Category: Energy

Posted by Christine Pope on in Energy, exercise, Gluten Free, Gratitude, Health Care, Healthy Ageing, Travel

One Year of Arthur Murray, Six Dances, and Why the Ocean Has No Respect for Your Footwork
Street view featuring palm trees, a traffic light, and a cyclist on the road, overlooking a marina with boats and colorful buildings in the background under a clear blue sky.

There is a particular cruelty in arriving on a Cunard cruise as someone who has spent a full year learning to dance, only to discover that the Atlantic Ocean does not care.

Twelve months ago I walked into an Arthur Murray dance studio with the reasonable ambition of becoming a person who could dance. Not a competitive dancer — just someone who, when music plays and a dance floor appears, does not have to pretend they need the bathroom. After a year of weekly lessons I had arrived at something approaching competence in six dances: waltz, foxtrot, tango, cha cha, rumba, and jive.

I boarded the ship feeling, if not exactly confident, then at least prepared.

The ocean had other ideas.

What a Year of Arthur Murray Gives You (And What It Doesn’t)

A year of ballroom dancing teaches you to listen to music differently — to hear the beat as structure, to feel the phrase of a melody and understand where the floor lives beneath it. It teaches you about connection, about the extraordinary subtlety of lead and follow. It teaches you that the waltz is controlled falling, that the foxtrot is deceptively difficult, that the tango is less about passion and more about precision, and that the cha cha will humble you for months before it suddenly, inexplicably, clicks.

What it does not teach you is how to do any of this when the floor moves.

This seems like a reasonable gap in the curriculum. Dance studios are, sensibly, built on land. The floor at Arthur Murray is flat, sprung, utterly stationary, and entirely predictable. You build your muscle memory on a surface that cooperates. Then you get on a ship and discover that everything you’ve learned is stored in a body that now has to simultaneously execute a waltz box step and quietly negotiate with its own vestibular system about which way is down.

The Queens Room: Magnificent, Gently Swaying

Every Cunard ship has a Queens Room — a proper grand ballroom with high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, a gleaming dance floor, and resident musicians who create that “Bridgerton” moment.

And then you step onto the dance floor and the ship moves, and your bodt — which has spent a year learning exactly where to put its weight — makes an executive decision that is entirely its own and bears no relationship to the foxtrot you were attempting. The instructor’s advice, delivered with a patient smile, was this: don’t fight the ship. Soften your knees, lower your centre of gravity, and let the movement flow through you rather than brace against it. This, she noted, will be good for your dancing — the softness through the knees that a ship demands is exactly what ballroom technique requires anyway.

I did not immediately find this comforting. But by day three, something had shifted.

The Specific Problem of Different Dances at Sea

Not all dances are equally affected by the motion of the ship, which introduces a fascinating new variable into the question of what to attempt on any given evening.

The waltz, with its flowing rotational movement, is almost manageable in a gentle swell. The foxtrot is trickier — the travelling nature of the dance means you cover ground, and the direction you think you’re heading and the direction the ship is gently redirecting you towards are not always in agreement.

The cha cha and rumba — the Latin dances, grounded and largely stationary — transfer surprisingly well. The hip action that Arthur Murray spent months trying to get me to produce naturally becomes easier when your hips are genuinely having to respond to external movement. I am not saying the ocean improved my Latin. I am saying the ocean and Latin dance have a similar energy.

The tango is its own catastrophe. The tango is a dance of precision and control, of stillness and sudden decisive movement. It does not negotiate. It does not absorb. When the ship surges, that conviction takes you somewhere that is not on the syllabus. I am attendind the tango lession today at 12.15 we will see if the teacher can provide inspiration for the challenge,.

And then there is the jive.

Jiving in the Yacht Club at Sea: A Cautionary Tale

The Yacht Club on Level 10 is a lovely venue — relaxed, unpretentious, brilliant for an evening when the Queens Room was moving into dance party mode. It also sits higher in the ship, which means that in any kind of swell, the movement is considerably more pronounced than on the lower decks. This is useful to know before you attempt to jive there.

