What is reality? Is it what literally happens to you or your perception of what happens to you? The same situation, in the same context, will generate different reactions and opinions from different people. For one, it will be a blessing, for others a curse. We are still talking about the same event in the same context- just the perception of it is different.

Take something simple like the weather- for someone, a cloudy sky with some sunshine will be considered nice, for another, anything other than clear blue skies is bad! Our beliefs act as a filter between us and reality.

So perhaps you are now wondering if we can ever access reality? My answer is no. All events pass through our ‘filters’. Only a majority can bring you a safe reassuring position of ‘reality’. If the majority feels something is bad, then it is bad.

The interesting point about the relativity of reality is precisely around what is it that really that happens around us? What really happens in the world despite what we are told by TV, news and presenters? How manipulated is our view of the World? According to the news the human race is on a desperate downward spiral and our planet is in jeopardy.

I decided many years ago to distance myself from this information. It’s not that I don’t want to know or that I want to bury my head in the sand, I just don’t want to be intoxicated with one way information, making me lose faith in human nature.

We know that looking at nature during a wet and miserable winter’s day can be depressing! However, a closer look, and all nature needs is a bit of sun to explode into blossom and give us tender green leaves. So, looking at the World, what is your position? Do you add to the generalised idea that things have never been so bad or do you keep up your hopes and faith?

It is up to us to make a conscience choice and decide for ourselves, not only through TV but through our own perception, intuition and critic sense. Do we want to add to the omnipresent darkness or take distance and be at least a neutral actor of the human play? We often forget that we are actors of this play, every day, at all times, acting and reacting to others, making choices about what our contribution to the world is.

What do we want to improve, to do better? What are we going to try today to make a difference with what we did yesterday? What the world is today is not only the result of powerful companies and governments but the actions of billions of individuals going through their lives with a certain level of consciousness. What we do is not without consequences and if we do improve our behaviour and contribution to the world, we make a difference around us and for all people in touch with us on a daily basis. Every little helps- really!

This article was provided and written by Denis Gorce-Bourge of www.gblifecoching.com

It is funny to remember when NLP (Neuro-Linguistic-Programming) became famous in the early 80’s that people were shocked to hear behaviour and personality defined as programs. It was shocking to compare a human being to a computer!

Today, science is going far beyond this notion. Quantum physics specifically affirms that we can’t be only observers in this world but contributors. This notion changes everything. The universe would not exist without consciousness and our own mind is building reality. Is that hard to believe?

We can’t look at something without influencing it and it seems that we are part of a gigantic Universal computer. Depending on our beliefs, we allow different kinds of events to happen in our lives, exactly like a program allowing you to open some documents. It actually makes perfect sense. Our beliefs are framing the territory of possibilities and if you don’t believe in the magic of life, it does not mean that it does not exist but that you can’t access it.

Our beliefs change our environment and health. The placebo and nocebo effects are well known and obviously important in the way we can either improve or damage our health. What is interesting is that all the double blind studies conducted for new molecules are showing an increase of the placebo effect. It is as if the program for self-healing is getting stronger.

Our beliefs seem to be a major factor in the whole process. If you want to make a presentation and you don’t have Powerpoint on your computer, it is much more difficult. In the same way, without the right beliefs, you cannot access certain levels of reality where, for example, your own inner power can heal you efficiently.

Don’t try to convince someone of anything. If the person does not have the right program, it will be almost impossible to believe you, because the reality of the person does not include this possibility.  The famous St Thomas quote: “I believe what I can see�. Do you see electricity, do you see air, viruses, energy..?

Because we are the architects of our life and environment, our beliefs are creating our life and vice versa. If I see the glass half empty, my life is unfolding according to this belief. So I have every reason to keep believing the same thing and to reject the ‘half full’ notion. In other words, changing beliefs is a gamble and needs strong commitment and faith to succeed.

