The power of small, consistent changes

When trying to make important changes in our life, the desired state often appears to require an insurmountable change in order to get there. So we change our minds about its attractiveness or relevance to make ourselves feel better, or procrastinate and feel bad because we don't know where or how to start.

It starts here, now. 

Just figure out the direction of change (it doesn't have to be precise, adjustments can come later), and what is one simple action that you can do today that will take you one step closer, and commit to doing it every day. 

For example, 

Starting with holding yourself in the plank pose for one second, and adding one more second every day, will take you to a one-minute plank in 2 months.

Or, reading 2 pages of a book each day = completing a 300-page book in 5 months.

Don't wait, just start.

Inspired by James Clear. 

Impact vs metrics

What impact are you making? 

While input or effort can easily be measured, for the knowledge worker it is nearly irrelevant as a measure of performance. Instead, performance has to be measured based on the outcome of one's effort. The impact of whatever you've done. 

That typically marks the beginning of the pursuit of metrics. The number of clicks/views/downloads, open rates, follower numbers, and so on. While they are indicators of reach and have value being monitored as such, these metrics should not be confused with actual impact. As a result of what we've done, how many people changed their minds? How many took an action that is impossible for us to observe? 

As we go about our day-to-day and the inevitable metrics that come with it, it's useful to give pause and consider the true impact of what we do. That something cannot be measured does not reduce its importance. 

Is there a reliable measure of your impact? If there isn't, how do you know? 

Inspired by Seth Godin: https://seths.blog/2021/05/insignificant-digits/

The Art of Drinking Water

I went hiking in Taman Negara (Malaysia) over the Labour Day weekend this year. When we got to the entrance of the Park, we saw that the organisers had laid out for each participant 3 large bottles (1.5l) of water.

"There isn't potable water where we're going, so carry all the water you'll need for these two days," we were told.

I wasn't intending to test my ability to survive without water, so I thought hard about the amount of water to carry with me. I'm not a strong hiker, and carrying excess weight would make things too tough for me.



In a previous post, I wrote about why we need to drink enough water.

This post is all about the "hows" of drinking water.

How do you know it's time to drink water?

Ideally, we should keep ourselves hydrated all the time.

When the body is dehydrated, we will feel thirsty. That means, if you start to feel thirsty, it's definitely time to drink some water. In fact, it's a little late - but better than waiting until you feel *very* thirsty before you drink.

The easy way to ensure that we're well-hydrated is to drink consistently throughout the day, drinking more after exercise or when it's very dry to replace the water lost.

How much water to drink at a time?

Have you heard of "water intoxication"? Water intoxication, or hyponatremia, is a potentially fatal condition.

Sodium controls the fluids in and around the cells. When too much water is consumed at one go, it messes with level of sodium in the blood. Fluid flows from the blood into the cells, making them swell. Hypoatremia happens when the swelling occurs in the brain.

On the other hand, one would have to have a drink a HUGE amount at one time, to upset the sodium balance to that extent.

Nonetheless, to avoid upsetting the balance of electrolytes in the body, we should drink a little water at a time.

Back to the sensation of thirst, if we waited until we felt very thirsty, the urge would be to gulp a lot of water at one go. That's why it's important to drink frequently, a small amount each time.

How should water be drunk?

Lukewarm

Many people enjoy drinking ice-cold water, relishing the refreshing feeling that it gives. That is actually a terrible thing to do to our body. The cold water shocks the body, and in order to retain the temperature balance, the body has to expend effort to warm up the water (from the "cold water temperature" to body temperature) so that it can be absorbed and put to good use in the body.

The ideal temperature of drinking water is "room temperature" (in the tropics) i.e. lukewarm water.

Slowly, in small sips

Water should be drunk in small sips each time. If water is drunk in gulps, the kidneys would receive a signal that an excessive volume of water was consumed, and be triggered to get rid of the excess water. The result: the water that has just been consumed would be passed out as urine very quickly, instead of being circulated for use within the body.

Furthermore, one tends to feel bloated after drinking water quickly.


To summarise the "hows" of drinking water, the proper way to drink water is to drink lukewarm water consistently throughout the day, slowly and in small sips each time.

