Once upon a time people only went to the doctor when they felt sick. For most of human existence there was not much the doctor could actually do when you got there. Yet somehow the human race managed to get through to the second half of the twentieth century when things changed completely.

As technology advanced exponentially we developed a range of treatments so that conditions, which used to be fatal could now be cured. Penicillin as a treatment for bacterial infections is the best example of this. Surgical techniques also improved beyond measure, as did the safety of anaesthesia.

Coupled with this came the advance of medical tests so that disease could be found earlier. People were encouraged to go to the doctor early, as the sooner problems were detected the better. This makes good sense. It is better to treat most conditions in their early rather than advanced stages.

Then it all went one step further.

So you have MOTIVATION but feel weak on the willpower. That is, you’re motivated to workout but don’t have the willpower to turn away dessert. To bring these two power sources together and turn them into one takes, well, motivation and willpower. BUT, if you have one, you certainly have the strength to conquer the other.

At the center of your motivation is a GOAL, ie to get smaller, to get leaner, to build muscle, to run faster, etc. To conjure up your willpower, you have to *include* in your motivation package. You make yourself workout when you don’t feel like it because you can envision what you want.

There is an old adage about a week being a long time in politics. A few weeks ago I wrote a leader in my newsletter about the entitlement mentality. This was sparked by an interesting op-ed piece in the New York Times about the then upcoming French election. The take home message was that the various candidates were outdoing each other to resist the march of globalization and the movement of people and capital. It concluded that despite the promises, France could not escape the reality of the world around it. Specifically it could no more live beyond its means than any other country.

The world is getting more inter-connected and anyone trying to stand against this will be about as successful as King Canute standing against the tide.

Mental health problems are, contrary to popular belief, contagious. It takes only a single pilot foaming at the mouth and running down the aisle of his plane, screaming “there’s a bomb – we’re all going to die.” to induce extreme anxiety disorder in over 300 people. Not to mention a team of aeroplane cleaners.

It’s getting harder to tell the normal from the nut-bag these days, especially in the workplace. Just think about it  – how many of your own co-workers are rowing with only one oar, psychologically speaking? They may not be licking windows or coming in dressed as Napoleon, but gradually you pick up on things that make you wonder if their job interview should have involved electrodes.

Statistics are so commonplace that it is rare these days to be taken aback by them but this one was startling. The number of babies born with symptoms of opiate withdrawal has trebled between 2000 and 2009 in the USA.

This is babies of drug addicted mothers who when they are born are so used to having opiate in their blood stream that they are essentially born addicted and suffer withdrawal when they no longer are getting maternal blood!

Current news about vitamin K is everywhere. In the health and wellness world, vitamin K is the new vitamin D3.

What I’d like to share today, however, isn’t about the vitamin K that can be bottled. I’m talking about supporting your digestive and immune system with a little vitamin Kindness!

When it comes to negative self-talk and unhelpful inner chatter, we Spoonies can really find ourselves in a downward spiral. That negative spin wreaks havoc all over – headaches, IBS, pain levels, mood swings/depression, inflammation, etc.

Do any of these thoughts sound familiar?

What happens when the feedback we get from the world around us is false or changing? If we look into the sky and see it is blue we can be fairly confident that it is not going to rain in the next little while. If we are driving and see a sign saying our destination is 100km away we have a rough idea how long it will take to get there and also to judge our fuel needs. But what if the destination was 200km away? We would be acting on false information and the decisions we make could end up being wrong.

So where am I going with this?

Misleading information makes it harder to plan and do what we need to do as we are responding to something that is not actually real.

You have all seen the ad where the woman scrapes her nail over her skin and it’s so dry, it leaves a trail of flaky skin. It looks ugly, but even worse; it can be itchy and extra sensitive. Or have you ever accidentally spilt a few drops of lemon juice on your hands and it actually stung and burned your skin?
In extreme weather conditions, like winter, the rate of cell renewal slows down dramatically. The reason for this is that the skin is trying to protect itself against the extreme cold and wind by actually thickening up. Thicker skin is not the problem, but when the skin becomes dull and less vibrant, your overall complexion can end up looking dull and sallow.

To stop your skin from becoming flat and grey, you can use super hydrating Serums packed with Hyaluronic Acid to remoisturise your skin.

Language, both verbal and non verbal is the way we communicate. True communication is when the person on the receiving end has the same understanding of what has been said as the person speaking.

Whilst this sounds obvious, much communication breakdown and misunderstanding comes from people having different interpretations of the same words. To quote the second verse of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven:

“There’s a sign on the wall

But she wants to be sure

Cause you know sometimes words have

Two meanings”

Do you groan when you think of trying to lose weight and exercise? Most of us do! Unfortunately, for so many, the very idea of losing weight breeds negative thoughts and feelings. You may even feel as if it’s an impossible challenge.

After all, who wants to think of climbing on those machines in the gym for 30 minutes to take off the pounds? Or even worse, doing sit-ups at home. Yuck!

If losing weight has become a drag, you need to rethink your strategy.

You’ll be glad to discover that you don’t need to go to the gym to lose weight and get the body you want!

Here are five simple activities that will help you get healthy while having a blast: