Getting on your nerves? Sensory overload and what to do about it.

A common problem that I see happening today and most people are not even aware of is what I called sensory overload. I realised this happening with me a few years ago and then again recently more often. It can result in deep tiredness, high levels of irritability and inability to think clearly. It is a over-stimulation of senses to such an extent the brain just doesn't seem to process effectively.

Sensory overload from my definition is when your 5 physical senses are overloaded to an extent that creates adverse affects of stress, irritability and inability to think and function clearly and effectively.

Do you get that 'it gets on my nerves' feeling? Well, sensory overload is something like that multiplied by 2 or 3 times.

There are some simple solutions to this issue.

1) The power of silence: Many times to get rid of sensory overload, I go in for a timeout. I take some time (about 10 minutes) get alone, turn off computers, phones, dim lighting forms and just sit quietly and wait. I will enjoy the silence. I might even after a while incorporate deep breathing.However, the first thing I resort to is just sit quiet and not move.

2) Power naps/ Sleep: Many times a lack of rest or sleep is a huge factor in sensory overload. So what I choose to do is refocus back on power naps and quality of sleep. I have already addressed the topic of sleep in an earlier post here.

3) Mini Vacations- It is important to take mini-vacations. A change of scene and place. Now this might be on a weekly basis or fortnightly and might just involve taking a drive out of your usual setting and just out to the farm, outskirts of the city. It might also help to take a rip to another place close by every 3-4 months.

4) Disconnect: It is important to have times to disconnect with things. I realised this earlier on and wrote a post about it here.

These are the 4 common things I rely on especially points one and two being the main ones for me.

How do you deal with sensory overload? Share your thoughts and ideas if you have any ideas or views. Please share this article with people who you feel need help.

Meditation

Meditation - tons of information about it these days. The biggest benefit everyone claims for meditation is stress relief and thats correct but there is so much more. So I'm going to post what I have found to be effective for me and my clients.

Meditation means to 'contemplate' or 'muse'. That means to think about, and talk about again and again, especially to yourself which also involves muttering or self dialogue. Meditation doesn't need to be complicated. So how is it done?

1. Find a topic: A truthful one. I usually meditate on something from the Bible or what my mentor has said. The topic is important because if we are meditating on the wrong and negative thing its worry which defeats the purpose of stress and is also fatal.

2. Position: Lotus positions with closed eyes and folded palms. The classic represented pose for meditation. The only problem is it gets uncomfortable a little too soon. If you close your eyes it just helps with focus and shutting out distractions. I've done meditations with my eyes open. Also meditation can be done sitting or lying down. If you are taking an afternoon nap or setting in for your sleep in the night, this is beneficial. You go to sleep more easily and drift off for your nap or sleep.

3) Place: Find a comfortable and quiet place. You want to avoid noise, distractions, etc.

4) Time: If I am in the course of the day and have work, I usually take 7-10 minutes out. I dont usually go for 30 minutes or 1 hour.

5) Discipline: Stay consistent. 7-10 minutes everyday is better than a fancy INR 5,000 1 hour course twice a week (especially when you can do it for free). Build a discipline, slowly but steadily

Benefits:

Here are some of the benefits of meditation.

• Reduces Stress
• Calmness
• Mental strength
• Focus and Concentration
• Critical Thinking
• Healthy lifestyle
• Boosts Immunity
• Boosts Strength

Go ahead and start to implement this. It doesn't cost anything. 

Is this post helpful? Share it with someone who needs it.

The Overlooked Bases - II: Sleep

In the previous post we looked at hormones and how they majorly impact fitness goals. In this post we are going to look at another important factor -sleep- and how it can affect our goals, and what we can do to enhance our sleep patterns.

Sleep. One of the most blissful blessings that mankind has been given to enjoy. Most of us know what it is to enjoy a good sleep especially at nights. We wake up fresh, rested, mentally alert and our productivity for the day is high. We are more calmer, solve problems better and above all stay at peak health.

