Incl. sneezing into your elbow (!).
Incl. sneezing into your elbow (!).
It’s pretty much a sure bet that if you haven’t had the (completely awful) flu this season, you know someone who has, or does right now.
Those in the know are saying it’s the worst one we’ve seen in five years and that certainly seems to be the case with our Gold Coast pals, many of whom have spent weeks in bed with it.
In honour of spring, and because surely its time for the flu to leave now, we’ve listed the top five ways to avoid the nasty bug. You’re welcome.
1. Wash your hands at every opportunity, especially before eating. This absolutely necessary process take 8.7 seconds of your life but it’s often something that’s forgotten in the haste of, you know, doing other stuff. Quite obviously the more you wash your hands, the less germs there are and the less likelihood of illness. Be one of those people and buy yourself a hand sanitizer to carry about too.
2. Encourage people (we want to say kids but some adults also need to be told) to sneeze into their elbows if there are no tissues (or hankies, right Dad!) around. You don’t even realise how many things you touch throughout a day that others also have to touch. This is how germs spread guys, sneeze securely.
3. If you are sick, for the love of God, stay home. If you can’t get to the Doctor call our good mates Dial A Home Doctor and they’ll come to you – best. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in an office with no windows and an air conditioner that’s happy to disperse illness to anyone who can breathe (that’s everyone). Arrange to work from home if possible and if it’s not, stay home anyway, work can wait. Tell ‘em we said so.
4. If everyone around you is sick, or even if they aren’t, load up your meals with veggies, garlic, ginger, turmeric, all of the immune boosting things. You should do this regardless of the season and potential bugs in the air because a healthy immune system is the key to a healthy life and that’s a fact yo.
So there you have it, together we can eradicate this terrible flu and get outside and enjoy the spring sunshine we all very much deserve.
POST SPONSORED BY Dial A Home Doctor.
Words by Kirra Smith.
No matter how you’re feeling right now or what you’re current situation is, there’s no doubt we can all use a little bit more health and happiness in our lives. So we’ve collected the five top tips to ensure your week is that little bit healthier from now on in. Take care of yourselves Gold Coasters.
Get up an hour earlier
It doesn’t seem like much but you’d be surprised how much you can fit into an hour. There’s nothing worse for your brain than waking up, going to work, going home, watching TV and going back to bed – where’s the relaxation? Instead of reaching straight for your phone the minute you wake up, roll straight out of bed and into some sort of exercise or stretching routine, play with the dog, cook yourself a healthy breakfast and ease into your day. You’ll soon see that starting your morning in a slower, more relaxed way sets the tone for the rest of your day.
Plan your meals
It sounds a little bit like something your Nanna would do but trust us, planning your meals will make life a million times simpler and healthier. Everyone knows what happens when you go to the supermarket after work, usually on an empty stomach and with very little willpower – you end up with an entrée of cheese and biccies followed by garlic bread and a big old bowl of spaghetti bolognaise. Delicious sure, but not so much on the healthy side. Planning allows you to choose healthy options, buy everything you need at once and not be tempted by the lure of excessive carbs.
Sleep enough
Ahh the ever elusive shut eye. It’s highly likely you aren’t getting enough of it what with work, exercising, eating and those all-important Netflix binges taking up so much of your time. Something’s gotta give though and usually that thing is your health, or your sanity. They say you need at least eight hours but in truth, you need as much as you need. If you’re tired, sleep more, it’s imperative to both your mental and physical health (and the people who have to put up with you). If you need a nap through the day, go for it, this is your permission slip.
Take time out
You’ve been hearing people bang on about the miraculous benefits of meditation for awhile now and those people aren’t lying. It is one of the best ways to calm your mind, find out the answers to life’s big questions and generally just take time out from the chaos of day to day life. Seems overwhelming though right? Sitting down in silence and trying not to think. It can be simple though, start with five minutes of deep breathing and don’t be discouraged if your mind wanders, just stay there and enjoy the serenity, before you know it you’ll crave that time out.
