Does food guilt exist?

Apparently, men experience "food guilt" at least nine times a month, according to a poll of 200 people by Planters Nuts!!!  (obviously medically accurate!!! - yikes!)

Three quarters admit to eating for emotional reasons, rather than hunger (I can certainly relate to that one, hence my continuing weight issues - which I am combating).

Chocolate is the top comfort food for blokes, followed by bacon sandwiches and takeaway pizzas.

55 per cent felt bad about themselves for eating unhealthily.  44 per cent went to bed feeling guilty about what they had scoffed.  36 per cent were left unhappy about their body after snacking, and 14 per cent admitted they had let themselves go.

I think I fit into every category!!!

Links between mental and physical health

Why is it the physical health of those with mental illness so poor?  A study by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation found that those with mental health issues have almost FIVE times more emergency health admissions than those without. And yet a vast number of those admissions were for physical health issues.

Published research by the King's Fund found that 40 per cent of mental health trusts have had income cut in the last few years, despite rising demand. To reduce costs, many trusts are trying to shift patients away from acute services to "recovery based care and and self-management services" that sound good on paper but do not always have a solid evidence base, do not have the resources to get them up and running, and are not being properly evaluated.

Without increased and stable funding, together with proper evaluation of new services, the outlook for mental health services and the users that rely on them looks increasingly bleak. The main cause of early death in those with mental health problems has for many years been untreated or poorly treated physical illnesses. Deaths from causes related to mental health illness, such as suicide, account for less than a third of the total.

People with serious mental ill health die on average 10 to 17 years earlier.  And yet the commonest causes of premature death remain heart, lung, liver and kidney diseases, obesity, stroke and diabetes.

Feeling blue? How to cheer yourself up

We all have times in out life when we feel a bit blue.  So how do we overcome it?
Behavioural Psychologist Stephanie Davis lists these ways online:

PLAN SMALL:  Set achievable goals.

EXERCISE:  Physical activity is proven to lift your spirits

TRIGGER HAPPY:  Recall a time when you were content, and this has the ability to trigger the same happy feeling

BE SOCIAL:  Getting out and meeting people helps release oxytocin into the body and lifts your spirits.

SLEEP:  A good night''s sleep wards off negativity by benefiting the part of your brain where happy memories are stored

FAKE IT:  A pretend smile has been shown to trick the smiler's brain into believing they are happy

DO STUFF, DON'T BUY STUFF:  A lot of regrets can include not have good experiences, so don't buy something new, go out and experience an event like a theatre trip or cinema.

GET OUT:  Just 30 minutes outdoors in good weather can increase positivity and boost memory.  Although I would say that the weather does not have to be good.

BE NICE:  Doing good deeds leads to a major increase in positive moods

Why drink water in the morning.

There are many rituals around the world that different cultures use to help them with health and fitness.

One such ritual, now deeply rooted within Japanese culture, is to drink water immediately upon waking, and ensuring it is at least thirty minutes before eating.  So why early?  And why on an empty stomach?

Firstly - 70% of your body is made up of water, so it is essential to keep it fresh and topped up to keep the body working properly.  Dehydration can cause many problems.

As you drink water, it naturally urges movement in your bowels.  During the night, your body repairs itself and casts out all the toxins in your body.  The water will flush out these harmful toxins, leaving your body fresh and healthy.

Drinking water can help in increasing the production of muscle cells and new blood cells.

Research shows that drinking water on an empty stomach can increase your metabolic rate by at least 24%, which means an improved digestive system.

Drinking water immediately after waking up purifies the colon, making it easier to absorb nutrients.

Drinking water can trick your body into feeling fuller, reducing cravings for food, and making your less hungry.  This can assist weight loss in a controlled program.

Dehydration causes premature wrinkles.  Studies showed that drinking water on an empty stomach increased blood flow in the skin and makes skin glow.  It also nourishes your hair from inside out.  I did not know this but water makes up a quarter of the weight of a hair strand.

It is a fact that drinking water on an empty stomach dilutes the acids which lead to stones in the kidney.  The more you drink (to a healthy limit of course) the more protected from various kinds of bladder infections caused by toxins.

