Are you SAD?

At last we’ve started seeing some sunshine! The clocks go forwards at the end of the month and it will officially be British Summer time and we can hopefully start to enjoy some better weather and being outside a bit more!

Over the last few weeks it’s amazing how many people have commented that at last they’re starting to feel better, just in the last few days at the studio’s we have noticed that clients cold and flu symptoms have cleared up, energy levels have increased and a few more smiles have started appearing! Do the cold dark days really have such a huge impact on us?

Its incredible how many people do actually suffer from Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues.

SAD is a mood disorder which affects people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year but experience depressive symptoms in the winter. Although SAD was once regarded skeptically by the experts, it is now well established as a serious medical condition.

Symptoms vary from sleeping too much, having decreased energy levels, to feeling depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they are usually not long term.
Typically sufferers experience difficulty waking up in the morning, morning sickness, oversleeping, over-eating, with particular cravings for carbohydrates and consequent weight gain.

Other symptoms include a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating on completing tasks, and withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities.

There are many different treatments for seasonal affective disorder, including light therapy with sunlight or bright lights, cognitive-behavioral therapy, supplementation of the hormone melatonin and the cure for everything – EXERCISE!
Whether you actually suffer from SAD or not, inevitably during the winter months we experience lower energy levels and the miserable weather is often reflected in our moods. The good news is as with most illnesses the power to improve it is in your hands...




The blue feeling can usually be dampened or extinguished by exercise and increased outdoor activity, particularly on sunny days. The positive effects of exercise are endless: Increased energy levels, improved circulation, increased fitness, fat loss and enhanced mood as exercise stimulated the release of endorphins.

The natural feel good chemicals which decrease the stress hormones such as cortisol and increase feelings of euphoria and a general state of wellbeing are released during exercise. Just exercising for a short period of time will improve your mood. Ten minutes of moderate exercise is enough to improve your mood, your vigour and also decrease fatigue.

So if everyone around you is sick of seeing your miserable face you can now look forward to the great British summertime as an opportunity to get back into that exercise routine to not only feel great mentally but get in great shape physically too!

Happy Days!

Look after your heart this Valentine’s Day.

It seems that every high street shop has their special promotions planned and heart shaped decorations in the window’s directed at cashing in on us clueless guys in our attempts to show our love for our partners!

The beauticians are promoting their pampering products, the flower shop is stocking up on red roses, the confectionary store is crammed full of heart shaped sweet delights and the local restaurant has created a special Valentines menu.
What do you do?

Well here’s a novel suggestion. Instead of just giving a simple gift that will end up being thrown away, used up or eaten why not give something a lot more lasting….. If you really want to give your heart to that special someone then why not give them a very healthy heart?!

Did you know that heart disease still kills more people in the United Kingdom than any other condition? National statistics showed one in five men and around one in six women died from heart disease, including heart attacks, in 2005, and around 2.7 million People are estimated to be living with coronary heart disease in the UK and this number is rising each year.




The majority of us lead a lifestyle which encourages an unhealthy diet, excess alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, a stressful working environment and a serious lack of physical activity. I can almost guarantee that you will have at least one of these factors in your life at the moment.

Obviously hereditary conditions account for a number of cases but a huge number of cases are self inflicted through poor choices on the individual’s part. Most heart disease is avoidable if we take simple measures to improve our lifestyle. Too many people in the UK are exercising too little, eating diets too high in fat, salt and sugar, and consequently, becoming overweight or obese.


Another huge factor that we allow into our lives to cause damage to our heart is stress. Stress is the way we all react to change. It includes our mental, emotional and physical responses to the pressures of everyday life.




The pace of our lives in the 21st century is getting faster and faster. Consequently it seems to be harder to find the time to exercise or cook well-balanced, healthy meals. We rev our engines with stimulants like caffeine, sugar and nicotine but then need depressants like alcohol to slow us down again.

Stress is also associated with depression and anxiety disorders and can reduce the amount of pleasure you get out of life. Chronic stress can numb you to feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment. Eventually, this numbness could have a negative impact on your work and your relationships.

