How to Rest and Recuperate

 

Rest is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. We often think of rest as simply the absence of activity, but there are actually seven different types of rest that our bodies and minds need in order to function at their best. In this blog post, we'll explore the seven types of rest and provide tips to help you incorporate them into your life.


Physical rest

Physical rest is perhaps the most obvious type of rest. It includes getting enough sleep each night and taking breaks throughout the day to rest your body. To ensure you're getting enough physical rest, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night and take regular breaks throughout the day to stretch and move your body.


Mental rest

Mental rest is just as important as physical rest. It involves taking a break from the constant mental stimulation we experience throughout the day, such as work emails and social media. To achieve mental rest, try meditation or deep breathing exercises, take a break from technology, or spend time in nature.


Sensory rest

Sensory rest involves giving our senses a break from the constant stimulation of our environment. To achieve sensory rest, try turning off the TV or radio, taking a break from your phone, or spending time in a quiet environment.


Creative rest

Creative rest involves taking a break from creative pursuits, such as writing or art, in order to recharge your creative energy. To achieve creative rest, try doing something mindless like taking a walk or doing a puzzle.


Emotional rest

Emotional rest involves taking a break from emotional stressors, such as difficult relationships or challenging work situations. To achieve emotional rest, try spending time with supportive friends or family, seeking professional counseling, or practicing self-care activities like journaling or taking a bath.


Social rest

Social rest involves taking a break from social interactions in order to recharge your social energy. To achieve social rest, try spending time alone, reading a book, or taking a solo trip.


Spiritual rest

Spiritual rest involves taking a break from the demands of daily life in order to connect with your higher power or purpose. To achieve spiritual rest, try practicing yoga or meditation, spending time in nature, or engaging in prayer or religious practices.


In conclusion, there are seven different types of rest that our bodies and minds need in order to function at their best. By incorporating these types of rest into our lives, we can improve our overall health and well-being. Remember to prioritize rest in your daily routine and take the time to recharge your body, mind, and spirit.

 

How to Cope with Stress

 

April is Stress Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the impact of stress on our lives and to promote strategies for coping with stress. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of stress awareness and provide some helpful tips for managing stress.

The Importance of Stress Awareness Month

Stress is a common experience for many people, and its impact can be significant. Stress can lead to physical and mental health problems, as well as difficulties in our personal and professional lives. Stress Awareness Month is an opportunity to educate people about the effects of stress and to provide resources for coping with stress.

Tips for Managing Stress

Here are some helpful tips for managing stress:

Practice relaxation techniques: Deep breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga can help you relax and reduce stress.

Exercise regularly: Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and improve your overall health. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.

Get enough sleep: Getting enough sleep is important for both physical and mental health. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

Manage your time: Learning how to manage your time effectively can help reduce stress. Make a to-do list and prioritise tasks.

Connect with others: Social support can help you cope with stress. Reach out to friends or family members for support.

Seek professional help: If you are feeling overwhelmed, consider seeking the help of a mental health professional.

By utilising these tips, you can raise awareness about stress and connect with others who are interested in managing stress in their lives. Remember to prioritise self-care and seek help when needed to maintain your mental and physical health.

 

How to do Veganuary

 

It is January! A new start to a new year and an opportunity to do something amazing for your health, for animals and for the planet! Of course, we are talking about Veganuary, the challenge to try a plant-based diet for a whole month.

 

In 2022, the Veganuary movement inspired and supported 620000 people across the world to try vegan eating. A massive 98% of people who did Veganuary last year would recommend it!

 

Making such a big change to the way you eat can seem daunting so we’ve put together our tips for doing Veganuary.


1. “Veganise” your favourite recipes  

There are thousands of vegan recipes to explore (more about those later), but substituting vegan products for meat and dairy ingredients in your favourite recipes is a great way to get started and can make the switch to vegan easier.

 

There are now loads of excellent plant-based protein sources available from supermarkets and health-food shops. We like switching out beef for plant-based mince in spaghetti bolognaise, chilli con carne and tacos. Add dairy free cheese on top. Switch the chicken for fake chicken in curries or fajitas. Try vegan kebab ‘meat’. Or be even healthier and choose vegetables, lentils, jackfruit, banana blossom or tofu.


2. Fake meats, cheese and vegan milk substitutes 

There is now a vast choice of vegan substitutes in supermarkets, restaurants and cafes. Some are new but don’t forget lentils and beans!

 

Why not try some of these:

Soy Protein

Tempeh

Tofu

Jackfruit

Pea protein

Mycoprotein like Quorn

Lentils

Seitan

Beans

 

Visit https://cleangreensimple.com/article/best-vegan-meat-substitutes/ for more info about them.

You can get a variety of cheeses like; mozzarella, cheddar, feta, great style, hallumoi. Flavoured cheeses like:; smoked, cranberry, onion, chives or spicy. There is also spreadable cheese, squeezy cheese, cheese sauce and cheese flakes which are called engevita.

There is a variety of milk like oat, almond, rice, soya, coconut, hemp, pea, potato, and cashew milk.

You can also get squirty cream, double cream, condensed milk, yoghurts, ice cream even honey substitutes like agave nectar.


