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This morning my husband and I met with a huge disappointment, something that we have been working extremely hard on the last couple of months, didn’t get the result that we were praying for. Life has a way of throwing hard things at us, sometimes all piled on top of one another. To overcome life’s big disappointments, I remind myself that in the midst of the pain that each one presents opportunities for growth and re-alignment.  Disappointment can be complex, it’s filled with emotions such as anger, hurt, sadness, and probably many others too subtle to identify. Sometimes, those emotions by themselves are easier to deal with, but disappointment can leave you really confused.  Feeling disappointment is not necessarily an issue to be concerned about, but inability to deal with the emotions and to let go of the pain can become an issue. Dealing with disappointment takes a conscious effort.  One of the best ways to be emotionally aware is to acknowledge your feelings about the situation that is disappointing you. Being honest with yourself first will allow you to talk to and to be honest with others. If you have a friend or confidant that you can discuss these feelings with, they may be able to offer some perspective on the issue.  Disappointment has a way of leaving the person affected feeling anxious, as if in a constant state of turmoil, which is not conducive to our emotional well-being.  Some days may be a little easier than others, but it is very important to learn to identify things that make you feel happy and at peace and to embrace them. Letting go of disappointment and of any anger or bitterness associated with it will free your mind of the turmoil and will help you to live a life of peace.  It is human nature to hope and dream. It’s healthy to do so. However, when reality becomes mixed with illusion it is very easy to feel disappointed. When you are trying to figure out what is real, journaling can be really helpful. Write down facts and how they impact your life. Journaling and writing your feelings are a great way to express your feelings while maintaining privacy.  Disappointment is inevitable. While it may not feel good at the time, experiencing disappointment and learning to overcome it can help prepare you for difficult situations later in life. Whether disappointment occurred because of a mistake you made, a missed goal, or poor personal choices, there is always an opportunity to learn and move forward. *The author is a consultant and coach. Instagram handle: @miss_shefa,  Website: missshefa.com

Whether you are on a plane or sitting in a café, the best companion you will have is a good book. Back in the old times, when television channels were limited and social media didn’t exist yet, reading a book was one of the most entertaining things one could do, whether it’s a novel or a factional book. As students back then, I remember every school bag of my colleagues had a book to read in lunch time. I will share with you five of the most beneficial books I have read till this day: 1. The seven habits of highly effective people by Stephen R.Covey.  The seven habits in order are: 1. Habit 1: Be Proactive 2. Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind 3. Habit 3: Put First Things First 4. Habit 4: Think Win-Win 5. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood 6. Habit 6: Synergise 7. Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw 2. The power of now by Ekhart Tolle. The book has sold over two million copies, the books basically shows you that every minute you spend worrying about the future or regretting the past is a minute lost, because really all you have to live in is the present, the now, and gives you actionable strategies to start living every minute as it occurs. 3. If I could tell you just one thing by Richard Reed. The author gathers the most successful people throughout history and asks them for one advice they want to share with the readers. 4. Who moved my cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson. An incredibly helpful book on how to deal with change and adapt to it. A must read for anyone whose going through a restructuring in their job! 5. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray. A book published in the year of 1992, which is a great guide on how to deal with the opposite sex. Research has proven that the book has resolved a lot of issues between partners, in where it made them understand on how each gender thinks and acts. One might say “I’m not very fond of reading” or “I don’t have enough time”. I do get you! With our fast way of living nowadays, there is no time! But that shouldn’t be an excuse! Why? Because there are many applications on the tip of your hand that let you listen to the books you want instead of reading one. Next time you are driving to work, working out at the gym, or doing whatever it is that is keeping you busy, I suggest you download one of the applications and listen to a book! Trust me, you won’t regret it! * The author is a consultant in Public Relations and Personality Types. Instagram: @Tipsbyhalahill

By Zoe Williams The Guardian I decided to go to trampoline circuits, just for the craic – I’m way past “Make your peace with the new normal”, I want as many new, weird things to happen as possible. I am past caring about whether or not I’ve maximised every workout minute (though, it turns out, on a trampoline I seriously did). So, there’s one overridingly relevant thing about trampolining in your 40s, and there is nobody who doesn’t mention it. “I hope you’ve got your tenners,” my friend said as I set off, and I replied, “It’s really not that expensive, Wandsworth Flip Out is only seven quid.” Except she meant Tena incontinence pads, and cycled off saying “I love the fact you think it isn’t going to happen to you!” And she was right, I didn’t, because why on earth would anyone wet themselves on a trampoline? Except, apparently, everyone does. Just bookmark that thought for the time being. This is a real couples’, or mates’, exercise; of the 12 of us, only two were on our own, and we were the same two who weren’t bouncing very high, as the others plainly did this every week. The format is simple: four circuits of three exercises, each for 30 seconds with a 30-second break. Very efficient: warmup, eight minutes a circuit, warm down, bam, you’re done. There’s no time, really, to think, which often doesn’t matter. A star jump, a stomach crunch, a press-up (against the side of the trampoline), some very high jumping; none of this needs deep intellectual engagement, it’s just like doing it on the ground, except infinitely more fun. Other moves are more complicated – the squat, for instance, is quite tricky on a trampoline, being a resistance move. And you can’t really copy anyone, not even the instructor; you have to figure out for yourself how to maintain momentum. The unstable surface forces you to concentrate, so you notice your exhaustion less. And it is a wildly good workout. I take my Fitbit with a pinch of salt, since it frequently claims I’ve smashed my day’s fitness goal when all I’ve done is a circuit of Lidl, but these stats were unarguable. It was, according to my heart, the longest consistent period of intense activity I’ve done – 70 minutes in the cardio or fat-burning zones – which, considering the class was only 45mins long, was some going. Afterwards, I was indulging in mad schemes of how I could come more often, maybe by pretending the children were 14 and forcing them to come with me. In answer to the continence question, it really isn’t as bad as people say: maybe things were a bit dicey during a star jump, but no worse than your average sneeze. I can see this is way too much information, unless you’re thinking of trying trampolining yourself, in which case it is not enough. What I learned The energy consumption is simliar to moderate running, but studies show the rate of perceived exertion to be lower. Probably because it’s so much fun.

