Healthy Life Essex Newsletter - August 2008

Hi Everyone

Hope you are all enjoying the summer and managing to enjoy the sunshine when it breaks through those nasty rain clouds! Don’t forget to leave off those sunglasses occasionally – so you can really benefit from the sunshine. But if you are stuck indoors, why not make the most of the time and read our newsletter!

As always, we have several new articles (see below). We are also very proud to be hosting the Essex Healthy Life Healthy Eating Awards web site for the Essex Food Liaison Group. We are still waiting for the 14 councils that form the group to provide us with lists of outlets that have won awards but soon, if you are looking for cafes and restaurants that offer healthy food options for you and your children, you will be able to find them on that site. The associated article explains how the awards work. Maybe you know a restaurant or cafe that could apply? If the proprietors visit www.essexhealthylife.org.uk they can find all the information and forms they need to apply.

We are also in the process of adding all the Health Walks throughout the county to our events listings. If you would like some gentle exercise this is a great way to do it. You’ll get exercise and fresh air, and it’s also a great way to make new friends. (If you run or know of any other Health Walks then please let us know)

Hopefully you are already using the Wildlife / Countryside Events to see where you can take the children over the summer holidays. Getting your children to enjoy and get involved with the natural environment can bring so many benefits.

The following are brief introductions to the new articles added, sorted in to areas of interest. Some areas do overlap, so don’t be surprised if the same article appears more than once.

Click on the green links for the full story

Countryside & Wildlife

An Otter Summer Find out about the Essex Wildlife Trust’s fundraising appeal to help re-establish Otters and wetland habitats throughout Essex.

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Charities

Breathe Easy
Breathe Easy is a British Lung Foundation support network for people who have a lung condition and for those who look after them. These people often feel alone and making friends is important. Find a group near you.

Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity 
Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity based in Chelmsford treats cancer patients holistically and offers therapeutic support often unavailable elsewhere.

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Therapies

Ayurveda by Sarah Yapp BA ITEC MCThA of Sarah Yapp Therapies. 
Ayurveda is a system of imparting knowledge and living a way of life that helps to attain physical and mental wellness holistically. Sarah discusses some of the Ayurvedic treatments she offers.

Kinesiology by Gina Butler KFRP, GS.
Kinesiology is a gentle non-invasive holistic therapy suitable for everyone. Gina, an experienced Kinesiology Federation registered practitioner and Geopathic Stress consultant, explains more.

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Health conditions 

Coping with lymphoedema – Sue’s story.
Management of lymphoedema is just one of the support services offered by the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity.

Healthy Life with Diabetes by Alexis Hodgkins RGN/DN/MSc.
Alexis is a registered nurse and specialist is diabetes care and management. Find out about the diagnosis, treatment and management of what is becoming a very common chronic illness.

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Nutrition 

Essex Healthy Life Healthy Eating Awards.
Find out what commercial food outlets have to do to get a Silver or Gold Award and how the awards might benefit you and your family.

Glycaemic Index
The Glycaemic Index of Common Foods focuses on foods that provide slow, steady amounts of energy throughout the day to help control blood sugar levels. This is particularly important for diabetics and can also be used as the basis of a healthy weight-loss diet.

Aspartame by Melanie Fryer Dip.ION of Health in Nutrition
Melanie voices her concerns about aspartame, an ingredient found in many low-sugar and sugar-free foods and drinks and even medicines.

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Exercise and Fitness.

Fitness for Children by Hazel Williams.
A qualified Personal Trainer and Children’s Exercise specialist, Hazel suggests some great ways to make exercise and fitness fun for children. Put the Nintendo away and have some fun with the children this summer!

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Our Essex / Environment 

A quiet revolution. by Ross Gardner.
Meadowfield Nature Study Centre in Hockley, offers Essex schoolchildren a hands-on learning experience of plants and the wildlife at large in the local environment. The wider message is that encouraging a connection with the natural world will have a positive and genuine influence on our local environment.

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Community Art 

Art of the Environment:
When work began on the Mardyke Valley Project an amazing array of rubbish, from shopping trolleys to motorbikes, was reclaimed from the river. Sculptor Ptolemy Elrington (usually just Ptolemy) has turned these into sculptures of creatures associated with the valley — a dragonfly, fish, kingfisher heron and even the Aveley Mammoth! (More about the Mardyke Valley Project soon.)

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Volunteering 

South East Essex Conservation Volunteers (SEECV). offers a great way of keeping fit, enjoying the fresh air, and making new friends: and doing ‘your bit’ for the environment! Suitable for school age upwards, but children under 16 must be with a responsible adult / guardian.

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Reviews 

Books:

Kissed by Angels by Janet Lee
The biography of spiritualist medium Lorraine Butler. This emotional rollercoaster will have you laughing and crying.

Facing Neuralgia by Wendy Evans.
Wendy was suddenly struck down by a rare nervous disease. This is a factual account of her long and hard battle to regain her life and her dignity.

Stress-Busting for Children (The best kept secret since Father Christmas)
by Rita Sparks.
An easy way to resolve behavioural problems. A must read for parents, guardians, grand-parents – or anyone involved with children.

If I Can, You Can! by Constance Turner.
If you are in a long-term violent relationship this may inspire you to break free. More laughter, more tears!

Audio / visual:

Affirmations to Change your Life CD by Dawn Breslin.
A gentle but empowering CD to help lift our lives to a higher level of existence.

The Speech Imp by hypnoIMP MP3 player.
One of a serious of portable hypnotherapy sessions.

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We hope you have enjoyed this newsletter and managed to read most, if not all, of the articles! If you have any comments to make or you would like to submit articles yourself please do contact us.

And don’t forget, www.HealthyLifeEssex.co.uk is a Social Enterprise with a mission to help the community, so do please pass this e-mail on to your family, friends and colleagues.

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