The World Health Organisation has recommended that we should all be doing at least half an hour of exercise five times per week and doctors should be recommending this to all their patients. There is a very good basis for this advice.

The health benefits of exercise

Whatever your age or size or ability, there is strong scientific evidence to show that physical exercise can help you lead a healthier, happier and longer life.

Regular exercise improves self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy and reduces anxiety, depression, dementia, obesity, risk of developing ischaemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and certain cancers.

Physiology: Exercise is the natural response to ‘stress’

During stress, be it caused by financial worries, family difficulties or even before an exam or race, a hormone is produced by the adrenal glands that sit above the kidneys, called adrenaline. Adrenaline has many important functions, but in this context it is termed the ‘fight or flight’ hormone. It equips us to do physical exercise in response to stress; to either fight or to run away from our stress.

Adrenaline causes some important cardiovascular changes; these include an increase in heart rate, cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped through one side of the heart per minute), respiratory rate and blood pressure. As a result, more blood and therefore more oxygen are directed to the muscles.

‘Cortisol’ is a hormone produced from another area of the adrenals. It promotes the release of energy during stress.

The changes induced by these hormones in times of stress, equip the muscle cells for action. So stress itself prepares our bodies to make a physical response.

Some unwanted effects of adrenaline that may occur if stress is not accompanied by a physical response (in other words, if there’s a lack of regular exercise) include palpitations, anxiety and tremor.

Following exercise, further hormones called endorphins, are released by the brain, which give a sense of well-being.

What exercise should we do?

Patients sometimes tell me that they exercise with household cleaning, hoovering and shopping. Although these household chores are physical work, they do not qualify as moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.

Depending on your level of fitness, fast walking or running at a pace that you can talk comfortably but can’t sing, means your heart rate has increased to the right amount. Running or walking is a quick and cheap way to exercise. A half hour route can be planned and walked initially, then gradually intervals of running can be added in.

There are excellent gyms and health clubs on the island that can help individuals get started and keep going! Also, swimming provides a good all round exercise as does cycling.

There is a huge diversity of sport available in Guernsey; choose a sport that you enjoy doing regularly.

Exercise is for everyone.

For those of us in whom exercise is restricted due to disability, age or illness, daily stretches and gentle exercise are very beneficial (if not mandatory!). Humans are complex animals that over the years have become more sedentary. Among other factors, with the advancement of computer technology, we keep mentally active and stimulated. However, to maintain a healthy balance, we must remember to use, not only our brains, but our physical ‘muscly’ limbs that we have.

Remember, half an hour, 5 times per week!

It’s a new year and a new start for your health and beauty regime. It’s time to kick bad habits and pick up some good ones – here are our top tips…

Wear a pedometer

New research suggests that routinely wearing a pedometer encourages people to walk about an extra mile each day, lose weight, and lower their blood pressure. Aim for at least 30 minutes of brisk walking and a total of 10,000 steps per day.

Eat at least two fish based meals per week

The evidence is strong that the oils in darker types of fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and herring, are beneficial for the heart and brain and may even lower risk of cancer.

Keep sugar and caffeine to a minimum

It’s hard to believe, but decreasing sugar actually increases people’s energy, by minimizing the highs and lows that sweet foods triggers.

Don’t focus on dieting. Focus on eating

Instead, of sacrificing food all day and gorging later, it’s better to eat enough during the day to avoid hunger pangs and uncontrolled eating at night. Eat every four hours or so, and make sure to eat a “second lunch” – think of it as another meal rather than a snack – in the mid-afternoon to keep your energy up and make you less hungry in the evening.

A teaspoon of garlic a day

As well as reducing brain ageing, Liverpool researchers are saying that garlic may decrease the risk of or prevent cancer, immune disorders and arthritis.

Have plenty of sex

Decongestants may relieve some cold symptoms, but they won’t prevent colds. But regular sex will, at least in Pennsylvania, where researchers have shown that people who have sex at least twice a week get a protective boost from their immune systems. Another study showed that those who have sex three or more times a week look up to 10 years younger than those who have none.