The jive, for those who haven’t tried it, is an exuberant, fast-footed dance built around bouncing footwork, sharp direction changes, and a considerable amount of movement through the hips and legs. It is very fun on stable ground. On Level 10 in a swell, it is something else entirely.

I attempted to jive in the Yacht Club on an evening when the Atlantic had decided to make its presence felt. What followed was less dance and more adventure — a glorious, unscripted series of near-misses, unexpected direction changes courtesy of the ship rather than the choreography, and a great deal of genuine, helpless laughter. Balance, which the jive demands you maintain while also bouncing energetically on the spot, becomes a negotiation when the spot itself is moving. We attempted a jive in these conditions because there were only a few couples in the venue and surprisingly managed most of it with a couple of spectacular sways where we grabbed each other to stay upright. We both fell into the general goodwill of everyone around us, who were experiencing similar difficulties and finding them equally hilarious.

It was, without question, one of the most fun evenings of the entire voyage. If you are going to lose your footing, lose it laughing.

Practical tip:

Save the jive for calm seas or lower decks. Or don’t, and enjoy the consequences.

A Very Practical Tip: Make Friends With Your Waiter

This applies at sea and ashore, but especially at sea. Your dining room waiter is one of the most valuable relationships you can cultivate on a cruise ship. They know the kitchen, they know what’s possible, and if you’ve taken five minutes to be genuinely warm and human with them — rather than simply a table to be serviced — they will go to considerable lengths to look after you.

For gluten-free travellers this is particularly important. Tell your waiter on the first night, clearly and warmly, what you need. Ask their advice. Thank them properly when they help. What you will find, if you’ve built the relationship, is that gluten-free options appear that aren’t on the menu, bread alternatives are brought without you having to ask, and the kitchen is quietly briefed before you sit down.

Spain: Walking a Section of the Camino from A Coruña

We docked at A Coruña — a handsome port city on the northwestern tip of Spain, all glass-balconied buildings along the seafront and a magnificent old town tucked behind. A Coruña is one of the starting points of the Camino Inglés — the English Way — the route taken by pilgrims who sailed from Britain and Ireland to the northern Spanish coast before walking inland to Santiago de Compostela. The route follows the shoreline through Galicia, providing beaches and wonderful sea views, before heading inland into rolling farmland with old chapels and leafy paths.

Walking even a section of the Camino from here is something I would recommend without hesitation. The Way of St. James has attracted more than 200,000 pilgrims each year since 2013, — and when you walk it, even briefly, you understand why. The path winds through woodlands, centuries-old stone churches, over old bridges, through villages and past a lot of cafes and pubs. No danger of starving on this route!

After a few days of my body quietly arguing with the Atlantic, there was something profoundly satisfying about putting feet on ground that stayed where it was. With the tour we were doing a 4km section and there were evocative plants along the path. Daisies which were similar to arnica for my new career, Wisteria which was a wonderful reminder of Mum as we had an amazing wisteria in one of their first homes in Melbourne, Eucalyptus trees (its a popular crop for paper) but also a keen reminder of our home though I have to be honest never seen them in such tidy rows.

France: The Luminous Surprise of La Rochelle

La Rochelle was the port I knew least about and my husband was ready to ask them to send our bags to a local pub and stay there for the last bit of our trip. It is one of those French towns that seems almost too beautiful to be accidental — a medieval harbour with two great towers flanking the Vieux Port, a network of arcaded streets that shelter you from sun or rain, and a culinary culture built on exceptional seafood and the Atlantic coast’s extraordinary produce.

La Rochelle is flat and cycle-friendly, with paths that take you out to the Île de Ré, which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in France, all whitewashed villages, salt marshes, and Atlantic beaches. That’s on the list for the next trip!

Eating Gluten Free: What Actually Works

On the ship

Tell Cunard at the time of booking and confirm with your dining room waiter on the first evening. The kitchen handles dietary requirements well when given proper notice. And see above — make friends with that waiter. It makes all the difference.

In A Coruña and Gijon.