The only hope, seeing how someone else’s life is different, is for some people to question their beliefs. What is he/she doing differently to obtain this result? Too often the notion of “they’re just lucky� gives an easy reason not to questions your own beliefs and patterns. Exemplarity is the only way to perhaps make people move on from the half empty position.

The only advice that I can give you is to stay as open as you can in order to be able to download more programs allowing you to have a wider range of experiences. And what if the all notion of beliefs and programs is true- do you believe it?

It is all up to you.

This article was written and supplied by Denis Gorce-Bourge of www.gblifecoaching.com

According to Britain’s Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, up to 60% of sports injuries are caused by worn-out or unsuitable footwear.

Proper footwear can potentially prevent, reduce and/or treat mechanical factors associated with injuries to the lower extremities and the lower back. The foot provides dynamic stability for a person’s entire body weight, while simultaneously maintaining flexibility for shock absorption and propulsion along uneven surfaces. As a result, there are unique biomechanical demands on the foot.

One of the body’s adaptations to these demands is through specialized movements in the foot, such as Pronation. Unless there is a severe, acute injury, pronation develops as a gradual biomechanical distortion. Several factors contribute to developing pronation, including tibialis posterior weakness,  ligament weakness, excess weight, flat feet, knock knees, subtalar aversion, or other biomechanical distortions in the foot or ankle.

Tibialis posterior weakness is one of the primary factors leading to pronation. Pronation primarily is controlled by the architecture of the foot and eccentric activation of the tibialis posterior. If the tibialis posterior is weak, the muscle cannot adequately slow the natural pronation cycle. This can become a contributing factor to lower back pain and lower extremity disorders, such as plantar fasciitis, ankle injuries, foot pain, shin splints as well as various knee and hip injuries.

Back pain due to foot pronation

The inward rotation of the leg that occurs as the foot pronates causes the pelvis to lean forwards (anterior tilt) and drop. This increases the curvature of the lower spine (see picture below) and the muscles become tight and sore. If the foot pronation occurs more in one foot than the other, this will cause the pelvis to become uneven. The leg will become shorter on the more pronated side and the lower spine may tilt in the opposite direction to prevent leaning. As a result, muscles and joints become painful and walking becomes less efficient. Pronation usually is corrected with orthotics, which are especially designed shoe inserts helping to restore the natural position of your foot and/or strengthening exercises for the tibialis posterior.

Here are some strengthening exercises for the Tibialis Posterior:

1. Use a ‘theraband’ or the inner tube of a bicycle-

Place two fingers on the outside of your knee to stop it moving to the side.

Now contract the Tibialis posterior muscle by letting the ankle pull against the rubber tubing, trying to lift the foot arch off the floor by rolling the ankle outwards. Here, it is still only partially raised off the ground.

Note that this is the situation in a healthy, fully functional lower leg and foot. In the situation for an already over strained and insufficient tibialis muscle, the foot arch would not lift even this much.

2. Form foot arch as seen above.

Place the fingers inside of the knee, and encourage the knee to move to the side.

The femur thus laterally rotates to catch up with the lateral rotation in the tibia, and the knee is no longer twisted.

Note how the foot arch fully lifts by combining the twin strategies of contracting the Tibialis posterior muscle and moving the knee laterally.

Also, Deep Tissue Massage treatments can relieve myofascial trigger points in the tibialis posterior, and other muscles, and address any resulting neuromuscular dysfunction in the leg or foot.

Do I need Orthotics?

Many foot symptoms ranging from general aches to painful bone and foot problems such as heel pains, bunions, calluses and knee or back pain, can be caused by collapsed and fallen arches.

Orthotics are especially designed shoe inserts which help to restore the natural position of your foot and realigning the joints within the foot in order to relieve the various symptoms. Left foot is corrected with a casted orthotic.

Do I wear Orthotics all day?

Orthotics, like glasses, work only when you use them. They do not change the structure of a foot, but help realign its joints to improve posture and function and relieve foot pain.

