Get moving again

By Rosemary Marchese

Feeling sluggish? Overworked? Tired? No energy to play with your kids in the backyard? Why don’t you try a fun run? Running is an awesome escape from the every day grind and a good excuse to ‘switch off’ and focus on something else – well something for you.

For those of you not accustomed to running I may hear you say that “running is not for me”.. Usually that just means your body isn’t trained for running and just needs to get fitter! It’s similar to kids who don’t like maths – but if you are good at it you love it!

If you haven’t run before try these tips to help you get started (don’t forget to warm up and cool down each time…and get a medical check up before starting any exercise program!).

1. If you’re very unfit, start with walking first. As you build up your endurance start interspersing your walks with some 30 to 60 second jogs. For example, walk for four-and-a-half minutes then jog/run for 30 seconds. Try this four to five times in a 30 minute period.

2. After three to four weeks try joining more and walking less. Keep the runs short to avoid injury and soreness.

3. Although to improve running ability the best thing to do is run, you may find adding in some cross training (such as a swim or cycle once per week) will add variety and give your body a break from running while still challenging your heart and skeletal muscles.

4. Find some great running/walking tracks to avoid the roads wherever possible. Vary your routes to avoid boredom.

5. Set realistic goals. Make sure you have short and long term goals. Pick the distance you want to achieve and set milestones to help you get there. Register for some shorter run runs to give you something to strive for and get you used to racing.

6. Once you have improved your fitness try adding some slight hills – uphill and downhill training are both taxing on the body and you need to practice both if you want to really improve as a runner!

7. Keep your shoulders square but relaxed. This will help you with your breathing and minimise muscle tension while running. Keep your arms relaxed and moving freely with your leg motion. Don’t tense your hands.

Upcoming Fun Runs

For those of you serious about giving your life a recharge why not register for a fun run somewhere near you? Better still, book a holiday around a fun run and participate while on holidays! For those of you down under here are some major upcoming events, but this is only a taste of what is out there…go on…get running!

1. Blackmores City running Festival

Date: Saturday 23rd September 2008.

Time: 7.30am.

Location: Milsons Point North Sydney

Distance: 9km run or walk.

Blackmores running festival info

Rosemary Marchese

(Editor-Ultra Fit Magazine, Physiotherapist)

Rosemary is a registered physiotherapist who has combined her expertise in health with fitness. She has over 15 years of experience teaching and consulting in the fitness industry. She is the co-author of the best-selling text book ‘The Essential Guide to Fitness: For the Fitness Instructor’, which was specifically written for those people wanting to start a career in the fitness industry. She is also Editor for Ultra Fit Magazine, which presents the fitness industry (experts and participants) up-to-the minute fitness industry research and workouts. For more information on Ultra Fit Magazine or Rosemary’s book, visit www.ultrafit.com.au.

By Craig Harper

Poor Delusional Me

Being a single bloke in his forties draws all kinds of comments, suggestions, inferences and questions from a broad cross-section of people, with responses ranging from pity to surprise, through to outright jealousy. Apparently the most interesting thing about me (for some people) is my wife-less-ness (a Craigism). Clearly there’s something weird, dark and dysfunctional about me that needs to be explored and explained.

Or… I could just be a happy, single bloke.

Naaah.

Pity

Women periodically feel sorry for me (while simultaneously trying to hook me up with their sister, cousin, neighbour or girlfriend), while blokes have been known to ask if I’d be interested in trading lives with them. According to some people, I must be miserable, lonely, unfulfilled and emotionally inept. Apparently I just think I’m happy; I’m just telling myself that to make ‘me’ feel better about being tragically single. And lonely. Poor delusional Craig.

Gotta say, my delusion is quite the place. You should visit.

The Happiness Fraud

After all, we live in our head and we create our own reality don’t we? So if I think I’m happy and I feel happy then that would make me… happy. Wouldn’t it? Nope, apparently I’m in denial. Consciously happy but subconsciously miserable. All this time and I didn’t realise. So ignorant of me. I’ve been a happiness fraud without knowing it. I best start working on my frown. And my country music CD collection. If only I could find an unhappy married person to challenge the marriage-happiness correlation theory. As if I’m gonna find one of them.

Oh well.

Husband anyone?

