It’s so easy to ignore the basics of good health when work has you run off your feet. So here’s a few simple reminders. Foods and tips to make you feel great!

Eat

Believe it or not, food plays an important role in determining your mood! Below are some foods that actually enhance your ability to be happy, less stressed and more focused!

• Bananas: Contain B6 and Tryptophan which increase serotonin production, making you happier.
• Nuts, seeds, avocado: All contain ‘good fats’ to feed the brain and make you more focused.
• Organic dark chocolate and leafy greens: Such as lettuce, kale etc. All are high in magnesium which is a mineral that cannot be made by the body. It helps maintain regular, steady blood flow, plays a big part in structure and strengthening of bones and leftover magnesium in our bodies is stored in our muscles where it acts like a muscle relaxant!

My Tip: Start the day with a complete protein brekkie. Later in the day, eat your colours (aim for five). At dinner, don’t eat too heavy or too late at night. Otherwise, we spend the night digesting our food and don’t sleep properly.

Sleep

Sleep is so important; designed to repair our organs and vital if we’re feeling stressed or not 100%. Avoid going to bed with work on your mind. Read a novel and ensure you stay off the computer just before you go to bed. This can be too stimulating on the mind.

Drink

1 litre of water for every 22 kilos you weigh. Introduce it slowly and the body will normalise over a few days. With more exercise you’ll find it much easier to increase water intake. Also, try a glass of warm water with a squeeze of lemon in the morning; it stimulates metabolism.

Listen…

To your body! When you’re not feeling 100% take action. Slow the pace down, eat healthy, have a bath and relax a bit. Epsom salt, or essential oils – lavender, chamomile, rosewood, cedarwood, jasmine or vanilla extract – are all great stress relievers.

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If you’re a dedicated business owner or manager you probably rate reading, research and education as top priorities for improvement. That’s good, because exercising your mind and sharpening your skills is paramount to business success.

But how often do you exercise your mind and body in the physical sense? Do you regularly reschedule exercise to get more work done? If so, you could be sabotaging your chance of success because “the greatest benefit of physical exercise is not fitness; it’s what it does to your head and your self esteem.” – Dr. Stephen Covey.

Below are five excerpts from audio (and print) publications that have recently done the rounds at SNOBS HQ. Each title was purchased because it fits the category: ‘recommended reading for personal or business success’.

But, guess what? They all hit on the importance of good health and regular exercise for achieving your goals – in one case dedicating a whole chapter to it!

EXCERPT ONE

The Dr. Stephen Covey quote, in the intro, is pulled from his world-famous book: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s actually from ‘habit no.7′ which Covey refers to as “sharpening the saw”.

It so brilliantly hammers-home this entire concept. So instead of a text-excerpt, kick back and enjoy an 8-minute audio excerpt from Covey himself. Click to hear about ‘sharpening the saw’.

EXCERPT TWO

In The Big Moo, Seth Godin presents stories, advice and ideas from 33 of the world’s best business minds. Here’s what one of them had to say:

“Imagine a pot-bellied, nervous, cigarette smoking salesmen pacing back and forth outside his office building. He’s puffing as hard as he can, anxious about getting back to work. This guy’s focused on solving the urgent problems in his life… he’s not focused one bit on giving up cigarettes, losing weight or understanding how tense he is. He figures there’s time for that later.
Right now, he needs to panic about the sales figures that are due tomorrow. He’ll have time to panic about his health when he’s in the hospital having bypass surgery.

“The time to panic about his health, of course, is right now while he can still do something about it. Taking action today on a long term problem is easier, cheaper, more effective and far less time consuming than waiting for it to become an emergency.”

EXCERPT THREE

Real estate man John McGrath dedicates an entire chapter to health in his 2003 book: You, Inc. (How to Attract Amazing Success into Your Life and Business).

From Chapter 4: Are you fit for business?

“Are you wondering why I’ve included a section of health and fitness in a book about creating a successful business? You might be tempted to skip over this chapter and go straight to the sections on sales and management.

“If you did, you’d be making a big mistake because the simple fact is, you can’t run a successful business without good health and lots of positive energy.”