Spainish cuisine is naturally very accommodating. The region’s cooking is built on simply grilled seafood — pulpo a feira (octopus with olive oil and paprika, served on wooden boards) is the unmissable regional speciality and is completely gluten free. Grilled fish, rice dishes, and vegetables are almost universally safe; just ask about sauces. The key phrase is “Soy celíaco/a — sin gluten, por favor” and most restaurants in tourist areas will understand it.

In La Rochelle: the gluten-free traveller’s unexpected paradise

I speak a little french but had forgotten about this gem! The traditional savoury crêpe of the Atlantic coast — the galette de sarrasin — is made entirely from buckwheat flour. Despite the name, buckwheat contains no wheat whatsoever. It is a seed, completely and inherently gluten free. A galette complète filled with ham, melted cheese, mushroom, onion and a fried egg, eaten on a terrace ten metres from the medieval harbour, is one of the best lunches available anywhere in France.

Crêperie des Dames on the edge of the old port was a strong choice — staff are knowledgeable about allergens and when I asked for sans gluten and laiterie they checked with the kitchen and confirmed that my daughter could tolerate mushrooms cooked in butter,

Practical tips for both ports:

  • In France, look for sans gluten on menus and remember that sarrasin or blé noir always means buckwheat — always safe
  • In Spain, grilled meats, fresh fish, rice, and corn-based dishes are almost always safe — ask about sauces and breadcrumbs

What the Ship Teaches You That Arthur Murray Can’t

By the final evening at sea, the ocean and I had reached, if not an understanding, then at least a working relationship. I had learned to let my knees absorb what the ship was doing. I had found, in the gentle rolling of the deck, the hip movement that Arthur Murray had been trying to produce in me for months. I had danced a foxtrot that I would not be embarrassed to describe as a foxtrot.

The ship is, it turns out, a remarkable teacher. It takes everything you’ve half-learned on stable ground and refuses to let you be passive about it. You cannot coast on a moving dance floor. You have to be present, continuously, in every muscle and every step — which is exactly what a year of ballroom dancing is supposed to teach you, and what the studio floor, in its cooperative stillness, sometimes lets you avoid.

The tango remains on notice. The jive in the Yacht Club on Level 10 in a swell remains the most chaotic and hilarious ten minutes of dancing I have ever experienced. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Posted by Christine Pope on in Cancer support, Energy, Fatigue, Health Care, Nutrition, Pain

What were my top ten takeouts from the Lipoedema Symposium ?

Regular seminars are a key part of my professional development. One of the insightful comments shared at this year’s symposium in regards to Lipoedema diagnosis, “Lipoedema is a common presentation in women but is not commonly diagnosed.” That statement was my first key takeout as Lipoedema prevelance is estimated at up to 11% of the population. Given its a disease which largely affects women it is not surprising that it takes a significant time to diagnose and treatment options are often limited. One of my reasons for attending was to improve my understanding of the condition.

The second takeout was the importance of diagnosing Lipoedema and differentiating it with Lymphoedema. Lipoedema is a connective tissue disorder that causes abnormal buildup of fat in the connective tissue predominantly the legs and sometimes the arms accompanied by pain and swelling. Lipoedema is usually bilateral as in that it will appear on both sides and will also present with spider vein or varicosities. Another common issue is that weight loss won’t result in a reduction in volume in the affected limbs. In fact weight loss is more difficult for those experiencing this condition.

Lipoedema often presents with other concerning symptoms including pain, brain fog, fatigue and even hypermobility conditions like Ehlers- Danlos syndrome.

The fourth takeout concerned the importance of managing obesity through slow patient weight loss. Avoiding fad diets and nourishing the body with adequate calories that exceed or meet the client’s basal metabolic rate is essential. Protein is a critical part of weight management and maintaining muscle, particularly once you start transitioning though menopause. Protein requirements are also higher as you age so protein needs to be adjusted.

Lipoedemea can, like many chronic conditions , be expensive to manage with the cost of treatments, compression garments and appropriate exercise to name just a few items. Four of my other learnings were useful self care techniques which were shared at the event and were low cost ways of managing symptoms. These included breathwork, meditation, movement and gentle techniques for your own lymphatic massage. We had a demonstration on the day however the speaker, Lisa Higgins, also shares details of the home lymphatic techniques on her youtube channel – click here .

