Happiness Hacks for 2017

Tags

2017, aunt, bath, bed, bike, birthday, blender, blog, cake, cinema, clothese, control, credit card, CV, date, day, diary, dog, Facebook, friends, gossip, happy, husband, January, journal, letter, level, library, life, lipstick, live it, local, meditate, mum, news, pop, red, Relax, run, short, sister, sleeping rough, smile, smoothies, social media, sore, sunshine, Vitamin C, volunteer

We know that a start of a new year can be a time when many of us make endless resolutions so we can be the very best we can.

The thing is, January is cold and dark and even with the best will in the world, getting out of bed in the dark and running 10 miles to be super fit, can be, well, miserable.

So we have come up with a list of 50 really easy things you can do to make yourself happy in 2017 and to be honest, that’s what really matters.

1. Smile.
2. Write down three good things for each day in a journal – even on the hardest of days there is something good.
3. Plan something fun to do each weekend.
4. Don’t gossip.
5. Say hello to your neighbours.
6. Listen to your favourite song, everyday.
7. Have a bath before you go to bed.
8. Call your mum, sister, aunt, husband once in a while rather than just texting.
9. Eat clean, or at least eat healthy.
10. Go for a walk at lunchtime.
11. Read a book.
12. Donate to charity and give back.
13. Really listen when someone is talking to do.
14. Skip the news.
15. Make a cake and eat it fresh from the over.
16. Light candles.
17. Get a dog.
18. Take up a new sport.
19. Don’t have the argument.
20. Clear out the clutter.
21. Send birthday cards don’t just post a message on Facebook.
22. Drink hot water and lemon when you wake up.
23. Don’t pop that spot on your chin, it’ll make it red and sore.
24. Become a volunteer for a local cause close to your heart.
25. Get on your bike and peddle your way to fitness.
26. Have a manicure and feel polished.
27. Turn the TV off and do something less boring instead.
28. Start a blog.
29. Wear a new lipstick.
30. Don’t keep anything for best, life is short, live it.
31. Go out in the sunshine and up your Vitamin D levels the next way.
32. Tell someone you love them.
33. Make use of your local library.
34. Don’t gossip.
35. Get a blender and make your own smoothies full of goodness and health benefits.
36. Sign up for a challenge and stick to it.
37. Meditate everyday, you will feel the benefits and it will become a part of your routine.
38. Book a spa day for you and a friend and really relax as you catch up.
39. Update your CV and get the job you have always really wanted.
40. Ask your man to marry you – it isn’t a leap year but take control and get a date in the diary.
41. Host a party and let your hair down.
42. Apply to be on a talent show.
43. Go on a digital detox and leave the world of social media behind, even for a few hours.
44. Book a holiday and have something amazing to look forward to.
45. Have a make over and only wear the clothes you love and the ones that make you feel great.
46. Pay off that credit card bill.
47. Write a letter.
48. Buy lunch for someone who is sleeping rough.
49. Go to the cinema in the middle of the day.
50. Smile, did we say that already?

You see, all easy to do and all with great potential for making you happy.

Happy 2017.

Team Pure-Beauty

Boost your memory with your diet

Tags

absorption, anniversary, B vitamins, birthday, boost, brain, breakfast, cell damage, cereal, diet, digestion, dinner, effectiveness, energy levels, food, free radical damage, healthy fatty acids, immunity, juicy blueberries, learning, lunch, memory, motor skills, olive oil, oxygen, play games, pumpkin, ripe, seeds, short-term memory, skin, smoothies, spatial awareness, spinach, stress-busting magnesium, sunflower, tip-top, tomoatoes, Tryptophan, Vitamin C, water

Ever go upstairs only to come back down empty handed?

Put your keys down and then can’t find them?

Go to dial a number, and forget who you needed to speak to so urgently?

Yes, us too.

With life getting busier by the day and demands stacking up , it is hardly surprising that are brains can’t always keep up.

Whilst we know that a good diet and plenty of water helps our digestion, energy levels, immunity and skin, it also supports our brains and memory too.

Even slight hunger or dehydrated can affect attention levels and play games with our short-term memory.

So, we have had a look at some of the best foods to eat every day that will make your memory tip-top in no time.

Let’s start with seeds. Sunflower seeds are bursting with vitamin E and B, and are a brilliant source of healthy fatty acids. Flaxseeds contain Alpha Linoleic Acid, a healthy fat that helps the brain with motor skills and spatial awareness. Pumpkin seeds supply zinc, which is great for your memory, as well as stress-busting magnesium, B vitamins and tryptophan, the creator of the happy chemical, serotonin. Adding a tablespoon of seeds to smoothies, cereal or stirring into yoghurt is an easy way to get this memory boosting goodness into your body and brain every day.

Berries are also another brilliant option. Tasty, ripe, juicy blueberries are thought to boost learning and memory because of their high flavonoid level. Experts think these protect the brain against free radical damage so popping them in a smoothie or eating on porridge can get your brain sorted for the day.

There is evidence that lycopene, a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes could help protect against cell damage which occurs in the development of dementia. Cooked tomatoes with a little olive oil are a good bet as you optimise absorption and effectiveness.

Vitamin C is a total mental agility power house. Not many people know this but one of best sources comes from the simple blackcurrants with citrus fruits, red pepper and broccoli coming in a close second!

Spinach is an all round super-food and one that can help with your memory. The green leaves are full of Vitamin C and folic acid, both of which help create neurotransmitters in the brain. It is also a source of chlorophyll, which helps the absorption of iron and promotes the growth of red blood cells which means oxygen can get around the body and to the brain. In short, eat it with breakfast, lunch and dinner and you won’t forget another anniversary or birthday again.

If you eat nuts, your memory should be sharp as they are bursting with Vitamin E which has been shown to help to prevent cognitive decline. Leafy greens, olives, brown rice, eggs and whole grains are also Vitamin E options that will make you remember just what you went upstairs for.

What foods keep your memory in tip-top condition – we would love to know.

Team Pure-Beauty