17 January 2026
So fibre is the new magic fix to lots of things? I've been taking care of my fibre intake for a long time. Early on I switched away from saturated fat foods, and then switched to brown bread and high fibre breakfast cereals. Both of those get me fairly well up my 30 grams target, and then I add an evening meal which adds to the total. Adding extra vegetables to a 'pre-processed' meal to help, but there are a few options of ready meals, many marketed as 'high protein', which have a substantial fibre content while not being excessive in the other elements. Then to top up if necessary, high fibre snack bars can fill any gaps.
Sugar content can be a problem, but most of what puts me over on that guide is down to the natural sugars in the fruit element, which I try to make two of my five a day. It would be nice if the health application on my Samsung phone did a much better job of tracking five a day amongst other things. The nutritional data it uses is very hit and miss on some key elements, such as fibre and with the newer drive for 30 plant different elements a week is just another area that needs addressing. Adding fruit like bananas gives a big hit on sugar and calories which means cutting down elsewhere which can be difficult.
Returning to the ongoing problem with my arm. The lack of help from the GP's physio in providing useful exercises has meant I've been browsing online and have added my own steps to the morning physio which seem to be having an effect. It even begs the question about the level of Naproxen I need to take. I've dropped to a single tablet this morning and while my arm is uncomfortable, with tingling in my fingers, it is not the eye watering pain that I was fighting 10 days ago. One of the arm exercises does prompt movement pain, so I am happy that I know where I am and while the mobility in my left hand is still limited, I can at least use it better for things like wringing out the flannel while washing. The videos point out that the nerve paths need exercise to help reopen the tight areas and perhaps that is something that my NHS physio should have been helping with?
Sleep is still erratic, and I have had a few spikes in my HRV over the last few weeks. Of cause staying awake to watch the snooker last night did not help ... and the watch is still struggling to record blood pressure, but things seem to be trending back to an HRV in the 'normal' range which I had not been for most of last year, but had hit nicely prior to the arm problem. I'm still fighting problems that could be called stressful, but despite the watches insistence that I need to reduce my stress, I am comfortable that stress is not a problem. Being able to think through things is perhaps something I need to reduce over night, and 'meditation' exercises could help with that, but the question really is if the high HRV is down to over thinking in bed, or triggering those though processes. Which comes first and if I solve the problem will my sleep improve more?