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There are various pros and cons of different types of exercise and people tend to gravitate to different types. I am a fan of swimming, Pilates, Yoga and stretching etc, whereas my housemate is a fan of running, cycling and using the power plate at the gym! She attended the gym last night to do Yoga and came home saying how rubbish it was because all they did was stand around stretching in ways she didn’t bend and she didn’t see how it was beneficial. I have a bad back and therefore these slow, low impact exercises are good for my body and strengthen and tone the core muscles. Many people think you need to play sports and run to keep fit; however the alternative exercise options are always a good way to go if you’re not a conventional fitness freak who is willing to pound the pavements or treadmill or get involved in team sports!

As I’ve mentioned before, my wife keeps finding random products that are supposed to have amazing health benefits. She’s been reading Look magazine and has decided that because all the skinny celebrities are drinking coconut water that we should be drinking it too. She bought a couple of different types, one was a cloudy milky drink and another was clear with real bits of coconut in it. It’s supposed to be good for your skin and cleansing your intestines. To be honest the milky one was horrible but I like the one with the bits in, it’s like Tropicana – I prefer the one with bits in!

Today I have been given a bottle of aloe vera juice to bring to work to try from my wife. She’s always getting recommendations from her friend at work about the new ‘power drink’ that’s supposed to revolutionise your life and yesterday was no different. She came home with about twenty bottles of some green drink that has bits in it and to be honest I was not keen but i’m a try anything twice kind of person so thought I’d give it a go. It’s actually really nice, it smells like sweets or gum and tastes like grape juice mixed with pear juice and it’s supposed to be really good for digestion, circulation, cleansing your liver and improving your overall health. I’d drink it again.

Tomorrow I am joining the gym. Twice this week I have been to try and exercise with the wife and on both occasions we have walked out without doing any exercise! On Monday we went to look around a few local gyms and then decided on one. So on Tuesday we put on our swimming costumes and went down after work to join and to have a swim, only to be told we have to have an induction before we can use any of the facilities but that the only appointments they had were at the weekend or in the evening next week! Rubbish! So we booked in for tomorrow afternoon to get inducted. Because we had got giddy about exercising we decided to go to the local leisure centre on the Wednesday night so we booked in at lunch time for a fitball class, got in our trainers and exercise gear and went down, only to be told after waiting in the queue for 20 minutes that by mistake we had been booked in for next week and that there were no spaces left. To be honest I don’t think i’m meant to exercise, let’s see what tomorrow brings!

If you have dry skin you will sympathise with my problem because my skin is very dry, especially at the bottom of my legs. Interestingly enough my face is quite oily so I guess the glands that moisturise my skin were all used up when my face was being created and there were not enough to go around the rest of my skin! Every day after my shower I have to moisturise my whole body. The best creams I have found are the Body Shop’s Vitamin E moisturiser or Palmers Coco Butter as they soak in nicely and don’t leave a greasy feeling. This problem gets better in the summer so I cannot wait for the warm weather to arrive. For the little dry patches that sometimes appear I use intensive vitamin E face cream a few times a day. It takes them away in a few days!

The modern workplace usually consists of rows of people sitting at desks, using a computer and talking on the phone. Unless you are really lucky and have a job that involves moving around, you will probably be sat in the same position for hours on end. This is really bad for your back and even with workplace assessments and health and safety measures being taken, it is not surprising that most people who have a desk job suffer from some sort of strain or pain. I am no exception to this but the methods I take to relieve the strain include Pilates which helps your core muscles get stronger and aids in flexibility and also massage. I aim to get a deep tissue massage once a month in order to relieve the pressure and relax me. It is very much recommended and helps my back cope with the constant slumping that a desk job promotes.

As an occasional sufferer of eczema I know how irritating it can be so here are a few alternative remedies or preventatives which can help stop a flare up. My eczema is caused mostly by my allergy to animals so try and eliminate allergens, these can also include products that touch your skin ie. your washing powder, creams or perfumes. Keep an eye on your diet – it may be that different foods trigger your eczema, these could be milk or wheat.

Another alternative medicine remedy for eczema is to avoid sunbathing as this can aggravate your skin and the heat can also cause your condition to worsen. Most importantly eczema is primarily caused by stress so avoid getting stressed out!!

There’s definitely an argument that mind over matter works. If you set your mind on getting better when you feel ill it seems remarkable that you start feeling better soon after. You may notice this more when there’s an event you really want to go to that you need to be well for! Your body is its own healer and there are a range of things you can do when you have a small headache, sore throat or a small ailment that will make it go away. The age old ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ will help because you are putting vitamins into your body and providing your body with fibre. Getting an early night will also help you to feel better as your body goes into recover mode when you sleep. For a headache, get someone to give you a shoulder rub, or instead just massage your temples and around your eyes. These little things really do make a difference.

It’s January and most people have made New Year’s Resolutions to get fit and lose that extra Christmas weight. I have just asked around the office and almost 90% of my colleagues have just joined or are currently a long-standing member of a Gym. I feel put to shame. Tonight when I get home I shall dig out my Shilpa Shetty Yoga DVD (yes, I have one that was purchased from the Pound shop – poor Shilpa!) and do an hour of Yoga, followed by a hundred sit-ups. I shall also eat fish and vegetables for my tea. That definitely sounds like a plan, and I bet I don’t ache tomorrow, as much as my friend who has been complaining about his tough gym session two days ago!

We’ve all seen Derren Brown on the television using powers of hypnosis on random people as way to manipulate their senses to get them to do or think something which is not actually true or real.

The mind is a powerful tool that works constantly for us, taking in sounds, smells, differing tastes and touches that are all interpreted by the brain and then tells us what is it and what to do.

Hypnosis is the modification of patients thought patterns which then lead to behavioural changes. By inducing a trace state on a subject, the hypnotist can alter the perceptions of the patient whilst in this state to address stress related issues, certain pains a patient may be suffering or to stop ongoing bad habits like smoking or excessive drinking.

Not everyone is susceptible to hypnosis, and not all of those that undergo the process benefit from being hypnotised. Do some research first and find a professional to see how you could benefit from this type of treatment.