Health

Beat Blue Monday and Run Free in Glasgow

Monday was supposedly Blue Monday. The most depressing day of the year, based on this equation, devised in 2005:

It is a day when seemingly Christmas becomes a fleeting memory while the cost of Christmas is at the forefront of our minds and our New Year Resolutions to get fit start to fall by the wayside.

Forgetting, for a moment, that this nonsensical equation was devised on behalf of a holiday company flogging vacations in the sun and that people who suffer from depression might not appreciate the idea that depression is simply brought on by an empty wallet and fading Christmas cheer, let’s consider how we can get back on track with our fitness goals without it costing the earth….or anything, for that matter.

This is my third Get Fit For Free In Glasgow post and with me looking forward to making my long awaited (by me, at least) return to running on Wednesday with Run 4 It Giffnock, I thought I would focus on the free running….no, not Assassin’s Creed inspired parkour, but free of charge running available in Glasgow.

Running (and physical activity in general) is a great way to get fit and to make new friends and it can also help beat the blues, Monday or otherwise. It has helped me when I have been feeling low with low self-esteem, low energy and lack of confidence. Running with an organised group offers support, safety and a degree of accountability. In Glasgow, these groups vary in size, but they all love running and they all embrace new members.

Read on for my top free running groups in Glasgow

Run Free

Glasgow is blessed with an abundance of parks (Dear Green Place and all that) and in many of them, you will find a Saturday morning parkrun, which is the national and free timed 5K running organisation. While I will not go through them all, I do have to mention the wonderful event at Tollcross, where you’ll find a challenging course, great folk and even better cakes. Full details of parkrun events in Glasgow can be found HERE

However, there is also an abundance of other free running groups in the city that are suitable for beginners and seasoned runners, and there are several which I have found (or heard from reputable sources) to be especially supportive, fun and inclusive.

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First up is my old favourite Great Run Local which runs a friendly and free 2k and 5K along the banks of the Clyde at the Broomielaw at the Squiggly Bridge (not the the Squinty Bridge) every Wednesday at 6.30pm. Great Run Local is a family affair as accompanied children can also take part. Times are measured using a free wrist tracker and if there was an award for the friendliest group of volunteers, then Great Run Local Glasgow would be sure to be amongst the finalists.

Then we have the running group that has risen from the ashes of the defunct Glasgow Running Network and which covers most of the north of the city, with weekly runs in Scotstoun, Maryhill, Garrowhill, Tollcross and the Gorbals. It is, of course, the aptly named Glasgow Phoenix Runners. Although, by all accounts, it is a very friendly group with varying abilities, it is requested that you are able to run a minimum distance.

Not one for new runners then, but they ARE definitely the intended audience at the Sweatshop Running Club Couch to 5K group in Anniesland. Not only is this free, but SRC also reward participation and with regular running events and promotions indoor, it is a great place for those out west to learn to run every Monday and Wednesday night.

For those in the southside, we have the aforementioned Run 4 It Giffnock. Here, you can participate in a lung busting interval sessions on a Monday after work that will improve your fitness and help you increase your speed, while there is now a very amiable and social (so social, there is often smoothies at Wholefoods afterwards) 5K run on a Wednesday night. Again, there is a mixed pace and all are welcome.

Run 4 It (also based in Bothwell St) and Sweatshop are both running retailers and in addition to delivering sessions, they also provide information evenings and gait analysis which you’ll know, if you’ve been following my Feet For Life posts, can be very useful in helping you pick a shoe that makes running hopefully more comfortable and less injury laden.

While we are mentioning retailers, we cannot forget the mighty Nike+ Run Club on Buchanan Street where you can enjoy a variety of running options from beginners to interval based sessions on Thursday nights. Nike regularly put on special events, like the wonderful Subway Run which much to my dismay didn’t involve a 5K run followed by 6 inch at Subway but instead a 10 mile run around all of Glasgow’s underground stations. Which, to be fair, remains as one of my running highlights.

Check out those smiles!

Still in the city and along Sauchiehall Street we have a running group that will put a smile on your face every Monday at lunch. Just remember to brush your teeth as it is with the Glasgow Dental Hospital & School Runners. It is a work based Jogscotland group, but is is open to anyone and might just be something to get your teeth into (sorry for the really bad pun).

There are Jogscotland running groups across Glasgow (and indeed, Scotland) and while not all of them are free, they are all led by qualified Jogscotland Jog Leaders and they are all very friendly and supportive. Check on JogScotland for a group near you.

And finally, we have a group that is smaller than most of the others, but which has a huge heart and which offers some fantastic longer Sunday Social runs (usually with food) for those training for marathons and a much shorter Tuesday night run in the city, again, often accompanied with food (and the occasional beer). The Red Bridge Runners meet every Tuesday at 6.30pm at you guessed it, the Red Bridge, otherwise known as the South Portland Street Suspension Bridge

Run Not So Free

While it isn’t exactly free, I do also have to give a special mention to the Glasgow Frontrunners where you’ll find a training session for everyone….and I mean everyone. Glasgow Frontrunners is the most inclusive and one of the largest running groups in the city and it has a range of running sessions from Couch to 5K to marathon training on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at Glasgow Caledonian University. Sessions cost either £1 per visit or from as little as £18 for the year.

