For the majority of us, work is work and home is home. But when your home suddenly becomes your work space, it can be tricky to separate the two. And with most of the population now #wfh due to the pandemic of COVID-19, now more than ever, we need to adapt to new environments and a new way of living and working.

While some of you might be in the swing of things with a new routine, others might find their productivity is beginning to wane —  especially with the sunshine beaming outside our windows.

Registered Nutritionist Clarissa Lenherr shares her top tips to stay productive when working from home.

Get exposure to light
And by light, I mean daylight. When we commute into work, we start our days by exposing our eyes to natural light, which helps contribute to our circadian rhythm, the cycle that governs our wake and sleep patterns. This light tells our body that the day has begun, and helps boot up our energy systems. Aim for ten minutes of fresh air and natural light in the morning, and once again in the afternoon for a refreshing pick me up. 

Make a to do list
I always begin my day by noting down a list of my tasks for the day. If you are a fan of paper and pen like me, use a notepad, journal or planner. For those of you who are more tech savvy, set-up notes/stickies/google docs or look at some of the task management software available online such as monday.com, Basecamp etc.

Structure your day with lots of breaks
I often find, once I am invested in a project or a piece of work, hours can fly by before I have remembered to take a break. This can leave me feeling exhausted, dry eyed and even gives me backache. To combat this try setting three alarms per day to remind you to get up and have a break – times that work well for me are 11am, 3pm and 5pm. 

Prep food in advance
Batch cooking will save you time planning, thinking and cooking food, all of which gives you more time to prioritise other tasks that might be on your to do list. Batch cook or prep on a Sunday some healthy snacks such as protein balls and muffins, one tray of roast veggies and one grain (brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat). By having these in the fridge you are prepped with some staples to build a well balanced meal.

Move
With stress levels higher than ever for many of us right now, moderate movement is incredibly beneficial. High intensity exercise can trigger a release of cortisol, which can exacerbate already high stress levels. Moderate activity such as long walks, Pilates, Yoga or stretching can keep our blood flow moving, help us iron out any stiff necks and niggles and refresh our energy levels. 

Limit your phone time
Social media and the constant light up notifications on your phone can be a big productivity killer. Try turning off screen notifications on your phone, and limit your checking of personal notifications to once per hour. There are also some great apps that can limit your time exposure to certain apps such as Offtime and AppDetox.

In this strange and unusual time, many of us have found ourselves locked down with our partners and spending more time together than ever before. Spending such a vast amount of time with any other person is testing enough, let alone when we are dealing with our own pressures that Covid-19 has presented us all with, in one way or another. So here are some top tips to keeping your relationship healthy!

1) Own Your Own Feelings
Whenever I speak to people about their relationships, I always stress the importance of owning your own feelings. So often we project our stress, mood and overall wellbeing onto the people closest to us. If we are tired, overwhelmed, bored or frustrated, we have a tendency to become over-sensitive, defensive and easily irritated. It is from this place that so many arguments arise within couples. Start to become aware of your state of mind each day and take time to check in with yourself. How are you feeling today? If you are having one of those days where negativity is creeping in, take a second to pause and acknowledge it to yourself and to your partner. Gently communicate how you feel so they are aware of it too with a simple statement such as, “I’m feeling overwhelmed today”. Then take time to do what you need to do to reset. Whether that’s meditating, going for a walk alone, having a long bath, or getting a sweat going with an online workout – invest in your emotional wellbeing and know that doing so is not selfish, it is the exact opposite. Similarly, be aware of your partners behaviour and general mood and try to consider that if they seem short or abrupt in their behaviour towards you, there may be something else triggering them. Refrain from taking things too personally. Check in with your partner, ask them how they are and offer them a safe space to open up to you without judgment. 

2) Give Each Other Space
This seems both obvious and impossible at the same time. We all know how important space is within a relationship and now, more so than ever, do we need to ensure we are getting enough ‘me’ time. Scheduling in alone time is the key here. Choose an hour in the day where you commit to being in separate rooms, closing the door and not interrupting one another. If you have kids, take turns in doing this. During this hour (or more), do something that is entirely for you. whether it’s catching up with your best friend, reading a book, or watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 

If you are both working from home then make sure you give yourselves designated work spaces. Ideally, your spaces will be in separate rooms, but if that’s not possible then at least allocate separate corners of the dining table. Doing so will allow you to retain focus and avoid getting frustrated by the unintended but constant distractions or interruptions. 

