Costa Women Blogs

Sadly this version has no princesses or catchy tunes! But with a bit of help you can “Let it go” (sorry I couldn’t help myself!). Adhesive Capsulitis This is when the “capsule” that surrounds the shoulder joint becomes stiff and tense (adhesion). So the shoulder joint becomes “frozen” and painful to move. With 3 bones, over 10 muscles groups and numerous ligaments and tendons the shoulder is a hugely complicated joint. Frozen Shoulder, like “Tennis Elbow” or “Golfers Elbow” is one of those non-medical terms that is used as a catch all term to describe a whole bunch of conditions. And there are actually a number of injuries that can imitate the symptoms of “Frozen Shoulder”: Rotator cuff injury Impingement syndrome biceps tendonitis supraspinatus tendonitis bursitis instability issues (as in, the shoulder could just pop out!) osteoarthritis of the A/C (Acromioclavicular Joint) and/or the shoulder joint and the neck can also cause problems! Previous injuries, falls and dislocations can also alter how you move the joint long term, causing issues on either the injured side or the shoulder that is compensating. What to do? I know I’m going to sound like a broken record here but, the first step is always a full, detailed, clinical assessment. There is so much going on at the shoulder that your therapist should always spend the time doing a proper investigation before starting work to make sure that you are treating the correct shoulder for the correct problem (and not the neck, upper back or opposite side!). Taking the time at the beginning will save you a LOT of time (and money!) later. Treatment Your treatment should include deep tissue work to help these big muscle groups. It will probably also include some electrotherapy, again to get deep into these big, strong muscles. There should also be some homework, the shoulder joint needs to be stable, and that stability needs to be taught and practiced. If you’re a sports person we should also assess how you move and swing in your sport, it might be that some minor corrections to your serve or golf swing get you moving a LOT quicker. Here at the clinic I often include Magnetic Resonance Therapy to get the shoulder moving again and strengthen the joint. This is also really great for preventing future dislocations as it strengthens all those ligaments and tendons holding the shoulder in place.

  Humanity finds itself in an era of great change. Everyone can now see how our governments and systems no longer support we the people. We are too many now, who have stepped out of our gullibility and seeing the bigger picture… are saying no more!   Mass consciousness is naturally Awakening after a long and hard Human experience. Each heart is feeling there is something more to this limited and controlled world we all created together. We know it is time to take back our responsibility and take care of ourself and our Environment, Mother Earth who is suffering and on the brink of extinction if we don’t act now.   This time of retreat we have all experienced lately as the corona virus has swept through the world, has been an opportunity to be quiet with ourselves and reflect within. To choose how we are each going to live our lives, on what we are going to accept and how we are going to be treated and treat others.   For myself and many of my friends this quiet retreat at home is nothing new, we have been practicing it for many years now as we have embraced that part of ourselves, consciousness, love, spirit… who is now responsible for taking our Human Body/Mind into a new era of Unity Consciousness, Love and Freedom.   It is not an event, time or location that we are waiting to happen, we are each birthing our intention of creating and living a most harmonious life as our Magnificent and all Powerful Selves in this now moment. Mother Earth and Father Sky is ready now to support all Humanity who are ready to embody their realisation and truth.   In 2014 we began journaling our Journey, how we were experiencing our Awakening, our Ascension Journey… raising our vibration to be able to see the bigger picture and Magnificent World we all live in now. We created and published 3 free ebooks for our fellow friends who are now ready to read and understand about this great shift of consciousness that is happening here and now.   It’s not an easy journey, but when you understand what’s going on and how you can help yourself in this process… by embracing all of yourself and not being afraid or doubting yourself… it changes the whole process.   For this reason IAM re-publishing each week our stories to help inspire you to look at your own life in a new light, and be able to intuit your own truth and step into a life of freedom.   This week Mick from MeticulousMick shares with us his Awakening Story, of how he faced his grief and found the importance of embracing himself.   Mick’s Awakening Experience…    Catching the Light   The radio was on, the latest tune was coming to a close and the adverts kicked in. Cheaper insurance, an upcoming gig, another sale just started and then my ears pricked up, it was as if the voice was speaking to me:   “Why are you always so messy?”“Can’t you just tie your shoes for once in your life?” “Why do you have to be so stupid?’“After all that I’ve done for you!   There was a short pause between each, to let the words take effect and finally a second voice asked the listener how they felt after hearing the words. A wry smile spread across my face as the words resonated in my head. The next record came on, though I barely heard it, lost in my own thoughts. I was now over 40 and much enlightened by all the tough work that had been put in over the past five years or so. Years in which every counsellor I met shed tears as the story was told.   