10 minute read
HEALTH & WELLBEING
REALITY, IMAGINATION AND PAIN
By Dr Andrea Haas, Inner Strength
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One of the qualities that the brain has is that it cannot tell the difference between imagination and reality. What do I mean by that? Have you ever worried about that talk you’ve got to give or your dental appointment, and you find your heart starting to race, you feel short of breath, sick and even sweaty? And you are still sitting at home on your sofa! Those thoughts have produced the same physical symptoms as if you were actually at the dentist or giving that speech. Athletes use this quality of the brain to their advantage. If an athlete has injured himself and is unable to train, he can rehearse, in his head, his routine, such as running the 100m and winning or a gym routine. It activates the same neural pathways as if he is actually doing the routine. When he is fit enough to return to training he feels as if he has never been away.
How does this fit in with pain? People who have pain spend a lot of time imagining doing things with pain, which then stops them doing that activity. You may have thoughts such as ‘I’m not going to go on that country walk because I will get stuck halfway due to pain and won’t be able to get home’. These thoughts activate the relevant neural pathways so that when you do go for a walk, guess what, your thoughts come true. I get my clients to spend time visualising a specific activity pain free. This can be challenging because people with pain spend most of their time focused on their pain and what aggravates their pain. And what you put your attention on, you get more of. It becomes reinforced and a habit.
So, choose a simple activity that you want to be able to do pain free, such as driving, getting out of a chair or walking. Every day spend five minutes sitting somewhere where you won’t be disturbed, shut your eyes and relax and visualise yourself doing the activity easily and comfortably. Like all things new, it will take a bit of practice, and the more often you do it the easier it will become. The most common comment I get is ‘but I can’t visualise things’. We are all able to visualise, because if you were asked to describe your front door, you would be able to do so, and this requires visualisation. So, get visualising! It is actually fun! Next time, I will tell you about Dr John Sarno, a physician who has revolutionised the management of back pain.
Dr Andrea Haas 07770 672122
HOW’S YOUR HEALTH?
Whatever age we are, it’s important to try to take care of our own health and wellbeing as far as we can, doing things that will help us stay fit and healthy and prevent ill health as we get older.
With age, we have a higher risk of developing something dangerous like high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. Taking a free NHS Health Check can help to spot early signs and help prevent these happening to you, which means you’ll be more likely to enjoy life for a longer time. The free NHS Health Check is your chance to get your free mid-life MOT! For adults in England aged 40-74 without a preexisting health condition, it checks your circulatory and vascular health and what your risk of getting a disabling vascular disease would be.
What happens at a free NHS Health Check? The purpose of the health check is to assess your risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, kidney disease, stroke and certain types of dementia. The test takes around 20-30 minutes and during the check they will: • ask you some simple questions, for example, about your family history and any medication you are currently taking • record your height, weight, age, sex and ethnicity • take your blood pressure • do a simple blood test to check your cholesterol and sugar levels – in most cases results are available in just five minutes
• calculate your risk of developing cardiovascular disease • give you some personalised lifestyle advice to help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease • send your results to your GP if you are seen by the Outreach
Team or a pharmacist If you are aged between 40-74, with no pre-existing health conditions, book your free health check by going online to www.somersethealthchecks.co.uk or email somerset.bookings@ thrivetribe.org.uk or you can call for more information on 01823 261794 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). For more information about Wellbeing in South Somerset, visit www.wellbeingsouthsomerset.org.
ESSENTIAL OILS
By Tracy Frost
I thought I would share a little bit about how essential oils work when we inhale them, either from the bottle, our palms or in a diffuser.
When I talk about essential oils, I am only talking about DoTerra Essential Oils as I know they are one of the purest and most tested oils on the market.
Here comes the science. When we inhale the aroma, the odour molecules from the scent travel up the nose and into the olfactory bulb, where they get trapped in the membranes of the olfactory bulb that are well protected by the lining inside of the nose. When this lining gets stimulated by the odour molecules, the nerve cells trigger electrical impulses from the olfactory bulb into the brain, into the limbic system. This system is directly connected to those parts of the brain that control heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, stress levels and hormone balance. Essential oils can have a profound effect on our physiological and psychological levels.
The sense of smell is the only one of the five senses directly linked to the limbic lobe of our brain, the emotional control centre. So, anxiousness, deep or low mood, fear, anger, love and joy all come from this region of our brain. As I have said, when we inhale, the scent goes up through the olfactory bulb, through a system called the corpus callosum and ends up in the hypothalamus where all these senses reside.
Once inhaled, it only takes 22 seconds for the aroma and molecules to arrive in the hypothalamus and start to work! You can see the huge benefits of using essential oils; they are quick and easy to use and very portable, so you can have them with you at all times. Lavender is probably one of the most commonly known oils, some love it, some hate it, but it is a great all-round oil to have. It contains linalool which has calming properties and can really help with those overwhelming feelings, anxiousness, anger and low mood. When we start to feel these feelings and emotions arise, this is the time to get the lavender out.
