Are moods contagious

As we approach the time of year when we end up spending more time with people than we normally would, we, hopefully, enter this thinking that World war 3 isn't going to kick off at any point especially if there is some family issues involved, if you get me.  That, or someone is generally in a rather pissed off mood.  I'm sure we all know someone who, on entering a room, instantly brightens it up.  Conversely the same could be said for the doom monger who walks in and sucks the life out of everything.  So are moods contagious?  I know we claim to think they are but in truth are they?

According to some Psychologists yes they are and it is called, in the case of bad moods, an emotional contagion and it happens in 3 stages.  The first involves you unknowingly copying the moody person's posture, behaviour, facial expressions.  If you catch yourself frowning, stage 2 makes you feel sad then you end up sharing bad experiences and feelings with the original person until you become "synched" into a dark pattern.  The good news is this can work in the opposite direction with a person in a good mood can "turn that frown upside" and cheer people up.  This synching of moods is called nonconscious mimicry (think of when someone yawns you end up doing it too) or the chameleon effect.  Stress too is one mood/emotion that can be passed around especially if there is a strong bond between people.  Studies on married couples have shown that women are less affected by their husband's stress whilst the husband's picked up on the negative emotions of their wives when the stressful situation was reversed.

These studies emphasise the importance of choosing wisely the company you keep so you get the good moods over Xmas and not the bad ones.

Til next week
MB

Calming Christmas Strategies

Morning, hope your xmas preparations are progressing smoothly and you're not too stressed out by it all.  If you're struggling then this week take advantage of 10 stress busting tips to get through it all and out the other side with a modicum of sanity in tack.
 

If you're aiming to simplify Christmas, take time to ponder ways to cut stress, save money and tame over-the-top traditions. Setting simplicity strategies in place early will keep you from being swept up in holiday madness.

Get armed! Try these simple strategies to calm holiday chaos and rein in the seasonal overkill this year.

1/ Trim the back the to do list, is something really really necessary? Be brutal
2/Trim back the gift buying list to just immediate family, close friends and gift exchanges at work.
3/Wrap presents as you get them instead of ding it all in one go.  Ideally get it wrapped in store.
4/Just this once, buy and don't bake, especially if you're having a lot of folk round.  Use the oven to warm things through if you must.
5/Instead of sending a card, call them instead.  Not only is this more personal it will stay in the persons mind longer than a card plonked on the mantle piece.
6/Stream line the great house clean to public areas such as kitchen, dining room, lounge, toilet.  Everywhere else can wait and have a deep clean after it is all over.
7/Downsize your dish washing.  Do you really want to be washing that delicate expensive tea service that can't go in the dish washer just to show off?  Use everyday stuff that can go in the machine or better still use paper plates!
8/go for finger food buffets rather than the full on dinner experience.  Get guests to contribute a plate of something, less work for you.
9/Scale back the decor.  Concentrate on the areas you'll be using the most, dining room, lounge and a welcoming front door.

Til next week
Take care
MB

Banish Bingo Wings

Morning, so, we're into the final month, Xmas only round the corner, New Year after that, I'm looking at planning stuff for early next year as well as booking clients in for January already.  Phew!  The next week or so I'll be able to announce the first block of Fitness Pilates for 2018, but are you already planning in your mind a new exercise regime for the new year?  Banish those bingo wings? If you are then read on for something that many people don't do and that I don't do enough of. Research confirms that exercise is the best "preventive drug" for many common ailments and chronic diseases, from psychiatric disorders and pain to heart disease, cancer and diabetes.   Unfortunately, many make the mistake of focusing on cardiovascular exercise to the exclusion of everything else. Strength training is overlooked by many for a number of different reasons. Women may think they'll bulk up and look manly, the elderly might worry about it being too strenuous or dangerous, and parents might think weight training is too risky for their children for these same reasons. The truth is, nearly everyone, regardless of age or gender, will benefit from strength training. Working your muscles will help you shed excess fat, maintain healthy bone mass and prevent age-related muscle loss, the latter of which can start as early as your 30s if you do not actively counteract it.  Load-bearing exercises help counteract bone loss and postural deficits that occur with each passing year. During your youth, bone resorption is well-balanced, ensuring healthy bone growth and sustained strength. However, as bone loss accelerates, it starts to outpace your body's ability to create new bone. The more sedentary you are, the weaker your bones get as a result. The same can be said about muscle, without good muscle tone mobility begins to suffer,and muscle weakness coupled with brittle bones is a disaster waiting to happen if you slip or fall. Resistance training can improve your chance of getting diabetes as muscle fibres uses blood sugar for energy.  This in turn reduces your waist size, cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Doing weights also helps with menopausal symptoms, depression, weight gain, irregular periods and brain fog by just increasingly slightly testosterone levels.  We're not talking becoming built like Brigitte Nielson here folks :) Also, lifting a bit of iron can lower inflammation in the body that can result in chronic illnesses and promotes a sense of wellbeing. In addition, doing this type of exercise can improve cardiovascular health too. Of course, don't just think you can begin doing weights like an olympian and hey presto you're Superman or Wonder Woman, ease into it, get help and advice from trained professionals who can show you the best exercises and correct technique to avoid ending up in traction from injuring yourself.  Need any advice?  Get in touch, and if I can't help I'm bound to know someone who can. Til next week MB

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