Holiday Time

Are you going to book a holiday, tempted by travel channels and holiday ads, can you feel the heat of the sun on your face, or are you a sightseer?

ROLL ON SUNSHINE

Would you consider yourself to be a holiday booking bore or an adventurer? Same place or different every time?

Self catering, all inclusive, make do or liquid diet only? How you book and where you go says a lot about you as a person, it is also clear that how you book is in the genes, not where you go of course as some of us have to please other people too.




Package deal, or build your own? Book one way flights and hope for a room or make sure it's waiting for your arrival? First name terms with the travel agent or book online?

Visit http:www.aicoachingsolutions.com and find out what sort of holiday maker you are

AI Solutions: Calcium and You

AI Solutions: Calcium and You: How much calcium do you have in your diet? Are you a milk drinker or a cheese snacker, or maybe you are a regular oily fish eater. Or ...

Calcium and You

How much calcium do you have in your diet? Are you a milk drinker or a cheese snacker, or maybe you are a regular oily fish eater. Or do you prefer supplements, popping a vitamin pill to save on the food effort. There is no good replacement for a healthy diet, with research showing that fish oil supplements are no substitute for eating oily fish will that make you rethink your diet.

With so many people choosing to diet especially at this time of year, they end up leaving valuable nutrients from their diet in a bid to cut out fat, yet there are easier ways to lose weight than counting calories, weighing food, and having to remember points. If everything you eat is low fat or a diet version, then you risk feeling dissatisfied and hungry, so can you change your eating habits without calling it a diet, of course we all can. The diet industry is worth millions, how many people do you know who join a diet group and then leave after a few weeks, give up and start again. I've been in the cycle too, does the diet work yes, does it fit my lifestyle, no. One take away and the books are consigned to a bin as the weigh in is just not worth the stress, and besides, why shouldn't I eat what I want - until the next party and there's nothing that fits me.

Yet the opportunity to get all of the nutirents and vitamins you need and to not feel hungry is there for the taking, with weight loss and life style coaching. It depends how brave you are to try something new and how much you want it.

New Year Resolutions

So 2013 is just around the corner, have you made a resolution for the next year, will you lose weight, change your job, move house, train for a new quailification, start a family or just revamp your life completely.

The future is yours - do you want it?

Well yes I'm sure you do, but can you make it happen. Every year millions of people across the world say this time it will be different yet most fall at the first hurdle.

Have you made a resolution and not stuck to it?

Which resolution is yours? Can you keep it, or are you of the group who do not make resolutions, does that mean you do not have goals or is it that you avoid them.

2013 is the new year, the new start, do you want it to be yours?

Call us, we can help

http://www.aicoachingsolutions.com

Missing a Loved One

It's a difficult time of year for many families across the World particularly if you have lost someone you love, whether your grief is fresh and raw or has been with you for years.

For some counselling helps, therapy, tablets or denial, being tough or feeling bitter and angry, every path has been trodeen a thousand times before, yet your sadness is unique at the same time. Guilt and anger go hand in hand, bereavement coaching can help with the second phase of grief, not through counselling or therapy but help to get your life back on track even if it feels like an impossible target.

It is nearly five years since I buried my son, at 18 years old it seemed unreal it still does, yet my life has moved on but not exclusive of my child, yet I am neither morbid nor a quivering wreck, although there were days. Christmas is particularly hard, as are anniversaries and birthdays, and sudden days just out of the blue when asomething small triggers a memory which evokes emotion in whichever form, sometimes tears other times anger and disbelief.

As a qualified coach I understand and specialise in bereavement coaching, follow my blogs on here or on my website, it may help with your grief, you may feel I can help you, but even if you are coping just fine, we wish you all the best for the coming year, sincerely from someone who has lost too many close to me in the last few years.

http://www.aicoachingsolutions.com/missing-loved-487.html

Is 2013 Your Year?

Are you looking forward to the Christmas Break?

Is 2013 your year or does 2014 sound even better, or perhaps you are looking back to past years with a little thought of I wish I had ....

Will your Christmas be a working holiday or a well deserved rest?

Is it time for a change of career, or a step up the ladder, do you feel you are worth more, looking for a pay rise or promotion, do you want to see change in your working life.

Whether you have a job at the top of the pay scale or one at the minimum wage, you can have more, if you want it, and I mean really want it.

I left school with a handful of qualifications but they were not going to light any fires and I wasn't worried if they did, for me it was party time, my own money out every night, a great family and friends, four years later I was married and work was a must not a pass time, with a young child to care for my party lifestyle had flipped on it's head, a couple of years later, pregnant with my second child I was suddenly a single Mum with divorce and homelessness to look forward to. Work was almost impossible to juggle and times were unbelieveably hard.

It is possible to change your life, but it is not easy, you have to want it so much you can taste it. Do you want a better future? Why not explore what your better future is to you.

http://www.aicoachingsolutions.com/career-491.html

New Year Resolution

Do you have one?

When I was in my teens I made lots of resolutions, did I keep them? Well some, losing weight was the most popular and I'm not sure it should have been, but when you are on the lean side losing weight isn't quite such an uphill struggle, when you are on the larger side it seems like a duanting task. Especially if you love food or are in a rut, maybe hate yourself after eating something unhealthy, or say it will be the very last time at least until the next one.

Nobody ever said losing weight was easy, why would it take four weeks to lose 14lbs when you can out it on in half that time? Life coaching shows you how and why. How serious about weight are you?

