The Feel Good Factor

Here in the UK we have been experiencing that rare, four yearly condition - Olympic Fever!  It has been fantastic to watch all of those passionate, hard-working young people striving to achieve their dreams.  Even the 10 O'Clock News has been a pleasure to watch as it was filled with images of joy and success.

I was going to write an inspiring blog about it all but someone else got there first.  Trevor Silvester of The Quest Institute has written a piece that says everything that I wanted to say so please take a moment and read this http://www.questinstitute.co.uk/1555/a-legacy-of-spirit/

I hope you are inspired!

Vicky and the Taboo Subject Part 2

So, in a plot twist in the Archers, it turns out that Vicky's missed period is not the first sign of menopause.  She's pregnant.  This is a surprise to both Vicky and her husband Mike and will no doubt give the script writers plenty to play with.

Many women experience irregular periods in the stage leading up to the menopause (that is the time when periods stop completely).  During this stage it is possible to get pregnant even if you are taking Hormone Therapy.  As a general guideline, women should wait for two clear years after their last period before stopping contraception.

If you are over 45 and taking the Pill for contraception, it may mask the early signs of the menopause and you may not be aware that your natural hormone levels are depleting.  If you are in a new relationship, it is best to use a barrier method such as condoms because of the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.  There are also a range of intrauterine devices (IUDs) or coils that you can consider.  There is a coil which releases progesterone directly into the womb and this can help if you are experiencing heavy bleeds.

Vicky and the 'Taboo Subject'

Vicky Tucker - Actress Rachel Atkins

Well done to Vicky Tucker in The Archers for raising the issue of menopause.  In recent years The Archers has dealt with many controversial issues including rape, abortion and drug abuse but women talking about menopause issues is a bit of a taboo.  

In fairness it was only a short conversation between two female characters, Vicky and Lynda.  Vicky was concerned that entering the menopause and starting to have symptoms might be a bit of a turn-off for her new husband who normally looks at her like ‘a boy in a sweetie shop’!  Lynda, not normally the sexiest of characters, reassured her that she and her husband still enjoy a very fulfilling sex life.

This short conversation provoked over 200 messages on the BBC Archers blog.  They ranged from being disgusted that the subject had been raised to serious comments about the nature of menopause.   But why is menopause still such a provocative subject?

Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life that can be compared with puberty.  It begins naturally between the ages of 45 to 55 and may last 15 – 20 years.  Menopause that occurs before the age of 40 is called ‘premature menopause’ or ‘premature ovarian failure’.   Menopause can also be precipitated by illnesses and medical interventions.

Some women think that if they take HRT they will not have to go through menopause but they are only delaying it.  At some time you have to stop taking HRT and at that stage you may get symptoms.

A significant percentage of women will pass through the menopause with minimal symptoms.  There are a number of factors that affect the nature of the menopausal experience.   Genetics is one factor and the experience of female relatives can give an indication of the timing and symptoms.  More important to having a good menopause experience are diet and lifestyle.  It’s never too early to start eating well, exercising and leading a healthy lifestyle in preparation for a better menopause.

And if you are having symptoms that concern you, you may want to consult your doctor.  You might also want to talk to your best female friend.

Lack of Exercise More Harmful Than Smoking?

A new report published in the Lancet today, 18 July, has concluded that a lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths across the world  as smoking.  The team of researchers was drawn from centres across the world.   They concluded that about one third of adults are not getting enough exercise and this causes about 5.3m deaths a year.

Dr I-Min Lee who co-authored the report said that “Being inactive increases your risk of developing chronic diseases”, these include heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer.  This does not mean that it is ok to smoke as long as you exercise.  It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle by not smoking, eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight and taking exercise.

So how much is enough exercise?   The Report recommends that adults do 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.  You don’t have to do this all in one session, in fact it’s better to spread it over the week in manageable amounts. And you don’t have to go to the gym, you could try brisk walking, cycling or gardening.  It’s whatever would fit into your daily routine.

Start off by setting yourself a target for the week that you know you can achieve and then schedule the time into your diary.  Next remove any obstacles to you achieving your target.  Get the trainers and the gym kit out of the wardrobe and leave them somewhere handy.  You want to get into the habit of taking exercise so that it just becomes part of what you do.

Finally make a commitment to yourself or, even better, to someone else that you are going to do this.  Remember physical activity improves your physical, emotional and mental health.