Deep breathing activates the lymphatics and there are a couple of options. One is to breath in for five counts and then breath out for five. Another simple technique is to practice box breathing. Breath in for four seconds, hold for four, breath out for four and then hold for four seconds and repeat. Repeating either of these sequence four to five times a day is a good way to regularly activate lymphatics and improve the clearance.

Meditation is considered a useful technique for stress management and a reasonably useful free series is The Meaning of Life.TV which is a 30 day series of ten and twenty minute meditations. Regular meditation can reduce stress levels which is a critical area for those diagnosed with Lipoedema who often suffer from anxiety and depression.

Appropriate movement for Lipoedema needs to focus on gentler movement and if you can’t afford a personal trainer or sessions with an Exercise Physiologist then look out for Pilates or Yoga classes. There are lots of great online options now as well as local classes. Another effective option is walking waist deep in water, the pressure gently acts in a similar way to lymphatic massage. You can always access local pools or if you have the chance ocean pools.

Overall Lipoedema is a complex condition requiring holistic treatment. The final takeout is the importance of a support network to manage your condition. This could include a good lymphatic practitioner with appropriate training, a nutritionist and an exercise physiologist as well as a doctor who really understands the condition and as and when required a pyschologist.

Are your medications impacting your ability to age outrageously well?
Posted by Christine Pope on in Energy, Health Care, Healthy Ageing, Nutrition

Are your medications impacting your ability to age outrageously well?
Supplements

Many people over fifty are on a range of medications to manage chronic health problems. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 47% of the population is managing chronic health conditions which include arthritis, asthma, back pain, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, mental health conditions and osteoporosis. Whilst these medications are often essential the side effects of some of these common medications can have negative impacts on your overall health.

What can you do to manage these risks? First up make sure that your GP is aware of all the medications you are taking and that they are still appropriate. Secondly if you are having noticeable side effects with a medication see if your GP can recommend an alternative. The next step, if the medication is creating side effects, is then to consider looking at supporting yourself nutritionally to minimise the impact. Below are five common medications that may have side effects that impact your brain or physical health (1) and some strategies for managing them.

  1. Statins. A common problem for people on statins (cholesterol lowering medication) is that they start feeling less energetic as the statins deplete the levels of Co Q 10. Some people can also suffer from muscle aches and pains and develop memory problems. CoQ10 is important for energy production within the cell. Dosage is a little dependent on weight however generally 150-300 mcg is useful and its recommended that you start at a lower dose and build up slowly.
  2. Metformin which is often given for Diabetes can reduce levels of both B6 and B12. Low B12 may lead to peripheral neuropathy which can cause loss of sensation in the feet or tingling or burning sensations. Again a Multi vitamin with adequate B12 is essential . Depending on your other medications and any possible interactions you may need to use individual supplements rather than a multi-vitamin. Balancing your blood sugar is also essential when you are on these medications so have a look at the dietary recommendations in my blog Are you missing out on ways that you can start ageing outrageously well ?
  3. Anti-depressants need B vitamins for optimal effect and whilst they may not reduce levels specifically they may be less effective if you are not taking a multi vitamin at the same time. In addition your mood may be helped by considering an anti-inflammatory diet and according to the Mayo clinic, walking at least 30 minutes daily (2).
  4. Antibiotics Antibiotics can disrupt the natural bacteria flora in the digestive system, reducing beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum , this may result in symptoms like persistent diarrhoea or constipation. Use a good quality brand of probiotics such as Inner Health with at least 5 billion live organisms for effective management. Nutritionally make sure you are having at least 3 cups of vegetables a day to feed beneficial bacteria and consider a range of prebiotic fibres as well. There is a lot more information on the best options in my recent blog What are the best vegetables for feeding your gut ?
  5. Hormone Replacement Therapy impacts on folic acid (B9), B6 and B12 as well as magnesium levels. A good multi vitamin plus between 400-800mg of magnesium can be useful in managing the side effects. HRT can be useful to manage significant symptoms post menopause and it is adviseable to ensure that if you are using it long term you look at liver support, such as St Mary’s Thistle, to minimise adverse effects longer term.

