Born to be Mild

10/06/2025

With the cold days upon us, it might be tempting to skip the morning walk and rather curl up with a blanket. Yet, staying active has numerous benefits, including improving health and mood. What are your favourite ways of staying fit and healthy during the winter months?

What about joining an exercise class or inviting a friend to join you? Consider trying a yoga class - contact Annabe if you'd like to join a class in Hermanus. Instead of sitting in front of the TV, try to walking in place, using resistance bands or stretching. What about turning your living room into a dance floor - turn on some music and get moving!

Feel free to post any additional ideas in the comments section!

With the current cold snap it's very hard to stay motivated to keep fit. Here are some helpful tips to stay active during winter.

04/06/2025

28/05/2025

Constant or chronic stress has a far-reaching impact on the body, including impacting mental and physical health. It can cause headaches, heartburn, high blood pressure, feeling depressed or anxious and many others. Long-term chronic stress can also affect the heart. It leads to chronic inflammation and high blood pressure which puts stress on the heart. Other factors caused by stressful situations, like eating unhealthy foods or drinking excessively also affects the heart.

If you are feeling stressed, try one of these tips to destress:
Laugh, meditate, unplug from digital devices, engage in a physical activity or find an activity which helps you relax, like working on a hobby, spending time in nature, listening to music or reading.

Constant stress has been linked to a wide range of health issues, including mood, sleep, appetite problems, and heart disease. These five simple tips can help you deal with stress and manage unheal...

20/05/2025

This weekend, the 20th anniversary of World Hypertension Day was celebrated. The theme for this year was "Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer!" World Hypertension Day seeks to raise awareness of the hidden dangers of high blood pressure and for the accuracy for blood pressure measurement. High blood pressure increases the risk for stroke, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease.

16/05/2025

We all experience stress in our lives, whether due to changes in our circumstances, pressures at work, relationship ups and downs, and many other factors. Our capacity to bounce back from these stresses can determine whether we thrive, survive, or sink. This is often referred to as resilience. Resilience refers to the ability to cope with, and recover from, various stressful situations and life's challenges in general, while still working towards creating meaning or achieving our goals.

We need to feel some stress to achieve our best, but if we feel too much, we can flounder. That’s where resilience comes in.

14/05/2025

This World Salt Awareness Week the theme is "Unmask the hidden salt". But where does salt hide?

Canned, ready-made store bought or restaurant soups often contain lots of salt. Look out for reduced sodium or less salt labels. The same is true for canned vegetables. Ham, processed meats, salami and biltong (dried meat) has a high salt content. Consider your salad dressing, tomato sauce and other sauces as well, and carefully check the label, or use a smaller amount. What about pizza, sandwiches and ready to heat meals? Sandwiches and pizza often combine toppings with individual high salt content, for example ham and cheese. Consider switching out toppings for a healthier option.

Marsha McCulloch identifies 30 common foods with high sodium and offers some alternatives or tips for a healthier diet. See the link to the article here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-high-in-sodium

09/05/2025

New research suggests menopause symptoms might also hold clues about a woman's future health. This includes risk for dementia or Alzheimer's. The various symptoms may hint at brain changes which might predict future cognitive and behavioural health.

Menopause is more than a life transition; it may also offer critical insights into long-term brain health.

06/05/2025

Washing our hands with water and soap is vitally important to prevent the spread of germs and disease.

25/04/2025

In Africa, the WHO latest 'World Malaria Report' showed there were an estimated 263 million malaria cases worldwide in 2023. The theme for 2025 is Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite. If you are travelling to a malaria area, remember to take appropriate precautions.

16/04/2025

On 27 March 2025 the very first World Adherence Day was celebrated. This campaign and awareness day seeks to highlight the importance of adhering to the entire treatment plan. This is envisioned as a partnership between medical professionals and patients. When medical professionals and patients have clear and open conversations regarding treatment and any questions related to the treatment plan, medication or the diagnosis, this helps achieve better outcomes and understanding.

See the link below for further information:

https://idf.org/news/world-adherence-day/

09/04/2025

"Happiness isn’t something we stumble upon. It’s something we give away."

Deborah Heiser shares some insight about how giving can boost your self-esteem, fight depression, build resilience and create meaning.

Discover how giving back in midlife can spark joy, purpose, and lifelong emotional fulfillment.