Author: leytonosteopaths@gmail.com

The importance of regular exercise is widely recognised in maintaining good health. More of us than ever before go to the gym, attend yoga classes, swim, run, play tennis or do some form of dedicated exercise.

While having a structured exercise regime has many benefits, it is equally important to pay attention to your overall activity levels throughout the day.

Activity levels refer to the general movement we do during daily tasks—whether it’s walking, standing, or even stretching while working.

Research has shown that even if you’re completing regular, intense exercise sessions, it’s still crucial to incorporate more movement into your everyday routine. For example, sitting for extended periods or having a sedentary job can significantly affect your posture, flexibility, and overall well-being, regardless of how much exercise you do. That’s why it’s important to balance exercise with frequent movement throughout the day.

Here are a few simple suggestions to help maintain an active lifestyle:

• Take short walking or standing breaks every 30-60 minutes to get your blood circulating and to avoid prolonged sitting.

• Use a standing desk or try walking meetings when possible.

• Incorporate stretching, joint mobilisation or strengthening exercises during your day to keep muscles limber and strong (desk squats anyone?).

• Aim for an additional 8,000 -10,000 steps a day (this doesn’t have to be all at once—regular shorter walks can be hugely beneficial).

By focusing on both dedicated exercise and regular movement throughout the day, you can optimise your health, reduce the risk of injury, and improve your overall energy and mood.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like guidance on how to create a balanced activity plan. We are here to help you achieve your
best health!

On a semi regular basis we see patients who have gone to A&E with their back pain before coming to see us at Leyton Osteopaths. Invariably they regret the trip because they are sent home with some pain killers, having waited for 3-7 hours.

The most common ailments that cause people to make the trip to A&E are muscle spasms and sciatica. Both of these conditions can be horrendously painful but are not best treated in an emergency department.

When should you go to A&E with back pain?

ALMOST NEVER – if back pain and / or sciatica are your only symptoms.

The one exception being, if you think there’s a chance that you have a broken bone from, say, a trauma or fall.

However, if you are experiencing back pain or sciatica in addition to any of the following symptoms, a trip to A&E is warranted.

• Loss of bladder or bowel control – unexplained difficulty peeing, incontinence, or an inability to feel when you need to go. An indication of Cauda Equina Syndrome.
• Numbness or tingling around your genitals – sometimes called ‘saddle anaesthesia’. Another indication of Cauda Equina Syndrome.
• Unexplained chest pain or difficulty breathing – sometimes heart attacks can be felt in the back as well as the chest, arm and jaw.
• Weakness or sudden loss of coordination in your legs could indicate a spinal cord issue.
• Unexplained weight loss, fever, or night sweats – along with persistent back pain could indicate an infection or something more serious. A spinal infection is considered a medical emergency because it can cause permanent nerve damage if not addressed quickly.

Cauda Equina Syndrome is a rare but serious condition where nerves at the lower end of the spinal cord become compressed. This compression can lead to severe and permanent damage if not treated quickly (like lifelong incontinence, which is why it is considered a medical emergency) Treatment requires emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on the nerves, and the sooner the better.

What to do instead

Osteopaths are well placed to deal with back problems that do not require a trip to A&E. If you are in severe pain we will adapt the treatment accordingly and can usually help to relieve, or at least reduce the pain to some degree. But the most important step is to help you understand what exactly is happening, why it is happening and give you a plan for recovery.

A typical recovery plan involves a set of rehabilitation exercises to do at home, hands on treatment to desensitise the injury and some lifestyle protocols to speed up the recovery process. With most patients, when they have improved sufficiently, we will also introduce measures to prevent future occurrences.

If you have any doubts as to whether we can help or if you need a hospital visit just give us a call on 02030 961 900 and we’d be happy to discuss it.

Last night I noticed an interesting change in my behaviour.

Putting the bin out is usually a hassle. I live on the third floor and have a hundred and one other things I need to get done in the evening, including entertaining two small children who decide every single night they don’t want to go to bed.

To get to the bin store I need to put on my shoes and jacket and head outside into the cold and wet. As I said, not a big deal, but a bit of a hassle!

But yesterday I could feel myself actually being pleased at the prospect of doing this normally inconvenient task. Why? Because having recently started monitoring my step count, I realised it would help me reach my daily target. I even took a long route around the garden to make sure.