Move your body
Although it’s easier said than done to get up off the couch when it’s cold out, the benefits are about three million fold. Even if you just go for a short walk around the block or do some easy stretching, your body will absolutely thank you. There are plenty of online workouts and yoga classes to choose from too so you don’t need to spend money on exercising to see the benefits. Morning is probably the best time of day to move, it’ll make you feel good all day but anytime will do. You’ll be happy you did.
Words by Kirra Smith
Goals for the New Year can be the bain of your existence and, let’s be real, there’s no point setting them if they’re terrifying and unattainable. Never fear, we’ve brought in the big guns to help you get sorted for 2018.
Local Gold Coast pharmacist Holly Louise, better known by her alias #thefitpharmacist, who has provided us with some hints and tips to sticking to your New Year’s goals.
The perfect time to make resolutions for the year ahead. But are they the same ones you have made every year?
What has held you back from achieving your health and fitness goals in the past?
In society today, everyone wants results without putting in the time and effort required to achieve them. Rather than setting aside time to gather information, gain knowledge, and construct a reasonable plan for accomplishing their “goals”, people are often looking for quick fixes. So when they don’t reach their goals in the first few weeks, they lose interest and quit.
The importance and value of goal setting is often overlooked and the biggest mistake most people make is setting unrealistic or unspecific goals. “I want to lose weight” or “I want to get fit” are the most common ones I come across with my clients. The difference between setting these goals and actually achieving them is in the details. The most effective way to set a goal AND achieve it is to follow the SMART approach:
SPECIFIC
Your goal must be specific rather than general in order to be effective. Setting large, vague goals will not motivate you to achieve them.
MEASURABLE
Measuring progress towards the achievement of the goal is essential. If a goal is not measurable it is not possible to know whether you are making progress towards completion. Measuring progress helps you stay on track, reach your target dates and continue putting in the effort required to reach the ultimate goal. Remember, what can be measured, can’t be managed.
ACHIEVABLE
It must be possible for you to achieve your goal. Setting unachievable, unattainable goals is pointless. You will be doomed from the outset. You yourself need to be capable of implementing your goal.
RELEVANT/REALISTIC
Your goal must be relevant to the resources and constraints available to you. Your goal should be challenging, but not so big or complex that you will lose the motivation to achieve it.
TIMELY
A goal must have a deadline. This will provide you with the necessary focus and sense of urgency to make it happen.
Take some time now to think about what benefits you would gain from goal setting and finally being able to achieve your New Year’s goals. It is a good idea to set a few action-oriented SMART goals and revisit them often. Not only will this give you a game plan, but it will keep motivation levels high as you start reaching them. The sum of achieving many small short term goals all add up to big changes in the long term!
Time to make this year your best year yet!
By Holly Louise #thefitpharmacist
Is there anything more peaceful than floating along Tallebudgera Creek on a sunny, windless morning with a paddle board under your feet?
How about anchoring close to the shore for a relaxing yoga class while the tide gently rocks beneath you.
Now you can do both in the one glorious, zen-inducing morning thanks to local yokl, a Gold Coast company passionate about connecting travellers to locals and uniting them with the heart of our city.
Stand up paddle boarding can be somewhat of an art unto itself and while some balance is required, at least if you fall off, you’ll be splashing into the crystal clear waters of Talle Creek for a refreshing dip. It’s win win.
After cruising up the creek, instructor Sarnia has you dock the boards close(ish) to the shore to begin the yoga portion of the experience.
The practice starts off gently with meditative breathing and stretching and moves into stronger poses tailored to your strength and balance abilities.
After around an hour of asanas, including a few minutes to test out your skills with something a little trickier, it’s time for a closing meditation laying on the board, eyes closed with the sounds of birds, waves and laughing children floating by.
Paddling back to the starting spot might just be one of the most relaxing experiences of your life after that.
Once you’re back on dry land, have a quick dip and join Sarnia for a healthy, delicious breakfast by the creek and be on your merry way.
Paddle board yoga is such a beautiful way to experience one of the Gold Coast’s most breathtaking natural sights and what better way than on the water with a relaxing workout thrown in for good measure.
HOURS: Various (we recommend a sunrise session).
LOCATION: Meet at Kevin Gate Park, Awoonga Ave, Burleigh Heads.
Words by Kirra Smith
