by Fern Shaw | Sep 10, 2014 | Health and Hydration, Water
Our local whizz, Shelly, just added a page about healthy water drinks ideas, all containing a herb or spice that packs a power punch of health, with the added bonus of tasting good too. Then there was a mention on social media about the incredible healing powers of garlic and it got me to thinking – just how beneficial is garlic to our well-being?
There are apparently numerous benefits – I’m detailing just a few cloves worth here:
- Garlic strengthens the immune system as well as helps to fight chest infections, coughs and congestion. In the winter months garlic is a great food to boost your immune system and ward off colds and flu.
- Cardiovascular disease can be reduced by ingesting garlic. LDL cholesterol is no friend of garlic and the aortic plaque deposits that gather on the walls of your body’s veins can be reduced with the use of garlic too.
- Fungal and bacterial vaginal infections are toast when treated with garlic. When crushed or bruised, garlic releases Allicin which is a sulphuric compound that is a natural antibiotic. WWI soldiers even apparently used crushed garlic on infected wounds suffered in battle. If you decide to take garlic in tablet form be sure to use powdered capsules. The processes used to create garlic tablets destroy the Allicin that is present.
- Garlic regulates blood sugar as it enhances the level of insulin in the blood. This may assist in the control of diabetes. Seek medical advice if you believe the use of garlic could help your condition.
- Garlic is a great source of vitamin B6 which is needed for a healthy immune system and the efficient growth of new cells. Vitamin B6 can also assist with mood swings and improve your cheery disposition!
So, there you have it – 5 fabulous ways to improve your health and general well-being all packed into a clove or two. I wouldn’t try garlic steeped in water though, perhaps leave that one out.
by Fern Shaw | Aug 21, 2014 | Health and Hydration
Last year, I blogged about some perhaps lesser known British trivia. There were the 3 ghosts in a manor house – one apparently being an ape and a cheese rolling tradition amongst other fab bits.
This year, we jump back onto that water wagon (all things water, remember) and we explore a few more bits of the trivial:
The national anthem of the United States – ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’- was composed by an Englishman, John Stafford Smith (1750-1836) from Gloucester. For some strange reason, when I was farm labouring in Kent, I used to sing the first few lines of said anthem. More racial memory stuff going on, I wonder?
The claim for the world’s oldest working railway is disputed between Tanfield Railway in County Durham, which oldest section dates from 1725, and Middleton Railway in West Yorkshire, which has been working continuously since 1758. Choo-choo!
The world’s first modern encyclopaedia was Chambers’ Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, published in 1728 in London. It pre-dates the Encyclopédie of Diderot and D’Alembert by over two decades.
Established in 1734, Bennett’s of Irongate in Derby is the oldest department store in the world, pre-dating by over 100 years the first department stores in the USA, France or other parts of Britain. It is still trading in the original building.
It is in England that the first postage stamps appeared. The first Penny Post was invented by entrepreneur William Dockwra in the 1680’s for delivery of packets within London. The first nation-wide stamp (and first adhesive stamp) was the Penny Black, introduced in 1840 as part of Rowland Hill’s postal reforms. Because Britain was the first country to issue national stamps, British stamps still have the unique distinction of not mentioning the country’s name on them.
The custom of afternoon tea was devised in 1840 by Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, who felt the need for an extra meal between lunch and dinner. She began inviting her friends to join her, and the custom quickly spread around British society and throughout the British Empire. Britain’s first tea room was opened in 1864 by the Aerated Bread Company at London Bridge.
We may not do tea to the standard of the Duchess of Bedford’s, but we do offer a rather fine selection of PG Tips amongst other hot drinks, so you can have your own afternoon tea. We supply the hot water dispenser, you supply the fine bone china, pinkie fingers and sarmies.
by Fern Shaw | Aug 19, 2014 | Health and Hydration
It’s summer. It’s holiday time. But for those of us that are left to sweat it out in the office; cramps, headaches, sore muscles and wish-I-was-on-holiday blues are at an all-time high.