The task was exactly the same as as it always was but my perception shifted. My bin store walk was reframed from an annoyance to something helpful because I was focussed on a different target.

Choices

When faced with the choice of sitting comfortably and watching TV or venturing down onto the floor to do some exercises, the latter feels unappealing. It’s easy to choose the cosy sofa over pushing yourself physically.

But what if you reframed the question?
Instead of asking, “Do I want to do these exercises?” consider, “Am I willing to do the work to overcome my injury and start enjoying life again? Or “What can I do today to support my optimal health & well-being and ensure an active and vital future?”

By focusing on the bigger picture and clearly understanding your reasons for taking action, you can transform that internal dialogue.

Those uncomfortable reps no longer feel like a struggle, they become a worthwhile investment in your health and future. I love this quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger, which says it perfectly.

 “This is why I always smiled when I was in the gym. People always came up to me and said, “Why are you smiling? You’re working out 5 hours a day. You’re doing the same as the other guys, but the other guys have a sour face, they’re pi**ed off that they have to do another rep.” I looked forward to another 500 pounds of squat. I looked forward to doing more and more curls until my arms [would] fall off. Why? Because I knew that every rep that I did and every set that I did and more weights that I lifted, I get one step closer to turning that vision into reality.”

It’s all about perspective. When you shift the conversation in your mind, you empower yourself to embrace the discomfort as a stepping stone toward a healthier, more vibrant life, and like Arnie, you might learn to enjoy it.

These three simple words can help us understand why most injuries happen.

Demand Versus Capability

When the demand we place on the various tissues of our bodies exceeds their capabilities, pain and injury are the likely outcome.

Jump from the top of a ladder to the ground and there’s a very real chance of breaking a bone. The force produced from the jump exceeds the bone’s ability to withstand it and injury ensues.

Try hard enough to lift a weight in the gym that’s too heavy for you and your muscles will strain or tear.

The implication of Demand Versus Capability is that to reduce our chances of getting injured, we can reduce the demands we put on our bodies or increase our capability to withstand those demands.

Reducing Demand

A common excessive demand for many of us is staying in one position for too long. Bodies like to move but modern life often requires us to be sat in front of a screen for long periods of time. To reduce the demand on the body caused by sitting we simply need to get up and move around more regularly.

If you have taken up running and are experiencing knee pain, you might want to consider running fewer miles, at a slower speed or on a flatter terrain.

Increasing Capability

Whilst reducing demand has its place, increasing your capabilities is a more enriching way to minimise your chances of injury. To improve your capabilities you need to stress your body’s tissues ENOUGH but NOT TOO MUCH.

For example, our weightlifter should lift weights that are challenging but not excessive. In doing so, her muscles will adapt to the demands of the weights she has lifted by getting a little stronger, enabling her to lift a little bit more in the future. Our runner should start at a comfortable pace and distance and incrementally increase both over time. His cardiovascular fitness will creep up and his musculoskeletal system will have time to adapt to the demands.

And it is not just for sports people, if you love gardening but it gives you back ache, think about ways of initially reducing the demands it places on your body. Get help with bigger jobs, rotate tasks so you get variety of movements and reduce your total time gardening. Slowly build up the duration, again, giving your body time to adapt to what you are asking it to do. Supplemental stretching and strength exercises may also be beneficial.

Prevention is better (and less painful) than cure, don’t wait for injuries to happen, start increasing your capabilities today.

Muscle spasms are a common cause of back pain that can be extremely painful and debilitating. Few other injuries cause as much panic and anxiety. Many people go to A&E with back spasms, the pain is so intense it seems like the only sensible option. Invariably they regret this decision as they sat waiting for many hours (making the spasms worse) then sent on their way with some pMuscle spasms are a common cause of back pain that can be extremely painful and debilitating. Few other injuries cause as much panic and anxiety. Many people go to A&E with back spasms, the pain is so intense it seems like the only sensible option. Invariably they regret this decision as they sat waiting for many hours (making the spasms worse) then sent on their way with some pain medication.

Back Spasms

Muscle spasms anywhere on the body can be excruciatingly painful but spasms of the muscles either side of the spine (called erector spinae), even more so. Part of the reason for this is that they are extremely difficult to disengage. For example, when experiencing a cramp in your leg it is relatively easy to avoid using it, apply pressure or stretch it.

With spinal muscles, unless you are lying down and completely still, they are engaging. Any attempt to move will involve using the muscles, making them more liable to spasm again.

