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BAM Founder, David Gordon studied sport science at Loughborough University,
was an international pole vaulter for 10 years before man-hauling unsupported
across Greenland amongst other endurance experiences. After taking up athletics
again recently, he is now current European over-45 pole vault champion.
and well-being
I love training and fitness but in the world of
health and ‘well-being’ it’s only part of the
picture. Here are some brief thoughts to chew on.
Hydration
Water is life. From a health
perspective, it helps
everything. For daily wellbeing, lack of proper
hydration causes physical
and mental fatigue, and
poor performance in
anything you do as well
as aches and pains in
joints and muscles. If
you’re drinking enough,
your urine will be pretty
clear. This is not breaking
news. The elephant in the
room is actually the
chemicals, in particular,
oestrogen, in our tap
water. The many toxins and
impurities in our water
supply are not good. A
cheap solution is a carbon
water filter and your own
drinking bottle (use
bamboo charcoal as a
perfect natural purifier).
Sleep
Why does Roger Federer ensure 11-12 hours sleep a
night and Usain Bolt insist good sleep is the most
important single element of his training regime? It’s
more important than we imagine. Sleep is
fundamental to body tissue repair, the right hormones
and mental agility, especially memory (although
that’s a lost cause in my case). Sleep deprivation is
linked to cortisol, the stress hormone but if you can
get to bed early and sleep well, melatonin release is
increased. Melatonin is a platform for general health
and well-being. Sleeping in a dark room, reducing
ambient and blue (computer) light after 9pm all help
too. My new year’s resolution was to get more sleep,
which has been difficult but I’m hanging in there.
Diet
Eat less, exercise more! Actually there is a
massive fundamental that doesn’t get
enough exposure: the health of your gut. The
future of medicine, in my humble opinion, is
stool analysis. Yes my friends, we’re headed
towards pooing into plastic bags, it tells us
everything, a full confession. Until that
glorious day arrives, what can we do? An
easy win is probiotics, live bio-yogurt full of
good bacteria that you need in your gut.
There’s a war going on in your gut right now,
with countless different bacteria, good ones
and bad ones, so why not tip the scales in
favour of the good ones? It also helps weight
loss as it reduces cravings. We also need
Fibre (or ‘prebiotics’) with fruit, beans and
pulses which also promote the growth of
good bacteria in your gut. Funnily enough,
hold the front page: refined sugary foods are
bad and a balanced natural diet with live
yogurt and fibre are good. (we need 18-30g
RDA – Recommended Daily Allowance as
part of our diet).
Goals
Having a purpose and goals to look forward to is
what makes life worth living, isn’t it? Three years ago
I discovered masters (veterans) athletics, which let’s
face it, matters to no-one except those involved. I
love those big days in an arena in some far flung
place when I gather with other usual suspects and
do my thing. On those days I feel alive. I can’t wait
till I’m 50, enter a new age group and will be young
and competitive! Everyone is different but we all
need to have those punctuation marks in our
calendar, like a competition or event, or just
something to look forward to.
So, in summary, you are captain of your own ship, so
take responsibility, make a plan and go for it. Dave.
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