Tips for Well Being

Work-life balance. We all strive for it, but few can honestly say they’ve found it. Whether you’re eyeing a raise, a new leadership role, thinking of starting your own business, or want to spend more time with your kids without losing your career, Fernwood’s National Franchise Manager Maree Rogers has some great advice.

Check out our tips for women who will be doing big things in 2012. Stay tuned...

They say travel is about the journey, not the destination. But let’s pretend for a second that the opposite is true – and, in this case, the destination is an awesome festival. Consider these 2012 travel dates…

Once the first flush of romance has passed, it’s easy to let your relationship get a little, er, flabby. So here are five sizzling ideas for getting it back in shape in 2012. 

Exercise more. Drink less. Quit smoking. Make a career move. If your rendition of Auld Lang Syne is accompanied by a broken record of the same resolutions each year, perhaps it’s time to ask why. Make 2012 the year you stopped the cycle. No, really, this time we mean it.

If your credit card is begging for the sharp end of the scissors to put it out of its misery, or you’re keen to start some serious saving, it could be time to go on a spending diet. 

So you’ve bought your summer fashion essentials. Coloured jeans. A new swimsuit (because Christmas shopping wasn’t stressful enough). Yet another pair of Havaianas. But what about your workout wear? If you’re still pulling out the same faded T-shirt, and your old leggings are wrinkling like elephant skin, the new year is the perfect time to add some fashion to your fitness.

The Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi encourages us to embrace imperfection – in everything from our relationships to our looks.

We’ve all heard that diabetes is on the rise in Australia, but do you know enough about it to protect yourself and your family? Here are the facts.

Once you have diabetes, you may not be able to cure it, but there’s plenty you can do to manage it. If you don’t have diabetes the following measures will help you stay that way.

A recent Access Economics analysis commissioned by Diabetes Australia, revealed that the obesity epidemic is costing workplaces, hospitals and taxpayers $58 billion as year which is almost three times more than it did in 2005.

People at risk of type 2 diabetes can delay and even prevent developing it by following a healthy lifestyle, including regular physical activity, making healthy food choices and reducing the size of their waistline.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) hit the news after the findings from the Women’s Health Initiative in the USA suggested the risks outweighed the benefits.

Forget everything bad you’ve heard about menopause. With the right diet, lifestyle and exercise – and hormone replacement treatment, if necessary – you can ease the symptoms and protect your health.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both women and men in this country, claiming the lives of more than 50,000 Australians each year. Consider this fact: one Australian dies every ten minutes as a result of cardiovascular disease. This is one of the reasons behind the current push to create greater community awareness about high cholesterol.

If you think men are more vulnerable to coronary disease than women, think again. Don’t wait for a warning sign – start looking after your heart today.

Cheryl Powell enjoyed an active lifestyle. She played and coached softball, and ran a craft business in her spare time. But over the years she did less and less exercise, her fitness declined and the inevitable kilos crept on. Then about two years ago her energy levels dropped drastically and she began to feel exhausted.

When those extra kilos simply refuse to budge, it’s tempting to blame your genes. You can even convince yourself there’s no point going to the gym or watching what you eat because your long-term health and body shape are in the lap of the gods – or the genetic gods anyway. Think again.

While having that perfect pearly white smile is something all of us want, dental care isn’t just about looking good – it can impact on your general wellbeing or even show up health problems you didn’t know you had.

What does the gym have to do with your pelvic floor? Well, everything as it turns out. Your pelvic floor keeps you continent by closing your bladder and anal sphincters. It prevents prolapse by tensioning vaginal walls and protects your spine by contracting with your deep abdominal muscle – all of this while you exercise!

Every month is the same; your tummy blows up like a football, you snarl at the kids, overdose on chocolate and cry at the slightest thing. “Is your period due, love?” your brave husband asks. “No!” you shriek. Inevitably, the following day you’ll be curled up with a hot-water bottle, popping painkillers and whimpering apologies because your period has indeed arrived.

Iron is an essential part of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body through the blood. When levels drop significantly, tiredness, pale skin, shortness of breath and difficulty concentrating can follow.

Nic Linford says there are a few simple strategies that may help women to keep those constant food cravings at bay, by suppressing the desire to eat.

‘Find your inner fox' is Fernwood’s new marketing campaign that encourages women to feel foxy, energetic and confident in their own skin by simply adopting a healthy lifestyle. Research shows that regular exercise can actually reverse our biological age and making us feel and look years younger without the need for injections or costly cosmetic procedures.

“Over the years women have wasted a lot of time and money on crazy diets that exclude essential food groups, even though we all know that these unhealthy approaches will not lead to long term weight loss,” Ms Linford said.