The present of time

My health & fitness are of primary importance to me and the benefits of my personal discipline to both reach into the corners of every aspect of my life; helping me to stay well during stressful times & enabling me to pick myself up when people or events have pulled the rug from under me.  The last few years, spent mostly studying, have been extremely testing and I truly don’t believe I could have sustained the mental strength it required without optimum nutrition and the freedom to breathe that running gave to me.  I can’t take all the credit though, it’s been my mum that was always at the end of the phone when the going got tough; often I don’t think she fully understood everything I talked about; research papers, deadlines, grades etc., but she gave me her time and she allowed me to talk and in talking I could hear myself and in so doing I found solutions and answers that always lay within but just needed a voice.   Now that is behind me and my weekends are not spent tied to a desk, I’ve devoted the last two Sundays making plans and preparing for Christmas with her; she isn’t physically able to do what she once could and so now I use the vitality and energy that my lifestyle rewards me with to do what I can to make this a special time.  There are many things that I would like to do for my mum – buy her a bungalow, take her on a guided tour of Rome and the Sistine Chapel and maybe one day I will be able to, but for now I give her my time, which I believe is one of the greatest gifts, particularly at this time of year, that we can give to another soul.

Time has a wonderful way to show us what really matters
Margaret Peters

Cathy x

Scales of Measure

I want to share with you the following, in order to demonstrate that focusing upon weight and being a slave to the scales is definitely not the best indicator in determining the health of your body!

In January of this year I returned to MMU to complete the final two modules of my MSc, one of which was based upon body composition.  This literally means what it says, what the body is composed of, i.e. fat mass and fat free mass; fat mass is the amount of fat in the body and fat free mass is everything else, i.e. water, protein (muscle) & mineral (bone).  We were extremely fortunate to have access to a range of body composition measuring tools, one of which has the amazing title of “air displacement plethysmography”, more familiarly known as the Bod Pod; a very expensive and state-of-the-art piece of kit that measures changes in air volume and pressure to determine the fat mass and fat free mass of the lycra clad individual inside!

 

Cross-sectional view of the Bod Pod
 

I decided to base my research for this module upon how a personal commitment to a meticulous nutrition & exercise discipline would enable me to improve my physique and reduce my total fat mass; after all, if you’re going to advise others to make lifestyle changes, you must first be prepared to do so yourself! 

My first measurements undertaken in the bod pod on the 1^st of February 2012 revealed the following:-

Weight	74.5 kg
Body Mass Index (BMI)	23 (normal 20-25)
Waist Circumference	79 cm
Fat Mass	19.9%
Bod Pod Rating	Lean

Obviously I was very pleased with these results, but I wanted to see if I could improve upon them and set myself a goal of approximately 7 weeks in which to do so.  However, things did not proceed as planned and the second module being undertaken was incredibly demanding and time-consuming, so much so that I was literally working on it day and night.  Dedicating every spare moment sat at the computer, in order to meet submission deadlines meant that I couldn’t possibly adhere to my proposed plan and although I didn’t adopt unhealthy eating patterns, I didn’t dedicate the time that I would normally to preparing my meals.   My running timetable decreased to just a couple of times per week and my attendance at the gym reduced by half and as such, my energy intake decreased as I obviously didn’t require the same amount of fuel if I wasn’t training.  The 7 seven weeks passed quickly and I returned to the lab on the 21^st of March 2012 where a repeat of the same measurements revealed the following:- 

Weight	72.9 kg
Body Mass Index (BMI)	22 (normal 20-25)
Waist Circumference	83 cm
Fat Mass	22.9%
Bod Pod Rating	Moderately Lean

So, let’s take a closer look at this; due to my decreased energy intake my weight had reduced by 1.6 kg, reducing my BMI measurement accordingly; now if these were the only measurements you were using to assess your health, you would have good reason to think that this was beneficial.  However, as you can also see my waist circumference measurement, a good measure of central fat distribution and predictor of increased risk to health, had in-fact increased by 4 cm, taking it above the recommended 80 cm cut-off and my fat mass had increased by 3%, facilitating a reduction in my bod pod fitness rating. 

 

Central & abdominal adiposity - associated with the risk
of insulin resistance, the possibility of developing
type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

This was definitely not the result I was hoping to achieve, but nevertheless the data is revealing in several ways; it demonstrates that physical exercise is essential in maintaining fat free mass, reveals how rapidly body composition can change and how ineffective focusing solely upon weight and BMI is in determining the risk of developing weight-associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

Clients often ask me how quickly they can expect to see positive results from adopting recommended changes - healthier eating patterns and carrying out some form of physical exercise and I think that they seldom believe me when I tell them just a matter of weeks; I think the results from this unintentional but nonetheless valuable reverse development, reveal this to be the truth!