Here are a few tips to keep you moving and grooving at work:
The Lumberjack: Stand and clasp the hands together, resting them on the right shoulder as if holding an axe. Gently swing the imaginary “axe” by straightening the elbows and moving the hands toward the left thigh. Next, bring the clasped hands to the left shoulder followed by a swing to right thigh. Repeat 15 times on each side, or until all office plants have been hacked down.
The Cubicle Wanderer: Take a stroll down the corridor or to the water cooler to catch up with colleagues or welcome a new employee. Or, instead of dialling extensions and sending lazy emails to the manager two doors down, put in some face time. No sneak visits to Mr. Marmaduke’s biscuit tin en route though.
The Stapler Curl: Seated or standing, take the stapler in one hand with the palm facing upwards. Starting at the thighs, bend the elbow and curl the arm up towards the chest, just like a regular dumbbell biceps curl. Pause momentarily and then lower the stapler back down. Continue for 12-15 reps, then switch. Don’t have a weighty stapler? Try using a filled water bottle or a heavy change purse (the vending machine can wait!).
The Namaste: Whether you’re praying for a project extension or for more defined arms, this move has you covered. Seated upright with feet flat on the floor, bring the palms together in front of the chest and push both hands together powerfully until you feel the arm muscles contract. Hold the prayer hands pushed together for 20 seconds. Release and repeat the sequence until you feel a little more Zen.
Righty-oh, that should be enough to get you started. More of these later.
Remember though, whether your office / workplace is icier than the Northern Sea because of the aircon. that’s on at full tilt or its au naturel baking hot, both mean you can dehydrate pretty quickly, so make sure that you increase your water intake to stave off dehydration and match the physical exercise that you’re doing.
by Fern Shaw | Aug 18, 2014 | Health and Hydration
I’m usually not one for bemoaning the passing of celebrities and the subsequent hot topic of the day to do with the manner of their passing that insidiously rages through social media thereafter.
Even though blogging is very much part of social media, I like to think that I still have the common sense I developed as a maturing adult – this being about 15 minutes ago. Mentioned common sense runs along the lines of, ‘Never met the person; their actions and behaviour have little or no bearing on my life and if they choose to sway back and forth on a wrecking ball, more power (aha aha) to them’.
On occasion though, when certain famous people die, I find that it does affect me. Case in point is the death this week of Robin Williams.
I’ve always thought that Robin Williams is funny. Not just funny, but no-holds barred, laugh-out loud, clever funny. When I looked a list of the movies that he was in, it’s actually quite daunting how prolific his career has been. Out of those numerous movies, I’ve probably seen a good 60% of them. More than that, I constantly quote his lines in my everyday life, because I think they’re that funny, that clever or that they spark something in me whether it’s to do with word association or ‘idea’ association. Add to this his physical humour and I just think he’s the bomb.
From: ‘Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary’, from Dead Poet’s Society; ‘…what’s the 0 stand for? Oh my God, it’s early!’ of Good Morning, Vietnam through to ‘… Martha Graham! Martha Graham! Martha Graham! …’ from The Birdcage to his genius ad-libbing in just about every single public performance, his effect on me has been quite something.
I also remember from many of his performances how much he used to sweat. I was going to politely say perspire, but that would just be untrue – Robin Williams sweated. I remember thinking that he reminded me of a rather cuddly bear – but not a bear that you’d pick a fight with. Ever.
I think it made me realise too why you would always see stand-up comedians chugging water on stage. Bright, hot stage lights, level of nervousness keeping you at the precipice of flight mode, throat drying out as you frenetically charge through your act – if I really think about, I’m surprised said comedians didn’t have a whole bank of water coolers behind them! Possibly because, if their gig wasn’t going well they could smash the water coolers as part of their act? Hmmm.
Anyhow, let me not get too far off the beaten path. All I really meant to say was, ’Thank you, Robin Williams, very much. For all that you gave, all that you were and your great, big, fat life’.
“If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates,” host James Lipton asks.
Robin responds, “If Heaven exists, to know that there’s laughter. That’d be a great thing.”
by Fern Shaw | Aug 4, 2014 | Health and Hydration
Last week was the intro. to the rather clever *pointing above* – this week I present *pointing above to the end of the heading*.