The following link takes you to the top three resolutions, are they yours?

http://www.aicoachingsolutions.com/year-resolution-483.html

AI Solutions: Christmas Time

AI Solutions: Christmas Time: Are you looking forward to Christmas or are you dreading the festivities, is the onslaught of family too much or do you thrive on the p...

Christmas Time

Are you looking forward to Christmas or are you dreading the festivities, is the onslaught of family too much or do you thrive on the party atmospehere.?

Christmas is different for everyone, and making sure that you have time to enjoy it is important, whether you are cooking the food, buying and wrapping presents or stressing about the finances, are planning a childs first Christmas or looking forward to a family get together.

For many it is a time of dread, whether it be finding the money from presents and food, or having to spend time with peopke you would choose not to, it is possible to make Christmas go your way, to manipulate the scenario for you, we are tackling the way forward for Christmas in a daily blog at http://www.aicoachingsolutions.com

If you need some tips in dealing with Christmas, email us at aicoachingsolutions@aol.co.uk for free advice, or pop in and see us for a free consultation.

AI Solutions: Coca-Cola at Christmas

AI Solutions: Coca-Cola at Christmas: The Government and Coca-Cola have teamed up for this years drink drive campaign, with offers for the designated driver, to help cut fataliti...

Coca-Cola at Christmas

The Government and Coca-Cola have teamed up for this years drink drive campaign, with offers for the designated driver, to help cut fatalities associated with drinking and driving this holiday season.

More information can be found at

http://www.centrallearnerdrivertraining.co.uk/

AI Solutions: It's no secret that some food makes us feel ha...

AI Solutions: It's no secret that some food makes us feel ha...: It's no secret that some food makes us feel happier than others, after all if food didn't tick some boxes there would be no need for ...

It's no secret that some food makes us feel happier than others, after all if food didn't tick some boxes there would be no need for the term comfort food. Food a necessary comodity has evolved in a society that has more money into more choice. The latest invention, happy crisps containing St. John's wort, a known natural treatment for depression, but other foods do carry your happy endorphins up a level.
Chocolate, now good news for those with a sweet tooth, how many times have you heard that chocolate is as good as sex, well that's the happy trigger that chocolate and sex bring. On a scale of 5, you'll be pleased to know chocolate scores top at 5.
Strawberries, slightly healthier option, nice sweet fresh strawberries comes in at 4 out of 5, so pretty good too.
Ice-cream, conjures up pictures of a tub and a spoon and a cosy night in, picture Bridget Jones and comfort food, it does of course contain milk and vitamins, so not so mega unhealthy and also scroes 4 out of 5.
Bananas, a nice healthy option too, mashed bananas to release all the goodness and make them easier to digest, was often used as a comfort food and for convalesence during war time. Scores a good 3 out of 5.
Of course for foodies like me the whole lot in a bowl together sound extra yummy, which one is your comfort food, or would you like to know how your favourite scores?

Financial Health

How healthy are your finances? Whether you are the owner of a business or an employee, financial health needs an overhaul regularly, but where to start. A large corporation may have a board of advisors, but do they have your best interests at heart or are they set in their ways.

The UK has a triple dip recession, the Eurozone is in recession, so World finances are taking a hit, can your business survive yet another slowing of the economy and the general public and retailers holding back with spending.

Small businesses have a lesser chance of survival in these climates, mainly because strategy is wrong for financing and growth, over ambition or a poor business plan. You don't have to lose sleep over the future of your businesss, help is available and future growth is possible even in the current economic climate.

Executive coaching has a proven record, but if you have never trusted someone to help or do not believe anyone can help then the chances are you have not considered a coach.

http://www.aicoachingsolutions.com/financial-world-453.html

How do your sleep?

How did you feel when you went to bed last night? Exhausted and fell straight to sleep, restless, or did you feel tired but took a while for sleep to take you. We all have different sleep patterns, yet sleep is a necessary comodity, without it we cannot function. More sleep problems arise at this time of year, it can be due to stress with the expense of Christmas, it can be down to the the change in seasons with night time drawing in, with less sunshine we actually feel a little depressed, our d=body likes daylight and sunshine, which is why holidays in a hot destination are such a boost.
So can you change your sleep pattern? Do you want to? The first step is to look at how you feel at bed time.
1. Do you go to bed because you are tired?
2. Do you go to bed because it is bed time regardless of how you feel?
3. Is your bedroom hot?
4. Is your bedroom cold?
5. Do you watch tv in bed?
6. Do you shower or bath before bed?
7. Do you take a hot drink to bed?
8. Do you like your bedroom?
Answer these questions and then come back to see what is next.

NHS Wards

So how has the ward system changed since I was a child? As a 5 year old in the 70's I was admitted to have my tonsils removed, a pristine ward, no parents during the day and the children stayed in their beds, we just chatted amongst ourselves. The nurses were scary, but at night a nurse sat at a desk on the ward to watch over us, holding us when we were sick and getting drinks. It was very different to now, but we never felt abandoned, it was just expected.

Fast forward to now, and my experience of the NHS, one thing that has changed significantly is the amount of staff, it is minimal.  No doctors on the ward, except a student doctor waiting in the wings during office hours, is this what I pay for? As for the food, well, it was cold and greasy, and certainly not appetising. When you are in that environment to be tempted to eat surely has to be a priority, instead it did not represent the description. Each evening food ordering for the next day took place, so if you have just had an operation then you have no appetite, but 24 hours later are a little hungrier. They were willing to supply sandwiches if you were very hungry, but they were short on filling and the bread was dry.

