Of The Four Hour Body

I've been reading Ferris's "Four Hour Body" recently and have taken from it and related reading the following tips all designed to improve your life :

1. Start the day with a cold shower! At first this involves quite a lot of screaming. Start with the front and hold it for 2 minutes then go for the back (which is, strangely, must more painful). Then flip to the front again and go under for a full 5 minutes. You come out feeling beautifully refreshed and like nature has attached a pair of jump leads to you for a 20,000 volt shock. Hard but wonderful!

2. Total Immersion Swimming - yes this makes a lot of sense but is hard to learn. So far the following has improved my swimming a good deal :
- snout to the grout - the head should be directly facing the bottom of the pool. You breathe out under water and in on every second stroke (same side)
- tumble turn - wait until you're almost by the wall, maintain speed and tuck your head in - as you go over exhale through your nose otherwise you'll come out of the turn totally disorientated.

3. Food - follow menus that are downwardly complementary. In other words start the week with a menu that includes ingredients that can be used in a second dish and also a third. For example, a vegetarian casserole, then a veggie stir fry then cream of vegetable soup. This keeps you healthy and avoids food waste. On the subject of food waste did you know that we waste up to 30% of the food grown in this world? A shocking statistic when the people of so many countries are malnurished.

4. The Cat Vomit Exercise - this is designed to tighten your stomach and it works. To do it go onto all fours breathe out then pull in your tummy as tight as it will go without breathing in. Hold it for 8 seconds then breath in. Hold for another 8 seconds then breathe fully out dropping your tummy at the same time.