Just been down the pub with my Dad and brother before I take the train tomorrow to see my girlfriend. We had some dinner and a few drinks together. It was really good to share memories and experiences that we've all had and now that we're all adults, we're able to appreciate the totality of each person's experience.
Dad shared lots of stories of his time at sea, working as a trawlerman and the times he ate meals without eyebrows due to his crewmates shaving them off as he slept, exhausted from a long shift up on deck. He also shed some light on his time as a cheeky lad running around alleys, picking gooseberries.
My brother shared his stories from work where he works metal into complex pipe systems for the chemical industries. He showed us all his scars from the work and some of his funny stories when he worked with other pipe-fitters.
It's times like these that I miss when I go away to study and I'm glad that I'm able to take advantage of the time between terms of university so I can see my family and spend quality time with each other and share our stories and laugh at it all over some drinks.
Friday, 22 July 2011
Yoga for cycling
As an avid cyclist, I want to take care of my body so I can continue to enjoy cycling often and with as little injury-incurred recovery as possible. To do this there are many factors to consider, some obvious and some more subtle. A lot of the techniques put forward here aren't cycling specific but can help support a cyclist well during a training regime or through the daily commute by bike.
Nutrition
The age-old Adage 'You are what you eat' is an old chestnut that keeps coming back, especially around times of traditional food and drink abuse (Xmas, New year, Birthdays, etc.). It is true, to a certain extent, and worth bearing in mind if you're particularly motivated toward a healthy lifestyle. Diet is an important factor and to ensure that you're not deviating from a pretty healthy set-up already, see your GP for some advice. They will undoubtledly point you towards the food pyramid and this is an excellent way to start your food planning. For cyclists, it is essential that you consume lots of good quality protein. This can come in the form of protein shakes but if you want to keep it real, then eating quality chicken breast and turkey steaks is the way forward. These food sources are lean and healthy and swapping these into your diet in place of red meat will help protect your heart from copious amounts of fat that run through the animal flesh.
Fish Supper
Another good tip for food intake is tinned macarel and tuna, it keeps for ages and when it is stored under oil, it takes on the aroma of the oil as it penetrates the fish tissue. The oil from the fish is the same kind of oil which makes up the cod liver oil capsules and when combined with the sunflower storage oil, it gives the benefits of B vitamins too. The oil from the fish penetrates your joints and keeps them supple and fluid. You can capitalise on this extra bendiness by taking up some yoga practise.
Yoga: Bend and Stretch and Breathe
Normally given a cameo appearance in sit-coms on television, yoga is typically personified in popular media by people so bendy, they can fire a bow and arrow with their feet... whilst standing on their hands or all coiled up to the size of a small suitcase. These, like many other stereotypes are true to an extent but the reality is much more diverse. There are people looking to support their back as they work in offices and are concerned about posture and joint pain.
The cyclist can benefit from yoga by reversing all the damage done to the upper back, shoulders and neck from being hunched over the handlebars for hours a week (a day in the case of the cyclist commuter). There is yoga designed specifically for cyclists and is easily found via google search but the general focus is working out the afore mentioned areas. There is an emphasis on groundwork and back bends to reverse the position the body has been in. This is an excellent way to ensure that you don't get a long term injury requiring physiotherapy and, when used in tandem with regular yoga, can help eliminate sprains and strains by making the muscles and joints more supple and mobile. Also, as time goes on, your posture will improve as you're essentially practising putting your body into poses.
Not only can a regular yoga practise ensure that your body is flexible and not damaged by cycling, the breathing component of all yoga moves can help still the mind so the poses become a way to relax and de-stress after a trying work day. It can help give you a much more balanced approach to life and as you're breathing more, more oxygen gets to the brain and muscles so you get an pronounced feeling of well-being relative to not using yoga.
