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Archive for March, 2010

Exercise is good for your mental health!

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Research shows that exercise improves self-concept (how you see yourself) and reduces anxiety and depression.

In 1998, Leith carried out a study on exercise. He got 109 volunteers who did not exercise regularly. He divided them into 4 groups. One group did nothing new. One group did high intensity exercise (e.g. running). One group did moderate intensity exercise (jogging or walking). One group did low intensity exercise (stretching).

Surprise, surprise – the three exercising groups got fitter! Interestingly though, the moderate intensity group also gained psychological benefits – their levels of tension and anxiety improved immediately, and their ability to cope with stress had improved significantly after just 3 months.

So the good news is, a small change can make a big difference. Moderate intensity exercise means raising your heart rate to 50-60% of its maximum. You can work out your maximum heart rate with a stress test, but the easiest thing to do is start walking, jogging, or doing whatever activity you prefer. You should feel that you are working fairly hard, begin to perspire (but not to the point of dehydration), and be a little out of breath (but not gasping for air) when you finish.

A new study by researchers in Edinburgh showed that just 7 minutes vigorous exercise per week could help prevent diabetes – who knew there were so many benefits to a simple walk in the park?

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Coconut treats!

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Trying to eat healthy?  Why not try these coconut treats!  Healthy and delicious.  They are simple to make and eaten in seconds!

100g almond nuts soaked overnight and drained

200g dessicated coconut

6 dessertspoons agave syrup

2 dessertspoons lemon zest

2 dessertspoons lime zest

Mix in a food processor using the ‘S’ blade

Form into bite size balls

For chocolate lovers, melt some raw chocolate

Dip the coconut balls into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with some coconut

Refrigerate if you can resist!

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Want to look younger?

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

We all want to look younger these days.  This simple anti-ageing eye mask has helped Tom O Brien the manager at Sankalpa to look like he must have the least stressful job in Finglas!  Unfortunately he was unavailable for the photo shoot that went with this post!

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Juice

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Fresh juices provide the body with an abundant source of nutrition all in one power packed punch of goodness!   Into your body in one fell swoop comes vitamins, minerals, live enzymes, and amino acids to name just a few.    The nutrients in juices are absorbed rapidly and efficiently with very little stress on the digestive system.

There are many different combinations of juices to choose from but it is always better to include as many green vegetables as you can and a small amount of fruit to provide a hint of sweetness.

Recipe for juice

 

3 large cucumbers    

2 heads of celery       

1 to 2 cm in diameter of ginger peeled and finely chopped

1 large or 2 small carrots

1 punnet of Blueberries or Blackberries    

1 large or 2 small apples (Fuji or pink lady red)

1 large pear             

1 whole lime flesh and juice included

For extra green chlorophyll and energy add in 1 large handful of parsley or spinach

This produces about one and a half litres of juice.  For smaller amounts simply reduce your portions of each.

Use locally produced organic vegetables when you can!

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Lentil Bolognese

Friday, March 12th, 2010

1 large carrot, grated

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 mug of red lentils

Olive oil

Optional: small glass of red wine

  • Cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil with the lid on until soft and transparent.
  • Add the grated carrot and chopped celery. Cook for 15 minutes.
  • Stir in the tomatoes (and wine) and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes, then add the lentils.
  • Simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are soft (they should still have a bit of bite)

 

Add a splash of water while cooking if the ingredients start to stick to the pan or dry out. You can serve this with pasta, or simply by itself. It’s tasty and filling and best of all – you won’t miss the meat!

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International Women’s Day

Friday, March 5th, 2010

International Women’s Day was originally a day to highlight inequality in our world. There are still inequalities in workload, power, pay and health, although the feminist movement has made some headway in addressing the balance. At times it seems as though the fight for equality has led to a kind of homogenisation – to succeed, a woman must think like a man – but equal does not have to mean the same. Rather than emphasising the areas we still need to change, this Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the women who are already making changes.

Every year, Triodos Bank holds the Women in Ethical Business Awards. These awards recognise women who work in ways that are profitable AND socially responsible. Last year’s nominees included Heather Gardener-Masoud, who along with Cathi Pawson set up Zaytoun to export fairly traded produce from Palestine, creating 1 million income for Palestine, with a turnover of £444,288, and with 3 employees.

Also nominated was Anne McCaig, CEO of Café Direct, which has a positive impact on 1.4million people worldwide. More than half the company’s profits are invested back into the growers, creating sustainability, profitability, and opportunity that benefits everyone.

Carry Somers gave up her PhD to set up Pachacuti, a fashion line that employs 6 people in Britain and creates income for over 300 people in Peru; supporting co-operatives, community groups, and mothers’ groups.

Women supporting – celebrating – women; that’s what International Women’s Day should be about.

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Art therapy in Sankalpa

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art making as part of the therapeutic process. It is useful in recovering from addictions because it is a psychodynamic therapy that addresses the root of drug-related issues rather than trying to solve the drug use alone. Using art in therapy can help to get around defences, which are very often verbal in nature. Clients can, with the help of their therapist, begin to identify patterns and experiences from their lives that have made them who, and how, they are today. Sometimes people with similar experiences can have very different outcomes – some people turn to drugs, while others might become depressed or develop eating disorders and so on. Using art in a therapy session can feel less confrontative that talk therapy, because if you don’t feel like talking, or don’t know what to say, you can work on an art work instead – you will still be expressing something, but it can feel easier. Sometimes people begin to talk about, or express through art, things they weren’t aware they were feeling or thinking, because making art somehow gets to the heart of things. Our experiences are not stories, so they cannot always be expressed in words. Sometimes we need to be creative in finding ways of expressing ourselves, and in finding resolution. 

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