In 1981 my father died. I was devastated but was told I had to get on with my school work, my future would depend upon my exam results. The trouble was I had told a huge lie to the judge and then promised myself that I would make things up with my father as soon as I was old enough to legally travel by myself. With my father dying tragically young, I was unable to make amends and unable to grieve. There was no one I could talk to, if it got back home it would almost certainly earn more reprimands and reminders of why I was a worthless, ungrateful child. So buried it remained for a long, long time.   Awakening   I was close to 40 and yet another relationship had ended. I ended it, it felt terrible but I knew it was the right thing to do for both of us. I also knew that unless I did something I was never going to have a long-lasting relationship, but quite why I knew not. This is not what I wanted.   True, there were signs before this, like when I was at university and drove down to a landmark bridge, got out the car and let the tears flow. In a foreign capital I periodically got such excess pains in the abdominal region that I was unable to walk, had to wait for a short while before being able to take a further step. I saw doctors and was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), on the basis that they couldn’t pin it on anything else.   In some ways it doesn’t matter, what matters is that I wanted to change, wanted to address whatever it was that was holding me back. I felt it was linked to my father’s death but could not provide a link. I sought counselling, simply dipped into the yellow pages as it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about with people I knew. And so my story was told and retold to a stranger. I looked back at things I preferred to keep buried, shed many a tear and found myself exhausted. It was not easy to do, but then I wanted to live and live well so I had to do it. That I think was the awakening, knowing I had to look back in order to go forward. In this case it was triggered by yet another failed relationship.   In all of this, there was one exercise that I found particularly difficult, I physically could not utter the words. My throat would dry up, my mouth would freeze and tears would well in the eyes. I simply could not state three very simple words:   “I am loveable”   The first time I did get them out of my mouth I was shaking, lips trembled and breaths were taken between each word. After they had all left my mouth I slumped back into the chair with exhaustion. I could not get my head around it, that someone could really love this wretched boy.   I needed to talk, but to who? The one person who has been there for me was my twin sister, but she had a young family and had recently been diagnosed with cancer. I had no choice, she was the only one. After almost 30 years we spoke about what happened, spoke of those things that we never spoke of before when we were caught frozen, unable to talk, living in fear. It was time to take off the mask that I had been living behind.   We talked of the great holiday we had in the Outer Hebrides when Dad hitched up the caravan to the car and off we went on a great adventure.   We loved the outdoors and on the way back climbed Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. It then came to that fateful lie. As the bitter divorce proceeded, a judge individually asked us three children whether we wanted to live with our mother or father. This is an impossible question for a child to answer, to say one is to reject the other. In any case, I just wanted the family to be back together as a normal family unit, all living under the one roof, including the family dog.   If it was just me, I would have chosen my Dad, but critically I did not want to be alone. I felt my two sisters would both say Mum, so I lied in order not to be alone. The reality is we were each alone as we were too frightened to talk, it was the big elephant in the room. So my twin and I traced where my Dad was buried, I booked my flights and we met again in the month of January in the Highlands of Scotland. We found the unmarked grave, helpfully marked by a bright orange traffic cone courtesy of the cemetery workers. Twelve months later we returned to see the grave marked by a beautiful, simple granite headstone.   The Second Awakening   Incredibly, I got married in a small ceremony in May 2010, on the banks of a bonnie loch not far from where my father is buried. It was, however, the passing of my dear twin sister that sparked the second awakening. In such extreme circumstances true colours are often shown and I learnt a lot. My twin and I talked much, we wished we could turn the clock back, but at least we could talk and still be there for each other. Whatever happened I was not going to have any regrets this time round. I learnt a lot, about myself and about others; that I had carried around so much guilt all my life when it wasn’t mine to lug around.   Further Awakening   To help myself further, I went to a place called Dzgochen Beara in West Cork to attend a couple of courses. While the centre does include Buddhist teachings, the courses were not of a religious nature but designed to help people addressing loss and looking at relationships. At the heart of this was ‘loving kindness’ and looking after oneself. This was the antithesis to what I knew, the one who was always told that he was ungrateful and selfish so always put himself at the bottom of the list just to try and do right. I now see that putting oneself first makes complete sense, how can you look after others if you are not fit and well yourself?   