3) Inject Some Fun
A psychological study found that the overall quality of relationships is linked to how many novel or arousing experiences a couple share together. Without the ability to venture outside, it is all too easy to get trapped in the mundane bubble of home life which makes it near impossible to share new and exciting experiences. We must make a conscious effort to find joy, fun and excitement together at home. Creating date nights at home is an easy and effective way to do this. Make each other feel special by taking it in turns organising the evening; cooking one another a delicious meal, lighting some candles, playing some music and changing the ambience will be a welcome change to the daily rhythm and help to reignite any spark you might have lost. There are so many ways to find joy together at home as long as you make an effort to commit to it; maybe you want to organise a theme night (Mexican Night anyone?) or make cocktails at home together with a feel good album playing in the background, or you could simply find a workout that you can both enjoy together. Whatever it is you choose to do, make sure to put your phones away, let go of any external worries and give each other some undivided attention. 

4) Practice Gratitude for Each Other
Cultivating gratitude has such a powerful effect on every area of our lives including our relationships. How often do you actually take the time to say thank you to your partner? Yet how often do you point out when they’ve forgotten to do something, or not got it quite right? Start to make conscious effort to refocus your attention on all the wonderful things your partner does for you, no matter how small, and acknowledge it out loud. To avoid getting irritated with each other, focus your attention on gratitude for each other. Whether it’s emptying the dishwasher, letting you sleep in while they get up with the kids, or giving you a compliment, simply saying “thank you” each time will transform your relationship. It works in 2 ways; it makes your partner feel valued and appreciated and it keeps your attention focused on the positives. 

5) Show interest
Remember that both you and your partner are not able to be at work, amongst colleagues, or spending time with friends. Now, it is more important than ever to take the time to show interest in each other’s work or hobbies. Simply remember to be each other’s best friend because after all is said and done, it is the friendship between you that is the glue holding you together. 

MEDA’s top five lifestyle tips for optimised sleep

What’s the secret to a perfect night’s sleep? If only it were that simple.

Think about all the elements that can interfere with a good night’s slumber — from work pressure and family responsibilities to unexpected challenges and stressors, such as illnesses. It’s no wonder that quality sleep is sometimes elusive. 

SET A DIGITAL CURFEW

Curfews aren’t just for the kids. Implementing a sleep curfew can help set those boundaries and prevent late night scrolling or before-bed emailers!

For tech-free zzz’s, disconnect an hour before bed. Turn your phone off or on aeroplane mode and put any tech on an out-of-reach dresser or in another room so you won’t be able to grab it if you get the late-night urge. Worried about missing your morning alarm? It now sounds ancient, but…. invest in a real alarm clock! It will prevent you from reaching for your tech first thing upon waking. 

INVEST IN BLUE-LIGHT BLOCKING  

The blue light emitted from screens, phones, computers, TVs, etc. interrupt the secretion of Melatonin, our sleep hormone, and can artificially trick our bodies and minds into thinking that it is still day-time.

To avoid this, make sure you set your screens to automatically switch onto a warm tint after 9pm, and ideally, switch off all screens at least 1 hour before bed. There are some great apps you can download on your devices that will change your light setting automatically. Check out Flux free app for your computers – https://justgetflux.com/

CREATE A BED-TIME ROUTINE

A bedtime routine can help many of us get in the mood and ready for deep, quality sleep. However it doesn’t need to be long-winded or complex. Whether you enjoy lighting a candle, having a 20-minute bath or making a cup of herbal tea in the evening then this can become part of a bedtime routine. Begin with one thing that you know promotes relaxation and incorporate more as you begin to reap the rewards of self-care!

TIME YOUR WORKOUT

Cortisol, our ‘stress’ hormone is naturally produced in response to exercise – but hold up, don’t stop exercising right away, Cortisol isn’t always a bad thing, and it is essential for our survival too. 
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A normal pattern of cortisol production looks like this.  At around 6am cortisol is released which helps us get up and get going for the day, and begins to dip around 10pm which may help us begin to fall asleep. ⠀
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If you are struggling with your sleep, it may be a good idea to try to work with your natural cortisol curve, and schedule exercise in the morning rather than in the evenings. If you do want to move in the evenings, opt for yoga, a light stroll or Pilates. An added bonus, more mindful movement can incorporate breathwork and meditation which can help promote relaxation, right before bed-time.