On an emotional level, lavender is the oil of communication, not just to others but more importantly to ourselves. It helps us to be kinder and gentler with our words towards ourself, and this is a great way to start building an emotional foundation.
Bergamot contains esters like linalyl acetate which makes it a powerful calming oil. This oil can help with sad emotions and sleep issues as it has sedative properties, but on an emotional level it helps with our self-acceptance, feeling good enough, hopeful and optimistic. Bergamot’s strong cleansing properties generate movement in our energy systems, which help bring in the hope.
This is just the tip of the iceberg about essential oils. I hope you have enjoyed reading about how they work, and if you would like more information, please contact me.
Until next time,
Much love, Tracy x
Inner Sparkle
Aroma Touch Holistic Life Coach Essential Oils Reiki
Tracy Frost
FUN IN THE SUN
By Ben Murcer, Fitness Instructor, Sherborne Sports Centre
With this amazing weather, why not take full advantage by getting a workout done by yourself or with a group outside?
Increasing amounts of evidence are showing that increased time spent outdoors is making positive enhancements to mental health in adults. In children, greater exposure to the outdoors has been shown to make improvements in attention and cognition.
Research indicates that getting outside and exercising has many benefits, physically and mentally, reducing stress and positively enhancing mood. Just going out and walking for 30 minutes a day has major health benefits including lowering cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Most people struggle with getting a workout in during the day; ‘I don’t have enough time…, It's too hot…, I don’t know what to do…’ are some of the reasons I’ve heard when asking people about their exercise routine, or lack of. So why not try to get up 30, 20 or even 15 minutes before your usual alarm, go outside whilst it’s nice and cool and get a little workout in? A study involving 12 healthy women compared exercising in morning to evening; the findings of this showed that exercise completed in the morning had a more positive effect on mood when compared to evening.
So why not start the day right, even if you have a small window. Here’s a basic how-to guide to creating a workout!
• How long do you have? 15/20/30 minutes?
• Choose five different exercises • Assign each exercise a number of repetitions If you have more than 30 minutes, could you fit two 15-minute workouts in! Sports Centre
Here’s one we created earlier – 15-minute Leg Emphasis AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)
1. Reverse lunge x 20
2. Squat jump x 20
3. Glute bridge x 15
4. Lateral lunge x 20
5. Wall sit x 20 sec
Up for a challenge? I completed four rounds. Try to beat me!
For more workouts and even a challenge, go to our Facebook page @sherbornesports where we created different challenges and workouts over Lockdown.
EXCITING NEW FITNESS SUITE REFURB FOR OXLEY SPORTS CENTRE
By Kevin Raguindin, Fitness Instructor
Here at Oxley Sports Centre, we have a very exciting August ahead of us as our fitness suite is undergoing a fantastic new refurbishment and will be transformed ready for September.
The fitness suite will be having a new fresh and modern look, whilst maintaining the welcoming feel for our customers. With the new equipment arriving, we will ensure that we keep up to date with the ever-evolving changes that the industry sees. The new refurbishment will see the fitness suite undergo a complete change including brand-new CV equipment, new resistance equipment, the removal of the wall between The Zone and main fitness suite allowing for more space, complete redecoration, brandnew flooring and frosting on the windows.
The new CV equipment has been chosen so it caters for everyone. One new piece of equipment, the Krankcycle, is great for wheelchair users and is an upper body stationary cycle with independent crank arms. Enabling forward and reverse movements, it allows the seat to be removed allowing wheelchair access. We will also have the new Endurance Stepper which is a great piece of kit for working your leg muscles and a variety of cardio. a viable option for everyone to include in their workouts. This new equipment will take strength training to the next level and make it more efficient. As we all know, strength training has many benefits such as strengthening muscles, improving bone density, improving the cardiovascular system, and promoting both mobility and flexibility. It is especially good for the more mature gym users.
There will be a functional training area with various stations allowing more space for people to train. The refurbishment will also include a new squat rack and platform to bring in more variety and a great space for those who like to do compound lifts such as deadlifts, squats, and Olympic lifting movements.
We have also added more cable machines to the new floorplan as they give so much versatility when it comes to performing different functional exercises.
These exciting new changes will create a motivational environment for existing members as well as enticing new members. There is something for everyone, young, old, fit and those working on their fitness. Our aim is to continue to provide our customers with the best possible experience, equipment and technology,
and to enhance the wellbeing of our community. Why not come and check it out this September? 135x93.5 Conduit quarter WHITE.qxp_Layout 1 08/07/2022 15:11 Page 7