I spent two days in a high dependency room opposite the nurses station, but you are moved on quickly, so I was transfered to another part of the ward, opposite an eldery lady with Alzheimers, who was constantly on the move, rumaging through peoples belongings, talking, crying and begging to go home. Surprising sprightly she had a few moments of total normality and it was hard not to feel sorry for her, but, when you have been told you have cancer and are recovering from a major op, it is almost unbearable from a coping point of view. It also meant that the staff just constantly guided her back to bed and gave her a picture to colour, but she didn't understand. A doctor arrived to see her and she started to cry and told him to leave her alone, the doctor shouted at her and told her she couldn't talk to him like that but to just get on with it on her own. I was absolutely shocked by the inhumanity of it, and it made me fearful of the future for us all as we get older. That night a nurse arrived, paid for by the tax payer to sit there all night to prevent her from escaping, but the constant crying and arguing left me with no option but to ask to be moved I wasn't strong enough mentally or physically to cope.

It was unfortunate, for want of a better word, that the staff left us waiting for hours when medication was due, to the point where one of the ladies waited threehours past the due time for pain relief, she ended up calling a friend to come to the hospital to go to the nurses station to get help, ridiculous.

So I was shifted to the part of the ward where nobody goes, with four beds, two were occupied by two very nice elderly ladies. Unfortunately ringing for help was wasted, at one point we all had pressed our buzzers, nurse turns up tells us she will be back in a moment, never to be seen again, bearing in mind that we are all post surgery and unable to do very much. However at that point I didn't know this was Stacey's party trick.

It can be quite demeaning waiting for someone to come and bathe you, especially for me, an independent, working woman, who is just used to doing things herself, so when the poor lady in one of the other beds is helped into a chair with a bowl of water I wondered how I would cope when I get older, hopefully I won't be left as she was, with no clothes for an hour, freezing cold and unable to move, because Stacey 'forgot'.

Can the NHS survive? Well NHS or private it seems there is little to choose when you need an operation of any scale accompanied by after care, the adage you get what you pay for isn't true, I've paid a lot in my lifetime to date and never needed the NHS to come to my aid until now, what did I get for my contribution to our society? The treatment I wouldn't wish on anyone. The ward needs someone in charge, who is not a friend or confidante or gossip, but is medically trained, to make a decision when needed. The whole system needs money, lots of it, running a hospital with it's own budget was a stupid idea, because it encourages corner cutting, do we really want our lives gambled with?

Health News

Most of us know that including oily fish in our diet is important, regularly eating fish and an intake of omega 3 fatty acids has been linked to a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease, for those who are not fish lovers, taking a fish oil supplement has been seen as a good alternative.

Research has uncovered that supplements do not offer the same protection. The results of 38 studies were analysed to try and identify the association between oily fish and cerebrovascular disease, this was a broad stury of just short of one million people over 15 countries. Those eating 2/4 portions of fish a week, saw their risk fall by 6%, however those who had 5 or more servings, saw their risk fall by 12%.

So maybe it is time for a rethink into how foods like makeral and sardines can be introduced into everyday dieting in the modern lifestyle. It does appear however, that the higher socioeconomic status the greater the chance of a fish enhanced diet. If you do not enjoy fish then the news is not so good.

NHS Disgrace

Well, having spent a reasonable amount of time being muted through the hospital system over the past few weeks, I'm scared for the future. My unilateral oophorectomy identified cancer, and with all the publicity surrounding raising awareness with fund raising events and help lines advertised, it would seem the Government supports helping people like me - wrong!

For all the good work, there is not enough research taking place, new news? No

For all the good work, patients, cancer sufferers or otherwise, get a better service now? No

For all the good work, we have a choice about our treatment? No

For all the good work, we have a voice as an inpatient? No

A hospital, the clean, safe place, where you feel like the panic from pain and suffering will be dealt with is a total fallacy, the ward I was on saw 3 different grades of staff, nurse, just one who is fully qualified, student nurse, one or two, and a health care assistant. Their role was purely to provide a concoction of medication to shut you up, and in my experience if you know something is really wrong, they pump you with more drugs until eventually you disolved into a pool of frustration at not being heard.

 The timetable, dish out medication, qualified nurse, these varied dramatically, Teresa, wow knew her stuff much more old skool. Stacey, what can I do today to get out of doing anything else at all. I saw seven different qualified nurses in my time there 3 of the 7 I wouldn't let take my dog for a walk.

Then doctors rounds, this is an interesting phenomonen, and the practice itself hasn't changed since I was a child, except for the fact that when things were delegated to nurses, the requests were not actually carried out and the doctor never checked the next day to see if it had been. A doctor took off my dressing and asked the nurse to replace it, she said it would be done straight away, it never happened, when I reminded the elusive Stacey she said she was too busy, when the doctor asked why my catheter was still in three days post op, a fumbled response wasn't even listened to, it did however take six hours after the nurse was told to deal with it, and only because I was constantly on the case.

The scariest thing for me was rolling around in pain and ringing for help, to have my buzzer turned off because I'd had my quota of painkillers, I was making a fuss about nothing and it was just post op wind, they had more important things to do, I asked to see a doctor and I was refused, is not the term a national health SERVICE so where was my service. I am now laid up in bed after a horrific week post discharge with a pelvic infection, the source of my pain, thanks for that!

