Are you always in a hurry? 🏃 ♂️ Do you constantly live life by the clock?⌚️ 

Maybe it’s time to slow down? ⛔️

How would you describe the year so far? Would “stressful” be up there with words you’d select? Life is moving very fast and pressures can come at us from all angles (e.g. work, home, family, community, social responsibilities) so it always feels like there’s never enough time in the day… right?

Do you stop to give thanks? I’m sure you do, but do you make it a daily ritual? Do you dedicate time towards intentionally giving thanks for all that is good in your life?

You probably already know that the benefits of walking are plentiful and there’s a lot of research demonstrating the healing effects of nature for you, in particular your health and your mood. 

However, the power of walking together with a loved one through nature is even more powerful and beneficial. In one study, scientists investigated the effects of a 20 minute walk between a mother and daughter either in a shopping centre or in an area of nature. Researchers found that the nature walk resulted in more positive interactions and closeness between the pair, when compared with their walk in the shopping centre. In addition, the nature walk led to a greater improvement in their attention too.  

When someone asks you “How’s everything going?” is your default instinctive answer “Yeah… busy!” but then you might quickly realise that’s not the perfect answer so you qualify it better by saying “Oh but it’s good busy!”. Is this you?

It’s true we’re busy these days as we have an infinite amount of choices to help us occupy our time. There’s no shortage of things to do, people to see or work to be done. But is there a cost to constantly having all our time filled up, even if it is “good busy”?

Are you being a good friend to someone? Are you appreciating the role friendships play in your overall health (and maybe even your life expectancy)!

Enjoying strong friendships brings a wealth of benefits, many of which are obvious. But one gift of close relationships that you may be less familiar with, is the potential power to become a “SuperAger! 

A SuperAger is someone who is older than 80, but who is as mentally and physically able as an average middle aged person. 

Have you ever really thought how much you’re influenced by the people you interact with, both in-person and online?  Would you ever stop and consider just how much that influence impacts how you feel about your own body image?!

In contrast, a preliminary study in 2019, researchers found that young women who spent time with people that were not preoccupied with their appearance or body shape or weight, had a greater appreciation for their own bodies.  They were also more likely to follow healthy eating habits by responding to their body’s own hunger, with less fixation on unhealthy weight and diet goals.

You already know that good communication leads to stronger relationships and better mental health. But did you know that - especially in the case of your loved ones - it can also benefit their physical health as well?!

Recent research has measured the impact that a supportive conversation has on the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) in that person’s body when they are feeling stressed. If cortisol continues to remain on the rampage for too long it can lead to all sorts of issues, commonly including sleep disorders and heart disease. Simply by choosing to communicate in a particular style, you have the power to help alleviate their stress, enhance their emotional state and alter their body’s physiology, calming their flow of cortisol.

Have you ever thought how old you’re going to live? Can you imagine yourself in your 90’s, or could you make it all the way to 100? As a family, we’ve just been celebrating Great Granny Molly turning 99 and going strong!

I do love learning about people who age well and what their secrets to longevity are. I read a study from 2018, published in the journal International Psychogeriatrics which reviewed the lifestyle of a group of adults aged 90 to 101 living in rural Italy, along with their family members, to get a sense of what may have contributed to their long lives.

Guess what? Without drinking water we will die! And severe dehydration will greatly reduce your cognitive functioning. But, I’m guessing that you already know that?!