It is well known that exercise can have a positive effect on mood, but how long do you need to exercise for, how difficult does it need to be, and what type of exercise is best? My immediate answer would be: it’s different for everyone.

​But I may be wrong, as recent research findings from The Journal of Psychology, Interdisciplinary and Applied suggest otherwise. The researchers collated evidence from 38 relevant studies that examined the associations between exercise intensity, duration and modality and any effects on mood. They found lots of contradictory results so here is a run-down of the main bits:

-        10 minutes often appears sufficient to achieve gains in mood (although one study found that 30 minutes was required to achieve feelings of increased vigour).
-        The optimum for improving mood is moderate intensity, perhaps because low intensity is too dull while high intensity is too unpleasant.
-        The beneficial mood effects of aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, cycling) are less consistent than is found with anaerobic exercise, and anaerobic exercise (lifting weights, sprinting) appears especially to be more beneficial for beating stress and anxiety.

If you are thinking about the optimum type of exercise for your own mood, the common-sense message is to take into consideration your own fitness level and preferences, to find that sweet spot: the exercise that is enough of a challenge without being unpleasant. I would add that you would need to enjoy it too!
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Read the whole article here. 

Have you ever wanted to fix someone else’s life? Many of us are great fixers, and as we watch others we can hear ourselves attempting to 'sort them out'. We hear it in our conversations with others and with ourselves: "They shouldn't... Weren't they awful...? Did you hear about so and so...? In my opinion, they should…" and so on. It’s tantamount to gossip of the most destructive kind. And I find myself doing it quite frequently at the moment.

When we do this, we waste time trying to write the script of other people’s lives and thereby forget to write our own. We have no right: it is none of our business, and any attempt to do so is pointless, maddening and doomed to failure.

Let people be, and don't miss your life by trying to live or write someone else's.​

It’s the end of June (how?!) so here’s the final instalment of my book recommendations series. I thought I would do something a bit different and recommend writing your own book. Not necessarily a best-selling tome or a hefty reference book, but something that is useful to you. Regular readers of my blog will know that I’m a big fan of bullet journals and, when I write in mine, I feel like I am recording that which helps me, whether that is important planning stuff about Clean Well-Being or my top five favourite films. It’s not going to be useful (or interesting!) to anyone else – just me. So, it’s my ‘book’ recommendation to write in a book that is about you and your life.

Keeping track of everything that is going on – past, present and future – is vital to me: I have so many streams of work and lots of different interests that keeping them all in one place helps manage it all. I find it really helpful to write things down: it’s a powerful way to clarify everything that’s in my head, swirling around. The act of writing encourages me to organise and make concrete all my ideas. Things that I was worrying about become structured and measured after writing them down. Re-reading everything that I have done reminds me that I am being productive, and it offers insights to my energetic mind! It also helps me realise that some of my ideas are rubbish and shouldn’t see the light of day…
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Running bullet journal workshops is one of the things that I now do, and my next one is on 7th September 2019, near Reading. Here’s the link to find out more and book your place: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bullet-journal-workshop-tickets-62636015007.
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This month, all my blogs will be about books – ones that I have found useful and wonder if you might too. Some are obvious, others less so.

I’m starting with a couple of classics, both of which have slightly confusing titles. The first is ‘Steering by Starlight’ by Martha Beck, who is a coach in America and is on the Oprah-train. It was recommended to me by my very wise friend Julia (@OxfordFamilyHy1), who I have written about before. It’s an intelligent, brain-focused coaching book with lots of stories and examples in it. It’s very pacy and so easy to read. I love how it challenges outdated ways of your own thinking and encourages another way of being. It’s not at all woo-woo and there isn’t actually anything about starlight in the book, which appeals to me. I urge you to try this book and see how you change as a result.

Book two is by Louise Hay and is called ‘You Can Heal Your Life’. It has helped me realise that not everything is as it might seem. Again, it really challenges ‘old’ ways of thinking and helped me see things from a different perspective, explaining how there’s often many ways to view a situation, particularly those about health and well-being. I realise when I read books like this how stuck I have got about some aspects of my life, and these books have guided me through to help me view things from another angle… and then another, and so on.

If you try these books, let me know how you get on. I’d really love to hear your thoughts!

In the final instalment of May’s mindset month, I couldn’t ignore writing about the growth mindset, something that is really popular in the education world and is being adopted more and more in businesses too.

In 1988, Dr. Carol Dweck and colleagues studied students' attitudes on failure. They noticed that some students rebounded quickly while other students seemed knocked by even the smallest setbacks. After studying thousands of children’s behaviour, Dr. Dweck coined the terms fixed mindset and growth mindset to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. When students believe they can become smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore, they put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement. Those who believe their abilities are flexible are more likely to embrace challenges and persist despite failure. This model of the fixed vs growth mindset shows how cognitive, affective, and behavioural features are linked to one’s beliefs about the malleability of our intelligence.

Of course, some of this needs to be taken with a pinch of reality salt. I relate it to my desire to be one of Justin Timberlake’s backing dancers or one of Aretha Franklin’s backing singers. No matter how much effort I put in and how much I believe I can become one of these esteemed performers, it’s not realistic and isn’t going to happen. However, the notion of believing that I can achieve something realisable and that my brain is not a fixed state is the point: and perhaps it’s more about feeling that something is achievable than being able to achieve it whatever.

How can you help your mindset grow? Embrace challenges rather than avoid them. Keep trying, even in the face of setbacks, rather than giving up easily. Learn from criticism rather than ignore useful feedback. And, instead of feeling threatened by other people’s success, be inspired by them. This will lead to having a greater sense of free will and the ability to reach higher levels of achievement, not a deterministic view of the world.
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If you’re curious about your mindset, have a look at this: http://blog.mindsetworks.com/what-s-my-mindset.