At last I am becoming myself, freed from the chains that have held me down for so long, freed from the beliefs and guilt that were simply erroneous thoughts. Of course we’d all like to be woken up sooner, but I think the important thing is grasping the opportunity at whatever time in life it comes. You cannot force somebody into awakening, ultimately it has to be their decision.   Footnotes:   I have not been able to find the words of the radio campaign held here in Ireland that so resonated with me – if you recognise what I am talking of and can provide a link or the actual words that would be brilliant.   Needless to say I have had to omit many details from the above, but I hope the essence is sufficiently held together.   You can read more about Mick’s journey on his website… http://meticulousmick.wordpress.com     Affects and Changes of the Awakening Earth and the Humanity   The Earth and Humankind are all part of a Natural Shift of Consciousness that is occurring now. Our solar system finds itself surrounded by a higher vibrational energy; a new energy that we have called forth in our declaration for no more fear, greed and power-mongering. It is an energy that resonates with LOVE. Love that Humans have learned to FEEL here on Earth. A love that creates DivineHumanBeings, allowing them to live in a peaceful and harmonious surrounding on Earth. This new energy, of intense light actually affects the magnetic make-up of our whole solar system. Creating intense magnetic storms on our sun, where strong solar flares reach the Earths orbit and interfere with the magnetics within the Earth and the Human Being.   The Human body contains millions of tiny magnetic particles that interconnect through Human antennas to the Earth’s magnetic field, enabling the Human to receive and transmit consciousness which influence the physical body and all its internal systems.   The interference of the magnetic field is causing a cleansing effect on Earth, physical shifting and shaking the earth and her inhabitants, creating unusual weather patterns and within the Human Being; cleansing people from all their fears and yesterdays. It is actually the most beautiful gift that we can receive.  Intense light to naturally awaken our consciousness, changing our DNA and crystalising our molecules. Our inner light, our being is being ignited anew, clearing our body of past debris, burning away everything that no longer serves us, leaving nothing but pure love and passion within each Human Being and the Earth.   During this shift in consciousness… our Awakening is affecting our mental, emotional and physical bodies, pulling us all ways and putting us through some uncomfortable and painful times. Not only are we integrating and releasing all our own past life patterns and karma that no longer serves us, but that of all our ancestors that have lived before us. Our Body Consciousness; Body, Mind and Spirit is finding a new balance.   It is most important neither to fight nor to give in, but to trust that everything is all so perfect. This is our journey that we have chosen to live now so let’s enjoy the ride and allow our Embodied Ascension to happen quite naturally.   Awakening Symptoms   Physical… Aches and pains in the joints, especially neck, shoulders and back, heat sensations beyond the menopause, feeling hot and cold, feeling dizzy and shaky, vertigo, ringing in the ears, nauseous, itchy skin, red patchy skin especially the face, exhaustion and feeling tired, waking up a lot, headaches and migraine, stomach aches and indigestion, no appetite, extremes of diarrhea and constipation, eating a lot, heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat    Emotional… Crying, deep sadness, confused, nervousness, passionless    Mental… Anxious, intense dreaming, loneliness, not thinking straight, losing words, depressed    Barbara’s suggestions for more comfort   Consciously breathing in the new energy, especially in painful areas, 10 mins. a day, healthy daily eating of protein, good fats, lots of fruit and veg, drink plenty of fresh water, moderate use of caffeine, coffee, tea and alcohol, positive and loving self talk, soaking the body in Epsom salts and lavender oil, walking in nature or some form of gentle exercise you enjoy 20 mins a day, sleep a lot… napping through the day if possible, trust yourself… even when doubt tries to creep into your mind.   You can download our FREE 3 part series of True Awakening Experiences here…   True Awakening Experiences Part I ©2014   True Awakening Experiences… Part II ©2016   True Awakening Experiences… Part III ©2018   ©Barbara Franken… Creative Visionary & Master CreatorInspiring New Energy Consciousness & Multi-Dimensional Living         A paperback and Digital Book is available from all Major online stores… Amazon and Apple.  I share my own magical journey, exploring Who I AM with the help of nine Elemental Beings and expand from a world of fear, struggle and limitation into a New Energy Consciousness of love, grace and freedom. It is in this loving space that I discover my Divine and ALL LOVING self and allow myself to integrate together as one Body Consciousness… a DivineHumanBeing… and Magnificent Master Creator who expresses and creates heart and soul passion on the physical plane and beyond..      Join my MasterCreator Class and emerge yourself in the celebration of life through dance, song, art, relaxed inner journeys and beyond everything known… preparing yourself for your NEW role on New Earth.   There is no time like the present moment to Sign Up and give YOURSELF this magnificent gift… More Info: MasterCreator Class     All the money raised from my books and classes go to my non-profit association The Magnificent Consciousnessthat holds free local projects in Benalmadena, Spain.