The treatment by one particular nurse has left me feeling as if I never want to go back to hospital ever again, and have managed to avoid it this week despite an out of hours doctor trying to bundle me into an ambulance a few days ago. Praise my GP for knowing his onions.

After being told to get over the pain and deal with it, the student nurse from hell came to help me walk to the toilet, she sat the head of the bed up so quickly and so straight I was left bundled in a heap barely able to straighten, it may have helped if she had warned me first. I reached out to a chair to help me off of the bed, she moved the chair out of my reach, this had to be the ultimate revenge for calling a nurse to help me with the pain and she had the job of coming to see me.

There is so much more but some will be the basis for a formal complaint.

The story of the ward running will follow later, and the horrors I saw, they want to be thankful I wasn't undercover for Panorama, the PM needs to wake up and smell the coffee, whatever he thinks is in place doesn't actually work!

Have you had Yours?

Pomegranate that is -

If you suffer from high blood pressure, pomegranate is a great way to help your health, full of antioxidants, and a tasty way to keep your blood cells in order.

Drinking pomegranate juice and eating seeds can increase oxygen to the heart, so why don't we eat more? Well pomegranate seems to go through stages of fashion, in the seventies pomegranates were on everyones shopping list, come into the nineties and they were much harder to buy, now you can buy pomegranate salad, boxes of seeds to eat or sprinkle and multi packs of fresh pomegranates. So with so much aimed at improving our quality of life and improved health, why do we not all include them in our everyday diet.

However pomegranate can interfere with certail medications, so take care

Voting for the Police

On November 15th the public will be able to vote for Police and crime commissioners, as David Cameron said today, someone to be responsible for their local area regarding where the Police resources go and how to tackle crime locally. So with just 5 weeks to go, how many know about this? Clearly very few.

It seems, again, that this Government, the ConDems, will be passing authority to local fall guys, someone to blame when it all goes wrong, in those situations who would want the job? Those that have been sold it with promise of support and funding, who will hit the news when it all goes wrong, the new PCC.

Good luck to those that have put themselves forward, good luck to the public because we ill undoubtably be the first to find out the potential flaws, but it does now make a sense of the introduction of 101, local services rule! Hmm, excuse my sceptiscism.

Business nightmare

How is your business performing?
The current climate shows that default of loans from small business is on the increase, an indication that our economy is not performing as well as we would like. So why do small businesses fold and what help is available, because there are 27m small companies in the UK and all told take a considerable share of the UK workforce, yet because publicity is limited if any at all, when a business needs help, particularly if there is only a handful of employees they disappear and are forgotten quickly, yet owners are losing their homes and other personal assets because financial institutions are just not providing the service they should.

Starting up with a good idea is one thing, but how do you become a viable service? Is it a niche in the market, is it something of personal interest, are you competing in a field you know well, how about your staff? Are they loyal or do they say one thing and think another, is their performance making the grade, or as a small business owner do you feel guilty being tough on staff as the working environment has become interlinked with the employer employee lines becoming blurred.

If you need business advice with a free consultation, then contact us, with 38 years of business experience in house we can help you turn it around and grow.

http://www.aicoachingsolutions.com

Bereavement coaching

Have you lost a loved one and feel as if you need help to move on with life, or are you in a period of mourning and need help? Learning to live with losing someone close alongside living a life is not easy, but it is possible. Can we help you?

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/AI-Coaching-Solutions/159076700894656

Budget Cuts

Hospital appointments in the UK do not see the waiting lists of previous years, but can that really be the true picture, can waiting lists suddenly not make the news and the NHS has been reformed completely to serve everyone within a realistic time frame, currently 18 weeks. With emergency cover to see a consultant within a two week time frame.

About 15 years ago the waiting lists were dealt with in a different way, you would have an initial appointment but offered no follow up, instead you would call in and an appointment would be booked, clearly that didn't work as a long term solution. So what has happened to all those patients.

Well with the trust system each surgery pays for every referral to see a specialist, if you do not receive your appointment or miss it then that is it, no second appointment. So it is then a trip back to the surgery, they pay again and you get offered just one appointment.

I have been caught up in this process and it is a very unfair system for sure. I had been referred for an eye appointment but the letter hadn't arrived, I'd called the hospital and fortunately they told me when my appointment was, I attended, on time on the correct day, but on arrival was told the first appointment was 4 hours long! Because I hadn't received a letter I did not know so explained I had a driving test later that day and was told no I couldn't drive after seeing the specialist as it makes your vision blurry. They said they would make a note of it, and to ring the appointments desk, which I did, they said that I was recorded as did not attend and to have a further appointment it was back to the GP. I didn't bother, I wonder how many have been there too.

The latest research shows that GP's a re considered to be making unnecessary referrals, that hospital outpatients being sent for secondary care has increased by 19% and that an increase of 39% has been seen for consultant referrals. Some trusts are trying to reduce their financial outlay by introducing clinical triage, but it appears this could be a false economy meaning that some patients who need specialist care are seeing their referral delayed.

It was felt that intervention management schemes could cost the NHS more money overall, with the budget cuts looking to save up to £20bn this could be seen as a cut waiting to happen.