We kick off with something rather serious and molto importante:
- 1) Stay out of the sun between the hours of 10am and 3pm. The hottest part of the day during the summer is the most damaging time. Don’t stay out in the sun for long periods of time around the hottest hours; the longer you’re outside, the longer your skin is exposed to the radiation. Get your exercise and activities done in the earlier, cooler hours, or in the later, cooler hours of the day.
- 2) Note that some latitudes advise staying out of the sun between 11am and 4pm. Know what is advised for you particular location and err on the side of being cautious either side as well as during the hours suggested.
- 3) Avoid spraying perfume on your skin in the sun. The psoralens in perfume (especially in citrus perfumes) can permanently stain your skin when they react with the sun. During the summertime, it is recommended that you spritz your clothes with your fragrance rather than your skin.
- 4) Yogurt is a healthy addition to your diet; just be sure it’s natural and not chock-a-block full of sugar. I’ve recently converted to full fat plain yogurt (thanks Mum!) and if nothing else, it certainly helps my digestion.
- 5) No-fat or low-fat diets will cause your skin to dry, wrinkle and age. You need essential fats in your diet to keep your skin moist and supple. The answer is to exclude unhealthy fats (hydrogenated, trans fats, and heat or light damaged fats) from your diet but to keep using healthy fats daily. Nuts and seeds and fresh fish are excellent sources of good fats.
So there you have it, some good advice to keep you hydrated externally (and internally) throughout summer.
I can’t resist, though, reverting back to type and suggesting that, while you practise as above, it can only be a good thing to drink sufficient water too. Enjoy summer folks!
by Fern Shaw | Aug 4, 2014 | Health and Hydration, Water
Humans and animals have always had a rather tempestuous relationship. Everyone has their own belief system about this relationship, mine is pretty simple. I believe that we humanoids are by our mere presence obligated to look after animals. They are pretty magnificent creatures and have every right to enjoy their existence on this Earth. But, then, that’s just me.
Animals have fascinated me since I was the sprog of sprogs. Wild animals especially. Their capabilities have always astounded me, whether it’s an ant that can carry 100x its body weight or how about a hummingbird’s wings that can beat at an astonishing 200 times per second!
So, this led me to wonder – which animals are the heavyweights – hyuk hyuk – when it comes to water storage or the ability to last the longest without water?
As one would imagine, the camel is usually the animal that comes to mind. What is a little surprising though, is that the beautiful giraffe – or ‘jarfie’ as my family calls it – and the teensy kangaroo rat can go as long as the camel, if not longer, without slaking their thirst.
Camels
Camels have humps on their back filled with fatty tissue, not water. But one gram of fat is equivalent to one gram of water when metabolised. Storing fat in their humps, instead of having the fat distributed evenly throughout their entire body, allows the camel to keep cool. Otherwise, the overall body fat would act as insulation and cause extreme heat within the camel’s body. The fatty tissue in the hump is a source of energy and water that the camel uses when needed.
They rehydrate faster than any other mammal, able to gulp down 113 litres of water in just 13 minutes.
Giraffes
Giraffes can go longer periods of time without drinking water than a camel. Giraffes get most of their water intake from plant sources. Acacia leaves are the main plant food source for giraffes. They only drink water once every few days. Their bodies do not have resources to store water. However, their plant diet is plentiful and provides a large portion of their water intake
Growing up to 18 feet in height and weighing up to two tons, these gentle vegetarians need to eat around 34 kilograms of leaves and fruit per day.
Due to the high water content in the food they eat, giraffes have the ability to go weeks without drinking water – though when they do, they do it in a big way, guzzling up to 45 litres at a time.
Kangaroo Rats
In terms of endurance, kangaroo rats blow everybody else out of the water. Not that they need to be in the water either. Kangaroo rats drink water rarely. They live in arid environments and are able to metabolise water from their food, which consists primarily of seeds.
‘Roo-rats can go without water for so long because their bodies have evolved to conserve it. For example, most species of kangaroo rats have no sweat glands. Kangaroo rats may take their eschewing of water a little bit far, however, when you consider their bathing habits. In what may be the least refreshing bath known to the animal kingdom, kangaroo rats clean themselves by rolling in the dust.
