Health & Beauty

Health&Beauty TAKE BACK CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE

Antonio Garcia Llorente, a doctoral student from the University of Almeria in Spain and an MSc cardiovascular health and rehabilitation student at the University of Chester, looks at how tai chi can help bring balance

We have normalised hurrying from one place to another, getting caught up in our everyday routine. We live a relentless cycle of “busy-ness”, which can also mean we’re more likely to make poor lifestyle choices including lots of sitting, less movement, a lack of sleep and unhealthy eating. These behaviours negatively affect our general wellbeing and can impact our quality of life. Consequently, our physical and psychological health can pay the toll.

There are different strategies we can use to improve our quality of life, including eating healthily, practising meditation, talking therapies and physical activity. One option, tai chi, has proven particularly effective. Since the beginning of the century, a growing number of high-quality research articles have encouraged individuals to participate in tai chi sessions.

Tai chi is suitable for all ages

What is tai chi?

Tai chi is a body-mind exercise that combines controlled movements with breathing exercises, meditation, and philosophy. It was born as a “Evidence martial art for suggests self-defence and, according to some historians, improvements in blood pressure and was founded sleep quality” by Xiaolin monks more than 1,500 years ago. It was recently included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.

There are four ancestral types of tai chi, named for the families that mastered the styles over the years: Chen, Yang, Wu-Hao and Wu. Chen is the most commonly practised style. However, it can involve jumping or fast movements, so if you’re returning to exercise, or have never exercised before, it is advisable to get started with the beginner Chen-style forms.

The benefits of tai chi

Recent evidence suggests improvements in balance, blood pressure, pain reduction, sleep quality and overall quality of life following tai chi practice. These benefits are particularly important in chronic conditions such as cardiorespiratory diseases and in frail individuals with poor balance or osteoporosis. Tai chi has also been included in the NHS Live Well website given its benefits. It’s a light- to moderateintensity exercise, so is safe for the general population. Should you suffer from any chronic disease, musculoskeletal Antonio Garcia Llorente problem or health issue, it’s advisable to gain clinical approval from your GP.

Tai chi is simple and inexpensive and can be delivered face to face, remotely or in a pre-recorded session. It can also be easily adapted to chair-bound individuals or people with low levels of fitness.

Myth buster

We look at some of the tall tales and home truths about tanning…

1You can get a tan through a window It’s unlikely. Standard glass blocks almost all UVB rays, the sunlight responsible for melanin production and enhancing the dark pigment within your skin. Even if you’re sprawling in the conservatory, the glass will convert that radiation energy into heat – so while you may not get burnt, you are at increased risk of overheating.

2It is dangerous to tan on a sunbed It certainly is. Sunbeds were once the favourite of pale-skinned supermodels, but a 2012 campaign led by Kate Moss turned many sunbed users off this bronzing method. The World Health Organization has stated that using sunbeds is as dangerous as smoking, leaving fewer and fewer people keen to take the risk.

3It’s safe to tan if you have dark skin It may be more obvious when fair-skinned people get too much sun exposure, but it’s a myth that those with darker skin don’t need to take the same precautions. The damage the sun can do – causing wrinkles, ageing and skin cancer – affects all skin types. There are even some theories that darker-skinned people are likely to take more risks and stay in the sun longer, putting themselves in more danger than their lighter-skinned friends.

Mental Health

AN EXCITING NEW BEGINNING

As we return back to life – be it school, work, university, wherever your path takes you – one thing is certain: it is an exciting new beginning. A whole new adventure but with something extra special sprinkled on top: newfound knowledge of your own capability and strength.

Patience, endurance and change are three things that we find incredibly challenging, yet you have just had a masterclass in all three thrown at you – what a gift from the universe.

Take a moment to think about the past 18 months and ask yourself: what have I learned? What have I gained from this experience? And how do I take this knowledge and apply it to my life to enhance and accelerate my journey?

Make yourself a cup of your favourite beverage, turn off your

phone, sit in silence, listen to what your mind answers and write it down if it helps. The key is then to take that knowledge and use it to enhance, empower and accelerate your life’s journey. If at the start of 2020 someone had told you what was to come, would you have believed that you could endure it? Maybe not. Well, you did. You are here, you are now, “When we you have breath in your understand, lungs and absolutely the fear goes away” anything is possible. When we take time to acknowledge what we have endured and overcome, it gives us the energy to accelerate our journey with deeper wisdom and greater understanding. When we understand, the fear goes away. Take time to understand what you’ve learned and gained, and you’ll understand yourself a little better. You are a powerful person who can overcome and turn adversity into an advantage.

Anne Carr Lisa Whelan has dedicated the past 20 years to creating a first-class wellbeing resource that is simple and fun. The results are Mighty Minds, a six-week animated positive resource designed specifically for children, and the Calm Your Mind, Control Your Life Mind Flight course for adults. Go to www.mindflight.online for more.