Whatever group you choose, you’ll undoubtedly find a friendly, fun and supportive group of runners who will not care about how far or fast you can run, but instead will only be happy that you want to run with them.

Forget Blue Monday and instead, Run Free and Run Happy

January 16, 2017 1 comment

Feet For Life Health

Feet For Life : Walk Before You Can Run with Foot Medic Podiatry

written by Stephen Morrison

With my Ironman training gaining momentum (i.e. I am finally being consistent with both my training and my diet), I am still consciously aware that before I can start running again, I need to be able to walk (comfortably) again.

For the past year, my knee pain has made made running impossible and walking difficult.

My visit to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital to see Magic Mandy identified that I had some abnormalities in my gait and the introduction of a temporary orthotic eased the pain considerably for a week or so (you can read that blog HERE).

However, if I was to ever run again and become an Ironman, I would need to find a long term solution.

And thankfully, I was presented with an opportunity that I could not refuse. I don’t demand or receive payment for the vast majority (i.e. all but three) of my blog posts whether they are for How Many Miles, FSEM, Man v Fat or the BMJ, so I was delighted when Ciaran of Foot Medic Podiatry in Bearsden contacted me to praise my work on the Feet For Life campaign with the College of Podiatry and then proceeded to invite me me along to his clinic for assistance with my recovery.

Once past the very lush and relaxing reception area Foot Medic Podiatry looks more like a science lab than a podiatry clinic. Ciaran and the team must have one of the most advanced private clinics in the country and the big kid in me wanted to play with it all.

While there is a treadmill and multiple cameras to analysis a runner’s gait, Ciaran suggested that with my knee pain that we use the pressure pads on the floor to assess my stance and my walking style. After an initial static reading, I repeatedly walked the short length of the clinic treatment room with a step landing on the pressure pad which would measure my landing and my step off.

Once Ciaran had enough data and had quickly assessed it with his trained eye, he presented his findings….in Technicolour.

From the computer images, It was clear that when standing I favour one side of my body over the other while almost a third of my weight distributed through my right heel. This is consistent with observations from Magic Mandy and from one of my Personal Trainers, Scott Devenney.

We next looked at how my feet land and then take off.

My heavy heel striking came as no surprise, but two things did come as a shock. Ciaran identified that when stepping off, I gently and possibly invisibly to the naked eye, perform an abductory twist just as my foot leaves the ground. Basically this means that I whip my heel and smarter people than me have explained this as my pelvis and tibia not working together. While it might not explain all of my pain, it was another piece of the puzzle that are my lower limbs. As was the fact that I had achilles tendinopathy, possibly due in part to lots of miles ran and years of my poor feet carrying substantial weight. With limited foot dorsiflexion, this could explain my very short stride

With my history of Perthes Disease and the clues that he had already discovered, Ciaran also had me lie down to measure my legs and what he discovered added yet another clue.

My right leg is 16mm shorter than my left and while up to 10mm is within normal parameters, Ciaran suggested that we consider this when it came to fabricating my orthotics.

For that was to be the final surprise. While most podiatrists have to send away for orthotics to be made, with a waiting time of around 14 days, Foot Medic Podiatry were able to cast my feet and produce my orthotics in just over an hour. And not just your run of the mill insoles. These bad boys would be made of Crist’air, a material that is used in making bulletproof products.

Ciaran was going to bulletproof my feet

Firstly though, he had me stand in their foot casting machine, which saw bags of heated silica mould around my feet.

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Then the insoles were heated around my cast before we started on fabricating the wedges that would hopefully address my supination and my short right leg. I say we as I just had to get in on the action.

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Ciaran explained that he would use a carbon fibre composite for the base and that we would grind it into shape. We would not compensate for the full 16mm, but instead, around half of that. The reason, Ciaran explained, was that any more could create imbalances and cause more harm than good. It has taken me 36 years post Perthes to develop my unique gait and I accepted that any sudden changes might not be welcomed by my body.

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The end result was two pairs of orthotics that should hopefully see me through next year’s gruelling training regime, but if I should need more, I will not hesitate to return to the Foot Medic Podiatry. In fact, before I return to running, I will go west and have my running gait fully assessed by Evelyn, Foot Medic Podiatrist’s resident running expert.

However, I don’t know whether to forgive them for making me don this costume. On behalf of the entire Feet For Life campaign, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Maybe, someone will treat your feet to some pampering this year.

