All posts by Matt Mayston

Travelling to new places can be interesting and exciting. However, the excitement of holidays can be dulled by jet lag. If you’re travelling for business, overcoming jet lag can be even harder as you often need to arrive at your destination ready to work.

Your body’s 24 hour cycle, or circadian rhythm, relies on many external triggers. These triggers, called zeitgebers, include light, temperature, social interactions, exercise, eating and drinking. Many of these cues are disrupted when travelling to a different time zone. Jet lag occurs when your circadian rhythm is no longer in sync with your external environment.

Using knowledge of zeitgebers, you can use natural methods to support recovery from jet lag to help you enjoy your travels as much as possible.

1. Use light cues

If you arrive at your destination when it’s night time; while you are travelling, try to stay in the dark to induce a feeling of sleepiness and avoid the blue light from electronic devices. If you arrive in the morning, try to maximise your exposure to natural, bright light.

2. Get optimal amounts of sleep

Leading up to your travel date, ensure you get some good quality sleep. If you’re already exhausted when you travel, jet lag will be harder to deal with. If you feel like you need to sleep on a long haul flight, do so.

3. Take advantage of fans and air conditioning

Lower external temperatures lower your body’s core temperature, signalling that it’s time for sleep. So, if you arrive leading up to bedtime, set the temperature of your room to be a little cooler than normal to help you to drift off.

4. Get active & social

Social interaction stimulates wakefulness. So, if you arrive in the morning, why not get out and explore the locality! Exercising during the day will also help you to feel awake. If you’re on a busy business trip however, this may mean paying a quick trip to the hotel gym before your meetings.

5. Eat meals at local times

Enjoy the local cuisine, and enjoy it at the times that the locals do. Try altering your normal eating pattern up to three days before travelling to help your body acclimatise. Beware that aeroplane meals are often served at ‘home’ time and this can sabotage your efforts to reset your bodyclock. Focus on meals with protein to stay awake (a protein-based breakfast is great for your health anyway!) and choose meals with carbohydrates to help you fall asleep.

Camping is a great outdoor activity in the summer months. However, going camping for several days can increase back and neck pain due to the unusual living conditions. To ensure you can still enjoy the outdoors to its full capacity, here are a few tips on how to protect your back and neck whilst camping.

Before setting off, pack several small bags to spread the weight of the load. Make sure to take regular breaks when travelling to the site and stretch before pitching your tent, remember to take your time to avoid tension building up. Remember to always bend your knees and hips to provide extra support. When you arrive to the camping site, try to park your car as close as possible to avoid unnecessary carrying.

Plan your activities in advance and familiarise yourself with the camping site before packing as this will help avoid adding extra weight. Make sure you’ve got a good stable chair and that your table is normal height, as this will allow you to avoid slouching over your plate. Furthermore, try to ensure your stove is at a reasonable height.

To protect your back, ensure it is fully supported by sleeping on a quality approved camping mat or mattress. These can be tested out before purchasing, as many stores have samples available, its best to opt for a thick mattress to provide as much support as possible. Once your tent is set up, prepare your sleeping area by removing any stones and kernals which may dig into your spine.  Try to sleep on your back or side and remember to stay hydrated with plenty of water before going to bed. Additionally, pack a pillow that supports your neck to ensure you don’t wake up with any neck pain.

To learn more about factors affecting the health of you and your family, book an appointment to have a complete musculo-skeletal check before departing to ensure that you are pain-free and mobile for your holiday.

Most of us are aware of the importance of calcium for our health – especially for our bones. But magnesium is another vital mineral for our bones, as well as for our muscles and nerves; it can actually be more difficult to get enough of this mineral in our diet than to get enough calcium.

magnesium is needed for normal muscle and nerve function. Without magnesium, our muscle fibres wouldn’t be able to relax after they have contracted, and nerve impulses wouldn’t be able to travel around our body properly.”

Magnesium is vital for strong bones and teeth too. If you’re trying to improve or maintain your bone strength, it’s essential to include lots of magnesium-rich foods as well as calcium-rich foods. Magnesium is also necessary for our cells to convert the food we eat into usable energy, and also for healthy ‘psychological function’ including mood and how we deal with stress.

For these reasons, symptoms of not getting enough magnesium may include muscle cramping, tight or weak muscles, increased pain, and loss of bone strength, as well as lack of energy, low mood, greater susceptibility to stress, and even poor sleep or insomnia. The main sources of magnesium in our diet are plant foods, particularly green leafy vegetables such as kale, chard and spinach as well as seeds and nuts, particularly pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds.

The general adult recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 375mg. Like any nutrient, our requirements can vary and the amount of magnesium present in foods can also vary. But as a general rule, we need to eat four to five servings of one of these foods a day to get enough of this mineral. (One serving is about 80 grams or one handful green leafy veg, or two tablespoons of seeds, for example.)