For more details see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-18876880

Top Revision Tips

If you are revising for exams at the moment, you may find that no matter how hard you study or how many hours you spend revising, the information just isn’t sticking.  If that is how it is for you, you need to try something different.  Here are some tips to make your study more effective:

1.      Set yourself revision goals for each day and plan your work to achieve them.  Make sure you include some rest times every 40-50 minutes.

2.      Rewards yourself for study goals achieved for example call to a friend or have 10 minutes on a favourite game.

3.         Make it easy to do your revision by keeping your study area tidy and well-ordered.  Keep books and notes for different subjects separate and easy to find.

4.         Make it hard for things to distract you.  Keep your mobile phone on silent, turn off Facebook, Twitter etc.  Leave your computer games in a different room

5.      Understand how you prefer to take on and remember information.   Some people take in information most easily through images and pictures, some through sound and some through physical experiences.  If you are someone who can picture things easily, mind maps will be a useful revision tool (see How to Mind Map by Tony Buzan). If pictures don’t work so well for you, try recording your revision notes and listening back to them or just saying them out loud. If you are someone who learns by doing or experiencing things, try walking while reading your notes or tracing key words in the air with your finger.

6.      Exercise first thing in the morning to increase your brain power. Exercise increases levels of hormones that are important to neurotransmitters and generates new brain cells. Study the subject you find most difficult immediately after exercise for the best effect.

7.      Have some peppermint or rosemary essential oil in your revision room. Both scents have been shown to stimulate the brain. If you find it helpful, you can put some on a tissue to take into the exam room.

8.      Baroque music is frequently used by trainers as background music to aid learning. You can try playing Bach, Handel or Vivaldi while you are studying.

9.      Have a laugh! The Von Restorff Effect predicts that material that is outstanding in some way is easier to remember. That distinctiveness can come in the form of humour or by making something bizarre or funny. So if you are having trouble remembering something see if you can put it into a joke or cartoon or make a humorous mnemonic for it.

10.  Drink plenty of water – you can’t think straight when you are dehydrated.

Good Luck!

World Hypertension Day, 17 May

World Hypertension Day was set up to highlight the health issues associated with high blood pressure for example greater vulnerability to preventable stroke, heart and kidney diseases.  High blood pressure affects 1 in 3 people but almost 50% of people don’t realise that they have the condition.  This is particularly worrying because hypertension causes 62% of all strokes and 49% of heart disease cases.

Hypertension is often referred to as ‘the silent killer’ because it may cause no symptoms for a long time.  Most common symptoms are: 

•  Chronic headaches
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Blurry or double vision 
•  Drowsiness and general tiredness
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations

If you any combination of these symptoms or think you may have high blood pressure it is important to consult your doctor.  

A complementary approach to the treatment of high blood pressure is Hypnotension ©.   The Hypnotension approach aims to help anyone with primary/essential hypertension to lower their blood pressure naturally.  The treatment puts the client back in control by identifying and addressing the lifestyle factors that contribute to hypertension.  Each client is assessed and a treatment plan devised to effectively address the factors that contribute to the client’s high blood pressure.

You can find Hypnotension practitioners in the UK, Australia and many other countries. 

Now where did I put my...

A research project was reported on the BBC PM programme recently which said that if you are looking for something you will be more successful at finding it if you repeat the name of the item out loud several times.

So how does that work?  I don’t know what the researchers concluded but I think that when you are looking for something you probably go into one of several everyday trances:

• Negative Hallucination -  where something is in front of you and you just don’t see it.  This could be because you are using focussed vision and you just do not see things around the periphery. 
• Age progression – this is where you start imagining the future in which there are negative consequences associated with not finding the lost item eg “I can’t find my purse and that means that I’m going to be late for work and my boss will be annoyed…”
• Age regression – this is where you start to imagine what happened previously when you couldn’t find something eg “The last time I couldn’t find a file my supervisor made me stay late to get the work finished…"
• Time distortion – you might imagine that you have been looking for the item for much longer than you have and this makes you anxious about being late.

Do any of those sound familiar?  Once you are in your trance, it makes the task of finding something more difficult as you become more stressed.  By repeating the name of the item you interrupt your trance and start to be more effective at looking for and finding things.

Now, where are my glasses, glasses, glasses….