What do you do around 20,000 times a day? The answer is…breathe! Breathing is actually complicated and affects all parts of our bodies although we do it subconsciously. Yes, the act of breathing is automatic to us but we can definitely improve it to improve our overall wellbeing. As you keep reading, I will be explaining four techniques that are said to improve you mental and physical health. Now stop, focus and start breathing deeply, slowly, in with your nose and out with your mouth. For muscle tension, the following technique is to be done first thing in the morning, so as soon as you are up so that you can reduce and minimise muscle tension throughout your day.  1. Stand up straight. Bend forward from your waist. Slightly bend your knees. Let your arms hang down. 2. Inhale slowly and deeply. Return to your original position by slowly rolling your body up. Lift your head last. 3. Exhale slowly as you are returning to your original position. 4. Stretch your muscles slightly and repeat 2 times. For side pain, the following technique is for those who are active and still experience diaphragm spasms such as muscle cramps due to accelerated breathing from exercise. Belly breathing helps reduce the stress from the ligaments that support the diaphragm. 1. Lie down on the floor. Place your hand on your stomach. Inhale. Exhale. Make sure your stomach is rising and not your chest. If you are breathing form your chest, adjust your breathing to possibly make it deeper to feel it in your belly. 2. While exercising, especially running, keep breathing deeply and take a very deep breath and forcefully exhale every once in a while, pushing all the air out of your lungs. 3. As you exhale, drop your shoulders, shake out your arms, and relax. 4. Take another deep breath and continue your run. For increased energy, the following technique is called the ‘bellows breath’ and practiced to stimulate your diaphragm, signalling the body to become more alert. This practice is also considered the ‘stimulating breath technique’ which is considered a caffeine-free way to give your mind and body that extra boost that you look for in your morning coffee. 1. Sit up tall. Relax your shoulders. 2. While keeping your mouth closed, take quick breaths, inhaling and exhaling quickly through and out of your nose. Continue this for 10 seconds. 3. Take a 30 second break to breathe normally again and repeat 4 times. For relaxation, the following technique is used to relieve ourselves from the daily stress we all deal with. A lot of us think that by being lazy, sitting on the couch or playing on our phone is relaxation but we have got it all wrong. We need to activate the body’s natural relaxation response, the physical state of deep rest that helps us combat stress and react to it differently, physically and emotionally. We can naturally and subconsciously adjust our rate of breathing, heart rate and even blood pressure! Focused belly breathing increases the supply of oxygen to our brains and stimulates a state of calmness. 1. Smile. Imagine smiling inwards from your eyes too. Release the tension in your shoulders. 2. Imagine holes in the soles of your feet and as you inhale, imagine hot air flowing through these holes moving slowly up your legs, through your belly and gradually filling your lungs.  3. Relax your muscles as the hot air moves through them, up your entire body. 4. As you exhale, reverse it and imagine you see hot air coming out the same holes in your feet. 5. Repeat throughout the day whenever you need to calm down or relax. There are serious benefits to deep, focused and mindful breathing. Try out the techniques above and let me know what you think. Happy breathing! *The author is a wellness advocate and influencer @keys2balance.

Modern humans contribute to the success of dangerous viruses. A virus replicates only when inside the cell of a living being, and spreads most efficiently when there is contact between two individuals. The United Nations measures current world population growth at more than 1% per year. From the virus’ perspective, potential incubators are increasing. The world’s population is also urbanising, which means people living in closer proximity, which is conducive to spread of a virus. Humans are to blame for the rise in dangerous viral infections because it’s humans creating wet markets, slaughterhouses, and other environments where animals are kept too close together in unsanitary conditions.  Fast forward to today – and following the spread of a mutation of the novel coronavirus Covid-19 to humans on a Danish fur ‘farm’ – Denmark has announced plans to kill up to 17 million minks held captive at such facilities in an attempt to curb the spread of the mutated virus. The new iteration of the virus could have ‘devastating consequences’ worldwide, according to Mette Frederiksen, the country’s prime minister. Kåre Mølbak, Director at a Danish Research Institute, said, “The worst case scenario is a new pandemic, starting all over again out of Denmark” – an awful possibility that PETA has been urging people to recognise for months.  But it’s cramming animals together in filth led to the emergence of the novel coronavirus, and as this latest outbreak in Denmark proves, it also facilitates mutations. Filthy fur farms packed with sick, stressed, and injured minks are breeding grounds for disease. The viruses that cause Sars and Covid-19 first infected humans who came into close contact with captive wildlife at live-animal markets – which represents a public health risk similar to that posed by fur farms. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warns that approximately 75% of recently emerging infectious diseases affecting humans originated in other animals. As in the case of live-animal meat markets, on fur farms, minks and other animals killed for their skin are confined to cramped wire cages next to one another, making it very easy for infectious diseases to spread through the exchange of urine, excrement, pus, and blood.  The animals will suffer because of human’s decision to imprison these minks in barren cages for their entire lives. Unable to engage in natural behaviour, they often go mad from the confinement, and some even self-cannibalise, chewing on their own limbs or tails as a result of the constant psychological and physical torment. They’re killed in gruesome ways, including poisoning, gassing, drowning, or even being skinned alive. If we want to tackle this virus and prevent future pandemics, we have to change our behaviour. We have to close fur farms everywhere. This is 2020. It’s unethical, it’s dangerous, and it’s harmful. They are relentlessly cruel to animals and pose a serious threat to human health.  PETA is appealing to Italy’s prime minister to close the 13 remaining mink farms in that country. Top designers have been dropping fur in droves because it’s jarringly outdated as well as cruel. Consumers increasingly want high animal welfare, environmentally-friendly products, which fur is not. This pandemic should serve as a warning, but also an opportunity - a clear opportunity to move away from this cruel and dying industry and choose a more humane and sustainable livelihood instead.  *The author is an expert in vegan wellbeing and health. Instagram handle: @Ghanim92 

