Wellbeing

From Reiki to Crystal Therapy, Food and Nutrition to exercise tips, the Wellbeing section of Torquay Living is here to provide you with access to local resources to help you feel as well as you possibly can!

An introduction to Crystal Therapy

By Anne Southall

Crystals are valuable healing tools with protective, cleansing and relaxing properties. When worn as jewellery they protect our energy field (or AURA) from electromagnetic pollution from everyday sources, such as computers, televisions and power lines. They can also protect us from the negative energy emitted from other people, especially in crowded environments. Many crystals have relaxing qualities that can aid anxiety or depression, while others can enhance our thinking capabilities for learning and creative pursuits.

In a similar way to acupuncture, crystals can be used on the body to clear blockages in the meridian system (these are energy lines that run through the physical body). A qualified crystal therapist would take your medical history and then recommend specific placement of crystals on or around your body to enhance health and wellbeing.

Apart from Clear Quartz which is a master healer for most ailments, there are seven major colours of crystal; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple. These correspond to the different parts of the body. Some crystals can attract wealth and abundance like Citrine, whilst others can help bring more love into your life like Rose Quartz. Amethyst is very popular with Doctors, Councillors and Therapists as it has pain relieving properties. If you would like to find out more about crystals I can recommend Judith Halls Crystal Bible as an excellent introduction.

If you would like to buy crystals online, visit www.crystalheavengroup.com.

Anne Southall is a qualified Crystal Therapist. She has a Diploma in Crystal Therapy from the Hazel Raven College of Bio-Dynamics.

TORQUAY living

By way of introduction the first thing I want to say is – DON'T WORRY – this is not a Christmas party pooper article! I won't be suggesting that you all eat nut roast and carrots for the Nation's favourite dinner (although both can be very nice!) - after all, if you can't enjoy your food at Christmas then when can you? I hope I can give you some simple but very effective pointers which will ensure that you are able to eat all your festive goodies without sending your digestive system into a blind panic and your bathroom scales into oblivion.

The reason so many people put on weight over the Christmas period is not rocket science. We simply consume more calories than we burn off. Combine this with less exercise than normal, larger portion sizes, and more alcohol, the result is disaster for the waistline and many people will gain several pounds in weight over just a few days and feel sluggish and exhausted.

The digestive system does not cope well with large meals. It has to work harder to tackle the huge mound of turkey and all the trimmings on your festive plate. When we have a large amount of food on our plate we are more likely to rush and gulp our food. When we do this we not only swallow the food but air as well. Most importantly, when we rush our food we do not give our brains enough time to recognise that we are full up so by the time we realize that we are satiated it is too late. The combination of all these factors leaves the digestion struggling and us feeling bloated and decidedly uncomfortable. When we gulp the food it is not chewed adequately so the necessary nutrients for digestion and absorption and not released into our systems. This in turn means that our digestion slows down and waste matter (sorry about this!) is not eliminated efficiently from our bodies. Before you can say 'Brussel sprouts' you've moved up a jeans size!

So how do you avoid this? Follow the pointers below and these problems can be avoided:-

- Eat slowly and savour the flavours and textures

- Chew your food well

- Stop eating when you feel comfortable

- Do not drink too much fluid with your meal as this dilutes your digestive juices.

- Try to get some exercise over the festive period, even if it's just a walk around the block after the dinner – but leave at least half an hour before you do this (no hardship there I should think) to allow your digestion to do its' job.

Your Christmas food is all delicious and has taken days or weeks to prepare. Why gobble it down as if it's going out of fashion? It's not a competition as to who can reach the finishing line first. If you eat a little less and you feel hungry an hour or two later then have your seconds' then when your digestion can cope better. I hope I haven't been too 'Bah Humbug'. We all break the rules at Christmas, that's part of the fun but by following these simple rules you can avoid the nasty side effects that accompany the fun and you will feel so proud of yourself when you emerge from the Christmas fog not a pound heavier. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Can you have your cake (or Christmas pudding) and eat it without feeling too guilty? Nutritionalist Jan Swift thinks you can.