Keep moving

Keep moving

We all know that exercise is very important for our well-being. But how much and what kind of exercise?

I know that it can become quite difficult to get the needed steps into your daily routine even if you set out with the best intentions. Lets face it, we all sit too much. And here is the advice you may have read somewhere else a hundred times: Try and leave the car as much as possible. Go for a little walk in your lunch break and use the stairs instead of the lift. You can even contemplate doing the same thing as my old neighbour use to do. He went for a walk every evening around the block and that way got all the new gossip of the neighbourhood as well as the exercise. Bonus here!

I noticed that some people have taken up exercise classes or even running. My advice here: Don't overdo it. I always feel nervous when I see people running or cycling up hills and being really red in the face. They sometimes do it in the heat of the day. This cannot be good for your health and they definitely don't look as if they enjoy themselves. 

It also always freaks me out when I read about the casualties in Marathons, or when I see the highly distressed runners at events. So think about what happened to the first person who ran a Marathon. He died but at least he had a purpose to run. 

Maybe you could try and do purposeful exercise. Instead of going by car to do the shopping, use your push bike. Or use your bike for the next trip to the garden centre or the outing on Sunday. What about a nice walk next Sunday to the next pub for lunch? By that way you can have a beer as well because you are not driving. Bonus here as well! 

I think it is more healthy to incorporate exercise in our everyday life instead of doing a particular exercise like running or doing classes. What is the point of driving to the gym and then getting on an exercise bike to warm up? Wouldn't it be better to get to the gym by bike instead? Think about how you can incorporate the exercise you need into your daily routine, but I do understand that not everybody is able to walk to work. It is definitely worth thinking about it instead of risking your life by imposing unusual stress on your system by doing strenuous exercise you only do once in a blue moon. So keep moving but keep safe as well.

Photograph by Roger Giraud-Saunders

Short and Sharp

Short and Sharp - the Problem with Plastic

I can remember when I moved in to my first flat. This was in 1986 and as I was always interested in natural ways I set myself a challenge. I didn't want anything made out of plastic. Let me tell you that this was very difficult and expensive as well. Can you imagine the cost of a plastic bowl, colander, sieve and measuring jug against the cost of a metal or glass one? So there were some Christmas presents or birthday presents which were just kitchen utensils. But guess what? Most of them I still have today and they almost look as if they never have been used. After 32 years of constant use.

I read the articles in the newspapers about the tons of plastic we produce and I get really scared. We don't need all this plastic. How was it before we used all this plastic? What can we do to avoid this plastic? It is so obvious now that we should take our own bag shopping. And at the local butchers here you can have your bottle refilled with milk. I also take my empty shampoo, laundry liquid and washing up liquid bottles to the health food store to have them refilled. Some on them are 10 years old now and still going strong.

I also started to look at products with different eyes. Is it packed in a way which is appropriate or is there too much packing? I stopped buying a hand cream which was very nice but in a kind of pump container with too much plastic. I don't buy that anymore. I go for the tube version which is still but less plastic. I also prefer the fruit and vegetables which are on cardboard trays if I don't have a chance to go to the farmers market.

When we were emptying the compost we found that the teabags were not decomposing anymore because they are made with plastic. I will not buy teabags anymore. The next time we have to buy tea it will be loose leaf tea and if I want a herbal tea, I get some leaves out of the garden.

Has anybody any more ideas? Is there more we can do to avoid plastic? There was a life before plastic and I wonder if we can find the way back because we have to do something!

Hay Fever

Hay Fever

When I was young hardly anybody suffered from Hay Fever. That has changed a lot. Today there are a lot of people who do not look forward to the warm season. Spring with all the flowers and pollen in the air brings a lot of suffering for them.

But actually Hay Fever is not a fate you have to live with. There are things you can do about it. One thing that is very important is your diet. Try and keep it free from artificial colours and sweeteners. Remember, anything artificial is not good for your system and it likely to trigger an over reaction which is what every allergy is. 