The women golfers from Doha Golf Club (DGC) and Education City Golf Club recently came together to celebrate the Pink Day in style. As many as 20 female golfers from different countries participated in the golf tournament specially organised to mark the occasion. The tournament was held at DGC. Tasneem Kazi, captain of DGC women golfers, organised the Pink Day golf tournament which was followed by the prize distribution ceremony and lunch. The golfers were dressed in pink to create awareness about breast cancer, which is one of the leading causes of death in women. Nada Mir and Audrey were the winners and Pat Yurkiw and Shauna Leoj were the runners-up. The other winners in different categories were, Katie Belman, Pat Yurkiw, Uzma Mir, Chom Rum Sariowan, Marianne Cederberg and Valerie Olmsted. Rukkaiya Pachisa shared her thoughts on how to detect breast cancer via self-screening. Initial stage detection can save life with prompt treatment. Stay fit and stay healthy was the message shared on the day.

Ahhhhh our favourite time of year in Qatar has finally arrived. One of the things I love about Qatar at this time of the year is that I can walk. It’s so enjoyable, even to walk alone, quality me time, observing Mother Nature.  Once I finish my walk, I feel like I have replenished my entire being. I use my walks as time to quieten my mind, to focus on my breathing. Sometimes I walk to walk on the beach near where I live, take a seat on the bench and just breathe. I count slowly, deep, rhythmic breaths, it calms me and I relax into solitude, no matter how many people are around.  Sometimes if I sit really still, I see fish jumping in and out of the water, other times I simply observe the passersby either running or enjoying family time. Instead of looking down at my phone screen I look down at my feet for small creatures. Sometimes I lose my shoes and I gain some perspective. That feeling of barefeet on the sand or pavement is so soothing.   Seeing all that nature comforts my soul and reminds me of my own insignificance. Makes me feel as if my worries are trivial and not worth worrying about at all. Being at one with nature, gives me a feeling of power and strength, it reminds me I am part of something truly majestic.  The weather in Qatar right now is glorious, I love the glow of the sun on my skin in the morning like a warm hug, it makes me feel happy and healthy.   Walking is simple, free, and one of the easiest ways to get more active and become healthier. You don’t have to walk for hours, a brisk 10-minute daily walk can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier. * The author is a consultant and coach. Instagram handle: @miss_shefa,  Website: missshefa.com

The difference between sadness and depression sometimes may of course be confusing one day after feelings of sadness dominate you, and whether this confusion is for you or one of those around you, you can now remove this confusion and know what you are going through specifically by reading these clear differences between depression and sadness and what one needs: 1-Sadness is normal, but depression is not normal: Usually sadness results from a difficult or painful event, experience or situation, or disappointing expectations. This also means that when this thing changes, when the emotional harm fades, when we adapt or we overcome loss or frustration, our grief is gone. As for depression, it is greater than just a case, and it is a psychological disease that affects our thinking, emotions, perceptions, and behaviours. When we feel depressed, we feel sad about everything, and therefore depression does not necessarily require an event, a difficult situation, a loss or a change in circumstances is a trigger, but rather it occurs in the absence of all of these situations. 2- The effect of sadness is limited while the effect of depression is overwhelming. 3- Sadness is an emotion while depression is a mental illness. 4- Sadness does not have symptoms while depression has symptoms: Although people with depression often hide their symptoms from those around them, there are some signs that you can look for to know when a person in your life may need help and symptoms of:  a) Move, think, or speak slowly, which makes conversation and other interactions difficult.  b) Stop caring for personal hygiene and self-care.  c) Weight gain or loss in response to changes in appetite.  d) Easily irritated or crying without reason. 5- Sadness is temporary and depression persists. 6- Sadness is conscious, but depression is subconscious. 7- Sadness changes mood, while depression changes life. Who needs medical intervention? Because sadness is a transient psychological condition that disappears with the disappearance of the cause, it does not need medical intervention to get rid of it, unlike depression that requires medical diagnosis, psychological and drug treatment to overcome its symptoms and raise the hormones of happiness in the body. Clear now? * The author is a consultant in Public Relations and Personality Types. Instagram: @Tipsbyhalahill

