Tag Archives: feet

Autumn advice

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A reminder of Fiona’s hints, tips and treats for autumn from this morning’s show…

Rainbow eating

Eating the rainbow is based on eating as widely as possible from the coloured fruits and veg we have to choose from – apply that seasonally as new fruits come into season.

So add in blackberries (rich in B vitamins as well as the anthocyanins that give them their glorious purple colour), pears (rich in potassium and vit C) and vibrant orange pumpkins and squash as well as zinc-packed  pumpkin seeds.  Use fresh carrots and other roots to make healthy soups.

Eating in harmony with the seasons is a part of many health and spiritual practices, including yoga. A yoga perspective encourages eating with the seasons, adding more warming and stimulating foods in autumn such as spices, garlic and ginger (carrot soup is wonderful with ginger added for some extra zing).

At the same time yoga advises cutting down on cooling foods such as leafy greens and cucumber. So move away from the salads as the weather gets chillier and focus on warming foods with small numbers of ingredients cooked slowly, especially stews and soups.

You may find it helpful to add in more protein from nuts, seeds, cheese and eggs (useful to substitute this for some meat so you can reduce your intake) to help balance the unpredictable weather at this time of year. Consider adding in more protein at breakfast – see below.

Back to school

The summer holidays are over, school days start this week and that means getting back into a routine.

One key aspect of routine vital for children at school is getting enough sleep (six to 12 year-olds are reckoned to need 10 hours a night). After holidays and lie-ins, you’ll need to take charge of this important aspect and re-establish times for bed and getting up.

Talk about how important it is to have a good night’s sleep. Encourage them to take part by creating a night routine they enjoy, such as that special book time or a five-minute cuddle before turning in. Restrict screen time to at least 30 minutes before bedtime so they don’t go to bed over-stimulated and don’t give sugary drinks and juices at teatime. Encourage your children to be comfortable in the dark if at all possible.

After a refreshing night’s sleep, what we need is a nutritious breakfast. Although cereals have long been a favourite, protein helps us stay feeling fuller for longer.

An old-fashioned boiled egg with soldiers makes a great breakfast – and if you make the kids a boiled egg, remember to have one yourself!

Feet treats

Our feet do an amazing job but wearing shoes often cramps the toes and stops them being as flexible as they should be. Look after your feet and toes – your legs and back will thank you for it.

Go barefoot whenever you can, especially after a day at work. And give your feet a workout – you can do this in front of the TV or when you’re relaxing.

  • With both feet flat on the floor, lift and spread your toes as wide as you can. If you do this every day, you’ll notice a big difference in how much space you can see between your toes! One foot may need a bit more help than the other – you can always separate the toes with your fingers to start with.
  • Put your feet on the floor with your toes splayed out. Try to lift your big toes only away from the floor. Do this every day to wake up your feet.
  • Then put your big toes down, lift the other toes and give them a good wiggle!
  • Use a tennis ball to massage the bottom of your feet – put the ball on the floor and roll your feet on it one at a time. You need to do it quite firmly and you may experience a little discomfort but, done regularly, this is good for keeping your feet responsive and supple.

Face Time

Here’s how to do a simple face massage.

  • Have a bath so you’re nice and relaxed.
  • Lie down and put a pillow beneath your head.
  • Relax your face – try to imagine that your skin sliding off your face it’s so relaxed. Then say the vowel sounds to stretch your face: AEIOU. Repeat slowly three times.
  • If you can, bend your head back for a count of 10 while opening your eyes as wide as you can and lifting your eyebrows. If bending is not advised, just open your eyes and lift your eyebrows.
  • Place two fingertips on each ear lobe and press gently with your thumb for a count of five, then slide fingers up to your temples and press gently for a count of five.
  • Finish by making gentle circles over your temples. Then have a nice glass of water.

If you want to find out about using remedies to look after the family, why not go along to Fiona’s next Homeopathy at Home between 10am and 12 noon on Friday 23 September? For more information, just give her a call on 01636 679290 or visit her Facebook page…

Autumn treats – food, face and feet!

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autumn

Although it seemed to be a long time coming, with a little luck there’ll still be chance to enjoy a few more days – or even weeks – of summer before the season of mellow mists and fruitfulness brings its own unique delights.

But the Girls Around Town are already looking ahead to autumn and, on this week’s show, Fiona be offering some timely hints and tips on how to get the most out of the new season.

Find out how to make the switch from summer salads to autumn fruit and vegetables – get the lowdown on healthy habits for youngsters starting a new school term –  and, if you fancy spoiling yourself, Fiona’s got that covered too (from top to toe!) with suggestions for a few treats for face and feet.

Tune in on listen online between 10am and 12 noon for a mellow Sunday morning with June and Fiona…

Keep your feet neat

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pretty feet

In the summer time there is more focus on our feet being pink and pretty. Pedicures can help soften hard skin but what to do about that verruca you’ve had for a while now? Especially if it’s starting to hurt?

Verrucas – also known as plantar warts – are found on the soles of the feet. Our weight pushes the wart inwards and, as it grows bigger, that pressure can cause discomfort. It may be there for some weeks or even months before we realise we have one.

Verrucas are caused by a virus and are often slow growing. They are contagious – the virus enters through tiny cuts and, as we all know, swimming pools are often where we and our children pick them up.

They are usually round, may have a white cauliflower appearance, with a black dot in the middle which is a blood vessel. If you’re unsure, squeeze the area – if it feels tender, you most likely have a verruca.

Provided your immune system is healthy, they will eventually resolve but verrucas in adults can be very stubborn, lasting years rather than months. So how do you sort them out?

One method is to gently rub away skin around the verucca and then use a plaster. This is to encourage your immune system to heal the verruca naturally but it’s only likely to work if your verruca is small.

An alternative way is by applying solutions bought over the counter at pharmacies which attempt to kill the virus. There are usually two types: corrosive preparations containing salicylic acid or silver nitrate. More recently the freezing gel has also become available. This can be distressing for children, who may find it painful and scary.

As Girls Around Town wellbeing guru Fiona explained on the show last weekend, it was the problems caused by this distress that encouraged her to find a more natural solution – a fluid called Thuja tincture.

Derived from Thuja occidentalis, a type of cedar tree native to North America, the preparation is made from the natural oils of the tree and was used by North American tribes for hundreds of years for medicinal purposes.

Like the other preparations, Thuja is only used topically – that is on the skin. Fiona’s verruca kit is natural, effective and gentler than the chemical alternatives – and it costs the same.

To order a kit, priced £8 and containing full instructions for use as well as the tincture, contact Fiona on www.fionatheokritoff.co.uk and say goodbye to the family’s verrucas!

NB : If you have verrucas and a condition such as diabetes which means your immune system is compromised or if you are pregnant, seek advice from your doctor or podiatrist before self treatment.