Well Hello May!
Following on from the introduction of last months email; I have had the pleasure of working with a lovely lady that assures me she is going to help improve my sleep (find a little more about that below...). One of the ways we have begun is with a form of Yoga breathing called Nadi Shodhan Pranayama - Alternate Nostril Breath. As many of you know, I have been suffering with colds for the last couple of years; and the main way it affects me is by blocking up my sinuses. I have only been doing this for the last few days, but it has massively helped me. I am still not sinus free and breathing easy, but my use of tissues has definitely reduced! There are many videos on Youtube of how to do it, here is a nice short one from a guy that explains it well -
Nadi Shodhan Pranayama - Lucas
Or here is a video that the lovely Melanie sent me which has a bit more explanation -
Nadi Shodhan Pranayama - Melanie
It's quick and easy and you can do it anytime you feel you just need to bring your stress levels down a notch.
Have a go and let me know what you think!
Pilates focus - Technique for Spine Stretch
I have spoken to many people about my advanced Pilates qualification over the years, and one thing that always comes up is that they are never sure if they are doing the exercise correctly. So I thought I would highlight each one for you over the next few months!
This month is Spine Stretch: -
I am having Sleep Therapy!
Like many of us, my sleep is mediocre at best, my problem is not falling asleep (I think I could do that anywhere!), my problem is staying asleep. I have tried all of the sleep hygiene tools that you can find on the wonders that are our internet search engines, but still if hubby breathes on my cheek in the night - it wakes me up! So, I decided to reach out to Melanie, and see what it is that seems to stop me from dropping into a deep sleep. We are early days at the moment, but a few tweeks and I am already starting to notice the benefits - I actually had a night where I didn't wake up once a few days ago - which is miraculous for me!
Sleep is such an important part of life, but one that is so often ignored. Now I'm not saying that staying in bed until midday and taking yourself off for a 3hr afternoon snooze is the way to move your body forward - in fact, studies have shown that if you have too much sleep your body will naturally reduce your metabolism and struggle to regulate your cortisol levels while you are awake! Like everything, it is about balance; getting the right amount for your body and your activity levels. Your body will tell you what it needs. So if you start to nod off about 3pm while you're sat in a meeting, try standing up and taking some deep breaths - you could even encourage your colleagues to do it with you - I can guarantee it will be a more productive meeting for all instead of trying to plough on while your subconscious is on a wind down!
If you would like to know more about your sleep cycle and ways you can improve it, click on Melanie's image above, or send her an email.
I'll let you know how my first month has gone in June!
Hyrox, it was the 30th April, I'll tell you about it next month...
From all of us here at Revive Health - Wishing you a Fantastic Month with Health, Wealth and Wellbeing!
TTFN :-)