Are you the type of person that likes control? Do you keep dwelling on things until it makes you go crazy? Well, control is one of the biggest issues mostly everyone struggles with and yes, there are ways to help ease your struggle with control. You might not know it yet but you might be suffering from more stress and anxiety because you are not able to control every single aspect in your life.  So off the bat, let’s agree that we do not have control over most of the things in our lives. People who live in denial of this fact struggle with their health in regards to having a calm, clear and relaxed mind and body. Some resist this truth to the point where they actually become ‘control freaks.’ Those who resist the idea of ‘letting go of what you can’t control’ suffer more as they are found to micromanage way more than others. Not only do they micromanage but they also find it hard to delegate even the simplest of tasks to others. Imagine micromanaging everything and feeling the need to do everything yourself? Or how about trying to change people into what you want? Even if you aren’t a control freak, you might be one of the people who know they can prevent things from happening but still worry about them 24/7 regardless. All of this and any amount of it can really cause damage to your mental and/or physical health, so let’s look at how we can actually let things go… To be honest, I am one of those people that wants to control everything and tend to micromanage all matters that are related to my personal life and even those who are involved. I also find it excruciatingly painful when I have to delegate tasks to others. I have always followed the motto, “if you want something done right, do it yourself.” Oh boy was I wrong! Yes, I might be able to do some tasks better, but does it really make a difference or is it even necessary? I have recently been struggling with the issue of control more than ever because I have become a mother recently. This huge life change and blessing have made me question my ways and ask myself, does it really matter? Do I really have to control every single aspect of my life myself? I finally came to the realisation that I really do need to let go of some things and to do so, I came across some good tips to start my journey to freedom: Determine what you can and cannot control:  It’s a fact, we cannot control everything. In some cases, you might not even need to control anything. In other cases, you might just need the control of your reaction. That is still control and you still have it, you always have control over yourself and your actions, especially your reactions.  Identify your worries and fears:  Why do you need this much control? What are you worried about? What are you scared of happening? You have to pinpoint your worries before you can answer questions or even try to manage the issue. Stop worrying and start being proactive by putting contingencies in place. Separate your problems and solving them from your unhealthy thoughts:  A lot of us tend to overthink things and that takes us on a downward spiral where we feel lost and helpless. Remember, focus on actual problems and solving them, not aimlessly thinking of your problems and just making yourself feel worse. Use your influence instead of control:  Do not try to change situations or people that cannot be changed, instead opt for your power of influence and try to show people how it’s done or speak from experience and hopefully they will realise what they can do. All these tips are useful but the most useful of all to me was the simple strategy of: 1. making the decision to let go and telling myself repeatedly that I am choosing to let go, 2. trusting myself and in my decision and that I will be okay at the end of the day, 3. not blaming anyone else for anything and taking responsibility whenever I can as it is up to me to take responsibility for my own happiness, 4. taking accountability and learning from my mistakes and finally, 5. focusing on things I do have control over and putting my energy where it can be fruitful. Now that you have seen how control can do so much damage, I ask you to join me on my journey to freedom and letting go. It is hard but it is definitely worth it, your freedom is always worth it! * The author is a wellness advocate and influencer @keys2balance.

There are huge benefits to be gained from spending time in and around plants. Here are four rules to make the most of it. With a growing body of scientific research consistently suggesting a huge range of health benefits associated with spending time in green spaces, I am often asked which plants people should grow to boost their wellbeing. It’s a big question, but here is what I would advise… Go for evergreens: One of the most surprising findings is that you don’t need to physically be in nature to benefit. Simply looking at images of nature projected on screens has been shown to improve exercise performance, while a view of trees from a window improved healing times and reduced pain medication in hospital patients. It would be fair to postulate, therefore, that the visual stimulation of greenery alone may be one of the biggest factors at play here. Working on this assumption, I’d include a significant proportion of evergreen species to provide a permanent green backdrop. Also, as I often say, perhaps an even more effective way to do this is with houseplants, which give you year-round green that you are likely to physically be around for greater periods of time. Don’t forget scent: There is good evidence to support what many of us intuitively believe – that a range of aromatic compounds derived from plants can have a mood-improving effect. Inhaling lavender and rosemary seems to consistently reduce feelings of stress and anxiety in small clinical trials. How do you find participants who will reliably feel stressed-out on cue to test this? So far it’s mainly been by giving students going into exams a whiff before they start. If a few sniffs of one plant is enough to calm nerves in an exam hall, just imagine the effect of sitting surrounded by hundreds of scented plants outdoors. Green gym: The benefits of being around plants aren’t only limited to sensorial stimulation. There is also the matter of the gentle exercise that occurs as a result of working in the garden. In fact, studies suggest gardening tends to burn more calories than the average gym session, despite feeling easier. OK, this is mainly because the typical bout of garden pottering lasts for much longer, so despite being far lower in intensity, the duration makes up for it. But given the choice of flowers and fresh air over the flashing lights of a treadmill, I know which one I would pick. Bucking the trend for low maintenance planting might be a good idea, as the more pottering you do the more therapeutic it may be. Grow up front In many settings, one of the other benefits associated with getting your hands dirty is social contact. By dedicating an equal amount of time to your front and back garden, you will get to interact more often with your neighbours. To be honest, as a socially awkward botanist, that’s my worst nightmare, but it’s great for some people. And here we come to the crux of the question – gardens can improve wellbeing in ways as diverse as gardeners themselves. So, while more research comes in, don’t worry too much about a checklist of things to include, just pick what you love and let the plants do the rest.

It’s October and you know what that means. Its Breast Cancer Awareness month. What do you think about when breast cancer awareness comes up? When I think of breast cancer awareness, I think of pink everywhere and strong women. I have a love/ hate relationship with awareness campaigns, yes I know, it’s nice to feel like we are doing our part with social responsibility. When Mental Health Awareness Day and Breast Cancer Month come by we do social media posts, but how much thought do we give to the people who are living the reality of what these awareness campaigns are about?  How much do we consider the human beings who are living with breast cancer or mental health conditions? From my experience with women that have cancer some of them are horrified by just how traumatising and dismissive some of the campaigns can be. Sure, it’s easy to put on a pink ribbon, or buy a pink donut or cup cake, but how much awareness is that really creating?  You know what’s really sad? When a woman loses her life to breast cancer, they say that she ‘lost’ a battle. No, she didn’t. She did not. She lost her life, her family, and the opportunity to see her children grow up or her partner grow old. She lost the opportunity to put her feet on the ground, her toes in the sand, to reach out a hug someone she cares about. She lost everything, but she did not loose a battle. She was never weak.  Losing someone to cancer is not in our hands. Women don’t lose because they aren’t strong enough; they die because there is no cure. Most women would dissect their own body and amputate their own limbs to stay here, on this earth, with their loved ones for just one more day.  Breast cancer is not just about splashing pink everywhere. Meaningless ‘awareness’ is not the answer; we need conscious efforts to spread awareness and to ultimately and desperately find a cure. Many people do not realise that a large percentage of ‘pink’ products are not donating anything to any cause, let alone to a cause that funds research to finding a cure. Many pink products are just capitalizing on a cancer for PR efforts. Collectively we need to be responsible and mindful when playing our part in awareness campaigns. Please, let’s always make sure the information we share is accurate and put ourselves in the shoes of people living with that cause, before posting or sharing.h out to me on Instagram. * The author is a consultant and coach. Instagram handle: @miss_shefa,  Website: missshefa.com