East of Malaga Golf in Andalusia is big. The ‚Costa Del Sol‘ calls itself ‚Costa del Golf‘ to attract players from all over the world. With 320 days of sunshine each year, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea in front and the easy accessible Malaga international airport it’s clearly a winning formula for Golfers. I am always considering Malaga as the centre of Andalusia’s coast line, diverting the province into ‚east of malaga‘ and ‚west of malaga‘. East of Malaga = from Malaga to Gibraltar West of Malaga = from Malaga to Motril (we haven’t explored it further, I must admit) Talking Golf. West of Malaga you find countless Golf courses alongside with Golf hotels and and Golf shops. Today, I am concentrating on ‚East of Malaga‘, where we have played 4 course along the coast: Parador, Anoreta, Baviera, Los Moriscos. We played Baviera early this week and very much enjoyed the first round of the year! In January and February I had a shoulder inflammation, and from March we were locked up. The golf courses had reopened May19 after 9 weeks of an entire lockdown in Spain and we were curious to see the course condition. At Baviera it was a nice surprise! The fairways are in excellent condition, the greens well prepared and easy to play for ladies, too. My shots are not as long as my husbands, therefore I always appreciate a well kept green which allows the ball to run further after hitting the fairway ground. At a side note: I have been playing Golf for almost 15 years. The first years I hated it! I was not a natural talent and the blo**** ball was never flying. My golf mood improved when we joined a Golf society in London: SEGGS South East Greek Golf Society (not what you think! \ud83d\ude02)! Founded by Greeks living in London, it is today a international group of about 80 people playing Golf mainly in Kent. We had great years with these guys, playing our own Ryder Cup (Brits versus Europeans) and monthly tournaments in the summer; away days in the UK, and away weeks abroad. They even made me Captain of the Society in 2017. It was an honour. Until today I miss the SEGGS society, and my friend Jan who always cheered me up saying „come on Sabine, it’s just a stupid game with a stupid ball“. Back to Spain. Golf courses are open, and flights with 4 people are allowed. Baviera is in excellent condition, prices are reasonable, we paid Euros100 for 2 players including Buggy. The staff is super friendly, a very warm welcome in the ProShop, and even the gardeners helped us searching for balls. I had the feeling that everyone was happy to be back at work and to see customers returning. I scored 24 points which is pretty good for me \ud83d\udc4d Baviera is kind of easy to play for players at all levels. I am still playing handicap 36, while René plays 26. The Parador Golf course is next to Malaga airport which says it all. We played a round last year and didn’t enjoy it. Arriving and departing airplanes every 2 minutes were simply to noisy. The Anoreta Golf course is close to Rincon de la Victoria, and we have different opinions about it. I like it. It’s more difficult then Baviera, but for me and my abilities it’s good to play. My husband René doesn’t like Anoreta at all, because of its very long holes. René – as mostly all men – does very long drives and shots, and the fairways are long, and hilly. Hence, when you don’t know the course you have no idea where to play to, and you don’t see the ball land. For me, with shorter drives, it’s much easier. Last but not least, the Los Moriscos Golf is close to Motril. Lovely designed along the beach, and in good -but not excellent- condition when we played last year. The scenic views along the sea are stunning! Definitely a course to play! If you are a golfer hope you enjoyed reading this article. What I enjoy about Golf is the possibility to play together with your partner, no matter your abilities. Golf courses are designed in beautiful surroundings, you are outside in the nature, and there is hardly any age limit. If you haven’t tried it yet, consider doing it! If you are not a natural talent (like me), if you lose your ball, hit the ground, do an airshot, …. just remember: „it’s just a stupid game with a a stupid ball“. https://www.andalucia-mi-amor.com/post/golf-in-andalusia