I hope this post helped and keep on enjoying cycling :)
health
Nutrition
The age-old Adage 'You are what you eat' is an old chestnut that keeps coming back, especially around times of traditional food and drink abuse (Xmas, New year, Birthdays, etc.). It is true, to a certain extent, and worth bearing in mind if you're particularly motivated toward a healthy lifestyle. Diet is an important factor and to ensure that you're not deviating from a pretty healthy set-up already, see your GP for some advice. They will undoubtledly point you towards the food pyramid and this is an excellent way to start your food planning. For cyclists, it is essential that you consume lots of good quality protein. This can come in the form of protein shakes but if you want to keep it real, then eating quality chicken breast and turkey steaks is the way forward. These food sources are lean and healthy and swapping these into your diet in place of red meat will help protect your heart from copious amounts of fat that run through the animal flesh.
Fish Supper
Another good tip for food intake is tinned macarel and tuna, it keeps for ages and when it is stored under oil, it takes on the aroma of the oil as it penetrates the fish tissue. The oil from the fish is the same kind of oil which makes up the cod liver oil capsules and when combined with the sunflower storage oil, it gives the benefits of B vitamins too. The oil from the fish penetrates your joints and keeps them supple and fluid. You can capitalise on this extra bendiness by taking up some yoga practise.
Yoga: Bend and Stretch and Breathe
Normally given a cameo appearance in sit-coms on television, yoga is typically personified in popular media by people so bendy, they can fire a bow and arrow with their feet... whilst standing on their hands or all coiled up to the size of a small suitcase. These, like many other stereotypes are true to an extent but the reality is much more diverse. There are people looking to support their back as they work in offices and are concerned about posture and joint pain.
The cyclist can benefit from yoga by reversing all the damage done to the upper back, shoulders and neck from being hunched over the handlebars for hours a week (a day in the case of the cyclist commuter). There is yoga designed specifically for cyclists and is easily found via google search but the general focus is working out the afore mentioned areas. There is an emphasis on groundwork and back bends to reverse the position the body has been in. This is an excellent way to ensure that you don't get a long term injury requiring physiotherapy and, when used in tandem with regular yoga, can help eliminate sprains and strains by making the muscles and joints more supple and mobile. Also, as time goes on, your posture will improve as you're essentially practising putting your body into poses.
Not only can a regular yoga practise ensure that your body is flexible and not damaged by cycling, the breathing component of all yoga moves can help still the mind so the poses become a way to relax and de-stress after a trying work day. It can help give you a much more balanced approach to life and as you're breathing more, more oxygen gets to the brain and muscles so you get an pronounced feeling of well-being relative to not using yoga.
I hope this post helped and keep on enjoying cycling :)
health
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Sleep
Because I've been moving around all over the place recently, I've been sleeping in lots of different houses at different times. It's safe to say that my typical sleep pattern is shot. I do have some simple techniques that I use to help implement a regular sleep routine to help me maximise the amount of good sleep I can get out of a night.
Techniques
For me there are a few simple techniques that I use and I'll talk a little about each one below:
Darkness
For me, there's one thing I can't do without when it comes to sleep and that's darkness. I'm a bit of an owl in that I like total coal-black darkness in order to fall asleep. This means no hall lights, blinds / curtains cut and closing doors to rooms which permit light from outside in.
Quiet
I like real quiet when I go to bed, the dead space is like a blanket and wraps around your mind and body, sending me to sleep. To remedy any noises from outside, I don't go to sleep early and if there is an occasional ambient noise, I focus on the silence and apply a pillow to my ears.
Airflow
It has been proved through countless sleep studies that a good flow of cold (not freezing) air through your bedroom can help put your body to sleep and help you relax. I always have my window open a crack. This cold air is hard to come by in summer so I just switch out a duvet for simple sheets and this helps attain the desired coolness.
Sheets
As mentioned above, I use a bed covering appropriate to the season. In the height of summer, I use a couple of thin comfy cotton sheets to drape over myself to keep the chill off. In the winter, I snuggle under a thick duvet of many tog.
I hope these tips help you get some good rest yourself
health
Techniques
For me there are a few simple techniques that I use and I'll talk a little about each one below:
Darkness
For me, there's one thing I can't do without when it comes to sleep and that's darkness. I'm a bit of an owl in that I like total coal-black darkness in order to fall asleep. This means no hall lights, blinds / curtains cut and closing doors to rooms which permit light from outside in.