Week 3 of mindset month already! This week’s focus is on trying a grateful mindset.

When things are difficult or we’re feeling a bit mopey and run down, it’s tricky to keep feeling grateful for how things are. It can feel clunky, false or a bit ‘worthy’ when we try to list the things for which we are grateful. But it’s the act of focusing on what you have already that is the trick, and you don’t even have to prefix it with a hashtag (‘Blessed!’ ‘Proud!’) for it to work.

If it feels like an uphill struggle, try asking yourself “What could I be grateful for?” Ideas will eventually come and the attitude of gratitude will become easier. The aim is to gently adjust a negative mindset, where you focus on the things that are wrong, to one of increased positivity and a better overall mood.
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I’ll start the ball rolling… I’m grateful for my family (one of whom is a very grown-up nine years old today!), friends, my interesting work, and how my body copes with all that I ask of it. Over to you! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

In this week’s mindset blog, I’m thinking about how, when confronting a problem or a difficult situation, many of us face it with worry or negative thoughts. This is a well-trodden path and is really familiar, so we keep doing it. On the outside, it looks like the situation is being faced, when in reality on the inside it isn’t being dealt with effectively. And that is when it feels like ‘failing’.

Changing mindset here can really help, as the best way to deal with a situation is to start by calming the mind. Only a calm mind can find the answers to problems.
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As humans, we need to understand that every problem has an answer, and that when our minds are relaxed, we can rely on ourselves to find the answer that is already there.

This week, the final instalment on dedication is devoted to the many wonderful people who attend my classes, because they come every week (or when they can) and notice incremental differences. Here are a few of them:

Christine, who has been coming to my classes for nearly six years, and who announced one session that she can’t do press-ups. After learning the correct technique, in just one class she was knocking out the push-ups and is now teaching her children how to do them too.

Jenny, who used to need her husband to help her up after sitting on the beach. She now reports that she can use her much stronger triceps and do it herself, with much delight at capabilities that she thought were lost.

Sally, who hasn’t stopped coming to classes despite a fractured leg (with medical approval, of course!). She does what she can and improvises when needed, focuses on building strength.

Jane, who noticed her core (lack of) strength was having an impact on her back pain – so we worked on an incremental body awareness and strengthening programme. She has become so much stronger over our one-to-one time together, and her confidence in her ability has grown hugely.

I could go on and on with so many stories about how my clients’ dedication has paid dividends for their physical health and mental well-being, but you get the picture. And the things they have in common? They turn up (literally as well as metaphorically), they stick with it and they celebrate positive change. And I’m delighted for them!
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Next week, there will be news from Nora, Lisa and Sue and their dedication challenges from earlier this month.
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This week, I’m continuing with a short series on dedication. Every day, I see and hear outstanding examples of dedication and I want to share some of them with you. This week, it’s Lisa’s turn. Here’s her story.

“I have attended Joanna’s Strength & Tone class on a Thursday since 2013 and, over time, my core strength has improved significantly. Prior to attending the class, I had simply lost my core strength as a result of doing a desk job and studying for my Masters.
 
By attending Joanna’s weekly fitness class and building my core strength, it has allowed to try new and different sports. I took up kayaking two years ago on the Thames. Having lived near the Thames for over 20 years, I had only ever admired the Thames’ beauty from land as I walked various sections of the Thames Path. Sitting still in a kayak in the middle of the Thames and watching birdlife, or gliding along remoter parts, was a totally new and exhilarating experience. I found a stillness and clarity of mind I had long forgotten possible on these jaunts. Equally important, I noticed I was feeling stronger as kayaking not only requires strong arm and leg-drive but also the use of those core muscles!
 
At the end of last summer, my friend, Nick, invited me to train with him for the 125 miles Devizes (Wiltshire) to Westminster Canoe four-day Endeavour Race. I did not think I had it in me to do that sort of distance but Nick must have thought otherwise… Following our first training session in October 2018 of 13 miles (Aldermaston to Reading Canoe club), I started to believe there was a remote chance I could do this… We have trained on the river through the winter, covering distances such as Marlow to Staines and Pewsey to Newbury. Daisy’s Dream is our chosen charity – we are motivated by the fact they do such amazing work to help children who are have suffered a bereavement or seriously ill themselves. If you would like to sponsor us, here is the link: https://www.justgiving.com/Nick-King15
 
I was diagnosed with high blood pressure last autumn and, discussing treatment options with my GP, she highlighted exercise as method of reducing blood pressure. Having taken up more exercise, I do note my resting heart rate is steadily lowering, indicating an improvement in my fitness levels. I continue to take part in Joanna’s fitness class as I strongly believe this class keeps me alive… the mixture of movement and core exercise mean I remain agile and flexible.” 

Next week, another story of dedication. 

I’m doing something different with my blog this April, with a short series on dedication. Every day, I see and hear outstanding examples of dedication and I want to share some of them with you.
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First up is Nora, a client at one of my private workplace exercise classes. She is running the London marathon this month, her second marathon of the year, having recently done the one in Tokyo! Her quiet dedication, discipline and determination shine through.

Here’s her story.

“Back in April 2016, my Mum was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It was a big shock, especially for her. But Parkinson’s UK were fantastic, providing information and support for us all. They also conduct and support research into both better symptom control and, through improved understanding of what causes this disease, finding a cure.

As I have secured my own London Marathon place (being eligible for a Good for Age place), every penny you give goes to support Parkinson’s UK’s work. You can donate here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/NoraHolford.

Parkinson's UK's work totally depends on the money their supporters raise and donate. It's only with our help that they can find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by Parkinson's. Together we can bring forward the day when no one fears Parkinson's. Thank you!”

Inspiring, eh?

Next week, hear from another of my clients who is doing extraordinary things.