EXCERPT FOUR

Even as far back as the 1930’s, successful people understood the benefits of good health. Napoleon Hill was America’s pioneering motivational author, who taught the ‘17 Principles of Personal Achievement’ in his book Think and Grow Rich [published in 1937].

From Principle no. 15: Health

“Sound health begins with a sound health consciousness, just as financial success begins with a prosperity consciousness.”

[NB: SNOBS’ recommends the revised and updated version of the ’17 Principles’, presented in Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success. It includes exercises for self-analysis and advice with a more contemporary slant.]

EXCERPT FIVE

In the book Focal Point: A Proven System to Simplify Your Life, Double Your Productivity, and Achieve All Your Goals, motivational speaker Brian Tracy also gives good health a plug:

“Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.”

Tell us, how do you manage your workload and regular exercise?

Silly season is over and I know many of you have already begun firing on all cylinders. While it’s great to make an energetic leap into the new year, don’t forget to stop and emotionally re-charge yourself on a regular basis.

If you don’t, you’ll be completely frazzled and exhausted before Easter comes round.
To help you make this year 2000 and 10-out-of-10, I’ve come up with five easy ways you can emotionally re-charge. You could even try one today!

5 Tips for Emotionally Recharging

1. Exercise

Doing any type of aerobic activity: Swimming, yoga, Pilates, running, power walking, squash etc, will assist you to feel good about your body and release energy and revitalise you. Getting physical is great for the heart, it opens you up in so many levels and recharges your mind, body, spirit. Your body needs physical release and it is recommended you do this 4-5 times a week for minimum 30-40 minutes.

2. Deep belly laugh

How good do you feel after watching a comedy? Laughing is a great energiser, releasing built-up emotion that you may not know is still manifesting in your body temple. Smiling is so simple too. It recharges your soul, as we all seek connection with nature and other beings.

3. Take a bath

This is so easy to do. Fill up your tub – and add oils, salts, flowers – then submerge your body, ensuring to get your torso and as much of your shoulders and neck under the water. This keeps you emotionally balanced. Imagine any stresses washing away, burn scented candles and relax your body. One hour is recommended, in a warm bath. If you feel lighted headed, lie down for 5-10 minutes or have a bath for 30-minute bath to start and build up to one hour.

4. Experience nature

Being outside, connecting with your environment, is very therapeutic. This could be working in your garden, going for a bush trek, walking on the beach. Feeling nature around you relaxes your body, and recharges you. Notice these little details next time you are out; the colour of flowers, the detail of trees, branches and surrounding smells we often take for granted.

5. Take a nap

A power nap does wonders for your energy levels; even 10-15 minutes can be beneficial. Falling into a light sleep offers a meditative-like experience. It mproves mood and memory, intellectual performance and reduces stress.

Tell us; what do you do to emotionally recharge?

Do you have a new year’s resolution to get healthy? A plan to make up for those unhealthy habits you might adopt over the festive season? You know, you could give yourself a head start by prepping for good health beforehand!

Counteract Alcohol

Before you head out for those festive drinks, drink a glass of warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice. This stimulates liver detoxification. Our liver is the poor organ that has to deal with breaking down alcohol so give it a helping hand by kickstarting the detox early.

Protect Your Liver

If yours is working harder than normal at this time of year, here are two ways to help protect it:

St. Maryʼs Thistle: Also known as milk thistle. Itʼs a herb that has hepatoprotective qualities, meaning it aids normal liver function as well as protecting liver cells through its strong antioxidant activity. Traditionally used as a detoxifying agent, milk thistle supports regeneration of liver cells and protects against potentially harmful substances – such as alcohol! You can take it in tea, tablet or liquid herb form.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Fermented apple cider is a great way to alkalize the body in preparation for the festive season. The theory is that our blood is slightly alkaline, and the foods that people tend to overeat – grains, meat, dairy products – all produce acid. Advocates of the alkaline-acid theory believe that a diet high in acid-producing foods leads to lack of energy, excessive mucous production, infections, anxiety, irritability, headaches, sore throat, nasal and sinus congestion, allergic reactions and it’s said to make people prone to conditions such as arthritis and gout! One tablespoon first thing in the morning will do the trick.

Keep Your Energy Levels Up!

