as we age and so we are able to do things for ourselves when we are elderly. 

9. Reduce stress - there are so many ways to reduce stress in the summer which involve getting outside in nature, playing sports and doing fun activities with friends and family during the longer daylight hours. Each of us has our own way of relaxing so ensure you take time to do the things you enjoy and take regular time off from work and looking at screens. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “continued strain on your body from stress may contribute to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other illnesses, including mental disorders such as depression or anxiety”. Read my blog post for 10 ways to manage stress.
   
   

10. Toxin avoidance - in order to help our bodies thrive, we need to reduce the amount of toxins we are exposed to daily. The body has to work hard to excrete toxins and the process of detoxification also uses up valuable vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Sunscreen has many chemicals in it so check the ingredients of the one you are using. EWG recommends avoiding sunscreen with oxybenzone and insect repellents and to try to use creams rather than sprays or powders. You can search for your sunscreen on the EWG website and check its safety rating. Deodorant is another way that we can reduce toxins. Try to switch to an aluminium free deodorant. People suffering with Alzheimers have been found to have higher than normal concentrations of aluminium in their brain. 

I hope these tips have inspired you to take action to maximise your health this summer. You can download my quiz on the 10 Foundations of Health with 50 questions to score your health and learn more tips to work on your health. Please do follow me on Instagram where I post daily health tips and inspiration and please contact me if you would like a free 15 minute health coaching consultation.

10 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

The subject of mental health has never been more important because of the pandemic and lockdown and the impact of restrictions and changes on our lifestyle. Some people have thrived due to being able to spend more time with family and pets at home, and other people have suffered due to a significant loss of in-person contact with people at work, and with family and friends who live in a separate household. 

Prior to the pandemic, according to the Mental Health Foundation, for people living in the UK, “one in six adults experiences symptoms of a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, and one in five adults has considered taking their own life at some point”. These statistics are very likely to have worsened now due to many people losing loved ones, high rates of job losses and unemployment, and significant changes to the ways we work, exercise, shop, socialise and carry out our regular day-to-day activities. Most importantly, we must all take time to acknowledge the impact of all this to how we feel, as it is very normal to experience strong feelings because of all these changes.

Our mental and brain health is key for having optimal health as it affects our motivation and our energy. If our mental health declines, our immune system can shut down and other body functions can be impaired like hormones and digestion.

Here are ten ways things you can do to maximise your mental health and help keep your energy and productivity high:

1. Look after your gut health - serotonin is a neurotransmitter necessary for stabilising our mood, having feelings of well-being and feeling happy. 90% of our serotonin is made in the gut, therefore we need to ensure a good balance of gut bacteria. We can achieve this through eating fermented foods daily like coconut or water kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and miso. Avoiding sugar and keeping a regular schedule for meals and our sleep also helps. 
   

2. Ensure deep restorative sleep every night - sleep is vital for our mental health as it helps with emotional resilience and we all know we are not at our best mentally after a bad night’s sleep. Sleep enables our brain cells to repair, allows toxins to be cleaned away and also keeps our brain neurons healthy which we need for memory.  Ensure that the hour before you go to sleep, you take time to properly wind down with limited device time as the blue light interferes with melatonin which helps us sleep deeply. Try taking a relaxing bath or reading some fiction before you go to sleep. Avoid exercising late in the evening as this can disrupt sleep.
   

3. Eat protein, healthy fats and colourful vegetables at every meal - our brain needs these nutrients as well as good hydration to function well. Try to only eat real food and avoid processed foods. It is also worth considering if certain foods cause you to feel more anxious or drained - some foods that can have this effect are wheat (bread, pasta, baked goods) and dairy. Keep a log of how you feel after you eat certain foods and you may find some patterns. Be sure to eat these top 10 brain foods every day, as recommended by brain coach, Jim Kwik: avocado, blueberries, broccoli, coconut oil, eggs, green leafy vegetables, salmon, turmeric, walnuts and dark chocolate.
   

4. Reduce stress - stress can be a trigger to mental health issues like anxiety and depression. The quickest way to relieve stress is to breathe diaphragmatically for just 5 minutes. Also, try to spend time daily for at least 10 minutes doing something you enjoy. If you struggle to think of something, think about the activities and hobbies you used to enjoy as a child, for example, playing sports, doing a jigsaw, playing games or a musical instrument, or time with pets.
   