All day use of your orthotics is generally recommended to control or reduce pain or fatigue.

This article was written and provided by Barbara Brunner of www.brunnertraining.com

How many times do I hear patients complaining about their environment, people around them, friends, partners…?

Our environment is the mirror of our inner world and reality. How can we expect to have the right surrounding if we are not true to ourselves and others? We have the friends, the partners, and the boss that we deserve. If you want to change your surroundings, change how honest you are both with yourself and those around you. Don’t try to be somebody else or you will have somebody else’s friends, partner and boss!

We are like a puzzle piece and our we have a specific purpose. We are a corner or a piece of sky or whatever else but, if we are not true and honest, we can’t be at the right spot on the puzzle. This then puts the rest of the puzzle out of place as you are taking someone else’s place and so the cycle continues…..

If we embrace, respect and love who we really are the world around us will change accordingly and, little by little, the big puzzle will change and the big picture will appear.

Genuine, beneficial change can only happen if you are genuinely honest with yourself. Accepting who we are is the safest and quickest way to evolve and grow.

The more you are true to yourself, the more you will see people that you do not really like disappear and new people appear. Perhaps will you see someone appear around you that can become your partner, your new boss or a great friend?

How can you be yourself? Well, the simplest answer is to work on yourself and try to listen. Do you say ‘No’ when you want to, or do you answer according to how those around you might react? That’s your first step in the right direction! What is the real you? Are you faking reactions? Do you pretend it doesn’t matter when someone hurts you? You can express the fact that it hearts and it will not make you appear weak or overly sensitive. It takes courage to express your emotions.

Your life could be very different if you would really commit to yourself and to what makes you happy instead of spending so much energy trying to please others.

The puzzle is waiting to become a lovely picture and you can help the collective process by truly helping yourself.

This article was written by Denis Gorce-Bourge of www.gblifecoaching.com International Executive Coach, Trainer and Psychotherapist.

When one thinks about gymnasts and acrobats performing somersaults, hand stands, jumps on vaults and beams and looking superhuman, you can’t help but wonder: “Where does their huge amount of strength and skill come from?�.

I am a big fan of a type of training called Bodyweight Training, which is one of the most natural ways to train as it uses very little or no equipment and involves performing a wide range of exercises by using your own bodyweight.
These are several great reasons for Bodyweight Training:

• It builds your core – with bodyweight exercises you tend to use your core a
lot more than when you’re just doing weights. It’s practically impossible not
to! Why is this important? A strong core means less chances of getting back
pain!
• It builds functional strength – this type of training will enhance the coordinated working relationship between your nervous and muscular systems, which in return means you’ll be seeing substantial improvements to whatever
sport you’re practicing!

• It’s easier on your joints – weights don’t tend to train your stabilizer muscles as well as bodyweight training. You’ll be moving your own body in lots of different directions and at different angles which will help build your stabilizer
muscles and strengthen your joints.

• It will improve your flexibility – at first you might find this type of training a little difficult, but after a few workouts you’ll notice how much more flexible you’ll be!

• It will save you time – the reason we teach bodyweight training is so that you know how to perform these type of exercises when on holiday or at home and in the park since you’ll only need a little bit of space and almost
no equipment!

So here is a simple routine for beginners to get you started:

The Burpee

• Begin in a Squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you
• Kick your feet back, while lowering yourself into a plank position
• Return your feet immediately to squat position
• Leap up as high as possible from the squat position

Walking Lunge

• Stand upright and take a step forward with one leg and lower yourself until your back knee almost touches the ground
• Do not allow the front knee to go forward beyond your toes
• Push yourself upright again, then do the same with the other leg
• Keep moving forward

Squat Jumps

• Begin in a squat position with your hands stretched out in front of you
• Now jump up vertically as high as you can before returning into your initial position
• Do not look on the ground but instead keep focusing on something a few feet ahead of you

Pelvic Raises

• Lie on your back with your hands by your side
• Raise your legs so that your feet are pointing at the sky or the ceiling
• Now raise your buttocks off the ground, pushing your feet up as high as you can
• Return to starting position keeping your feet pointing up

Here’s an idea to perform your routine: go for a jog or a run in your local park if you can. Run for 5min, then stop and do these exercises back-to-back with zero rest in between. You will want to rest, but immediately hit the next exercise!! After it is done, keep jogging for the next 5 min, then repeat.