A Rubik’s Cube with Hair

Last time I spoke about being single on this site I was inundated with feedback on the matter. I personally seem to go through cycles where my wife-less-ness is of greater or lesser interest to other people. For me, it’s a non-issue but it seems that some people are always trying to figure me out. Apparently I’m some kind of complex human puzzle that needs to be solved. Or cured perhaps. Someone raises the subject with me at least once a week. Never smoked, never consumed alcohol, never been married = weird. At least once a week I hear something like “it’s strange that someone in your position (my position?) isn’t married.” Okay, it’s official; I’m strange. If not me, my situation.

Ticking the Boxes

But this article is not about my marital status, it’s about pressure, standards, expectations and the unwritten rules. You know the rules. Living in Western Society there are certain boxes which (allegedly) need to be ticked if we’re going to fit in and be seen as normal. The irony of normal being that while it’s apparently desirable, it’s not necessarily where happiness lives. In reality, some people’s (version of) normal is actually what provides them with the most pain, frustration and grief. We think we want normal but perhaps what we really want is exceptional. Abnormal even. After all, take a look at society’s normal and it ain’t really that attractive. In fact, we could say that it looks kinda broke, a little chubby, somewhat unhealthy, not particularly happy and decidedly unfulfilled (miserable) with it’s career.

2.3 Kids

Of course there are the accepted (expected maybe) social standards and behaviours; kind of like a life TO DO list. It’s not always spoken of… but it exists. All the stuff us normal folk are meant to do over the course of our normal lives. Marriage (at least once), kids (2.3 of them), annual holidays (2-4 weeks, somewhere warm), buy a house (pay it off over two hundred years - can’t go wrong with real estate), a sensible job (large firm, good conditions, something secure, potential for progression), weekly attendance at a house of worship (keeping in mind the eternal consequences of non-attendance)… you get the point. Of course there’s nothing wrong (at all) with aspiring to marriage, a good career, financial success, a couple of rug rats or a respected place in the congregation or the after-life, but the problem lies in our (society’s) consensual thinking that ticking these boxes automatically provides an individual with a better (more balanced, more fulfilled, more worthwhile, happier) life than the person who ticks zero (of those) boxes.

The Enormity of Conformity

On some level we all want to fit in, but it seems that in trying to blend in with the landscape of humanity we often lose our purpose, our individuality and our sense of self. We lose, or maybe never discover, the real us. The us we could be. Should be. Rather than exploring our potential, our talent, our curiosities and our passion, we become what’s expected of us. We tick boxes. We keep parents happy. Bosses happy. We say the right things. Do the right things. We conform. We become another clone. And living in a world which so often punishes individuality, conformity is understandable. Sad, but understandable.

Rules Schmules

I often think about the impact that the great unspoken TO DO list has on our lives. The rules, the expectations, the pressure, the confusion, the embarrassment and even the shame of not conforming, not ticking all the boxes and not living up to society’s standards or the expectations of others in our world. Some of us have spent far too much time, ticking way too many boxes. Perhaps it’s time to stop.

Craig Harper is a motivational speaker, qualified exercise scientist, author, radio presenter, television personality and owner of one of the largest personal training centres in the world. Visit Craig’s website motivational speaker for more life lessons.

by Heather Smith

Welcome to money savers anonymous. Hi! I am Heather Smith and I love to save money. I like to find a bargain, but what excites me even more than money saving is when I get something for free.

What’s more, being thrifty is in many cases environmentally friendly. I have applied this philosophy to my business and am happy to share these money saving tips with you.

1. Go halves on the cost of business cards and double your exposure with a complimentary business - your details on one side and theirs on the other. Or get a large business who is trying to break into the small business market to sponsor your business cards.

2. Stop subscribing to magazines and sign up for their newsletters instead.

3. Rather than send out printed newsletters, send out an email newsletter.

4. Get all of your old, good quality magazines and attach a business flyer to the inside cover. Contact a complimentary business or the local doctors’ office and ask if you can leave them in their waiting area.

5. Scan newsletters for money saving offers. I recently got a 3 license Microsoft Office package as a thank-you for attending a 90 minute Microsoft customer survey meeting.

6. Use forums and websites to research your market. For example, if you designed ladies clothing, you could post pictures of swabs of material you are thinking of using on women friendly forums, like Notebook. Invite feedback and build a community at the same time.

