Tom’s Daily Goals: Never Feel Hungry or Tired Again. Tom Daley
of breath’. It’s done by first exhaling through the mouth, making a ‘whooshing’ noise. Close your mouth and inhale quietly for a count of four. Then hold your breath for a count of seven. Then exhale completely through your mouth for a count of eight, making a whooshing noise. Inhale again and repeat the cycle at least five more times. Breathing out for so long can feel hard to achieve at times – and you might pull some weird faces, but the benefits are worth it! I always try and do this after a workout because it automatically clicks my body into recovery mode, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. This allows the body to recover from the stress of the workout and diverts more blood to the digestive tract, allowing for better nutrient transportation around the body.
AS WE BREATHE DEEPLY, WE OXYGENATE THE BLOOD AND RELEASE ENDORPHINS, OUR BODY’S NATURAL PAINKILLERS, WHICH REDUCE STRESS
Top tips to beat the Sunday-night blues
One minute you are having a brilliant weekend, then the next moment it’s Sunday night and you are overcome by waves of dread about the enormity of the week ahead. Even if you love what you do, Sunday nights can feel tough; apparently two-thirds of us experience the phenomenon known as ‘Sunday-night blues’. Sunday is my day off but I always feel like Sunday night comes round too quickly! Here are some things you can do to try and ward off these feelings.
Schedule fun plans for Sunday instead of Saturday
Try and distract yourself by planning a meal with friends on Sunday, rather than Saturday. It doesn’t have to be a late night but will keep you in weekend mode for a few hours longer.
Get organised
Instead of heading straight to the sofa for a Netflix marathon, use the time to get organised for the week ahead, so you are less stressed about your to-do list and more positive by the time Monday rolls round. Preparing nutritious meals and snacks in advance will not only help you save money but will make you feel good too.
Recognise the feeling!
Recognise that many other people also feel the same way on a Sunday evening and that it will soon be over. Like many other things, it’s just a temporary feeling and soon Friday will roll around again!
Avoid Saturday night blowouts
Alcohol has many effects on the mind and body and is most notably a depressant. With a hangover, the reason you feel so sad and sluggish is because the levels of dopamine (the ‘pleasure’ chemical) in your body are really depleted. Some people are more affected than others, but it will eventually catch up with you!
Avoid the temptation to catch up on sleep
Experts say you can get too much sleep and long lie-ins can create what they call ‘social jet lag’ – where our body clocks are out of kilter. This affects our natural rhythms, making us feel worse and less rested. For me, more than nine hours can make me feel lethargic and out of sync. Sometimes I will go to bed an hour later and get up an hour later but any more than this and I don’t feel good!
Relax before bed
Read a good book, meditate, take a bath, do some stretching or listen to some calming music. Keep your work and laptop out of your bedroom and use this strictly for sleep.
Having always been health-conscious, I am lucky because I generally don’t suffer from coughs and colds. But I’m not completely immune and from time to time, I’ll have cold symptoms, bouts of tiredness and feel under the weather. This can be a disaster for training and competitions. The last thing I need as I’m standing on the end of a board is a runny nose or tickly throat! But for many of us, it’s exactly during those times when we really could do without being ill, that we are struck down by a cold or other illness. Most areas of our health and well-being can be controlled by forming a few extra habits that will prevent – or at the very least reduce – illnesses and other problems. So what can you do to boost your immunity?
The immune system is our bodies’ natural defence against illness and on the whole, it does a remarkable job of protecting us from disease-causing microorganisms. It is an interactive network of organs, antibodies, white blood cells, proteins and other chemicals that recognise foreign bodies like bacteria and viruses from the body’s normal healthy tissues and destroy them. However, it doesn’t always protect us from the barrage of germs we come into contact with and some will invade successfully, making us sick. Having a healthy immune system does not mean that we won’t get a cold but it will mean our ability to fight it off quicker is stronger, which may mean the difference between a sniffle and a full-on cold. It is important to note that our immune system is complex; because it is not a single entity but a system, it relies on many different things and therefore requires balance and harmony. Sometimes our immune system can malfunction, causing illnesses such as autoimmune diseases and allergies. I suffer from hay fever over the spring and summer months, so always ensure I get a healthy dose of vitamins (especially vitamin C, which is said to be a natural antihistamine) when I feel my nose start to itch and my eyes water. You may just think about boosting immunity during the winter months but our immune systems work hard all year round and an infection can happen at any time. Stress and immunity are intrinsically linked and studies have shown that stress can play havoc with our bodies and leave us more susceptible to becoming ill, so being more mindful and practising some of the other habits in this book will help.
Hand washing is also an important tool in the fight against germs. In London, for example, an estimated 2.29 billion people use the buses and 1.34 billion use the Underground every year, making it a hotbed for germs and bacteria. Metal poles, seats, tray tables and other surfaces are often contaminated with microbes and bacteria. Keeping our hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid illnesses and spreading germs, so if you travel to work by public transport, make sure you wash your hands when you get there. This might seem an inconvenience, but washing your hands for 20 seconds is far less annoying than spending two weeks in bed with the flu. Always ensure you wash your hands properly with soap and water, using the water first, then lathering your hands in soap and rubbing and washing every area, including the backs of your fingers. I read recently about washing them for the time it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice – around 20 seconds – to fully get rid of germs. It’s also really important to dry your hands properly because research shows that bacteria tend to spread faster on damp or wet hands. I also carry hand sanitiser around with me. Try to remember to wash your hands several times a day and always before you eat. Also, don’t forget to clean your mobile phone from time to time – according to research, our phones are ten times dirtier than most toilet seats! Yikes!
IF YOU DO ONE THING…
Wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds using soap and water after travelling on public transport.
6 ways to boost your immunity
We all know what it feels like to have a cold coming on: headache, painful sinuses and a tickly throat. Here are some sure-fire ways to boost your immunity with these germ-zappers.
1
Eat a nutrient-packed diet: The old-fashioned ways of keeping our immune systems healthy through diet and exercise really do work. A varied diet of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins will help your body defend itself against germs. Avoid reaching for junk food when you start to feel unwell; in particular, polyunsaturated fats tend to supress our immune systems. One of the first things I do when I start to feel ill is to increase my vitamin C intake, eating lots of fruits and vegetables.
2
Recruit an exercise buddy: Working out will not only keep your waist trim but it has been proven that people with more sedentary lifestyles are far more likely to get colds and other infectious diseases. Working out with an exercise buddy will not only help you achieve your fitness goals but will make you work harder and keep you motivated.