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December 16, 2016 0 comment

Health

Top Tips For Coping With Your Sports Injury

written by Stephen Morrison

It doesn’t matter whether you’re an Olympic athlete, or whether you are like me, a potter round the gym and a long walk a few times a week; there is nothing more irritating, frustrating and often soul destroying than a sports injury. Even a fairly mild pulled muscle or sprain can keep you from your usual regime for a few weeks, and it can often feel like your injury is going to take forever to heal. You may miss the social element, and be envious of your friends and teammates and you will discover that every single post on your social media feeds will involve someone having the most amazing time being active. Here are some tips for staying involved even when you’re on the sidelines:

* Be a cheerleader – you might not be on the pitch, but you can still be a fully-functioning part of the team, or a fully-supportive exercise buddy. Cheering on your teammates will not only encourage them to keep going, it helps you remain part of the social group, and keeps you up to date with new training programmes and competition strategies where appropriate. The boost to your mood can even help you heal faster.

*Be a volunteer– many organisations such as parkrun, Great Run Local and Join In provide wonderful opportunities to give something back to the sports you love and it will allow you to stay involved.

My old Great Run Local Glasgow Gang

*Be confident – if you are a professional athlete, there is always the chance that an injury can be career-ending. Even for the hobby athlete, severe or progressive conditions can mean that exercise is going to have to take a different form in future. This can cause considerable anxiety and depression, and if you feel unable to come to terms with this, do seek help. However, be confident that even if life has to change, you will reach a point where taking up a different sport or activity will be possible.

* Try something new – if your recovery is going to take a specific length of time, this could be the perfect opportunity to try something new, either sports-related, or in a completely different field. Look into classes that will take you out of the house and stop you feeling isolated or lonely and think about activities, like swimming, that might aid your recovery.

Dive into something new

*Stay on top of pain management – there’s always a temptation to ‘tough it out’, especially if you have been used to training through discomfort, and are used to the ache of tired muscles. Make sure that you take your painkillers regularly rather than as required, and keep up with physiotherapy and exercises which will help you to heal.

* Take ownership of your injury – this can be difficult, especially if your injury was through no fault of your own. Acknowledge that it has happened, work out why it happened (especially if it’s through overtraining or poor training management), and make plans to stop it happening again.

The final Top Tips For Coping With Your Sports Injury is to seek specialist help. It can be a good idea to have a full health-check before you return to your training programme, and to speak to a sports medicine specialist if you think you will need to do things differently from before. At places like The Wilmslow Hospital, near Manchester and Liverpool you will have access to everything from diagnostics to surgery if necessary, and the best possible care to get you back on the track, pitch or in the gym as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: Although spookily relevant, this is a sponsored post with all proceeds going to Cancer Research

December 14, 2016 2 comments

Health Obesity

Tough New Rules from the Committee of Advertising Practice?

written by Stephen Morrison

Childhood obesity is a serious and complex issue and one that we’re determined to play our part in tackling. These restrictions will significantly reduce the number of ads for high, fat, salt or sugar products seen by children. Our tough new rules are a clear demonstration that the ad industry is willing and ready to act on its responsibilities and puts the protection of children at the heart of its work.

Encouraging words from the Chairman of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), James Best

According to CAP they have today announced, following a full public consultation, tough new rules banning the advertising of high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) food or drink products in children’s media. The rules will apply across all non-broadcast media including in print, cinema and, crucially, online and in social media.

The rules, which will apply in media targeted at under-16s, will come into effect on 1 July 2017.

With the Child Obesity Strategy having no real bite, I was not expecting these “tough new rules” to provide me with any real hope and having reviewed the new advertising rules, I do believe that it is once again a missed opportunity, albeit with some progress.

So, what are these new rules and how much of a difference will they make?

Committee of Advertising Practice Tough New Rules

· Ads that directly or indirectly promote a HFSS product cannot appear in children’s media

· Ads for HFSS products will not be allowed to use promotions, licensed characters and celebrities popular with children; advertisers may now use those techniques to better promote healthier options

These sound great until you consider what is not covered by these rules. The packaging of HFSS products will not be affected. They will continue to be covered in the latest cartoon and film characters that our children are often drawn towards. When it is generally agreed that TV advertising has a relatively low impact on HFSS consumption, these rules seem like yet more watered down measures.

· Ads for HFSS products cannot appear in other media where children make up over 25% of the audience

With children reportedly spending more time (around 15 hours per week) online than watching TV, moves to reduce their online exposure to promotions for HFSS products is a welcomed measure, but I do have my concerns. Up to 25 in every 100 children could still be exposed to advertising and across the UK this equates to more than 3 million children.

A concern shared by the Obesity Health Alliance, who view it as a loophole that could (and most likely will) be exploited. Also, has anyone stopped to consider that obesity, inactivity, screen time and poverty are closely linked? It is quite possible that children in poorer households will watch more TV and spend more time online than anyone else with their households spending greater proportions of their income on food. With obesity rates soaring, we need to do more to ensure that all children are protected.

