I am sure that many of you will have been shocked to have heard the recent news that teenager has been left blind and deaf after living off a diet of chips, crisps and sausages.

Although an extremely rare case, the teenager in question suffers from an eating disorder known as ARFID (avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder). According to eating disorder charity Beat, those suffering from the condition often avoid food with a certain texture, smell, taste or appearance, or only eat food at a certain temperature.

According to Dr Atan, of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, “When this behaviour starts as a child it tends to continue as an adult. Processed food was not the problem per se. It was he was only eating that type of food and nothing else. Nutrients are extremely important for vision and hearing – but a lot of people are not aware of that.”

In our hectic lives and supermarket driven ‘distractions’, it could be argued that our relationship with Food has become slightly skewed! Diet is something we do when we need to lose weight, nutrition is for athletes and the healthy, whilst food is for filling us up!

Food is way more than fuel, it should be nutritious, and our diet should contain all the nutrients required to maintain health, life and growth.
 
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” — Hippocrates was so far ahead of the game when around the year 400 B.C, he observed, that to prevent and treat diseases first and foremost, we should eat a nutrient-dense diet.
 
Are you as healthy as you would like to be?
What does your ‘diet’ look like?
 
As we are never more than 5 meters away from our phone, try this for a week! Each time you eat something, pause before eating and take a photo. at the end of the week, you will have a clearer and honest picture of what you actually eat!
 
As ever, help is at hand as we provide a delicious way of eating cabbage, (cavolo nero) plus offer a new way of coping with stress and anxiety! We have lots of good news to share, plus a couple of tips on how to gain strength for those over 50!

We love this salad, as it means summer is here and we can sit outside and enjoy these amazing flavours and textures. This salad has evolved over the years and occasionally takes a different direction, but this is our family favourite.
 
Ingredients

• 2 ripe peaches
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 buffalo mozzarella
• Prosciutto, or smoked bacon lardons
• Small bunch of fresh basil – (you can use mint as an alternative)
• 1 head of sweet romaine lettuce
• extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar, (sherry or balsamic vinegar works just as well)
• 1 crust of stale bread

 
METHOD

Pre heat your oven to 150
​

1. Gently fry your prosciutto and set aside, keeping the fat in the pan
2. Cut your stale bread into chunks and fry in the prosciutto fat for a couple of minutes before placing in the oven for 5minutes
3. Slice the peaches and tomatoes into chunks
4. Cut your avocado in half and scoop out the flesh, taking extra care in removing the stone. Cut the soft flesh into chunks
5. Wash your salad leaves and tear into pieces then place in a large bowl
6. Tear up the basil leaves, toss with the mixed salad leaves and dress with a little of the extra virgin olive oil & red wine vinegar dressing.
7. Add the peaches and tomatoes and avocado
8. Rip the mozzarella into small pieces and in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients
9. Using scissors, cut the prosciutto into pieces and sprinkle over the top.
10. Lightly season with sea salt and black pepper.
11. Toss all the ingredients together and sprinkle the croutons on top!

I'm posting this with a heavy heart.
 
As much as I love playing and practicing my golf, I now realise it takes up way too much of my time. I am struggling to keep up with the everyday basics like looking after the boys, cooking, cleaning and maintaining my house, so something must give! So, I have decided that from September 1st I will be getting rid of a lot of my equipment.
 
Thanks for reading and understanding...Below is a list of what's available.
 
Serious enquiries only please. Make me a reasonable offer.
 