If you’re starting off from not having done any exercise in a while, I suggest you aim at just going out for a short 20 min workout, which means you’ll be jogging and doing this routine twice, and they’ll approximately last 5min each. Try and do this 2-3 times a week for at least 4 weeks before you start to add another set to the routine.

Just remember to add another 5min of jogging every time you add a set of exercises. This way, your workout will be a 30min one by month two, and a 40min one by month three.

Try it. This is the perfect way to tone your entire body and get ready for the summer!

This article was written by Barbara Brunner of www.brunnertraining.com

Summer is on the doorstep, the days are getting longer and there have already been a few great days of sunshine! Thus most of us will already be thinking: “I have to get into shape!�

No matter what your plan is, here is a quick lesson that may give just enough of an insight to really help you achieve your goal this year!

Our Body’s Energy Stores

It is important to try and understand the relationship between glycogen stores and bodyweight, as an improved understanding will help you set realistic expectations on whatever diet or exercise regiment you are undertaking!

Your body stores energy as fat and glycogen. Whereas fat stores can vary dramatically from person to person, your body can only store so much energy as glycogen. Glycogen requires water to be stored. In the initial stages of diet/caloric restriction and exercise, your body depletes these glycogen stores, reducing your bodyweight from the elimination of both the weight of the stored glycogen and the weight of the water. Note that nowhere in this process is the much-desired loss of fat!

Thus, even as it will feel good to shed 6-12lbs. simply from a few days of exercise mixed with a caloric-restricted diet, the weight loss will be primarily from a reduction in glycogen stores and water. In other words, what you’ll have lost in the beginning is really little more than water weight!

Fact 1:

Glycogen is stored in the liver, muscles, and fat cells in hydrated form (three to four parts water) associated with potassium (0.45 mmol K/g glycogen). . . .

Fact 2:

Glycogen losses or gains are reported to be associated with an additional three to four parts water, so that as much as 6 kg weight change might not be associated with any fat loss at all!

How This Relationship Affects Bodyweight

In short, diet and exercise will deplete glycogen stores. If your diet is working, the depletion will occur early and have a significant impact on your bodyweight without impacting a permanent change in your body composition.

Let me give an example. Let’s think of a person with around 155 – 160 pounds of lean tissue. Add on another 13 – 18 pounds of fat. After a week or two of being on a low-carbohydrate diet that involves intermittent fasting and plenty of exercise, his/her liver and muscle glycogen stores will be completely depleted. He/She will weigh about 174. If he/she then goes on to eat a bunch of carbohydrates — cookies, crisps, breads, fruits and other starchy foods (by eating a bunch, I mean consuming something on the order of 1000 grams of carbohydrates over the course of 24 hours, which is about 4000 calories), he/she will fully replenish his/her glycogen stores.

In the process of replenishment, the 1000 grams of carbohydrates will require anywhere from 3000 to 4000 grams of water for storage! Converting from grams to pounds, the impact on his/her bodyweight should be an increase of 10 to 12 pounds, taking his/her weight up to 185! Of course, the same change would happen in reverse: re-depleting glycogen stores would drop his/her weight back to the low 170s.

Fact 3:

Muscle size is mostly glycogen and water . . . You can go up and down 10lbs in a week easily depending on glycogen and water balance . . . The first big amount of lbs you lose in the first week dieting is mostly water! This is explained by the storage ratio between glycogen and water. What it means is that in the early stages of a diet, the magical drop in bodyweight will be mostly water weight.