7. Utilise online communities like LinkedIn, Facebook and myspace to connect with people and further build your community.

8. There are many free training resources including online tutorials, webinars and podcasts available on the internet.

9. The library has a wealth of free information available. Take the time to learn how to put books on hold or request a special order (i.e. a transfer from an out of state library).

10. State Government organisations offer very reasonably priced seminars for business.

11. The Australian Taxation Office offers free seminars for business.

12. SMILE! That was unexpected wasn’t it? Simply being nice to people can assist in keeping the costs down.

13. Investigate whether your trade associations offer specialised services that suits your needs. For example, many offer discounted insurance and promotion within their member’s directory.

14. If you run a home office, find out how much of your buildings and contents insurance coverage will cover your home office.

15. Save money on passport photos here.

16. Plan your week so that errands and client meetings can be undertaken in one visit. This will save you time and petrol.

17. Investigate a telephone service such as Skype or Engin, and restrict overseas calls on your landline.

18. Turn off power switches for equipment that you are not using.

19. Use recycled ink cartridge.

20. Sign up with Freecycle. Freecycle promotes waste reduction, by matchings people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them. This means you can furnish your home office for free or save on dumping costs.

Finally some things that you should definitely not skimp on: a good quality office chair, the coffee or your bookkeeper!

We would love to hear your money saving tips.

Heather Smith, an MYOB Certified Consultant and Specialist Trainer, provides business management software solutions which generate accurate and timely financial information that the business owner can use and understand.

For more from Heather Smith, head to www.flyingsolo.com.au, Australia’s online community for solo and micro business owners.

By Matt O’Neil

Want to get more bang for your buck at the supermarket? Would you like to know that every calorie is working to get you healthy? Then why not try THE new food mantra ‘nutrient-rich eating’?

During the last decade, food marketers have busied themselves removing many nutritional nasties from our food. These ‘better-for-you’ foods are labelled ‘less fat’, ‘salt-reduced’, ‘low-sugar’ and ‘additive-free’, and are promoted as being healthier so you can get into shape.

But simply eliminating certain nutrients and food chemicals from your diet won’t guarantee optimal wellbeing. What is important are the ingredients that improve the health of your cells and optimise your metabolism. These are the vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds (known as phytochemicals) that you want to pack into your pantry.

What is ‘Nutrient-rich’ eating?

Professor Adam Drewnowski from the University of Washington is leading the way to define the terms ‘nutrient-rich’ and ‘nutrient density’. He suggests that a nutrients-to-calorie ratio can translate to a ‘nutrient density score’ that will help people make better food choices.

This means that the pathway to optimum health will be easier because every calorie will count in terms of the nutrients you receive per calorie. Fast foods and sweet snacks offer many calories but few nutrients, obviously a poor choice.

Nutrition all-stars

Shining the nutrient-rich torch across a range of foods reveals that some foods shine brighter than others. This concept also reinforces the need for portion control, ensuring that you only eat amounts that provide a level of beneficial nutrients without excessive calories.

Here are some stand-out foods that are recommended:

Nuts – Nuts contain healthy fats plus vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, all helping to reduce heart disease risk, lower cholesterol and control weight. An average serve (30g) of mixed nuts provides about 20% of the recommended daily requirement of vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. It also appears that moderate nut consumption is not a threat to weight gain because of their energy burning affects and ability to satisfy hunger.

Eggs – Once eliminated from diets due to cholesterol concerns, eggs are now recognised as nutritional powerhouses. Along with other nutrients, they can contribute up to a third of the daily requirement for iodine, essential for healthy thyroid function and maintenance of metabolic rate. Unless you are sensitive to the cholesterol in eggs, an egg a day is acceptable.

Milk – Often cast out of weight loss diets, dairy products are now acknowledged as assisting weight management. In population studies, the lowest consumers of dietary calcium tend to weigh the most and the highest consumers, weigh the least. Researchers are busy looking for the mechanisms by which dairy foods exert fat loss benefits.

Fish oil – In the 1990’s, a claim that taking a capsule of fat helps fat burning would be met with extreme scepticism. However, recent studies show that high-end fish and fish oil consumers may have a fat burning advantage. The studies show that the long-chain fatty acids in fish oil may enhance cellular membrane function to help release more stored body fat, particularly when combined with exercise.

