Health Hub

Having a Dry July has great health benefits. We've brought together a collection of articles that could help you with your Dry July.

Motivation to Exercise

By James Anderson on

This whole “exercise thing” can be so annoying. From finding the time to finding the motivation, exercise – can be a real bitch. We both know it’s good for us, so why is it so difficult to stay on top of? Well, I think there are 3 main problems.

Problem #1 - It’s painful. 

We’re genetically wired to try and achieve pleasure whilst avoiding pain. We create a “pleasure hierarchy” for ourselves, putting the most important things first and everything else, well, who cares. After all, which would give you more pleasure? Staying in your warm bed on a cold winters morning or doing burpees at 6am? So how do we overcome this?

Solution - Set goals.


Create an inspiring vision that allows you to rise above “the workout” and able to see the...

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Junk food cravings? We’ve got your back

By Anne Finch on

Cravings are pretty common when we make changes to our diet. It’s a classic response to telling ourselves we can’t have something! Here’s our top tips for dealing with cravings.

1. Investigate your craving

Cravings can make us uncomfortable, so our instinct is to fulfill them at once. Next time, try taking a minute to think about what you really want. Are you tired and looking for a pick-me-up? Are you genuinely hungry? Or bored? Try and meet the underlying need of the craving, rather than a using a Band-Aid solution. If you’re tired, a brisk walk is invigorating (especially in the cold weather!). If you’re hungry, eat something satisfying rather than junk food that will leave you peckish again in half an hour.

2. Distract yourself

If...

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Glowing Green Mocktail

By The Mindful Mocktail on

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cms grated ginger
  • 3 cms grated cucumber
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 6 mint leaves
  • 125 mls sparkling water
  • 125 mls diet ginger beer

Method

  1. Muddle ginger, cucumber, and lime in a bowl. If you don't have a muddler, use the back end of a wooden spoon.
  2. Clap the mint leaves together in your hands to release the scent and add it to the ginger mixture. Give the mint a gentle press with the muddler.
  3. Strain mixture into a glass and add ice.
  4. Top with half ginger beer, half sparkling water.
  5. Garnish and serve.

For more recipes like this, follow @themindfulmocktail on Instagram

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How To Be Happy - 10 Routine Changes Scientifically Proven

By Juice Daily on

Nothing spells a bad day more than spilling coffee on a crisp white shirt come Monday morning, but trivial as it may seem, it can be an instant downer on your mood.

While it’s only natural to get in a funk every now and again – according to a British survey, we have at least 10 grumpy days a year (five hours a week) – it can play an unhealthy part in our overall sense of wellbeing. 

The biggest mood booster for women, according to the Healthspan survey is ‘me time.’ So while you can’t out run a bad day, you can shape and mould your routine a little bit each day to care of yourself and make the overall outcome that bit brighter. 

Here, scientifically proven tweaks to make life happier. 

1. Do exercise you like 

With...

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Work wellbeing starts with team culture. Here are some practical steps to bring your team together.

By Rob Lean on

Wellbeing at work matters. We spend most of our waking lives at or preparing for work. So how can we make our 9-5 a space that enhances (instead of drains) our wellbeing? Here are some practical tools to get you started.


Wellbeing depends on our team

Our teams represent the people we spend the most time with and depend on. These people have an influence on our overall wellbeing and stress levels in the workplace. So, let’s start by reflecting on your team. 

Answer the following questions on a 1-5 scale. (1 = low, 5 = high).

    I feel safe to bring up tough topics when I know that the discussion will benefit our team (1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5)

     When I make a mistake on my team, it is never held against me...

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10 Tips for Eating Out

By Olivia Horvat-Benson on

It can sometimes be a bit “too hard basket” to eat out when you’re on a “diet” or a specific health/food plan that limits what you can eat/drink, not to mention socially isolating; But it need not be like this. Firstly you need to remember that if you are on a “diet” or a specific plan, whether you’ve done it yourself or a healthcare practitioner has advised you of it, the intention for it was clearly to maximise optimal health, so it was a choice and when you make a choice you can’t say that you are missing out, because you’re not. All this means is that you’ll need to think outside the box a little from what you would normally opt for.

Here are some tips to help you.

1) Read the menu thoroughly & ASK questions.

Fancy words and...

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My problem with your drinking: Australia’s hate-love relationship with alcohol

By Paul Harrison on

In the 2015 annual alcohol poll, 34% of Australians said they drink to get drunk, 43% said they had vomited as a result of drinking and 75% said Australia has a problem with excess drinking or alcohol abuse. 

But in the same Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education poll, 92% of Australians identified themselves as responsible drinkers. 

As the young people might say, what the …? A majority of Australians agree we have a problem with alcohol. But almost all say it’s not a problem of theirs – it’s a problem that exists somewhere outside of their world. 

There are both contradictions and abstractions in this discussion. But it makes perfect sense to me.

It’s simply easier to say others are flawed than admit you might be...

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Cherry Burst

By The Mindful Mocktail on

Ingredients

  • 5 cherries roughly chopped
  • 1 lime, quartered
  • 6-8 mint leaves
  • 1 cup soda water
  • Sweetener of your choice to taste, optional (see notes)

Method

  1. Place chopped cherries and lime in a glass. Add a little sweetener if using. Muddle together for about 1 minute. If you don't have a muddler, use the back end of a wooden spoon. The idea is to get it small enough to fit though a straw.
  2. Clap mint together in your hands a few times to release the scent and add to the glass. Give the mint a gentle press with the muddler.
  3. Add ice and top with soda water.
  4. Garnish with lime wheels, mint and/or extra cherries.

For more recipes like this, follow @themindfulmocktail on Instagram

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Raspberry Lime & Mint Mocktail

By The Mindful Mocktail on

Ingredients (serves 1)

  • 8 raspberries
  • 1 lime, quartered
  • 8-10 mint leaves
  • 1 tsp sweetener of choice (opt)
  • Sparkling water

Method

  1. Place raspberries, lime, mint and sweetener (if using) into a glass.
  2. Muddle together for about 1 minute to release the juice from the lime and raspberries, and the flavour from the mint. If you don’t have a muddler, use the back of a wooden spoon or similar.
  3. Top with sparkling water and stir gently.
  4. Add ice and garnish.


For more recipes like this, follow @themindfulmocktail on Instagram


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