Remember that drinking milk or eating cheese to get your calcium is not enough on its own to maintain strong bones – make sure you get plenty of those plant foods too! Also, don’t forget that weight-bearing exercise is one of the most important things to maintain bone strength.

We’ve all heard our parents say “Don’t crack your knuckles, it’s bad for you”, but is it? The ‘popping’ sound is called crepitus and it happens when air bubbles are released from the joint spaces. It is extremely common for our joints to crack, especially as we grow older, so typically it’s not something to worry about.

As we age, our joints tend to make more noise because our cartilage wears down making the surface rougher when these rub against each other. The way you sleep, walk, move, and do daily activities has an effect on how often your joints crack but everyone will experience this at some point in their life.

The myth that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis is completely erroneous. There is no scientific study that proves that there is a relationship between these two. However, according to the US Anatomy and Physiology Instructors’ Cooperative, which examined 300 knuckle crackers, while no direct connection was made between joint cracking and arthritis, those who habitually did cracked their knuckles, showed soft tissue damage and loss of grip strength.

There are cases where this sound can indicate more, but only if accompanied by swelling and pain.  As long as it’s not painful, joint noise is okay.  If the cracking comes with swelling or pain, then it’s the time to see a chiropractor or a doctor.

In some cases, people like to crack their back and neck but there is a right way to do this and a wrong way to do this. If you crack these too forcefully or too often, it can be very harmful to your health because you can pinch the nerves in these areas making it an extremely painful experience. In some cases, the pain can make it impossible for you to move.

In order to prevent any long-term damage, it’s advisable to visit  a local chiropractor to help stabilise the joint which will stop you feeling the need to do the cracking yourself.

While most people will monitor their calorie, sugar and salt intake, it is essential to be monitoring your protein intake to ensure you are providing your body with the essential elements it needs to maintain and fuel. It is known that protein should be involved in your daily health maintenance plan, it is especially important for growth and development in children, teens, and pregnant women. Here is some more information about the importance of protein and how it can be easily incorporated into your diet.

Build: With our hair and nails mostly comprised of protein, it is a key building block of bones, cartilage, and skin.

Repair: Every cell in the human body contains protein.  The basic structure of protein is a chain of amino acids, meaning the human body needs protein in your diet to help the body repair cells and make new ones.

Digest: About half the dietary protein that you consume each day goes into making enzymes, which aid in digesting food and making new cells and body chemicals.

Regulate: Protein plays an important role in hormone regulation, especially during the transformation and development of cells during puberty.

Protein can be easily incorporated into your diet by being aware of it’s nutritional values. Different foods contain different amounts of essential amino acids; Animal products  (such as chicken, beef or fish and dairy products) have all of the essential amino acids and are known as ‘complete’ protein.

Soy products, quinoa and the seed of a leafy green called amaranth (consumed in Asia and the Mediterranean) also have all of the essential amino acids. Plant proteins (beans, lentils, nuts and whole grains) usually lack at least one of the essential amino acids and are considered ‘incomplete’ proteins.

Best food sources of protein are:

lean meats:  beef, lamb, veal, pork, kangaroo

poultry: chicken, turkey, duck, emu, goose, bush birds

fish and seafood – fish, prawns, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, scallops, clams

eggs

dairy products:  milk, yoghurt (especially Greek yoghurt), cheese (especially cottage cheese)

nuts (including nut pastes) and seeds – almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, macadamias, hazelnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds

legumes and beans: all beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas, tofu.

Some grain and cereal-based products are also sources of protein but are generally not as high in protein as meat and meat-alternative products.

There are plenty of simple food recipes including some of these ingredients that will help you hit your daily protein goal. Nuts and seeds are fantastic in salads, with vegetables and served on top of curries. Try toasting some pine nuts or flaked almonds and putting them in your green salad Greek yoghurt is a protein-rich food that you can use throughout the day. Add some to your favourite breakfast cereal, put a spoonful on top of a bowl of pumpkin soup or serve it as a dessert with some fresh fruit.

If you suffer from arthritis, or very stiff joints, exercise may be the last things you want do.

However… getting out into the fresh air and doing some low intensity, aerobic exercise can be extremely beneficial and help to prevent stiff joints.

Some sports can help to build up your core muscles, and the muscles which support your joints, and also reduce joint inflammation. These include:

• Yoga
• Pilates
• Swimming
• Cycling
• Walking

Opt for gentle movements and light stretches and build up slowly, the gentle stretching involved in each exercise can help you to maintain mobility and movement.

Be careful… try and avoid any hot or power yoga as this can end up putting excessive pressure on your joints.