Dark chocolate – Emerging studies suggest that eating small amounts of dark chocolate daily, say 25g or two small squares, can help improve blood pressure and cholesterol level. The antioxidants in the cocoa, which are more concentrated in the 70% and 85% dark chocolate, are believed to offer the benefits. Just remember that in this case more is not better!

Processed food CAN be nutrient-rich

Just because a food might be nutrient-rich does not mean those nutrients are available to our body. Together with the concept of nutrient density comes the ‘bioavailability’ of the nutrients. For example, the calcium in dairy products is absorbed better than the calcium in spinach which is bound up in the food.

Although processed foods tend to be less nutritious than their fresh counterparts, there are a few exceptions. For example, folate in the form of folic acid in breakfast cereals is more bioavailable than the folate found naturally in asparagus and other folate-rich vegetables.

Similarly, you will get more of the antioxidant lycopene from a can of tomato paste than from raw tomatoes. If you heat the paste in oil you will further enhance the release of lycopene into your body. Of course, choose a low-salt option for tomato paste.

Nutrient-rich snacks for people on the run

Too busy to think about nutrient-rich foods? Then try some of these power-packed snacks to help you through your day.

Berry smoothie – antioxidants and calcium
Mixed nuts and seeds – monounsaturated fats and vitamin E
Canned salmon – omega-3 fish oils
Natural yoghurt – beneficial bacteria and calcium

Your new nutritional mantra

Nutrient-rich eating is more than a healthy recommendation, it is a guiding philosophy that can communicate your true food values. If every time you plan a meal or snack you demand a nutrient-rich experience, then you will automatically choose wholesome foods. This will keep you in good shape for life - exactly what your body deserves.

Matt O’Neill is a top Australian nutritionist and regular on Channel 7’s Sunrise program. You can subscribe to Matt’s free email newsletter, download useful tools or enrol in a course at his website at www.SmartShape.com.au

by Andrew May

Exercise addiction has only recently begun to be studied and psychologists have even given it a new term “anorexia athletica”. Andrew May discusses how much exercise is too much.

“While exercise generally enhances your health, when taken to the extreme it can have very disastrous effects on both your physical and psychological well-being,” May explained.

“Exercise addiction is an obsession with physical activity and training for hours and hours a day, every spare morsel of time is spent exercising. It can get dangerous when a commitment to exercise crosses the line to dependency and compulsion and can result in physical, social, and psychological problems.

“A recent study revealed that 23 percent of gym goers exercised between six and 20 hours a week and had become dependent on their physical fix.”

He said experts agree that one percent of the population suffer from exercise addiction. This percentage is much higher in specific populations including elite runners, endurance athletes and obsessive gym goers.

“Like other forms of addiction, an exercise addict isn’t able to see value in unrelated activities and continues to train even when it’s against their best interests. They lose perspective about the role that exercise has in life,” he said.

“Excessive exercise can lead to many undesirable health effects and long-term injuries, osteoporosis and chronic fatigue. Without adequate recovery muscle tissue breaks down causing both a loss of muscle mass and a slowed metabolism.”

Other problems can include a breakdown of the immune system, a fatigued central nervous system and psychological issues.

“Training addiction can also lead to severe depression, as sufferers feel like they are never good enough. As well as have a negative impact on work and relationships.”

There are signs that you may be taking your exercise routine too seriously. If you answer ‘yes’ to four or more of the following questions you may be loosing perspective on exercise.

• You regularly miss social events in order to exercise
• Missing a workout makes you feel irritable and depressed
• You like exercise more then sex, good food or a night out
• Family and friends have told you you’re obsessed about training
• You still exercise when sick or unwell
• Your favourite videos are Jane Fonda’s Complete Workout, Yoga 101 and Buns of Steel

“The first step in kicking the obsession is to acknowledge that there is a problem and to enlist support. It is important to question your reasons for exercising and to find a healthier balance in your routine.

“In many cases exercise addiction is often the first sign of an eating disorder. The underlying psychological causes are usually linked with low self-esteem, which finds gratification in the gains made by training,” he said.

“Exercise addiction is not something to be taken lightly. While it may not sound as serious as other mental illnesses it can lead to psychological and physiological disorders that require intervention and can dramatically affect the quality of your life.”