For the sake of our physical and mental health, GPs recommend that we exercise five times per week. But there can be more to think about than just getting our heart rate up – physiotherapists say it also pays to work on strengthening our muscles. Why? For one, says physiotherapist Tristan Chai, having more muscle mass in our body helps with overall health. But we also need our muscles to be strong so that we don’t end up absorbing the impact of movement in the wrong places – an easy way to wind up with an injury or chronic pain. Bridge “A basic bridge is where you lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, you squeeze your butt-cheeks and you lift your butt up off the floor,” explains Melissa Haberfield, a researcher, lecturer and physio to the North Melbourne Football Club AFLW team. A bridge targets our glutes, which helps with running or jumping sports. But Haberfield says there’s also “really good evidence” they can help with lower back, knee and hip pain. “The reason that I really love it is because it’s something I use in clinical practice all the time. You can basically apply it to anyone in any circumstance. I’ll use it for a patient who has severe back pain or chronic back pain; we can regress it and make it really easy. But then at the same time, I’ll use it with one of my AFLW girls and make it harder by putting their shoulders on a bench so that they’re elevated.” And yes, she says, “I definitely do bridges myself.” Calf raise Ebonie Rio from La Trobe University and the Victorian Institute of Sport says calf strength is “incredibly important” and can help protect us from injury. “If you’re landing from a jump, they absorb most of the energy,” she explains. “So if your calf muscles aren’t very good, those forces will go somewhere else. They’ll go to your knee joint, or your hip joint, or your lower back.” Rio says calf strength also protects the bones in our feet and our Achilles tendon when we do things like step off curbs. “You need really good calf strength throughout your whole life, not just if you’re an athlete,” she says. To that end, Rio advocates for the calf raise, which involves standing up straight, pushing through the balls of your feet and raising your heel until you’re standing on your toes. If you want, you can hold on to a wall for balance. Rio says she does calf raises every second night. “I’ve taken up running during Covid, so I do them on my non-running day to be nice and strong and prevent any injury. That also means my calf muscles have recovered overnight before I have to be on my feet the next day, so they’re not tired when I’m walking around.”

Having to deal with rejection is a frustrating thing to face indeed! But this is life, we get accepted sometimes and rejected sometimes as well. So, why do we get rejected? And how do we deal with rejection? Think from the point of view of the other party, as this step is one of the most important steps that help you accept rejection, there is nothing better than to put yourself in the other person’s shoe and think about the obstacles or reasons that led to the rejection, and whether the rejection was by someone you wanted to establish a relationship with, or from a company you wanted to get a job at! Everything happens in the universe for a reason. There is a widespread saying among societies, which is that when a door closes, another one opens. If you do not succeed in taking advantage of one of the opportunities or you are not lucky enough to get it, then there are other opportunities with each new day that may be better than the one before, and this is one of the positive ways of dealing with rejection. Understand that every person has been rejected, that every person in the world has been exposed or will be rejected one day, and will feel the bitterness of rejection and coexist with it, and you’re  not the only one who has been rejected, there are many people who have been rejected every day and share with you the suffering of rejection. One of the most important things to remember when facing rejection is that the reasons for rejection are not personal, in fact one of the rare cases in which the reason for a rejection is personal, and one of the most negative behavior that lowers one’s self-confidence is to think that the reason for the refusal is personal! How do we accept rejection?  Do not let rejection make you give up on your goals, if you were rejected when applying for a job, this does not mean that you can’t apply for other jobs in order to get the job your dreams, and just as the refusal of a person to build a relationship, it should not lead a person to isolation. He must keep looking for the right person to make him happy! *The author is a consultant in Public Relations and Personality Types. Instagram: @Tipsbyhalahill

