More love for our hearts and minds.
As February is Heart Health Month, I’m covering helpful hints and tips regarding keeping our hearts healthy throughout the month.
I have already discussed the amazing amino acid, L-Arginine and its heart health benefits and how stress and mental health affects heart health. This week I’m going to explain how Magnesium is also key to a healthy well-functioning heart.
I’ve spoken about Magnesium in previous articles in relation to preventing muscle cramps, eye twitching, restless legs syndrome, Tinnitus ,gut motility assisting with constipation, general muscle aches and pains and its use to treat post exercise/life aches and pains in the form of magnesium tablets, massage oils/creams and bath soaks.
Magnesium is also central to a healthy heart rhythm because it’s involved in transporting other electrolytes, such as calcium and potassium, into cells. Electrolytes are essential for nerve signals and the muscle contractions of a normal heartbeat. Magnesium also helps with all muscle contractions including the pumping of our heart. Magnesium deficiency causes severe muscle cramps and increases the occurrence of irregular heartbeats (arrythmias). Low magnesium levels are commonly found in people with atrial fibrillation, premature or skipped beats and life-threatening arrhythmias.
Signs of low magnesium
Eye twitches, muscle cramps, restless legs, tinnitus, muscle weakness, fatigue, poor sleep, irregular heart rhythm, convulsions!
If you aren’t getting enough of these foods in your diet you can supplement via oral spray/tablet/capsule directly on to your skin with a muscle rub (cream or oil) and Epsom Salts bath salts.
Below is a ‘cheat sheet’ for the various types of Magnesium and how that can help with various conditions.
I take a Magnesium supplement (Body Prime by Synergy) at bedtime every day alongside Epsom Salts baths a few times a week.
The week ahead
I’m super excited to share a brand new 90’s themed Boogie Fit class, this week.
Boogie Fit is a dance fitness class aimed at meeting the needs of Beginners and returners so this week is the perfect week to join us or return after a break!
… and as usual new moves and grooves in all of our classes plus fun, friendship and inspiration.
The rest of the week at a glance…
Kale Salad with Cashew Dressing and Chickpea Croutons
A Magnesium rich salad recipe (with lots of fibre and protein too!) found on ‘brain and life dot org.’
Serves 6
Cashew Dressing:
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in water in the refrigerator or for 30 minutes in very hot water
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained.
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup warm water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Put ingredients in blender on high until a thick dressing forms. If the dressing is too thick, add a tablespoon of water and blend again.
Chickpea Croutons:
- 1 (14-ounce) can/jar chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F. dry chickpeas on dish towel/kitchen towel, place in a bowl. Add olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper, and stir to evenly coat chickpeas.
Spread chickpeas out onto baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then stir chickpeas. Continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. Set aside while you build the salad.
Kale Salad:
- 2 bunches of curly kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped or torn into pieces
Place kale in large bowl, pour about ¾ of the dressing on it. Using your hands, spread dressing evenly on kale. Top with the chickpea croutons and serve immediately.
Enjoy xx
Have a fab week and please do reach out if you want to discuss any aspect of your health and wellbeing
Love ya,
Helen x
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DYBO Live & Online – Next weeks Classes are as follows:.
At All Hallows, Farnham & DYBO Studio, Church Crookham (Book in Advance only): Zoom class details further down the page.
Monday (AH)
6.30-7.15pm: Boogie Fit
7.30-8.15pm: Total Tone – with bands, handweights and mat.
Tuesday (AH)
6.30-7.15pm: 5 in 1 Fitness – with bands, handweights and mat.
7.30-8.15pm: Dance Fit & Fab
Wednesday (DYBO Studio)
6.30pm Old Skool Step – Step, hand weights and band.
7.30pm Barre Fit – Something to assist balance like a barre, eg. chair, worktop, mantlepiece etc.
Thursday (AH)
6.15-7.20pm: Contemporary Stretch – various equipment used at each class, contact me for info.
7.30-8.30pm: Dancespiration
Friday (DYBO Studio)
6.30-7.15pm: Big Balls and what to do with them (Course)
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Joining us at All Hallows or The DYBO Church Crookham Studio? – Protocols and Information
I’m so happy to be able to run Face to Face classes at All Hallows and at the DYBO Studio in Church Crookham. My primary objective is to ensure that we all have a wonderful time with effective and fun classes that are engaging, relaxed and of course, safe.
Preparation
1) Firstly ensure that you have booked by sending us an email info@dybo.co.uk confirming all the classes you wish to attend plus your payment method, be it as a member, using your voucher, or pay as you go. No on the door bookings or payments can be taken. Bookings are not refundable or transferable. I will keep records of all attending, please also keep a record of your own attendance too.
2) Preparing your kit bag/box. This depends upon the class you are attending.
Boogie Fit, Dance Fit and Dancespiration crew will only require your indoor trainers/dance shoes to change in to, sweat towel, and drink.
Total Tone and 5 in 1 crew – in order to prevent cross contamination currently I am not sharing equipment in a group exercise setting so you will need your mat, a resistance band and light hand weights/equivalent in addition to your trainers, sweat towel and drink.
Contemporary Stretch crew need a mat, band, chi ball and on the last Thursday of the Month you will need 2 x tennis balls and a sock for our Trigger Point and Myofascial release class !
3) Re borrowing equipment – if you would like to try a class or have forgotten equipment then you may borrow equipment on that occasion and please ensure that you sanitise it before and afterwards (sanitising products supplied). I can assist you with sourcing your own equipment inexpensively, moving forward.