Itʼs a very busy time of year so, to keep your energy levels up, eat foods high in B vitamins, like raw nuts and seeds. Brazil nuts, almonds, macadamias, walnuts, sunflower seeds and pepitas are all a great source of vitamin B.

Stress Less

As much as it’s fun, this can also be a stressful time of year and there are often a few more late nights. Stress on the body can cause free radical damage. To prevent and combat free radical damage, go for foods which have a high antioxidant status. Some examples: goji berries, blueberries, raspberries, prunes, broccoli and garlic.

Relax More

Relaxation is usually a bi-product of stressing less but you can help aid relation by going for foods high in magnesium; they help calm your nervous system. Some examples: dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, black cabbage, sliver beet, rainbow chard), raw nuts and seeds (brazils, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and pepitas), and chocolate (dark chocolate has more health benefits).

Drink Loads of Water!

I know, you’ve heard it before but it’s absolutely crucial during the festive season. We all need around 1 liter of water for every 22kg of body weight per day. When we are hydrated we can think clearer, our organs of elimination are functioning optimally and our skin glows!

Tackle the Turkey: 80/20

Donʼt feel like you canʼt treat yourself over the festive season, you definitely can! Just remember 80% of the time eat well, and 20% of the time treat yourself. Itʼs all about balance!

Remember: have fun!

Happiness is so important when it comes to your overall health, so have fun this festive season!

Personal boundaries. We all have them, it’s just that most of us don’t enforce them when it comes to those closest to us. We end up serving others and not taking care of ourselves. We get tired and feel used and unappreciated.

This is why I want to share some tips I’ve learnt throughout my years of life coaching. I’ve worked with a wide range of clients who have successfully used these tips to be true to themselves and feel better about their decision making.

1. Be Selfish

Self preservation is a key to your balance. You need to take care of you first so you can assist others. Take time to enjoy those things that are meaningful to you.

2. Exercise Open Communication

If you practice assertive, open communication you become a facilitator of communication and you are understood. If you give partial messages then it is open to interpretation and then your needs are not being met. If you are saying what you feel and what you want openly and from the heart, it makes it easier to receive and accept. When there is doubt in your communication, confusion can result.

3. Be Honest with Yourself

If you are honest with yourself and others then you can truly be there for those that matter. Do not feel like you owe people your time and energy. Best to balance yourself with being honest. The rest will follow and if others expect more of you, then you need to ensure you are being true to you.

4. Say No

Some people have a real difficulty saying “no” because they want to feel accepted, and want to help others. Over-committing yourself can make you feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
Saying no is not a big deal, remember that if you do not really want to do it, then don’t. Be diplomatic in the process and take care of your priorities. This gives you empowerment in the process, and space to do things that matter to you.

5. Limit Your Time to Serve Others

If your friends always ring you to discuss their problems and call you at inconvenient times, then you need to set some time guidelines. Say something like “Just to let you know I have only 10 minutes right now”.
This will give you a boundary so they know when it’s a good time or not. If you are always there for them this may impact your own relationships and your priorities. People sometimes don’t realise that they have done all the talking, so let them know how you feel and what you expect.

6. Avoid Negative People People

that are negative zap your energy away and leave you exhausted. They play the victim role and blame others, or events, for their predicament. Choosing not to be in their company allows you to attract positive people that are creating their lives, and enjoying the journey. Be with these people instead. They make you feel good.

7. Create Space

If you feel overwhelmed with work/relationships, or in communication, simply distance yourself a little. This will create space for you to reflect, ponder and feel engaged in the situation.
Many people that are kinaesthetic need time to come onboard with ideas, conversation, decision making. So if you need space, then let the other person know you are thinking about it and you will get back to them. You are in control of your decisions and thoughts.

8. Be Kind to Yourself

Do not expect to be there for everybody, you are not a rescuer. Give yourself a little slack to absorb the situation and be kind to yourself if it doesn’t work out.
It’s okay if it doesn’t work; don’t force the issue. It’s not meant to be. Try something else. You just need to be more creative to find a solution and it will come. This builds patience and tolerance.