  I would like to introduce you to Compassionate Mindfulness or Compassionate Psychology for #MentalHealth Wellness.    As many of my family and friends may already know I’ve always avoided popular mainstream ways of standing in life, mainly because I found them to be too limiting and miss the main ingredient of #Consciousness… of #Love… of Me (and YOU) that I have been passionately working with these last 30 years.   I’ve found it quite difficult in the past to know how to express my passion and mission in life, but now everyone is experiencing for themselves how the world is changing and how life is bringing everyone… screaming if necessary… to look at themselves and decide how they are going to live their lives… oh quite differently… it feels quite natural and easy now to talk about living out of the box.   It is my passion and mission to help remind listening ears that everyone holds their own answers and how it is time now to be the one to play both roles, the client AND the psychologist, and undertake Compassionate Mindfulness or Psychology and unravel the mystery or truth about Who YOU Truly Are and What Life is All About… AND what better time than now, when we find ourselves isolated.    IAM dedicating May to Mental Health Wellness, writing and talking live about Compassionate Mindfulness and how it can be quite simple to bring Illness into Wellness. You can read my last blog post and listen to my videos by following this link… Mental Health WellBeing.   A little background about Me & Mental Health… I’ve never followed anything mainstream, including medical healing, whether mental or physical as I feel the majority of people are focused on fixing the Body/Mind without looking at the whole Body/Mind/Spirit. AND instead of healing holistically or even promoting wellness in our society, we have created a society suffering more and more with mental and physical chronic illness.    I must add here that IAM most grateful for mainstream medical help when it comes to fixing a physical trauma like a broken leg or hip etc, for the doctors and nurses who do care enough to make society comfortable and well and all the therapists who are following their own knowingness to help point their clients within.   I’ve therefore never been diagnosed with any illness or dis-ease because I haven’t wanted to be labelled and boxed in a place where there is no holistic understanding or answers.   For much of my young adult life, I held the belief that other people could save me AND in turn I could save them. Until the day I realised that no-one was responsible for saving another, never mind being able to do it!   I first felt this belief might not be true, during a situation at home when my body/mind jumped in shock and froze, long enough for me to feel it. It wasn’t until years later that I understood that fear had visited me and left me traumatised… with the good intention of waking me up and make me realise it was up to me to save myself and be responsible for caring for and loving myself.   It felt scary, even a little lonely… but made me look deeper into myself, to get to know more of myself and change how I acted with the world around me!   It would be another few years before I understood it was time to acknowledge this fear and trauma, to embrace and release it, as it had become clear to me how it continued to serve me. In my sad moments when someone wasn’t saving the day for me, I would easily slip into playing the role of victim and drama queen!   The trauma was deep and was all about me absolutely recognising myself and knowing without a doubt my own worth, power and magnificence. Which I diligently worked on, practicing in each moment, following my inner knowing, being aware of all of myself and loving myself, oh so unconditionally.   Eventually the love I realised IAM transformed this fear into love, quite naturally.   I realised without a doubt that there is nobody out there who can do the work for me! Yes I could find someone to point within or facilitate a transformation from illness to wellness… to hold a safe and compassionate space for me to go within and realise how simple it can be… to be aware of body, mind & spirit, to acknowledge all my light and darkness and allow my own IAM presence, the loving presence IAM to bring me back into the arms of wellness, of wholeness.   AND Compassionate Mindfulness or Compassionate Psychology was born that I just love to pass on to YOU.     