Bloggin Noggin

Stress is all around us everyday. As we take each day one at  time in these unusual and frightening times our stresses may be different. Rushing to get to work on time and drop the kids off may have been replaced for now by trying to battle with home schooling and manage Zoom calls. Financial and health worries are in the forefront of our every day thoughts in ways that they may not have been before. Loneliness and isolation are the new norm for some of us as we face another day indoors. 

Our immune system is big news these days. There has never been a more important time to think about taking care of immune system and doing all we can to make sure our immune defence weapons are sharp and fully loaded. 

Here are some podcasts which are all centred around issues of mental health and thinking.  These podcasts will provide tips and tricks for positive thinking during this period. Happy listening!

Digestion starts when we put food our Mouth. Our gnashers work to grind the food down  in partnership with our saliva. This chewing action, combined with release of enzymes ( chemicals that help with the break down of our food) ensure that the food is broken down in such a way that we can absorb what we need to from the food as it passes through our digestive system. 

Tomatoes are a major source of lycopene, an antioxidant, which gives the fruit it's vivid colour. As well as lycopene, they also contain various other plant compounds, including beta-carotene, narigenin and chlorogenic acid.

With so much going on at the moment, we are all facing a new normal. Simple changes to our daily routines can make a difference to how we feel.

Another Monday morning, another week staying in to stay safe. Feeling the pressure? Here's some suggestions to help your feel better.

Monday morning. Even thought our normal routines are far from normal at the moment that Monday morning can still bring a sense of panic at all the things that need to be done today or in the coming week. And now there is home schooling, the constant fear of illness and the fact that we are separated from loved ones to contend with as well.

The challenges of eating healthily whilst on lockdown are there - access to food, access to healthy food, access to fresh food, the motivation to make or eat something healthy when we are surrounded by Easter chocolate and the constant desire to snack throughout the day are just some.

What our immune systems do? Our immune systems are  a hugely complex operation. Our immune defences take different forms- from barriers that we can see, such as skin and those little hairs inside our nose, to the huge array of clever processes that go on beneath the surface.

Get up for 5 minutes in every hour ( at least). Some clever watches or movement trackers might already prompt you to do this but you don’t need to have this to remind you to get up and give your self a jump start. Sitting for too long is health issue all on its own - you may have heard the phrase the sitting in the new smoking- so it is really important to beware of this at home.

Defined as an 'adverse reaction people have to pressure and demands placed on them' the good news is that the emotional impact of stress is often temporary. But there's a reason your GP asks how stressed you feel when they see you: stress has a big impact on our whole health, especially our brain health.