Pilates & Drugs
Drugs
Substance abuse covers misuse of a range of mind altering substances. It can have a severe impact on your functioning as well as your physical health.
Substance abuse or misuse is formally defined as the continued misuse of any mind-altering substance that severely affects person’s physical and mental health, social situation and responsibilities.
Alcohol dependence is the most common form of substance misuse, but any drug, including heroin, cocaine, crack and cannabis, comes into this category, as does the misuse of glue and aerosols.
Substance abuse may also include smoking cigarettes or drinking excessive amounts of coffee. Although not strictly a form of substance abuse, the eating disorder bulimia nervosa does involve the misuse of food.
Most forms of substance abuse may give you a temporary feeling of well-being or of being in control, but all of them can ultimately damage your health.
The most severe forms of substance misuse are normally treated by specialist drug and alcohol rehabilitation services.
For people with mental health problems who are also substance misusers, the mental health team normally encourages contact with a specialist substance misuse service for help.
There is also a lot you can do to help yourself.
What leads to substance abuse?
There are many reasons why you may start to use any of these substances. You may begin because of curiosity, rebellion, or influence from peers.
You may find the experience enjoyable and want to repeat it. It may start when you are unhappy or stressed or trying to cope with problems in your life.
Drugs, alcohol, nicotine, solvents and even food can start as ‘props’ to help you get through difficult times. But the feelings of relief are only temporary and, as the problems don’t disappear, you may use more and more of these substances and risk becoming dependent on them – which in itself creates new problems.
Caffeine
Coffee, tea and chocolate all contain caffeine. It is also added to some soft drinks and energy drinks as well an ingredient in some painkillers and cold remedies.
The average cup of coffee contains around 40mg of caffeine per cup, a can of cola around 23mg, and some energy drinks have four times that amount.
Plain chocolate has 40mg caffeine per 100g – nearly three times as much as milk chocolate
Caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system. It can make you feel more alert and better able to concentrate, and it also increases acid production in the stomach, which helps digestion.
If you regularly drink large quantities of caffeine – say, five or more cups of coffee a day – you may find your tolerance has increased and you need to drink even more to get the same stimulant effect.
The disadvantages of caffeine are that it increases your heart rate and blood pressure and makes you pass more urine – so you may end up losing calcium if you have too much.
Sensitivity to caffeine varies from person to person, but too much can make you anxious, restless, irritable, jittery and sleepless.
It can also give you headaches, stomach pain, nausea, muscle twitching or palpitations.
Cutting out caffeine in one go can be difficult because you may experience withdrawal symptoms, including severe headaches as well as nausea, anxiety, fatigue and depression.
One way to avoid this is to gradually decrease the amount of caffeine you consume, either by drinking fewer cups of coffee each day or by gradually switching to decaffeinated coffee.
It’s important not to switch to other substances that also have high levels of caffeine, such as cola or chocolate.
Drugs
Medicinal drugs, such as tranquillisers and sleeping tablets, may have been prescribed for very good reasons, but they can also cause health problems if used for long periods.
Tranquillisers are thought only to really help anxiety for about a month and sleeping tablets are only effective for a couple of weeks.
After that time you may find you need a higher dose to get the same effect and even then your anxiety may increase or your sleeplessness return.
Street drugs, such as cannabis or ecstasy, are usually taken for recreational purposes. How they affect you will depend on the type of drug, your own physiology, the amount you use, your mood and your environment.
For some people, the first hit can cause problems, especially if the drug contains impurities. For other people, the problems may start as their bodies get used to the repeated use of the drug, and they need higher and higher doses to maintain the same effect.
Types of drugs
All drugs can be divided up according to the main effect they have on users.
Stimulants
Stimulants include caffeine and tobacco as well as amphetamines, anabolic steroids, ‘poppers’, hallucinogenic amphetamines (ecstasy), cocaine and crack.