5. Reduce stimulants - try to avoid foods and drinks containing caffeine and artificial sweeteners and excessive carbohydrates as these can cause unnecessary anxiety. 
   

6. Reduce toxins - according to brain doctor, Dr Daniel Amen, environmental toxins like mould and heavy metals can cause many brain health issues like anxiety, depression and brain fog. Take his questionnaire to understand your brain’s current toxic load and risk of brain and mental health issues.
   

7. Daily exercise and movement - these help bring blood flow to the brain. Low blood flow to the brain has been linked to depression, schizophrenia, alzheimers and other brain disorders. Find ways of bringing in more daily movement, for example, take the stairs, go out for a walk, do a big clean of the house, choose far away parking spaces and dance to your favourite songs. 
   

8. Strong network of support - having supportive friends and family around us is vital to ensure good mental health. Think carefully about who wants the best for you and spend time with these positive people as much as possible. 
   

9. Positive thoughts - negative thoughts can be more destructive than eating a bad diet or not exercising. Challenge any negative thinking, defeating beliefs, and deeply-held negative emotions and journal about them or talk to supportive friends and family to truly understand what is causing these thoughts. 
   

10. Effective regular self-care - it is important to regularly make time for the kind of self-care that will help you the most, whether that is regular exercise or spiritual practices or slowing down and having a lovely treatment like a massage or reflexology or reiki or acupuncture, whatever helps you to feel grounded and calm and resilient. Consider whether some kind of therapy could be helpful for you if you have had any adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) like divorce, neglect, abuse or a loss of a loved one - it can be useful to calculate your ACE score with this questionnaire. According to Bessel van Der Folk, author of ‘The Body Keeps the Score’, many people may not be aware that they have suffered from trauma. He cites examples of people having car accidents and blotting these experiences from their memory and explains how people can respond to different types of therapy so it is worth giving some of these therapies a try: EMDR, Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping), hypnosis, sound therapy, theatre work etc.  

I hope these tips have given you ideas on how you can look after your own resilience using diet and lifestyle habits. For a quiz and more tips on mental health, you can download my free worksheet: how to prevent anxiety and depression. And please do follow me on Instagram for daily tips and inspiration!

HOW TO BE HEALTHY

Health is a very popular topic as always and it is a very controversial subject with many people arguing about what exactly health involves. The truth is, it can be very different for each person. As the saying goes, “one man's meat is another man's poison” and this can be very true from the types of food we eat, to the type of exercise we do and the kind of things we do to relax and have fun. This is because we all thrive on and enjoy different things. That is why it is so important to listen to your body when experimenting with new things and do what feels good for you and right for your unique body. 

How healthy are you? Find out by downloading my free Health Scorecard and rate your health.

There are many benefits to improving our health:

• Strong immune system to fight viruses

• Emotional resilience so we feel calm and in control

• Good brain function which helps us with mental sharpness as we age

• Perform optimally at work and in sport

• Lose weight and unwanted body fat

• Improve sleep so that we feel refreshed when we wake up

• Increase our energy so we feel motivated to pursue all our goals

Here are ten areas we can focus on to ensure our health is optimal:

1. Sleep - although we may be an early bird or a night owl, we must get enough quality deep sleep each night. Ideally we should be sleeping during the hours of darkness, as early as we can before midnight to maximise our deep sleep and we need 7 - 9 hours sleep each night. You will know you are getting enough sleep if you can wake up without an alarm and feel rested when you wake up. Sometimes this just requires correctly timing your wake up after 4 or 5 sleep cycles before you go into the next sleep cycle. Try using the app Sleep Cycle which can help you wake up at the best time after a sleep cycle ends.
   
   

2. Fitness - we all know we need to exercise! It is vital to have strength-based exercise as we grow older to ensure we have good muscle mass. Cardiovascular exercise as well as flexibility are also vitally important. Find the exercise you love to do which you will do regularly. Daily movement is key!
   