One thing I would advise is that you do not take any supplements or vitamins before you have consulted your GP. It is not a good thing to take anything when you actually do not need it. If you take vitamins you do not need, the best outcome is that the body will get rid of it but that creates more work for the kidneys. The worst outcome is that you actually do some damage to your body. The same happens with other food supplements, so please check with your GP before you take any pills or powders. A blood test can usually determine if you are lacking something.

Another thing you should watch out for is cosmetics. Yes, I'm talking about your deodorant, the shampoo, the lipstick and the daily cream that you are using. Almost everything that touches your skin or can be breathed in because you spray it in the air has potential to damage your health and trigger allergies such as Hay Fever. So be very mindful about what you are using on your body and skin. It should be as natural as possible.

Don't forget to replenish you hydration levels once you started to tear and dribble all over the place. So drink plenty of water. And don't forget the disposable tissues. 

 A good way to try and dilute the pollen count in your nose is to rinse it with sterile water or a mild saline solution you can make yourself by boiling a teaspoon of table salt with half a liter of water and let it cool. A nasal douche helps nicely with that.

Inhaling steam is a good way to calm swollen airways down. You can use chamomile or a tea spoon of table salt. Put it in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over it. Now sit down and bend your head over the bowl, then cover your head with a towel. Be careful, it will be hot so take regular breaks and adjust the distance so that it feels comfortable. And be careful not to scald yourself. This is not suitable for children. When you finished inhaling, don't go outside for a quarter of an hour to let your airways calm down.

And don't forget that there is Homoeopathy which can help you in acute situations but can also help with long term, constitutional treatment to get rid of the symptoms of Hay Fever.

After all: We all want to be able to enjoy the warmer weather without suffering. Happy Spring.

Nettles as food

Nettles as food

The weather is better now, the mist cleared away and the sun is shining. So is spring here now and will it stay???

Spring is usually the time for a spring clean in the house after the long winter and it is a good idea to do this with the body as well to get rid of all the bad effects of overeating during Christmas and Easter. You might even be able to get rid of the fat around your waist you accumulated during the whole of winter. A good way of doing this is by eating nettles.

Yes, I'm talking about the WEED in your garden or even the one you find in woods and fields. It is actually quite delicious. I pick the early leaves in spring and add them to salads. I use gloves to pick them. They have to be washed carefully and then I cut the whole tip in very fine strips. The salad dressing takes the sting out of them a bit but not entirely. I actually quite like it when it tingles a little bit in the mouth. It saves me putting salt in the dressing.

If you are a bit more sensitive about that you can actually boil them. They are nice with cooked rice, in soups or alone as a soup. Some people say they cook just like spinach, but I don't think so.

If I do a soup I only use the leaves because the stalks can be quite woody.

Here is a recipe but you can also experiment. You can decide on the quantity.

Fry a diced onion in a bit of sunflower oil then add the thoroughly washed nettles and let it sweat for a bit longer. Fill up with COLD water or stock (or use a stock cube) and add some cut up potatoes. Let it boil till the potatoes are soft and then mash with a blender. You can also leave it chunky. Season to taste and you have a wonderful soup.

You can also use nettles for a healthy infusion by just washing some sprigs, putting them in a mug and pouring some boiling water over it. Leave to brew for 10 minutes and drink hot. This is very cleansing so be prepared to go to the loo.

I love nettles, they are not only a beautiful plant, they are also a very useful source of food for many insects, and for you, if you want. They contain iron, vitamin A, silica, calcium and lot of other minerals. Apart from that they contain other substances which help the body to stay healthy and deal with a lot of health issues.

My mother used to tell me that a nettle sting was good against rheumatism when I was complaining after being stung. Well, I don't know if that is true or scientifically proven but I haven't had any trouble so far, but I can remember being out in the garden and weeding hip-high nettles with bare hands. This was an experience! Now I do wear gloves to pick them for my meals.