1. Dustpan and brush
 
2. Sponges
 
3. Dusters
 
4. Mop and bucket
 
5. Window cleaner
 
6. Vacuum
 
7. Dishwashing liquid
 
8. Laundry detergent
 
9. Fabric softener
 
10. Laundry baskets
 
11. Toilet brush
 
12. Cleaning sprays
 
13. Scrubbing brushes
 
 Creating space and time to do the things you love, whilst juggling work, family and life commitments can be very difficult. Creating time to do things that you do not enjoy but know you must do to improve the quality of life, such as exercise and taking care of your body, can be even harder. Making a change is difficult. If you have not allowed time and space for change it becomes impossible. As we are limited to just 24 hours in a day, it’s important that we make the most of each hour that is spare! Assuming you are one of the healthy members of the working population, you probably sleep for about 8 of them and work for 8!  This leaves you with 8 hours left in the day, of which you spend eating (2), showering, dressing and getting ready (1), household chores (1) etc…leaving you with an hour or two at most.
It is therefore vital to block out time in your diary each day, even if it’s just 10 or 15 minutes. If you think you don’t have the time, think about how long you spend each day on Facebook, TV, games, or doing smaller tasks that aren’t as important. Substitute one of these activities or incorporate your new ‘habit’ within these time frames.
Simple changes, we have recommended to clients, include, sitting on the floor whilst watching TV encouraging them to practice the floor stretches, we have been working on in the studio to improve their mobility, whilst doing something they were already doing!
 
TASK
How many ‘free hours and minutes’ do you have in a day?
What are your time wasters?
How much time do you need per day to make a difference?
 
If you can figure out how to do all the things you want to do, it will be easier to overcome the fundamental problem: how can you find the time to change your life?
 
 
The First Step
Cut out the noise! Get rid of distractions, time wasters and all the nonsense that eats into your day.
You are making a commitment.
You have reached a point where you know you need to change, this where you decide how much you want that change.
Think of this not as “improving your life” but saving it. The changes you will make you healthier, happier and bring back control.
Once you have made the mental commitment, take small steps to give yourself more free time to breathe and move!
With TV on 24-hour demand and endless ‘must see’ box sets to stream; whole evenings can be lost watching TV. Monitor, audit and adjust your viewing habits. Try to be more disciplined with your viewing habits, earmark programmes to watch, rather than surfing in vain!  This one change alone, will free up a couple hours or more per week.
 
Spend less time on social media. These sites have their benefits, but if you are not careful, you can spend hours in a week watching kittens doing the craziest thing or viewing your friends ‘amazin’ holiday posts! Very little of what you view on social media, will inspire you and make you feel positive, often, it will have the opposite effect. I used to read a lot of things on the Internet that were just entertainment. Cut out the ‘noise’ and focus on what is really important.
 
Wake up earlier. This is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a great way of adding 30 – 60 minutes to your day. Exercising whilst the rest of the world sleeps or getting to work earlier, gives you the opportunity for peace and quiet and no interruptions. 
 
Block out an hour at the beginning of the day, where you have no interruptions, don’t answer the phone or respond to emails. Use this hour to do as much work/planning as you can, you will feel like you are ahead of the game and will achieve much more throughout the day.
Delegate time for answering emails and stick to it where possible
 
Simplify Commitments
Whilst you are working towards your goal, reduce the extra commitments you have in your life. Stay focused on your goal
If you’re worried about offending people, don’t. Send an email or make a phone call and explain that you’d love to keep doing the commitment, but at present, you just don’t have the time to give it your all.
 
Streamline Your Life
Just say no!  If you are asked to do something that is not related to reaching your goal, politely decline. For the next few weeks, be selfish, focus on what is important to you.

Simplify your daily routines, your work, your social life, your daily chores and your downtime. It will take time and a little effort, but it will be worth it!

If you enjoyed this short article on creating time, there are many more like this in our Ultimate Motivational Guide. The guide is a culmination of a few months’ work plus over 18 years’ worth of personal training experience and almost 30 years of teaching and coaching!  It is based around conversations and observations with clients that are moulded, reworked and reworded to be shared with others. 

I hope you enjoy the booklet and find the information both useful, beneficial and motivating! 

 https://www.personalbeststudio.co.uk/downloads.html 

Please feel free to download or share! Hard copies are available in reception and all profits will go to the Stroud Women’s Refuge. 

When you consider that for each round of golfer the average golfer will swing a golf club 70-100, (excluding practices swings!) the potential for injury is high, particularly if one joint is not functioning as it should! Read these top tips from the British Chiropractic Association and practice the exercise from our short video to help your swing and keep you pain free!
High profile professional golfers suffer from injury, but the amateur player may be more at risk than Rory Mcllroy or Tiger Woods.  Poor technique, inadequate stretching prior and post-match plus incorrectly carrying heavy golf bags are the main causes but following a few simple tips can solve the problem.

