 I've decided to take my own advice this month and banish winter tiredness by doing less - such as writing an original blog. After all, why reinvent the wheel! So, here's some great advice from the NHS on how to stay healthy this winter .....
"It may be cold outside, but winter needn't be the unhealthiest time of year for you and your family. Here are five ways to make sure that, even when your body is telling you to hibernate, you can keep healthy and fit, no matter what the weather's like. Banish winter tiredness Many people feel tired and sluggish during winter. This is due to the lack of sunlight, which disrupts our sleep and waking cycles. Try these tips:
Eat more fruit and veg When it's cold and dark outside, it can be tempting to fill up on unhealthy comfort food. However, it's important to ensure you still have a healthy diet and include five portions of fruit and veg a day. If you find yourself craving a sugary treat, try a juicy clementine or satsuma instead. Winter vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, swede and turnips can be roasted, mashed or made into soup for a comforting winter meal for the whole family. Explore varieties of fruit and veg that you may not normally eat. Read more about how to get your 5 A Day. Find recipes for 10 warming hot meals. Drink more milk You are more likely to get a cold in winter, so make sure your immune system is in tip-top condition. Milk and dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are great sources of:
Read more about milk and dairy foods. Read more about healthy eating. Try new activities for the whole family Don't use the cold winter months as an excuse to stay in and lounge around. Instead, get out with the whole family to try out a new activity –maybe ice skating, or taking a bracing winter walk on the beach or through the park. Regular exercise helps control your weight, boost your immune system, and is a good way to break the tension that can build if the family is constantly cooped up inside the house. Read more about different types of exercise for you and your family. Have a hearty breakfast Winter is the perfect season for porridge. Eating a warm bowlful on a cold morning isn't just a delicious way to start your day, it also helps boost your intake of starchy foods and fibre. These foods give you energy and help you feel fuller for longer, stopping the temptation to snack mid-morning. Oats also contain lots of vital vitamins and minerals. Make your porridge with semi-skimmed, 1% or skimmed milk, or water, and don't add sugar or salt. Add a sliced banana, berries or other fruit for extra flavour and to help you hit your 5 A Day target. Get more ideas for healthy breakfasts." And here's the link to the page with the original article: https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/winterhealth/Pages/Healthywinter.aspx And of course, some Reflexology won't hurt either. To book a treatment go to http://www.lothianreflexology.co.uk/book-a-treatment.html
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 We often think of our health in purely physical terms, but as a Reflexologist, I have a strong view that health also has a mental or psychological dimension. Having a strong belief in our ability to manifest our desires and the means to manage our thoughts can have a dynamic and very significant effect on our mental and physical health.
I have a saying on my wall which reads: "There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive it. No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it.” I’m not sure where it came from or who said it, but I do think that our beliefs have a vital impact on our results. Does your belief support you desires and aspirations? Do you really believe that it will all happen for you some day or do you think it will never happen for you? Go inside yourself for a moment and ask yourself just how strongly you believe that you will be able to achieve your dreams and goals Give yourself a score of 1 – 10 where, 1 = not very strongly at all and 10 = 100% certainty. If your score is less than 10 then you need to work on your belief. To create a strong belief you need three things: 1. To know that it is POSSIBLE to achieve your objective 2. To know that you are ABLE to achieve your objective 3. To know that you DESERVE to achieve your objective Know it’s possible Everything is POSSIBLE, but you must feel that it is possible for you, at this moment. You cannot prove a negative, therefore you can never prove that you are incapable of anything, you can only say that you have not achieved it YET. Do not be too quick to decide what is impossible. Know you are able Avoid putting limitations on what you think is possible. Do you have an age beyond which you think something will be impossible? Do you think you are less likely than friends your age to be able to achieve your golas? These beliefs are arbitrary judgements you have made about yourself and they are just as likely to be WRONG as they are to be right. Banish them, completely, NOW. Keep an open mind. Be positive in your thinking. And open yourself up to the abundant possibilities on offer. Know you deserve it Do you deserve to realise all your dreams and aspirations? If you don’t feel you deserve it, why not? Do you have a belief system that says: things need to be difficult to have value; or you never get what you really want; or everyone is better and more deserving than you; or bad things happen to good people? If your health would benefit from a boost why not try a Reflexology session, because if you don't give it a try, you'll never know what benefits you may get from the treatment. If you'd like to know more about Reflexology click here.  As a Reflexologist, I always ask clients about their sleep patterns, because a good night's sleep is so important to general well-being. And better sleep is often one of the additional benefits of a Reflexology treatment as the majority of my clients report having had a great night's sleep after a treatment.