With one third of children overweight or obese by their eleventh birthday, we need to protect them from relentless junk food marketing in all walks of life.”

-Obesity Health Alliance.

The Children’s Food Campaign go further and while they believe that the “The Committee of Advertising Practice has finally listened to the voices of parents and health professionals, after years of resisting calls for stronger measures to reduce children’s exposure to junk food marketing online” they also share concerns that “CAP has failed to learn the lessons from industry’s exploitation of loopholes in TV advertising regulations”.

Jenny Rosborough, campaign manager at Action on Sugar, called for restrictions to be extended to programmes such as X Factor, which are hugely popular with children but which are exempt from these restrictions because they fall outside children’s programming.

The response to the new rules from the Committee of Advertising Practice have been received in similar fashion to the Child Obesity Strategy with many believing that “the power still seems to be very much in the hands of manufacturers and advertisers, not parents”.

The Children’s Food Campaign offered the perfect summation:

Ultimately, the new rules are only as good as the body which enforces them. We hope that from July 2017 CAP and the Advertising Standards Authority will ensure companies follow both the letter and the spirit of these new rules, and close any loopholes which arise.

Rather than develop a groundbreaking strategy that puts the wellbeing of all children at its centre, it is my belief that CAP have produced a set of rules that fall short. It’s supporters and the food industry will possibly argue that parents have a greater responsibility, but how many of us feel pressured by children who influence our purchases, based on the marketing directly aimed at them?

We will need to wait until July 2017 to see what impact these tough new rules have.

December 8, 2016 0 comment

Feet For Life Health

Feet For Life – Taking Care of Our Feet

written by Stephen Morrison

Damn, those are some nasty looking feet.

The podiatrist at Hampden Foot Clinic didn’t exactly say this and at no point did he even give me a look that might reveal any sign of disapproval, but I just knew that behind his really friendly welcome, he would be disgusted at what he was about to witness.

Before I had my first shoe off, I was making excuses and preparing him for the sight that awaited him.

I’ve ran a few miles ( I didn’t tell him howmanymiles) and I possibly haven’t taken as much care of my feet as I should have”.

Even as I said it, i knew that it was a lame excuse. I own dozens (and covet many more) of pairs of relatively expensive running shoes and I have merino wool socks that I take great care in washing. I take great pride in adorning my feet in the latest designs and the brightest colours with only the best running shoes worthy of encasing my feet.

In fact, as soon as I learned from Magic Mandy that some orthosis should help me run, I went out and bought myself the brightest and best shoes that I could find (using my Vitality discount, of course).

my usual idea of a treat for my feet

As a runner (I am running again), I might very well have all the gear, but I am guilty of neglecting my feet and were it not for the Feet For Life campaign, I am not sure that I would have taken the steps that I have.

However, with Magic Mandy (I WILL make this stick) having discovered the cause of my knee pain, I was intrigued to see what other mystical powers podiatrists possessed and deep down I knew that my feet were gradually worsening even though I hadn’t even been running.

This is what brought me to be sitting in Hampden Foot Clinic with podiatrist Graham Bone, a former student under Magic Mandy at Glasgow Caledonian University Podiatry , preparing to treat my feet to some much needed care.

Podiatry is a medical profession and it was therefore not surprising to see that the clinic resembled a hospital theatre or dental surgery. It was white and bright and in Graham’s room he had a tray of surgical instruments….wait, a tray of surgical instruments?

Was I booked in for a £29 podiatry treatment or for an amputation?

Hopefully it would not be the latter, but as an obesity campaigner and someone who is overweight, I am painfully aware of the very real danger that diabetes poses to our feet

But first up, he needed to see the task ahead and if you are reading this at lunch or at dinner, you might want to skim over these before pictures. Or, with Halloween on Monday you might want to print them off to scare the local kids.

Frightful Feet

Graham must be a fantastic poker player, as he didn’t flinch at the sight of my feet. He simply looked them over and then explained what needed to be done and how he would do it.

Although I wasn’t experiencing the usual tell tale sign of itchy toes, Graham explained that the white residue around my toenails was symptomatic of a fungal infection. He would remove the cuticles and a layer of my toenail, using what looked like a drill piece and then apply some anti fungal cream that I would reapply in two weeks using the application technique that Graham coached me to perform.

a wee treat for my feet

He then set about reducing the mass of hard skin that had developed on my heels and along the outside of my feet. While doing so he explained that the hard skin was my foot’s way of protecting it from the force and friction that I apply to it and subsequently he would not remove all of it, unless I wanted it removed. As I am not currently considering a career in feet modeling, I decided to retain some level of protection. He also identified and skillfully removed at least four corns on my right foot which correlated with my tendency to walk on the outside of that foot.

