Looking great with Olivia
The photo of Olivia is on the next page
Healthy Lunch
With so much research highlighting the increasing incidence of obesity and poor nutrition in growing kids, I try to make sure that my daughter Chloe eats a healthy lunch each day. But I always throw in a little treat, such as a small packet of soy chips or nuts, so it’s not too boring.
A normal lunch for her is a bagel with low-fat cream cheese, some carrot and celery sticks, a carton of juice and a piece of fruit. She also loves savoury food, such as turkey salad sandwiches with mustard.
One thing I never do is put tomato in her sandwiches I remember how much I loathed eating soggy bread when I was at school!
Another thing I make sure of is that Chloe brings home any plastic bags for recycling. It also makes sense to take the same lunch box to school each day.
Freshly juiced fruits and vegetables are rich in micronutrients and can help to ease such conditions as constipation and arthritis. One of my favourites is a combination of lemon, lime and pineapple great for sore throats and colds (and perfect for me if I’m about to perform but feel under the weather).
To ease…
Constipation Combine… cabbage, celery, spinach and lemon
Arthritis Combine… carrot, celery and cabbage
Nerves Combine… lemon and lime
Pain in the neck
I guess I’m one of the lucky ones, never having worked in an office day in and day out, but I’ve noticed that even short bouts at my keyboard can cause my neck and back to ache or stiffen up.
Here are simple tips to make your computer time stress-free.
Take a quick break every 20 or 30 minutes, even if it is to close your eyes for a few seconds.
Stretch regularly or go for a quick walk around the office.
Position your screen at eye level or slightly below. Having to look up strains your neck and makes eyes dry quickly.
Use curtains or blinds to control glare from windows. For the glare from fluorescent lights, cover your screen with a glare-reduction filter (from office supply shops).
Colour your Day
Don’t certain colours make you feel wonderful when you wear them? For me, it’s red - I always feel like smiling when I’m dressed in bright magenta. But I’ve also learnt there are colours you can wear to make you more effective at work! You don’t need to dress from head to toe in “your colour” - it’s enough to wear a simple scarf, necklace or skirt in your colour to stay inspired.