 Cathy x 

Food for Thought

“A human being is primarily a bag for putting food into; the other functions and faculties may be more godlike, but in point of time they come afterwards. A man dies and is buried, and all his words and actions are forgotten, but the food he has eaten lives after him in the sound or rotten bones of his children. I think it could be plausibly argued that changes of diet are more important than changes of dynasty or even of religion.... yet it is curious how seldom the all-importance of food is recognized. You see statues everywhere to politicians, poets, bishops, but none to cooks or bacon-curers or market gardeners.”

George Orwell - The Road to Wigan Pier

 

Nourish Yourself!

Whilst on the crosstrainer in the gym Friday evening, the amazingly enthusiastic and energetic Jamie Oliver was cooking up some wonderful culinary delights on the TV in front of me, recipes from his 15 minute meal repertoire; this was not only helping to divert my attention away from the workout time remaining, but was also making me feel incredibly hungry!  He makes it all look so easy and exciting, that I decided I would invest time and effort into trying out his recipe for a grilled mushroom sub.  I located the recipe from his website and set off to Tesco’s on Saturday morning, armed with my shopping list of ingredients; I changed the salad ever so slightly and halved the recipe, but basically adhered to the formula in order to try to attain the same gastronomic success.  Aside from the basic ingredients, i.e. ciabatta, cheese, pancetta and salad dressing, my meal contained the following:-

Mushrooms

Garlic
Red onion
Watercress
Cucumber
Radish
Red Pepper
Tomatoes
Walnuts
Cornichons  
Lemon
Pear
Olive oil

I’m pleased to report that it was a delicious, culinary work of art containing a palette of rich & vibrant colour bursting with nutrients!  Well, maybe that’s a bit over the top, but from the list of ingredients you would have to agree that it was a nutrient-dense masterpiece!  I must confess that my obsession with food is based upon the nutrient-density of the ingredients and how they may benefit health & well-being, but this quick and easy meal definitely dispels the myth that eating for good health is based upon dieting & deprivation!  Aside from the aesthetic attributes, although it feels good to prepare delicious food for others, there is something all the more special about taking the time and making the effort to do it just for yourself.

 

In order to nourish others, you must begin by nourishing yourself!

 

Cathy x

Untrodden Paths

Last night I promised myself that I would get up early and run this morning and as maintaining this blog is encouraging me to be a more pro-active person, I felt compelled to stick to my guns and ventured out into the early morning rain.  Not having decided beforehand which direction to take, without thought I took a right turn and headed out off-road on a route which usually forms the return journey of a well-trodden, familiar circuit.  I’ve run this route more times than I can remember, but going in the opposite direction really threw me and it felt very unfamiliar; I’d never realised or appreciated that my usual homeward run this way was slightly downhill, but in the reverse direction, quickly realised it was quite the opposite!  This prompted me to think about how, when we begin to make lifestyle changes, whether diet or exercise related, initially the changes can seem so daunting, quite literally an uphill struggle, that we feel we just want to turn around and go back to what’s comfortable and familiar.   

New paths are often clouded with doubt, but persistence pays off!

Deciding to make any kind of positive lifestyle change is the first step toward personal transformation; sticking to a new path is undoubtedly a challenge, requiring patience and persistence, but if we didn’t have challenges then we wouldn’t strive to achieve our full potential and we do know, that once trodden a few times, we very soon become well acquainted with the once unfamiliar path and prepare ourselves, once again, to progress to new, exciting and yet more challenging levels of life.

If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere
Frank A. Clark

Nourish Yourself
Cathy x

Knowing -v- Doing!

Five transformational lifestyle basics:-

ü  Make sure you eat at least 5 portions of fruit & veg every day

ü  Try to drink approximately 1.5 litres of plain water each day

ü  Make time for a healthy breakfast, even if all you can manage to eat or make time for is a piece of fruit

ü  Try to eat at least one and possibly two portions of oily fish per week , tinned varieties are fine (salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines, pilchards, kippers)

ü  Perform some kind of physical exercise for 30 minutes at least 3 times per week, preferably every day

I can literally hear you groaning at the advice I’ve just given above, because yes, I know you’ve heard it all before, it’s nothing new and everyone knows it – don’t they? 

Well, I made a positive decision this morning and promised myself that I would follow my own advice, to the letter, for the whole of the coming week.  You may think that because I do this for a living, that I never forget to drink the water or to make sure I achieve 5+ a day, but I too have to be constantly vigilant to ensure I make all the above a part of my own personal daily discipline.  We all have busy lives and days filled with things to do and then before you know it, its evening time and you’ve had very little water throughout the day; no wonder you perhaps feel tired, sluggish and maybe even have a headache or you’ve got home from the office and convinced yourself that you’re too tired to exercise or go for a 30 minute power walk, when in actual fact you’re only mentally tired and not physically so and would feel so much better if you made the effort and I realise the oily fish isn’t everyone’s favourite, but because it has such positive effects upon both our physical and mental health, surely its worth remembering, isn’t it?