Try this… Swimming can be particularly good as the buoyancy of the water can help relieve any pressure on your joints while you exercise, giving you that extra supportive barrier which will help cushion any inflamed joints.

Or this…. Cycling also acts in a similarly supportive manner as is helps you avoid the pounding of high-impact aerobic activities. A gentle cycle can help to strengthen your leg muscles that support your joints. So whether it’s on an exercise bike or in the great outdoors, cycling can be an effective way of staying fit while making sure your joints aren’t placed under too much pressure.

If you are experiencing a severe flare up it is best to rest for a couple of days before part taking in any kind of physical activity. Remember, it’s not a race. Don’t push your body to do anything if you feel you can’t manage it.

If you feel like it, you could simply go for a walk, but make sure not to push yourself too much if you are in pain. The best thing you can do is to listen to your body.

Remember… pain is your body’s way of telling you to stop, so always go at your own pace.

Looking after your bones is important because they play several roles in the body. As well as providing structure, they also protect organs, anchor muscles and store calcium. Though we hear a lot about the importance of building strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescence, bone health can be protected throughout adulthood.

Why is it important to look after your bone health during adulthood?

Our bodies continuously make new bone and break down old bone. When we’re young, the body makes new bone faster than it breaks down the old bone leading to increased bone mass. With age, we begin to lose more bone mass than we gain.

There are several condition and diseases that can affect our bones, including osteoporosis. This is a common condition where bones become weak and brittle, which affects over 3 million people in the UK. Looking after our bones can be an important part of preventing such conditions.

What can affect bone health?

There are several factors that can affect bone health, some of which are related to lifestyle.

An example of this is physical activity. Exercise is important for maintaining bone strength and being less physically active can place you at a higher risk of developing conditions like osteoporosis.

Another example is diet. Calcium is important for maintaining bone health and not getting enough calcium can contribute towards diminishing bone density.

It has also been suggested that smoking and tobacco are associated with an increased risk of weak bones.

However, some factors that affect bone health are not related to lifestyle.

For example, women can face dramatic bone loss during menopause due to oestrogen levels dropping.

Keeping your bones healthy

There are some simple steps that can be taken to prevent or slow bone loss.

• Incorporate calcium into your diet

There are plenty of ways to ensure you are getting enough calcium. Many foods are rich in calcium, including dairy products, almonds, edamame, and leafy greens. However, if it is hard to incorporate calcium through your diet, there are supplements that could help.

• Vitamin D

Vitamin D is important for health bones because it helps the body absorb calcium. It can sometimes be difficult to get enough vitamin D through diet, even though there is vitamin D in oily fish, egg yolks, and red meat. Like calcium, it is possible to take supplements to ensure you are getting enough. Sunlight can also trigger the production of vitamin D.

• Physical activity

Staying active is important for looking after your bones, but weight-bearing exercises are particularly good. This can include walking and jogging, but also resistance can boost bone strength.

• Avoid substance abuse

Because lifestyle is an important factor for looking after your bones, it is advised that you avoid smoking. Similarly, be mindful of your alcohol intake.

Spine health is all about mindfulness and constant care. Maintaining a healthy spine, will make everything you do in life a bit easier. Here are some tips on how to keep your spine healthy.

If you can, stretch every single day. Always warm up for 3-5 minutes before you stretch fully.  Remember, never stretch cold muscles. Usually after a run or workout you are able to stretch more intensely. 

Over time, our muscles and tendons become used to the motions we most regularly perform, tightening up if they are not continually stretched out. The more flexible they remain, the less chance you’ll suffer from a pulled muscle.

Along with staying limber and flexible, you’ll need to make sure your back muscles are strong enough to help you maintain proper form for the entirety of your workouts. Even a few moments of slouching can lead to a pulled back or slipped disc which is not good for spine health.

Try a few weight-lifting and core strengthening exercises at least a few times a week.

Working the body is great but make sure that rest days are taken seriously. Whether you’re practising for marathons or just getting your thirty minutes of activity in, many people forget just how important rest days are. 

By not working out on certain days, the body is able to repair damage while simultaneously making your muscles stronger. Too much exercise means this healing doesn’t happen. Make sure you have at least one day a week set aside for rest and repair.

Good spinal health is directly related to a good diet and staying hydrated. Providing your body with necessary nutrients, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts are required. With these, the body can better heal areas that are injured or are showing signs of injury.

Be sure to practice these tips for a healthy spine.

Chronic stress can have a negative effect on our physical health as well as our mental wellbeing. It can play a role in our susceptibility to illness and disease, but also in day-to-day functional problems such as pain and stiffness.

