Exercise and Mental Health: What you Need to Know We hear it everywhere; regular exercise is good for the body and the mind. There are the obvious physical benefits of exercise like gaining muscle mass, weight loss and increased stamina which are all valuable in improving the quality of life. But what is the scientific link between exercise and mental health exactly? In the UK, approximately 16 million people suffer from a type of mental illness, that’s one-quarter of the UK’s population – a pretty significant proportion if you ask me. Mental health is such a broad term, and because of that, it’s commonly misunderstood and previously considered a taboo topic. Mental health disorders can range from stress, anxiety and depression to PTSD, OCD, bipolar and personality disorders. So how can exercise help with these serious mental health issues? And could it be a natural alternative to medication? We hear the term “exercise gives you endorphins” get thrown around as a very ambiguous answer, but what does that even mean? I’m not a healthcare professional, and I can only share the information I’ve uncovered and speak from my own experiences. For more information on mental health, please consult your doctor or a qualified professional. As you move your body and start getting the blood flowing quicker, your heart rate increases which trigger the brain to enter a “Fight or Flight” mode. The reason your brain does this is that exercise puts your body under stress which makes you release cortisol,
Day: January 2, 2020
Menstrual Cycling: What you Need to Know
Let’s face it, periods can be seriously crappy and there shouldn’t be any taboo or any embarrassment talking about it either. It’s a natural process for some people, just like poop, farts and wee! We have a monthly cycle, throughout which our hormones break out in a civil war, and all of our emotions and food cravings are just collateral damage. So let’s look at it from the exercise perspective and see how these hormones and mood changes effects our monthly cycling. Day 1 – Day 7 Let’s take day 1 as being the first bleed of the month. For this week, your body sees an increase in Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) which is responsible for helping the ovaries prepare an egg to release later in the month. This tends to be the time when you feel the least amount of motivation to get up and do anything. The only thing you want to do during this first week is to cocoon yourself in blankets, comfort-eat the cramps away and kidnap the cat to make him love you. However, this is actually a great time to get out on the bike and exercise because your oestrogen levels are fairly low and for this reason, your body uses carbohydrates as fuel rather than fat. Make sure you increase water intake to compensate for fluid loss, and remember, exercising can help stretch and relax the pelvic muscles responsible for cramps! Day 7 – Day 14 Now the bleeding has stopped (phew!), around
Your Vulva and Cycling: What you need to know
Fanny. Foof. Vaj. Blossom, whatever you want to call it, this sensitive area of your body takes a darn good battering from the trials and tribulations of cycling. This relatively small and intimate region is responsible for so many important functions; expelling bodily waste, facilitating intercourse, having orgasms and, in some cases, giving birth.If you look at a bicycle saddle, suffice to say that it’s not the most comfortable of perches to rest on, let alone lean in, push down and take impact through. As Hannah Dines wrote in her candid account of having vulva surgery as a result of being a pro cyclist: “While the valuable parts of the male genitalia can be moved out of the way, female cyclists sit right on the money“. It’s true, especially if you’re a road cyclist, leant right over in vulva-smushing attack position. Sure, there are bike brands like Specialized who have saddles with cut-out channels, shorter lengths and wider sit-bone designs to accommodate the female anatomy. However, vulvas come in all different shapes and sizes which means we have the painstaking task of going through trial and error to find a saddle that’s right for us – unless you’re a unicorn with a perfectly adaptable foof. I’ve had my fair share of cycling-related vulva nightmares, one being the swelling and soreness from my first 100-miler where my sit bones and labia were almost unrecognisable. I’ve suffered from sit bone sores, ingrown hairs of doom and tenderness of the pleasure zones, all
UTI and Cycling
Urinary Tract Infections and Cycling: What you Need to Know Unfortunately for female cyclists, we are more prone to urinary tract infections than the average woman. From: https://www.velome.co.uk/lifestyle/urinary-tract-infections-and-cycling/ Urinary Tract Infections and Cycling: What you Need to Know Unfortunately for female cyclists, we are more prone to urinary tract infections than the average woman.That comes as no real surprise either because if you think about it, your undercarriage takes a bit of a battering from the saddle: repetitive pedalling motion, friction, heat, sweat, cream etc. Your chamois pad can quickly become the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Being pretty prone to them myself, I can honestly tell you that urinary tract infections really suck. What are urinary tract infections? Commonly referred to as UTIs, urinary tract infections occur when there is a bacterial infection somewhere along the urinary tract; in the urethra, bladder or kidneys. Source: www.tena.co.uk Infections can be caused by internal issues, namely within the digestive system where Escherichia coli (E. coli) can be the culprit. Although for many people, an external influence where bacteria enters through the urethra is the most common cause of UTIs. Women are more at risk of developing an infection because of our anatomy; the short distance from the anus to the urethra, and the urethral opening to the bladder. When you consider the fact that your urethra is a short open passage into your body, it’s not hard to believe that it takes very little for bacteria to make its way in
Running the NYC marathon was the strongest I felt in 2019—but it wasn’t easy
January 02, 2020 at 02:00AM by CWC On November 2, I woke up at 4 a.m., laced my sneakers, and prepared to run the TCS New York City Marathon. If you’ve never been in NYC on marathon day, I have to take a moment to explain how special it is. New Yorkers have a reputation for being hardened, uncaring, and independent, but year after year, those 26.2 miles connecting Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Manhattan somehow manage to connect all of us, too. The moon still hovered in the sky when I left my apartment that morning to meet up with Team Ultra, a band of gutsy runners who would join me for the race ahead. I boarded the bus to the starting line, and as I watched the scene shift from bustling Manhattan to sleepy Staten Island, where the race begins, my energy climbed like never before, following such an early wake-up call. The first mile of the NYC marathon is on a suspension bridge spanning the waters that divide Staten Island and Brooklyn. The burden of starting on a steep incline was daunting, but with fresh legs, it was completely overshadowed by the pure freedom of the downhill. As I soared down into the race’s second borough, I looked at the racers to my right and left, and already, I wanted to cry—about the palpable joy in the air, about how difficult the next 25 miles would be, about how lucky I felt to be there
Upgrade your afternoon snack routine with this delicious, stress-fighting veggie dip
January 02, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A38hYM-5K0A] Looking for a delicious snack that fights stress while you eat? Watch the video for the recipe. Given the consequences of chronic stress on overall health, it might be wise to add “chill the f**k out” to your new year’s resolutions for 2020. (Especially given that it’s an election year…) While you may have a few go-to tactics for battling modern life’s greatest wellness enemy, there’s one key element you’re likely overlooking: food. In the latest episode of our YouTube series Plant Based, herbalist, holistic health coach, and Supernatural founder Rachelle Robinett shares a superfood snack you can stress-eat with abandon when times get tough. In the video, Robinett walks us through her go-to recipe for a veggie dip that features what she calls a “perfect combination of stress-busting tactics.” It’s infused with three adaptogenic herbs that help the body, well, adapt to stress: ashwagandha, rhodiola, and ginseng. “Ashwagandha is known primarily for calmness, stability, and normalizing cortisol levels,” she says. “Rhodiola, which is one of my clients’ favorite herbs, is something that helps to promote calm, stability, and is supportive of mood.’ Ginseng, meanwhile, helps reinvigorate waning “life force” and promotes better circulation, she says. It’s not just the herbs that make this dish ideal for stressful days. “The format of a thick vegetable dip is also perfect for stress because we tend to snack when we’re stressed, and if you have something healthy to snack on… win,” Robinett says. Wanna