In this month’s article I invite you to take a seat. At this busy time of year the pressures of family, relationships, work and play all begin to take their toll.

Combine that with the craziness of traffic, shopping, avoiding the weather and stress levels begin to soar. In this way there is no better time to find time for you.

Just you…

Meditation helps us find an inner calm within which then translates into our every day lives. Solutions and answers to questions have space to appear.

Finding a space to sit is the first task. Try and find a quiet space free from distractions; dawn and dusk are the best time. If you can sit on the floor cross legged that’s great, if that is not possible just sit in a chair with both feet flat on the floor. Do try and have the intention of a straight spine with your shoulders relaxed.

Close your eyes and soften through your forehead, soften the space around your eyes and keep the jaw relaxed. And then just be, your mind will race about to begin with but let all the thoughts come in and out but try not to attach to them. This is about having time to re-charge. Keep your breath regulated and soft. To begin with it can be a good idea to set a little timer then your mind has one less thing to think about.

Meditation is a practise. Even in India when I was on a silent retreat set high up in the mountains with no obvious source of noise, half way through the sittings a family of monkeys used to jump on the roof and scamper across the building. So this is the world!

Noise is everywhere, don’t let it throw you off.

Have a peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Namaste

Alice

Plank is a fabulous strengthening pose for the arms, the spine and also core strength.

It is one of the core poses in the traditional sun salutation series and must be practised correctly.

If you have problems with your wrists or elbows please feel free to practise this against a wall. Your breath should remain fluid and deep and, as always, if your breath becomes choppy its time to come out of the pose. Keep your eyes and jaw soft. Finding the ability to smile and have room to move in this pose is possible. Just remember to keep practising.

Plank Pose

Begin on all fours. Hands flat on the floor fingers spread far apart. Tuck under your toes and lift the knees of the floor forming a straight line.

Be sure to engage fully through the core taking your breath deep into your belly. Bring the sensation of pushing the sticky mat away from you.

Keep the legs engaged and feel the energy on one straight line from the crown of your head to your heels. To begin with you can stay for 10 seconds working up to as long as a minute with a fluid breath.

Working in an office doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your health – follow these simple tips and your body’s bank account will stay in credit.

-Pack your own lunch to stay in control of what you are eating – this will save you money too. And if you are in a rush in the morning, try and pack something for breakfast. This will keep you energised and your metabolism active.

-Maintain a good posture: besides looking more professional and stronger, sitting up straight can help to avoid back pain, headaches and tiredness.

Be sure to stretch regularly: keep your feet active, stretch your arms and back, roll your shoulders and keep your body moving.

-Bring healthy snacks in to work to steer yourself clear of those cakes your colleague has brought in for their birthday. When we watch someone else eat we tend to get hungry so take this opportunity to eat some vegetables, crackers or fruit.

-Get out of the office at lunchtime and go for a walk – this will help with your state of mind and general well-being whilst keeping you physically healthy.

I was reminded the other day while talking to one of my teachers that there is a reason it is called a Yoga Practise. It is a practise, a process and most importantly a journey. If we think of a bud of a flower. If we didn’t water it and give it light it would not grow. We are excited for it to blossom to its full extent. But if we were to take the petals and peel them open would the flower blossom? No, it would be the end.

In this way as we work with the body we learn that harmony and balance comes from our own experience. We listen intently with the body to find a place of comfort and space. We rest here we breathe here.

As we come back time and time again we are able to safely find the edge to blossom and grow.

Upavista Konasana – wide legged forward bend

Sitting down draw the fleshy parts of the buttocks away from you and bring the legs as far apart as you can comfortably. Keep your toes pointing up to the ceiling heels firmly rooted into the floor Keep length through your spine and gradually walk the hands forward. This is where we listen intently. Can I move further forward or is this as far as I can go today? Take ten breaths here. Advanced students wrap your index fingers round your big toes. Smile, soften and lengthen.