FIND YOUR MOMENT OF MINDFULNESS

Being mindful is about focused attention. For some people this is meditation, for others this is focusing on the present or just listening to your thoughts. Everyone is mindfully unique, which is why it is such an essential practice for each person. 

Practicing mindfulness can help you get into a state of relaxation which will not only help you fall into a deep slumber, but will also help reduce stress and quieten the thoughts and feelings from your day. If you suffer from a racing mind before bed, being mindful over time will help you control this.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your career?
Leading the creation of a new team and centralised Programme Management Office function in an organisation that was forming — embedding meaningful oversight and change.

How do you set your goals?
For short term goals I like to set realistic targets as I am mindful of the negative impacts of over committing oneself. However, saying that, I do try to keep a list of weekly actions and within this reprioritise frequently to make sure I am on top of things and focused on the key areas. 

For longer term goals I think it’s important to be focused on outcomes rather than specifics. I believe it to be important to embrace change and let it help shape outcomes rather than fight against it.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Have the courage to live a life true to yourself, not the life others expect of you.

Where do you draw your inspiration?
A mixture of spending time with people I love and admire and pushing myself out of my comfort zone to broaden my horizons and solo travelling.

How important is nutrition?
I like to lead a healthy, active, lifestyle. I place nutrition on the same level as exercise and maintaining mental wellbeing 

Tell us about your experience integrating MEDA into your daily routine.
Taking MEDA’s Sleep drink in the evening has helped me wind down. I’ve struggled for years with a tendency to wake-up and overthink which can really impede quality sleep. I have noticed a calmer sense before bedtime and my sleep has been deeper and less interrupted.

What does being a Medahuman mean to you?
Being more cognisant of the mind-body connection.

What would be your ultimate achievement? How are you going to get there?
Good question. I guess my ultimate achievement would be to remain true —  to have created or to be part of a thing that has had a positive impact for others. To know that I grasped life in its fullness and enjoyed it from a focus on people, places and experiences. 

I’ll get there by continuing to challenge myself and not being afraid to take risks. Taking a more creative approach at work and in life in general and to seek out and create opportunities that are rewarding while remaining grateful and appreciative.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your career?
Starting up my own design studio and now being five years into it and experiencing how it’s developed and keeps changing. It’s also given me the opportunity to work on brands I love and collaborate with some fantastic clients and other creatives.

How do you set your goals?
In my work life I tend to be very structured and set goals and review them every quarter. Then at the end of the year I reflect on what’s happened and set some big goals I’d like to work towards for the following year. I find I sometimes forget to celebrate the little wins so this really helps.

When it comes to my personal life I’m more relaxed and have to be realistic with how much time I have — although I still like to keep busy! I’m learning Japanese at the moment but I’m keeping my approach to it fun. 

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
‘Worrying is like a rocking horse, it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere’. I try to remember this and act on it when I overthink things. 

Where do you draw your inspiration?
Everywhere and anywhere. Sometimes I find going for a run or going bouldering really helps me to feel refreshed and inspired. I’m also a bit of a hobby addict (wood carving, gardening, drawing) and always have something on the go. Another favourite of mine is a good second hand bookshop or antique market — you can end up finding so many inspiring and unusual things.

How important is nutrition?
Nutrition is really important to me, especially with being active. If I’m not looking after myself and stray from my usual balanced diet it negatively affects my mood. 

Tell us about your experience integrating MEDA into your daily routine.
I’ve been taking a daily dose of MEDA’s Recover drink and I’ve found having it after a run or climb is best or later on in the afternoon.

What does being a Medahuman mean to you?
Finding a calmer and more focused approach to my daily routine.

What would be your ultimate achievement? How are you going to get there?
Getting a better work life balance and being able to travel more. I’d really love to be able to run a studio that has a four day working week so that everyone can benefit.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your career?
Making partner by the time I was 34 was a great milestone to pass, particularly given that I specialise in commercial real estate which is a very male dominated sector and that whilst women make up almost 50% of all lawyers in the UK, we are still very underrepresented at Partner level (approx. one third). 

How do you set your goals?
I have tended to evaluate where I am in terms of my career at any given point and then decided which direction I want my career to go in; salary expectations, geographic location, promotion.  I then consider how quickly I want/need to achieve that goal in order to feel a sense of accomplishment, and then I work out what I need to do in order to achieve it. 

What is the best advice you have been given?
“This too shall pass”. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems. When things look bleak, focus on the positives that exist in your life. They always are there. 