Quiet
I like real quiet when I go to bed, the dead space is like a blanket and wraps around your mind and body, sending me to sleep. To remedy any noises from outside, I don't go to sleep early and if there is an occasional ambient noise, I focus on the silence and apply a pillow to my ears.
Airflow
It has been proved through countless sleep studies that a good flow of cold (not freezing) air through your bedroom can help put your body to sleep and help you relax. I always have my window open a crack. This cold air is hard to come by in summer so I just switch out a duvet for simple sheets and this helps attain the desired coolness.
Sheets
As mentioned above, I use a bed covering appropriate to the season. In the height of summer, I use a couple of thin comfy cotton sheets to drape over myself to keep the chill off. In the winter, I snuggle under a thick duvet of many tog.
I hope these tips help you get some good rest yourself
health
Summer Cycling
I had a great time cycling today. I had to go and pick up some groceries from the shops and I decided that, rather than take the bus, I would go by bike. It had rained about 4 hours previously so the air was nice and crisp. Perfect for cycling as it keeps you cool and is really nice to breathe as it keeps you fresh.
Riding down the street, there was a light breeze and that helped keep me cool too. I have a tendancy to ride quickly even if I intend to go out for a slow, easy ride. The breeze helped me from turning into a sweatbox as I cycled to the shops. I parked my bike and locked it to the steel sheffield frame outside and went in.
After finishing buying some essentials, I cycled home again. The whole trip was really pleasant and simply goes to highlight how useful and fun cycling can be when integrated into one's daily routine or, as I did, taken as an option to mix it up a bit.
Riding down the street, there was a light breeze and that helped keep me cool too. I have a tendancy to ride quickly even if I intend to go out for a slow, easy ride. The breeze helped me from turning into a sweatbox as I cycled to the shops. I parked my bike and locked it to the steel sheffield frame outside and went in.
After finishing buying some essentials, I cycled home again. The whole trip was really pleasant and simply goes to highlight how useful and fun cycling can be when integrated into one's daily routine or, as I did, taken as an option to mix it up a bit.
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Bike Maintenance Basics
So you've got your shiny new bike and you've ridden it all over the place. You've been up and down and round and back home. Your bike has definately had a bit of hammer and will need support in the way of maintenance and regular upkeep to ensure you can go many miles further together.
Chain Reaction
Depending on how long you've ridden your bike for and where you store your bike day-to-day, you can work out how much maintenance you need to give your chain to ensure that your drivetrain will continue to work effectively.
If you ride your bike a lot, over great distances, it will be important to keep your chain well lubricated to keep the wear on the bike components down. There are many different lubes out there for this purpose but there is a runaway favourite of mine which is Finish Line Teflon Lube http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=317 . This lubricant is for use really only in the dry conditions and this may be impractical in old blighty so there's also a wet conditions equivalent: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=1041 and at roughly 3 quid a pop, it's not gonna break the bank.
Working at the.... Bike.... wash (Seamless :D)
As important as it is to keep your chain in good condition, it is also a good idea to keep your bike relatively clean as this will prevent transfer of muck to you from the bike. A good fluid for this is the Muc Off Nano Tech bike cleaner (£5.99) : http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=520 . I really like this product because it's a no gimmicks fluid with a spray bottle container. It's really just a point and shoot system which works great if, like me, you have a busy life and just want to keep your bike in good working order.
Stop!!
On the more mechanical / physical side of bike maintenance, it's important to keep an eye on your tyres and brake pads. I'll deal with brake pads first as they're more likely to go before your tyres do ( again, like so much in this article, it depends on the type and frequency of the riding that you do). Brake pads are the traditional way to stop a bike and there are specific types of brake pads for different bikes. Mountain bikes generally have longer brake pads and road bikes have smaller pads mounted in a side-pull fashion. These can be picked up at Halfords or from Chain Reaction Cycles for little money and especially with CRC, there is a massive selection to choose from.