• The pressure points – The lower back, shoulders and wrists are the most obvious joints at risk for golfers through the repetitive nature of the golf swing but carrying a golf bag can also place an enormous strain on your neck.  Take advantage of the latest golf accessories specially designed to help such as lighter bags and dual harness straps over shoulders to distribute weight evenly.
• Warm up – Golfers often don’t warm up properly before playing – if muscles are not prepared by a good stretching routine, this can lead to a lack of flexibility and injury.  Spend two or three minutes warming up before teeing off.  Stretch hamstring, quads, chest muscles and shoulders.
• Drive – make the most of your swing; warm up on the driving range.
• Don’t forget that, like any sport, a good post-event stretch is also required.
• When picking up golf bags, bend carefully from the knees.
• Contrary to popular belief, trolleys are not the best way to caddy clubs as this builds unnecessary pressure from pulling and bending in the wrong positions.  A power or electric caddy is the safest way to go around.
• Wear proper shoes for stability and to help avoid twisting the back and hips.
• Pain is a warning sign – do not ignore it.  If you injure yourself, use ice rather than heat and if the pain persists, seek help.

​
A healthy back will improve your swing!

The original muesli recipe is a mixture of raw foods developed around the turn of the 20th century by a Swiss physician named Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner. Dr. Bircher went against accepted medical practice of thoroughly cooked food being the healthiest to introduce a small bowl full of rolled oats and raw apple before most meals. In modern times, this is now acceptable, but back then he had doctors walking out of his talks to show their disapproval.
 
Makes one portion of Bircher Muesli.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
 

• 1 Tablespoon rolled oats
• 2 Tablespoon water or apple juice
• 1 Tablespoon sweetened condensed milk/yoghurt
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 small or 1 large apple, grated with the skin
• 6 hazelnuts or almonds, chopped

Preparation:

Soak the oats overnight in water or apple juice! If you forget to soak, they can be left for 15 minutes, but will not taste as creamy! Add the grated apple and chopped nuts, squeeze on the lemon juice and add a dollop of yoghurt.

Experiment with other toppings and mixing other grains with your oats for variety!

As holiday destinations beckon for many, our personal training diaries begin to free up a little.  With all our Personal Training diaries full, we have recruited a new trainer to join our team. (More news on this in next months newsletter!). But with clients going away, we have some extra availability over the next 8 weeks.
 
Why not come in for a complimentary, no obligation personal training session. We can help you create a new program of exercises that will refresh your training at home or your gym.

If you are shy and not wanting to train on your own, bring your partner ora friend along!

Why not get the whole family to join you for some family fitness sessions!

Not sure if Personal Training is right for you?
Let us change your perception of Personal training – exercise and fitness.
Did you know that over 60% of our clients are over 50? Several of whom are in their 80’s!
40% of our clients’ train with a partner or friends!
We place more emphasis on movement and moving well rather than lifting and how much you can lift!

Experience the benefits of working with a Personal Best personal trainer today. To find out more, email info@personalbeststudio.co.uk  and we will try and fix a day and time for you to try a Personal Training session. Or you and a friend/ partner can train together for added fun and motivation!

​We have created a new affiliation with Minchinhampton based health insurance broker Baker Hudson Health (https://www.bakerhudsonhealth.com/) . They are impartial and work with an extensive range of providers, including Bupa, AXA PPP, Aviva and VitalityHealth. They can offer advice on private medical insurance, whether you have a long-standing policy which has increased in cost, or would like to explore the options available to enter the market.
 
They offer an advice-based service which will help you to understand the intricacies of medical insurance, ensure your plan stays affordable, and works how you would expect in the event of a claim.
 
We aim to work closely together moving forward, enabling our mutual clients to ensure that any invasive treatment is always a last resort, and that therapies have been utilised fully. Baker Hudson Health help to make a decision on how best to insure against the cost of treatment big or small.