What to do when back muscles are in spasm

Rest – try to stop using them. As mentioned above, this can be difficult but lying down on your side gives you the best chance of relaxing the muscles.

Gently stretch – when the erector spinae muscles on both sides of the back contract together they pull you into an extended or arched back position. To stretch them you need to move them in the opposite direction, so when lying on your side, that would involve getting into a foetal position. Again, it is likely to be quite painful making the move into the position (because you have to engage the muscles) so having somebody help you is beneficial. You could also try gently hugging your knees towards your chest from this position

Apply heat or cold – personally I much prefer heat as I find it to be more soothing and relaxing for muscles, but if you respond better to cold that’s fine. Your aim is to get some relief and reduce tension.

Gentle movement – once you have managed to relax and stretch the muscles they should come out of spasm, or at least ease up. At this stage gentle movement of the area by walking around your home or garden can help blood flow to the area which can aid recovery. Also, muscle stiffness from inactivity can lead to further spasms, light walking can help loosen things up.

Get professional help – As mentioned above, often people with back spasms go to A&E. The emergency department aren’t very interested in spasms, no matter how painful, because they are not a threat to life in any way (whereas even a minor cut can get infected). Your GP may prescribe a muscle relaxant, which can help, but often times will leave you feeling extremely drowsy and not make much of a difference at all.

Get the RIGHT professional help – Osteopaths are well placed to deal with muscle spasms. We can use a variety of hands on techniques to stretch the muscles, bring them out of spasm and work on related areas to reduce strain on the back. We can guide you through a series of stretches and exercises, tailored for your specific needs and capabilities so you continue the benefit of treatment at home. We can also help you understand what you can do long term to prevent future occurrences.

Understand the cause – to ensure long term and lasting recovery it is important to understand why your muscles have spasmed in the first place. Often it is caused by doing something that puts too much challenge on them. Footballers bundling over with cramps in their legs is a common site when matches go into extra time. Their bodies are optimised for 90 minutes, an extra 30 minutes can be too much. When investigating the cause of back spasms, we will ask patients if they have been doing anything unusual, attempting a new sport or carrying something they normally wouldn’t. But sometimes it can happen in response to other spinal problems. A disc herniation that affects the nerves frequently causes the back muscles to tense up as a protective mechanism and this can escalate into a spasm. Again, your friendly local osteopaths will be able to determine the root cause through their examinations and case history

The good news with muscle spasms is that, although extremely painful, the muscles are not usually seriously damaged by them and recover quickly. If your muscles are continuing to spasm seek help to find the cause as quickly as possible.

An often overlooked part of our bodies when it comes to health and fitness is
our bones.

Many people think of bones as solid or unchanging, but in reality, they are living tissues that undergo continuous renewal through a process called
bone remodelling.

Bone mass typically peaks in early adulthood, around the age of 30 to 35. After this, bone density gradually begins to decline as the body breaks down bone faster than it can rebuild it.

When this process happens in an accelerated manor it is called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is not painful but it makes the bones brittle and liable to fractures, which certainly can be painful and have devastating effects on quality of life. Osteoporotic fractures most commonly happen in the spine, hips and wrists.

The good news is, we can help our bones get stronger. 

One of the best ways to keep your bones strong is by regularly applying force to them. Like muscles, your bones will react according to the stresses that you put
them under.

Impact Exercises

The best kind of exercises for bone health are impact exercises.

1. If you stand up, do a small jump, and land again, you will feel the force of the ground travel up through your body as you land. That’s exactly what we want, you have just applied a considerable force to your bones.
2. Skipping is one of the best bone health exercises for the same reason, whether done with a skipping rope or just leaping in the air on one foot then the other like you did when you were a child.
3. For a milder impact exercise, stand on your tip toes, then quickly drop back down onto your heels.

Weightlifting

Weightlifting is a great option for improving bone health, the weight helps stress the bone which stimulates the remodelling process to lay down more bone. Another benefit of weightlifting for bones, is that in exercises like a barbell squat, much of the force is concentrated on your spine and your hips, areas more vulnerable to osteoporotic fracture.

Weight Bearing Exercises

Any exercise that involves weight bearing will have bone benefits, these include running, dancing, tennis and even just climbing the stairs.

Even if you currently have osteoporosis, you could and should do at least some of these exercises.