However, in spite of all its benefits, in the last few years sleep seems to have lost its purpose and priority. The right quantity and quality of sleep is being compromised. I am not talking about necessary situations that arise due to natural circumstances of life or the missing of sleep for a few days because of some heavy work load which occasionally comes up. I'm talking about sleep not being prioritised in the light of accepting heavy workloads in which people are ready to compromise sleep months at a time, staying up late nights watching TV, partying or hanging out with friends.
I don't have a problem with those activities but there is a lack of sleep epedimic which is coming about by not prioritising sleep. Some things lack of sleep leads to are:

1) Poor Health
2) Decreased and compromised immunity
3) Massive hormonal imbalance
4) Digestive system disorders
5) Lack of productivity
6) Decrease in mental alertness
7) Unable to lose weight or gain weight.

I remember having a conversation with a client who was struggling to lose weight.

Me: 'You are improving, but your progress is too slow. Since your training and nutrition is going fine you will have to work on your sleep.......'

Client: 'Oh forget about it till mid next year. I just have too much work'.

I felt really bad for him. I felt bad because this was in his hands to control yet he couldn't prioritise his health correctly. Not only was did he have a problem with belly fat, he also couldnt see the effect of what he was doing. He could fall seriously ill with massive problems and then not be able to work and also jeopardise his family. This is not a problem I had as a one off. This is a constant recurring problem I come across with a lot of people.

From my own personal experience I can give examples of proper sleep. If I get less sleep three to four days in a row my immunity drops and my fitness goals and productivity come to a halt. I also remember about 6 months ago, I needed to lose some weight and my wife needed to gain some weight. We were wrestling with these problems for well over a year and a half. We were exercising regularly and appropriately and also eating well but we just were not making progress. Finally, I
was led to check our sleeping habits. I corrected our nightly sleep patterns and introduced afternoon naps. Within 2 weeks our results came - I dropped weight rapidly and my wife started to gain weight. Also our immunity was at superb level.

Here are some essential things you can do to improve your sleep.

1) Work with your natural cycle and stick to timings as much as possible: The body slows down and starts preparing to relax around sunset and then go of to sleep. In the morning by the time the first sun rays start to enter the room you should be waking up well rested.

Here are some articles that can be helpful to further understand your biological clock

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/getting/bio-clock

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/03/your-bodys-internal-clock-and-how-it-affects-your-overall-health/254518/

2) Quantity and Hours of sleep: Its best to get 6-8 hours of sleep. Its best to go to sleep by 10:00 or 10:30 pm and get up by 6 am. As a general guideline, every hour before 12 pm does a lot more to enhance sleep and its benefits.

3) Lighting: As sleep times get closer turn down the lights. Finally, when you go to sleep turn off all lights. The room should be absolutely dark.

4) Temperature: The room should be cool. Not too warm and not too cold. Both the extremes will affect your sleep.

5) Activities before bedtime: Its better to start turning off electronic equipment before bedtime. Turn off the TV, computers and phones at least half hour before going to bed. You can take time to reflect on the day, write, read, plan a bit for the next day, spend time with family, etc..

6) No electronics in the bedroom: Do not keep phones, laptops, TVs in the bedroom. If these are on they have EMG waves emitting from them which interfere with the body pattern. Also the blue light stimulates the pituary gland which makes sleep difficult. Here is an old post of mine dealing with this.

Set this base of your sleep right and take back your health and achieve your goals and lifestyle.

Please feel free to leave comments and share this if you know anyone who needs this.

Guilt Free - Strength and Fitness

Recently, I have been having to deal with an issue most of my clients have admitted to me. It' isn't the first time I have heard it and I am writing this blog post out of concern for anyone else who is struggling with this issue. Even some of my best trainees open this up. If they miss a training session or go slack on their diet they feel guilty!