How do we change and create long term health benefits?

The simple answer to long term health is long term practice. Unfortunately as stated earlier we live in a world that runs at 100 miles per hour and we want everything now. Therefore we look for the quickest possible way to achieve our desired results.
These usually include prescription medication. What they don’t tell you is that these medications only mask the underlying problems and that every drug has a side effect and a negative impact on the human body, and are you really taking control of your own health by taking a pill?

There are other ways to look after your heart that are much more effective, long lasting and enjoyable.

1. Exercise

Even a brief amount of exercise each day will enable your metabolism to start functioning more effectively. It will reduce excess body fat, stabilise blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, strengthen the heart an it is a fantastic way to alleviate stress.

2. Take control of your diet

People talk a lot about reducing the amount of fat in your diet and to an extent this advice has been taken a bit too far. Saturated fats WILL increase the clogging of the arteries but Omega 3 oils and essential fatty acids are crucial for the body to survive a healthy existence.

The big change that needs to be made in the majority of diets is a reduction in the amount of refined carbohydrates. Consuming these types of foods not only causes bloating and poor digestion, they also raise blood sugar levels, which stimulates the production of insulin.

Unfortunately we are extremely misinformed about what we eat. Food companies are allowed to exploit our naivety and as a result consumers are unaware of what foods are actually good for them and those that are actually causing more harm. The key is to eat real foods preferably organic as often as possible.

3. Relax

We need to slow down our body’s adrenal system, turn off the fight or flight response and learn to relax, replenish and recharge. Simple processes such as cutting out the amount of stimulants we consume and learning to breath properly get a higher quality a quantity of sleep and take time to switch off each day.

So this Valentine’s make plans to look after your health and give your loved one a healthy heart for years to come, - but probably go with the flowers as well to avoid ending up in the doghouse!

We’ve got a great article on stress management coming up in the next few weeks...

Creating a new habit.

The first month of 2011 has already passed us by! How has it gone for you?

If you wanted to change your diet have you succeeded with that and lost a few pounds? Have you been following a regular exercise programme? Have you managed your time more effectively? Or even changed your job?

Whatever changes you’ve wanted to make to your life it’s never easy to maintain the effort required to make it happen...

We are all creatures of habit and even with the best intentions often fall back into the old routine

“Old Habits Die Hard”

Often the biggest problem is that we aim to make drastic changes to our lives that simply are one step too far...

• 40-a-day smokers decide to quit all together
• Junk food addicts start to follow a 1000 calorie a day diet
• Those that haven’t exercised in years decide their going to run the marathon!

Drastic changes like these will usually fail because the new habits needed to deal with these changes are too extreme from the behaviour the person has previously been used to.

It then becomes such a negative experience that often people fall back into previous habits and in some cases are worse for the experience!

How do we stop this from happening and guarantee a positive experience?

The 7 steps to creating a new habit:

1. Write down your plan and keep it somewhere you will see it every day.

2. State specifically what your goal will be each day. E.G. “I will exercise for a minimum of 10 minutes today.”

3. State what your trigger will be. E.G. “I will exercise every morning after brushing my teeth.”

4. State who you will report to. E.G. “I will comment on the All About You Facebook page about my workout each day”

5. Post your goal publicly. – Use your social media for positive use.

6. Tell as many people as possible about your goal.

7. Celebrate your new habit at the end of 30 days.

It really is that simple!

The key is to not set your goals too big.

Creating a complete lifestyle change is going to require incredible determination and willpower and will increase your chances of failure.

If you haven’t exercised in years then face it... Training for the marathon is going to be pretty tough!!

But, doing 10 minutes of exercise per day is very do-able.

Set yourself up for success, not failure!

This exercise is about forming a new habit and taking small steps to achieve a big goal.

Plan an achievable goal, tell the world, do it and report on it EVERY DAY and you WILL succeed!

With one goal achieved you will then have the confidence to set bigger and better goals in the future with this simple method of establishing a new habit.

Ready to go with your first one?

Then head over to our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-About-You-Performance-Wellbeing/159779797381162?v=app_4949752878&ref=ts

And join us for a 10 minute training challenge!

