February: unless you’re a lover of romance and over-priced greetings cards, there’s not much in the way of celebration this month.

It’s bitterly cold, it’s dark, the festivities of Christmas are long over, the excitement of a brand new year has abated and we’re edging once more towards that biscuit tin.

According to experts, there are a number of effective ways to cheer ourselves up this winter without eating inordinate amounts of sugary treats.

Zoë Copsey, head of nutrition at Lomax Bespoke Fitness, Nutrition and Wellbeing, believes diet is the key to happiness in winter.  ‘Serotonin is commonly known as the happy hormone,’ she said. ‘It is produced to control our mood, emotions and sleep and, with the right foods and nutrients, you can help with the production of it’.

Serotonin is created from an amino acid known as acid L-tryptophan, which cannot be produced by the body. This means it needs to be absorbed from external sources, i.e. the food we eat. Ms Copsey recommends eating lots of shellfish, milk, egg, poultry and yoghurt to boost the production of serotonin.

Experts believe that another important component determining happiness levels is a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is associated with social bonding, calmness and happiness. It is released when mothers give birth to their babies, and also when humans interact with their pets.

Stroking an animal you feel close to can, according to a study, help reduce blood pressure and heart rate in humans.

Oxytocin is also the chemical released during orgasm, which can boost the feeling of attachment to a sexual partner and make you feel happier.

There are many scientifically-proven ways to boost your mood, from exercising, to sitting in the sun, to eating the right foods. If you know how you want to change your life, a life coach can help you to achieve and maintain these goals.

To find out more about how life coaching could improve certain aspects of your life this winter, please visit Life Coaching Areas and browse our selection of information pages.

View and comment on the original Metro article.

Lower income families throughout the UK have cut their consumption of fruit and vegetables by an average of 30% in the response to the rising price of food.

Whilst the average household continues to buy around four portions of fruit and veg each day, recently released figures show that households within the lowest tenth of incomes were only buying 2.7 daily portions.

The Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have said that the 30% decline has happened gradually since 2006, and is likely to have declined further still in the past year.

Commenting on the figures, Labour’s shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh has said that this is an area which urgently requires attention. “It’s very bad news that people on lower incomes are now even less likely to get their five a day. ” She said.

For information, advice and some helpful tips about ways to stay fit and healthy, please visit our health coaching page for more information.

View and comment on the original Guardian article. 

We all resolve to begin a New Year more healthily than we ended the last one, but often we set unrealistic and unreachable goals that mean our good intentions do not last long. Below are a few tips on how to boost your health and well-being in ways which can be easily integrated into your everyday life.

Sleep well

It is the most repeated advice in the book but nevertheless it is true. Sleep helps to maintain optimum brain functioning as it gives the brain the opportunity to renew.

The simple act of bringing forward your bedtime by 20 minutes each night could make the world of difference, leaving you feeling refreshed and as bright as a button in the morning.

Take a walk

Its common sense that walking will help you to stay fit and healthy as well as meaning that you ingest a great big gulp of fresh air into the lungs and you get a daily dose of melatonin.

20 minutes a day of brisk walking should be just the ticket.

Take the stairs

Your office or flat may be on the top floor but it’s still no excuse to use the lift or escalator everyday. This is such a simple addition to your routine and even though it may only result in a minimal difference, over a long period it could really help to improve overall fitness levels and encourage mobility.

Taking the stairs will also help to tone up your calf and buttock muscles.

Make your own lunch

The tempting treats on offer in the staff canteen or vending machine can make eating healthily at work a struggle.

Making your own packed lunch won’t take you long and as well as meaning you’ll be eating a healthier diet it also could save you money.

Brown pasta salads, soups and sandwich’s made on wholemeal bread are all great options.

Cut down your alcohol consumption

Do you reach for a wine glass as soon as you get in the door from work? Whilst it is true that alcohol can help you to wind down after a long day, introducing a couple of ‘dry days’ to allow your body to recover means you’ll be consuming less calories and you’ll probably feel a little more spritely in the mornings.