So, you may think that you already “know” all of the above, but in the words of Anthony Robbins, “if you ain’t doing it, then you don’t know it”.  So, I hope you’ll join me this week in trying to achieve at least one and possibly all of the above each and every day and this time next week we’ll not only look better but feel better for having made some small and yet empowering, positive lifestyle changes.

 

“Find yourself, motivate yourself, commit yourself"

Norman Vincent Peale

Nourish Yourself!
Cathy x

Give me Sunshine!

This wonderful, life-giving autumn sunshine we’re so lucky to be having at the moment has inspired me to want to write about vitamin D; but before I do, I wanted to share with you these pictures, taken from the top of Sitch Lane, Birch Vale.  Most of you who know me will be familiar with the fact that I love running, but when you run alone, you tend to do the same routes time after time, without challenging yourself; so this last week, I set myself a goal to run to the top of Sitch and down the other side into Hayfield.  I’ve done it twice now and I absolutely love it, it’s quite literally like being on top of the world!  I must be honest though and admit that I very nearly backed out the first time; having got to the bottom of the hill, that little voice kicked in that said – “you’ll never do this, best carry on the low road and do what you normally do - play it safe” – so irritating and I very nearly listened and took its advice, until I reminded myself that it was only a thought and I’m not my thoughts – although sometimes I think I am! 

 

Anyway, back to vitamin D; this fat-soluble vitamin, strongly associated with the health of our bones, has recently become quite a hot topic with studies revealing increasing prevalence of a widespread, global deficiency.   Our natural source of the vitamin is sunshine; vitamin D₃ or cholecalciferol is formed in the skin when exposed to sunlight and very little exposure is needed to provide us with our recommended daily, adequate intake.  Natural food sources include oily fish and eggs, other foods such as margarine, bread and fruit juices may be fortified and have vitamin D added to them.   A spectrum of emerging evidence is linking this vitamin to a range of health benefits aside from the role it plays in calcium absorption and the promotion of bone formation, including enhanced immune function, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, possible prevention of some forms of cancer and improvements in mood & depression.  In fact, research suggests that deficiency may be exacerbating the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and increased synthesis of vitamin D in the skin during the summer (providing we get some sunshine that is) is the reason we feel happier during the warmer, sunny months.

Now, back to the running; when I first started, many years ago now, I was probably carrying around about two stone more in weight than I am now; hence I did a lot of my training very early in the morning so that no-one would see me!   Over time, I began to lose the excess weight, have loads more energy and I was able to finally discard the sweatshirts I insisted on tying around my middle to hide my backside!  So when you see someone out running and they make it look easy, remember that they may have been doing it for many years and didn’t start out like that and also remember to send the runner who perhaps looks as if they may be struggling a little, some positive and encouraging thoughts, because when they were putting on their kit and tying their laces, they overcame that little voice that said they should sit on the sofa instead!   So if there’s something you want to do to transform yourself, you too can thank the voice for its opinion and decide to get out there and shine instead!

 

Nourish yourself!

Cathy x

Keeping it Simple!

I’ve been deliberating over starting a blog to run alongside the website for some time now – but that’s all I’ve done – thought about it and turned it into something more complicated and difficult than it actually is!  A recent conversation with a good friend convinced me otherwise and so, here I am, with the objective of sharing with you my passion for nutrition, exercise and self-development. 

I purchased a book by Gabriel Cousens, entitled “Spiritual Nutrition”, almost ten years ago now for two reasons; the first, obviously because the title contained the word nutrition and the second because I thought he had such a fabulous name – not the best reasons for buying a book, I know, but I just felt compelled to buy it and for all this time, it has lain on the shelf and received little, if no, attention.  So, as I deliberated over the blog, this very same book came to mind and I plucked it greedily off the shelf for inspiration and from the page in-front of me, I read “the word nutrition is discussed in terms of its material, emotional, energetic and spiritual qualities”.  That sentence literally stopped me in my tracks and I thought some more; I thought about how I wish I’d composed it, because for me it encompasses everything that nutrition is; the material represents the basics, the truth, the facts and the science, elements that are often sadly missing from the morass of mixed media messages; the emotional  element is one that perhaps far too many are very aware of, emotional eating, disordered eating, eating for comfort, to commiserate and demonstrate and the energy from the foods that we eat, from a diet rich & abundant in foods bursting with nutrients is quite literally unbounded.  Finally, you may be wondering, what does spirituality have to do with nutrition?  One of my favourite authors, Dr Wayne Dyer, suggests in his book “The Power of Intention” that the words “in spirit” are synonymous with the word “inspire” and therefore it is my intention to inspire you to achieve optimum health & well-being through “The Power of Nutrition”; without making it more complicated and difficult than it needs to be!

Rowan time to blog!