They act on the central nervous system and increase brain activity. Users generally feel more confident and alert, are able to stay awake for longer and can perform physical tasks for a longer period of time.
High doses can cause nervousness and anxiety (except for tobacco). Stimulants can also cause temporary feelings of paranoia (except for tobacco and caffeine).
Depressants
These include minor tranquillisers such as Valium, Librium, Mogadon and temazepam, solvents, glues, aerosols and gases.
Depressants act on the central nervous system and slow down brain activity. They relax you, making you feel less tense and anxious, but at the same time impair mental and physical activity and decrease self-control.
Analgesics
Analgesics are painkillers and include heroin, opium, pethidine and codeine. They make users less sensitive to emotion and physical pain and produce feelings of warmth and contentment.
Hallucinogens
These include cannabis, LSD and magic mushrooms. Hallucinogens act on the mind, heightening sensations and distorting the way users see and hear things.
Signs you may be becoming dependent on drugs
If you rely on drugs to help you feel less anxious or depressed or to improve your mood, you may be becoming psychologically dependent.
If you rely on drugs to achieve certain physical effects or you can’t face the unpleasant physical effects of not taking the drugs, you may be becoming physically addicted.
In fact, most drug-related problems generally involve physical and psychological symptoms and sometimes it is difficult to separate the two.
Other signs that you could be becoming dependent on drugs are:
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if obtaining and taking drugs are more important than anything else in your life
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if you use drugs to block out both physical and emotional pain
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if you use drugs to distance yourself from problems such as loneliness, family or relationship problems, low self esteem, poverty or housing difficulties, unemployment or lack of opportunities.
Food – Bulimia nervosa
People with bulimia nervosa can’t stick to a healthy eating pattern. They tend to binge, that is, eat a lot at once.
This makes them feel guilty and out of control so they then panic and punish themselves by starving, making themselves sick, taking laxatives or over-exercising.
This can lead to a number of physical problems including tooth decay, constipation and intestinal damage, as well as heart and kidney disease.
Tell-tale signs of bulimia nervosa include making excuses to avoid eating in company or rushing to the lavatory after a meal.
Nicotine
You may smoke tobacco to help you relax or you may feel that smoking helps you cope with stress, but the health effects of smoking are very serious.
Long-term smoking causes cancer and heart and lung disease and also damages the health of other people who are exposed to cigarette smoke.
Solvents
Solvent abuse (or volatile substance abuse) is the inhalation of fumes from ordinary household products in order to get high.
Products that may be sniffed include cigarette lighter refills (butane gas); aerosols (it is the propellant, often butane, that is inhaled); solvent based adhesives (glue sniffing), and petrol.
Most volatile chemicals act as depressants, slowing down brain activity and making users feel more relaxed and less tense and anxious.
They also impair mental and physical activity and decrease self-control. Prolonged misuse of solvents and volatile substances can result in brain, liver and kidney damage.
Signs you may be dependent on solvents
Users may start out experimenting with solvents out of boredom and then move on to using them casually or recreationally.
A very small number of users come to rely on them as a way of coping with life – not just to have some fun.
The above article is from
http://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/a-to-z/drugs/
Can Exercise Help Treat Addiction?
By Addiction.com Staff on March 2, 2012 in Alternatives to 12-Step Recovery, Healthy Living, Living Sober
Research suggests that adding exercise to a drug and alcohol recovery program might be an effective way to treat addiction.
And while studies have focused on how exercise aids in drug and alcohol rehab, people addicted to cigarettes, coffee and food, among other vices, can also benefit from regular workouts.
Here are some findings on the effects of exercise on addiction recovery:
Exercise combats cravings and depression
When addicts are trying to recover from their addiction, their body and mind crave the endorphins that cause that “high” feeling.
Everyday stress can also increase cravings. It is also common for people to experience depression during drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
According to various studies, exercise causes endorphins to be released into the body along with endocannabinoids, which of both produce a natural high and therefore can help an addict cope better in their recovery, decreasing cravings and aiding with depression.