Now to me, feeling guilty about missing a training session of messing up on the diet once or for a few days is a sign of trouble showing up. I don't ever want any of my clients or those I advise feeling guilty over missing a session or cheating on thier meals. To be feeling guilty will stop and make you think you are just doing things without reults coming. While I don't advocate being lazy and just giving excuses and the ' I'm like this only' excuse which is also terrible for your overall health, fitness and strength goals, being guilty also doesn't do any good.

Buried guilt is a sneaky thing which will come back to hit you hard when you least expect it. It builds patterns into your mentality keeping you weak. As a result you will not be able to go forward. Yes your body might push harder the next time but its more damaging in the long run. Guilt turns toxic inside of you and it drains your strength. Here are just some of the effects of guilt:

• Cortisol levels go up increasing stress.
• Headaches and Backaches
• Cardiovascular disease
• Gastrointestinal disorder
• Steady decline of the immune system
• Contributes significantly to depression and anxiety.

As you can see from the above list non of this is helping in your effort to stay healthy, fit , strong and living a long life. If brought in to the exercise and diet parts of your life, you are just going to go on with a mindset hoping to have results and you you will just be 'spinning your wheels' without going anywhere. Many times that mindset can be hidden and you don't even realise it. Soon its taking its toll on you, then results get further and further and finally you drop out of living a healthy lifestyle or continuing that journey. 

If you miss a training session or a few training sessions or your diet hasn't been clean for a while - whether you were being slack or things just happened that got too much in the way there are a few things you can do:

• Face reality - As long as you are living and breathing there is hope. Acknowledge to yourself you missed up that schedule and get back on track quickly! Forgive yourself and get up. There is more strength in standing up and getting on to the path again especially after you trip up. Don't wallow in the guilt and self pity.
• Get a coach and stay accountable - Find a good coach or trainer. They can help mentor you and give you the support that you need.
• Find a social support group - If you are already training in a group, these could be the right people to give you the support you need, especially if they are all networked to the same coach who mentors you all.
• You can learn 'pre-emptive strikes' or 'counter- attacks' to help you stay on your plan.

There are two examples that I can give to which I saw this work and work well. The first is my own experience and my second transformation. 

The second comes from a client of mine who was seeing me for nutritional coaching. She came to me in September of this year.  From September to October she was struggling to start effectively on the plan and no results whatsoever. To make matters worse nearly all her initial conversations and texts conveyed the message that she was stressed out and she would tell me at times she felt guilty. I told her that she first needed to stop feeling guilty and stressed out. At the beginning of November we met up and she was a different person. She had started to lose weight, her skin was clearer, her voice was calmer and she had more confidence about her. The gamechanger - she worked hard but threw out the extra baggage of being stressed and the guilt of not being able to stick to her plan. She has lost about 5kgs from October end till now.

Don't let guilt hold you down. Life does happen. Things do get tough. However, there is no reason to carry around mental toxic waste like guilt with you especially when things are not going your way. It will just do more harm than than good. Get over it, stand up and keep going. Practice Guilt free strength and fitness.

Time to Rest Ye Merry Ladies and Gentlemen

Well its that time of the year again when everybody is winding down. The year end holidays are coming in fast. Compliments of the season are in progress. In all the excitement of the holidays lets not forget that it is a well deserved break and it is an especially important time for rest and recovery.

Most people have already planned what to do and the mental break itself is the biggest thing that enhances recovery. In all the enjoyment there are practical things you can do.


1) Have yourself a merry time! - Well this comes with the season! Enjoy yourself thoroughly. Catch up with family and friends. Laugh. Do things together. Unwind!

2) Silent night - This is a good time to get some well needed hours of sleep. Let your body recover and get the stress out. You will be surprised at what just a few days of good sleep for 6-8 hours can do.