Tyres, again vary depending on the bike and type of riding you do. If you do a lot of mountain biking then slick tyres are not for you. Likewise, a knobby tyre on a road bike lends the it to more cyclo-cross type riding rather than a fast morning commute into the City. A good thing to watch out for with the commuter tyre is whether it has kevlar in it. Kevlar in this application is the same stuff used in bullet proof vests and will go a long way to help protect you from punctures.
Chain Reaction
Depending on how long you've ridden your bike for and where you store your bike day-to-day, you can work out how much maintenance you need to give your chain to ensure that your drivetrain will continue to work effectively.
If you ride your bike a lot, over great distances, it will be important to keep your chain well lubricated to keep the wear on the bike components down. There are many different lubes out there for this purpose but there is a runaway favourite of mine which is Finish Line Teflon Lube http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=317 . This lubricant is for use really only in the dry conditions and this may be impractical in old blighty so there's also a wet conditions equivalent: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=1041 and at roughly 3 quid a pop, it's not gonna break the bank.
Working at the.... Bike.... wash (Seamless :D)
As important as it is to keep your chain in good condition, it is also a good idea to keep your bike relatively clean as this will prevent transfer of muck to you from the bike. A good fluid for this is the Muc Off Nano Tech bike cleaner (£5.99) : http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=520 . I really like this product because it's a no gimmicks fluid with a spray bottle container. It's really just a point and shoot system which works great if, like me, you have a busy life and just want to keep your bike in good working order.
Stop!!
On the more mechanical / physical side of bike maintenance, it's important to keep an eye on your tyres and brake pads. I'll deal with brake pads first as they're more likely to go before your tyres do ( again, like so much in this article, it depends on the type and frequency of the riding that you do). Brake pads are the traditional way to stop a bike and there are specific types of brake pads for different bikes. Mountain bikes generally have longer brake pads and road bikes have smaller pads mounted in a side-pull fashion. These can be picked up at Halfords or from Chain Reaction Cycles for little money and especially with CRC, there is a massive selection to choose from.
Tyres, again vary depending on the bike and type of riding you do. If you do a lot of mountain biking then slick tyres are not for you. Likewise, a knobby tyre on a road bike lends the it to more cyclo-cross type riding rather than a fast morning commute into the City. A good thing to watch out for with the commuter tyre is whether it has kevlar in it. Kevlar in this application is the same stuff used in bullet proof vests and will go a long way to help protect you from punctures.
Use Your Blog
Blogging is a pastime / distraction for millions of people around the world. Some blogs are little more than a dry account of someone's day but some are really in-depth tomes about tough issues and can be a really enriching read. Depending on what you like to read and what kind of writing you like the most, different blogs can be an instant turn-off or instill a great affinity for them. It is important, however, to ensure that you blog about things that are true to you and
what you feel is important. People of the same mind will find your blog and engage with what you have put forward.
Clear-cut
When you write, you should write about something that is a very important subject to you. A subject area in which you have great skill or expertise. That way, you're contributing your wealth of knowledge to the internet and when people in need find it, you'll have helped them immensely. By blogging about a few key themes, you can also ensure that you have a focus to your blog and people will come back again and again for that. The reason is, to get the same high quality information in an area that interests them. This adds strength to your blog and makes it a powerful social tool as people may take your advice / experience into their decision making when they see that you're a bit of a guru on the matter.
Opportunity knocks
It may seem strange but by blogging, you are demonstrating the skills you have as a perceptive writer who chronicles life and issues in the real world. This can be an attractive proscpect for employers. Remember, employers read blogs too as they're only human and if they spot that pizzazz in your blog. This demonstration of skills is much better than any interview as it shows the employer directly that you're able to see things and write them down in the way that many people can't. You never know, you may get a job offer in the (e)mail.