However, from personal experience the two week turn around does work, I saw the consultant two weeks after referral on 7th August by 17th September I'd had my operation. I think that is pretty good. Of course I have nothing to compare this to.

Giving up smoking

So why do we smoke?

We covered some of the reasons, but if you think of smoking in two groups it can be easier to narrow it down, the justified smoker and the habitual smoker. Do you honestly smoke because you want to, I'd say you have thought about giving up many times, even had a few trials of not smoking, possibly for a week or even two.

Giving up for a week isn't actually a huge challenge as your nicotine stores will see you through those days, and fired up by enthusiasm or bolstered by gum or patches, it can be a good start, for some this has success and leads to giving up for sometime. However if you cannot identify why you smoke, honestly and using analysis then how will you be able to stay away from it for the long term.

Some smokers can identify their weakness and others need help.

To really get to the root of this, you must find out why you had your first cigarette and why you continue to smoke, unacceptable reasons are - I enjoy it, I'm addicted, I've always smoked.

These are the reasons that you smoke that I am looking for, not the reasons you want to stop.

Can't Sleep?

Won't sleep? Sound familiar, anyone who dipped their toes into the world of parenting would have at some point hit the brick wall known as bed time stand off, so when those wide eyes accompanied by a smile try the first in a long line of pleas, it's easy to give in for a quiet life. Or is it. After all a quiet life is a sleeping child, is it not.

Can I have a drink - oh that old chestnut, and be honest it was your key whine as a child too, however parenting varies, my Mum's in a minute lasted so long I inevitably fell asleep, my nieces were just too terrified to even ask their Mum, of course we can find middle ground, because boring your child or scaring your child is never the long term solution. So what is, can we really find an answer that doesn't have us running up and down the stairs for two hours until peace finally reins and we are just too exhausted to do whatever we planned in the first place.

Well actually the answer doesn't lay with the child, but the parent, it starts with one simple question
What do you want?
Can you answer that honestly, and I mean with more effort and thought than you are frustrated by bed time drama. Because the question is not what do you want to change, it is what do you want?
Back tomorrow with more ..

Our parental coaching courses have a new timetable from November, first meeting free.

Smokers Unite

Why do you smoke?

That was yesterdays question. So have you explored the reason? Or is one day not enough time, should it be that difficult to know why. So let's explore those options, taken from smoking clinic questions.

Feeling hungry - nicotine is an appetite suppressant, so no time to eat but smoke on the go, the smoke itself is of course bad for health, but is having to skip me time good for our health, no it isn't because we all need battery recharge time, so can you get off of the carousel, if this is your reason for smoking. I don't mean by giving up, if it was that easy then the anti-smoking placebos would have no place, I mean by changing what you do first. Have that cigarette but sit down and smoke it as if it was meal time, so you still get the me time. Think about every single draw and taste each individual mouthful, then write down or if that isn't possible, commit to memory, how it feels.
One of the biggest concerns amongst smokers is that if they quit they will put on weight, if you are replacing food with nicotine then yes initially you will, because you are likely to be a thoughtless snacker as much as a thoughtless smoker. But this can be dealt with while you are a smoker, to stop the pattern.

Willpower - Have you got the willpower to quit? That isn't necessarily the problem, smoking is a prop for something, even if you want to pretend it isn't, so do you need to replace it with something, maybe, you could be someone who does. You can give up smoking and have determination to succeed, rarely does anyone who can just quit need advice, help or alternatives.
When I gave up smoking for good, it was after a few feeble attempts, I had a box of 20 and would buy 10's to top it up to convince myself it was still the same box, sad huh. The answer for me was to throw away the whole box, there were 19 in it at the time, break each one in half, to save salvaging them from the bin, been there before, throw away lighters and ashtrays! Then put the rubbish out for the bin man, to save me being the ultimate saddo and be caught rumaging in the bin in the front garden later that day I actually went to the high street and put it in a public bin, there was no way I'd be caught fumbling through there in the middle of the night. So it may sound dramatic, but quitting is a really big deal and everyone needs a plan. Of course willpower has a place but you can give up with very little of it, trust me.

Enjoyment - A little bit of what we like does us good. I asked this question the other day, do you enjoy smoking, this is something that comes up regularly, but it also comes up a lot from those who have given up but attend our maintenence clinic. I like smoking, I enjoy smoking, I can't imagine having a drink with friends and not gathering with the social smoky group outside. So which bit is the enoyment, the lighting, the inhaling, the first puff, or your last puff. Topping up your nicotine levels, the fix, that is the pleasure zone, but on a night out those levels are often topped up and then exceeded, too much of that and one cigarette will have to be two to get back up where you want to be, only careful control can stop that spiral, how many do you know who smoke socially and draw a line.

More later ...

Quitting Smoking

1. When you had your first cigarette of the day, how did you feel?

That moment, when you take the first deep drag on a cigarette and the smoke hits the back of your throat, relief after a night of abstinence or the fleeting thought that there are other things you could be doing right now. Was the cigarette rushed, a few quick puffs because you were running late, or was it a slow draw and an indulgent moment of your day. Was it closely followed by another one. Did you give it limited thought and treated it as routine, is smoking a luxury or a need?

2. How did you feel one hour later?

Had you already had another cigarette, or two, did it take priority over other things you needed to do, or does it fit around your lifestyle easily. Or had you not had another one.

