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.

The Overlooked Bases- I: Hormones

There are overlooked bases when starting out on a fitness or strength building program. Not paying attention to these are what causes delays in goals or stagnating early into your training. In this part we are going to look at hormones.

Today, almost everything in our environment seems to be attacking our health. Most of the food we eat, organic or not, the air we breathe, most supplements and current social and work lifestyles seem to be draining our health. In this chemical and biochemical battle and misplaced lifestyle timing, our hormones take a beating. The onslaught of this outside attack sometimes shows up immediately but a majority of it shows up after a period of time which could be as short as two days or after a period of years.

What are hormones and what do they do?

Hormones are chemical messengers in our body that are secreted by glands in the endocrine system. They are made up of amino acids and are responsible for influencing growth, fertility, moods, emotions etc...

So as you can see these glands and hormones are vital to our well being. Unfortunately with excess pollutants and artificial and unnatural goods, cosmetics and foods, most of our glands and hormones dont work as efficiently as they should. Its a bio- chemical warfare in our bodies.

This is a reason why most times, you cant lose weight, you wont put on size if you need too, you have severe mood swings and sometimes you are just plain tired and depressed all the time. Instead of hormones being in a balance and the right hormones being in a higher count the hormones are imbalanced causing some hormones to shut out completely or the wrong ones to be in excess.

So what can we do?


Here are a few things you can do to boost your hormonal health right away.

1) Start getting a proper quantity and quality of sleep.

2) Cut out refined sugars whereever possible. I would even go so far as to say put an end to it.

3) Eat natural, whole, unprocessed foods.

4) Increase your water intake.

5) Get more sunlight.

6) Supplement correctly, wisely and responsibly.

7) Exercise regularly and choose a correct training plan for you (not the latest fad).

Fortunately the fix is quite simple - Get as close as possible to nature and natural things and consume natural unprocessed stuff. Live in line with the natural laws of life. Remember, simple might not always be easy. Its difficult to suddenly start getting a continuous schedule of sleeping by 10:30pm consistently if you are packed with work. Follow these steps and begin to cover your hormonal bases.

If you know anyone who will benefit from this post please don't hesitate to share it. Feel free to drop me a message if you have any questions to the topic.

Upgrade Your Walking

Walking when done correctly can be very therapeutic and corrective.

Here is a plan I have learned and use it to good effect for results on myself and with my clients.

The plan is based on a count of every 8 steps.

1) Set your posture.

2) As you start to walk, inhale deeply on the first four steps.

3) Hold your breath on the next two steps.

4) Exhale on the last two steps.

Team Building with Laser tag - 1

Laser tag is a great team builder. After playing more than 30 sessions I am drawing from my experience in the game. Laser tag can mimic team work of a family, a military unit, a corporate department, sports team, etc. After all, teams are found in nearly every field and department today.

As I write this blog I would like my readers to know that I am a son in a family, a family man, worked for 6+ years in the corporate in analyst to managerial capacities and played club level basketball and done some coaching for basketball teams as well.

1) Different Gameplays

Laser Tag has a variety of gameplays. In each gameplay, since the goal is different the team has to work together to achieve the goal. It brings realistic scenes as at some point in the game you run out of 'ammunition' at crunch situations or the team might be faced with that same scenario, 

2) Different Venues

Each venue brings its own challenges for the teams. We have played out in the woods, in the parks, in apartment blocks, enclaves, inside houses, confined spaces with minimal lights and heavy sounds. The teams have got to decide on communication methods, best course of 'attack' or 'defense' etc.

3) Different Times per session

Ever had those days at work when the team suddenly has to finish something in a short period of time? Or the work assigned has a longer time period and you are pacing yourself without having to drop productivity of yourself or the teams? Well laser tag games can be of different time lengths depending on game play or availability of time to just 'sneak' in a game!!

4) Realising who are the best people within my group for me to work with

In my case even within the team, I usually work even better with just one or two other people. This is not to say I ignore the rest of my team. Its just that when these team members and I come together we can keep our entire team strong and achieve the gameplay goal more efficiently.

5) Realising my strengths and weaknesses.

One thing I learnt really quickly in laser tag, is I am not all I thought I was. In my first few games I thought I would be taking my team to victory and when the results came out I was hit the maximum number of times without landing a single shot!! Delusions of myself broke quickly. However, I also started realising where my strengths were. I was better off listening to a leader and following instructions than giving them. Learning my strengths and weaknesses helped me push my strengths up to help the team and go back and work on my weaknesses. While I had some of my ego busted during some of the games I was also grateful to lend my strengths to benefit the team.

6) Realising others strengths and weaknesses.

Taking up from the last point, I realised strengths and weaknesses of others. So where I was weak I would have to depend on the others who were strong and where I was strong I went forward and covered the others. I did realise there is no place for ego or pride if the team is to win together. 

7) Teaches us where to take risks.