Reduce the stress and reduce the fat!

It's that time of year when we all sit down and decide we're going to make some real changes to our lives! New Job, new exciting plans, new body!!

We obviously want to help you to get that amazing new body! Everywhere you look there are pictures of "celebrities" who've lost a ton of weight on the latest "amazing diet" and although they may look great you need to make sure the diet is safe for you, that you have set yourself realistic goals and that you are not setting yourself up to regain the lost weight within a few months!!

I don't believe that any kind of diet works long term for weight loss - but that argument is for another blog post...

It's our job at All About You to educate you, give you the tools to make long term gains, enable you to create a healthy body full of energy vitality and most importantly feel great about yourself!

We’re here to set you straight, tell you the truth and still get amazing results... And so this post is all about hormones and in particular the hormone cortisol which may have a huge influence on your body's ability to control your body fat levels.

Cortisol is your body's primary stress hormone and is responsible for, among other things, the 'fight or flight' response that you've heard so much about.

It works this way; when a stressor affects you in day to day life, such as being cut up in traffic, arguing with a spouse, being under a tough deadline or being chased by a wild tiger, your adrenal glands on your kidneys secrete cortisol directly into the bloodstream where it causes us to release amino acids from our muscles, glucose from the liver and fatty acids from our fat cells into the bloodstream for use as 'emergency fuel' to help us fight or flee.

This would normally be fine, especially if those stressors are few and far between but that's not the case for most of us. Most people live in a continual state of stress where cortisol is being released time and time and time again leading to permanently elevated cortisol both in the bloodstream AND in the cells themselves.

Trouble is, whilst short exposures of cortisol are useful and can be beneficial, long term they're downright destructive leading to:

- Increased appetite and food cravings
- Decreases in lean muscle mass
- Increased Anxiety and Depression
- Decreased libido
- Increase of PMS symptoms
- Increase in menopausal side-effects
- INCREASE IN BODY FAT

And guess where cortisol-created body fat wants to live?

Right up there on the belly!

This means that if you're carrying excess fat in your abdominal region that's stubborn to shift, you're more than likely to have chronically elevated cortisol causing the problem. And again, it may not have anything to do with the total number of calories you're eating.

How do you reduce it?

Well, there are numerous ways in which we can re-establish normal cortisol levels in the body and start burning fat but the best are simply 'natural cures' that can be applied almost immediately and with very little expense.

In fact, the first one is absolutely free!

It's called SLEEP.

That's right; sleep is one of the most important factors in cortisol control as a lack of both quality and quantity of sleep leads to elevated cortisol and a depression of other important metabolic hormones. Fail to get enough sleep and at the right time and you'll be doomed to struggling with your body fat forever. Conversely, make even a few moderate sleep habit changes over the next few days and you'll start to see the fat shift.

Because cortisol is related to sleep and wake cycles and is triggered by light, you should aim to spend the last few hours before bed in a dimmed or dark room and aim to be in bed by 10pm and sleeping by 10.30pm.

It sounds too early, I know. Especially with late night TV and those emails you have to do before bed but hey, your hormones don't know about TV and email, they know stress. You want to lose fat? Then get to bed! In fact, bright TV's and bright computer screens are the last thing you want just before you hit the hay. They keep your cortisol pumping through both the light they emit and the potential for stress they evoke

Try identifying high-stress situations in advance and working out coping strategies to deal with them as they arise. Add exercise (though minimise aerobic exercise which releases more cortisol) and relaxation techniques and eat a clean and healthy diet and your cortisol levels will soon come under control.

Once they do you'll see the fat disappear faster than easier and with far less effort than ever before.

Start by getting some good sleep for just 7 nights and see what happens.

Surviving A Night Out On Killer Heels!

It’s Christmas party season and for the girls out there that means digging out the little party dress and the high heels and can mean coming to visit us at the studio with knee, ankle or lower back pain.

High heels may look great on but the damage they can do to your posture, lower back and lower limbs is pretty scary. The heels shift the position of your hips causing them to tilt forward put extra pressure on the muscles of your lower back and tightening the calves, the Achilles tendon, the hip flexors and the muscles and fascia of your feet.