The transformation complete

Even with some hard skin seemingly retained, Graham left my feet dolphin smooth (yes, the departure of Abraham is hard) with a mass of skin that seemed to symbolise the ashes of my past life as a neglector of feet.

sorrynotsorry skin pic

For having seen how Graham has transformed my feet in one session, I have decided that I will take more care of them and undertake some basic daily care.

Rather than just standing in dirty soapy shower water, I will actually bathe my feet at least three times each week. Gordon would have me do it daily or twice daily like brushing my teeth, but I will aim for making it a regular feat first.

I will actually use that pumice stone sunk somewhere deep in my toiletry box and keep that dolphin smooth feeling.

I will wear even more shoes. I have my favourites and I sometimes wear them days on end and when you consider that our produce about half a pint of sweat each day, it’s no wonder that my shoes stink. I will use my ever growing collection of shoes to aid my feet. By alternating shoes, I can hopefully keep my shoes and my feet fresh.

I will get myself a “proper” pair of toenail clippers and use them more regularly.

I will moisturise them (no, I don’t mean peeing on them in the shower) and apply some cream to them every couple of days

And lastly, I will treat them to a massage. Not only as possible content for a future Feet For Life post, but because I genuinely quite fancy it. After all, our feet carry us for miles and deserve the same respect and care that we afford to the rest of our lower limbs. After a race, we queue to have our legs massaged… so why not our feet?

Can you look at your feet (go on, take off yours shoes and socks) and honestly say that they are in good health or do you also have the odd black or fungal nail and some excess skin?

To him whose feet hurt, everything hurts.

My corns are gone and my feet feel great and somehow, I feel much better. I am walking taller and straighter ( see my previous Feet for Life post) and I have a spring in my step.

That Socrates was quite a smart fella.

October 29, 2016 0 comment

Feet For Life Health Running

Feet for Life – Bow down to the Podiatrist

written by Stephen Morrison

I had seen a physiotherapist and an osteopath; I had consulted my personal trainers (yep, I have two) and I had even spoken to fellow runners, but after 10 months and endless numbers of leg raises and squats and even some sessions with the Core Momentum Trainer (that deserves a post of its own) and a stint in barefoot shoes I was still no closer to putting on a pair of running shoes in earnest.

So, when the College of Podiatry suggested that I should see a podiatrist, my only thought was that it might make for another nice Feet For Life post.

I would never have guessed that six days later, I would be out running 5km.

I was referred to Podiatrist Mandy Abbott (now forever known as Magic Mandy) at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and right up until I entered the clinic, I wasn’t completely sure what help a podiatrist would be, although she certainly helped me with my obligatory selfie!

Feet for after Life

Sure, I do possess typical runner’s feet and I could benefit with having some hard skin removed, but just how would a podiatrist help me to run again or even walk without pain again?

Well, I soon learned that in addition to being a lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, Mandy Abbott also specialises in biomechanics and she offered to review my gait and examine my feet, ankles and knees.

This wasn’t like the standard treadmill gait analysis found in your average running shop. Mandy checked my range of motion in my ankles before asking me to walk up and down the clinic. After what felt like about 300 laps, she told me to stop.

She had seen enough.

I had excess hard skin along the outsides of my feet and especially in the heel. The latter wasn’t a surprise, as I know that I am a heavy heel striker (when my foot lands, it lands heel first), but the explanation for the outer foot was more of a shock.

During my walk up and down the clinic I displayed signs that I have Genu Varum or bow legs as they are more commonly known. I walk on the outside of my feet (supination) and my my lower legs are inverted. This is yet another sign/symptom of osteoarthritis and I am close to finally accepting that I cannot continue living in denial. At some point my knees will require further investigation.

However, at the very least , I now have a more than viable explanation for my knee pain. Something that I have been searching for. With this knowledge, I can move on.

So what does it all mean and why is it causing pain?

medialknee

Whenever I walk or run it is most likely that my tibia and femur are making contact which is increasing my knee degeneration and causing the associated pain. I am also possibly stretching the lateral ligaments and this might explain my reluctance to attempt any movements that involve bending or twisting my knee.

Training sessions with Scott Devenney (using the HUB and the CMT) prove that I can perform lunges and that I can apply load to me knee. I will continue to train and I will keep strengthening my body and lowering my body fat. This will all help me move better and without unplaced fear. I will not lunge into anything too quickly, but I will lunge.

As as well as an explanation for my mobility issues, Mandy also recommended and provided me with an orthosis for my shoes. It has a lateral wedge that will enable me to walk with less pronation with the force of each landing being absorbed more centrally thus increasing knee joint stability. It will also help with my knee alignment and increase the space between my tibia and femur which should help ease my symptoms and reduce the pain.

The thin edge of the wedge

This a temporary orthosis that Mandy fabricated in a matter of minutes and should it continue to work, I will look into getting a more long term orthosis produced. I don’t particularly want to wear an orthosis for the rest of my life, but it is much more preferable than walking in pain and not being able to run again

Mandy provided me with something else too. Hope. Hope that I will run again and hope that my dream of being an Ironman isn’t over before it even starts.