Where do you draw your inspiration?
Suits.  (Joking).  I draw my inspiration from my parents and how hard they worked in their business to ensure that I had the opportunity to pursue a successful career. I also take inspiration from two female lawyer friends of mine. We all worked at the same firm in the early stages of our career, albeit in different specialisms. We remained very good friends when we each moved to separate London firms and watching them forge successful careers in their chosen field drives me to try and be as good as they are in my own field. 

How important is nutrition?
Having a balanced diet has such a positive experience on your physical and mental wellbeing. 

Tell us about your experience integrating MEDA into your daily routine?
I tend to have MEDA whilst sitting at my desk working, mid/late morning.  Initially I was drinking it in the afternoon but I feel that I experience a greater benefit from drinking it in the morning. 

What does being a Medahuman mean to you?
Sometimes it can be stressful in my work managing lots of different plates in the air at once.  Being a Medahuman has helped me to not get overwhelmed by that and address my work in a calm and balanced manner which ultimately has the positive effect of reducing any feelings of anxiety. 

What would be your ultimate achievement? How are you going to get there?
Having it all. For me that means, a successful career in which I am respected by my contemporaries, a beautiful forever home that I can relax in and a happy and loving relationship and family life. Quite often I have felt that I might have 2 out of 3 in the bag but I was nowhere near to achieving the elusive 3^rd.  Maintaining a consistent approach to all three is how I intend to achieve that, and not focusing on 1 or 2, to the detriment of the 3^rd.  They are all equally important and deserve equal amounts of my effort.  It’s all about balance.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your career and sport?
I have been a personal trainer and coach for 8 years now, working with a variety of clientele. They include competitive physique athletes, pro MMA fighters and golfers, semi-pro footballers and professional musicians. And of course the general public who all have individual, specific goals in mind — whether that’s improving mobility and strength or running their first ultra-marathon. 

I’m particularly proud that every athlete I have ever put forward for a competitive physique athlete show has placed and won a trophy in their chosen category.   

My own sporting accomplishments are becoming a district junior athletics champion, 2 x ‘Regional Natural Bodybuilding Champion’ and 1 x ‘Best Wheels in the South’ trophy holder — my personal favourite, which essentially means best legs on the day. Haha.

How do you set your goals?
I set goals by micro-managing a situation. This is when I take a goal I have in mind for myself or the client and I make small manageable goals that are achieved session-to-session resulting in constant progress. 

What is the best advice you have been given?
Without doubt the best advice I’ve been given and practice is: “Fail more, it’s where we learn.”

Where do you draw your inspiration?
My inspiration started from the bodybuilding legends of the 70s/80s and 90s…Arnie, Franco, Bob Paris, Tom Platz and Sergio etc., but over recent years I have been very fortunate to know some fantastic athletes within my sport and this community drives me. We’re there to support and inspire each other. 

How important is nutrition?
Nutrition is fundamental whatever the goal and is not to be overlooked. I’ve invested a lot of my time and money into learning about and keeping up-to-date with the ever-changing world of nutrition, in fact I think I would class nutrition above training in most everyday situations. 

Tell us about your experience integrating MEDA into your daily routine?
In my experience there are two things people fail to do when trying to achieve optimal performance in and out the gym. Focus and recovery. I’ve been integrating MEDA’s Focus drink into my daily routine before my morning training session.. I’ve been trialling this now for two weeks and I’m starting to notice a difference in maintaining my focus under pressure. I’ll be reporting back on this in my next post. 

What does being a Medahuman mean to you?
Being a Medahuman for me is about going beyond what others around you are doing — striving to achieve the extra 1% in a world where 99% is the norm.  

What would be your ultimate achievement? How are you going to get there?
I am going to achieve an overall win at a bodybuilding show, this is the only trophy I am yet to win at a regional. But my ultimate ambition and goal, is to represent my country at a world finals. To achieve this I will have to be at my best, far better than what I am now, I’ve a lot of work to do but nothing I feel time and consistency won’t achieve. Really focusing on the things I can control. Training, food and posing. 

We all know our immune system is central  to maintaining optimum health. How many of us though only consider boosting our immune system, whereas perhaps we should really think about balancing immune function? And how does CBD fit into all this?

Our Immune System – an Overview

As we go about our daily life, we are constantly exposed to infectious diseases, bacteria, and viruses (antigens). Our immune system – a complex network of organs, cells and proteins – is designed to protect us from these outside invaders, and without it, we’d be constantly sick or even worse.