9. Don’t Feel Guilty

If you have created some personal boundaries and it doesn’t feel right then say to yourself that having a boundary is not a rejection, it’s not black and white. Just see it as a shade of grey and respect that you have taken care of yourself in the process so you can focus on what is important to you and not be drawn into another person’s energy, which you know will exhaust you.
It doesn’t mean you don’t care. Actually you care so much, you have been giving all this time and now you need to take care of you.

10. Be the Person You Want to Be

If you have been the go to person your friends ring to get support and advice and you are feeling drained in the process, then change your habits. You are attracting these needy people, so become the empowered person you want to be and soon you will attract similar minded people.

When you’re trying to lose weight, and exercising regularly, a lot of people get disheartened by their lack of progress. I’ll admit I’ve suffered from this as well. You work out, work out, work out, you’re eating healthily, drinking loads of water, you should be losing weight!

So where’s it all going wrong?

Ever heard of ‘heart rate zones’?

When you’re working out your heart rate increases, and the harder you work out, the higher the heart rate. However there’s a point where you stop burning fat and start increasing your aerobic capacity. Now that’s not normally a problem, unless you’ve only just started trying to lose weight.

If you’re working out 3-4 times a week and you’ve actually gone above your fat burning zone then you’re going to start getting disheartened with your workout regime as you’re not losing any weight, so what do you do….you work out 5-6 days a week and end up either burning yourself out or getting the shits to the point where you quit the whole thing.

And that’s why you need a heart rate monitor.

Before you actually buy, or at least start using, a heart rate monitor you need to work out your fat burning heart rate zone. So how do you do that? Well it’s actually quite simple, here’s how you do it;

220 (max hr*) – 33 (age) = 187

187 – 70 (resting hr) = 117

117 x 65% = 76 bpm (low end of fat burning heart rate zone) and 85% = 100 bpm (high end of fat burning heart rate zone)

So my fat burning heart rate zone is between 76 bpm and 100 bpm.

*hr is heart rate

This formula is some times referred to as the Karvoven formula, or at least a derivative of it.

Now you need a heart rate monitor!

Now that you know you’re fat burning heart rate zone you need to get a heart rate monitor. Looking at the various heart rate monitors on Amazon, there’s a huge variety with a multitude of features. My preference is to stick with Polar, they’ve been around for a long time and are probably the best known brand of heart rate monitor on the market.

I ended up choosing the Polar FS3. It has some nice features like automatic and manual heart rate zones, average and total number of heart beats, audible alarms for target heart rates, big numbers on the lcd, and water resistant to 50m.

Hopefully my new Polar FS3 heart rate monitor should arrive some time in the next week. I’ll keep you posted on how it performs.

These days many of us work office jobs and are sedentary a lot of the day. I know this story all to well. I’ve been sitting either behind a desk, or the steering wheel of a car for the last 13 years. Each year I’ve watched my fitness levels wane.

Since finding out we were going to welcome our first child into our house I decided it was now or never to try and regain some of that fitness and energy that I had back when I was 20.

Just because you’re stuck behind a desk most of the day in your office doesn’t mean you can’t get some exercise. Here’s some simple tips to keep you burning calories and building on your core fitness throughout the day;

• Start with a good chair for posture support, or better yet a Swiss Ball which keeps you in a constant state of motion and is better for your spine
• Stand up every 30 minutes, stretch a little, walk in place a few steps – this can even be done while you’re still working
• Roll your wrists and stretch your arms regularly during the day
• Waiting for something to download or upload or rebooting the computer, take this time to walk around a bit, stretch, depending on what setting you’re in you could even do some tummy crunches in your seat (or on the Swiss Ball) or push ups against your desk
• If you’re stuck with having to use a chair set your chair back to be at an angle wider than 90 degrees so that you have to use your core to keep you properly upright
• Don’t slouch! The simple act of sitting upright will improve not only your posture but also your core strength
• Don’t sit still, keep moving your legs, your arms, your hands, as the constant movement will burn calories
• On a business call, walk around the office if you’ve got a cordless phone, or mobile

This type of ‘at your desk fitness’ is not designed to replace a proper exercise routine. You will still want to get out in the fresh air and get moving for at least 30 minutes a day while on your lunch break, or walking to and from work or your transport, etc. what it will do however is help you maintain your energy and keep you feeling good.

Got any other tips that I can add to my repertoire, leave them in the comments box below.