Imagine it’s bedtime, you are lying down in bed tired from the long productive day you just had. Lights off, room silent and just the sound of the comforting air-conditioning in the background. Ready to sleep? Well, you might be ready but how long does it take you to actually fall asleep even though you were so tired you almost ran to bed? Well don’t worry, first of all you are not alone as around a third of the world’s population suffer from the same issue and secondly, I might have just the trick to help you let go of all your thoughts and relax into sleep.  So what do you have to do to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and increase your sleep quality? The main idea is to substitute your arousing thoughts with non-arousing thoughts to be able to stop engaging your mind so interactively and letting it continue to bombard you with unnecessary thoughts at the wrong time. You literally have to quiet your mind and lull your body into a ready-for-sleep state just like we do with babies. How? Clear your mind or journal: If you are a person who is continuously on the go then you probably don’t sit with your thoughts during the day that often so when you are in bed and about to sleep your mind wants to get things off its chest. In that case, the best thing is to write down whatever those pending thoughts are and once they are written down, let them go. Picture yourself clearing your mind and putting those thoughts away. Press pause: Train your mind and body by telling yourself that you will think about this in the morning and that this is not the right time. Another way to tackle this issue so you don’t face it at bedtime is to do some sort of solitary, physical activity where you are alone but focused on something not so important. For example, tidying up your room, organising your cupboard or tidying up your car. You need to train your body to go from overthinking into solitary mode where you can get used to transitioning and shutting off. If you do not exercise, this is a great way to get your activity in for the day too. Scan your body: Body scan meditation is where you turn all your focus from your mind to your body, part by part. Start from the head and work down until your toes. Note each of your body parts and if you are feeling any type of soreness, tightness, warmth, cold, numbness, discomfort or anything else. Send your thoughts to that body part and just breathe slowly, helping your body to change that feeling into a good one. Continue until you reach your feet and hopefully by then you will be asleep before you reach your toes! Rock yourself to sleep: Imagine you are rocking on a boat or a hammock and create a mental rocking effect. You can even play some relaxing and non-arousing music to go along with your thoughts as you sway from side-to-side. Be grateful: Negative thoughts are arousing and will make your situation worse. Therefore, try your best not to think of how long it is taking to fall asleep and do not bring up all the horrors in your life or world right now. Disconnect and divert and re-focus your mind to gratitude and what you are grateful for. End the night on a positive tone. Changing your habits take time so do not stress and think you will change overnight. The most important thing is to remember that you are trying and that your end goal is to rest your mind, body and soul, to be the best version of yourself, so do not be too hard on yourself and just take it day-by-day because there’s always tomorrow. * The author is a wellness advocate and influencer @keys2balance.

The number of people choosing to eat a plant-based diet is increasing every year. With the recent surge of new plant-based products hitting the store shelves, it’s becoming easier for an average person to do. Many people find as they transition into a new way of eating, or if they follow a strict plant-based diet, begin to experience cravings during the day that push your body and brain into thinking about satisfying the craving with the nearest available food option. But the goal with cravings from a certified plant-based point of view is quite clear: we want to avoid cravings. We want to crush them, and replace them with true plant-based satisfaction.  Cravings are not triggered by the food, they are triggered by your thoughts about that food. Getting to the bottom of these thoughts is very helpful in understanding and overcoming your cravings. If you can examine your thoughts, you will be able to determine where there are areas in your plant-based eating that can be improved. Whether this means a bigger, more nutritious breakfast, or added focus on ensuring your lunch is providing you with enough plant-based goodness to fuel your body for an energetic afternoon.  To crush cravings, we must focus on consuming foods full of fibre — wholesome foods, whole ingredients, and whole meals.  Packaged and prepared foods contain preservatives (such as salt), flavourings, and other unwanted additives that only leave you craving for more. This kind of fast food is designed to addict you and keep you coming back for more. What you need to do is take control: create delicious meals using whole plant foods. Ensure you’re using as many authentic ingredients as possible. As I said: Whole foods. Whole meals.  Dehydration can also cause cravings, so water-rich fruits like apples, mangoes, and grapes are great to have on hand. More calorie dense fruits like bananas, dates, raisins, or other dried fruits can also be helpful to prevent cravings.  It’s also worth highlighting the following: we can crush cravings by recognising that vegan meals should typically be larger than others. This is because a lot of plant-based foods are just lower in calories than their animal-based equivalents. Foods rich in fibre take longer to digest, and they help control your blood sugar levels. This will help you feel fuller for longer, while allowing you to benefit from a hearty, healthy meal as opposed to quick craving snacks which have no real long-term benefit other than just a quick fix.  When you are planning meals, think about foods like avocados, or potatoes. Potatoes have the highest score of any food on the ‘satiety index,’ which measures how full a food makes you feel, per calorie. In addition, studies have shown that if we slow down when eating — our body better absorbs what goes in. Scientists believe soup makes people feel more satiated (full) than the same amount of food in a different form. The researchers believed that the satiety impact was due to the fact that people are forced to eat soup slowly due to the temperature and the form it takes. Eating slowly allows your feelings of fullness to catch up to how much food you’ve actually eaten. One final thought on cravings — Plant based nutritionist Dr Joel Fuhrman’s writes about how eating a whole-food plant-based diet leads you to feel ‘true hunger’ rather than being food addicted like most people are. Feeling a little lighter after your meals as opposed to the heaviness you may have experienced before is definitely one of the potential benefits of going vegan.  With whole foods, whole meals, and the right ingredients — there are ways to crush cravings and ensure you’re keeping your body genuinely topped up with whole plant-based goodness.   * The author is an expert in vegan wellbeing and health. Instagram handle: @Ghanim92 