There are many steps we can take to improve our ability to cope with stress; nutrition is one of them. Find out what and how to eat to better manage stress…

Balancing your blood sugar

To cope well with stress, we need our food to provide us with balanced, sustained energy. Foods that quickly break down into glucose and are quickly absorbed – such as sugary foods and fast-releasing carbohydrates – may give us a burst of energy, but can cause our blood sugar to peak and then dip. This can actually increase our body’s stress response and stress hormone levels, as well as making us feel irritated and out of control.

Here are the three fundamental steps to balancing your blood sugar:

1. Eat primarily whole foods: vegetables, animal foods (eggs, fish, unprocessed meat, unsweetened dairy foods), nuts and seeds, beans and lentils, and some fruit. Avoid sugary snacks, refined carbohydrates and other processed foods such as breakfast cereals
2. Making sure every meal includes a good serving of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. The primary protein foods are the animal foods mentioned above, and nuts and seeds, and beans and lentils. Healthy fats are found in nuts and seeds, oily fish, avocadoes, and coconut. Complex carbs are found in vegetables, whole fruit (i.e. not fruit juices), whole grains, beans and lentils
3. Eat regularly. Skipping meals or leaving too long between meals can cause your blood sugar level to drop too low, which can also trigger a stress response

Getting enough food

As well as eating regularly, getting enough food is important when you’re dealing with stress. Going on a weight loss diet – whether it’s low-calorie, low-carb or low-fat – during a stressful time can be particularly bad for your stress levels. Instead, now is the time to focus on balancing your blood sugar as outlined above, by eating regular meals, getting enough protein, healthy fats and non-starchy vegetables and cutting the refined carbohydrates and junk foods. You should find it easier to manage your weight – or lose weight – by eating in this way anyway.

Healthy snacking

Although regular snacking is not the best thing for everyone, it can be helpful if you’re coping with stress, again by helping to keep your blood sugar on an even keel. Your snacks need to be based on whole foods, and contain some protein and complex carbohydrates.

Examples include:

• Two or three oatcakes with one of the following: a tablespoon of hummus, guacamole, cottage cheese, half an avocado, a hard-boiled egg or a teaspoon or two of nut butter (e.g. almond butter).
• A pot of natural yoghurt (without added sugar) with some berries and/or a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds mixed in.
• A wedge of left-over home-made frittata/omelette.

However, you shouldn’t need to be snacking more than once between meals; constantly ‘grazing’ can have a negative effect on your weight and your digestion!

Magnesium-rich foods

The mineral magnesium plays a vital role in our psychological health, including our mood and how well we cope with stress. It’s thought that both physical and emotional stress can increase the body’s need for magnesium; and that having a low magnesium to calcium ratio can actually increase the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline.*

The best food sources of magnesium are green leafy vegetables such as kale, chard and spinach; seeds and nuts; and whole grains – especially buckwheat and rye.

B vitamin-rich foods

Like magnesium, B vitamins also play a vital role in our energy as well as our psychological function.

The various B vitamins are found in different foods, but the best all-round sources include eggs, oily fish, organ meats (especially liver), seeds and nuts, and beans and pulses. Luckily these are also foods that are great for our blood sugar balance!

Avoid overdoing stimulants

Many of us turn to stimulants such as tea and coffee when we’re feeling stressed. But stimulants of any kind also trigger the body’s stress response. Try to keep your coffee consumption in particular to a minimum. Tea can have a gentler stimulating effect so can be better tolerated, but keeping it to one cup a day can still be advisable. Try to introduce calming herbal teas such as chamomile and spearmint – especially later in the day.

Note that alcohol can also act as a stimulant as well as a relaxant. It also disrupts your blood sugar balance. Keep alcohol to a rare treat and stick to one drink only.

In the UK, back pain is one of the most common reasons people miss work, and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. With something so common, it has easy for people to get confused about back pain and misconceptions to arise.

We know that the easiest way to tackle back pain is to keep moving, but sometimes these myths and misconceptions can stop people from doing exercise or seeking proper treatment.

One of the most common myths about back pain is that people think it’s not going to happen to them. In fact 4 out of 5 of us will be affected by back pain at some point in our lives!

Here are the top myths about back pain debunked:

• MYTH: Exercise will cause or worsen back pain
• Staying bed bound with back pain can be one of the worst things you can do! Without exercise muscles become weakened, deconditioned and stiff. To reduce back pain you should rest, calm the pain, followed by gentle exercise.
• MYTH: If you see a spine specialist you will end up getting surgery
• Spinal surgery is only recommended in about 1% of cases. In most cases the treatments recommended will be non-surgical, such as exercise, physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication.
• MYTH: Back pain is a normal part of aging
• Some people believe that back pain is a typical part of getting older but it shouldn’t be a normal part of your day. We all get aches and pains as we age, however with all the options to ease back pain available today you shouldn’t suffer in silence.