The rules of success have been defined and detailed by everyone from the philosopher Socrates to success guru Tony Robbins, yet a sense of being successful eludes most people for a significant portion of their lives. The reason for this is that although a person may yearn for success, their attitudes, behaviors and values may be keeping them in a state of failure. There are four behaviours that are common to those individuals who seem to be locked into circumstances that are less than optimal.

1. Never Set Goals or Define Benchmarks

A person who avoids setting goals is similar to a person who claims they don’t need a map to drive from the east coast to the west coast. Goals have a way of focusing attention and creating motivation. A goals act like a magnet, drawing the individual in a linear path toward it. The closer to the goal a person gets, the more momentum builds, acting as an invisible force that propels the person over the goal line.

Similarly, the path toward a goal needs to be dotted with benchmarks. Without defining the kind results one would expect to see, an individual will have no idea whether they are progressing, regressing or standing still. For example, if someone states they want to “lose weight” but never steps on the scale or takes any measurements, they will never know if they are achieving their stated goal or not. Similarly, if the person has a goal of losing 15kg over the course of one year, chooses a diet plan, weighs in once a week and checks in with their physician regularly for blood glucose and cholesterol checks, they will have continual feedback as to whether they are on the right track or not.

Starting a project without having a goal and defining a series of benchmarks turns that project into nothing more than a vacuous idea that wastes time, accomplishes little and is easily dismissed when any obstacle arises in the path.

2. Honor Symbolism over Substance

One of the most popular things to do in recent years is to stick some sort of magnetised “ribbon” on the car bumper or refrigerator door. This symbol allegedly shows that the person cares – about bringing the troops home, finding a cure for breast cancer, freeing Tibet, or whatever the cause du jour happens to be. The sentiments behind the action may be commendable, but how much freer are the Tibetans now that someone has a bumper sticker on their car? How much closer is science to finding a cure for breast cancer because Aunt Maude has a pink magnetic ribbon on her refrigerator?

Too many people believe that because they fill the back bumper of the Prius with all of these symbols, that constitutes “doing something” about the problem. When it comes to problem solving, people need to adopt the attitude of the main character in the movie Jerry Maguire and demand, “show me the money.” More importantly, show me some constructive action that paves the way for a solution. This means sacrificing time, money or other resources to advance a cause or to pursue a particular set of results. Platitudes and intentions are not substitutes for personally investing valuable resources, and a bumper sticker only moves the mountain when the car it is attached to crashes into one.

3. Blame Everyone Else For Challenges, Circumstances and Results

One reality of life is that everyone has garbage in his or her life. The difference between those who achieve and those who do not is that the successful person acknowledges that garbage, accepts the garbage as a fact of life, and moves forward regardless of its existence. The unsuccessful person uses their garbage as a reason not to proceed with their plans, blames everyone else for their garbage, and proceeds through life consumed by their envy and resentment.

Whenever a person plays the blame game, they voluntarily relinquish control over any aspects of their life. They act as though they had no responsibility for any decisions they have made, or any of the consequences of those decisions that befall them later on. They are like the bobber on a fishing line, tossed to and fro by the waves until the fisherman pulls the line in. The overt benefit of playing the blame game is that the player appears to be an innocent bystander who is the victim of “bad luck.” In many cases, this game elicits sympathy and tangible help from other people as well. The downside, however, is that the attitude of total powerlessness also leads to more sinister and serious emotional consequences. Depression, hostility and dependence are all rooted in feeling powerless; the behaviors and attitudes that evolve from these pervasive emotional states tend to be destructive, counterproductive, and tend to attract other negative people.

Failures attract other failures, who allow each other to stew in their own negative juices, further reinforcing the very attitudes and world views that keep them locked into the lifestyle of low achievement. The minute an individual owns his or her thoughts and behavior patterns is the minute that person gains the power to change those thoughts and behavior patterns. This, in turn, leads to a different set of outcomes.

4. Take All Criticism Personally

One final game that perpetual failures play is to take all criticism as a personal slam. This game serves several purposes:

• It feeds into a feeling of victimisation that also allows a person to blame everyone else for their lack of success.
• It deflects attention away from the individual’s actions or efforts, and focuses it on the person offering their opinion.
• It allows the person to quit working toward the goal on the basis that, “Nobody likes me,” rather than “My ideas and efforts may not be good enough to accomplish what I say I want to do.”

