Health Advice

In the current climate of economic turmoil you may be experiencing the odd sleepless night due to stress, work pressures or from day to day issues that life throws at us.  Dr Neil Stanley from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital has as many as one in five people waking up in the early hours.  Sometimes this is a sign that the body has had enough sleep but on other occasions it might be a result of the turmoil inside.  To help get a good nights rest it’s best to avoid stimulants such as coffee, alcohol and foods like bacon and cheese before bed.  Research has also shown that lack of light in the room also helps set sleep as it stimulates the production of sleep inducing melatonin in our brains.

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A sweet which has been around for years and now been termed as the ‘Super –Sweet’, Liquorice is now being eaten by Celebrities and high profile stars such as Brad Pitt and celebrity chef like Heston Blumental.  In China Liquorice is known as the Great Detoxifier.  It’s also believed to ease asthmatic coughs, relieve exhaustion and stress, balance hormones, offer pain relief, reduce hangovers and aid slimming!  No wonder it’s being called a Super Sweet.  During the Second World War the British Army issued Liquorice bars to the troops after learning that the Japanese used the bars to help quench thirst in the jungle.

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A study performed in the Northumbria University suggests that eating chocolate could help boost the brains ability to do maths.  The study showed that participants performed significantly better at mental arithmetic after drinking a cocoa drink that continued a large amount of Flavanols.  This is the same substance that is found in chocolate and known to increase blood flow to the brain.  Having this drink also left individuals less likely to feel tired or mentally drained - this is the research that was presented at the British Psychologicical Society conference.  One of the professors, David Kennedy who was the co – author of the study said “for work that is mentally demanding chocolate could help”

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Got to admit, as soon as this thing was being marketed as a legitimate way of getting people to do “real” exercise, I had some suspicions. Stand on a board, and move about, a little little bit. Hmm….

I’ve looked online for reviews, for hard facts and figures, and I honestly can’t find much. A few people say they’ve lost some weight and toned up, but only by spending a minimum of half hour on it at least 4 times a week. And if they spent that in the gym, they’d probably lose more weight!

If you’re looking for that quick fix to weight loss – it still hasn’t been found!

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Every year the magazines report on the latest fitness crazes that are sweeping the nation. From the weird and wonderful, to the daft and sometimes dangerous, people will try anything to shift those extra pounds – and more often than not, they’ll hate every second!

The next step in selling magazines and products is to come up with a “fun new way” of getting your ass in gear and making it smaller. How often does that actually happen? How many different ways can there really be of making someone bounce around enough to work up a sweat and get the heart rate going long enough so that 1) they burn fat, 2) they keep it going long term to achieve something but don’t pass out!? Not very often.

However, a new class is tentatively appearing in gyms and dance studios, and bolstered by the recent Girls Aloud tour – pole dancing.

No longer just an activity for questionable clubs and sleazy old men, women up and down the UK are getting their shorts and t-shirts out (not a string bikini in sight!), and having a go - to get fit! And enjoying themselves too!

Great aerobic exercise, and excellent for toning and stretching the muscles – try it and see!

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To fast track to a super healthy person there are some foods which contain more nutrients then others and are easy to incorporate into your diet.

Broccoli is one of them - it’s one which you can either cook or have raw. It’s packed with anti oxidants and rich in folic acid helping fight against heart disease. It’s also packed full of anti aging nutrients. Alongside Broccoli Olive Oil is the other superfood which is a good source fat and better than vegetable oil or sunflower oil. Due to the high content of mono-unsaturated fatty acid and anti-oxidants substances studies have shown that it’s it protects against heart disease by controlling bad cholesterol.

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