Another implication of the water/glycogen relationship on bodyweight is that whereas the first 4000 calorie deficit you create will reduce your weight some ten pounds, the next 4000 calorie deficit is likely only going to reduce your bodyweight a paltry two pounds!

This is because a pound of fat stores 3500 calories and requires about a pound of water for storage. Thus, the initial weight-loss will seem easy compared to the drudging continued weight-loss when you’re actually burning stored fat.

Understanding the impact of glycogen depletion/repletion on bodyweight is just one more reason why merely weighing yourself on a scale provides a poor indication of your body composition! You’re better served by taking some physical measurements (waist size, for example). Or even better, take some periodic camera phone self-portraits — over time, you should be able to compare them and get a great feel for your progress (or lack thereof).

The Long-Term Solution

Most of us want quick results, but let’s face it: a long-term one will be much more satisfactory! Here are 5 key rules for the next 3 months if you want to achieve a good result (best of all, you’ll save lots of money!) :

• jog for 20 min every day (assuming you have no injuries)

• avoid large portions of food, have a snack�size portion (small bowl) every

3 hrs with a glass of water or a herbal tea

• avoid empty calories = alcohol

• consume mainly whole grains, vegetables, fruits , lean meats and fish

• work on a bed routine : go to bed/ get up at around the same time every day and get 7� 8 hrs of sleep

Provided by Barbara Brunner of www.brunnertraining.com

Every new year comes with new resolutions, whether it’s cutting down on drinking, quit smoking or wanting to exercise more and get fit. Or maybe even all of those three things together!

I see a common scenario year after year, and that is: people set themselves far too many goals, and all too often completely unrealistic ones: “This year I’m going to start a new career, I’ll quit smoking, I’ll sign up to a gym and I’ll train at least 3 times a week, I’ll run a marathon by july and will lose three stone!�

I’ve heard all sorts, trust me, and every time I’ll tell people the same thing: “Just keep things simple!�

It’s all well and good being motivated, wanting to fulfill a lifelong dream, trying to change for the better. But the secret is to choose only ONE thing and to try and pursue that for the rest of the year. And I’m a big fan of one particular gadget, that all of us are able to use and that has far more benefits that one/you may think: the BICYCLE!!

Many of us already commute to work on their bikes, if not every day then maybe a couple of times a week. Still, it seems like a lot of us still think that it’s very risky, that it’s unhealthy due to having to inhale all those exhaust fumes, that it’s inconvenient because we get sweaty!

I will now mention 10 great reasons why cycling to work is a MUST this year, you will not be able to find a good enough excuse to come up with not to do it:

Get to work faster (and have a less stressful journey)
Here’s a fact: during rush hour in major cities you’ll be averaging about 7mph in a car….on your bike it’ll be more like 12-15mph. You do the math!

Your brain likes it
Tests have shown that even a 5% improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness leads to an improvement of up to 15% in mental tests! The exercise also helps build new brain cells and ward of illnesses like Alzheimer due to the increased blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

It’s the safest it’s ever been
More people than ever are taking to two wheels and cycling levels in the UK have reached their highest point for 17 years. That means more riders on the roads, which surely means more cyclists getting killed by cars? Well, no. Department of Transport figures show that last year cycling increased by 12 percent (measured in total kilometres cycled), but there was also a fall in cycling deaths, down from 136 to 115 – the second lowest level ever.

Inhale less gases
Everyone seems to think that cyclists suck up more pollution and noxious gases than people in cars, buses and taxis.
Not so, according to a study carried out by Imperial College London. Researchers found that cyclists and pedestrians seem to breathe in fewer fumes because they walk or ride at the edge of the road and, unlike drivers, aren’t directly in the line of exhaust smoke. Cyclists and pedestrians are exposed to just 8000 of the ultrafine particles which can settle
in the lungs and damage cells, compared to the 100000 inhaled by taxi and bus passengers!