If you are young, fit and active this information could still be relevant to you. For example, if you work at desk all day and get your exercise through swimming and cycling, there’s a lack of the impact and weight bearing that we know is so important for keeping bones healthy.

Remember, we begin to lose bone mass from our early thirties, the sooner you start applying strategies to maintain it, the better.

In addition to impact exercise other key considerations for healthy bones are:

• Adequate Calcium Intake: Calcium is essential for bone strength. Calcium is readily found in dairy products, leafy green vegetables and fortified plant based milks.
• Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium, which gives your bones their strength and hardness. The best source of vitamin D is from direct sunlight. The more of your skin that is exposed to sunlight, the quicker you will make the required amount of vitamin D. Midday, especially during summer is the best time to get sunlight. 5 – 15 minutes of midday sun exposure, between March and October, three times per week is enough to maintain healthy levels for most people. In the autumn and winter months in the UK it is recommended to take a Vitamin D supplement as it can be difficult to achieve the required levels from sunlight. You will NOT get vitamin D from sunlight through a window.
• Balanced Diet: In addition to calcium and vitamin D, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains provide other nutrients like magnesium and vitamin K, which are important for bone health.
• Smoking & Excessive Alcohol: Both smoking and excessive alcohol intake can weaken bones and increase the risk of fractures.

If you are concerned that you may have, or could be at risk of developing problems with your bone density consult your GP. They may refer you for a DEXA scan, which is a specialised type of x-ray that can accurately detect bone density.

Keeping our bones healthy is crucial for maintaining overall well-being. The simple measures discussed above can help ensure that our bones remain strong and healthy throughout our lives.

At Leyton Osteopaths, we’re always looking for ways to help you feel your best—today and in the years to come. One key factor in long-term health that is often under appreciated is muscle mass.

We often discuss muscles in relation to rehabilitation, preventing injury and
protecting joints. But did you know, there is a strong connection between your muscle mass and how long you will live?

As we age, the natural decline in muscle mass (which begins at approximately 30 years old) becomes a major factor in determining how we age.

The Role of Muscle Mass in Longevity

Muscle mass plays a vital role in supporting nearly every aspect of health, and it’s not just about looking good or being strong. Having a healthy amount of muscle is linked to improved metabolic function, bone density, cardiovascular health, and even cognitive function, all of which contribute to a longer life.

Strong muscles provide the foundation for physical independence, mobility, and resilience, especially as we get older.

Preventing Frailty and Disability

As muscle mass declines with age, the risk of frailty, falls, and disability increases. Maintaining or building muscle through regular strength training helps protect against these age-related declines, allowing you to stay active and independent for longer. People with more muscle mass tend to experience fewer health complications, better mobility, and an overall higher quality of life in their later years.

Reducing the Risk of Chronic Diseases

Muscle mass is also linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. Stronger muscles improve insulin sensitivity, regulate blood sugar, support healthy bone density, and boost heart health—all critical factors in extending life expectancy.

The Bottom Line: Strengthening for the Long Run

There are many short term benefits to building muscle, you will look better and feel better. But the long term benefits are even greater, you are setting yourself up for a healthier future, gaining more years of vitality and independence.

It is never too late to start, but remember, the decline in muscle mass starts at about 30 years old, so the earlier you start working on it the better.

Building Muscle

Having established the many benefits of increased muscle mass we will look more closely at how we actually go about building muscle.

1. Resistance Training: To make your muscles grow you need to challenge them, they need a force to resist. That can be achieved using weights, kettle bells, machines, resistance bands or even just your own bodyweight.
   The goal is to create a challenge for the muscles by using an appropriate weight or resistance that pushes them beyond their normal limits. If you can easily do 50 push ups, you will NOT build muscle by doing 10 of them. If you struggle to do five push ups, but you make yourself do them several times a week, your body will adapt, you will grow more muscle and before you know it you will be able to do six.
2. Rest: Through your resistance training you will create small tears in the the muscle fibres. It is in the repair of these microscopic tears that muscles grow in size and strength. Having appropriate rest is important in this process. As a general rule, don’t work the same muscle groups on consecutive days. Getting good quality sleep is also important.
3. Nutrition: You have done the training, you are getting quality rest, now you need to ensure that you are getting the appropriate nutrients to allow your body to heal and grow. Most important for muscle growth is protein intake. Protein is the building block of muscle tissue, adequate protein consumption is therefore essential to muscle repair and growth. Aim for 1.2 – 2 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight per day (if you weigh 75kg, that translates as 90g-150g of protein daily). If that sounds too complicated, just focus on eating a little bit more protein. There are great sources of protein to suit all kinds of diets. Protein powders can help if you struggle to get enough from your diet but are in no way necessary.
4. Progression: Once your muscles have adapted to the stress you have put them under with your resistance training they will stop growing. Therefore, if you want the muscles to continue to grow you have to make them work harder. When lifting weights, this usually involves lifting more weight or performing more repetitions. If doing bodyweight exercises, you can increase repetitions or you can change the exercise to make it more difficult. For example, instead of doing regular bodyweight squats you could put one foot up on a chair behind you and perform a squat on one leg (a split squat).
5. Consistency: As with so many health and fitness endeavours building muscle requires consistent effort over time. But considering the short and long term benefits (looking better, feeling better, increased longevity, reduced risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis), I would strongly suggest the effort is worth it.

   If you have not been doing any form of resistance training even small amounts will make a big difference, doing 30 minutes three times a week is likely to be transformative. If you already have a consistent resistance training regime, well done, you are doing something fantastic for your health. The more you train, the more likely it is that you will hit a plateau, in which case, finding different ways of increasing intensity becomes more important. Experiment with rest times, rep ranges and number of sets.

Resistance training is for everyone, we should all aspire to keep our bodies strong and functioning well. Whilst equipment can certainly help, especially if you are more experienced with your training, there’s huge benefits for beginners starting out with bodyweight exercises.

A Basic Muscle Building Regime

Finally, here is a set of bodyweight resistance exercises to perform at home, so you can begin to enjoy the health benefits of getting stronger.

These exercises have been chosen for their effectiveness, because they don’t require equipment, and primarily with beginners in mind (you can also easily search online for videos of them if required).

It is important to tailor YOUR programme to YOUR needs and capabilities. If you have an injury that is exacerbated by any of the movements don’t persist.

As a rough guide, I would recommend 10 repetitions of each exercise performed three times (that’s three sets). Do all sets of one exercise before moving onto the next.

Form is key, if you lose form when you get to your ninth squat, don’t attempt a tenth. It takes time to get used to these exercises, be patient. If 10 repetitions of an exercise feels easy, it is time to PROGRESS it by adding more reps or trying some of the progressions listed below.

Remember, consistency is key. It’s not what you do today or tomorrow that will make the difference, it’s what you do every day.

1. Calf raises: Stand flat on the ground, hold on to something for balance if needed, rise up onto the ball of your foot so that your heels lift off the ground. Return to the starting position, making sure to control the descent.

   Progression 1: Start from a step so that your heel is below the front of your foot and your calf muscle is stretched.

   Progression 2: Perform the movement as above but on one foot.

2. Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees and lower your hips back and down as if sitting in a chair, keeping your chest up and knees behind your toes, then return to standing.

   Progression: Put your foot on a stool  behind you and drop down into the squat position with standing leg, holding on for balance if necessary (this is a more advanced exercise, it is called a split squat. Hold onto something for balance if required).

3. Glute Bridges: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, then lift your hips toward the ceiling by squeezing your glutes, and lowering back down.

   Progression: Perform the same exercise using only one leg at a time. The other leg should be straight and lifted off the floor.

4. Crunches: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat, and hands on your temples, then curl your torso towards your knees, contracting your abdominal muscles, and slowly lower back down. A crunch involves a smaller movement than a sit up, you should not bend at your hip.

   Progression: Hold a weight to your chest as you perform the movement.

5. Superman: Lie face down, extending your chest, arms and legs off the ground simultaneously, essentially turning yourself into a smiley face position. Return to the starting position in a controlled manner and repeat. This movement works pretty much every muscle on the back of your body.

6. Press Up: A press-up is performed by starting in a plank position, lowering your body to the ground by bending your elbows, then pushing back up to straighten your arms, engaging your chest, shoulders, and triceps.

   Regression: Many people will struggle to do one press up, if you are in that group start the movement on your knees instead of full plank. But do try to keep your knees as far behind as possible, as it will mean you are working harder.

I’m frequently asked for advice on how to sit properly, especially when working at
a desk.

