A Year On: Youth

I remember when I could drink all night and manage a full day's work the next day. Now if I miss out on a couple of hours kip at night, I fall asleep on the bus home and miss my stop!

What happened to the the last decade of my life?

I went to a funeral on Friday. It was extremely emotional and if I'm honest, I felt like a bit of a fraud being there, crying. I haven't been in his life much the last few years and I just didn't feel I could justify my grief.

Anyway, that's not why I'm writing this. I'm writing because I drove up with my little brother, whose actually not that little anymore as he's creeping into his mid-twenties, and we had a 5 hour trip there and back to catch-up.

He finished his degree about 2 years ago now and he's spent that time working in a pub. Forty-five minutes into our journey the big 'learn from my mistakes' sister made an appearance.

I guess I'm just concerned that he's wasting time not working in a field relevant to his degree ESPECIALLY when he wants a career in it. I wanted to communicate, from experience, that it sucks to get to 30 and still be nowhere closer to where you should be in life. I was just giving him a heads up.

And I'm fortunate to have such a diverse group of friends because one of them already works in the field so I've put them in touch on Facebook, hoping that he'll take action and get back on track.

He's not getting the pep talks from either of my parents, they take a more laissez-faire approach, so I thought I'd step in. Five years makes a hell of a difference if you use it wisely.

So bro, get on it while you still have the energy to do it. It all gets harder after 25 ;)

Are your muscles healthy?

Should you ever find yourself with a muscle pain that is not just general soreness from a workout, before you head to a doctor or chiropractor take a look into Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT).

The boyfriend is a qualified specialist in this technique and he really helped me yesterday with my Body FAIL. Today I feel as though my body is working much better and we've made plans for a follow-up at the end of the week, giving my muscles time to recuperate because it is essentially a work out.

Before I met him, I'd never heard of MAT. I dislocated my left knee when I was 20 and never received any physio for it. Since then I've suffered from lower back pain.

Last Easter I was in so much pain from my back pain that I could barely walk. I had to take time off work and I was popping Ibuprofen like they were Nestle Smarties. The boyfriend was still studying so he convinced me to visit his friend for MAT. Even though after the session I could move easier, I wasn't truly convinced until months later I realised that I'd not had any problems with my back since.  

It works by providing a system of checks and balances using resistance, allowing trainers to evaluate and determine any muscle inhibition. It is a specific technique designed to improve muscle function, which in turn can reduce the risk of injury while also speeding up the body’s ability to recover from injury - By the way guys, I totally got that from the website. There's no way I could explain it myself that succinct. 

You should do it regularly though. Like most things with me, I remember to go back when I really need it - niggling pain in my hip or knee, or like yesterday a total body shut down - instead of going on a regular basis to prevent injuries. What can I say, I'm an idiot.

Anyway, if you're interested in learning more, please click here. If you're in pain, interested and want to find your nearest MAT practitioner, please click here.

And um, not because I'm biased but if you're in the Liverpool Street (London) area and need it, want to try it or just talk to someone about it, contact these guys - Integra

Go me!