White blood cells called leukocytes play an important  role; destroying unwanted visitors, helping our body to remember past attackers, and eating up foreign intruders before they wreak too much havoc.

In winter months, much is made of the need to boost our immune system in order to ward off flus and colds. But there’s much more to immune health than eating a few oranges and necking a bottle of echinacea.

What we do know is that our immune system can become dysregulated. However, rather than just being weakened (and making us susceptible to flus and colds), it can also go the other way and become overactive.

Why is this a bad thing?

Part of how our immune system responds to a perceived attack is through inflammation, releasing chemicals such as histamine, bradykinin, and prostaglandins causing heat and swelling. Phagocytes, a type of white blood cell, then eat up the virus or bacteria, as well as consuming any damaged cells or tissue.

However, in certain instances, this inflammation response fails to turn itself off, and the immune system attacks its own healthy cells, a common cause of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and type 1 diabetes.

Allergies are another example of a heightened immune response, whereby a usually harmless substance is perceived as a threat by the body resulting in the production of histamine, and a host of symptoms like swelling, itchiness, wheezing or sneezing.

No one knows for sure why autoimmune diseases or allergies occur. However, by employing a few common sense measures, we can give our immune system the best chance of doing the job it was designed for; keeping us free from illness.

1. Don’t Scrimp on the Z’s

How many of us have burned the candle at both ends, and then swiftly come down with a cold or flu? Turns out lack of sleep negatively impacts on the production of T cells, a type of white blood cell key to protecting us against bugs and infections. Not only that, sleep deprivation can make us more vulnerable to heart disease, obesity, and depression.  

2. Reduce Stress

Cortisol, a hormone released when the body is under stress, is known to dampen our immune system by decreasing the production of white blood cells and and NK cells (a type of lymphocyte that kills cancer cells). Indeed, studies suggest psychological stress makes us more likely to catch the common cold.

Urban living is stressful and being MEDAhuman isn’t about avoiding all stress in our lives. The key is learning to manage our stress levels so that they don’t become chronically elevated. Mindfulness – cultivating present moment awareness through meditation techniques – might seem like a modern day, self help buzz word, but it’s got 2000 years of wisdom behind it. Research shows that regular mindfulness practices reduce cortisol levels, which can only be good news to our immune system.

3. Eat Well

Whether we are boosting immunity or reducing excess inflammation if it’s become elevated, there are certain dietary basics that give us a better chance of a balanced immune system.

We all know that sugar is bad for us, however, studies suggest that sugar intake  can both lower white blood cell levels and increase inflammatory markers. Either way, if you’re looking to get your immune system back into equilibrium again, sugar comes bottom of the class.

How many of us instinctively turn to vitamin C when we sense a cold coming and thankfully it’s a healthy choice backed by scientific data. Try to refrain from hitting the vitamin bottle and go straight to the source, including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet.

If too much inflammation is your problem, there are plenty of anti-inflammatory foods to opt for, such as ginger, turmeric, and anything containing Omega 3 (oily fish, nuts and seeds).

4. Look After Your Endocannabinoid System

Back in the 1990s, scientists were researching the effects of cannabis on humans. They discovered a vast network of cell receptors and cannabis-like chemicals that together regulate all biological activity. Appetite, sleep, reproduction, memory, mood, pain and of course, our immune response, are all kept in balance by our endocannabinoid system.

In fact, a class of endocannabinoid receptor, CB2, is found almost exclusively within the immune system, and its activation creates an anti-inflammatory effect in the body.

Our endocannabinoid system can be stimulated by compounds in hemp called cannabinoids. In fact, scientists now believe that by introducing cannabinoids, an out of whack endocannabinoid system can be corrected.

Cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive cannabinoid abundantly found in hemp, does not directly activate either class of endocannabinoid receptor, but has an overall anti-inflammatory effect on the body.

However, CBD does increase the half life of the natural cannabis-like chemical, anandamide. So once it’s produced, anandamide gets to hang out in the body doing its anti-inflammatory effect for longer. For many years, scientists thought this meant CBD was immunosuppressant. These days, it is generally accepted that CBD regulates our immune system rather than just suppressing its activity.

At MEDA we pledge to give you the tools to support your immune function. While we can’t tuck you into bed at 10pm every night, we can ply you with our MEDA Defense immune system fortifying tonic. Each shot is infused with 15mg of nanoemulsified CBD, alongside a host of natural herbs, vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, zinc, pomegranate and echinacea, carefully selected to give your immune system some much needed TLC.