Watch Andrew May talking about Exercise Addiction on the Today Show

Exercise addiction

Andrew May is is considered Australia’s leading expert on performance and productivity and is the author of the bestselling book, Flip the Switch and Switched On Health Professionals. Andrew speaks at conferences across the globe, mentors CEO’s and senior managers. He is published throughout national and international media, with regular segments on 2UE radio, Mix 106.5 Body and Soul and Channel Nine’s TODAY show.

by Tom Buckley

Over the past two decades the technological around the clock competitive society has resulted in a “sink or swim” philosophy.  Indeed, many would suggest we are experiencing a time of crisis within opportunity. Significant advances in communication have made it harder to slow down and “recharge”, coupled with increased need to be super productive, all of which leads to the “toxic human”.

In my opinion, prevention of environmental intoxication is about gaining back control. But, how do you get control and prevent becoming intoxicated? Unless pointed out to you, you are probably unaware of just how powerful our senses are and secondly just how easy it is to make very small changes in our every day environment that have massive benefits. I call this call Sensory Manipulation, although it’s less about manipulation and more about awareness.

Our senses may be broadly divided into two categories as follows:
•    Special Senses: vision, hearing, taste, smell and balance (equilibrium)
•    Somatic senses: touch, temperature, pain, and
•    proprioception (muscle movement and position).

One of the most understated of these senses is sight (I will focus on the others in forthcoming articles). Light receptors found in the retina of your eye are one of the major contributors to the setting of your day/night body clock. These receptors send messages to your brain which then interprets the messages and passes them onto on to the pineal gland (a pea-like structure found behind the hypothalamus in your brain) to control your sleep/wake patterns.

Recent studies have consistently associated exposure to morning light with not just high day time energy levels but also with better quality sleep.  So initially it may not seem like common sense to get more daylight in the morning to recharge better at night - but it works – try it – but be committed.

Tom Buckley a University lecturer and researcher in the field or Health Sciences whose doctoral studies focused on physiological responses to stress. Author of several peer reviewed publications and supporting author of Flip the Switch, his current research interests are in human factors related to performance and wellbeing

By Kate James

‘If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone.’ Samuel Johnson

It’s funny how some days you think you have all the friends in the world and then others, you wake up and wonder who you can catch up with for a drink or dinner or a walk.

During school and university, it’s generally pretty easy to make friends. You’re surrounded by people of similar ages and your lives have enough common ground for you to be able to relate to one another. For most people, those friendships last comfortably into their twenties or even thirties but after that, things often start to change.

As people pair up, travel overseas or start their own families, friends become dispersed - if not by distance then by the differences in life circumstances. Many of the clients I see in their early thirties (both men and women) have found themselves somewhat bereft of a fulfilling social network. Particularly those who are single.

One of the difficulties lies in knowing where to connect with people your own age…and the next is finding the motivation to get out there and do something about it. Admitting to loneliness is taboo in our society, but the truth is, we all experience it at some time in our lives and its effects are deeply felt.

At a recent meditation retreat, I discovered something truly valuable. In a peaceful, unhurried setting, where there was time to really get to know people, everyone was interesting. Spending a weekend together (albeit, with a shared interest) helped. But the thing that had the most profound effect on me personally was the attitude of a fellow guest at the beginning of the weekend. When asked by Paul Wilson (the retreat leader) what brought us here, this participant said ‘I’ve been to many retreats before and what I enjoy most is that every person I’ve met is interesting’.

Ian’s words made me realise how much we limit ourselves in creating room for new friends in our lives. We judge others too quickly; we anticipate that everyone else has enough friends and therefore wouldn’t be open to an approach from us; we imagine we’re not good enough or we simply allow ourselves to accept that the way things are is all that will ever be.

If you have room in your life for a new friend, don’t sit back and wait for it to happen.

* join a group that interests you - Adult Education have a whole range of different options http://www.cae.edu.au/
* Volunteer somewhere - Good Company is great if you can’t commit to ongoing volunteer work http://www.goodcompany.com.au/
* Rekindle an old friendship. Don’t let it bother you that its been years since you’ve been in touch with someone…make the call today
* Be bold - ask an acquaintance you have something in common with out for coffee
* Get to know the parents of your children’s friends better by inviting them for dinner
* Make friends with an elderly neighbour
* Don’t restrict yourself to friends of the same age…some of the most valuable friendships are those where we have something to learn from one another

Kate James is a work life balance coach, writer and speaker. She works with professional people who want to enhance their quality of life by making the right career and life choices. You can find Kate at   www.totalbalance.com.au.

by Dr. Tim Sharp

Relaxation strategies can be extremely helpful and useful. Relaxation can help you to better manage stress, tension and anxiety. It can help you get to sleep and fall asleep again if you wake during the night. Overall, it can help you manage a whole range of situations better and thereby, to enjoy life even more.