Even after only a week of wearing the orthosis and making a conscious effort to walk that little bit more straight, the frequency and the intensity of the pain has decreased. It hasn’t gone completely, but it is no longer ever present and I don’t feel that it is restricting me as much as it has in the past.

I ran!!!!!

So much so, that when my girlfriend Teresa suggested that we go for a short run this week I agreed. Without hesitation. It wasn’t fast but it was pain free and even after 5km I felt that I could have kept going. However, taking small steps has always been my approach and 5km was far enough for my first run.

I’ll rest my knee and I will look forward to my Cancer Research Tough 10 event on November 6th for which I am an Ambassador. It will be my first (and possibly only) event of this year and although I will not be fast I will run and after 10 months out, I hope you all appreciate just how much this means to me. I’ve lost and given up a few things in the past year and I had begun to believe that I would never run again.

I will run!!!

It’s too soon to say that I’m back and I doubt that I’ll ever again fully consider myself as a runner, but I can and I will run. And I will be an Ironman.

And if that wasn’t good enough, Mandy provided me with an excuse to buy new running shoes. With my supination and bow legs, my current shoes are undoubtedly worn away on the outer edges and it is in my best interests to replace them (I’ll ignore the fact that I do already own several as yet unworn pairs). My first pair arrive on Wednesday.

When I partnered with the College of Podiatry to promote the Feet for Life campaign I never envisioned that it would be a podiatrist that would hold the key to my knee pain and to me running again. I simply wanted to show that our feet deserve more attention and more care. Now, I also want to show that Podiatry is about much more than treating athlete’s foot or removing corns…..although that will probably be the content of the next Feet for Life blog.

October 23, 2016 4 comments

Health Obesity

World Obesity Day & the Soft Drink Industry

written by Stephen Morrison

Today is World Obesity Day and by 2020, 3 in 5 of England’s most deprived boys will be overweight or obese.

It is a shame that World Obesity Day, much like yesterday’s World Mental Health Day, should even exist, but they both do provide an opportunity to share important messages that highlight the need for action.

The alarming new figures from the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) above, released today on World Obesity Day, show a looming significant weight gap between the poorest and wealthiest primary-school aged boys living in England ( I see no reason why this would not be the case also in Scotland). Three in five (60%) of the most deprived boys aged 5-11 are predicted to be overweight or obese by 2020, compared to about one in six (16%) of boys in the most affluent group

According to the OHA, eating or drinking too much sugar is a key reason for consuming extra calories and is therefore a cause of obesity. Sugar currently makes up 13% of children’s daily calorie intake, while the official recommendation is no more than 5%. This is why the OHA fully supports the Government’s Soft Drinks Industry Levy, which is an important step to help make our children healthier. The alliance is also calling on food manufacturers to comply with the Government’s programme to reduce the sugar in food eaten often by children and wants to see loopholes closed to protect children from exposure to junk food marketing online and on TV.

As Robin Ireland, Chief Executive at Health Equalities Group and member of the Obesity Health Alliance, said:

From a young age, children are developing a taste for high sugar, salt and fatty foods that is difficult to break once established and as a nation, we all have a responsibility to help shape children’s diets. Sugary drink consumption levels tend to be highest among the most disadvantaged children who are hit hardest by obesity and tooth decay. The health gains from the soft drinks industry levy will be biggest for our most deprived children.

I have presented my view on health inequalities in my Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine Lay View, so these findings are unfortuanately of no real surprise to me.

However, what did surprise and stun me were tweets emanating last week from the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM).

@BJSMplus celebrated the donation of a recycling unit to the University of British Columbia by showering Cola Cola with praise and even promoted them as a partner in battling obesity.

That a publication and institution so dedicated to promoting Sports and Exercise Medicine should fail to recognise how inappropriate these tweets are and instead defend Coca Cola is both disheartening and disappointing. I count my two blogs for the BJSM amongst my greatest achievements and although this might bring an end to any further collaborations, I have to speak out.

The BJSM have to lead by example.

We all have to consider the support we give to businesses whose goal it is to sell more of the products that potentially cause us harm, regardless of the support they regularly provide to help encourage more of us to be active or to our athletes.

Last year the New York Times reported that, according to health experts, Coca Cola spend huge sums to:

deflect criticism about the role sugary drinks have played in the spread of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Coca Cola are by no means the enemy and they should be included as a stake holder in all discussions on sugar consumption. However, while organisations such as the British Association of Soft Drinks attack the Levy, we need to distance ourselves from them.

The University of British Columbia and the BJSM may have innocently shown their appreciation for the generous gift of a recycling unit, but we all have to consider the message that our associations send out as well as the actions we take

And we need to take action now!