Exercise can reduce stress
A chemical present in the brain during exercise diminishes certain cravings that are stress-related. Long-term exercise can help decrease the intensity of cravings and may even diminish an addict’s drug and alcohol seeking behaviors, while also helping them to maintain a healthy weight.
Exercise as an alternative
Scientists wanted to take a closer look how exercise affected addictions so they used rats and observed them working out.
The rats were put in cages with exercise wheels and were injected with drugs such as nicotine, alcohol, amphetamines and morphine.
The exercising rats tapped the drug dispenser much less often than their sedentary counterparts. This led researchers to conclude that it might be that the exercise became an alternative to drugs and alcohol, or when the exercise endorphins kicked in, the workout may have helped treatment.
While exercise itself isn’t an addiction cure, it may be just be the distraction addicts need to help them take the focus off their cravings.
The above article is from
https://www.addiction.com/483/can-exercise-help-treat-addiction/
12 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Pilates for Your Peace of Mind
Pilates is more than just a workout. Any person who’s been doing it for at least a couple of months knows that Pilates doesn’t only sculpt your body but it also clears your mind and gives you energy and inner serenity. But what is so special about Pilates?
After practicing Pilates for 5 years and teaching it for 3 years I’ve seen changes in my body and mind as well as observed the same transformations in my clients.
Most people come to a Pilates class to get a flat tummy, ease joint pains and discomforts, rehabilitate after a surgery or improve their athletic performance. And Pilates can do all of that!
But the most amazing part happens when students start seeing changes not only in their bodies but also in their minds, in their emotions and in their lives altogether. I’m partial, of course, but Pilates is a true miracle tool.
Modern world is full of distractions, stresses and chaos. Each one of us is looking for a personal state of peace and tranquility that would help us make sense of everything that is going on in our lives.
When searching for that inner balance we usually consider popular self improvement techniques like meditation, simplifying, affirmations etc. but we rarely consider any form of exercise as a viable tool to help us balance our lives.
12 scientifically proven reasons Pilates is an all-inclusive ticket to your peace of mind
The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.
~Joseph Pilates
1. Pilates improves your memory and makes you smarter.
Beginning in our late 20s most of us start losing about 1% of the volume of our hippocampus, a portion of the brain responsible for memory and cognitive function. Our brains are literally shrinking.
For a long time scientists thought that we were born with a certain number of brain cells but recently they discovered that our brains could create new cells thus slowing down or reversing brain shrinkage.
What will it mean to you? It means better memory, lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease, better learning and problem solving, a higher IQ and more.
Several recent studies have proved that exercise improves neurogenesis – creation of new brain cells – as well as protects existing cells by prompting in increase in B.D.N.F. production – a nerve protecting compound that some scientists call “Miracle-Gro” for the brain.
The changes are mostly noticeable in the hippocampus, the region responsible for memories and learning.
Another group of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reported in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health that people have significantly superior brain function after a mindful movement practice like Pilates or Yoga compared to aerobic exercise.
2. Pilates trains your brain.
Learning new activities is a proven brain-training technique. Heidi Johansen Berg and her colleagues from the University of Oxford have discovered that learning new activities increases the density of white matter in the brain (the fibers that let neurons communicate.)
If the neurons are formed but they don’t connect then eventually they die without any benefit to brain health so this white matter is extremely important.
Learning a new activity is an important part of brain fitness. But most of us don’t have an extra several hours a week to learn how to juggle (that is what Heidi Johansen Berg used in her research) or take on a new hobby.
An exercise program however can be just the right way to multitask – benefit our body and our mind at the same time.
If you start to automatize your workout (like running on a treadmill while watching TV, doing reps at the gym without focusing on your form or flying through the same Yoga sequence every week) you cut the benefit of your workout in half (not even mentioning that you double the risk of an injury).