So what is relaxation? It is more than just sitting in front of the TV or having a bubble bath (although these activities can certainly be enjoyable and relaxing at times!). The relaxation we are talking about here is a relaxation that can be a powerful tool for life. Deep relaxation refers to a distinct physiological state that is the exact opposite of the way your body feels and reacts under tension and stress. It involves a series of physiological changes including:
•    lowered heart rate
•    lowered perspiration levels
•    lowered blood pressure
•    lowered muscle tension
•    lowered metabolic rate
•    lowered analytical thinking

The good news is that as well as being very effective, relaxation really isn’t very difficult to learn. It is simply a skill, and just like any other skill, the more you practise using it, the better you’ll get and the more effective it will be for you.

The key is to practice as often as you can, and in as many situations as you can. Even if you can only practice for a few minutes, several times a day, you’ll gradually master the skill and begin to realise the benefits. You will start feeling more relaxed all the time.

To begin with, therefore, put aside three to five minutes, a couple of times each day, and try to relax. If you don’t know how to do it just do nothing. Following are some general guidelines that apply to all types of relaxation exercises. There are many different ways to relax and general guidelines that apply to all the various relaxation techniques.

When - It is best to use the exercises before breakfast, and before going to sleep. ideally, relaxation should be done before eating. Also, developing a routine set time each day is most helpful.
Where - Find a quiet place that feels safe and where you won’t be disturbed.
Position - Any comfortable position, such as sitting in a chair with good back support or lying down.
How long - It’s ideal to gradually build up to between ten and twenty minutes, once or twice a day, plus about three to five minutes, five times each day.
Focusing - Be aware of your breathing and/or concentrate on a calming word.

Breathing techniques

Firstly you need to understand what your normal breathing rate is. To begin, count your breaths using a stopwatch or a watch with a second hand. Each breath in and out counts as one. So, on the first breath in and out, count one. On the next breath in and out, count two, and so on. Don’t try to slow your breathing down at this stage.  Time yourself for a minute to see how many breaths per minute you’re taking.
The average person takes about ten to fourteen breaths per minute when at rest. If your breathing rate is more than this, then you’re breathing too quickly. Simply learning how to slow your breathing down will help you feel noticeably calmer. Next, practise this slow breathing exercise:
•    take a slow deep breath in for three seconds through your nose, and then breathe out for three seconds through your mouth. Think the word “relax” every time you breathe out. Let your breathing flow smoothly. Imagine the tension flowing out of your body each time you breathe out. Continue doing this for about five minutes.
•    count your breathing again after you complete the exercise. Ideally, you will be breathing at a slower rate. But don’t worry if you’re not. It might take time and more practice before you really start to experience the benefits. This is the slow breathing or controlled breathing technique. Practise it as often as you can through the day and try it out in as many different situations as you can. Soon, you’ll be a master of keeping calm and you’ll be in a position to explore other forms of relaxation and meditation.

Progressive muscle relaxation

This involves tensing and relaxing all the different muscle groups in your body. The idea is to tense each muscle group in succession (without straining) as you breathe in, and then to let go and relax the muscles as you breathe out. Then give yourself fifteen to twenty seconds to relax, noticing how the muscle group feels when relaxed, in contrast to how it feels when it’s tense, before moving on to the next group of muscles. Throughout the exercise, try to stay focused on your muscles. If your attention wanders, bring it back to the particular body area you’re working on.

