Keeping your body healthy is something very important, especially as we get older. As a mother myself, I know how difficult it is to work, be a mother, wife and housekeeper.

With such a busy lifestyle it is always good to do exercise little and often or when you can fit it in, for example, taking a walk to your local shop instead of taking the car. This is a good start and you will be amazed how it tones your body and helps weight loss.

One piece of equipment you could keep in the house which is small and will not take up a lot of room is a power plate. I have one myself and find it very useful and do try to go on it when I have a spare fifteen minutes in the evening or at the weekend.

Power plates are very good for toning and come with an exercise booklet. The exercises cover many aspects of the body like toning up your bum, legs, arms and it is also good if you suffer form back problems or weak muscles. If you work on strengthening your stomach, this also helps support the back.

The power plate is also good for circulatory problems, however, always check with the supplier should you suffer from any health issues or if you have any queries or questions ask them and I’m sure they will advise you.

Power Plate machines are becoming accepted in the medical field for the treatment of different types of illnesses and injuries.

From what I’ve read in my own booklet, this type of exercise is good for the following conditions:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Osteoporosis, Diabetes, Arthritis, Rheumatism and Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s Disease, Lower Back Pain, Obesity, Circulation problems, Lymph Oedema, Varicose Veins.

When used, you may feel a slight busy, tingly sensation around the legs or the area where you’ve used the power plate; this is quite normal, in fact, this sensation is your circulation, the rhythmic contractions of the muscle encourage blood circulation.

Parents often have a very difficult job raising children to make sure that they provide them a good start to life and are given the tools to stand on their own two feet eventually.

Other things may cause children issues, be it health or environmental. Indicated here are the top points:

This year there has been a lot in the press about children being obese. This is quite a hot topic because children should be active, fit and healthy. Many of today’s environmental factors may be contributing to this health issue. When I was growing up all I remember is playing outside, riding a bike and running after my friends; now-a-days, children like to sit in front of a computer or Xbox and play games, this is ok providing the parents keep an eye on the amount of time their children are sitting in front of a computer or television. Also, heightened fears about kids’ safety while playing outside can curtail some of their activity. While they are sitting down they are far less active, this could have other implications on digestion, concentration, even delaying going to the toilet. I have seen many children with bad posture, due to long periods of immobility, or the longer they play the more they slouch. Lack of exercise will make children obese, they use less energy, get into bad eating habits, or are allowed to eat in front of the TV or while playing their games.

Drug abuse is also a big problem in today society. I’ve read horror stories of drug dealers hanging outside schools. Peer pressure. Rap music has also been blamed for behavioural problems and drug taking. Smoking is number three on the list. Again most kids smoke because their friends do it and they think it’s cool. Teaching children from a young age that these things are dangerous and of the implications of getting involved may help by encouraging them to go to the library and find information about these topics.

Number three on the list, bullying. When a child is bullied at school, they will make every excuse not to go to school. Try and get your children to open up to you and explain the situation. Talking to the bully’s parent may be an initial step in resolving the issue. If not, bringing it to the headmasters attention may be advisable.

Number four on the list is internet safety. There are many different types of internet security that you can install on the computer. I know of one called net nanny, which I heard about through my husband. You can also use parental options to lock down things you don’t want your children to see. The Xbox has a family timer, from 5 minutes upwards, select an appropriate time for the Xbox to switch off. Stress in number five. Kids may be affected by stress due to exams, problems happening at home, abuse. Depending on the severity of the stress and what is causing it, parents should seek professional help. Often someone neutral could help and the child may open up to them further. Children need stability and a routine, and of course rules, to adhere to.

Teen pregnancy is also on the list. One of parent’s worse nightmares is for their daughter to become pregnant. Again this is something that parents can talk to them about before they start secondary school. I personally do not think that letting a 9-year-old watch a programme about teen pregnancy is wrong, providing it is educational. Showing them newspaper clipping of stories relating to this topic is educational. Being open with your children and building a good relationship is also important. As parents we should be showing them the way and supporting them.