According to Anne Bishop, a Pilates instructor and researcher, learning a new movement or a new modification in a Pilates routine provides just the effect we are looking for by challenging the body and mind at the same time.
3. Deeper muscle activation means better function of the nervous system.
Every time we move we use several specific areas of our brain. The brain then sends an impulse through the spinal cord to muscle fibers (the process is more complicated than that and requires a bunch or words that my spell checker doesn’t even know.)
When you learn to voluntary engage certain muscles (like deep core activation in Pilates) you fire a movement chain that might have been asleep for a long time.
Did you know that your core consists of 29 muscles and not just a six-pack? Learning to use them is a cleansing rinse for your nervous system.
A healthy nervous system means better communication between your brain and other parts of your body as well as the release of stress-fighting and mood-boosting hormones.
4. Calm mind and emotions with Pilates.
You have probably heard a lot about the benefits of mindfulness meditation for your mind and body. To sum them up, meditation:
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helps treat insomnia,
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sharpens the mind,
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uncovers creative thinking,
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relieves stress,
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reduces negative emotions,
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helps fight addictions and instill positive habits,
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lowers blood pressure and improve cardio vascular health.
When most of us think about meditation we imagine a Buddhist monk or a New Age person chanting in solitude.
But perhaps we are wrong as we envision only one way that mindfulness can enter our lifestyle.
According to Ellen Langer, one of the pioneer researchers of mindfulness,
Though the concept originates in ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Chinese traditions, when it comes to experimental psychology, mindfulness is less about spirituality and more about concentration: the ability to quiet your mind, focus your attention on the present, and dismiss any distractions that come your way.
Pilates lets you concentrate your attention on one thing – your body. Whether you want it or not, you have to clear your mind of any distractions if you are performing Pilates coordination work on the Reformer or if you are just visualizing an inner spring in your core that your instructor is talking about.
Pilates lets you reap all the benefits of meditation without actually sitting still and feeling like you are wasting your time.
You can gain mindfulness benefits only if you are comfortable with what you are doing. Some enjoy the peacefulness of a traditional meditation while others get better results from a mindful movement that cleanses the mind while exercising the body.
5. Pilates relieves stress tension in our body.
You have probably heard about the famous “fight-or-flight” response to stressful situations. When confronted with a stressful situation (real, like almost getting in a car wreck or imaginative, like fear of public speaking) our body releases a wave of stress hormones to prime our body to fight or flee.
In a stressful situation our body is ready to move at its peak performance but in most modern-day scenarios we can’t run away when stuck in a traffic jam and can’t pick a fight with our boss.
Physical activity is supposed to metabolize the build up of stress hormones but instead we try to keep everything inside and work our way through it.
The result? Stress hormones settle in our body causing hypertension, muscle spasms and pain.
Pilates relieves tension built up in the muscles through gentle stretching and gradual conditioning. An energetic Jumpboard workout will let you metabolize stress hormones built up in your muscles.
And fascial release techniques that many Pilates instructors use in their classes today will help you loosen tight muscles that are not responsive to passive stretching.
When you get stress out of your body, you also get it out of your mind.
A body free from nervous tension and fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well balanced mind, fully capable of successfully meeting all the complex problems of modern living.
~Joseph Pilates
6. Pilates and Yoga tame your stress.
While it’s important to drive stress out of your body, it’s even more important to prevent stress from entering your mind.
If you don’t address the cause of stress (the way you perceive situations and respond to them) you won’t be able to have lasting stress relief.
Research about the benefits of Pilates to tame stress is pretty much non-existent but Yoga has been proven time and time again to be a powerful stress reliever.
While Yoga and Pilates are quite different (and that’s a subject for another article) they still share several similarities especially if taught as a mindful movement practice and not just as a fast-paced gym workout.
Several recent studies have found the positive effects of regular Yoga practice on stress reduction and improved wellbeing.
Yoga and Pilates poses embody steadiness and ease, they teach you to find opposition inside your body and use it to gain greater control of the body.