The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep: * a good night's sleep can help learning and memory; * chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite; * insufficient sleep can lead to poor performance and accidents; * sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness; * serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat; * sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Here are ways to get a better night's sleep: 1. Have a sleep routine Going to bed and waking at the same time (even at weekends) helps to improve your ability to sleep and the quality of that sleep. Avoid evening naps by keeping active until bedtime. 2. Get out into natural light Long days in the office under artificial light can make your brain sleepy, while hours in front of a TV or computer screen can suppress the body's production of melatonin, making it harder to sleep. Get out during the day - walk to or from work or go for a walk at lunchtime - even in winter when light levels are poor, this will help your sleep patterns. The exercise you get from your walk will also help you sleep better at night. 3. Make sure your bedroom is sleep friendly Keep your bedroom cool and well ventilated. Keep your bedroom dark - use blackout blinds or a mask to keep light out. Have your bedroom as quiet as possible, and if you can't avoid noises from neighbours or barking dogs, use soothing sounds or earplugs to mask external noise. And, of course, make sure your bed is comfy. If you wake with a sore back or aching neck it may be a sign that you need a new mattress or a different pillow. 4. Prepare for bed Have a bedtime routine: as well as brushing your teeth and getting ready for bed, incorporate relaxing activities into your bedtime routine: try doing a 15 minute relaxation, or some gentle yoga exercises. To allow you to be totally relaxed, empty your head: write down all the things that you want to do tomorrow, or anything that is worrying you, or anything that you need to think about, or anything that you need to remember to do. Get it all down on paper, so there's nothing for your mind to chew on as you try to get to sleep. 5. Eat yourself sleepy For a better night's sleep avoid big meals and fatty food late at night, alcohol, caffeine, and smoking all of which will disrupt sleep patterns. If you find yourself waking at night for a snack, try having a light snack before bed - a handful of almonds or a couple of oatcakes with half a banana, honey, a slice of turkey or cheese may help keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night. You might also want to have a cup of chamomile tea or a glass of warm milk. 6. Get rid of anxiety If worry keeps you awake at night, this is may be a stress problem, not a sleep problem and you need to address the source of your worry. You may benefit from meditation, or you may need to learn how to manage your thoughts, or perhaps enrol on a stress management course. If it's a problem and you're not sure what to do for the best, go to your GP for advice. 7. Try a Reflexology treatment Sometimes it's nice not to have to do everything yourself, so consider getting support from a Reflexology treatment. Many clients talk about getting a great night's sleep after a treatment - it's almost as it a Reflexology session has the effect of pressing a reset button in the body. That's not to say that you won't need to take action yourself, but you know what they say about a problem shared is a problem halved! If you're experiencing poor sleep and would like to try Reflexology to discover if it will help, click this link to email me and ask about my special discount for new clients. Wishing you sweet dreams. Maximise your fertility, naturally Have you been trying to conceive for 12 months or more, without success?
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Sign up for a series of 6 Fertility Support Workshops: Only 10 places available When: Mondays 7.30-9pm on: 22 Sept, 6 Oct, 20 Oct, 3 Nov, 17 Nov, 1 Dec 2014 Where: The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre 25 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh How Much: £15 per session Book: Contact Doris Wylie on 07724 197627 or email doriswylie@btinternet.com Doris Wylie Lothian Reflexology www.lothianreflexology.co.uk 07724 197627 www.facebook.com/lothianreflexology |
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