Fighting and surviving a fatal disease like cancer is not an easy thing to do. The ailment, no doubt, carries a huge degree of anxiety and fear. Patients have to fight both physically and mentally. Pink October is observed across the world to raise awareness about breast cancer. One of the most powerful ways to raise awareness is to highlight the stories of breast cancer survivors. Most of the survivors believe that the real struggle needs to focus on the fight and not the fright. Qatar is one of those countries that offer the best available diagnostic and treatment services for breast cancer patients. This is a fact highlighted time and again by cancer surviving patients. Filipino expatriate Teresita Rivera is a survivor and she is all praise for the treatment and care that she received in Qatar. In a recent interview with Gulf Times, Rivera spoke about her experience and need for early detection and being mentally strong to overcome cancer. “One thing that helped me in being healthy again was early detection. I have a family history of having breast cancer. There were women in my family who passed away due to the cancer. I have always been fearful. I was lucky that I got it detected very early. It was in 2012 when I felt a small lump in my left breast. At the same time, I saw a TV advertisement highlighting the need for early detection of the cancer. I straight away went to the hospital and underwent mammogram. After they got it confirmed, they also did biopsy because I had the family history and they wanted to determine whether the cancer was malignant or not. The lump was only five centimetre large. As three of my paternal aunts died of breast cancer, I thought I would live only for one or two more years,” said the mother of two. Rivera, who works as an office secretary in Qatar, believes that she is alive only because she was treated in Qatar. “The first good news for me after the diagnosis was that it can be treated in Qatar and that too for free. I had triple negative breast cancer. My blood samples were sent to Germany to determine the genetic nature of the disease. My full treatment lasted for six months.” The cancer survivor calls the treatment very hard both physically and mentally. “It was harder for me because I had no family here in Qatar. The disease causes anxiety for the patient. The post-chemotherapy weakness and pain are also difficult to cope. You do not feel like eating and you also lose your hair during the chemo. Nails of your hands and toes turn black. I do not know how other patients may feel but it was very hard for me.” The experience of going through the painful but successful treatment has made Teresita more positive and gentler towards life in general. “Before I was diagnosed with the breast cancer, I focused more on the materialistic side of my life. I wanted to save money for the future. I used to think of having a house and a business to sustain myself during old age. However, during the time I was undergoing the cancer treatment, I realised that all those things that I wanted to happen in my future became meaningless. I had already accepted that I would not last long in this life. Anytime sooner or later I will be gone. From then on, I see life with a different point of view. I have begun to appreciate each and every day of my life as a blessing from God. It takes away my anxiety for the future. I have learned to live a more peaceful and contented life. Why we should worry about the future when we do not know what the future will bring.” The Filipino expatriate underlines the need for awareness activities regarding breast cancer. “For women it is very important to know about themselves. In many cases, we have the relevant symptoms but we do not know about them. The awareness campaigns definitely alert us. Thankfully, nowadays, women are more knowledgeable and more curious about their bodies. They can have quick access to the relevant information through Internet. Early detection is the key and I survived because I got it detected very early.” The survivor has urged women in Qatar to take advantage of the good healthcare system of the country. “Do not hesitate to go to a health centre if you have any disease. If you are diagnosed with the cancer, do not be afraid. The health system will take good care of you. I can say it because I experienced it. The doctors will help you walk through it.”

Regular strength training can help prevent injury – and you don’t have to leave your house to do it. Four physios share their go-to moves. For the sake of our physical and mental health, GPs recommend that we exercise five times per week. But there can be more to think about than just getting our heart rate up – physiotherapists say it also pays to work on strengthening our muscles. Why? For one, says physiotherapist Tristan Chai, having more muscle mass in our body helps with overall health. But we also need our muscles to be strong so that we don’t end up absorbing the impact of movement in the wrong places – an easy way to wind up with an injury or chronic pain. Step-ups “The step-up is a great all-round exercise for the lower body,” says Michael Gilbert of Active Answers Physiotherapy in Sydney. “It’s perfect for all fitness and strength levels and has a low risk of injury.” Gilbert says regular step-ups will increase your quad and glute strength, which helps to protect your knee and hip joints. Doing one is as simple as stepping from the floor on to a bench or plyo box. “The great thing about the step-up is it strengthens each leg individually, which can help to build muscles equally on both sides,” he adds. “Having better strength will also increase your balance, and then ultimately the stronger you are, the less injured you’re going to get and the lower the risk of falling will be.” It’s an exercise he personally vouches for: “I do it probably a few times a week in the gym with weights above my head to get the core working,” Gilbert says. But if you’re just starting out, he recommends using your bodyweight only and aiming for three sets of eight to 10 reps. You can add weight or increase your step size later on.

There’s a huge vegan debate dominating the news agenda this week, and this week the European Parliament will hold a significant vote to attempt to end this controversial topic. The battle over whether vegan ‘burgers’ and ‘sausages’ should be replaced by vegan ‘discs’ and ‘fingers’ is intensifying, and a final EU ruling known as a “food labelling amendment” will be decided. There are two sides to this debate: the meat industries claim that the use of meat related terms and names, such as ‘burgers’ confuse consumers. On the other hand, the vegan industry recognises that right now, the total number of vegans, vegetarians, and all related categories, is close to 14 percent of the world population. The transition from vegetarians to vegans has been so profound that last year (2019), was declared by The Economist ‘The Year of the Vegan’. A climate crisis looming, and veganism is on the rise. People should be promoting vegetarian and vegan products rather than making life more difficult for their manufacturers who decide to use words and terms that (I believe) most people are more than comfortable with using. A vegan burger is a vegan burger. A cheeseburger in a fast-food takeout venue is unlikely to be a vegan burger unless it specifically specifies vegan cheeseburger. The number of vegans in the US grew by 600 percent from 4 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2018. Between 2011 and 2016, Italy had the fastest-growing vegan population with a growth of 94.4 percent. According to Google Trends, the UK was the country most interested in ‘veganism’ in 2019, followed by Australia, and New Zealand. Yet still, a major vote will go ahead on whether to limit the use of words such as ‘steak’, ‘sausage’, ‘escalope’ and ‘burger’ on labels to products containing meat. If the bill passes with the proposed amendments, it would not come into force immediately. Rather, its implementation would have to be negotiated with the EU's 27 member countries. The pandemic has hit meat processors and also provided a tailwind for sales of plant-based products, which have jumped 73 percent in Europe over the past five years, according to Euromonitor, the consumer data group. Jasmijn de Boo, Vice President of ProVeg International, sai,: “To suggest that consumers are confused by the contents of a veggie burger is clearly nonsense. Just as we all know full well that there is no butter in peanut butter and no cream in coconut cream, consumers know exactly what they’re getting when they purchase veggie burgers or veggie sausages. Over 250,000 people have signed our petition to say they agree with us. We just hope that common sense prevails” I’ve been monitoring the developments in this case for quite some time, and after research and conversations with those in the industry I personally believe that there is no evidence to suggest that consumers are confused or misled by the current labelling of vegetarian and vegan products. Let’s remember that plant-based meat alternatives have been on the market for at least a century. As one of the directors of a top vegan food distributor said, “It is only now that these products have made their way into mainstream supermarkets and are expanding their sales footprints across the EU that stakeholders from traditional animal-based industries are calling for a legal ban.” The official definition of a burger as per the Cambridge dictionary is as follows: meat or other food made into a round, fairly flat shape, fried and usually eaten between two halves of a bread roll. What side of the debate are you on? Are you ‘confused’ (as the meat industry claims you are) when you’re shopping in a supermarket and have a choice between meat burgers and vegan burgers? Or perhaps you think this whole case is quite ridiculous as ultimately, we are all very aware of the food choices, we make every single day, and this is nothing new. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