Searching online there are several ergonomic principles that are regurgitated time
and again:

• Screen should be at eye level
• Feet flat on the floor
• Back straight and supported
• Arms parallel to the floor
• Knees and elbows at 90 degrees
• Don’t slouch, don’t lean to the side and don’t lean forward

Whilst I wouldn’t say any of this is bad advice, I do think it is too rigid and makes people feel unnecessarily bad when they stray from it – which they invariably do.

I have news for you, EVERYBODY slouches. Slouching or being in an awkward position isn’t a problem, staying in those positions for hours on end for weeks, months or even years is what causes difficulties for our bodies.

So here are my top three pieces of sitting advice:

1. Regularly get up and move around. If you are experiencing pain you might need to get up every 30 minutes or less, if you are feeling fine I would still try to get up and at least once an hour. If you do have to sit for longer, for two, three or more hours at a time, you won’t suddenly fall apart. The human body is remarkably resilient, it can tolerate a lot of stress. But do be careful of this becoming your default.
2. Perform sitting movements. Being engrossed in work or whatever is on your screen can cause us to remain still for an unnaturally long period of time. Being aware of this we can gently mobilise our spines, shoulders, wrists or whatever else gets stiff or achy. Simply turn your neck one way then the other, cross your arms and twist your spine left and then right, then round your back forward and arch it back, make big circles with your wrists one way, then the other, now do the same with your ankles. You may have been told off for fidgeting as a kid but it is remarkably helpful for our musculoskeletal health.
3. Several times a day do a body check, that is, pay attention to how you are holding yourself, and if necessary, change it. For example, we often get drawn forward towards our screens instead of leaning back against our chairs. We all do it, the key is to notice and then correct it by shifting your bottom back in your chair and letting the back of the chair support you. If your shoulders are hunched up to your ears, congratulate yourself on noticing it, and let them relax back down.

    

Another question we are frequently asked is about ‘standing desks’. I am a fan but with a one caveat. Standing all day sounds torturous to me. What we really want is an ‘adjustable desk’, one that quickly and easily allows you to go from sitting to standing and vice versa. The variety and changes in position are where the greatest benefits comes from.

The key message that I want you to take from this article is that the human body is remarkably adaptable and resilient. But paying attention to how long you sit still and performing simple movements give it the best chance of functioning optimally, letting you get on with your life undisturbed by pain.

Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comedians of all time and someone who knows a thing or two about achieving a goal. He is best know as the star and co-creator of his eponymous sitcom Seinfeld, which happens to be my all-time favourite show.

For me what sets Seinfeld apart from every other show was that each and every episode was funny, all 180 of them across nine series. It achieved unprecedented CONSISTENCY.

When asked by a young comic how he could achieve such a feat Seinfeld revealed a strategy that has become know as ‘Don’t Break The Chain’.  It is remarkably simple but effective, here’s what you do:

1. 1. Decide on your daily task. For Jerry it was the task of writing jokes. If you want to get stronger it might be 10 push ups, for overcoming injury it could be a 10 minute rehabilitation regime.

• Get yourself a big wall calendar and a big red marker. Every time you perform your daily task you can put a big red mark on the calendar.
• Before long you will have a chain of big red marks and your goal then becomes Don’t Break The Chain.

That’s it! Super simple but it works. It helped Seinfeld become one of the most successful comedians of all time and it can help you achieve your health, fitness & well-being goals too.

Make sure you choose an appropriate daily task, something that is challenging and will help you move the needle but is also achievable.

The strategy works because it helps you focus on the ‘process’, that is the daily task you have to perform, rather than the result which is sometimes beyond your control.

But as you perform your daily tasks and accumulate those marks on the calendar, chances are you will move ever closer to the goal you want to achieve.

When recovering from injury, getting fit or staying healthy we often know WHAT to do but struggle to put that knowledge into practice.

Here’s a tool to help that is as simple as it is brilliant:

1. Decide what action needs to be taken.

2. Set a 3 minute timer.

3. Start the timer and begin stretching / doing press ups / meal prepping, whatever it is that needs to be done to achieve your goal.

4. When the timer is up, stop if you want to but chances are, now that you have begun, it will be easy to keep going.

I use this tactic at home when the kids have turned the place upside down and we need a tidy up. It’s amazing how much more orderly the place is after just three minutes and invariably we keep going for another three or four minutes until full order (more or less) is restored.

For some tasks you might need a longer or shorter timer but the principle remains the same. Give it a try and let me know how you get on.