Energy Overflow

Wednesday was one of those days when, (after I had woken up and taken my HRV measurements), I knew that I had to skip the workout that I had originally planned....It was a day in which rather than expending energy I needed to lighten the load and replenish it....
So, instead of the "military style fitness" that mid week usually brings, I went on a lovely walk with a friend (my Flat Stanley friend),  and as the sun shone (at least for a little bit...) we walked and talked, had a paddle in our wellies and  caught up on some girly chat, putting the world to right. By the time I returned home again, I felt like the lack of sleep from the previous night and the lack of oomph in the morning, had been somewhat replenished and I had some ENERGY back!

There must needs be "opposites" in all things

(This was written three weeks ago on my way to Malta)

Following my last post on laughter.... I actually don't feel like laughing right now (probably should though).
I'm sitting on an airplane having sprinted to the gate to catch our flight to Malta (a last minute surprise respite trip with my two youngest children). We turned up at the plane at about 6.45am (when all the signs said the the gate was closing at 6.25.... needles to say the gate wasn't closed and we have been waiting 15 minutes for everyone else to sprint here in a stressed out state too.... silly signs!
Today is feeling like the last 48 hours..... frustrating, rushed and stressed!

Hubby is working away this half term week  in the States (U.S) and we have a care worker  available to look after Heni for the whole week. Yippee! Rather than stay home we decided to book a last minute holiday... just me, "daughter no. 2" and "the hungry boy".

Laughter

I love this picture... I came across it on a Pinterest trawl. It got me thinking about when was the last time I truly laughed?
When was the last time YOU had an hysterical giggle fit or the raucous bellow of a big belly laugh... the type that makes your sides hurt and you just can't seem to stop?

The last time I remember that type of a laugh was a few moths ago in the kitchen with Tom (hubby). The kids were at school and we were just talking and catching up when all of a sudden Tom erupted in to giggles at something I said. It seemed like it had been a while since I last saw him laugh quite like that and it set me off laughing too. This made him laugh more, and it escalated from then on.... each laughing at the other ....with a cycle of fits of giggles ensuing... tears rolling down both of our cheeks and us wondering how on earth it all started and escalated to the hysterics we were both experiencing. 

Walking off your worries

Walking in the Chess Valley

Today I want to talk a little bit about something I do A LOT!
I've always been a runner (and I hope to be running in to my old age)... but running is NOT what I want to share with you right now. As much as I love running, In recent years I've cut right down on the amount that I do in favour of walking. Something I've done a lot of this week in the LAKES.

One of the reasons has to do with the total amount of stress I can or cannot handle.

Heart Rate Variability

Photography by Jade

One of the "tools" that I have been using recently is the measuring of my heart rate variability.
It's different from your actual heart rate, which is when you take your pulse and measure how many times it beats in a minute. Heart rate variability is  something commonly used amongst athletes to measure their performance and recovery rates.  

Lets say your heart actually beats 60 times a minute... you would naturally expect it to have a beat once every second right? Wrong. Most healthy hearts have a difference in length of time between beats. One beat could be 0.5 seconds apart, the next beat 0.8 seconds apart, the next 1.2 seconds apart. This is the variability bit. This is a good sign. It show that your body and your heart has a good level of adaption and can accommodate to different circumstances and stresses that are put upon them. So a high heart rate variability is a good thing.

In general  a high HRV is an indication of the parasympathetic nervous system response (Remember PEACE, relaxation, recovery..... from the previous post on the Autonomic Nervous System).  
If on the other hand your heart rate variability gets lower it shows that your body is having a hard time and is still under stress and need time to recover (sympathetic response). Elite Athletes use this to assess when to train and how hard to train and to get a feel for when they are sufficiently recovered for a harder workout. Even if you are no athlete this  information can be used as a means to assess your ability to handle stress and is a very useful, outwardly visible indication of your autonomic nervous systems functioning

I downloaded a bundle of four HRV measuring Apps from the apple store but I only use these 2 below. They work by putting your index finger over the light and camera on your iPhone?!

HRV4Training

The HRV4Training App is  one of   the apps I use for measuring my base line HRV reading. I take a reading each morning when I wake up before I get out of bed and compare the scores from day to day. If my score is low..... I do less and try to do something relaxing or at least not taxing and stressful! If it's high then I go ahead and run or do something more energetic.

Stressed out

The Stressed out app gives more of a percentage level of how stressed you are (not a HRV reading) and in this case a high % is bad and a low % is good. Currently I've been waking up at least %60 stressed .... not a good  thing after a supposed  restful sleep (I guess one of my next posts will be on sleep!) You can take a reading at different points through out the day to find out what you react to and what is relaxing. There is  also a relaxation exercise on there to practice lowering your %. It works like a biofeedback tool.

One caution.... heart rate variability can lower as you get more unfit...so if you loaf around too much thinking you are resting, expecting your HRV to increase, the opposite may happen and your HRV may get lower. As always .. tools can be useful but they don't replace intuition and common sense so don't place all your trust in it!  (unless you have a proper heart rate monitor...and even then...)

As I type this I'm reading %28: relaxed.... not bad. Blogging must be good for me!
My 12 year old likes using the stressed out app as a game and as we sat round the dining table the other night we all took our readings and had a "competition" to see who could get the lowest %.... my son gloated that he had 0% stress.... but I'm not exactly certain that he was following the rules...  oh if that were so.... that would be an accomplishment!

Jx

There are lots of other HRV monitors  out there which are free (these ones cost me about 4 -5 pounds for a 4 bundle)
Why not go download  a free one and have a play around.

If you want to read a bit more go to:   

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/have-you-checked-your-heart-rate-variability-lately/#axzz3VsvFljOQ

Photography by Jade

Working on Automatic... the A.N.S!

Ready for Fight or flight! (Hever Castle Triathlon)

 

Have you ever heard of the Autonomic Nervous system? (A.N.S)

It is probably something that we all take for granted and are unaware of the hard work that it does for us as it works beneath our conscious control on a day to day basis . It is the system that helps us to regulate certain body processes and keep them in a state of balance (homeostasis). It regulates things like our blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. Our body temperature, digestion and metabolism are also under its dominion. Even things like the amount of water we have within our systems and the regulation of emptying our bladder and bowels. Its hard at work even when we are supposedly resting or asleep.

I wanted to share with you today some of the  A.N.S Basics and its impact upon the way we handle stress:-

Ostrich head in the sand- Avoidance tactics.

At The Skansen museum Stockholm, Sweden

 With Easter coming just around the corner I have been thinking about the ostrich egg that I bought from a local farmers shop a few months ago for Christmas breakfast. We blew the contents out, scrambled them up and had a feast to feed 7 adults very easily (probably about 10 portions all in all). I kept the egg safe and have been waiting for an opportunity to do an egg project (I'll show you that a little later). However, it got me thinking about the stereotypical image we have of the ostrich with its head in the sand trying to hide away from its predators. I often feel like acting like that ostrich!

Why Henibean?

Why Henibean?

I mentioned in my introduction that I have four children. My second eldest is a girl named Heni. Hence my nickname for her being Henibean. She is super cute and super special in more ways than one. She is a little miracle. In July we will hopefully be celebrating her 20th birthday. This is no mean feat considering that she has Edwards Syndrome (Trisomy 18...full form) and considering the statistics have always been against her!
Live birth prevalence is 2.3 babies per 10,000 births.  Only 9% diagnosed pre-term make it to birth. Sadly most babies with Edwards are usually miscarried.