Category Archives: General

General

Do you get enough ‘Me’ time?

Do you get enough ‘Me Time’?

Do you get to spend time at home winding down and relaxing? According to a recent study, the answer to this question is probably no!

In the study, 2000 adults were asked if they were able to take enough time for themselves at home and the results of the study we’re quite alarming!

How much ‘Me Time’ do we need?

Psychologists have advised that we should try to have at least 20 hours of ‘Me Time’ a week, in order to feel relaxed and refreshed and to help us recharge. The study results showed that out of the 2000 people, only around 700 of them were actually achieving the 20 hour minimum.

Of the 1300 people that are getting less than 20 hours a week of downtime, around 100 people say they are lucky if they 5 hours a week, and rather alarmingly nearly 400 of them said they get no downtime at all!

A large amount of the people studied said that the main reason for them not getting enough downtime was down to long working hours getting in the way of them being able to relax. The question is, what is more important to you, your job or your health?

Everyone is different, but getting enough downtime can help you feel more in control of your life and help you to achieve your goals, but by not getting enough there can be severe consequences!

What are the consequences?

Not having enough time to relax and recharge can leave you tired, stressed and even depressed! And with these results showing that more than half of the people studied don’t get the required minimum, it won’t be long before the majority of them are suffering.

Statistically, 25 – 34 year olds are less likely to get as much downtime as other people are, and if you live in London, the South East, East/West Midlands, Scotland or Wales, you are also statistically less likely to get enough downtime.

What can we do?

If you lead a very busy life, this can often mean that we don’t give ourselves enough time to relax or to simply do the little things that make us happy.

If you are struggling to get enough ‘Me Time’ then the easiest thing to do, is to try and dedicate at least one evening a week and one weekend day to doing things that will help you feel relaxed and recharged like catching up on your favorite tv show or reading a good book!

If you really want to push the boat out, you could even have a trip out somewhere and go for a nice walk.

If you can do this, then you will be less likely to struggle with tiredness, stress or depression.


So, the big question is, will you be able to give yourself more ‘Me Time’? Tell us what you think below…
General

Do you put off your worries??

Do you put off your worries?

A recent study completed by insurer Direct Line, has found that ⅔ of the UK put off dealing with serious emotional problems and would rather carry out physical tasks to push their worries to the back of their minds!

 

What are we putting off?

Most of the problems that we push to the back of our minds revolve around money or jobs, but the main worry for people was relationships. Around 1 in 6 of us have put off ending a relationship for long periods of time!

Studies show that we worry about major issues for nearly two years before we finally pluck up the courage to deal with them and fix the problem. Many people like to pretend that everything is fine, so they would rather do chores or carry out manual tasks rather than face their problems head on.

What can we do?

Putting off your worries and pretending that they aren’t there can be a major problem, especially if it is something major such as a relationship problem or a financial problem. Having them sitting there in the back of your mind can slowly eat away and will eventually cause health problems for you such as increased stress levels and depression.

Most people don’t like to talk about themselves and statistically men try to put off talking about themselves in any way at any cost. Women are more likely to confront their worries than men, but even this is usually after a substantial amount of time has passed!

Prioritising your emotional well being is the main thing, because if you don’t then you will only make yourself ill through worrying about all the different things that are on your mind. If you have something on your mind, try and deal with it straightaway rather than putting it to one side.

Dealing with things as soon as they happen can often make them easier to sort out than letting them drag on!

If you are having problems, why not talk to our community, they’re always happy to talk…
Diet, General, HealthInfoUK News

Why go Dry in January?

Tea totalOf the three people in the office today one of us for some reason is not drinking (booze) during the month of January… so, the rest of us figured we should make an effort to be supportive.

What’s it all about?

There are many reasons for doing a dryathlon (as it is also referred to), a lot of people simply see it as their new year’s resolution. Often they give up after a few days when they realise all their mates are ‘out to play ‘or someone has a party.
Other people say they are going to be more healthy in January after all the feasting and indulging that they have done over the festive period but again, after a few days of trying to be healthy, a large percentage of people simply give up and slip into old habits.

What are the benefits?

Nobody needs to be told that too much alcohol is bad for them, but what if you were told of all the benefits that you could have just by not having that tipple?
Well, there is the obvious one that jumps straight out, which is that you will save money! Just think what you could do with the extra cash instead of going to the pub or the off licence.
As well as saving money, there are several health benefits. You will sleep better by reducing your alcohol consumption, as well as noticing that you have a better skin tone and a nicer feel to your hair.
Above all, the major thing to come of going dry for a month will be the fact that you will be living a much healthier lifestyle, which in turn will contribute to you losing weight! What better incentive do you need than that?