Thin-skinned people essentially believe that they should be praised and rewarded regardless of the quality of their work product. This may be because they were steeped in the misguided “self-esteem” agenda that was popularised during the 1980s in public schools or they had indulgent parents who preferred to be buddies rather than role models and mentors; whatever the reason, these people are essentially not trainable, and will blunder through life without ever learning from their errors. Look at the “blooper” contestants who audition for Australian Idol. Here are individuals who have no sense of rhythm and couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, yet they seem genuinely hurt and offended when Kyle Sandilands et al advise them to ‘stick with their day job’. Many of them lash out verbally at the judges, who are now the enemy because their opinions did not meet the individual’s expectations.

This does not mean that all criticism should be judged as equally relevant, however. Ask another individual who has not achieved much during their time on earth his or her opinion, and you will hear every “reason” why something can’t be done and fifteen reasons why you shouldn’t even try. Between the existence of moon spots, the economy and the unceasing efforts of a vast right-wing conspiracy, these sad sacks will assure you that success just isn’t possible for “the little guy”.

The best critics are those who have already achieved the goal or dream to which the individual aspires. These people are able to offer insight and guidance that they gained during their journey that will help others avoid the perils and pitfalls they have already dealt with. Criticism can keep an individual from investing a lot of effort into methods that have already proven to be more work than worth. Rather than diminishing the person, a well crafted critique of an idea can lead to an actual plan that is stronger, better formulated and more effective overall.

I read a great book once, called Success is a Choice. Failure is also a choice, and one that is more easily made because it is effortless. The real effort comes in knowing the path you’ve chosen has led to a life of lack and limitation, and choosing to remain in that life. Failure is costly in terms of quality of life and a sense of fulfillment; the price of success seems minor by comparison.

By Jean Type

How good is a nice hot cuppa on a winter’s day! Forget those double-shot, soy mocha lattes and treat yourself to a mug-load of health benefits with a lovely brew of tea, or tisane (herbal tea-like infusions). Here’s a quick guide to some popular teas and their associated healing and health properties.

Firstly, All Tea Contains Caffeine

Just in case you were still thinking of reaching for that double-shot instead. You probably knew this about black tea (hence the decaf varieties on supermarket shelves) but there’s also caffeine in green tea, white tea, yellow tea – every tea! That’s because they’re all made from the tea bush; Camellia sinensis.

The only difference between tea types is how long the leaves have been left to ferment (oxidise). Black tea is dried and fermented the longest, so it has the highest level of caffeine. It’s less than half the hit you’ll get from a cup of coffee, but still enough to revitalise and increase concentration without inducing “buzz” jitters.

Green Tea

Long hailed as the ultimate antioxidant in a cup, green tea has attracted loads of scientific study and therefore sports the most health claims – inhibits viruses, boosts metabolism, exhibits cancer fighting properties, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, slows aging, etc.

About Antioxidants: The reason they’re so popular is because they fight free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage healthy molecules in their attempts for stabilisation. A ‘stable’ molecule needs an even number of electrons. Free radicals have an odd number so they nick electrons from healthy (stable) molecules, in turn, throwing them off balance!

The result can be a snowball effect of free radicals which cause aging, clogged arteries and destruction of DNA. Antioxidants (found in plant foods) are the heroes who neutralise free radicals by donating one of their own electrons; bringing the electron-stealing to a halt. Yay! However, the reign of green tea has since been overthrown by the younger, purer…

White Tea

White tea is made from young leaves that have not turned green (green tea is made from mature leaves). The leaves are processed by steaming – as opposed to air-drying – almost immediately after they’re picked to prevent oxidisation. This process means the leaves remain closer to their natural state, making white tea the antioxidant winner! But what does this mean for you?

• Skin Protection: Scientists in Cleveland have proven white tea to be effective in boosting the immune function of skin cells, protecting them against the damaging effects of the sun.
• Tooth Decay Prevention: Boffins at Pace University [USA] found that fluoride-rich white tea helps prevent the growth of dental plaque.
• Fights Fat! In Germany, a team of researchers found an extract of white tea inhibited the generation of new fat cells.