Teaching them the difference between making love and having sex, diseases like HIV, Chlamydia. Sometimes if the parents have had a hard life themselves, it may be about breaking the cycle, to give your own children a better start.

Five mental symptoms of stress are: Low self esteem, irritability, anger, isolated, insecurity.

We have all suffered from anger at some point or another during our existence. This is a human response and better out than in. What I will say is before it turns nasty, take a deep breath, look away and count to ten, or think about going for a stroll around the block. This will give you time to rationalise and think about what you are doing. When anger is taken out on a loved one, they often say “ they made me do it, or they made me so angry they made me do it” So take a few seconds and walk away, this will allow you to calm yourself and stop you from doing something you may regret.

I always think that Tai Chi is a great way to balance your mind, to relieve stress, to calm your mind.

Deep breathing is also good for relieving stress, stop it before it turns into anger!

Getting a good night sleep helps. Sleep helps the short fuse syndrome. When you are tired or have had a few hours sleep, this can make you very agitated, especially if you can’t focus and all you want to do is get some decent sleep instead of listening to people talk, not easy to switch of if you are at work and your boss is giving you tasks to do, or your working on a deadline or project. When you have this feeling, it’s like a volcano waiting to erupt. So again, stop, count and look away for a second, taking a deep breath.

Not skipping meals is a good habit to get into; this can make you feel quite cranky and irritable. The rule applies here too! Get up, walk out and get some lunch, give yourself time to eat, this is very important.

Once home, jump in a warm bath and put in some Epsom salts, this will help the muscles relax. Take long deep breaths while in the bath. Before retiring to bed, drink a warm camomile tea.

How many of us have gone on holiday and ended up getting a stomach bug or flu like symptoms?

Many things can affect our bodies, like the change of weather conditions, air conditioning, especially if you have it on throughout the night, lack of refrigerated foods, drinking water, parasites and other.

The only thing we can do is make sure that we prepare ourselves as best we can to make recovery time less, or if caught in time, you may nip it in the bud, like diarrhoea or flu.

I always take my supplements on holiday with me and an immune busting supplement called Beta Glucan.

Beta Glucan 1, 3 – 1, 6, as supplied by Native Elements, works with the body‘s first line of defence that consists primarily of key immune cells.

Several materials in nature contain Glucans, such as certain mushrooms and oats, but only Baker’s yeast contains the 1, 3/1, 6 linkage. Taking this during an onset of a sore throat, or a stomach bug, (as an example) has been known to shorten recovery time or stop it from becoming worse.

You can get a pill dispenser to last you one or two weeks to cover your vacation time, children can also be given one tablet (recommended age 5 and over). Capsules can even be split apart to make it easier for children to swallow.

Two may be taken if needed; this will depend on the severity of the cold or diarrhoea. I always recommend start with one first.

If the apartment where you are staying does have air conditioning, try to leave it on when you’re out and lower it on your return. If children or adults are asthmatic, I also would recommend not leaving it on at full blast during the night as this may trigger asthma and prevent a viral infection (in the chest).

From first hand experience I can say that it is very difficult.  It is quite annoying when you are out with friends having fun and they decide to go eat at a restaurant, and you are unsure if you are able to eat there, especially when you are hungry.  When they are taking orders around the table and they come to you, everyone is looking at you and you are taking your time because you are being careful and you ask the waiter, “Do you have anything gluten free?” Inevitably you start getting the comments from friends, the ones you have heard so many times that you are actually fed up of hearing, like “there’s always one.”

But it’s actually more than one. Coeliac disease affects one person in every thousand.  Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 45. As a naturopath I have seen children as young as five with this type of intolerance.

While restaurants are getting better catering to people with intolerances, they are still not quite there. They need to do a lot more to cater for those who suffer from intolerances.  Future Health Management maintains a list of restaurants in West London that cater for those who would like to know what restaurants they have available to them. For example, I find Butlers restaurant is pretty good when it comes to intolerances.