But fear not! We are here to help you look fantastic at your Christmas party without the painful side effects…

Here is your High Heel Survival Stretch Programme!








The Arch Stretch
Wearing heels causes the muscles in the foot to shorten and tighten.
Applying downwards pressure whilst you roll the golfball along the foot can help to stretch out those tight muscles and release any knots that have formed.
It may hurt a bit but it’s worth it, a bit like wearing your heels!




Hip Flexor Stretch
Place knee on floor with the other foot out to the front. Tuck the hips forward, squeeze the buttocks and feel the stretch through the top of the thigh and into the hips.

Hold each stretch for about 20 seconds x 1-2 per day









Calf Stretch
Stand on the edge of a step.
Drop your heel toward the floor off the step, keeping the legs straight
Hold for about 20 seconds or until the tension eases off.


This simple programme will take you two minutes to complete but will relieve the painful effects of wearing high heels - I follow this all of the time and happily totter around in my heals on a Saturday night!!

Do Premier League Football Players Need Personal Trainers?

David Osgathorp investigates the recent injuries to Owen Hargreaves, the approach to rehab training and asks the question; Will Hargreaves play again?

Having gone through a number of knee injuries at a young age which resulted in me giving up competitive sport I always take an interest in players recovering from injury.

I was really pleased to see Owen Hargreaves back in the Manchester United starting line up 777 days after his previous start – a lucky omen possibly? Unfortunately that wasn’t to be and Hargreaves come-back appearance lasted just five minutes!
What was the reason? This is a guy that plays for Manchester United and England; he’s gone through the best possible exercise rehabilitation over the last few years. He plays for Sir Alex Ferguson who never risks any of his players unless he’s 100% confident that they are match fit and able to add something different to his star-studded team.

Hargreaves cost Manchester United £19million from Bayern Munich in 2007 and was England’s best player by a long way at 2006 World cup but over the last two years Hargreaves has spent his time competing on treadmill’s and with dumbbells and United’s Carrington training ground rather than getting stuck in to United’s opponents at Old Trafford. One of the fundamental principles of training is called Specific Adaption to Imposed Demand (SAID). That means if you want to get fit for football you need to play football, the only thing you get better at lifting dumbbells is lifting dumbbells!

His fitness programme will have been designed in this way with his specific needs in mind. Training would have included specific leg strengthening exercises, core conditioning, and specific stretch and post-training recovery techniques before going anywhere near the first team squad.

This isn’t your typical player recovering from injury though, apparently he was told by Richard Steadman, the Colorado based surgeon that his knees were in a worse state than any other professional footballer he had examined in 35 years! Which begs the question will he ever be able to compete at the top level again and will his knees be able to stand a full 90 minutes let alone a full premiership season?

Perhaps United need to look at a similar arrangement to the one Tottenham have with Ledley King, the captain who doesn’t train and instead, is wrapped in cotton wool between matches. The performances King has delivered for Spurs, and in particular during their march towards fourth place at the end of last season certainly warrant that approach.

What can be done?

In my opinion the main issue with football teams is that they don’t give players the one to one training they really need. They spend millions of pounds on acquiring players but very little or no investment in training them to their specific needs.
Hargreaves has spent the last two years working with the physiotherapy team and strength and conditioning specialists at Old Trafford to get him back to “match fitness”. He then joins up with the first team where they all work in the same way. All players warm up together in the same way, they all stretch in the same way, they all throw a few weights around the gym in the same way which is fine for 80% of all professional players but extremely detrimental to players coming back from long term injuries.

Hamstring injuries are very common amongst footballers. The hamstring muscles act as the brakes for a player when they change pace or direction on the pitch. Every footballer will stretch their hamstrings during a pre match warm-up. This is great from most people but for some players it can cause more issues.
If a player has developed long weak hamstrings and you then stretch these even further you’re only going to cause more problems. Hargreaves hasn’t played for two years, there’s a very strong possibility that his hamstrings are probably not the strongest!

Hargreaves is desperate to play again, United are desperate to get something out of their £19 million investment before he inevitably moves on or retires at the end of his contract but the truth is unless they take an individual approach to Hargreaves training he will probably never complete a full 90 minute session again.

Football is a team game, players want to play, if they can’t play they want to train together. They all need to be involved in the training ground banter and to feel part of a unit. Hargreaves has been on a painful and lonely journey over the last two years and it is understandable that for his own mental state he wants to back involved with the first team squad but I honestly believe that if he wants to play first team football again he needs to look at creating a unique training programme that works for him.

Homeopathy at All About You

We are always looking for ways to improve the service we deliver to our clients at All About You and we are pleased to announce that Louise Robinson has recently joined the team to offer homeopathy treatments.

Louise has kindly written an article for our blog and will also be delivering a free talk at the studio next Thursday 11th November 7:30pm - 8:30pm.

Why not try homeopathic remedies as an alternative treatment for seasonal bugs?

The damp and drizzle of a typically British autumn is well and truly upon us and as always there are an ever increasing number of seasonal bugs about!

Many people look for alternatives to conventional drugs to combat flu and other seasonal bugs. Parents have also become increasingly concerned about giving their children medications such as paracetamol and cough medicines, especially as increasing number of over-the-counter medications have become off limits for children.

Homeopathy is a system of medicine which is based on treating the individual with remedies that trigger the body’s natural system of healing. Remedies are prescribed on an individual’s experience of their symptoms, matching the most appropriate medicine to the patient.
Homeopathic medicines, known as remedies, are non-toxic and safe for use in babies and children, and research has shown that homeopathic remedies can be effective in the treatment of people with respiratory tract infections, otitis media infection and inflammation of the middle ear – commonly referred to as an ear infection and sinusitis.
Recurrent coughs and infections should been seen by a professional homeopath but homeopathic remedies can be used at home in acute short-lived conditions *. Many remedies, available over the counter, can be useful for treating many winter ailments and each has their own particular characteristics.
Homeopathic remedies commonly used in winter illnesses include:

Gelsemium: the number one homeopathic “flu” remedy! Symptoms are slow to come on, where there is much heaviness and drooping, fatigue, clammy skin, flushes of hot and cold, dizziness and congestion.

Belladonna: indicated where the symptoms have come on suddenly and there is heat, throbbing and pain, irritability, and symptoms worse from jarring. Children can be obstinate and may bite or hit.

Pulsatilla: has blocked painful sinuses, sticky mucus, patient feels better in the fresh air and has a changeable, clingy, tearful mood. Children will want to be carried.

Bryonia: the symptoms are slow to come on, there is much dryness and pains are worse from even the slightest movement. Firm pressure on the affected area is helpful. They are irritable and want to be left alone. Children may reject what they have just asked for.

Phosphorus: this is a hacking, tickling cough, often with sweating. The patient is worse at night and might ask for icy drinks or ice cream, which may be vomited up immediately. They may be hoarse and are better for affection and massage and worse for cold air.

Rhus tox: slow onset with high temperature and great restlessness, constantly changing position, muscles stiff and painful. Any draft or cold air will aggravate. There is a feeling of heat inside, but skin is cold to the touch. There is a desire to sip water.

Nux Vomica: throat feels rough and scraped, extending into the ear, with constricted feeling and hoarseness. Heavy feeling in stomach with nausea and vomiting. This patient is irritable and cannot bear noises, light or odours.


* Any ongoing health concerns should be discussed with a GP.

Come and hear more about how homeopathy could help you!

Louise Robinson and Melanie Tomsett from LM Homeopathy will be at All About You to talk about the benefits of Homeopathy and offer advice on any particular family health concerns on

Thursday 11th November 2010 from 7.30pm – 8.30pm

All About You Performance and Wellbeing, 3 Broadbent Close, Highgate, London N6 5JW


As numbers are limited please call to book your free place for the evening.

Contact

Louise Robinson BSc (Hons) LCHE RSHom

Tel: 07502 024 421

Email: louise@lmhomeopathy.com
www.lmhomeopathy.com