Jeniffer Health Blog

Children’s Mental Health Funding Concerns in Scotland | HealthHubble | HealthHubble Recent research carried out by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland has described the level of spending on child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) as a ‘postcode lottery’.

Separating The Dos and the Don'ts

In trying to determine how much, and what type, it is prudent to start with what we should NOT be doing. We are now living in a world, whether we like it or not, that is stressing our psychological and biological systems more perhaps, that the world before lockdown. Do not underestimate the physiological stress being placed on our bodies and minds with all the uncertainty in society currently, and the mere fact that we are largely now more sedentary, and more isolated. With that being said, we must be careful not to engage in any activity that is going to further enhance this stress. Looking at lockdown as an opportunity is a great thing; looking at lockdown as an opportunity to suddenly DOUBLE the amount of exercise you're doing is not. The same can be said for nutrition. Utilising this time to work on building some great habits that you can carry on beyond lockdown is something we probably could all be doing... maybe eating more vegetables, or focusing on maintaining better hydration. However, engaging in a crash diet, or completely turning the way you eat upside down could possibly do more harm than good. The reasoning here is simple. Sudden change to any system causes stress. This stress, with regards to our biology, is a surefire way to drive cortisol (the body's stress hormone) up, which can compromise our immune system. If ever there was a time to be avoiding immune system suppression, it's now!

With this thinking in mind, there is another point to consider; the high intensity model. In fitness today, s*x sells, and apparently to many of us there is nothing s*xier than a man or woman in minimal clothing sweating their ass off in the latest 15 minute fat frying inferno blast! This may come as a surprise to many, but these high intensity training modalities should be largely avoided. I do believe there is a time and place for ramping up intensity, but this must be done carefully, in a very well thought out manner, and should absolutely not form the basis of ones training. Too much high intensity training is not only unsustainable, it will lead to burn out, and compromised immune function.

We also must consider varying movement patterns. Bodyweight training is a fantastic tool, however it is all too tempting to rely on the same movement patterns over and over. A classic one I have seen of late are things like press up challenges. This is where someone sets themselves the goal of doing say 100 press ups every single day for a month, or in some cases even more. This can be problematic, as it invariably leads to overuse issues. While many people can do bodyweight exercises on a daily basis and not feel sore the next day, this doesn't mean we should do it. Though circumstances have changed, the basic principles of physical training have not. Varying movement patterns is a key component to achieving balanced and long term health and fitness.

As lockdown continues, and we face another few months of life without access to our traditional gym settings, I have been inundated with questions regarding fitness strategies that can be implemented at home. One of the most common questions being asked, unsurprisingly, surrounds training; more specifically, how much training should I do, and what kind? Six days a week? Four days? Should I run? Or do HIIT training? My favourite answer is one that often invites a blank stare, or perhaps a subtle eye roll. I have found that, especially when it comes to fitness and nutrition, people want direct, concrete answers...and this answer is anything but that. That answer is... it depends.

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