I’ve also experienced with a loved one, how our medical profession are just not geared up with the time or knowledge about mental wellbeing and seem to rely on medication… similar to how they treat chronic physical illness. Unfortunately this lead us to experience the worst side-affect of medication and brought us into a deep experience of desperation and hopelessness.   Thankfully we both knew that to focus only on illness or fight for wellness makes illness worse, and instead we focused on love, on being mindful of the healing power of the body, mind & spirit. We practiced compassionate mindfulness, and slowly… slowly over a couple of years, body, mind & spirit came back into balance and allowed us to experience a new sense of wellness.   I must add here that we worked with our doctor to reduce and eventually stopped medication. It is important you always consult with your own doctor about any changes you wish to make with your life regarding medication.   Simple Tips for Compassionate Mindfulness…   *Ask yourself whether you believe the person you’re talking to is going to save you?  *Understand that nobody knows how you feel, better than you do yourself. You are unique and have different triggers and weaknesses that need acknowledging, embracing and accepting by yourself, before they can release or be transformed. *Ask yourself whether you are talking to the person you’re talking to as a means to keep your story of illness, your drama alive? *Understand that your story of illness has no end, that it will go on forever, because your ego mind loves playing the victim & aggressor roles and the last thing it wants is you to start practicing self love! *Understand that wellness from all dis-ease is about stepping out of duality, of the Human conflict and the need to fix, rather than seeing it as an experience in which to remember your natural state of being whole, loved and well. *Know it can be that easy to be well, but you have to choose it, practice it and be it! *Know you are not alone, it may seem like it at first, but once you begin to focus on loving yourself, you will feel and know the truth of you being love incarnate, interconnected with all life and can never be alone. *Know there is always someone to help you step out of the reality of illness into wellness.   I thought you might like to listen to Part 3 of my live chat series of 4 Compassionate Mindfulness for Mental Health Wellness.     ©Barbara Franken… Creative Visionary & MasterCreatorInspiring New Energy Consciousness     Subscribe to my Blog & YouTube Channel… To keep you up to date with my weekly inspiration for living the good life, you can subscribe to my blog (www.memymagnificentself.com by leaving your email at the  bottom of home page) and my YouTube channel that will notify you. Thankyou for caring about YOU.   Please help me share this Mental Health Blog post… I would appreciate you sharing this blog post with your friends, family and social media groups so that this dedication to Mental Health can be enjoyed far and wide. Thankyou.   Do you want to be part of my Guest Blogger Feature…  Magical NewEarth   Throughout May, IAM hosting a Guest Blogger Feature to put YOU and your writing talent in the LIGHT. Not only this, your story Magical NewEarth will be part of a Free E-Book we will be publishing worldwide to inspire mass consciousness who is now Awakening.   I know this is an incredible venture that is deeply impacting the world we live in.   For more information and how to apply, please read my post here.     A paperback and Digital Book is available from all Major online stores… Amazon and Apple   I share my own magical journey, exploring Who I AM with the help of nine Elemental Beings and expand from a world of fear, struggle and limitation into a New Energy Consciousness of love, grace and freedom. It is in this loving space that I discover my Divine and ALL LOVING self and allow myself to integrate together as one Body Consciousness… a DivineHumanBeing… and Magnificent Master Creator who expresses and creates heart and soul passion on the physical plane and beyond.     Join my MasterCreator Class and emerge yourself in the celebration of life through dance, song, art, relaxed inner journeys and beyond everything known… preparing yourself for your NEW role on New Earth.   There is no time like the present moment to Sign Up and give YOURSELF this magnificent gift… More Info: MasterCreator Class   All the money raised from my books and classes go to my non-profit association The Magnificent Consciousness that holds free local creative art projects for children in Benalmadena, Spain.

