Posts tagged “Lifestyle”

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Why do joints "pop"?

Posted on 29th August 2018 at 07:45

Yes, it’s time for another one of those questions people love to ask us. And in the process answer that perennial question of whether deliberately cracking joints, particularly your fingers, damages them longer term.

Before we start, did you know there’s a medical term for joint noises?

It’s crepitus, one of those words you can really enjoy saying – although how often you’ll be able to drop it into the conversation is another matter!

If you don't know what to do, sleep on it

Posted on 22nd August 2018 at 07:30

We’ve all experienced it at times. Situations – or people – we’ve thought AND thought about, but still don’t know how to deal with them.

Sometimes there are just too many options.

Or, perhaps, conflicting pieces of advice (!).

Other times, we’re completely stumped and don’t have any idea what to do.

If you’ve given something lots of thought and are still stuck, then it’s time to give your logical – conscious – mind a rest and hand it over to your subconscious mind. This is your creative mind, where all those flashes of inspiration and radical new insights come from.

Is fruit juice as healthy as you think it is?

Posted on 15th August 2018 at 07:45

Over the years we’ve noticed a large number of food related mantras – for want of a better word – that people automatically accept as true without ever giving them a second thought. And, more worryingly, long after research has shown them to be untrue. Or, at best, misleading.

Some of these we’ve tackled before in this blog. Such as milk being an essential part of a healthy diet, providing the high levels of calcium needed to build strong teeth and bones. Or, one of our perennial favourites, coffee and tea counting towards your daily water intake (!).

Sadly, both are untrue. And, if we had a pound for every time someone said them to us, we’d be very rich indeed…

Looking on the bright side of life

Posted on 8th August 2018 at 07:45

It’s interesting how certain blog posts seem to really hit the spot with people and spark some rather animated – for want of a better word (!) – conversations. The one a couple of weeks ago is a great example of this, where we suggested looking at what was happening in your life to see what you’d been focussing on recently.

Not surprisingly, many of the reactions were defensive. How we didn’t understand what was happening in their lives / what they’d been through / how their life was / fill in the blank.

Sadly, by seeing it as criticism, they completely missed the point.

The BMI Paradox

Posted on 1st August 2018 at 07:30

If you’ve joined a gym in recent years – or had a medical – chances are you’ll have been given your BMI. Body Mass Index.

It’s used as a general measure of obesity as well as an indicator of risk for many lifestyle diseases such as Diabetes, high blood pressure and Heart Attacks / Strokes. As one of the current buzz words it sounds very objective and scientific but, sadly, its over simplistic approach causes many problems and what has become known as the BMI paradox.

Whatever you focus on grows...

Posted on 25th July 2018 at 07:30

A few weeks ago we wrote about the mixed messages we unwittingly send out each day. Thinking one thing, saying another and doing yet something else.

It’s little wonder we can find it so challenging to get the results we want. Or, more accurately, say we want. Sometimes. When we’re really aware of we’re saying. Let alone what we’re thinking and doing. And then sending out a consistent message with our thoughts, words and actions all pointing in the same direction.

Jetlag, one of the downsides of travel

Posted on 18th July 2018 at 07:40

With the summer holidays rapidly approaching, this week we’re going to focus on something that can really take the shine off your first few precious days away. And we’re not talking about the mayhem before you leave home, the joys of the airport or lottery of who you’re going to be lucky enough to sit next to on the plane (!). If you’ve ever travelled long haul, you’ll know all about it. Jet lag.

Jet lag – Flight Fatigue or Desynchronosis, if you’d like to get technical – occurs when we travel across different time zones. It means that our internal body clock becomes out of synch with local clock time.

Age isn't a number, it's a state of mind

Posted on 11th July 2018 at 07:45

Yes, we know it’s a bit of cliché, but it doesn’t stop it from being true…

We’ve all met – or know (!) – people at both ends of the age spectrum. Those who seem to be old before their time. Or, perhaps, have always been old in terms of their outlook on life. David refers to them as “Junior Pensioners” which may be slightly uncharitable but a good way of describing them (!).

Sadly, their glass always seems to be half empty… “It can only get worse.” “It’s all downhill from here.” “What can you expect at my age?” And we heard these all – and more – from someone in their 30’s recently…

Then there are those who never seem to age. Who are always fully engaged in life and all the – good – things it has to offer. And, interestingly, many of them have problems that would be the end of the world to their less positive counterparts. Their glass is always half full.

Why it's important to shop seasonally

Posted on 4th July 2018 at 07:45

A couple of weeks ago we looked at the list of “dirtiest” fruit and vegetables for 2018. Released in America by the Environmental Working Group each year, it highlights the produce most contaminated with pesticides, rather than those most covered in soil (!).

The importance of what we eat is a topic we regularly cover in this blog – whether directly or indirectly – but, sadly, is still seen as being very complicated or expensive by far too many people. Neither are the case, although this doesn’t seem to stop some from making it so…

One very easy way to eat more healthily is simply to shop by the season. In other words to eat – and enjoy – whatever produce is in season right now. Whenever “right now” is. Not only does this mean that you’ll enjoy food at its best but also that it’s going to be produced locally, whether in your immediate area or country.

Obstacles are only temporary...

Posted on 27th June 2018 at 07:45

We all face obstacles from time to time. Or challenges, if you prefer (!).

Large or small. Anticipated or coming out of the blue. Necessitating a small detour or sounding the death knell for our plans and dreams. Some even seem to have a life of their own, bringing their friends with them and settling in for a party (!).

Often, it’s not the obstacle itself that defeats us, but how we perceive it. And so react to it.

In other words, our mindset is more important than the obstacle itself in determining how successfully we deal with it.

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