View and comment on the original ivillage article.

Whether it is whispering about an office romance at the water cooler or discussing a neighbour over the garden wall – it seems that the effects of a gossip are far more far reaching than previously thought.

The survey figures revealed that 85 per cent of respondents enjoy hearing juicy gossip and one in 10 individuals find it difficult to keep hold of a secret.

According to psychologist Dr Colin Gill, the act gossiping can boost positive hormone levels within the body that in turn help to reduce stress and anxiety. Gill puts these effects down to the fact that we are taking an interest in what other people are saying and bonding in the process.

‘Peer referencing’ which is a common aspect of gossiping that involves comparing ourselves favourably to the people we are discussing also seems to have positive effects, again boosting happy hormones within the body.

Although gossiping is generally considered to be largely negative and something which the majority of us feel guilty about after we have done it, in evolutionary terms it actually helped us to gather useful information about the characters of others and their behaviour, and still remains necessary to group cohesion.

“It’s a good way of finding out what kinds of behaviour are socially acceptable in your group. If somebody raises their eyebrows as they tell you something about somebody else, you modify your behaviour accordingly.” Said Gill.

Gill went onto say that as long as gossip is not malicious, unpleasant and untrue and it is started out of a spirit of concern then it is perfectly healthy.

View and comment on the original Telegraph article.

Having trouble drifting off when it comes to bedtime but fed up of counting sheep? Try these alternative sleepy time tips to help you into the world of slumber:

1.     Don’t force it

Unfortunately none of us possess the power to ‘will’ ourselves to sleep, so thinking and wishing and praying for it to happen will only result in frustration. If you happen to be having a sleepless night then try not to become stressed. Thinking ahead to the next day about how tired you are going to be during your morning commute and at work will not help matters. Relax – there is plenty of time for sleep tomorrow night, and the one after that etc.

2.     Build a routine

It is all very well setting an alarm each day to wake us at the same time, but we forget that a bedtime routine in the evening is just as important. Try to pick an hour to be in bed by most nights to help your body build a routine.

3.     Shut out the light

Obviously you will turn your light off before bed but bear in mind that other light sources can be a disturbance. If your phone goes off in the middle of the night, even if it’s on silent the light may disturb you without you actually realising.

The light from your computer charger, the hallway light coming in under your door and the light of the street lights seeping through your thin curtains can all act as disturbances on an unconscious level. Turn your phone charger over, shut off the hall light and get some well-lined curtains or a blackout blind.

4.     Choose your pillow wisely

Trying to get a good night’s sleep without a good pillow is akin to trying to get a car to start without an engine, or like going to the gym in stilettos. You need the right equipment. Ensure that your pillow offers support and comfort that is suitable for your sleeping position.

5.     Banish furry friends

As much as the thought of our feline and canine friends snuggled up at the end of the bed is all very quaint – midnight meowing and barking at bumps in the night do not make for a relaxing bedtime. Pets are just as easily woken up as we are so do yourself a favour and pop their bed a little further away (i.e. in another room) from yours.

For the full list of tips please visit the original Women’s Health Magazine article.

Love handles, muffin tops, beer-bellies, overhang, middle-aged-spread … all terms favoured by the media for that unwanted belly fat so many of us seem to have.

A survey recently named excess belly fat as the UK’s biggest body hang-up (or hang-over?). So the most logical way to beat the bulge it is to jump on the Swiss-Ball and crack out 100 sit ups a day, right?

Wrong, according to Gareth Cole, head of education at the Third Space gym in London’s Soho. He says by focusing too hard on the ‘core’ muscles, people neglect other important muscle groups integral for fitness and health.

Another fitness expert, Jean-Claude Vacassin, agrees. He says: “There is a place for sit-ups but not for people who spend a lot of time hunched over a desk. If your lower back is often rounded – spinal flexion – you don’t want to create more flexion. To say it is all about core training is like looking at the world through a straw.”