Be a great employee
According to a study by the University of Bristol employees who exercised before work or at lunchtime improved their time and workload management, and it boosted their motivation and their ability to deal with stress. The study also reported that workers who exercised felt their interpersonal performance was better, they took fewer breaks and found it easier to finish work on time. Also, a review of 12 studies on the link between exercise and fatigue carried out between 1945 and 2005 found that exercise directly lowers fatigue levels.

Get Fit – the cheap way!
How often have you actually been to your gym for a good 45min workout since you first joined? Most of you only make it there once a week , if that. And considering the average gym membership ranges around £50 a month, that one workout has just cost you £12.50! So here’s an idea: since your gym is most likely to be near your work, why not use it to just go and shower there three times a week? This will mean you’re making a much better use of your membership, since it’ll now be costing you only £4 to use the facilities! Remember what I mentioned earlier? Keep it simple! Regular, everyday cycling is so much more beneficial to your body than one huge 1hr effort that leaves you in so much pain for
the next few days you’ll barely be able to move! And according to research, if you’re cycling on a regular basis, you won’t just have the fitness levels equal to a person 10 years younger, but your body’s metabolic rate – the efficiency with which it burns fat and calories – will be raised not only during the ride but for several hours afterwards. This pretty much means that you’ll still be burning more calories without actually doing anything! Mix up the pace, effort and intensity of your ride, while keeping safety paramount, and you can turn your commute into a really great training session! As riding through urban traffic is inevitably stop-start, use this to your training advantage with high-intensity speed and power intervals. add the extra pace with extra pedalling speed. Use the traffic lights as sprint starts, or use a bike computer to maintain a high cadence (90- 100rpm). I can guarantee you, being out on the road will be so much more fun that just sitting on a stationary bike and in front of a tv screen.

Look Younger
“Increased circulation through exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells more effectively, while flushing harmful toxins out. The exercise also creates an ideal environment within the body to optimise collagen production, helping reduce the appearance of wrinkles and speed up the healing process.�

Stay healthy and live longer
Forget apples, riding’s the way to keep the doctor at bay. “Moderate exercise makes immune cells more active, so they’re ready to fight off infection,�people who cycle for 30 minutes, five days a week take about half as many sick days as couch potatoes. A recent study by King’s College London compared over 2,400 identical twins and found those who did the equivalent of just three 45-minute rides a week were nine years ‘biologically younger’ even after discounting other influences, such as body mass index (BMI) and smoking. “Those who exercise regularly are at significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, all types of cancer, high blood pressure and obesity,� says Dr Lynn Cherkas, who conducted the research. “The body becomes much more efficient at defending itself and regenerating new cells.�

Develop a positive addiction
Replace a harmful dependency – such as cigarettes, alcohol or eating too much – with a positive one, says William Glasser, author of Positive Addiction. The result? You’re a happier, healthier person getting the kind of fix that boosts the good things in life!

Get (a legal) high and be happy!
The infamous ‘runner’s high’ has finally been proven beyond doubt by German scientists. Yet despite the name, this high is applicable to all endurance athletes. University of Bonn neurologists visualised endorphins in the brains of 10 volunteers before and after a two-hour cardio session ,comparing the pre- and post-run scans, they found evidence of more opiate binding of the happy hormone in the frontal and limbic regions of the brain – areas known to be involved in emotional processing and dealing with stress. “There’s a direct link between feelings of wellbeing and exercise, and for the first time this study proves the physiological mechanism behind that,� explains study co-ordinator Professor Henning Boecker. You may feel miserable when you saddle up, but by the time you’ll get to your destinations you’re very likely to be in happy spirits! That’s probably why four times more GPs prescribe exercise therapy as their most common treatment for depression compared to three years ago. Just three 30-minute sessions a week can be enough to give people the lift they need.

And finally – Save the planet
Twenty bicycles can be parked in the same space as one car. It takes around five percent of the materials and energy used to make a car to build a bike, and a bike produces zero pollution.

So saddle up and give it a go!