It’s not only about food intolerances either. I always ask for no MSG if we eat out at a Chinese restaurant, not because of I’m intolerant, but because i don’t want to put this into my body.

Going out to such a restaurant wouldn’t be a chore for you or the people you are with, in the sense that they would be thinking of you and the things that you could eat, and you would be thinking of them and the restaurant that they couldn’t go to because they don’t cater to your intolerance.

Restaurants are getting better but I still think they have a long way to go. We will get there in the end. In the meantime we can try to minimize our symptoms by working on the liver and excluding those foods that make us feel so ill.

Aluminium is an abundant metal and widely used in many of our products. Aluminium will accumulate in the kidneys, liver and other parts of our body.

Calcium is very important for women, especially when our hormones start to decrease and the menopause start to affect us. Aluminium competes with calcium for absorption and calcium is a very important mineral for our bones and it also interferes with other vital minerals such as phosphorous, zinc and selenium.

Metal toxicity can interfere with fertility and other health issues, such as hyperactivity, learning disorders in children and is linked to many other health issues. Pregnant women and those who are breast feeding their infants should try to avoid all sources.

We have aluminium in many products we use, such as our pots and pans, antacids that have aluminium hydroxide; these can cause disruptions to the digestive system. Glass would be a far better option to use. Other products that include aluminium are toothpastes, deodorants, aluminium coil (contraceptive), foil, juice boxes, kitchen utensils, beverage cans.

The following additives contain aluminium compounds: E173, E520, E521, E523 E541, E545, E554, E555 E556, and E559.

Iron is a good mineral to take in support of reducing the aluminium effects in the body. Those on low aluminium intake have been shown to suffer less from irritability, headaches and memory improvement likewise with concentration levels.

I have just recently read an article about a leakage happening at a water treatment works. Twenty-four years ago, one of the UK’s most notorious pollution disasters occurred. At a water treatment works on the edge of Bodmin Moor, 20 tons of aluminum sulphate leaked into the water supply serving the nearby town of Camelford. He believes Mrs. Cross death was affected by the consumption of this mineral.

But Prof Exley, a world-renowned expert on aluminum, hopes the inquest will do more than finally establish the truth about why Mrs. Cross died (he is convinced that aluminum from the drinking water played a role in her mental deterioration).

If you are interested in reading the full article posted on the telegraph you can cut and paste this link onto your browser.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/9119528/Is-aluminium-really-a-silent-killer.html

If you a family of 3 or four, just how easy do you find putting yourself through a diet plan!

It can’t be easy making different food for yourself when you’re cooking different foods for your family. So why don’t you make your life easier? Or perhaps get the husband to join in with you so that you can both do the plan together.

You can try grilling more instead of frying foods, eat more stews and try to minimise the red meat intake as these meats are high in saturated fats.

Grill some fish and have it with some short grain brown rice and include some vegetables with it or a salad.

As for the kids, fish is good for them and contains good essential fats. Children are pretty flexible if they are taught to eat a variety of foods when they are small, which makes life a lot easier for the parents.

If the husband enjoys grilling on a sunny day, have some chicken or fish, and have this with a baked potato and salad. Most people enjoy baked potatoes including children.

Caesar salad is another good option, it contains chicken and salad, cheese, you can also include grilled peppers (try to minimising on the cheese when you’re on a diet). Drinking water is also very good for the entire family, if children find this hard, then add some fresh mint leaves, or do some juicing at home, this way the whole family will enjoy fresh pressed juices.

Juicing is also good as a cleanser, you can juice, celery, spinach and apple if you like beetroot this can also be included.

You can also try a small buffet, with salad, grilled meat, or wraps with vegetables, salads, rice, the variety is endless.

Try alternating between wheat free for all the family, including the kids. Kids love pasta, and this type is also good for you when trying to lose weight. So make it fun for all, food does not have to be boring when you’re trying to lose weight.