Tag: wellbeing

Articles

How varied is your diet?

What we eat can have a profound effect on our general well-being.  The foods we eat influence the population of our gut microflora.  Much of the serotonin in our bodies is produced in the gut.  Serotonin often referred to as the ‘happy chemical’ plays important roles in the brain’s biochemistry and is intimately involved in facilitating sustained and deep sleep, maintaining a healthy mood and self-confidence, and even supporting a healthy appetite and social engagement!

To support optimal gut health aim to eat a diet that is:

  • Low in sugar, moderate in starchy carbohydrates
  • Contains good healthy fats, including the omega-3 essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA found in oily fish, chia seeds, etc.
  • Plenty of vegetables, which are high in fibre, vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients.

A healthier and happy gut = a healthier and happier you!

However, we often get stuck eating the same food without realising… cereal or toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and pasta for supper.  All these foods are made from wheat, which is highly refined so contains very few minerals and vitamins.

To help you eat deliciously diverse foods which are key to good gut health, download and print off the sheet below and see how many foods you can eat in a week!

If you have children, this is a fun challenge to get them involved in too!

Give it a go and see if you can reach 50 foods in one week!

Share your completed sheets on social media and tag @the_modern_glow

The Modern Glow 50 Foods Challenge

Articles

Working well

As we enter lockdown number two and more of us than ever before are working from home, it’s time to start taking our wellbeing at work seriously.  The concept of self-care or wellness is largely restricted to our leisure time.  We might plan a weekend pampering with friends or book a massage for the evening.  Unfortunately, with lockdown restrictions, even these normal escapes aren’t possible.  However, there are still things you can do to safeguard your well-being when working from home.

My Five Tips to Help Create a Calm and Productive Workspace at Home:

  • Get into a habit of taking a lunch break.  It may seem an overwhelming prospect sometimes, and it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of eating at your desk.  However, once you establish a routine of taking a break, you will find that things do not fall apart in your absence.  The respite from your desk will leave you feeling energised and more efficient.
  • Turn your home office into a place of calm and productivity. Do what works for you to help create that sanctuary.  It may be a decent work chair rather than the makeshift chair you have been using.  It may be keeping your desk tidy and orderly so you don’t spend time and energy rummaging for essential items, perhaps some calming background music, or maybe some stylish stationery, diffusing some essential oils might help or introducing some house plants to your work area, that can help purify the air and reduce stress… whatever helps you create a space of calm and productivity.
  • Prepare your lunch the night before. Base it around a protein of your choice, some good fat, and lots of vegetables to help keep you full and avoid any mid-afternoon slump in energy.  You can check out my recipes page if you are struggling for ideas.
  • Keep water on your desk and rehydrate yourself throughout the day.  If you struggle, try drinking the water at room temperature and add things like lemon and lime slices, or cucumber and mint, or fresh rosemary (which helps with memory and concentration) to jazz it up.
  • Most important, be kind to yourself.   Give yourself permission to take a day off and fully recover from a heavy cold, for example.  Try to maintain your normal working hours, so that work time is separated from family/leisure time.   These are strange times, and you are doing the best you can.