Chris Askew, Chief Executive at diabetes UK, said:

Not taking action now will result in the NHS forking out monumental amounts of money for largely preventable conditions. This is why it’s so important to implement the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, manufacture healthier food, and close the loopholes of junk food marketing to children today, so our future health, workforce, and NHS can stand a chance tomorrow.

Our children deserve better. We, as adults, organisations and governments need to make their future health a priority.

The Soft Drink Levy is a policy that will hopefully directly help those that are most disadvantaged, but it is only one thing. If Coca Cola and the other soft drink manufacturers want to truly be considered as partners in the battle against obesity, then they need to show support for the Levy and work with it rather than against it. O

I hope that, in years to come, we don’t need to have a World Obesity Day, but for that to happen we need to take more action and we need to consider the alliances we have built and whether or not they are for the greater good.

Disclaimer. My fondness of Diet Coke is well documented and I am not suggesting that we ban soft drinks.

October 11, 2016 0 comment

Obesity

The Race Is On. It is Time to go Faster

written by Stephen Morrison

It was the usual night before the Great Scottish Run weekend.

I had arranged (and photographed) my kit, set my alarm and, as usual, I could not sleep. The weeks leading up to this had seen me frantically trying to get event ready and if I was honest, I would have to be the first to admit that I hadn’t put in quite enough hours. The days leading up to it hadn’t see me in the greatest of health and my old doubts were resurfacing. I wasn’t fit enough. I wasn’t ready and I didn’t belong in a such a talented field.

At times, I am my harshest critic.

However, I am also a firm believer in the power of the occasion in bringing the best out in people and I would also be surrounded by friends.

So, come morning, I jumped out of bed and began my morning ritual of having breakfast, getting ready and gathering all of my paperwork before rushing out the door to catch the train to town. I had not been this anxious or excited about an event for years and it reminded of my very first Great Scottish Run Half Marathon.

However, unlike many of my friends, I was not preparing for the Great Scottish Run and the more observant of you will have noticed that my race bib, in the picture above, isn’t in fact a bib. Go on, have a closer look.

It was the cover of my Level 2 in Fitness Instructing manual.

For the event that I was about to participate in was no race. It was my Level 2 in Fitness Instructing assessment.

For too long, I have only been an obesity and inactivity adviser and activist. Sure, I have launched events and I have helped to change a few lives, but I dream of helping even more people. I want to provide the same support that people like Jen Wilson and Scott Devenney have provided me with. I want to help the overweight and obese lead healthier and happier lives. I don’t only want to inspire people, I want to directly support and motivate them.

I want to educate, encourage, enable and empower people using empathy and my experience of being morbidly obese and inactive.

I mentioned Jen and Scott for a reason. Not only are the exceptional personal trainers (PTs), they are genuinely passionate about helping others. They are also now friends. They and many of the PTs that I respect have all trained with a specific company.

That company is Faster Global and at the time when I started working with Great Run and the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine, I was also introduced to John Hardy who offered me an opportunity that I have taken three years to believe that I was ready for.

John Hardy recognised and respected my passion and my determination. He saw something in me. More importantly, he believed in me and he waited for me. Over the last three years, he has chipped away at my insecurities and he (and Scott) finally made me commit to realising my other dream and to attend the weekend assessment.

Now, I am a qualified Level 2 Gym Instructor, and by the end of the year, I will be a qualified Level 3 Personal Trainer. Then, in 2017, I will learn even more and become a member of John’s FTE team, where I will join over 130 of the finest Personal Trainers in the country.

I will then answer the question of Can Fat Men be Personal Trainers (although, I will obviously be well on the way to becoming an Ironman, by this time) and I will change lives. Many lives.

October 3, 2016 0 comment

Health Obesity

Energy Boosting Snacks for Work and Home

written by Stephen Morrison

One of the reasons for my weight gain of late is that I don’t eat enough.

Whoa…I hear you say, how can I, howmanymiles, gain weight by not eating enough? Am I some sort of freak of nature who defies the principle of calories in vs calories out?

Well, let me expand (much like my waist). Recently, I dropped some hours at work. Not to become a full-time blogger or even to allow me more gym time. It was to help me manage my caring responsibilities. I look forward each day to welcoming the boys home from school and unfortunately, I have also become accustomed to looking forward to my 3-4pm feeding hour. Which sometimes drifts on to 5pm and even 6pm as I make and taste dinner for the family.

Despite my best efforts, I am not going to bed earlier and I am certainly not getting up earlier in the morning. Each day, it is a mad scramble to get washed, dressed and out to work. No time for breakfast and no time to prepare lunch.

Not that I actually get one. I only work five hours a day and wait until I come home after 3pm to feast. So, to more accurately explain my weight gain, I should say that I don’t eat enough in the morning. I certainly make up for it later and then, when full, I often struggle to do a workout.

And with an Ironman (you did read my Man V Fat post, didn’t you?) to prepare for, I need to find ways to find time to eat in the morning and at lunch.