Support
As I said above, blogging is an excellent way to put down your opinions and advice for the benefit of others and this works well in many cases. It's also a good way to let of some steam about a trouble in your life. By blogging, you can start a focus group on a specific issue and discuss problems that people have in life then move toward a solution. The anonymity of the internet can give people solace as they can get support in this way when they feel they are at their most vulnerable. This is a more social application of the blog. However, the opportunities afforded by potential job offers resulting from your writings should also be borne in mind.
Remember, blogging can be fun, a crutch in times of emotional hardship and a route to a new life through the potential to get a job from it. Above all though, be true to yourself and write what you feel is important and the world should know.
what you feel is important. People of the same mind will find your blog and engage with what you have put forward.
Clear-cut
When you write, you should write about something that is a very important subject to you. A subject area in which you have great skill or expertise. That way, you're contributing your wealth of knowledge to the internet and when people in need find it, you'll have helped them immensely. By blogging about a few key themes, you can also ensure that you have a focus to your blog and people will come back again and again for that. The reason is, to get the same high quality information in an area that interests them. This adds strength to your blog and makes it a powerful social tool as people may take your advice / experience into their decision making when they see that you're a bit of a guru on the matter.
Opportunity knocks
It may seem strange but by blogging, you are demonstrating the skills you have as a perceptive writer who chronicles life and issues in the real world. This can be an attractive proscpect for employers. Remember, employers read blogs too as they're only human and if they spot that pizzazz in your blog. This demonstration of skills is much better than any interview as it shows the employer directly that you're able to see things and write them down in the way that many people can't. You never know, you may get a job offer in the (e)mail.
Support
As I said above, blogging is an excellent way to put down your opinions and advice for the benefit of others and this works well in many cases. It's also a good way to let of some steam about a trouble in your life. By blogging, you can start a focus group on a specific issue and discuss problems that people have in life then move toward a solution. The anonymity of the internet can give people solace as they can get support in this way when they feel they are at their most vulnerable. This is a more social application of the blog. However, the opportunities afforded by potential job offers resulting from your writings should also be borne in mind.
Remember, blogging can be fun, a crutch in times of emotional hardship and a route to a new life through the potential to get a job from it. Above all though, be true to yourself and write what you feel is important and the world should know.
Old Friends
I met up with some of my friends from school / college and went for lunch. It was a really fun time and we reminisced about all sorts of different things that happened during our time at school. We also talked about what we were up to in our social lives and what kinds of things we were doing in our spare time. The conversation was rich and flowed well without pause but we kept coming back to one specific topic - education.
Education
As we had all been through the education machine ( school / college and university) we each had a degree and we kept talking about how we got on at university as we had all recently graduated. This was an interesting conversation in itself as we all went to different universities and read different courses. I contributed all that I had done at university at York and how I really enjoyed my time but moreover, how I had grown as a person and developed from quite a shy and retiring person to a vibrant guy with varied interests and hobbies. This conversation continued for a while fine before I sensed an undercurrent to the conversation. As time went on, we began talking about what we were up to post-graduation and then I hit upon the sensation I felt earlier as tension regarding the jobs market and further education.
Employment
As I've already stated in my profile here, I read chemistry at York and have been accepted into UCL to start an engineering masters in the September. I've already sorted my next path out but I talked to my friend and she said that she was freaking out. She was really nervous about what she wanted to do now as she had no idea and the current jobs market (as of July 2011) is pretty pants. She had told me previously that she wanted to work as an archivist as she had a real affinity for books and written records. She has now lost her passion for that idea but remains really interested in books and the written word. The problem for her is that she read English literature and she is now looking for some general admin work to tide her over. My other friend read a business degree with a gap year. These degree choices aren't the problem; the job choice is. As they have general english skills degrees, they have to compete with all the other people who want a general admin job and have general english skills like graduates in history, history of art, sociology, media. This list can go on and on. There are so few jobs in this sector and they are very heavily oversubscribed. I recently read the figure of 83 graduates going for every job out there.