On the night
*When you arrive at All Hallows, enter the school via the gates to the left as you face the school and follow the road around the school buildings.
*Please park in the playing courts and walk between the old school building and new sports hall, up a few steps on to the outside seating area, the studio door is to your right.
*Participants are required to arrive 5-10 mins before the class.
*Please change into your clean trainers for indoor activity as you enter, e.g. slip off your outdoor shoes, place your bag, walk to activity area then put indoor shoes on, the same in reverse to leave. This is to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of the space, avoiding stones and glass being walked in and potentially causing injury and to protect the lovely new wood floor.
*The toilets are open to use but please arrive changed, ready for activity so as to keep use time minimal and avoiding queues.
*After a wonderful class change from your indoor trainers to outdoor shoes and sanitise your hands again if you wish.
*Please tell friends and family about our wonderful classes!
When joining me at the DYBO Studio (No.42, GU52 0YA) I will send information directly, including entrance code for the Studio and please note, advanced booking is required.
Fees, you have THREE options!
Please note that all Classes must be booked and paid for in advance and are non transferable or refundable.
Online payments only.
45 min Class – £8.00, 60/65 min Class – £8.50.
10 Class Voucher: £75 (to be used within 12 weeks of purchase).
Membership: £55, unlimited classes, plus a bonus of free access to all class recordings on our DYBO TV channel, and another bonus of a £5 discount for one to one services for current membership holders.
To be paid by the 1st day of the month (at the latest) and is valid from the first to last day of calendar month.
One full month’s notice of membership suspension/cancellation is required with one membership restart permitted within a 12 month period.
Bank details are UK Fitness Academy Ltd.
Sort Code 09-01-28, Acc No. 04284324
Please email me when you have made a payment and use your name and what it’s for as a reference. eg. Jane Smith Class Voucher
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Joining us on Zoom? – Links and Information
Monday
6.30pm: Boogie Fit
7.30pm: Total Tone
Tuesday
6.30pm 5 in 1 Fitness Class
7.30pm Dance Fit & Fab
Wednesday
6.30pm Old Skool, Step & Strength – Step, hand weights and band.
7.15pm Barre Fit – Something to assist balance like a barre, eg. chair, worktop, mantlepiece etc.
Thursday
6.15pm Contemporary Stretch
7.30pm Dancespiration
Friday
6.30pm Big Balls and what to do with them
****** All the above classes change and vary weekly! *****
How to prepare your Zoom environment
- You need space to move 2 side steps, 4 walks forward, 4 backward. Move trip hazards and furniture as much as you can (get help, be careful!) to give you maximum space for upper and lower body movement. Roll up rugs or secure them so they don’t slip or cause you to trip.
- Plugging your device in to your TV with an HDMI cable is brilliant as it gives you a good picture of you (like a mirror) and me – as well as boosting the sound if you go through the TV/Hi-Fi sound system. If you can place your device under the TV, then even better.
- I know some of you are using your phones – try to plug in to a speaker system (even those little speakers we have when we go on holiday would help) so that you can hear better as you move back from the phone. Angie has tried Bluetooth earphones and it worked well.
- Ensure you have maximum access to your Wi-Fi in the house and as close to the router as is feasible. Take phones off the Wi-Fi system and pop them on to your 4/5G network or place on airplane mode, unless that’s what you are using to join us, obviously. Ask family to do the same for the duration of your class – keep them off the internet whilst you need the bandwidth. The more bandwidth you have, the better the picture and sound and the less likely you are to lose the feed. Your health is a priority at this time and I’m sure they can do something else for that short time!
- Ventilate your exercise space, have plenty of water and towels to hand, keep your exercise equipment close – if you need anything, let me know.
- Wear correct footwear for your activity – putting an old pair of socks over the toes and ball of your trainers will help reduce friction when exercising on carpet (if they are a really old pair, cutting the toes open and then just having them over the ball of the foot is even better). It’s up to you if you want to dance or train in bare feet but be careful if you don’t usually do this as it takes time for the muscles and connective tissue of the feet and rest of the body to adapt to barefoot training.
- Make your own gym equipment. Save laundry liquid or milk bottles – you can fill them with water or wet sand/rice etc. to add weight and make a dumbell/kettlebell. I recommend you make a few in differing weights and you have written on them so you know what they weigh and seal the caps with tape to prevent leakage. Get a heavy duty shopping bag and put weighty items in it, check they can’t fall out and you have a kettlebell alternative. Make your own hurdles, put cushions, pillows, boxes, books on the floor to jump over. Use household items as floor markers for circuit activities. The stairs and outdoor steps are great temporary steps/benches for cardio and upper body work. The garden is a great open space to make an assault course or if you can get a signal, take your class or PT session outside, but do make it safe.
Disclaimer
I declare that all of the information I have given (both written and verbal) is accurate and truthful. I know of no reason why I cannot participate fully in any exercise programme and I do not deem it necessary to consult my medical Practitioner/GP/specialist. I undertake to inform my instructor should any information change.
I understand that I participate at my own risk and that any information given is not intended to replace or represent medical advice. I agree to comply with all terms conditions and class protocols and instructions as outlined above and whilst attending DYBO classes/training.
Do not attend classes if experiencing symptoms of Covid 19, Flu or airborne transmissible infection or have tested positive.
Attending any DYBO class will assume agreement with above terms and disclaimer.