Millions of people in the UK spend all day shackled to their office desks, often hunched over their screens. This only increases the likelihood of injury when they do finally get a chance to exercise.

Although spending 15 minutes in the morning doing sit ups may seem like a good idea, doing isolated exercises can lead to back problems caused by damaged spinal discs.

Sports rehabilitator Christnoel Buhay believes men are more likely to get obsessed about the abs because they tend to only train the muscles they can see. A man’s typical training session focusses on the chest and biceps, whereas he should be looking to open up his posture by strengthening the lower back instead.

So what exercise should we be doing to fight the flab? Gareth Cole suggests trying something called the ‘Plank Matrix’:

Start in the basic plank position, then roll onto your side and lift each of your legs into the air in turn. This will strengthen the muscles around the spine and improve your posture.

Other recommended exercises include lunges, squats, push-ups and dead-lifts.

So the moral of the story? Vary your workout – try not to focus too much on just one area because this could lead to injury.

Some life coaches specialise in personal training. If you would like to find one, simply type ‘personal training’ into the box on the top right hand side of the homepage, titled ‘search entire site’. 

View and comment on the original London Evening Standard article.

Obesity is at an all time high, good parenting is at an all-time low. Have we ‘squandered’ our chance to create an Olympic legacy of fitness, as sports medicine specialists claim?

One leading sports medicine specialist, Dr Andy Franklyn-Miller, has warned that the government’s failure to give PE the same priority as other subjects has put future generations at risk of obesity and resulting health problems.

Lessons in ‘physical literacy’ would, as Dr Franklyn-Miller claims, improve cardiovascular fitness and co-ordination.

“Let it be competitive and let us test our children against each other and identify those who need support,” he said.

The call for PE tests coincides with a statement made by the Youth Sport Trust, announcing its aim to train thousands of primary school teachers across England in specialist PE skills.

The training scheme, known as ‘Start to Move’, will be funded by private medical firm Bupa and aims to reach all primary schools in England by 2014.

Some, like Christine Blower from the National Union of Teachers, have disagreed with the idea of compulsory PE testing. Blower believes that the ‘testing’ aspect could increase negativity and only cause children to be less willing to participate.

If you are interested in encouraging your children to be more active, you may wish to consult a life coach for advice and guidance. Our sections on Relationships and Health will give you a better understanding of how a life coach can help. 

View and comment on the original BBC article.

We now know for certain from research that the dramatic reduction in sunlight hours during winter can have a serious physical and emotional impact upon the human body.

With the clocks now having gone back, the number of hours during which we are exposed to natural sunlight has been reduced, a change which will have a serious impact on the energy levels of many individuals up and down the country.

With the average worker waking up in darkness and returning home in darkness, it’s no surprise that people are beginning to feel less energetic and are craving more sleep.

During the summer months the body learns to react to certain light cues from the sun, producing active and energetic hormones when the body clock receives the right type of light so that our energy cycles will be regulated. A perfect example of this is waking in the morning. During the summer months the rising sun is a natural cue for us to wake and for the body to begin producing the hormones that are required to help us wake and feel active. During the winter we wake without this natural light signal, without which the body struggles to stimulate the production of the necessary hormones.

The feel good hormone serotonin also takes its cue from natural light, which could be why almost one in five of the UK population have reported feeling unenergetic and low between September and April each year.

Sunlight is key to our happiness so if you are feeling lethargic and low during the colder months of the year then make a conscious effort to get outside into the daylight at least once everyday.

Stepping out of your warm office or cosy home and into sub-zero temperatures may not seem that appealing, but even just 10 minutes worth of sunlight each day could really make a difference to your overall mood.

Individuals who are experiencing symptoms of depression during the winter months may be suffering from a condition know as Seasonal Affective Disorder, a serious and debilitating form of the winter blues which can prevent sufferers from going about their everyday lives as normal.

