In today’s helter-skelter world, there’s no time for labored health programs or overly-extensive workouts in your quest for looking and feeling good. What the modern person needs are quick fixes that work. Here’s a list that’s guaranteed to make you feel better in minutes!
1. GET YOUR DOSE OF B12
Vitamin B12 is the new buzzword amongst health-freaks. Studies have shown that up to 40% of us are lacking in B12, making us feel tired and cranky. In some deficiency cases, symptoms include mood swings, poor memory, sleeplessness and tingling in the arms and legs. Deficiency of B12 is especially common in vegans, vegetarians and those who eat little meat, fish or eggs. The newest and coolest solutions are the Vitamin sprays that help restore your energy fast. Two squirts under the tongue and you’re good as new, and there isn’t even any caffeine or alcohol involved! Check out the B12 Energy Booster (Mercola.com) or Shot-O-B12 (nutricentre.com).
SECRET: Lillian Too takes shots of B12 daily!! “Helps to keep me going forever,” she says.
2. SLIMMING POWDERS
Everyone wants to stay slim, and while looking good is a top reason not to overeat, overloading at lunchtime also makes you far less productive in the afternoon hours. Here’s where Slimsticks can help. Unlike other slimming solutions that pump up your metabolism to malfunctioning levels, or slimming teas that keep you running to the bathroom every 20 minutes, slimsticks come in convenient sachets you can mix into your water, tea or coffee anytime of the day! They come in packaging discreet enough to carry around in your handbag and can help you fight hunger pangs for up to 8 hours. As well as helping you stay slim, you’re bound to feel lighter, brighter and more energetic. Go to slimsticks.com for more info.
SECRET: Renee Zellweger is a fan. Helps her get stick thin in days!
3. BAREFEET WITHOUT GOING BARE
Recent research shows that the best footwear for running and fitness training could actually be wearing no footwear at all. But going barefoot while training or doing any kind of athletic sport has its own perils – broken glass, twigs and splinters among them. Vibram have come up with the solution. Its Five Fingers range of footwear fits like a glove over your foot, and provides all the benefits of going barefoot while averting the dangers of doing so. Designed to allow the foot to move and work in a completely natural way, FiveFingers provides a solution for reducing knee pain and soreness when training. And oh so comfortable! Check out these cool new shoes at vibramfivefingers.com
SECRET: Regular runner Gwen Stefani has been snapped wearing these five finger wonders.
4. BECOME GOOD FRIENDS WITH AN OSTEOPATH
Everyone needs a good osteopath in their life. With so much time spent crouched in front of a computer these days, back issues have become a chronic problem and affects most of us at some point of our life or another. Back pain can be constant or intermittent, and stay in one part of the back or radiate to other areas of the body, and because the spine is a complex interconnecting of bone, muscles, tissues and ligaments, a small misalignment somewhere can cause other areas to go out of line so easily. Osteopathy is a medical practice that emphasizes the interrelationship between all the different structures and parts of the body, and regular sessions with a good osteopath can work magic at curing back problems altogether. Once you find a good osteopath, keep up regular treatment sessions, because it is as good at prevention of problems as it is at curing them.
SECRET: Ask Jennifer – her osteopath is the best in Malaysia. Playing polo and horse riding can be rough. She needs someone to keep her back safe and supple.
5. GET YOUR DAILY DOSE OF SUNLIGHT
According to much modern medical research, almost 50% of us are deficient in Vitamin D. Deficiency can lead to all kinds of problems including osteoporosis and poor immunity to all kinds of flu bugs and other illnesses. It can also be a problem for those prone to weight gain. But because Vit D is a fat soluble, there are risks associated to ingesting supplements of Vit D. The good news is that an all-natural Vit D source is sunlight, which is non-invasive, non-dangerous and free! So getting your daily dose of sun energy on your bare skin is actually very good for you! Studies have shown that as well as making you healthier, enough sunlight can also improve your mood and happiness levels. So make it a point to take a daily sunbath if you can. For those of you living where sunshine is scarce, be sure to book in a holiday in the sun once every six months, for that’s how long the Vit D created can last in your body.
6. NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST
While breakfast is the easiest meal to skip – as most of us are in a rush early in the morning – it is also the most damaging to leave out. A study recently showed that skipping breakfast makes you 30% heavier over time. So those of you who make a conscious choice to avoid breakfast for weight control purposes should rethink your strategy. But missing breakfast can also make you sluggish and irritable in the morning. While you also shouldn’t stuff yourself with a huge cooked breakfast if that’s not your style, make it a point to eat a small portion of fruit, yoghurt or nuts in the morning. Pair that with your usual morning coffee. You will be surprised how much difference a few calories in the early part of the day can make to your productivity.
7. INVEST IN A MAGIC MIRROR
Mirrors are incredibly useful in feng shui; they can be used to double the food on the table, regularize a space, recreate a missing corner or even deflect poison arrows. But more than that, mirrors can make you feel good about yourself. Never make do with a mirror that makes you look fat or unattractive. If you have one of those slightly convex mirrors – no matter how slight – they can give your cheeks the chipmunk bulge or add inches to your arms and waist. Be sure to invest in a good quality mirror, and when you find one, install it in pride of place in your home so you can admire yourself each time you leave the house. Just be sure not to have it facing the front door, as doing so causes all the wealth and good energy that enters to exit right away.
SECRET: Ask Lillian Too about her magic mirrors… she has quite a collection of these powerful implements.
8. PLAY THE RIGHT MUSIC
Music has a huge effect on how you feel. Playing happy music puts you in a good mood, while playing melancholic music, no matter how beautiful, can get you into a depressive state, particularly if you’re already headed in that direction. When you’re down, it’s almost a masochistic joy to play music that makes you cry, but be careful you don’t get caught in a downward spiral. Do choose your songs with this in mind and be selective about what you put into your iPod.
9. INSTALL ANGRY BIRDS
Angry birds have developed a huge cult following, putting it right on the top of the list of most downloaded iPhone apps and is enjoyed by players of all ages from age 5 all the way to those nearing the triple digits. It’s not so difficult that you take too long to complete each level, and it is challenging enough to use as a good sleep aid for 5 minutes relaxation before bedtime. Also great for those monotonous commute journeys some of us have to make, or to fill just about any waiting time. Unlike real anger which you should work at suppressing with the Red Eagle cure or the Ksitigarbha Fireball – this anger is a great stress reliever, letting you shoot robber pigs with rainbow-coloured birds. If you haven’t played it yet, what are you waiting for?
SECRET: Brad Pitt is a fan. So is George Clooney!!
10. SNEAK IN SOME EXERCISE
You don’t need to make a special trip to the gym to fit in exercise into your lifestyle. Try incorporating exercise into your daily routine by pacing up and down the room while you talk on the phone, standing up instead of sitting down whenever you can, dancing in your seat while typing at the computer, or stretching your back, legs, arms and calf muscles. While making the effort to integrate this kind of exercise into your life may not make a huge difference taking off the pounds, it sure will elevate your spirits. Jogging, moving and shaking wakes up the cells in your body and is another trick to getting your metabolism and your mental health up.