It also helps in flushing and balancing the lymphatic system, which leads to increased levels of immunity

Alzheimers. A healthy lifestyle can protect you

In interesting study by the University of California showed that people who eat a lot of fruit a vegetables, as well as exercise regularly, have less harmful debris that builds up in their brain that causes Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's affects nearly a million people in the UK, and, along with other forms of dementia, it costs the UK an estimated £26billion a year.

The study worked with 44 adults aged between 40 and 85.  Throughout the study they underwent brain scans for plaques and tangles, the deadly deposits which trigger dementia.  Those who were a healthy weight, exercised regularly and had a healthy diet, involving moderates amount of alcohol, had smaller deposits.

One doctor said:  "The fact we could detect the influence of lifestyle at a molecular level before the beginning of serious memory problems surprised us.  It reinforces the importance of living a healthy life, even before the development of clinically significant dementia."

"Sleeping tricks" revealed by Sleep Doctors

As people who have followed my previous blog know, I have terrible issues with sleep.  This has gone on for a long time.  I have researched, changed patterns, even been to the doctors, but I cannot say that there is much in the way of improvement!!

However, I found a website where several "sleep professionals" have given their own advice.  Who knows? Maybe these can assist.  This is what they have said.

It sounds ridiculous, but blowing a few bubbles—like the kind that comes in a plastic bottle that you played with as a kid—right before bed can help you fall asleep faster, says Rachel Marie E. Salas, M.D., a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. It’s like a deep breathing exercise, which helps calm your body and mind, she says. And since it’s such a silly activity, it can also take your mind off of any potential sleep-thwarting thoughts.

No way you’re doing this? Try this instead: Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on counting your breaths for 3 to 15 minutes. When your mind wanders (and it will), start counting your breaths from one again. Researchers from Nepal found that doing this form of meditation for just a few minutes a day can lower your blood pressure and heart rate, reducing anxiety and helping you sleep better

You may have heard that you should use your bed for only two things: sleeping and screwing. But reading at bedtime is OK, too, says Janet K. Kennedy, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist based in New York City. “Tossing and turning is stressful and it causes the body to release adrenaline, making it harder to fall asleep,” Kennedy says. “Distracting your mind with a good book allows the body’s fatigue to take over.”

Another option: Hypnotize yourself. Imagine sinking 50 free throws or teeing off on your favourite par 3. “Visualization reduces anxiety and lets your brain’s sleep mechanism engage,” says Men’s Health sleep advisor W. Christopher Winter, M.D

Listening to soft, calming music not only helps you fall asleep, but also extends the length and depth of your sleep, says James Maas, Ph.D., author of Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know about Sleep but Are Too Tired to Ask. Research shows that downtempo tunes lower your heart rate and blood pressure, helping you chill out. Listening to waves gently crashing or rain softly falling works as well.

Hitting the gym after work can help you zonk out, says Orlando Ruiz-Rodriguez, M.D., a sleep doctor at South Seminole Hospital in Orlando. One recent Swiss study suggests that completing an intense workout 90 minutes before bed may help you fall asleep faster by reducing your levels of the stress hormone cortisol

Once you turn out the lights, don’t check the time again—even if you wake up in the middle of the night, says Nathaniel F. Watson, M.D., M.Sc., president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. If you do, you’ll start thinking about how long you’ve been in bed or how much time is left until you have to wake up, Dr. Watson says. If I fall asleep right now, I can get 5 hours and 21 minutes of sleep. This just creates anxiety, which may keep you up even longer. Avoid the urge to glance at the time by using a clock that doesn’t light up or turning the digits away from your bed. If you use your phone as a watch, put it in your bedside drawer so it’s harder to reach

Anti-ageing can be triggered!!

Research by a team at Germany's Saarland University was presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in 2016, reporting that regular exercise triggers the anti-ageing process.

Professor Sanjay Sharma, of St. George's University Hospital in London was part of the team.  He said that moderate exercise cuts heart attack risks in half of those in their 50s and 60s.  He added: "the study suggests that when people exercise regularly they may be able to retard the process of ageing.  Exercise buys you three to seven additional years of life". 

The study claimed: "a brisk walk every day can add up to seven years to your life".  It also said: "just 25 minutes aerobic exercise can reduce ageing, ward off depression and help delay dementia.