Engineering
There is a massive need for engineers in the UK as there is plenty of new infrastructure to help install, especially in the IT sector where new servers and electronics engineering are essential to keep pace with modern living and the demand for fast, on-demand services. This sector requires specialist skills in maths, physics and depending on the flavour of engineering, further knowledge in a natural science (physics / biology / chemistry / medicine). This immediately cuts out a lot of the 'normal' competition from general skilled graduates and easily separates the workers from the blaggers as it's hard to 'wing it' in a situation requiring logical engineering principle minded employees.
Neglect
In recent years, there have been many news articles written concerning the type of course being read at university and that there have been great numbers of people reading and studying arts degrees and that the maths and sciences have been grossly neglected. This is true and the consequences of this are now coming to fruition as there are a relatively low number of engineering graduates out there but a great new need for them. This is excellent news if you're into your engineering in a big way. The situation is changing though and the news of neglected science has been overtaken in recent years by the story that the numbers of students opting for maths and sciences have been growing year on year. This could be a reaction to the new government fees for university of £9000 a year. The students could be looking for more value for money and better value in the way of a nearly 9 - 5 teaching day as opposed to 9 or 5 teaching hours a week. There are lots of trends that can be picked out of recent graduate unemployment numbers and new student discipline preferences but one thing's for sure: the neglect of science in favour of arts is being reversed as students look for a strong set of skills with which to start their careers.
Education
As we had all been through the education machine ( school / college and university) we each had a degree and we kept talking about how we got on at university as we had all recently graduated. This was an interesting conversation in itself as we all went to different universities and read different courses. I contributed all that I had done at university at York and how I really enjoyed my time but moreover, how I had grown as a person and developed from quite a shy and retiring person to a vibrant guy with varied interests and hobbies. This conversation continued for a while fine before I sensed an undercurrent to the conversation. As time went on, we began talking about what we were up to post-graduation and then I hit upon the sensation I felt earlier as tension regarding the jobs market and further education.
Employment
As I've already stated in my profile here, I read chemistry at York and have been accepted into UCL to start an engineering masters in the September. I've already sorted my next path out but I talked to my friend and she said that she was freaking out. She was really nervous about what she wanted to do now as she had no idea and the current jobs market (as of July 2011) is pretty pants. She had told me previously that she wanted to work as an archivist as she had a real affinity for books and written records. She has now lost her passion for that idea but remains really interested in books and the written word. The problem for her is that she read English literature and she is now looking for some general admin work to tide her over. My other friend read a business degree with a gap year. These degree choices aren't the problem; the job choice is. As they have general english skills degrees, they have to compete with all the other people who want a general admin job and have general english skills like graduates in history, history of art, sociology, media. This list can go on and on. There are so few jobs in this sector and they are very heavily oversubscribed. I recently read the figure of 83 graduates going for every job out there.
Engineering
There is a massive need for engineers in the UK as there is plenty of new infrastructure to help install, especially in the IT sector where new servers and electronics engineering are essential to keep pace with modern living and the demand for fast, on-demand services. This sector requires specialist skills in maths, physics and depending on the flavour of engineering, further knowledge in a natural science (physics / biology / chemistry / medicine). This immediately cuts out a lot of the 'normal' competition from general skilled graduates and easily separates the workers from the blaggers as it's hard to 'wing it' in a situation requiring logical engineering principle minded employees.
Neglect
In recent years, there have been many news articles written concerning the type of course being read at university and that there have been great numbers of people reading and studying arts degrees and that the maths and sciences have been grossly neglected. This is true and the consequences of this are now coming to fruition as there are a relatively low number of engineering graduates out there but a great new need for them. This is excellent news if you're into your engineering in a big way. The situation is changing though and the news of neglected science has been overtaken in recent years by the story that the numbers of students opting for maths and sciences have been growing year on year. This could be a reaction to the new government fees for university of £9000 a year. The students could be looking for more value for money and better value in the way of a nearly 9 - 5 teaching day as opposed to 9 or 5 teaching hours a week. There are lots of trends that can be picked out of recent graduate unemployment numbers and new student discipline preferences but one thing's for sure: the neglect of science in favour of arts is being reversed as students look for a strong set of skills with which to start their careers.
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