To help you remember each of your muscle groups, you can relax your muscles in the following order:
•    hands - Curl your hands into a fist, and then relax.
•    lower arms - Bend your hands at the wrist, and then relax.
•    upper arms - Tighten your biceps by bending your arms at the elbow, and then relax.
•    shoulders - Shrug your shoulders up, and then relax.
•    neck - Pull your head back as if you were going to touch your head to your back, and then relax.
•    forehead and scalp - Frown and tense your eyebrows and scalp, and then relax.
•    eyes - Clench your eyelids tightly shut, and then relax.
•    jaw - Clench your teeth shut, and then relax.
•    tongue - Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, and then relax.
•    chest - Breathe in deeply to inflate your lungs, then relax.
•    stomach - Push your tummy out to tighten the muscles, and then relax.
•    back - Arch your back slightly, then relax.
•    buttocks - Pull your buttocks together, then relax.
•    thighs - Squeeze the muscles all the way down to your knees, and then relax.
•    calves - Lift your toes off the ground towards your shins, and then relax.
•    feet - Curl your toes down towards the floor, and then relax.
When you have worked through all the muscle groups, imagine a state of relaxation spreading throughout your entire body. Take some slow, controlled breaths while you sit for few moments, enjoying the feeling of being deeply relaxed.

Just as with the slow breathing, and in fact with all forms of relaxation and meditation, practise as often as you can. With regular practice, progressive muscle relaxation can go a long way toward helping you to better manage your stress and feel better generally.

Visual or pleasant imagery

This is another form of relaxation that builds on the controlled breathing and progressive muscle relaxation techniques. Visual imagery is most effective in creating feelings of calmness and tranquility, and it’s the form of relaxation that most resembles meditation. It can be practised anywhere, but is typically easiest to do in a quiet, peaceful location.

To begin with, review the controlled breathing technique, and/or the progressive muscle relaxation approach, and then try to visualise yourself in a peaceful scene. Imagining yourself in a pleasant setting can give you an overall feeling of relaxation that frees you from stressful thoughts. It’s important to try to visualise the scene in enough detail so that it completely absorbs your attention. When you’re absorbed in this way, your state of relaxation deepen . Start off using visual imagery. Make yourself comfortable and breathe nice and slowly.

Take a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly and thinking calming, relaxing thoughts.  Picture yourself in a beautiful location, where everything is as you would ideally have it. You may be on a beach, in a rainforest, by a lake, or just at home in a nice comfortable chair. Imagine yourself as calm and relaxed. You can feel yourself as calm and relaxed. All you can hear is calming, peaceful and relaxing. The sky is blue, the water fresh, and the chair warm and soft. Use your imagination to create a tranquil and peaceful place to relax. Involve all of your senses and tell yourself that you can return to this place whenever you want to or need to relax.

Once you’ve imagined your own ideal scene, practice returning to it as often as possible (even if only for a few minutes at a time). This will help you establish the scene in your mind and make it easier to return to. After a while, you’ll be able to visualise the scene whenever you want to calm yourself and unwind.

Once mastered, this technique is one of the quickest and most effective ways to combat ongoing daily hassles so use it as much as you can and get more out of life with less stress.

Dr. Sharp is one of Australia’s leaders in the exciting new science of positive psychology and happiness. In short, he is one of this country’s leading Executive Coaches, a highly qualified consultant on matters relating to human behaviour and psychology (particularly the application of positive psychology principles within organisations and teams) and a sought after public/corporate speaker. For more information please email info@thehappinessinstitute or visit The Happiness Institute

by Catherine Saxelby

Energy or vitality?

Do you want more energy?  Want to bounce out of bed in the morning? Need to power through your Inbox? That’s what all frantic overworked people want, isn’t it? Energy and lots of it! Yet that’s not what is meant by the word ‘energy’ when it’s listed on a food pack.

As a nutritionist, I hate the word ‘energy’. These days it’s everywhere on energy drinks, energy bars, B vitamin pills and even breakfast cereals that claim ‘carbs for energy’ as if there was something magical about their cereal.

The problem is that the term ‘energy’ has two meanings. Tired people seeing ‘energy’ on a food pack think it will give them more ‘vitality’ and ‘vigour’ of the sort associated with the ‘high energy’ lifestyles promoted in the media.

To a science-based person, however, ‘energy’ means something completely different. It refers to the fuel value supplied by food and diets and burned by activities.

Kilojoules and calories

These are the units used to measure food energy - kilojoules (abbreviated to kJ) and Calories (Cals). Kilojoules are the metric units that have replaced Calories, e.g. a bowl of cereal supplies 480 kilojoules or 117 Calories.