As we work through some of the standing poses I invite you to look at your foundation. Your roots, your mind body connection using the power of the breath to unite this flow. Natarajasana, or dancer’s pose is the physical depiction of Lord Shiva the Hindu God of destruction. In this asana (pose) we cultivate strength and balance as we create an open heart. The sense of ease in this asana is created through a commitment to the pose with your balance, yet remaining at peace through the mind.

As we work on our breath through our yoga practise we find gradual steps towards balance which can then reflect on our daily life on and off the mat. You see, yoga is a process. You don’t learn it, get it and then move on, it’s a process of peeling layers of tension, peeling away layers of “there’s no way I could ever get my leg there”. Small steps, an open mind and the ability to be fully present to what each day holds no matter what are the keys to unlocking the yoga process.

Natarajasana – Dancer’s Pose

Start by bringing the right foot forward, Grounding through your foundation, spread through your toes lift through your arches and engage your thigh strongly. Next lift up the left foot and take hold of the arch of your foot. Lift your right arm up towards the ceiling and really feel a strong sense of lift and extension. Gradually begin to tip your body forward keeping your balance and slowly straightening the left arm and lengthening and extending through the left leg. Hold for 15-20 breaths and then repeat on the other side. Keep the eyes soft and the breath long. And remember if you keep tumbling over, that’s called your edge!

Happy Practising

I was having a spot of lunch last month on my birthday with a non-medical friend. He informed me that for one month he has been taking pure green tea every day and since then, his cholesterol has dropped and he has lost a stone in weight. “What do you think about that?” he asked me, in a quizzical manner, hoping for a medical explanation.

This anecdotal evidential stuff, I have to say, I find very interesting. Doctors, by no means, know everything (although I worked for a surgeon in London once, who really did feel that he knew everything!). But we do hear again and again a multitude of stories about all the successes and the failures when it comes to self-treatments from alternative medicine.

I honestly never argue it out. Unless something is known to be harmful, or has negative evidential data, then, if it works, I just feel genuinely happy for the patient. But the bit I find most interesting is not the success or the failure, but the powerful influence of the media when it comes to alternative treatments.

If an advert came on the telly, introducing a new ‘over the counter’ wonder pill that made you better looking, taller, and very attractive to the opposite sex, then most people would immediately see right through it. The too good to be true alarm would be ringing so loud it would give you a headache. But, if the advert had some plausibility to it, then that is a different matter.

Many people have a weakness about themselves that they don’t always go straight to their doctor about. Commonly it is regarding weight or hair loss issues, but can be skin problems such as acne, or teeth staining, or a multitude of body issues that they don’t consider to be ‘medical’ issues.

But the common denominator is usually self-confidence due to image awareness.

When it comes to the media, doctors cannot compete. Quite often the reason for this is that doctors cannot offer a simple treatment that will solve the problem instantaneously. Whereas, of course, the media can. The magic pill or diet or product can offer all these things and more. They do not need medical trial data to advertise ‘results’, they only need a few models with ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots to make people give their offering serious thought.

Look at hair loss for instance. There are definite medical causes of certain types of hair loss, such as Alopecia areata for instance. But the majority of patients seeking help are usually looking for cures for thinning only. Look at celebrities such as Sir Elton John and Wayne Rooney. With all their money, if a good tablet treatment were out there, then surely they wouldn’t have to resort to hair transplant surgery?

Weight loss is another minefield. We have so many pills and potions on the shelves, but what really works? With the drug formally known as reductil being removed from the market for safety reasons, doctors are very limited when it comes to medication treatment. The old classic of ‘lifestyle advice’ never seems to leave the patient feeling very satisfied. After all, we all just want a quick cure.

But, going back to my first point, some treatments do actually work for some people, although many don’t. It is certainly worth getting medical advice before starting any radical therapy. If the doctor doesn’t know the answer, well, he could always try and find out as much as possible from medical resources, especially regarding safety.