The other day in a discussion my husband said to me ‘you put so much focus on words.’ I thought about it for a minute, and its true, I do. I am a lover of words, words are powerful. I think my obsession with words comes from my love for reading and writing, A long time ago I started paying attention to the words I say to others but most especially the words I say to myself. I strongly advise you never ever ignore the power of the vocabulary you use. I believe the words we use have a great effect on the state of our well-being. Some of us use such toxic vocabulary, the vibration of our neurology includes thoughts, includes frequencies, that are so toxic that even if you do positive visualisation, they are backed up by a vocabulary that is organically so negative that it’s a waste of time. So no matter how powerful and positive our visualisations are, if our vocabulary is fundamentally hostile towards everything we see, towards everyone, and towards ourselves you will wake up in the morning and be hostile, your first thoughts will be angry, you see your life as not enough, you see others as not enough. Your first reaction to everything will be critical; you can never be happy. Clearly, any of us would do well to avoid words that promote those thoughts or reactions.  It’s a good idea to avoid three powerful words: blame, deserve and entitled. I have tried hard and am still trying to remove these words from my head, it has made a huge difference to my life. I challenge you to give it a go and try doing the same. Blaming others for anything automatically takes you out of the present and puts toxic perceptions inside of you. Then there are the words we use with others, have you ever had that feeling? Maybe it was right after you said it, maybe it was a day or two later, but we all know that feeling of regret over words that we have said. Words fly out of our mouths so quickly, and we often don’t stop and think about what we have said. The problem is you can never really take back your words, can you?  It is like trying to put superglue back into the tube. It doesn’t work. We can apologise and say nice words, but we can’t really take back the hurt we have caused. We need to grow in the words we say.  We need to slow down and think before we speak. We all make mistakes, and we all have space to grow, lets be conscious about the words that come out of our mouths.

There have been numerous discussions regarding the best time to eat fruits, and there have been various myths and studies that have provided varying facts. When it comes to these kind of issues where you are unable to get all the real facts, you have to revert to common knowledge, common sense and any scientific facts that may lead you in the right direction. I have always been under the impression that the best time to eat fruits is in the morning, on an empty stomach. I remember hearing it in a documentary and a few podcasts and just memorised it as an undisputed fact and applied it to my life ever since. I didn’t actually do any research but noticed the significant changes in my health so decided not even to look into it. So, what did I observe after following the rule of ‘fruit only on an empty stomach’ and in the morning? I kept feeling lighter and brighter during the day and having good energy to start my day off. Then I noticed that I was always starving around 30-60 minutes after having my morning fruit. It made sense since our bodies burn the best early on in the day and that’s when we can optimally burn calories. Why not burn all that natural sugar as you start your day off and why not take that window of opportunity and eat the sugary fruit and get them out of the way and checked off your wellness list? So according to science, fruit potentially inhibits the efficiency of your digestive system when combined with other foods, therefore there is a delay but not necessarily bad. Some scientists say it is a good side effect as you feel more satisfied longer while your body takes its time, but I don’t support this view as I feel why mess with your digestion when you actually understand your body and how it works or what it prefers? Another scientific fact that needs to be mentioned is that fruit is easily broken down by our bodies and used for quick energy. Even smoothies work, but the same logic applies, have them on an empty stomach first thing. It seems like our bodies do not want to complicate things and prefer to digest fruit separately, making it the best food group to eat as a snack in between meals to give you that extra boost you might be looking for or an easy way to get yourself used to the guideline. So why not first thing in the morning when you wake up and need quick energy after that good night’s sleep you just had? Think about it, you can enjoy the fact that you started your day off with a healthy note full of bright and fresh goodness and that those yummy fruits are giving you your first fuel for the day. I explained earlier that I noticed how I felt lighter and brighter, but I also notice how I would end up starving a bit after the fruit. Because I move around the house and the kitchen, making breakfast for me and my family and watching over my baby, I do realise how the energy has been used and seriously notice the feeling of low energy and a growling stomach. Therefore, I always have my main breakfast 30-60 minutes after my fruit. I usually go for simple oatmeal, some type of wheat bread with natural spreads or gluten-free options for a change. It is critical to maintain your healthy by eating enough for your body’s needs but simultaneously listening to it. I cannot ignore that I also drink water and hot water with lemon as soon as I wake up, so that may also add to the sudden hunger or increase in metabolism. When you change your lifestyle, especially your diet, you will notice life-changing effects and those are rewards that make it all worth it. With this sort of morning diet, I started to notice how I felt less bloated after breakfast compared to my old ways. I also noticed how my bowel movements started to improve. Once you take the decision to take your life…I mean your health into your own hands, that is when you see the benefits and decide to be consistent. So start taking matters into your own hands and find your balance. * The author is the wellness advocate and influencer @keys2balance.