   

3. Nutrition - what we eat has a major impact on our body. There is a lot of confusion about what is healthy and not healthy. Ensure you include good quality protein daily as well as colourful fruit and vegetables and healthy fats. Most importantly listen to your body and track what foods feel good. Do not assume that because a food is deemed healthy that it is good for your body. Some people have trouble digesting nuts and certain vegetables. Read this blog post if you want to learn my 10 tips on How to Eat Healthier.
   
   
   

4. Gut Health / Healthy Microbiome - looking after our gut health is really important, especially since the ratio of microbes in our body compared to human cells is 3:1. We have approximately 37.2 trillion human cells compared to 100 trillion bacterial cells. Plant foods like onions, garlic and leeks feed our good gut bacteria as well as fermented foods like sauerkraut, bio-yoghurt, kefir and kimchi. Avoid artificial sweeteners and processed foods and try to follow a regular routine for eating and sleeping for a healthy microbiome.
   
   
   

5. Hydration - regular intake of clean filtered water is necessary for good health. All of our organs need high amounts of water including the brain, our blood and our muscles. If we are not drinking enough water, we can suffer from headaches, lack of focus and concentration, high blood pressure, dry skin and kidney problems. If you like a change from water, try eating some fresh fruit which is very hydrating or herbal teas.
   
   
   

6. Reducing Toxin Exposure - toxins create a great deal of damage in the body. It is important to look at the beauty products you use and limit parabens and fragrances which can disrupt your hormones. The app Think Dirty is fantastic to screen your products.  Try and eat organic foods where possible to limit pesticides in your body. Try and air out your house at least once a week as new furniture and carpets can release toxins which is called “off-gassing”.
   
   

7. Detoxification - although everyone talks about “doing a detox”, many people are not doing what is really required for healthy detoxification. This involves daily bowel movements, drinking plenty of water, sweating regularly and ensuring good intake of all the necessary nutrients for the detoxification process. These nutrients include a variety of amino acids from both animal and plant protein as well as vitamins and minerals from colourful fruits and vegetables, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli.
   
   
   

8. Stress Management - stress is one of those hidden causes of disease which tends to be overlooked. We can eat the best diet in the world and exercise regularly but if we suffer from stress, this can wreak havoc in the body. This is because stress shuts down many functions in the body like the immune system and the nervous system which are so vital for maintaining health. Also digestive secretions like stomach acid are massively reduced by stress and our hormones are limited as we don’t need to have all these things working well if we are running for our lives from a predator. Daily relaxation is absolutely vital for health which can include meditation or mindfulness or just spending 10 minutes a day doing something you love like playing a musical instrument, spending time with friends or family or laughing. Read my blog post on How to Manage Stress for more tips.
   
   
   

9. Mindset - the way we think is key to our health. We can manifest disease through negative emotions and beliefs. It is important to watch the thoughts we have and challenge any negative or disempowering ways of thinking. Practising gratitude daily is a wonderful way to improve our mindset by really tapping into the positive feelings relating to the wonderful gifts we have in our life. I know many of us are going through a tough time with the pandemic and it is important to really take time to appreciate even the tough things that teach us life lessons. The way you start your morning can also massively impact your mindset for the day. Swap the morning news with reading a couple of pages of an inspiring book.
   
   
   

10. Relationships - we thrive if we have supportive, nurturing relationships in our life as these help us feel happy and loved. This reduces stress and boosts our immune system as well as positive hormones like oxytocin. I know sometimes it's tricky with family as we don't feel like we get to choose our family. Ensure that you surround yourself with people who respect you and see the best in you. And if you haven't got those people currently in your life, it might be time to build some new relationships! According to motivational speaker Jim Rohn, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Consider carefully if you want to be thinking and behaving like the five people you spend the most time with and choose your people well! 

I hope these ten tips have given you food for thought on how you can boost your health. It is an ongoing project to keep eating healthily and exercising and taking time to relax. However it is time very well spent if we want to have a high quality life as we age. You can download my free Health Scorecard and see how healthy are in the above 10 areas.

HOW TO MANAGE STRESS

Everyone these days talks about how stressed they are or if they do not use that word, they will talk about how busy they are with their never-ending list of things to do.

A study in 2018 found that 74% of adults in the UK felt so stressed that they felt unable to cope. It would be very interesting to run the study again now as some people may feel a great deal less stressed with the many changes due to the pandemic, for example, furlough, less time commuting, more time to exercise, more time with a pet.  On the other hand, many people may feel significantly more stressed due to overworking, homeschooling, not able to have grandparents helping with childcare, social isolation etc.  