Black Tea
This has been dried and fermented the longest, which produces a strong flavor and high levels of caffeine, but it’s still very good for you. Above all others, black tea has been found to contain the highest quantity of theanine – an amino acid capable of decreasing cortisol, the stress hormone.

It gives weight to the time honoured tradition of fighting stress with ‘a cup of tea and a good lie down’. English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast and Darjeeling are all black tea blends.

Do you wish there were more hours in the day? Have you prayed for more help around the house just to get everything done before bedtime? Do you sit in your office trying to juggle meetings, soccer games and dinner plans? Although it often feels like it, you’re not alone!

Although this article is about time management for mums, learning to say NO is a difficult lesson that is important for everyone – if you’re single, married, have a houseful of kids and pets, a successful career or a part time job, or maybe you’re a stay-at-home mum. We all stress over getting everything done on time.

Sure, everything on your to-do list needs to be done sooner or later. The trick is to learn how to prioritise all these tasks into a system that suits your life, your lifestyle, and your time in order to produce positive results, reduce stress, and regain control of you.

On a daily basis we’re faced with things we could say “no” to. A co-worker who needs a favor, a boss who needs overtime, a teacher who needs three-dozen cookies tomorrow, or one of the kids has last minute game practice. Instead we just add it to our list of obligations, and fret over it once we realise we have – once again – overbooked ourselves.

Try following these simple steps and you’ll be on your way to taking your life back:

• Figure out your true priorities. Is it really your job? Are you afraid if you say no to your boss you’ll be fired? Chances are he or she will be more shocked than anything if you tell him you can’t do something; especially if you’ve always “been there” for each request, reasonable or otherwise. If taking on another project, staying late or working through lunch is really going to cause yet another problem that you need to solve, speak up.

• Make a list of everything you do for the next few days. This includes everything. For instance, a typical Monday might be: “I made breakfast, drove to work, went out at lunch to go grocery shopping, had a burger as I was driving, went to the cleaner’s on the way home, picked up toys, started dinner, put in a load of wash, talked to my mother. Wiped up some spots on the kitchen floor, drove eldest son to his friend’s place, helped daughter with her math homework, husband got home and I fed him, cleaned up the kitchen, went to pick up son from friend’s place, folded laundry and put it away, went to bed at 11:00pm with laptop, worked on company emails and started writing proposal for new project. When you see all these tasks in black and white, you’ll quickly be able to see what takes up your time, what is important, what isn’t, and plan accordingly.

• Get help around the house. Even a 4-year-old, or a tired husband, can carry clothes from the laundry room to where they belong.

• Dishes in the sink? Leave them! If you don’t have time to deal with a sink full of dishes, even if it just means putting them in the dishwasher, leave them there. Either ask someone else to do it, or leave it until you do have time.

• Do the kids need a ride somewhere and you can’t figure out how to fit that into your schedule? It’s okay to say “no”. Let them get mad. You can’t always play taxi driver.

• Has a teacher demanded cookies for a school party? Are you expected to provide volunteer hours on a regular basis? If you can’t, don’t!

• Believe it or not, your life does not need to revolve around the kids. You don’t need to fulfill each and every request for rides, favours, or special treats. And it doesn’t just apply to the kids; if your neighbour is looking for an invitation to come over for coffee, it’s okay to say “no”.

• If you don’t have time to cook dinner every night, and it’s usually up to you to do it, don’t! Sandwiches, cereal, microwave meals are all fine options. You don’t need to spend time you don’t have every night just to make a hot meal that the family probably isn’t fussed about anyway. Try planning one night a week where you deliberately have sandwiches, then you could have all that prep and cleaning time for something else.

• Do you spend time every morning making the bed(s)? What does that entail? Fancy pillows that need to be fluffed, bedspread and comforters that need to be smoothed and tucked, and sheets that need to be put back into place? Save the time, keep it simple. Making a bed should take no more than 60 seconds. And if you don’t make the bed? So what!

So much of what we do isn’t necessary, yet we beat ourselves up over it and feel guilty. Stop it right now or you’ll never have two minutes to call your own. Learn to say “no”.

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