I’m 40 and just about to become a dad for the first time. I’m told that I need to work on my core and my lower back strength because there’s going to be a lot of lifting and a lot of bending over. I have a glass back these days so this prospect scares me a bit! After poo-pooing it for a long time, I’ve signed up to my first pilates class at my local gym. I’m expecting to be terrible at it but hoping it gives me a much stronger core. I’ve upped my speed work on the treadmills and trying to run faster instead of just steady-state 30 mins runs and I’m definitely feeling the benefits of extra lung capacity when I’m breathing in and …
Body
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker – key takeaways
Why We Sleep is a ridiculously valuable book for anyone who doesn't sleep much on a consistent basis. Whether that's due to insomnia or to being a total badass who thinks that sleep is for the weak and lazy. Matthew is someone we should listen to. He's professor of of neuroscience and psychology at UCLA and before that he was a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He also works as a sleep scientist at Google Life Sciences (Verily) The main takeaways from Why We Sleep Consistent sleep deprivation is really, really bad for you. By sleep deprivation, he means anything less than a solid 8 hours of sleep. Walker links …
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Definitely feeling the benefits of implementing some of Aubrey Marcus’s book “Own The Day, Own Your Life”
I love airport bookshops. It's like the best of books distilled into a few shelves. I can never resist even though it will double my carry on luggage. The domestic terminal at Melbourne Tullamarine had some enticing books: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson (which I've read but only on Kindle, so I bought a paperback there and then), First Man In by Ant Middleton, who I've only recently discovered on Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins, and Own The Day, Own Your Life by Aubrey Marcus. I snapped it up alongside Peterson's. (Will get Middleton's book soon.) The premise of Aubrey's book is that by making the right small decisions …
39 things I know at 39
1. Manage your testosterone Testosterone for men is essential and the defining hormone that makes a man a man. High levels make you feel confident and rambunctious and aggressive. It makes you lean and muscular and gives you a strong sex drive. What's not to like? In terms of testosterone, we're supposed to be half the men our fathers and grandfathers were. Testosterone is produced at night and your body needs sleep and dietary fat to produce it. So eat red meat, nuts, butter and oil and get your sleep. And stay away from stress as well as stress produces cortisol, the stress hormone, and the testosterone killer. 2. The mind and body are …
In pursuit of better sleep
I've been an insomniac for most of my life. The first memory I have of it being a thing for me was in my first or second year at boarding school when my housemaster remarked on it. He said it was a condition that affected bright people. Of course, I took that. :) Left to my own devices on school holidays, I would stay awake long past midnight. I would read the latest Harry Potter until I finished it, say at 6am in the morning. I would then wake at 11am or 12 noon and not be tired until the early hours again. Over and over. This is fine when you're on holiday but less so when you have stuff to do the next morning. I remember at …
How I became a morning person. Finally.
For as long as I can remember, I've been an insomniac. I remember being awake for a whole night before a 9am exam. I've punched the walls in frustration at not being able to sleep the night before an important interview. I've lain awake so often that for years on a Sunday night, I would pop downstairs at 3am for a glass of port and a sleeping tablet to help my mind relax and finally get some sleep. Not ideal I know. I've long dreamed of being able to sleep when I want to. I've dreamed of bouncing out of bed at 6am and going to the gym, reading a book and doing some writing. But I've never been able to do it. The snooze button was …
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Try this breathing exercise for stress release and getting rid of cortisol
Anxiety is the scourge of our generation. As I mentioned in a previous article, I'm pretty damn happy most of the time, but I do get anxious and stressed. Stress is linked to the hormone cortisol, which is produced by the body in fight or flight mode. When you're on a losing streak, or anxious about stuff, your body will produce cortisol. Cortisol is perfectly normal and has served us well for millennia. But it's only supposed to be in the body for short amounts of time. In the last century however, cortisol stays in the body for longer at low-levels, due to the lifestyle we now have. This is not good. In fact, this …
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