Stress Busters - At Home

Many people do not act positively to reduce the stress in their lives until physical symptoms force them to consider how their lifestyle is affecting their wellbeing… some are not even aware that they are suffering from any form of stress until they start to get physically sick.  It is important not to ignore the symptoms.

Let go of the tension

It's a fast-paced world we live in, and as such, it is really important that you look after both your physical and mental health. There is a lot of workplace pressure (we don't like to call it stress) that we are exposed to on a daily basis.  It is quite amazing to know the physiological changes you undergo the minute you sit in front of your PC: your breathing rate increases by up to 30%, your blinking rate nearly halves, and you tend to tighten the muscles in your arms and shoulders without even thinking about it.

Balance

It has just dawned on me that winter has hit (and boy, did it hit last night!), and that we are now looking at the long stretch until our next three day weekend in October. What better time to focus on the benefits of rest and relaxation, and the importance of planning your next little break.

Check Yourself Out

Despite the fact that New Zealand has one of the highest bowel cancer rates in the world, we do not currently have a government-funded nationwide bowel screening program in place.

Don't sit on your symptoms

The first day

Tomorrow may be the last day of autumn, but it is also the first day of the rest of your life. May 31^st is World Smoke-free Day - and this year's theme is "Quit now. It's all about whanau".  It's about taking control of your own life and doing something now, for the benefit of yourself, your family and the wider community.

We all do it

Breathing is a pretty essential part of life, and as such it's lucky that it is not something you need to consciously remember to do. There are however, advantages to learning some simple techniques to improving your lung capacity - while you can't increase the actual size of your lungs; it's possible to train them to be more efficient in taking in, and utilizing oxygen.

Halve your premiums

It is understandable that insurance companies charge a higher premium for those that choose to smoke. After all, the risk of smokers suffering from heart disease, cancer and stroke is sometimes 50% to 100% more than non-smokers.

5 tips to quit

We all know that smoking causes cancer and the price of cigarettes is going through the roof… so here are 5 tips to help you give up:

I Quit

Back when I was sixteen and I started smoking socially, I didn't necessarily think it was a great idea, but I wasn't thinking about the future consequences either. In fact, looking back I wasn't putting a lot of thought into much at all, especially my future (that would've been so un-cool).