3. Do you enjoy smoking?

When you first started smoking, what was the motivation, were your social group smokers, were your family smokers, are they still. Think back to the day you very first had a cigarette, how did it feel was it a pleasure or was it uncomfortable, what makes smoking enjoyable?
When I very first had a cigarette I was 11 years old, it wasn't to be cool I just wanted to try one, my family smoked which was common in the seventies, secondary school was my first opportunity on my own, I'd tried smoking hair grips in front of the mirror it wasn't the same. I can still picture that moment, the strange taste different to anything I'd ever experienced, then panic set in and I dumped the pack of ten and bought some mints, smoking in adult years is different because nobody is in a position to tell you it is forbidden. So why do we make these choices as adults. For me at 17 I tried again, my friend smoked so although it wasn't an influencing factor curiosity did get the better of me. I can't say I enjoyed it so why did I have another one, well I think it was because I was sure it would get better, it did, I soon needed a fix of nicotine yet didn't actually see it that way. I did stop at 18, so an intermitent smoker. Yet at 24 I was back there and this time instead of the odd cigarette with friends or booze it was twenty a day puffing my way through and enjoying it, so how did the transition take place, I think because it was a difficult time for me a cigarette gave me refuge, when I was smoking I did not have to think about anything else. So of course I took pleasure in escape, so not the cigarette as such but the hiding place it provided. I gave up again 5 years later when life settled down and then took it up again during a rough time, but for me it is solace. Do I enjoy smoking - no, do I enjoy the distraction - when needed obviously I did.

4. Do you honestly want to quit?

So do you want to give up, if you do then it's not always as easy as throwing the packet in the bin, because that little devil on our shoulder says you can buy more if you really want to. Quitting is about more than willpower.
Step one - why do you smoke, and saying because you like smoking is a cop out, think more deeply.

I will move on to answering some of the questions I've been sent and dealing with step one soon.

My smoking clinic is on 27th October at 11am, details on my FB page. It's free for the first session.

The Roads We Use

Currently the use of variable speed limits on motorways are under review, after a recent consultation by the Highways Agency to investigate the managed motorway policy implementation for the Birmingham Box, which is sections of the M5, M6 and M42. This is to incorporate variable speed limits with running time on the hard shoulder during peak times, when a mandatory 60MPH upper limit would be in force, reduced during times of poor visibility.  The results of this will be available in the near future.

 

Because this part of the network suffers from extensive congestion during peak times, these roads have to be managed to help try and tackle the problem. This intervention has to be taken by the Government who own the motorways, management is covered by HA which is a department of the DFT.

 

The consultation gave two options, the preferred one above of managed motorways, or option two, widening the road to four lanes and keeping in place a permanent hard shoulder.

 

The costs for option one, at today’s prices is £284.4m,

 

The Highways Agency (HA) own around 1500 cameras on our road network, not easily identified due to the fact that they are not in use for speed enforcement, they are however critical in terms of traffic management. But what are these cameras actually used for.  As drivers, is it relevant, especially if we are driving within the law.

                                                                           

The HA uses ANPR, also known as automatic number plate recognition, to collect data which is used to calculate journey times across the road network which they are responsible for, this includes motorways and major trunk roads, this enables the agency to update their live traffic service available through Traffic England.

The ANPR automatically converts the vehicle registration number through a mathematical process know as hashing into non unique reference numbers known as tagging, this tag is then noted by the roadside cameras. It is not possible to identify each individual number plate, as a collection of vehicles can generate the same tag. The data is transferred approximately every five minutes and up to 14 million tags can be generated in one day. This highlights just how much traffic uses our road network in the UK. To have some of the safest roads in the World with this sort of data is an incredible achievement.

This system does not transmit driver or vehicle images. As the data has no personal information it is not covered under the data protection act, so no restrictions are placed on how long this is held for. There have been previous requests for more information regarding the hash tags however this was shown to have exemption under the freedom of information act.

 

Camera information helps to keep our road network running smoothly, allowing rolling road blocks and traffic diversions to help keep our journey as smooth running as possible. HA vehicles are on the road all day every day.  Since 2004 the officers have been helping the Police with a great support service. Ignoring a direction from a HA officer or their signage can invite fines up to £1000, an endorsement or even disqualification.

 

So how did the role change, after all, many of us remember road traffic control being the responsibility of the Police.  In 1998 the Government’s new deal for transport identified that the highways agency would change their focus to become road network operator, the review which also involved the Police was completed in 2002, it showed there was a strong case for the Police to be relieved of some duties and these could be dealt with by the HA. The transport management bill became the traffic management act in 2004, and along with that came a role change for HA officers.

 

This enables officers to stop and direct traffic and pedestrians, to stop traffic as part of surveys asking for journey details etc, and same powers as the Police under section 67 road traffic regulation act. HA vehicles have been authorised to use amber and red lights since 2004, blue lights are only on vehicles used by the emergency services. HA officers deal with around 850 incidents per day.

 

Although the HA is not a recovery service, the roadside emergency phones are now managed by them, it is more effective to use roadside phones than a mobile as the agency can then identify immediately where you are and in most cases monitor your location with CCTV. They will then inform the appropriate service for your situation. With the hard shoulder being the most dangerous lane on our motorway network, having help at hand and quickly is imperative.