As for the power of the media. If the medical profession could have as much effect on advising patients as advertising has on the public, then I really think we could wipe out diseases such as diabetes. But in reality…it’s never going to happen…is it?

As we practise yoga we find an intricate play between balance and the edge. We transfer and move Prana/energy through our breath. Too often in so many types of activity or sports we push the body to become stronger or to get more flexible. We believe that if we push we will get stronger. I invite you to step back from the edge on and off your mat and begin to find an increased sense of space within the body and mind.

When we are stressed or upset our breath shortens, as we lengthen our breath we increase the Prana we can absorb into our system. As we take this awareness into our standing postures we can begin to shift the weight to find a strong foundation and a sense of ease and lightness. With long inhales to renew our entire system and every exhale and opportunity to release the residuals that are no longer serving you.

Utthita Trikonasana – Triangle Pose

Step forward with the right foot, ensure your heels are in line.

Turn your left toes out 45% and ground down through the back left heel. Level your hips with the long edge of your mat. As you inhale, your arms lift up to shoulder height. As you exhale, your shoulders roll down away from your ears. On your next breath lengthen towards the right foot – the back of your right hand will come to the inside of the right thigh, knee, calf or ankle depending on how flexible you are. As you lengthen from the hip once again bring your attention to your foundation. Evenly spread the weight between your feet keeping your toes light. Explore the connection with your breath. As you inhale, extend the top arm towards the ceiling . With the hands being an expression of your heart let the fingers spread as you shine your heart forward.

Triangle pose stretches through the hips, groins, hamstrings, calves chest and spine. Making this a fabulous asana for nurturing through the foundation of you. Happy practising.

For more information on Alice’s yoga practice visit www.aliceyoga.com

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a common but complex problem that causes patients to experience a burning or scalding pain on the lips and tongue (and sometimes throughout the mouth). There are often no visible signs of irritation, and the cause of the syndrome may be caused by various factors, ranging from the onset of menopause to psychological dysfunctions to vitamin deficiencies. Sometimes a cause just cannot be identified. BMS may affect up to 5 percent of the population and usually occurs in people over the age of 50.

Though members of both sexes are susceptible to BMS, it occurs more frequently in older women (between 18 and 33 percent of post-menopausal women are estimated to have BMS).

The syndrome is also called glossodynia (tongue pain) and stomatodynia (mouth pain). BMS is not a form of, nor can cause, cancer.

The exact cause of BMS is difficult to determine. In 30 percent of cases it is caused by a variety of existing conditions that affect the oral and systemic health. Some conditions include the onset of menopause, diabetes and deficiencies in such nutrients as iron, zinc, folate, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamins B6 and B12 and complications of cancer therapy (radiation and chemotherapy).

In the majority of cases, no specific diagnosis for the symptoms can be made. BMS symptoms may occur from xerostomia (dry mouth), tongue thrusting, bruxism (teeth grinding), irritating or ill-fitting dentures and thrush (a common fungal infection characterised by a white lesion). Some research points to nerve disorders and damage; psychological factors, particularly depression and anxiety; allergies; acid reflux; and medications that cause dry mouth. It’s not unusual for a patient suffering from BMS to have more than one cause attributed to the ailment or to have health care providers fail to find any cause at all.

About one-third of patients say BMS symptoms first appeared shortly after a dental procedure, recent illness or medication course.

Treatment for BMS depends on the patient and the cause. If the cause is related to the oral cavity, your dentist has a variety of ways to provide relief. For dry mouth, your dentist may advise that you drink more fluids, or he or she may prescribe medicine that promotes the flow of saliva. Thrush may be treated with oral antifungal medications, such as nystatin or fluconazole. If dentures are the culprit, your dentist can make adjustments so they won’t irritate the mouth, or replace them with better-fitting dentures. Topical capsaicin, the natural chemical in cayenne pepper, may provide pain relief in some patients with BMS.

If you think you may have this condition contact your dentist and discuss the issues rather than leaving it.