3) More than roasted chestnuts!- We can't deny this season comes with a lot of goodies and parties. In all that, eat sensibly. Order your eating right. If you know for sure there is a specific time window you will be eating a lot balance it off with undereating, juicing or fasting. Make sure whenever you can you are eating more quality and nutrient dense food. This will also keep your energy level high and you will not have energy crashes. It also keeps unnecessary fat off so you will not have to run into the new year with wild training plans.

4) Walking in a winter wonderland - Go for walks. If at all you want to stay active this is one of the best ways to do it. Go walking. Enjoy a nice walk even if it is for 10 minutes in a day. In most cases the winter season has set in. The cool air will give you a neural recharge and freshen your mind.

Rest is vital for your health and there is no better time than this season to do it. You will enter the new year feeling fresh and healthy if you plan your rest and recovery right. Go ahead and enjoy the season.

Please feel free to share this post with your family and friends so they can have a healthy, fun filled season!!

10 Ways to Beat Stress

'I need to de-stress.'

'Gideon, what can I do to de-stress?'

'I'm getting tired these days, it must be all the stress.'

I have been hearing a lot of these kind of statements or questions related to stress and destress recently. So I decided to (finally!) put a post down and give insights on things that actually helped me tackle stress head on.

All of us know that stress is not good. Some of the important things that you should know about stress are:

• It is one of the leading causes of death across the world today.
• It is a time, relationship and health robber.
• It keeps you fat.

There are a lot of other negative things it does but these three pretty much cover all of it.

So how do we beat stress? In todays world there are problems and challenges at every corner but there are things you can do to beat stress.

1) STOP WORRYING!!  Jesus Christ said that about 2000+ years ago. If someone like Jesus said this he knows what he is talking about. This might be easier said than done but it is vital to get your thoughts in order. Some of the things people worry about most of the time don't even happen. Think about the solution to the problem and not the problem. 

2) Sleep! - Do not neglect your sleep. I have written a seperate post on this earlier. Click here.

3) Time Out: - You need to take some time out on a daily basis. 10 or 15 minutes a day should be good enough. Just quieten yourself down and relax. Don't think about work or anything else. Just relax. This would be a good time to also focus on your breathing which brings me to my next point.

4) Breathe: - If ever there was one quick technique I relied on this was it. In the middle of things just stop and take in deep breaths. Anywhere in between 5 and 10 breaths should be good.

5) Ease off on the eating: - Stop eating so frequently. The digestive system is a system that requires huge amounts of energy to work. I strongly suggest slowing down from food for a while. You can do just vegetables or vegetable juices during the day and eat normally again at night. Another practice you can take up is intermittent fasting also known as IF.

What you eat is also important. As much as possible stop eating sugar and processed foods. These also put an enormous strain on your digestive system causing a lot of stress. Watch what you eat and reduce the frequency. Take a break from eating.

6) Unplug:- It is amazing what time without electronic gadgets do for you. For a while switch off your phone, internet and stay away from your computer. I used to take 24 hours out from all of the gadgets around me. It was sooooooo refreshing. I have written an experience of mine here. There are also hidden dangers of technology which causes massive stress. Unplugging once a while will help.

7) Exercise:- Exercise helps a lot at destressing. You can have an exercise schedule in 10 or 15 minutes. There are studies again and again that show that exercise reduces stress. Get an exercise routine.

8) Sunlight:- Get out into the sun. The Vitamin D assimilation and the light does alot for you.

9) Walking: Walking is a great way to get your blood circulating and destressing. It loosens you up and keeps you active and your mind fresh. Here is more on walking.

10) Talk to someone: If you have something on your mind or something is wearing you down talk it out. Sometimes you just need to go to someone you can trust and tell them, 'I just need you to listen to me!' Then talk it out. See how much lighter you feel.

There are more techniques to this but these are the most common ones and that you can implement quickly. Start implementing these and start to reduce your stress today.

If this post has helped you please share it with someone. Drop in comments, ask questions and if you need help with destress techniques you can contact me here.