Food sources for some of these key nutrients such as Co Q10 can be a little challenging. CoQ10 is found in organ meats like kidney, heart and liver. Whilst you could look at including a nice pate on a regular basis, to include liver for example, it is hard to get sufficient levels without a supplement if you are vegetarian or can’t stomach organ meats. There are some organ supplements on the market which could be a good option, just make sure they are organic wherever possible.

Magnesium is found in a wide range of foods, but inadequate intake is common and is associated with a greater risk of osteoporosis. Food sources of magnesium include nuts and seeds, dark leafy greens, legumes, quinoa, dark chocolate, brown rice and other unrefined whole grains (3). People who benefit from a magnesium supplement are prone to headaches and cramping and have difficulty staying asleep. They usually find that magnesium reduces cramping with supplementation. Ideally look for a form of magnesium that is combined with a citrate or an amino acid chelate as magnesium combined with oxide is usually only helpful for constipation as it has laxative qualities.

For more information on maintaining or improving Brain Health have a look at my program Ageing Outrageously which covers six key areas for ensuring that you age well. These include improving brain health, balancing blood sugar, appropriate movement, gut and digestion as well as strategies for assessing and monitoring your health. The program has been designed for people who may not have the time or resources to work with me directly but would like to invest in improving their health. The program cost of $249 is similar to the cost of my initial appointment but you can run through the program under your own pace at home and it covers content from a series of 6-8 appointments .

Key sources

(1) https://www.drugs.com/drug_information.html

(2) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495

(3) https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318595

Posted by Christine Pope on in Ageing, Detoxification, Energy, Fatigue, Health Care

Heat and cold, stressors which boost energy and slow ageing

Looking for a way to improve your energy levels ? Turns out we can certainly benefit from some of the strategies from Nordic countries particularly in regards to saunas and cold plunging. Mild hormetic stressors such as heat and cold can be really beneficial (and enjoyable).

What is a hormetic stressor ? It’s a mild stress to the body which actually generates a low level of free radicals. In the presence of a low level of free radicals we produce more mitochondria. Mitochondria are the energy producing part of a cell and as we age we tend to start losing them. The major hormetic stressor which we are all familiar with is exercise and the reason this is beneficial is it encourages the body to make more mitochondria which in turn means we can produce more energy. Stimulating these processes gives us improvement in both our short term and long term health.

Often we talk about stress as being negative for our health however it really comes down to the type of stress and the dose. Prolonged stress of any type can have negative implications for our health in the same way that prolonged exposure to cold water can result in hypothermia. A few minutes in the cold water is beneficial, too long an exposure is a problem.

What are some other types of hormetic stress ? The top 10 include the following;

  1. Intermittent Fasting
  2. Cold
  3. Heat
  4. Hypoxia
  5. Red and near infrared light
  6. Exercise
  7. Dietary Phytochemicals
  8. UV light
  9. Xenobiotics
  10. Intermittent Nutrient Cycling

In this blog we are going to focus on the benefit of Heat and infrared light however there is more information on some of these options in my blogs such as Is Fasting for me ? and Six ways to increase your energy If you are interested in looking at cold hormetic stressors the latest blog on my clinic page is also useful Is it good to have a cold shower every day

Infra red light such at that from an infra red sauna penetrates soft tissue up to 3 centimetres warming the body and opening blood vessels in a process called “vasodilation.” The blood vessels on the surface expand and as the body heats it encourages sweating. Spending 30 minutes in a sauna is believed to increase heart rate and improve your exercise tolerance. A small study in 2005 showed that a month of sauna bathing in a group with Chronic Heart Failure saw improvements in 13 of 15 participants. In addition to a reduction in blood pressure and improved exercise tolerance they also say reduced levels of stress hormones. (1)

Recently my husband decided to see if a month of infra red sauna was beneficial and he found after a few weeks that his heat tolerance had improved, he felt his stress levels had reduced and he was noticing less muscle pain. He is a much smaller study group but still interesting to see the benefits over a short period of time. He is also quite keen to continue so expect an update on his progress in a couple of months.

