Just Breath

This time last year I think most people would have taken breathing for granted, it’s just something your body does. Then COVID 19 hit and suddenly things changed. In this last year there has been much more interest in breathing techniques and way to keep our lungs working to their full potential. You only have to Google pearl divers to see what the human lungs are capable of, some can hold their breath for up to 7 minutes!

There are many different ways of breathing and they all have different affects on the body . Being a pilates teacher I like to teach rib cage breathing when people are first starting out their journey with pilates . We hardly ever just sit for a few minutes taking proper full breaths using our lungs to their full capacity and exhaling out all the way. If you and take a minute or two out of your day to do this you are already doing yourself some good!

Lay down and put your hands on your rib cage, take a big deep inhale through your nose and feel how your ribs expand, when you can’t breath in any more start at to exhale steadily pulling your abdominals in and up squeezing out every last drop of air out like someone is tightening you into an old fashioned corset. Continue this pattern for a few rounds and see how you feel. This also helps work your abdominal muscles not just those you see from the outside but your beep transverse abdominals that help hold your spine and organs In place. So double bonus!

Breathing has been used for thousands of years to help cope with different things from giving birth to anxiety and stress. It has only in the last 100 years or so we have some how forgotten a lot of these techniques as modern medicine has come in and taken over with a pill for every thing! But surely it is better to use what Mother Nature has given us before we turn to drugs for the cure? As with the food we put into our bodies for fuel the way breath can also make a big difference.

There are many techniques to look into are yogic breathing , alternate nostril breathing the list goes on. A great website to look at is James Nestor ( mrJamesnestor.com ) he gives a lot of great examples with YouTube links to them, well worth a look. He also has a book out called ‘breath’ that is great. Another website to look at is Wim Hof ( www.wimhofmethod ) he combines breathing with cold therapy which we will get into another day!

Take care and don’t forget to breath!

Read your labels!

Recently I did veganuary which was a little new year challenge I set myself, mainly to distract myself from lockdown number 3!
I have always wondered if I could go without meat for more than a few days. I have 4 sons all meat eaters so I have to cook meat every day the panicked look on their faces was quite something when I told them what I had planned, they where very worried that I would inflict my new eating habits on them.

So off I went to the to see what I could get. I was pleasantly surprised at what is now available in a normal supermarket and slightly overwhelmed by the choices that there where. Everything from foe tuna to vegan Baileys, who knew! I was also surprised by the amount of “normal” food which is actually vegan, did take a lot of label reading and checking on my friend google! One of the biggest challenges I had was finding a milk that I would like in my coffee, after literally trying nearly all of them I did find a couple of great ones. Another thing I found interesting was just because you are eating vegan food it does not necessarily mean you are healthy, you could just live off ready meals, fake meat, bread, chip and ice cream!

I must say I really did enjoy my vegan month and I’m sticking with quite a few things and products I discovered. It now makes sense in my mind what a huge difference it could make to the planet and to nature If we all just ate a little less meat and dairy and where more mindful about what products we use on ourselves and around the house. Here are my tips.
1. Swap your milk of a non dairy version. The brands I like ‘rude health’ ‘innocent’ and ‘minor figures’ also ‘oath’ for the cream
2. Have one or two meat free days a week or even two meat free meals a day, everything makes a difference.
3. Eat more fruit and vegetables try an organic box deliver, we get Able and Cole.
4. If you choose to eat meat try to get organic make sure that is sourced locally and is grass fed and free range. Able and Cole Asli do meat and sustainable fish.
5. Change to a more eco friendly range of cleaning products, there are so many to chose from!
6. Check your skin care Brands are not used on animals and have eco friendly packaging. I recommend ‘Balance Me’ and ‘Tropic’.
7. Try to be more mindful about how much you cook so you don’t waste too much and love your leftovers!

I hope this was helpful, watch out for some more vegan and Vegetarian meal ideas coming soon!
T x

Creature of habit

Are you a creature of habit? Turns out if you are it’s a good thing! Recently I have been hearing a lot about a Man called BJ Fogg. I have just started following him on Instagram. His theory is we can create a tiny habits that are good for you and it with make you happier and healthier.

Most of us already have habits we have been doing for so long they are just part of us. Like brushing our teeth in the morning and before bed. Having a cup of tea or coffee when we wake up, take out vitamins. Brushing our hair, putting on make up? Locking the front door before bed. There are so many things.

I imagine most of you would like to become healthier or happier or more productive in your work . Attaching tiny habits may help you. Say taking the stairs at work instead of the lift, or walking or biking instead of taking the bus? Eating an extra portion of vegetables or fruit with each meal? Not finishing work till you have gone though that last bit of paperwork? Or spending more time with family and friends? Planting the vegetables patch you have always dreamt about? Meat free Monday? Doing charity work once a week?

The options are endless! So start small. Pick a time of day when you can add it in and stick with it. Maybe drinking a glass of water when you wake up and before each meal? Or getting outside for at least an hour a day! I’m going to start with trying to add posts to my blog once a week and hopefully giving some useful and healthful information to you all. Let me know how you get on!