So, when the good folks at the meeting software provider GoToMeeting sent me their 15 Snacks to Boost Energy and Productivity Blog to read and share, I was instantly drawn to the information and the infographic it contained.

According to the author, Wendy MacAuliffe, part of the reason for my 3pm munchies is due to my circadian rhythm. She states that:

Our circadian rhythms (which influence our sleeping patterns) can also be responsible for creating the munchies. That’s why just as the afternoon slump hits, we go to make ourselves a cup of tea, and reach for the chocolate digestives!

It all starts to make sense. It isn’t that I am a glutton or have a really, really sweet tooth, it is because of that pesky circadian rhythm.

Listed, in the infographic, were 15 protein and fat packed energy boosting snacks that I could sit on my desk and tuck into while working. Not only, would they help me avoid snacking on unhealthier foods later, they would provide me with a much needed energy boost. Something that both my Ironman aspirations and my boss might appreciate.

Admittedly, some of them don’t excite me, but I have to admit, it has been too long since I last ate hummus ( I once lived on it while living on a Kibbutz)

Have a look at GoToMeeting’s suggested energy boosting snacks below and let me know if any of these end of on your desk . I would love to see tubs of nuts, bean and kale crisps replace the almost endless supply of cakes and biscuits in my workplace. And hey, you can still have chocolate, just the dark stuff.

This post was sponsored by GoToMeeting and for posting it, I was paid a fee. As part of my Ironman challenge is to raise awareness and funds for Cancer Research, I am donating the said fee (might need to get a tax adviser to advise on all my blog fee donations) to them

October 2, 2016 2 comments

Health Physical Activity

National Fitness Day- What went wrong?

written by Stephen Morrison

Not a lot of people in Glasgow seem to know this, but Wednesday 7th September is/was National Fitness Day.

It was supposed to be a day to celebrate the benefits of being physically active, but also, more importantly, a day when we could encourage more people to move more, more of the time. It was a day to Move The Nation.

What we got instead was more self back patting, a trending hashtag, more confirmation bias and lots of preaching to the converted.

It trended on Twitter, but did that reach make a difference?

On National Fitness Day, it seemed that the already active were hashtagging their day’s activities with #NationalFitnessDay while the inactive presumably went on with their day none the wiser and certainly no more active than they were they day before.

And can we blame them? One National Fitness Day Challenge was to record 50,000 burpees. This is not an exercise that you motivate the inactive with. This is the type of challenge that frightens people and most likely makes them doubt their capabilities.

Is this how we get the inactive moving!?

If you are in London you might be reading this and wondering what I am on about? For you, National Fitness Day included events outside the Olympic Park, events with celebrities and Sports Ministers and events that went on all day. It looked exciting, it looked fun and it really looked like people were getting involved.

No expense spared in London

However, it is supposed to be National Fitness Day, not London Fitness Day and in Glasgow, you would never have known that it was even happening.

In Glasgow, I struggled to find anyone who knew what it was and I struggled to find ANY fitness operator giving it any serious attention.

Just look at the efforts that Pure Gym and the Gym Group went to, in order to entice people in and to share their free gym pass offer! Inside Pure Gym, there were no posters, no flyers and no events that I could see.

It was simply business as usual. With gym membership and attendance increasing, do the likes of Pure Gym and the Gym Group even see a need to invest time and money into National Fitness Day? The pictures below suggest not.

No expense spared

I also visited National Fitness day Sponsor, Argos, to see what activities and promotions they had. As the main sponsor and having read what they had planned, I was confident that they would be celebrating it with some style.

Oh, how wrong was I?

I saw a young cashier with a National Fitness Day t-shirt on and I asked him what was happening. He responded that he had turned up for work and had been given the top to wear. To his credit, he went searching for information and told me that there had been people in, but that they had left. They hadn’t left any flyers or posters and Argos were not advertising any offers, but at least someone had been there. It is however National Fitness Day, not National Fitness Hour.

Wide Open Spaces

Was Glasgow alone and were we just proving that despite our protestations, that we are the Sick Man of Europe?

According to Sean Blyth of World Gym Challenge, the answer is no. He organised and delivered a National Fitness Day event in his Argos Store in Kent and he struggled to engage any members of the public . He reported that while the staff in Argos were helpful, they were too busy to offer any real support.

People were shopping or on lunch from work. They had no desire to work out in Argos and had no real interest in National Fitness Day. This is the apathy and attitudes that we need to somehow break down.

We need to consider ways to engage with people and National Fitness Day, on paper at least, is a great idea. However, maybe the word fitness doesn’t quite fit. Is it possible that this is a word that the inactive recoil from and maybe we need to, dare I say it, consider A Different Approach ?

UKactive are to be applauded for attempting to make a difference. I believe in National Fitness Day and I genuinely hope that we can reflect on what worked well and what went wrong this year. In 2017, we can all work together, to make National Fitness Day better and bigger and help more people, move more, more often.

September 7, 2016 10 comments