A recent article in The Conversation “Can’t face running try a hot bath or sauna” looks at some of the benefits of hot bathing and also the advantages of using sauna to build up your tolerance when you are unable to exercise. In this way it could be useful for those people suffering from Chronic Fatigue for slowly improving resilience and assisting in recovery so that they can start to exercise. It is important if you suffer from Chronic Fatigue that you build up very slowly and gently with any new routine.

Need more assistance with improving your energy levels ? Book in with Christine Pope at Elemental Health at St Ives on Tuesday or Wednesdays. Bookings online at www.elementalhealth.net.au or by phone on (02) 8084 0081 .

(1) https://www.onlinejcf.com/article/S1071-9164(05)00108-9/fulltext

Posted by Christine Pope on in Detoxification, Energy, Environment, exercise, Fasting, Nutrition, Research, Sleep, stress

Six ways to increase your energy

One of the most common reasons for people to see a naturopath is that they are really tired and lack energy. If you are feeling like this at the moment its important to understand why your energy is low but there are also several things you can introduce which may help improve your energy levels on a permanent basis.

The area of the body that produces energy is a component of each cell called a mitochondria, think of them like little factories. As we get older the number of mitochondria in the body can reduce, typically we see a halving of the levels between 20-40 and then again by the time we reach 70. These mitochondria can also be damaged by a range of environmental factors which means they don’t work as effectively and produce less energy.

There are a number of “hacks” which can improve both the number of these little factories and also the quality. Most people are aware of the benefits of regular exercise however they may not be aware that muscle cells will build more mitochondria as a result and they will operate more effectively. However often when people are really fatigued they are not in a position to exercise so these are my top six strategies for improving cellular energy. There are other strategies however this list focuses on those with minimal costs.

  1. Thirty minutes of daylight as close to waking as possible. This is an invaluable reset for your body’s circadian rhythms and helps you produce a reasonable amount of melatonin. Melatonin is important to generate sleep but turns out it also helps with cell repair and can improve energy. Literally one week of eating my breakfast outside followed by a short walk saw a significant improvement in my energy levels.
  2. Mild stressors for the body such as cold can improve energy quality. Its really important with this strategy to start with a very modest amount and slowly increase. A cold swim in a mountain stream might be the goal but start by having a minute or two of your shower with cold water. If you are very temperature sensitive start with it on your arms and legs and then gradually move to the trunk.
  3. Eat in a 11-12 hour window. Allow the bodies waste systems to function effectively by giving them a reasonable window to operate with. This is particularly important if you suffer from brain fog as a result of tiredness. This is really fairly straightforward and may just see you have breakfast at 8am and dinner at 7pm.
  4. Reduce your exposure to blue light from computers and devices. This could involve using blue light blocking glasses however a lower cost solution is as simple as switching off all devices at least one hour before your bedtime. Blue light blocks the production of melatonin and results in more difficulty in getting to sleep. Low melatonin will also reduce the ability of the mitochondria to repair themselves and result in a worsening of fatigue.
  5. Sleep in complete darkness using blockout curtains and turning off all lights and devices. Good quality sleep is essential for energy as cell repair happens during our deep REM cycles. Typically if you aim for 7-8 hours of sleep you will have between 3-5 REM cycles. Each cycle tends to be longer with the first being about 90 minutes. For more information on improving your sleep quality read my blogs on Can you build up sleep Pressure and Six Sleep Myths Debunked
  6. Reduce inflammation in your diet as much as possible. Chronic inflammation reduces your ability to produce energy in your cells. The first step could be avoiding any known allergens or intolerances and the second to try and ensure that you are having at least three cups of vegetables a day. For more information on reducing inflammation my blog on Post Viral Fatigue has some useful resources. More generally to understand which vegetables are most useful for your health What are the best vegetables for feeding your gut ?

There are also a range of strategies to improve energy using tailored diet plans and supplements however these need to be prepared in consultation with a practitioner to ensure that underlying triggers are identified and addressed.

Christine Pope is a naturopath and nutritionist based at Elemental Health at St Ives. You can make appointments on 02 8084 0081 on online at Elemental Health .