Sluggish in the morning ? This is one of my favourite exercises its an all time great.

Simple yet effective it makes sure your body is prepared for exercise or just to make
You mentally and physically alert

So as you can see here these guys are beating themselves up .

Every time I go to a seminar and ask people to do this they really get a bit worried.

Have I gone nuts?
Surely to warm up we should be doing something more physical like jumping up and down?

The answer ? No I have not gone nuts the Chinese do this every day and why would you want to jump up and down?
You end up with a warm up so effective with so many more benefits:

• Warms up the Body
• Jolt Free
• Vibrations stimulate brain and organs
• Increase blood flow to all parts of the body
• Reduce likelihood of muscle strain
• Increase flexibility
• Feel Invigorated and awake

Anyway do this with my breathing system and it becomes really quite effective.

So If you have not got time to do the whole 5 minutes (wow you are busy) doing this will set you up for the day

Check out http://www.wakeupandbreathe.com/go

Or for more details on the DVD  http://wakeupandbreathe.com/quick-shop/

To Your Health

Barry

I’m sure you’ve heard  this story – race starts, hare dashes off, tortoise is slow but wins in the end.

Well, life isn’t quite so simple as that but there are lessons to be learnt.  Sometimes it’s wise to take time to consider your position, enjoy the moment or take the subtle approach.

Next time you look at the well dressed hotshot, check out instead the nondescript man behind in a Primark suit…. It may be the next Warren Buffet.  Now that’s a Tortoise to watch, Mr Buffet never rushes, he takes his time, considers and then makes his move.

Now I’m not a slow person by nature but my Tai Chi training has taught me to stop and think, to take things at a more deliberate pace.

There as too many  times I rushed around and achieved nothing in my personal and business life and I still have to engage brain to stop myself doing the same thing now.

Have you looked at Wake Up and Breathe! and thought it’s too slow and gentle for you?   Well think again…. You’re the person who needs it most!

If you want to achieve more with less come to our next  Wake up and Breathe workshop ………  http://www.FiveMinutestoFitness.co.uk

Barry

Orientals certainly think our Western way of exercise is strange -  all that huffing and puffing.  They focus on martial arts learning a skill, a focus, a method of self defence and becoming incredibly strong, flexible and energised at the same time.

Can you imagine a bunch of aliens visiting one of Earth’s gyms?

“Hey Orrrrk (ok, so I don’t really know what Aliens are called!)

I have just seen some earth creatures in a place they call a Gym.

Some of them are jumping up and down on a rubber mat and others are running on machines that take them nowhere. They spend a lot of time doing this.

My calculations tell me that some of them are damaging their bodies. Some of them are trying to get thinner, some are trying to get bigger, none of them are happy to be what they are.”

Well that may not be entirely how they would see it but who knows?

I spend 5 minutes a day doing my exercise, I’m fit enough to enjoy my life, I’m energetic to work a long tough day and still enjoy some nightlife. But most importantly I feel good… no I feel FANTASTIC.

Wake Up and Breathe!…. it’s Out of this World, but it’s not mad.

Find out more at our workshop  www.FiveMinutestoFitness.co.uk

Although I’m not a big fan of the cold I can easily protect myself from it with clothes or setting fire to something!

But  it’s the dull weather which really gets me down maybe its a touch of SAD (seasonally affected disorder) or maybe not.
I know I like bright a lot better than I like dull!

One thing is for sure, as soon as winter kicks in my addiction starts to make it’s presence felt.

What addiction I hear you ask.

Sad to say, i’m addicted to food!

I just love to eat and try different foods all the time, but come wintertime I console myself with  serious comfort food.  Most years i’ve gained weight but a few years ago I started learning some better habits.   Now I enjoy even yummier comfort food – fabulous seasonal root veg, soups, stews, crumbles and all very home made.

So let’s all go to the Supermarket and buy us some really good food.

OK  stop right there!

I do have to go to the supermarket (usually kicking and screaming and dragged by my Wife) but what do I find when I get there?

Packets, tins, microwave meals. I swear at least 70% of what I see on the shelves just shouldn’t be in our tummies.

A few years ago we found that we’d fallen into some bad habits.  My wife and I were both working long hours and often mealtimes were a choice of takeaway or opening a packet.  Of course this didn’t do our health or our waistlines any good so we decided on some changes.

Our household is always busy and we’re usually catering for half the teens in london (or at least it feels like that!)   University students need plenty of food but also have some strange tastes and eat at odd times, all of which makes it difficult to feed them healthily.

We decided that for at least five days a week we’d stick to homemade meals.  I was worried how my wife would manage this but with a bit of planning it seems to work really well.  Anything that can be batch cooked is – that means that one lot of preparation and cooking makes enough for a few days, so dinner on the other days is just a matter of sticking a dish in the oven to reheat and adding some veg or a salad – just as easy as a box meal and a lot tastier.

Some of the food we regularly cook wouldn’t be found in a healthy eating guide perhaps but we try to make healthy versions.  For instance, my wife is using windfall apples from our garden at the moment to make some great crumbles.   She throws in heaps of apples and often rhubarb, berries or raisins and cinnamon and then tops it with a layer of crumble made with a crumble made with lots of oats and seeds.    A lot less toxic than some shop bought versions, it tastes delicious and a little goes a long way when the taste is so intense.  Other days we have applesauce with a dollop of vanilla icecream or yoghurt.

Another favourite is Chicken Soup : sometimes called Jewish Penicillin. My Non-Jewish wife makes the best! Packed full of chicken and vegetables with vermicelli  and parsley. This makes a great supper with some crusty bread and is so easy to make – the worse bit is fishing out the little bones.

The point is I can really taste the difference and we discovered something else too:

we’re saving around 30=40% on our food bills!

Anyway this is not my area of expertise  my Wife Lorraine  (the Chicken Soup expert!) should really tell  you more. So  I’m going to ask her to blog recipes for some of my favorite  ”box free” foods.

Stay with us  to eat better keeping your cholestrol and your blood pressure lower.

Barry