Another group of studies published in Yoga Journal showed the stress-reducing benefits of regular and even a one-time Yoga session.
According to the authors, the physical challenge of a pose becomes the equivalent of a stressor. The same happens during a Pilates class that incorporates intermediate and advanced Pilates moves or is focused on the flowing transitions.
When physical demands are met with steady breathing and mindfulness the nervous system responds by maintaining activation while keeping an underlying sense of calm.
This response lets us face our day-to-day stress with clarity and respond to it without getting overwhelmed.
7. Pilates makes you happier.
If you love Pilates then it will make you happier.
When our body is positively stressed, like when you go through a favorite workout, endorphins are released into the body that make us feel good.
If you enjoy your workout and stay focused on it instead of letting your mind wander somewhere else you will feel happy and calm at the end.
Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.
~Joseph Pilates
8. Pilates makes you more creative.
A creative and open mind lets us experience life fully and come up with inventive ways to deal with life’s challenges.
Exercise and mindfulness meditation each have proven to improve creativity. When you combine the two in a Pilates workout you get even better results for your mind and your body.
9. Pilates lets you control your emotions.
Our emotions and breathing are closely connected. A recent study by Pierre Phillipot (as cited by Psychology Today) showed that different emotional states are associated with distinct breathing patterns.
Think of how your breathing changes when you face something frightening as opposed to something pleasant.
There is no major breakthrough in this finding, just common sense.
However, the interesting part of the study was that different breathing patterns evoke certain emotions. You can basically breathe yourself into calmness or anxiety.
Above all, learn to breathe correctly.
~Joseph Pilates
Breath is one of the six fundamental Pilates principles.
Learning to control your breath is probably the biggest benefit of Pilates since many of us are “lazy-breathers”. The techniques that you learn in a Pilates class can also be used in different life situations to calm your mind or get through a stressful situation.
10. Mindful Movement helps release emotional tension.
Any mind/body professional can tell a lot about your personality by simply looking at your posture and observing your movement.
Over time we store our emotions and anxieties in our body. We clench our jaws when we want to yell, slouch when we feel inferior or shy, and tighten our hips to suppress emotions of sadness and fear.
Pilates practice lets you release your muscles and gain control of the deep core muscles that tend to be closely connected to your emotional baggage.
When you release muscles that hold your emotional tension you also let go of the emotional baggage that you’ve been carrying around for who knows how long.
11. Pilates teaches you to be yourself.
The modern world puts us under a lot of stress because we constantly feel the need to conform to certain standards. We constantly have to push our boundaries to meet a deadline, be a better parent or look an act according to modern-day standards.
Pilates teaches us to respect our body and be content with it. Pilates practice is focused on working within your range of motion and building up your strength and flexibility gradually.
Interesting enough, once we become confident in what we are doing we find strength and motivation to move to the next level.
However, our progress is not propelled by comparing ourselves to someone else but rather by setting our personal standards and priorities that are meaningful to us.
When we learn to respect our bodies this way we also learn to do the same with everything else in our lives. We start living according to our priorities and desires, instead of keeping up with the Joneses.
12. Become more confident.
In her TED Talk, social psychologist Amy Cuddy discusses how the “power” posture boosts confidence levels. I hope you listened to your Mama when she told you to sit up straight and straighten up because it is the exact posture that makes us more confident.
Pilates is all about good posture and proper body alignment. Of course, good posture is important for your health but you will also gain the confidence benefit from it.
Through the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning this unique trinity of a balanced body, mind and spirit can ever be attained. Self confidence follows.
~Joseph Pilates
If you didn’t have enough reasons to try Pilates or to fit another class into your schedule then hopefully you do now.
Let your body and mind enjoy all that Pilates has to offer:
Intelligent movement for smart people!
The above article is from
http://pilatesbridge.com/12-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-pilates-for-your-peace-of-mind/
For further information, please do not hesitate in contact us.