Important: Try doing this for a few days (preferably for at least a week), and see if anything changes for you.



Back to the hike at Taman Negara. Eventually, I carried 4.5 litres of water for the hike. I used a 2-litre water bladder that fit inside my backpack, which connected to a tube that I could conveniently sip from without having to stop to get a bottle out of my bag.

The hike was a lot harder than I'd imagined, and I was glad that I carried the additional 4.5kg of weight with me. I finished the last drop as I trudged towards the finishing point at the end of the hike on the second day.

Why Should You Drink Lots of Water?

An Experiment

A 42-year old woman, Sarah Smith, consulted a neurologist about her frequent headaches, and a nutritionist about her poor digestion, and was given the same advice by both. She should drink up to three litres of liquid a day. At the time, she only drank less than a litre of fluid every day.

She decided to embark on a 28-day experiment, during which she drank three litres of water a day, and observed the effect on her body. The results were more far-reaching than the headaches and poor digestion that she had meant to target.

What does Water Do?

Water regulates our body temperature, transports nutrients to our cells and flushes waste from our bodies, and maintains the healthy condition of the skin, mucous membranes and spinal discs.

Can these apparently straightforward functions have such far-reaching effects?

Temperature Regulator

Water helps us keep the body cool. When perspiration evaporates, heat is lost from the body, and the skin is cooled. It’s important to stay hydrated so that the water in the body can be readily used for perspiration to keep the body cool and avoid heat exhaustion.

Medium of Transport

A big role of water in the body is as a medium of transport.

There’s a saying, “Blood is thicker than water”. But blood is also more than 80% water.

Blood is an important medium of transport in the body. The red blood cells carry oxygen all parts of the body, and transport carbon dioxide back to the lungs to be purged from the body. Nutrients are transported to our cells and wastes flushed from the cells and out of our body.

Side effect of dehydration: blood viscosity --> higher cardiac load, elevated blood pressure

If there is not enough water in the body, the blood would be viscous and would flow slowly. So the rate of delivering oxygen to the cells would reduce, directly impacting the health of all the cells and organs in the body. (Imagine, oxygen-starved cells!)

Furthermore, the heart would have to beat harder to circulate the blood around the body, and blood pressure would increase.

Side effect of dehydration: slowdown in removal of toxins from body

Blood returning from the tissues pass through the liver, where waste matter is removed from the blood and transported to the kidneys. The kidneys then excrete the waste matter together with excess water in the form of urine. If there is insufficient water in the body, this removal of toxins from the body would be slowed down.

Side effect of dehydration: urinary tract infection (UTI)

During urination, the urine flow washes out any bacteria that has accumulated or reached the urinary tract. If a person doesn’t drink enough water, the interval between urination would be longer. That gives any bacteria present in the urinary tract enough time to travel up the urinary tract to the bladder. The result – urinary tract infection. That’s why the doctor tells you to drink more water if you get UTI, to “flush out” the bacteria.

Side effect of dehydration: constipation

Water is also important in the other process of elimination – moving the bowels. The food that we eat makes its way from the stomach to the small intestines, then the large intestines or colon. If there is insufficient water in the body, the large intestine soaks up water from the food waste. This makes hard stools that are difficult to pass.

Body Protector

Water also serves an important function in protecting the body.

Skin

The primary barrier between the outside world and our body is our skin. If the skin is broken, dirt, bacteria and viruses are able to get into the body.

Water keeps the skin moist and supple. When the skin is healthy and moist, it can fully serve its function as a barrier.

Mucous Membranes

Water is a key component of the tears in our eyes, and mucus in our nose and nasal tract.

Tears wash away any foreign objects in the eyes. Tears also keep the surface of the eyes moist so that the eyelids can glide over the eyes more easily.

Mucus in the nose and nasal tract help to trap dirt and foreign particles that get breathed in. So the air is filtered before reaching the lungs, protecting the lungs.

Sufficient water in the body ensures that these mucous membranes remain moist and can serve their function properly.