There are some times when the team needs to take risks. It isn't nice but sometimes its the only way to go forward and possibly win.

These are just a few points that I realised are important for team building. In part two I will be talking about a few more points that I had realised progressively as I kept playing the game.

If you find these points useful for team building I strongly suggest that you go ahead and call for a laser tag game whether at home or the office. Contact www.skirmish.in ASAP.

5 Things to Stay Healthy in the Season

During this season one thing is certain There is a lot less work and more food everywhere. Its those tasty, delicious, mouth-watering, meals and even more delicacies and goodies. There are few things you can do to keep things in check:

1) Get your mindset right, keep your conscience light.

In this season you will no doubt enjoy food and lots of it. You could have late nights, sleep in, not have time in the early morning to exercise and all that is OK!. It happens, it's life. Please don't go on a guilt trip and also remember this period is not going to last.

2) Enjoy your food Responsibly.

I did mention go ahead and eat, but wherever possible try to watch your eating habits. Eat only as much as you need too - don't eat on feeling or out of gluttony.

3) Do some form of exercise or activity at least for 7-10 minutes everyday. 

Since there is less work, chances are you have a little more time and energy to exercise.

4) Do not ignore your rest. 

This season can come with a lot of events and visits which might actually make you tired. Remember to catch up on your rest and sleep well. There is a reason as to why they call this the Holiday Season and wish each other 'Happy Holidays.' Read this blog post I did a few years back to get more ideas.

5) Stay Focused. Stay consistent

Discipline never takes a day off. Yes there are occasional slip ups but you have to stay focused and consistent. Its your health and life that you are working towards. Stay focused and stay consistent.

If you know anyone who will benefit from this post please don't hesitate to share it.

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.

Eat First, Supplement Later - II

In the last post, we had looked at the importance of eating correctly and building a good nutrition base with whole foods first and then going into supplementation. Eating them first should be a priority unless you want to be made of this:

Now lets get into supplements. Supplements are just that - supplements! They are your insurance policy in your nutrition and diet so that any deficiencies are covered. Not all supplements are equal. Which supplements and how much depends on the lifestyle of the person. Of course there are other factors, like environment, health, etc that determine which supplements, what kind and how much.

Almost always the food we are eating, even if they are whole foods, are deficient in the adequate amount of required nutrients to our bodies - especially with multi vitamins and minerals. This is because of environmental causes, pesticides, insecticides, genetically modified foods, the way food is grown today, etc. Some things  like some amino acids (building blocks of  protein) Vitamin D3 just cant be made by the body. These have to be supplemented. The most common form of supplements is a multi vitamin-mineral.

Supplementation is not necessarily medicine and in most cases if you look closely most of the medicines prescribed by doctors are mostly chemically synthesized versions of amino acids, fatty acids or vitamins and minerals. This is not to say they are not good. They have their place as their is a time and place for that. If supplements dont fall under the medical prescription, the other kind of supplementation will definitely help you to avoid doctors visits.

There are two groups of people now. Some want supplements and some will have nothing to do with them. In these are further extremes. From the ones who support supplements the extremists will forego normal food and ask for 'the millionth gram/ of XYZ in x quantity so that it will support their hypothalmus to produce enough hormones too...... ' you get my drift. The other side just flat out refuses healthy supplements, and they have poor nutrition and dietary understanding and habits.

Supplements picked up from a nutraceutical base rather than a pharmaceutical base are much more purer and effective.

For the average person, at any given point in todays world, we are deficient in some level of adequate macro or micronutrients. Most issues with skin, hair, fat loss, weight gain are as a result of inadequate nutrients. The answer is supplementation after you have eaten first.

There are common forms of supplements for macronutrients as well. Common forms include protein, fish oil, fiber. It is important to know what supplements you are taking. A common mistake is when someone decides to suddenly go all 'health and fitness' they want the latest tub of protein powder and omega 3 fish oil. That in itself is not wrong but here are the two biggest mistakes I have seen.

1) They usually want to supplement without eating an adequate amount of whole foods first

2) They usually go with a heavily marketed protein powder which has nothing but chemicals.

Educate yourself on what supplements you want to take. Check the quality and do your research.

As far as protein supplements are concerned they need to be checked. For vegetarians I definitely recommend a protein supplement as plants dnt have all the necessary protein nutrients required.

Here are some supplements that work for nearly anyone and everyone. Before you delve into these please remember these are my suggestions and not to be taken as medical advice or replace it. Check with a doctor who is sensible and who you trust first.

1) Vitamin C
2) Vitamin D3
3) Vitamin E
4) Vitamin B especially B12
5) Omega 3 - fish oil

Supplements will help you and in light of todays lifestyle, environments, and food production methods, its turning more into a necessity for every day. If you have been given supplements to take or suggested to take  you must know in detail why you are taking them. Remember, however its always eat first, supplement later!!