No, this isn’t some new, obscure symptom of Covid-19 (or at least, that’s not where I’m going with this!). But a look at how lockdown, quarantine and our current life is affecting every part of our body – including our bowels. Life is different Right? Even if you are back at work there are masks and gloves and hand sanitiser, or you’re all set up with the ironing board to work from home, smart top in place for surprise video calls. But all those things you normally do to keep your bowels in good, healthy working order might be harder right now. Jean Marie Houghton, a gastroenterologist with UMass Memorial Health Care explains that “a lot of our habits depend upon other cues, such as our morning coffee [or] our morning walk,” and that includes the habits of our bowels! So if your routine is all topsy turvy then your bowel movements might be as well. Exercise is harder Did you know that your intestine and guts move due to a muscular motion called peristalsis? Which means that the more you move and make the surrounding muscles work – the better your digestion works too. “Our activity is significantly tied to bowel regularity,” Houghton explains, adding that physical activity tends to put our bowels in motion so less physical activity, “tends to slow things down.” Exercise is “a big deal” when it comes to regularity, said Mark Donowitz, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “That’s the biggest change for a lot of people, who normally go to work and do their 10,000 steps or go to the gym — none of that is available.” So if your home work out isn’t providing enough movement then . . . well you might not get a “movement”. Eating in rather than eating out Spending all that time right next to your fridge may not be helping! And while sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls and waffles for breakfast (my personal favourite with papaya and greek yogurt!) might be helping pass the time they might not pass through you very well at all. If your usual routine is a pre work smoothie, a light lunch on the go and a carefully prepared dinner then suddenly coming to a grinding halt in front of your fridge might not be helping. “Most people have figured out what’s good for the bowel habits they want to live with,” said Donowitz, adding that even if you have your perfect “poop diet” down to a science, you might not be able to get all your usual ingredients. “Fresh fruits and vegetables are natural laxatives, plus they have a lot of fibre,” Donowitz continues, “so if people are not eating them, they can certainly become more constipated.” Don’t forget that frozen and canned vegetables work just as well as the fresh kind and adding in some good Spanish lentejas and garbanzos (lentils and chickpeas!) will help too. How big is your glass? As Ina Garten has now infamously said, “during lockdown cocktail hour is any hour!” And while you might have previously limited yourself to a glass of wine at the weekend, with the days blurring into each other then any day is a Friday! “Alcohol in small amounts can speed up motility and cause diarrhoea for some people, while large quantities can cause constipation,” Houghton said. Alcohol can also “be an irritant to the stomach and intestines and may cause pain, bloating and reflux,” she added. So your extra glass may be having an extra effect! Stress Stops And for many of us there is that big, all encompassing word – stress. Stress and anxiety about the global situation. But also about your specific situation – finances, children, parents, access, loneliness and isolation will all be adding to that stress (and its symptoms!). And that constant level of stress can have an effect on your bowels. I always joke that there are two kinds of people in the world – the ones who carry stress in their neck and those that carry it in their stomach! As Houghton explains, “the hormones and neurotransmitters involved with stress can affect the motility of the gut and cause a multitude of symptoms,” including cramps, diarrhoea and constipation. But “It’s not one way or the other — some people have [fewer] bowel movements, some have more,” Donowitz says. “Some people will get more diarrhoea, some people get more constipation.” Steps to take Well the obvious ones are to exercise more, eat more fruit and veggies, drink less and become less stressed! Ha! And to that list I’m going to add winning the lottery and finding a magic genie, because that’s how easy some of those are going to be right now! In practical terms Lisa, our resident Digestive Health Expert has 6 simple ideas: A fibre supplement such as Psyllium Husk or even something as simple as soaking up some Chia Seeds can really help with constipation. And the almighty Magnesium, (this is Lisa’s go to mineral!) this can really help when stress is involved as it helps to relax and “free up” the whole body therefore improving symptoms of digestive stress – constipation and/or diarrhoea. There are lots of types on the market but Magnesium BisGlycinate or Magnesium Malate are Lisa’s recommendations. (send her a quick WhatsApp if you need dosage advice!) Colonic Hydrotherapy can help to “clear the pipes” and reset the whole system leading to better digestive health. It also reduces bloating and improves gut motility (which laxatives do NOT- these destroy bowel tone!). Combine with a coffee enema to improve liver function and promote Glutathione production (a vital antioxident for detox). Lymphatic massage (especially the electro kind!) can help with the gut’s peristalsis movement and also reduces bloating. And if loads more fruit and veg seems a big hill to climb right now, then add some broccoli to one meal 5 days a week – it acts like a cleaning brush to your bowels! If you need more advice then just give us a call on 952 883 151, send us a WhatsApp on 699 703 936 or email us on reception@TheBodyworksClinic.com. Or, if you’re not sure where to start arrange a free 15 minute telephone consultation with our Patient Care Coordinator Emmie.

