During Corona Virus LockdownDuring Corona Virus Lockdown
Since Boris shut most everything down on 20th March 2020, the M.S. Centre in Exeter shut down the week after which has left me twiddling my thumbs and left a lot of people with M.S. without their Hyperbaric Oxygen and Physio to keep them energised, flexible and exercised.
I did go in and record a video of me demonstrating the Monday Exercise Class and I am still trying to figure out how to get it loaded up onto video (youtube on here), hopefully, by the time you read this it will be done.
After initially doing a ton of paperwork to join an agency to get work in the NHS and later finding out that there wasn’t any work! I finally got around to working on writing my book about M.S. and doing a lot of research.
The book will be on Kindle and will cover, my experience at the M.S. Centre over the last 15 years and the common things I have found, also some basics about M.S. in my view, some basic exercises for strengthening , stretches to reduce stiffness and increase flexibility and mobility. I’ve also put in some stuff on diet, supplementation, breathing techniques, toxicity and references to other really good books on the brain that I’ve come across that all overlap with aspects of what I recommend.
Enough about me! What should we all be doing during the lockdown to improve our immune system?
There are 3 things that I try do every day:
First, I do The Wim Hof Method starting with taking 30-40 deep breaths and then a long hold (for my big lungs, 2.5 to 3.5 mins), then another 30 breaths and a long hold out (1.5 to 2.5 mins for me). I know some people who have practiced this for 6 months can do 4 minute holds easily. Sometimes I do exercises whilst holding breath which builds a lot of strength as muscles act differently without as much oxygen. Then I get in the shower and put it on maximum cold for 1-2 mins after I have warmed up and washed. This burst of cold strengthens your immune system, reduces inflammation, improves vagal tone and is great psychologically to do something you really don’t want to do early in the morning (this is not advised if you suffer with spasms). The free 3-part video. Wim on Covid-19
I am also getting back into Falun Gong which is a version of Chi Gong, a Chinese energy cultivation exercise. I did run a class teaching this about ten years ago after being taught by a Chinese lady who had been put in a forced labour camp for 1.5 years for doing Falun Gong in China!. It can take as little as 5 minutes if you do the first exercise or can take 30 minutes if you do the full 6 exercises including meditation at the end. It can also be done in sitting. It is amazing what regular practice of this does for your energy levels and feeling of well-being. A link to the full video is here (gives explanations & exercises in detail for you to learn and perfect – for free).
Thirdly I do a meditation separately using the Muse2 headband which is a fancy, Star Trek like device which you put around your forehead that reads your brain waves (beta, alpha, theta, gamma and delta), and gives you positive feedback when you get into Alpha or slower brainwaves. This gives a profound feeling of peace as does the Light and Sound meditation that I do with a group (online at the moment via Zoom and whatsapp) occasionally.
Hopefully I will bring both a Falun Gong and group meditation to Exeter before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, in this extraordinary time, remember there are many ways to boost your immune system. Go out, get some fresh air, communicate with people you haven’t connected with for a while and take this time to do something positive (if you have an enforced couple of months off like myself).
Happy exercising !
Michael.