Spinal discs

The spinal discs serve as cushions to absorb any upward or downward forces on the spine. The discs also cushion each vertebra from its immediate neighbor. By reducing the likelihood of friction between adjacent vertebrae, the risk of arthritis or spinal degeneration is reduced. Reducing the likelihood of a vertebra pressing on another also lowers the risk of impinging any nerves in the process.

Because the fluid in the spinal discs is mainly water, the discs can maintain their volume and thickness only if there is sufficient water in the body.

Summary

It’s important to drink enough water so that it can serve its function in the body, namely as

• Temperature regulator
• Medium of transport
• Body protector

Side effects of dehydration range from constipation to risk of infection to elevated blood pressure.

Therefore, it is important to drink enough water on a daily basis.

Result of the Experiment

As a result of drinking three litres of water a day, Sarah Smith:

• Had fewer headaches
• Had smoother bowel movements
• Lost two pounds in weight and one inch from her waistline
• Felt more flexible
• Saw improvements in her complexion, including even skin tone, reduction in wrinkles, better skin elasticity
• Felt fitter, leaner and healthier

If you’re curious, you can read the article at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2480491/How-drinking-litres-water-day-took-years-face.html


The next article will describe how to know when it’s time to drink water, how much to drink and how to drink it.

Improve Your Digestion with Yoga

Have you ever had indigestion? What caused it?
1. Did you eat too much, or eat something wrong?
2. Was it caused by stress?

While doing yoga might not be able to address the cause of indigestion in #1 (although it could help you be more aware of your body and hence how much or what you’re eating), yoga may be able to help you improve the general health of your digestive system. Hopefully, that would help you avoid the next bout of indigestion caused by stress.

Stress-Induced Indigestion

This article focuses on indigestion or poor digestion caused by stress. When the digestive system is affected by stress, it is a chronic situation, i.e. it goes on for a very long time. 

To understand how stress can cause indigestion, let's look at how stress affects the nervous system.

Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic Nervous System

Since ancient times, when confronted with an enemy or predator in a “fight or flight” situation, the body automatically prioritizes activities governed by the sympathetic nervous system.

The effect is to give the body increased strength and speed in anticipation of fighting or running.

Some of the physiological changes and their functions include:

• Increased blood flow to the muscles activated by diverting blood flow from other parts of the body.
• Increased blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugars, and fats in order to supply the body with extra energy.
• The blood clotting function of the body speeds up in order to prevent excessive blood loss in the event of an injury sustained during the response.
• Increased muscle tension in order to provide the body with extra speed and strength.
• The pupils dilate to help see with increased clarity.
• Increased perspiration to prevent over-heating due to the increased metabolic rate.

At the same time, activities governed by the parasympathetic nervous system get de-prioritized. They include sexual arousal, salivation, lacrimation (tears), urination, digestion and defecation.

In short, blood flow to organs that do not have to work during the "fight or flight" situation is reduced, in order to increase the blood flow to the organs that are critical to ensure survival in that sort of situation. (Blood supply is diverted away from those functions that are not relevant to our survival from the immediate threat, and prioritized to those functions that allow us to run away or fight the enemy.)

How does Stress Lead to Indigestion?

The psychological stress that many of us feel does not appear like a "fight or flight" situation on the surface. After all, there are no lions that we need to flee from, in this urban jungle where we live.

However, the body reacts to stressors in the same way, by altering the blood flow in the body.

Since digestion is slowed down in a "fight or flight" situation, we know that stress also causes blood circulation to the digestive system to be reduced. Digestion slows down.

If we’re continually encountering stress during the day, our digestion would be restricted nearly all day!

That’s why many people suffer from indigestion, or digestion-related illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome, as a result of stress.

How does Doing Yoga Improve the Situation?

Since the immediate cause of poor digestion is poor blood circulation, the direct solution would be to attempt to improve the situation by increasing blood flow to the area.

This can be achieved by doing twists, such as the Supine Spinal Twist.

The principle is similar to that of wringing a towel or sponge dry, then allowing the towel or sponge to absorb water by dipping it in water.

While doing the twist , pressure is applied in the abdomen area. This squeezes out “stagnant” or slow-flowing blood in the area. When the twist is released, the pressure is gone, and a fresh supply of blood rushes into the abdomen region.

The major digestive (and other) organs in the abdomen region can benefit from this fresh supply of blood.

