A Relaxing Day Out

December 28, 2014March 18, 20151 Comment

and some profound reflections…

It was Boxing Day, the day after a very festive Christmas, spent in the company of many close and distant relatives and friends. It was a typical December day – cold and a little breezy with light rain showers. No sign of snow yet. The location – Folkestone beach, a place in the UK that I’ve never been to before. In the company of family, I walked along the coastline, taking deep breaths of fresh air brought in by the ocean waves.

Flowing water such as this has a powerful and calming effect on us, and I was able to experience this as I walked and observed the natural scenery around. Being there also reminded me of my hometown Bourgas (Bulgaria) and the Black Sea by which it is located. Seagulls were singing their usual glorious songs that made the atmosphere ever so pleasant and wonderful.

A sea, an ocean or a flowing river – these are all great sources of finding peace and tranquillity both outside and inside ourselves.

A few other families, groups of friends, people walking their dogs and some mothers or fathers with their children passed by and also looked across the distance to experience the calming effects of the English channel waters.

The specially equipped surfers were not afraid of the cold waters and were enjoying their time with the waves.

The sun was beginning to slowly come through from behind the clouds, making the harbour and all the boats within it brighten up with colour.

In the distance I caught a glimpse of a rainbow. ‘After every storm there comes a rainbow’ someone said.

After walking for a while we stopped briefly to enjoy a warming crab soup freshly made by the locals. What wonderful moment that was, ‘one of those simple pleasures in life’ I thought.

I was so in peace with myself and everything around me and felt as if time has stopped, or at least it was going a lot slower than normal. I also felt a great sense of gratitude to have my family with me and to know the many other people who love me and support me and who I love and care about too. The period between Christmas and New Year is often a time of reflection. We reflect about our family, friends and loved ones, we reflect about us as individuals and life in general. How far we have come in the past year, how many achievements or mistakes we have made and what do we look forward to change or improve in the next year. And that is exactly what was going through my mind in those moments and in the past few days. Being in such a calm state of mind I was able to think with more clarity. What matters to me the most is to be kind to my family, friends and even complete strangers and to live a life that is as balanced as possible, for the benefit of my own well-being and that of others. To be able to inspire and help other people means to me to be not only knowledgeable but also at peace with myself – something that it is not easily achieved and requires some practice.

If you have a busy and hectic lifestyle I would highly recommend getting away from the busy city once in a while to visit a natural park, a coastline town or village, or simply a place with flowing water (such as a river) – it does wonders to your mental as well as physical well-being. Take a few moments just for yourself and listen to the sounds of the water. Let it calm your nerves and relax you. Take a few deep breaths. Recharging your batteries in this way will bring more clarity to whatever feels heavy or uneasy on your mind and will undoubtedly make you feel more refreshed and alive!

Books worth reading this holiday, recommended by Bill Gates, Susan Cain and more…

December 17, 2014December 17, 2014Leave a comment

Books to put on my reading list!

A Blissful Weekend Morning & Run

December 8, 2014March 18, 20151 Comment

This weekend the winter sun decided to pay a visit to the cold and frosty London outskirts. I woke up feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep, and was pleasantly surprised by the rays of sunshine that filled and brightened up my room after opening the curtains. It has been awhile since I have woken up to a sunny morning without a single cloud in the sky.

‘Time to put on my running shoes’ I thought. There is no better way to fully wake up than to go for a refreshing walk or run, out into the morning sunshine. It’s great because it not only allows to move and fully awaken every muscle, but it’s also fantastic for awakening all of the senses. Sunlight is particularly good for adjusting the body’s biological clock as it can be easy to oversleep or lose track of time during the long winter months, when days are shorter and there is a limited amount of daylight. Exposure to the morning sun is also great for uplifting our mood. I couldn’t help but smile once I stepped out of the door and into the brisk December morning. I almost immediately felt more energized and ready for the new day.

The entrance to the little park or rather – green fields, nearby my house. It’s my usual running place of choice. Every visit here makes me forget that I am living in the city. The only other visitors I would encounter are runners like me or the locals walking their dogs.

I only went for a quick morning run, but couldn’t help noticing how beautiful the frosty forest looked.

The autumn has gradually given way to winter. I was glad to see just how magnificent the remains of the last autumn leaves looked on a morning like this.

The air was crisp. Some of the plants around were still awakening from the evening cold, awaiting the sun’s warmth.

As I run I had to make another stop to capture these beautifully preserved tree leaves.

The frost-coated grass in the field was also slowly waking up to the bright blue skies above. It was a truly awarding morning running session. I felt happy, empowered and motivated. Having witnessed nature’s winter beauty along the way made this experience even more wonderful.

The best thing about waking up in this way is that each day is different, and each day provides a new opportunity to get out there and explore. It also leaves us feeling productive and ready to start the day with a more positive outlook.

~Don’t miss the opportunity to seize the sunny morning moments!~

The Scientific 7-minute Workout

December 2, 2014January 4, 2015Leave a comment

7 minute timer

Are you a busy individual, who nevertheless is concerned about your health and well-being? Do you wish you had more time to do all of those great body workouts that will help you lose weight, tone up your muscles or just distress and release some energy?

This 7-minute workout could help you achieve this. And what’s great is that it only takes 7 minutes! You don’t need any special equipment and you can easily do it in the comfort of your own home (especially during those cold and rainy winter days). In just 7 minutes you will have worked on nearly every muscle of your body.

Background:

A study published in the ACSM’S Health & Fitness Journal showed that this workout can be highly effective as it combines aerobics and weight resistance in a high-intensity circuit training (HICT) programme, with brief rest between exercise sets to allow for recovery. Because it only uses body weight as resistance, it can be done anywhere (home, office, hotel room etc.).

The benefits of this workout are that not only it is great for time-constrained people, but it also provides an efficient way of loosing excess body weight by burning fat and eliciting metabolic benefits. Moreover, the programme exerts other potential health benefits such as improved VO2 max (associated with better cardiopulmonary health) and muscular fitness, as well as protection against type 2 diabetes by decreasing insulin resistance.
The Scientific 7-Minute Workout

Instructions:

Do each exercise set for 30 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest.

The circuit can be repeated 2 to 3 times. If you are feeling energetic you can do a 21 minute session, but I personally like to spread them throughout the day by doing one 7-minute session before breakfast, one before lunch and one in the late afternoon before dinner time.

Feel free to try this interactive on-line application to get yourself started. The workout is also available for download on iPhone and Ipad.

Precautions: Due to the nature of these high intensity exercises, individuals who are overweight/obese, have been previously injured, the elderly and those with additional health conditions should take caution. Moreover the wall sit, plank and side plank are not recommended for people with hypertension or heart disease.

Quick Update

November 22, 2014January 19, 20151 Comment

This week I’ve had the great opportunity to attend a three days long Food, health and nutrition event, also known as Food Matters Live. It took place in London with dozens of innovative companies displaying their brand new health products and ideas.