A ‘high energy’ food (seemingly positive) simply means it’s high in kilojoules (not so positive), something to avoid if we’re sedentary or overweight. Chocolate bars are often promoted as ‘high energy’ together with images of athletes sprinting, running a marathon or doing push-ups. If that’s what you do with your day, then you need high kilojoules. If you’re a tired office worker getting little or no exercise then you definitely don’t! In reality, ‘high energy’ means high kilojoules – around 1090 kilojoules or 265 Calories for an average 60 gram bar. You’d have to jog 30 minutes to burn off the energy.

Energy drinks - are they just caffeine or will they boost your energy?

‘Energy drinks’ is another misleading term for the processed, coloured, flavoured caffeinated drinks sold at night clubs and workplaces. The ‘boost to energy’ from these comes from their caffeine and sugar – simple! Caffeine is an effective aid to both mental and physical performance. We love it because it decreases our perception of fatigue and increases alertness. But if you’re not active, beware of all that sugar.

How to get more vitality

Vitality comes from a balanced lifestyle which includes:

•    Steering clear of so-called ‘high energy’ - high kilojoule - foods which weigh you down, not pick you up!

•    Eating a balanced diet - wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, nuts - that gives you the vitamins and minerals you need.

•    Exercising – it clears out the cobwebs, releases endorphins and renews your enthusiasm for life.

•    Being positive (depressed people often have little energy)

•    Getting enough sleep

•    Little or no alcohol

•    Having a passion or purpose in life

•    Listening to energising music

•    Eating lightly – especially late in day

•    Doing some fun, silly things every so often.

The bottom line

If you’re tired and are craving more ‘energy’, chances are your life is somewhat unbalanced. A little more sleep, a little more exercise and more fresh foods are the answer not energy drinks and energy bars. Remember there’s energy (vitality and vigour) and there’s energy (empty kilojoules)! Choose the former not the latter.

Catherine Saxelby is a nutritionist and author of Nutrition for Life. Visit her website www.foodwatch.com.au for more ideas on healthy eating.

By Allan Bolton B.H.M.S. (Hons) MAAESS AEP SP

It’s often called ‘the fire within’, but what exactly is our metabolism?

Put simply, the human body is a big bio-chemical fire - a mass of chemical reactions - with a ‘personality’. These chemical reactions result in the tissue and compounds that make up our bodies. They are also responsible for breaking our food down into energy, and then releasing that energy for physical activity. Our metabolism is the name given to all the biochemical processes necessary to sustain life. The body’s ‘metabolic rate’ (MR) refers to the amount of energy our bodies need to stay alive.

The ‘basal metabolic rate’ (BMR) refers to the energy used up by the body at rest, without any extra activity during the day. The BMR accounts for around 70% of daily energy use. Other factors taken into account include the ‘thermic effect of food’ (the energy used digesting and absorbing food and nutrients, and converting it into energy) and exercise (any physical activity above resting) which make up the other 30%. The energy expenditure related to muscle metabolism is considered to be the only component of RMR that varies considerably.

5 ways keep your metabolism wired-in and charged up?

1. Turn it up to burn it up – move your body as much as you can. Physical activity is the best way to stoke up the intensity of the ‘fire within’.
2. Muscle up – the energy cost for keeping 10kg of muscle alive is around 420 kilojoules per day, over a year this equates to 4.7kgs of body fat.
3. Fuel the fire – Don’t starve yourself, any fire burns out without fuel. Be sure to metabolically match energy you eat with energy you expend.
4. Stay cool and green – Bodies have to work to keep warm so let your body do some of the work in winter, not the power point. Use light layers of blankets that can be peeled off just keeping you comfortably warm instead of sweltering under thick quilts and frying on top of electric blankets.
5. Hug a cold friend and share your warmth

Allan Bolton is an accredited exercise physiologist. He has worked in health, fitness and human performance over the past 28 years. Over this time Allan has featured in media including all major Australian newspapers, National commercial TV news, ABC radio and most commercial stations. He is a Scientific Advisor and Health and Fitness expert for Weight Watchers Australasia. Allan was the first person in the world with insulin dependent diabetes to complete an Ironman Triathlon. This mix of qualification and personal achievement make him a popular corporate keynote speaker and workshop presenter. For more go to Allan’s website at www.qualityhealth.com.au