 

As with all DFT departments spending cuts are under way, in the 2012 business plan the vehicles used by the HA are under review, so is also the possibility of single crew officers attending some incidents. The CLEAR initiative will see specific tasks dealt with, currently diesel and oil spills mean lane closures and significant treatment, the issue of oil and diesel spill kits will hopefully address this, so will carriageway clearance, where vehicles, with the aid of new recovery vehicles will enable broken down travellers to be removed from lanes that are in use, more quickly.  VOSA will play a part by helping to deal with repeat HGV breakdowns and incidents from the same operator.

 

The Highways Agency are committed to helping tackle road safety issues on our roads, in 2005 there were 5 fatalities on the highway network which was more than double previous years. AFZ, aiming for zero is the strategy put forward by the HA to eliminate exposure of road side workers to traffic on lanes that are in operation, therefore reducing risk. With the HA working with leading organisations to improve driver behaviour through road works.

 

Part of the efforts to improve safety through road works and lane closures will include, speed detection measures, thought to be SPECS, possibly the use of a National Blanket Order during overnight works and short term closures.  To produce driver influencing tools to enable effective training, influencing and briefing sessions to take place.

 

So with all agencies tightening their belt, road safety is still a priority, good news for everyone who works within this environment, could we be doing more to help. It’s not just about obeying speed limits, it’s the general protection of the working area and potential mistakes of other road users, after all, how much road work traffic flow training takes place amongst new drivers, or even the experienced ones.

 

Road works and lane closures often ignite frustration and impatience, after all that is human nature, particularly amongst those who have left too late and are now racing against the clock. Average speed cameras or remote policing, can monitor and slow down the drivers who want to protect their licence and possibly their career, but could we help put out a more informed message as to the risk taken by those who work hard at keeping our network moving even if sometimes, it does feel slow.

 

Anne Green BA Dip DI

Dip NLP Dip LC

Feeling Good?

6. Ask yourself at the end of tomorrow if you achieved your plan
7. If yes, how did it feel. If not, why not?

So how did you get on? Did yesterday go according to plan, did you get out of bed with a beaming smile and bounce through the day, did your usual routine take over but it still felt good, or was the start a bit slow and got better. maybe neither of these. If you were opening one eye and peeping out at the World wishing it would go away then we need to find out why.

First of all though lets start positively, your day was excellent, you are pleased with your work life balance and can't wait for the next day, then you definitely do not suffer from SAD, but also you are in the minority which is good for you but bad news for the rest of us. The majority figure are in the middle group, routine, stressed, not enough hours in the day but still some me time.

Then there is the group who are at the biggest risk from SAD, life is sometimes unhappy, each new morning feels like a trial and the dark mornings can leave you dragging your body through the motions. You are at risk of becoming depressed, you might have even taken the first step into the tunnel that has no light, or you may just feel as if your oomph has got up and gone. Can it change and can you jump off of the carousel and walk into a bright sunny start to everyday. Yes of course you can it is yours for the taking. I will be covering how you can feel better, with tiny steps not insurmountable leaps.

Quit smoking

Giving up smoking and seen the adverts, well the Government inspired Stoptober has a few things lacking. If you quit smoking for 28 days you are five times more likely to give up, well five times more likely than who?
I gave up smoking for 12 years but I also started again, after two years I quit and have remained smoke free, but is a smoker ever a non smoker or are they a smoker who just happens to be not smoking at the moment. I am not alone, I know many people who have given up for years and the started again, yet at one point the majority said they couldn't ever imagine smoking again. So what makes us smoke, what inspires us to give up and why on Earth do we start again.
learning by experience is where it starts, so this is peer pressure and nurture, a home where both parents smoke the children are much more likely to smoke than those who were raised in a smoke free environment, even if their friends smoke. Research has identified that smoking in teens could be reduced by 1/5 if smoking in movies aimed at this age group was stopped or dramatically reduced, as smoking sill carries with it an impression of street wise hero. In the UK teen movie goers are exposed to more on screen smoking than their US counterparts.
Smokers are very defensive when questioned whether they would give up and why they choose not to. Reduced quality of life is one of the most common reasons that smokers give when citing their reasons for continuing to smoke. Yet those who have successfully given up, which is guaged at about 3 years not smoking, say their quality of life was not worse once they gave up, but they do notice the health benefits, and the financial saving.
I'm running a smoking clinic in October, for those who want to give up, not start ..
A few questions to be explored. Aimed at smokers
1. When you had your first cigarette of the day, how did you feel?
2. How did you feel one hour later?
3. Do you enjoy smoking?
4. Do you honestly want to quit?
Back tomorrow with this one to explore the common answers, feel free to comment.

How is your Tomorrow?

5. Do you have a plan for your day tomorrow?

What is your plan for tomorrow? Using the throw away lines of things like, the same as today, is a cop out, what is your plan from the moment you leap out of bed ready for a new and beautiful day, until you go to bed. If you are letting your days merge then now is the time to put a halt to that. People with a life plan, have a happier outlook even when dealing with things that are trying or mundane.
It's much easier to settle into a routine and never break free from it, if you search for no more or do not desire a goal from your lifestyle, then nothing will ever change. Making a plan for one day, and then following it raises the happy endorphins in your body because you feel rewarded, and at this time of year, when we are trying to avoid the symptoms of SAD, positive planning is a must, especially if you think you may be at risk.