In this way, by doing twists regularly, we can help to improve the blood circulation to the organs in the abdomen region, improving digestion.

In the medium to long term, doing yoga regularly can help to reduce one’s perception of and reaction to stress. This is a more fundamental solution for stress-induced digestive ailments.

Summary

Because stress causes the body to restrict blood flow to many organs, including the digestive organs, stress causes poor digestion in many people.

By doing the twists in yoga, such as the Supine Spinal Twist, we can improve blood circulation to the abdomen region. This helps to improve digestion.

In the medium to long term, doing yoga regularly also helps to reduce one’s reaction to stress. This helps stress-induced digestive ailments from a more fundamental level.


Don’t wait until your next bout of indigestion to do something about it. Do some simple twists regularly, and avoid that discomfort altogether.

Stretch Your Back Muscles and Improve Your Digestion

This exercise helps both the back and the tummy feel better.

Supine Spinal Twist

Relax and let gravity do the work in Supine Spinal Twist

1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your knees and hug them to your chest.
3. Release your left arm to the floor, extending it straight out at shoulder level.
4. Exhale, drop both knees over to the right side of your body, twisting the spine and lower back. Place your right hand lightly on your knees.
5. Keep your left shoulder on the floor.
6. If it feels ok for your neck, turn your head and look at your left hand.
7. Relax into the pose. Let gravity pull the knees down, so you do not have to use any effort in this pose.
8. Hold for up to 10 breaths.
9. To release, inhale and roll the hips back to the floor, bringing your knees back to your chest.
10. Repeat on the other side for the same duration of time.

Benefits

• Stretches the back muscles. This can help to reduce backache caused by tightness in the back muscles.
• Realigns and lengthens the spine.
• The pressure exerted in the abdomen area during the twist, followed by the release of the pressure when releasing the twist, help to improve the blood circulation in the abdomen region. Done consistently, this can help to improve one's digestion.

Stay Safe

• Do not use force in this pose, let gravity do the work.
• Seek a doctor’s advice before practising if you have a recent or a chronic injury to the knees, hips or back.

Related articles

If you'd like to understand how yoga can improve indigestion, read Improve Your Digestion with Yoga.

If your stomach feels bloated, try this exercise to Relieve the Bloated Feeling in Your Stomach.

Strengthen Your Wrists to Avoid Injury

C cringed when she came to do the Downward Facing Dog in the fifth set of Sun Salutations for the session. It was her first Vinyasa class. She had known beforehand that there would be many rounds of Sun Salutations, but she quickly discovered that she wasn’t quite prepared for it, physically.

Her arms were aching from the repetitions of Downward Facing Dog > Plank Pose > Chaturanga > Upward Facing Dog > Downward Facing Dog.

The repetition of asanas that required bearing weight on the hands were causing C’s wrists to feel weak. Rather, C had just realised that she had weak wrists.

Was she imagining things, or did she just feel a twinge of pain at her wrists?

How Dangerous Are Weak Wrists?

On a daily basis, unless your work requires it, you're unlikely to be called upon to carry heavy things, or bear your own body weight on your hands.

So, weak wrists aren’t usually a problem.

The problem might surface when you need to lift your one week’s worth of groceries out of the supermarket trolley. Or if you lose your footing and slip and fall, landing on your hands.

Without “training” the wrists beforehand, the wrists could be weak. Then, you might injure your wrists in these situations.

What Wrist Injuries?

First of all, the wrist comprises eight carpal joints, arranged in two rows.

When the wrists are weak, it means that the muscles and tendons in the area are not strong. The muscles are thin, strap-like muscles extending from the humerus (upper arm), ulna and radius (forearm) and inserting into the carpals, metacarpals and phalanges in the wrist and hand via long tendons.

When these muscles are not strong enough or flexible enough, external forces to the wrists could cause the ligaments that support the wrist to be stretched or torn. Hence, a common injury resulting from weak wrists is the wrist sprain.

Another common wrist injury is impingement, when the radius (a bone in the forearm) contacts the wrist bones. There is a lot of pressure on the wrist joint when the wrist is extended (e.g. in a push up position or Plank Pose). If the wrist is not flexible or strong enough to hold the position and prevent the bones from touching, you could wind up with painful impingement, and aggravated tendons and ligaments.