You can help a good cause!

So with all these great benefits, it sound like a great idea doesn’t it? Well we certainly think it does anyway!

If you want to try and stay dry for January, then you can do it officially by registering through the Alcohol Concern website using the following link: https://registration.dryjanuary.org.uk/

 

You can also get lots of handy information and tips on how to complete the month by visiting https://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/what-we-do/campaigns/dry-january/

 

So will you be able to complete the Dry January challenge? Let us know below…


Source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/dry-january-2015-could-you-8355229

General

5 Sure fire ways to help you stick to your new year’s resolutions!

I know, I know, you hear this every year, and you may even think you read this blog post somewhere before, but have you?

Have you done the things that make a difference to you and your success and really stick to your new year’s resolution this year?

No, of course you haven’t, or you wouldn’t be reading this, would you, eh???

Anyone who works in a management capacity will have come across the term SMART objectives. This are objectives that are:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable/Assignable
  • Realistic
  • Time based

So, how does this help you in loosing the spare tyre you’ve developed, or the want to quit smoking that you start with great gusto every 1st of January?

The trick is how to approach the problem, don’t just crash into a huge resolution and try and achieve it all in one go… This is almost guaranteed to fail, as the minute you have a hiccough it’s all over….. you’ve failed (in your head) and old habits return….

Think SMART!

  1. Start small
    (Read realistic here). If you want to loose 3 stone, start with a pound. If you want to run a marathon, start by putting on your trainers!
  2. Have a plan...
    By the end of March I’d like to have lost a stone, I’d like to run for 40 minutes…. Measurable – I’d like to have achieved this XX by YY (That’s measurable and time -based in two right there!) Work back from your goal, and break it into manageable chunks (there’s achievable again)!
  3. Don’t think resolution…
    Think end game results. I’d like to look good in that suit/dress that I couldn’t fit into this Christmas. I’d like to be able to dance all night at the Christmas party next year without having to sit down, I want to run a marathon, whatever the end game result is…. know it – feel it – own it. This is a specific, measurable, realistic and time-based. Make sure you have it in chunks and it is achievable
  4. Reward yourself…
    that’s with appropriate things, not chocolate if you loosing weight, but maybe a massage or a trip to the theatre, when you’ve hit one of your smaller chunks. Maybe even associate the treats at the time you make the chunks. Really have something to look forward too.
  5. Relax a little…
    If you have achievable, realistic mini-objectives, then a small deviance is not going to derail the plan. If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up….but likewise don’t reward yourself either. You’ll have to wait for the massage until you do actually lose the prescribed amount of weight. Get back on it and remember that the little successes add up to large ones

If you want to chat with other people with similar interests, why not come over to Facebook or twitter to our friendly community and have chat there or comment below.

 

General

New Saliva test could detect Alzheimer’s, Cancer and Baldness all for just £125!!

So… We’ve heard about a new saliva test that has been introduced here in the UK that claims to be able to genetically test your saliva for over 100 pieces of genetic information that could reveal how likely you are to develop certain medical conditions.

Who’s behind the testing?

The company that has created this test is actually a Google backed company called 23andMe, ran by Anne Wojcicki who is the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

It is believed that the test can find out if you are at risk from Alzheimer’s and Cancer, and could even shed light on the likelihood of you going bald! They also claim that the test can reveal information about your ancestry as well.

Is it a godsend?

It seems like this new test could be a godsend when it comes to trying to be proactive with your health, but as with all tests, the results received are not guaranteed to be 100% reliable.

In this tests case, although it may be able to predict (from looking at your genetic structure) the likelihood of Alzheimer’s or Cancer, because the results are not 100% accurate it has been banned in the USA due to the results being unclear and possibly misleading to patients.

Helps check for hereditary conditions

Ultimately, this new test has caused a split decision in the medical world, but if you or someone you know has, or may have had relatives that had any condition that could be hereditary, then it may be of use to see what the likelihood of getting that condition could be!

It may also be handy for prospective parents as this would indicate the likelihood of any genetic indicators that you may have being passed on to your child.

So… Will you take the test?

Do you think this new test is a good thing?

Let us know what you think below…