HealthStuff

If winter is already making herself known to you in ways other than making you crave hot chocolate and cosy nights in front of the TV then best you get started on some winter preparations to ward off the seasonal colds and flu that accompany her chilly return. 

Before you get too freaked out though, read this article to see whether it’s a cold or the flu that has you feeling under the weather. Yes, there is a difference!

If you were one of the clever ones who prepared for winter and had their flu jab early enough you might be lucky enough to escape unscathed this winter. But if you can already feel the tingly nose and scratchy throat of a cold starting, make sure you get stocked up on lots of fresh fruit and veggies to keep your body fuelled for the fight ahead and check out these easy home remedies to sooth that aching throat.

If all else fails and you’re struck down with it, read here on how to bounce back as quickly as you can. 

Keep warm and here’s wishing you all a cold- and flu-free winter!!

Greetings Bloggers!

Just a quick note to let you know there’s been some updates regarding the blog migration.

Click here to read the post and find out more about where all the blogs are moving and when. We’re not moving YET, but we will keep you posted when the migration will happen.

So carry on bloggin like normal and as soon as we know more we’ll pass it on.

Happy blogging y’all!

We recently asked our fans on our Facebook page if they planned their meals for the week. The response was a mixed one of people who had planned their meals for the next month to those who weren’t sure what they even had planned for that night’s meal.
 

Are you one of the super-organised planners who have a shopping list and meal plan worked out every week that you stick to religiously or do you prefer to wing it and see what tasty treats the cupboard and fridge hold when you hear your tummy rumbling?

There is no right or wrong answer, as long as you’re not reaching for the take-away menu more often than you’re cooking a healthy home-cooked meal. As this article shows, there are lots of ways to prepare healthy, quick meals no matter how hectic your schedule is. Although if the take-away menu is a regular on your schedule, read more here on how to make the best choices when eating out.
 

For the dedicated shopper check out this article for help on how to decipher food labels to make sure you’re buying the best produce you can and make sure you’re including some of these tasty and healthy foods in your basket.
 

If you’re still not sure how to plan ahead and make sure your diet is as healthy as it can be, why not post a question to our lovely DietDoc and ask her for some advice. Being healthy doesn’t have to be hard work!

Image: Low GI foods from Shutterstock

The juice of a mango, sticky and sweet. The sour bite of a pickle. Creamy cool yoghurt. Crispy sliced apples.

Textures are a bit part of what helps us enjoy a healthy meal, and with a mixture of crunchy, smooth, firm and soft, our mouths are delighted.

The same applies to a variety of colour on the plate, and of course to the smells that tempt our noses.

So it’s not surprising to read research that says we are highly influenced by what we see and smell. Not only do smells affect how big a bite we take, according to this Dutch research, but pictures of food can also affect our appetites in a very direct way.

Let’s use all those cues to our advantage so we don’t just put any old rubbish in our mouths, but only what feels, tastes and looks yummy.

  (Photo: Woman jumping on Shutterstock)

Children have a wonderful way of getting really excited by small things. A baby’s whole body convulses with glee at the sight of his older brother. A toddler screams with excitement when faced with the swings. Even a 12-year-old can break into a happy dance at the realisation that it’s only one week to the school holidays.

As adults we don’t always allow ourselves to feel that joy – and even worse, we will try to get children to calm down. “Just calm down!” we say, as if positive emotions are all just too overwhelming for us.

How about this? The next time something grabs you as a positive, don’t calm down. Be excited, enjoy the rush of joy – and even do a happy dance if the urge strikes. Because life’s too short to spend it calming down

If it’s good for you, then more of it must be even better, right?

That seems to be a trap some of us fall into, swopping our somewhat excess use of chocolate or alcohol for an unhealthy obsession with spinning or sugar-free gum.

Ideally, though, we need to keep a bit of perspective, tread lightly, and not subject our bodies to excess and extremes.

Are you an all or nothing type? Try to see the world in terms of a glass half-full sometimes… (Three quarters in this case…)

You started the year with a spring in your step, determined to keep a balance in your life and not be engulfed. But too soon you find yourself working through lunch instead of taking that refreshing walk, or staying just an hour later so you can get ahead on that project.

Of course, there are times in most of our careers that those extra hours really will make-or-break the success of the day’s work. But before you plan to stay late, ask yourself to be brutally honest: Is this REALLY something you can’t do tomorrow?

And the same applies to taking work home. Even if it stays in your briefcase, you won’t be able to really relax if you feel you should be tackling an outstanding task.

You don’t have to believe us, just look at the research that shows that depression is more common in people who work overtime.

Today’s deal: No more overtime for no particular reason, right? Right!

None of this:

And loads more of this: