Sitting, moving, sleeping - you can't do any of it easily without the support of your back.  But are you supporting your back in return?

All too often we take our back for granted - until it lets us down, or we have given it all it can take.

A healthy back is strong and supple, but it can very quickly lose is strength and flexibility if it's not exercised.  It's that old saying about use it or lose it.  So what do you do to ensure your back is strong and flexible?

And it's important to get good advice about what to do to make your back strong and supple, because the wrong exercise can do more harm than good.

That's why I've gone to the NHS for information.  These simple exercises can be done in five minutes and don't need any equipment or special conditions.  So why not give them a try.  

But beware, if you have existing back problems, take advice from a professional before trying any of these exercises.

And if you want to rest your back, try one of these techniques:

• Lie down on the floor with your feet resting on a seat or sofa for 10 minutes.  This will help to stretch out your spine and remove the kinks in your back.
  
• Lie on the floor with your head resting on a couple of books (about 2½-3in high) for about 10 minutes to lengthen your spine.
  
• Lie down on your back with your upper arms resting on the floor and hands placed on your abdomen.  Use a thin cushion to support your head and keep it in line with the rest of your body.  Pull up your legs, knees pointing to the ceiling.  Keep your knees apart and your feet flat on the floor.  Notice how this brings your lower back closer to the floor.  
  

Rest like this for just a few minutes every day and feel the difference in your energy levels.

Look after your back and you will feel younger and healthier and more relaxed.


And if you'd like some support to bring your body back into a healthy balance you might find Reflexology useful.  For more information or to book, call Doris on 07724 197627.

So, as a complementary therapist, why am I talking about a healthy mind?  Simple, the mind and body are one integrated system and mind affects body and vice versa.  A healthy body needs a healthy mind.

So, what is a healthy mind?  Good question. Some of the characteristics that demonstrate a healthy mind would be: positivity; equilibrium; optimism; calm; flexibility; openness and of course there are lots of others. 

And what are the characteristics of an less than healthy mind?  Well what about: anxiety; fear; obsessive thoughts; not being able to switch off; negative emotions such as envy, self-recrimination, guilt, excessive sadness, over-excitement, etc.

One of the main characteristics that distinguish a healthy mind from one that is less so, is the speed and intensity of thoughts and not being able to switch off.

But it can be difficult to make changes to the way you think.  How DO you stop thinking certain unhelpful thoughts and begin thinking other more helpful thoughts?  It all happens so quickly doesn’t it?  Your brain just races around certain thoughts or ideas and the faster it goes, the more difficult it is to stop.  It’s like a race car.

Well, the answer might surprise you.  You have to STOP before you start again.

Imagine you’re driving a car at high speed.  You've got your pedal to the metal and you're racing ahead on a straight road.  If you want to change direction – say you want to do a U turn - you have to stop, because if you don’t stop before you change direction you’ll crash and burn.  The speed of the car will prevent your attempt to change direction.  But if you change down gears, braking gently as you do so, you can stop and change direction easily.

Your brain works in just the same way.  If you slow everything down gently, it will be much easier to change your thinking.  And would you like to know how you slow everything down?  RELAXATION.  Yes, that old chestnut.  Doing regular relaxation or meditation will allow your thoughts to slow down to a pace where you will find it much easier to change direction and adopt a new mindset that will serve you better.  It’s about recognising that the more slowly your brain works the more conscious control you have over it.  So if you want to control and change your thoughts, a bit of relaxation or meditation is just the job – BUT the only way you’ll know if this is true is to give it a try.

And if you find it too difficult to slow down under your own steam, you can always try a treatment of Reflexology or Indian Head Massage!  To book contact Doris on 07724 197627.  And you get £5 off your first treatment.

I proudly announced the launch of my new online business, Baby Making Mindset, last week and I'm delighted with the progress I've made, but it's had it's downside.

I'm now officially a desk potato!

I wouldn't call myself a couch potato because I've been so busy that TV is a distant memory (I've still to see some of the programmes I saved over Xmas and New Year).  No, I'm a desk potato, stuck to my typist chair at my PC producing blogs and newsletters, facebook posts and twitter feeds and the odd article - not to mention content for my new Club.  And I get so absorbed with it all that I only remember to move when my legs start going numb - so much for self-awareness!

So I've decided I need to get some more exercise, but I'm not really fitness freak material: I'm a member of a gym - but it seems to take up so much time; I like to go out walking - but the weather isn't always great; I do still need to spend a lot of time at my PC - but I also know that I need to take more breaks.  Notice all the "buts" - those are objections, resistance, excuses and I seem to have a lot of them.  I need a new strategy:  I want to make it easy for myself to reduce the resistance, so I thought "a little and often", that will help me create some breaks from my PC which would also be a good thing.  

What how do I do that?  Well, I thought I'd ask Google what to do and I got a real surprise ... some excellent information from the NHS.  It provides exercise for all ages and distinct programmes for men and women and it's got lots of other great information that's easy to read and apply - I'm surprised and impressed.

Here's a link to a series of 10 Minute workouts.  I'm going to be incorporating them into my day to give me a break from my PC.  Have a look at the link and see if they might suit you too ...

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/Tenminuteworkouts.aspx

Happy workout!