“The eyes shout what the lips fear to say.”   “Your eyes are a reflection of your spirit.”   “Smile, your eyes sparkle when you do.”   Are these statements really true at the moment? What do we see in the eyes of strangers in the street out for their daily exercise, or in the supermarket? What do we see in the eyes of our friends and family over zoom or facebook live when we have not been able to physically meet up? Is it happiness, fear, anger, stress, sadness, loneliness, or are they worried? Can we tell what they are feeling behind the mask?     Just a few days ago, here in Andalucia we moved on to Phase 1. There are still some regions remaining at Phase 0. Phase 1 means we have a little more freedom. Some people have been able to go back to work with restrictions on their business to allow for social distancing. In addition to being able to drive alone to our nearest supermarket, and walk the dog for between 50-200m max, we were also allowed, as single adults to exercise between 6am -10am and 8pm-11pm. Now this week, we are able to visit those businesses that have been able to re-open, without an appointment. Some businesses are only permitted to have one client in at any one time and must carry out a rigorous hygiene routine after each one. Bars and restaurants are only allowed to serve clients at tables on their outdoor terrace areas. They must have 2 metres between tables and are able to only use up to 50% of the maximum capacity in that area. They have various rules to comply with also. Groups up to a maximum of 10 are able to socialise. Life is very difficult at the moment, but we are safe. I see pictures on social media and in the UK press of crowds of people on the beaches enjoying the sun, with no thought or precaution for social distancing. It is scary!   The Tourism industry here has been one of the hardest hit along with the businesses that rely on tourists. As yet, there are no flights into Malaga for holiday makers. At the moment, people can only travel for essential business and will be under quarantine for 14 days on entry into Spain in any case. The only tourism that is possible is for people within Andalucia to holiday within Andalucia – but even at that, there is no access to common areas such as the gym or swimming pools. This is very tricky, other even if Malaga airport opened tomorrow, the Government advise for some countries is not to travel – some predicting that this could be the case until 2021. The other problem is, that people will be anxious about people coming into the country without having been following the strict guidelines we have here in Spain – how do we know they will not bring a new wave of the pandemic with them! Everything is so uncertain around the world.   As our state of alarm has officially been extended once again until 7th of June, and as our restrictions are “eased” as we hopefully move through the different phases towards “the new normal”, it has just been confirmed that as of today, it is compulsory to wear face masks in public places where social distancing cannot be respected. The new rules apply to everyone over the age of six. The use of face masks is also recommended for children between three and five years of age. Exceptions to this will be people with respiratory problems, or those who cannot wear masks for other health reasons or due to a disability. The order makes exceptions for cases where wearing a mask is incompatible with carrying out activities, due to the nature of the activity. Running falls under this exception. This means that people do not need to wear a mask while going for a jog. A person can be fined between €100 and €600 for minor breaches, and up to €600,000 for very serious offenses regarding all restrictions and rules revolving around the lock down. People here in the main, are respecting the rules due to the severity of the fines.   I do hope this will not become “the new normal” in months to come.     I am getting used to my life in lock down and am thankful for the small relaxations in the rules. I seem to have plenty to do to fill my day, and am more appreciative of everything around me. There are some beautiful sunrises, wild flowers, water cascades. The sea is very peaceful. My dogs love me being at home! In addition to everything that fills my day, I have taken up a challenge of choosing one thing and ensuring I do it every day for 30 days. It can be anything! For me, I chose art. My theme for this year has been all about ME! This is something for me. This is my time to relax and enjoy something that I haven´t done for years. It is my time to disconnect.     If the masks are here to stay, they might as well be functional, pretty and make a statement that your lips cannot say!   If anything I have said here resonates with you, I would welcome your thoughts and comments. We are all in this together!