If you are concerned that you or someone you know may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, your first port of call should be you GP who will be able to diagnose your condition and refer you for appropriate treatment.

View and comment the original BBC News article.

Dr Sarah Brewer (of the Telegraph) believes that we’re all conditioned to think of death in terms of ‘the big 5′: stroke, heart attack, cancer, respiratory failure and pneumonia. She says: “Once you start travelling, however, you encounter a smorgasbord of new ways to die”.

Here is a selection of Dr Sarah Brewer’s slightly less common ways to die, and how to avoid them:

1. Boredom: Heard of the phrase ‘bored to death’? It’s not to be taken lightly – research shows that civil servants experiencing a large amount of boredom in life are twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke within the next 25 years, than those who don’t feel bored. So get off Facebook and sign up to something new to prolong your life!

2. Heartbreak: Suffering from unrequited love or a broken heart? Put away the Ben and Jerry’s and stop pining- it could kill you! There really is such a thing as broken heart syndrome, known as ‘takostsubo’ cardiomyopathy after a Japanese octopus-catching pot. It is named after such a contraption because acute emotional stress can cause the tip of the left ventricle (part of the heart) to temporarily dilate, and apparently make it resemble a takostsubo. The abnormal heart rhythms that sometimes occur as a result of a broken heart can often be fatal.

3. Kitchen: Need an excuse not to cook tonight? We have one- you might not make it out alive. 42% of accidents happen inside the home. The kitchen, with heavy objects, hot surfaces and sharp implements, is particularly dangerous. In the UK, half the population experiences a domestic injury every year, with the risk of dying from it currently at 1 in every 1,500.

4. Night-time: It seems that hiding under the covers works- you are 3 times less likely to die at night than you are during the day. Among other reasons, this is due to the diurnal rhythms which influence blood pressure, heart rate and brain activity.

5. Mondays: We often feel like staying in bed on those dark, cold Monday mornings. Well, now we have even more of an excuse to- we are 18% more likely to die on a Monday than we are on a Sunday due to the stress of returning to work.

Until a cure for death is discovered, all we can do is delay the moment for as long as possible. This can be helped by maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle- and enjoying ourselves. If you are unhappy or unhealthy, you may wish to consult a life coach who can get you on the road to recovery and improvement. To find out more how a life coach could help you, please visit our Life Coaching Areas section.

To read Dr Sarah Brewer’s full list, please visit the original Telegraph article.

According to a recent study that has been published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, not putting the clocks back each October could help in the fight against rising childhood obesity rate. 

Despite the changing clocks allowing us one extra precious hour in bed, a new study has revealed that the negatives could far outweigh the positives.

According to the research, children are heavily influenced by the daylight weather when they are deciding whether or not to go outside and play.

The research in question investigated the activity levels of 325 children between the ages of eight and 11. All of the children involved in the study were asked to wear accelerometers, a device used to record the amount of exercise they did. They were also asked to keep a diary of their activities.

The results of the study showed that the children engaged in more exercise outside during summer evenings when it remained lighter for longer than they did in the winter.

The researchers involved in the study have said that not changing the clocks would mean more opportunities for children to play outdoors, strengthening the daylight saving bill debate which proposes putting the clocks forward by one extra hour all year round.

Daylight saving was initiated during World War II, when the government decided to move the clocks forward by an hour to increase productivity at munitions factories and to ensure people got home safely before the blackouts.

However, health experts are now arguing that this tradition needs to be changed in order to give children more time to play outside during daylight hours. It has also been argued that the changes would make it safer for them to make their way home from school.

Tam Fry, a spokesperson for the National Obesity Forum, said: “The longer the daylight hours, the longer kids will play. They really don’t seem to care much about the weather but they do care about the dark.

If the changes were to go ahead the UK may adopt Central European Time, with BST plus one hour in summer and GMT plus one during the winter.

View and comment on the original BBC News article.