6. Ask yourself at the end of tomorrow if you achieved your plan
7. If yes, how did it feel. If not, why not?

Dementia, know your own mind

Dementia adverts on TV, a Government backed campaign to raise awareness, but what does it really mean and who is at risk.
A fair amount of research has taken place into the connection between hysterectomies in pre-menopausal women, meaning prior to reaching age 50, and the early onset of Dementia. So is the NHS doing women a dis-service by offering routine hysterectomies as a financial decision rather than a need in the best interest of the patient. The BMJ published an article recently that said financially decided hysterectomies were common place in the NHS, it neglected to mention that although the website is NHS choices, to actually have a choice or at least be given total opportunity to explore that choice is limited, even negligible. Having very recently travelled that road, the intention was for me to have a full hysterectomy, my personal research encouraged me to push for more choice and indeed answers. After all it was a cyst on my ovary, which in real terms can often be removed independently. I settled on a salpingo-oophorectomy, which still shows an increase in my chances of suffering from Dementia despite the fact there is absolutely no family history of that or Alzheimers. Luckily for me, my NHS consultant listened and understood that I was prepared to take on board potentially another operation if the lab report was not good. I cannot fault the care I have received, however, it was only luck that got me here I nearly ended up on the NHS conveyor belt.
With life expectancy in women who have a hysterectomy being reduced, it could be considered that yes it is cost effective after all, or is that a little too controversial and distatsteful to fully consider.
Inherited Dementia, that raises the same questions as many long term illness, and of course much research has taken place, with all of these things not enough money is invested in research resulting in a false economy if prevention is out there for us. Science Daily reported that data is available that suggests changes in the levels of biological markers in spinal fluid can be detected many years prior to Dementia. Wouldn't it be good if this can really be developed to slow or halt the onset in the early stages, the research and trials are continuing, however many years of research point to the fact that there is a greater risk of Dementia depending on your own personal genetic make up, individual or inherited genes.
Watch this space for updates on recognising the signs and what you can do to help yourself.

Is It a Good Day?

Did you find question three more difficult to answer?

3. Do you feel as if your life has direction?
4. Ask yourself the same question one hour after you wake up

Did you answer YES! to question to three, That is good because we all need direction in our life, and to know what we want from each day helps to mould the exciting content in our lives and develop into who we really want to be. Did you answer yes instead, which isn't quite so overwhelming with enthusiasm, but still falls into the catagory of knowing what you want and how to get it.
The second yes is much more common and one that we all feel happiest with, when each day has a meaning and a reason for all that we do. Yet still you can feel a little SAD, because SAD has different measures, it affects everyone so differently. Was your morning marred slightly by routine or did the routine make you feel happy and secure. When you woke was it raining or sunny, light or dark, try and remember because you need to ask yourself the question each day for one week, writing it down on a scrap of paper can help, and it is something you do not have to share with anyone else if you choose not to.
Was your YES! or yes the same an hour later, if it wasn't, why not? What changed? It may be a completely different trigger to what you think. Environment and the weather, atmosphere, a sad moment an upsetting thought or being in a job that makes us unhappy, maybe not being in a job at all. How can we fight the reality and turn it into a good feeling, well I shall explore that over the next few days, please join me on my journey.

 

Feeling Sad Still?

Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Feeling Sad still?

So how did you get on with the questions? Was it a challenge or was it a breeze?
1. Do you feel positive about tomorrow?
2. Ask yourself the same question as you get out of bed in the morning

If you answered yes to question 1, was the answer still the same when you got out of bed this morning, or had it changed. If it wasn't a leap out of bed and look forward to the day, you could be suffering from SAD. If you were enthusiastic and couldn't wait to start the day you may be one of the lucky ones. Do you feel the same everyday?
The news at this time of year brings lots of depressing stories, with bad weather, and increased risk on the roads and rail, among other things. When we hear about items that are emotive we cannot help but be drawn in even if we do not think we are. This is a mood depressant. So is it about the content of what we hear, or is it about the delivery? I'll let you answer that one.

If you haven't asked yourself these questions, why not try and then let me know how you get on. Have a really good day.

Feeling SAD?

Seasonal affective disorder, heard of it before? Maybe, maybe not. It's that time of year when the nights begin to draw in, more quickly than usual this year, previous years have seen summer drift into late September and early October. So does dark nights and cold mornings affect how we feel? YES it does!
Sunshine is a mood enhancer, where even things that are getting us down,  can be improved by a bright, warm day which can lift spirits and even the hardest of days can then seem better. So cold, dark, rainy days are mood depressants, and who wants to feel down and depressed.
Sleep patterns are the first disruption to how we are, so with the early mornings being replaced by darkness, our body feels the urge to sleep more, compared to a bright morning and our body clock wakes us early, so sleep patterns contribute to our performance at work.  They also contribute to how we cope with life, a restless night doesn't feel nearly as bad when the weather is good, but a sleepless night and a dark cold morning is going to be a bad start to the day.
Lifting the mood and feeling brighter is difficult, fighting nature is not the way forward. Identifying your triggers is the first step.
1. Do you feel positive about tomorrow?
2. Ask yourself the same question as you get out of bed in the morning
3. Do you feel as if your life has direction?
4. Ask yourself the same question one hour after you wake up
5. Do you have a plan for your day tomorrow?
6. Ask yourself at the end of tomorrow if you achieved your plan
7. If yes, how did it feel. If not, why not?
Life is a journey, and the road can be bumpy, having to fight the natural pattern of light and dark on our mood is an added pressure, it may never have affected you, but if it is just a little, you may never have known. So answer these questions and read my next blog to find out if SAD affects you.