Why Do We Have Weak Wrists?

As mentioned above, weak wrists are a result of having weak forearm muscles. These muscles weaken because we don’t use them a lot. Most of us don’t often carry heavy things, nor bear weight on our hands. As with other muscles, if we don’t use them often, the muscles will eventually weaken.

Therefore, to strengthen weak wrists, we strengthen the forearm muscles and tendons.

How To Strengthen The Wrists?

These exercises strengthen the anterior and posterior muscles of the forearm that cross the wrist.

But first, let's warm up.

Warm Up 1: Wrist Circles (separated)

Make a fist with both hands and slowly make a circular motion in one direction a few times, then switch to the opposite direction.

Warm Up 2: Wrist Circles (together)

Interlace the fingers of both hands with the palms touching and make a circular motion in one direction a few times, then switch to the opposite direction.

Warm Up 3: Wrist Stretch

(a) Extend one arm in front of you, with the palm facing up.
(b) Using the other hand, press your fingers down and back gently until you feel a stretch.
(c) Hold for 15 seconds and repeat four times.
(d) Repeat on the other hand.
(e) Repeat the exercise for both hands with the palm facing down.


Now for the exercises proper...

Exercise 1: Wrist Extension

(a) Rest the back of your forearm on a table or your leg, with your hand completely over the end.
(b) Your palm should face up and your hand aligned with the arm.
(c) Hold a light weight in the hand and slowly lower the weight toward the floor.
(d) The movement should take 5 seconds, then slowly bring the hand back to the starting position.
(e) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
(f) If you cannot do 10 repetitions properly, use a lighter weight. If you can complete the exercise properly and with ease, increase the weight.

Exercise 2: Wrist Flexion

(a) Rest your forearm on a table or your leg, with your hand completely over the end.
(b) Your palm should face down and your hand aligned with the arm.
(c) Hold a light weight in the hand and slowly lower the weight toward the floor.
(d) The movement should take 5 seconds, then slowly bring the hand back to the starting position.
(e) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
(f) If you cannot do 10 repetitions properly, use a lighter weight. If you can complete the exercise properly and with ease, increase the weight.

Exercise 3: Radial Deviation

(a) Grip a hammer by the handle, then stand with your arms at your side, palms facing inwards.
(b) Tilt the head of the hammer toward the ceiling and slowly lower it down.
(c) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
(d) If you cannot do 10 repetitions properly, use a lighter hammer. If you can complete the exercise properly and with ease, increase the weight by wrapping something around the head of the hammer, such as an ankle weight.

Exercise 4: Wrist Pronation and Supination

(a) Sit or stand with your arm at your side, elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.
(b) Hold a light weight in your hand, slowly rotate your palm up and then down.
(c) Keep your elbow still throughout the movement.
(d) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.

Rest for a day in between doing the exercises to give your muscles time to recover.

What If My Wrist Is Injured?

If it’s a new injury, ice it in the first 48 hours to remove any swelling. Once the swelling is gone, use a hot compress for the next 48 hours to bring back the blood circulation to the area. This will help to speed up the recovery.

More importantly, rest and stop any weight-bearing exercises that impact the wrist. However, you can and should keep your wrists mobile to maintain the flexibility of the muscles crossing the wrist. Do Warm Up 2 gently for this purpose.

When you have recovered, start by doing the strengthening exercises above, before attempting any serious wrist-impacting exercise.

Summary

Weak wrists can be dangerous, even if you don’t intend to join a Vinyasa class. They make your prone to getting injured even while doing day-to-day activities.

The good news is, you can strengthen your wrists, by strengthening the forearm muscles and tendons, with four simple exercises:
1. Wrist Extension
2. Wrist Flexion
3. Radial Deviation
4. Wrist Pronation and Supination

Back to C’s story

Fortunately, C didn't injure her wrists. But, the scare highlighted to her that her wrists weren’t strong enough. She decided to build up more strength by doing strengthening exercises for a few weeks, and thoroughly enjoyed her Vinyasa classes after that.