No matter what is going on in our lives, we all need to constantly manage our stress levels so that our bodies can heal and repair daily and be resilient and strong. Our stress response is part of our survival mechanism and unfortunately is being switched on too readily by things that are not life-threatening, for example, the amount of things we need to do or a stressful relationship. Our bodies respond in the same manner whether a predator is chasing us and we are running for our lives, or if we are stressed by our work, finances, family, health or relationships. This can take a toll on our immune system and all of our body functions.

Here are ten tips to help you manage stress:

1. Breathing deeply - our bodies are constantly taking cues from our thoughts and our behaviours about how safe our environment is. Breathing is the easiest way to calm down our nervous system. You can try box breathing: simply inhale for 7, hold your breath for 7 and exhale for 7, pausing before the next inhalation. Our bodies know we are safe when we breathe like this as we would not hold our breath if we were running from a tiger!
   
   

2. Do not over-exercise - we all need to move regularly to keep fit and keep our heart healthy, however excessive running and other exercise will be giving your body the message that it is in a dangerous environment. Intersperse your exercise from time to time with more gentle exercise like yoga, tai chi, stretching and walking in nature.
   
   

3. Sleep 7-8 hours - getting a good night’s sleep and feeling rested and refreshed when you wake up are vital components of feeling in control and being emotionally resilient. Our stress levels will be much higher after a bad night’s sleep or less than 7-8 hours’ sleep.
   
   

4. Keep your blood sugar stable - avoid eating refined carbohydrates and sugar that will cause your blood sugar to rise significantly and then drop significantly causing anxiety and oxidative stress in the body. Ensure you have protein and healthy fats at each meal that will keep your blood sugar stable for 3-4 hours after eating.
   
   

5. Avoid changes to your circadian rhythms - try and keep a steady routine to maintain calm and safety for the nervous system. Our bodies follow a circadian rhythm which responds to light and our nervous system is calmed by routines like going to sleep and waking at the same times each day and eating our meals at the same regular times. Try to also avoid blue light in the evening by turning devices off one hour before sleep and try to get daylight into your eyes within thirty minutes of waking up in the morning. 
   
   

6. Pay attention to your thoughts - having ruminating thoughts is not good for stress! Neuroscientist, Daniel Amen, believes that our Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) are at the root of our stress. Here are some great questions to help you challenge these thoughts and see how valid they are. Our self-talk can be quite destructive if not managed.
   
   

7. Track your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) - a great measure of our stress is HRV. You can track it with apps and devices and learn which activities reduce your stress the most. My favourite device is the Firstbeat Lifestyle tracker - it involves a 3-day assessment and you receive a very detailed graph on how restorative your sleep, exercise and other activities are (or are not!). The OURA ring and Heartmath also have excellent reviews.
   
   

8. Mindfulness and Meditation - these 2 practices are extremely beneficial to helping reduce and manage stress. It is just a matter of finding a method that appeals to you and that you will do ideally daily. I personally love ziva meditation which requires no apps or headphones and I have also used holosync and lifeflow meditations with great success. I also love Calm’s daily 10 minute guided meditation with a nice tracker that gives you a sense of achievement! There are also many free guided meditations and mindfulness sessions on YouTube. 
   
   

9. Gratitude journaling - taking just 5-10 minutes a day either at the end of the day or first thing in the morning to write out three things that you are grateful for as well as taking time to really evoke the emotions can be a powerful practice. Don’t just list the items, really remember and feel into it and write about 25 words about how you felt and why it felt good, for example, if someone did something kind for you, write out all the full details.
   
   

10. Regularly take time to relax and do things you enjoy - laughter and having fun are great ways to manage stress as well as being enjoyable! Watch your favourite TV show or a film that makes you laugh or hang out with the friends that make you feel great (I know it is more limited on zoom!). Or if you prefer peace and quiet, find some great fiction books to escape into or other hobbies eg playing a musical instrument. Think about what things you loved to do as a child.

I hope these tips have given you lots of ideas to try out to manage your stress on a regular basis. The most important thing when it comes to stress is to listen to your body and rest when needed.