Karen's Newsletter

What will you do this week to slow down?

A workout will workout your stress

While physical activity has been known to reduce cancer risks, ward off Alzheimer’s disease and assist in weight loss, researchers have found that the benefits of exercise extend far beyond the physical realm. A British study indicated that busy professionals who exercised during the day felt more productive and were less likely to yell at colleagues or slam down the phone after they had worked up a sweat.

Researchers surveyed 200 professionals in three different organisations – a computer company, a life insurance agency and a university – about their job performance and moods in relation to days when they exercised at work and days they didn’t. Participants could elect any kind of physical activity; most spent 30-60 minutes at lunchtime doing everything from yoga to strength training to basketball.

The results proved none-too-surprising:

• Six out of the ten participants said their mental skills and ability to meet deadlines improved on the days that they exercised.
• The beneficial effect of exercise on mood and performance continued regardless of how participants exercised or what they did; even short stints of activity a few times a day can add up.
• Those who exercised also experienced far better moods, were less likely to suffer from the classic ‘post-lunch dip” and felt more satisfied going home at the end of their workday.

Could you benefit from a work-time workout? Here are some tips:

• Make exercising fun: form a group or exercise with a friend.
• Take a brisk walk or do some jogging at lunchtime.
• Turn your coffee break into an exercise break.
• Choose the stairs instead of the lift.
• Do ‘a few floors’ in the stairwell when you notice you’re getting stressed or you need a break.
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• Stop for five minutes to do a progressive relaxation routine.
• Take time out at lunchtime to do a stretching/yoga routine.
• Park your car further away from work and walk the rest of the way.
• Get off the bus two or three stops earlier and walk the rest of the way.
• Is there a gym nearby? Do an aerobic session or some strength training.

What are you doing this week?

“Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food” - Hippocrates

The old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” could easily be expanded to “a diet rich in fruit and vegetables prevents the development of several chronic diseases, reduces bio-chemical stress, and improves the quality of life”.

A higher intake of fruit and vegetables has been shown to reduce blood pressure and total cardiovascular risk. Meanwhile, our contemporary western diet is characterised by a high intake in refined grains. A diet high in processed grains is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, weight grain, obesity, and Type II diabetes mellitus. Fortunately simple dietary changes, such as increasing your intake of low glycemic index/low glycemic load foods such as fruits and vegetables may turn around these pictures of disease.

Jenny Brand-Miller (University of Sydney) has brought attention to the fact that “laboratory studies have shown that glucose levels at the top of the ‘normal range’ – such as those generated by a diet high in refined foods – adversely affect a multitude of mechanisms essential for vibrant health”. This observation strongly supports a link between popular dietary practices and the development of cardiovascular disease.