 3. Discover vegan recipes

It has never been easier to find vegan recipes. There are some great books on vegan eating and a vast number of vegan recipes online. Searching the internet for recipes is a quick and easy way to find ideas and get inspired.

 

If you like to watch cooking videos, try YouTube, follow people making vegan food on Instagram, or tic tok, and save the recipes for free.

 

Add recipes you find online to your online bookmark to help you find and organise your favourite recipes.

 Here are some links to get you started;

 

Sign up to Veganuary you get recipes emailed to you:

 

https://veganuary.com/

 

BBC food have got 87 easy vegan recipes on their blog:

 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/easy-vegan-recipes/amp

 

Love and lemons 85 vegan recipes:

 

https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegan-recipes/

 

70 vegan recipes from good house keeping:

 

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/healthy/g807/vegan-recipes/


4. Make your own substitutes

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to save some money, you can make your own meat substitutes. Have fun and adapt the flavours to suit your own tastes!

 

For vegan meat recipes:

https://chooseveg.com/blog/10-badass-recipes-for-making-your-own-vegan/


For vegan milks like oat milk, rice or coconut milk:

https://simpleveganblog.com/9-easy-plant-milk-recipes/ 

To make homemade flavoured cheeses from cashews and cheese sauces:

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/vegan-recipes/23-best-ever-vegan-cheese-recipes/ 


5. Shopping for Vegan Food

Now you have checked out your favourite recipes you can write a list of essentials you need to cook. 

 Starting out vegan shopping can be confusing but the supermarkets make it very simple to purchase vegan products and there is a great range during veganuary. There are usually sections in supermarkets for vegan food in the chilled fridges, dry cupboard essentials and frozen aisles of the supermarket. Most vegan food is clearly marked as ‘plant-based’ or ‘vegan’. 

It is possible to get caught out if the product you’re buying doesn’t clearly say it’s plant-based or vegan so do make sure you check the ingredients on the labels when shopping. Check the list of ingredients to make sure there aren’t any allergens in bold that say “Milk” or “Egg”. 

 

Here is a list of foods and ingredients to avoid on a vegan diet:

 

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/features/food-ingredients-avoid-vegan-diet/ 


 6. Tips for eating out

Do your research. Checking the menu out online relieves the anxiety of not knowing if you can eat there and can save you a wasted trip (and hanger!). Most restaurants state clearly on their menus what items are vegan or what can be made vegan. If they don’t you can always ring the restaurant to ask and see if they can amend some dishes for you. 

 You can now order Vegan milk substitutes in cafes, with vegan cakes. There are Vegan options in fast food and restaurants. Vegan wines and beers in bars and restaurants are usually labelled vegan on menus. So there are lots of places for a vegan to eat out and be social!


7. Food supplements 

It’s a good idea to take a range of supplements in general to support your health. Vitamins like b12, omega 3, multivitamins are great to take all the time and in Britain and other northern areas, we also need vitamin D. These supplements help keep a balanced diet and help you get the nutrients you need. 

 

Here is a great link for information on vegan nutrition:

 

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/6-vitamins-vegans-supplements-whole-foods-plant-based-diet/

 

Get healthy bacteria in your diet by taking acidophilus probiotics or live vegan yoghurt and fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, and tofu.


8. Protein and healthy fats 

Make sure you are eating enough protein. Most grains and legumes are full  of protein &fake meats are a good source. Make sure with every meal you get some healthy fats and protein like nuts or nut spread or tofu or tempeh on a salad or Buddha bowl.

 

Below is a link to healthy vegan fats and proteins, also some high protein recipes:

 

https://veganuary.com/protein-fat-vegan-diet/


 8. Enjoy and share your journey 

 

Don’t take Veganuary too seriously and don’t get disheartened if you make any mistakes; it’s totally normal! Just have fun experimenting and trying new things.

 

Take some images of your favourite vegan dishes, ingredients and baked goods or the meals you have when you’re out at restaurants and share on social media tagging #veganuary. This will help others know where they can eat as well. 

 Share recipes between friends and your tips and hacks for certain dishes. 

 

It’s a great idea to note whether you’re seeing any health improvements such as improved weight, energy and sleep. This can help spur you on to continue.

 

Good luck on trying out Veganuary and we hope it inspires you to keep being vegan, or cut down on your meat and dairy consumption. 

 

By adopting a vegan lifestyle, you’re saving animals, preventing animal suffering, protecting the environment and lowering your carbon footprint by 73%.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/veganism-environmental-impact-planet-reduced-plant-based-diet-humans-study-a8378631.html

 

None Go Bye Farm

 

None go bye farm is a great family run local farm, amazing to visit to see the animals.

They have donkeys, Llama, ponies, alpacas, pigs, goats, sheep, hens and much more.

Seeing animals and being able to feed or stroke them is great for the mind and releases endorphins.

Visit there website here!

 

Leeds Light Night Art in The Dark

 

Art in the Dark Leeds Light Night 2019 

Leeds annual art and light festival

The theme for this year was Mind Body and Spirit 


The festival was on for 2 days in October, 6-11pm

There were 11 zones around the city featuring Art Installations, Music, Dance and Light projections.


Find out more here

https://whatson.leeds.gov.uk/lightnight

#ArtInTheDark

 

MIND VITALITY

 

Today is mental health awareness day! It is vital to look after your mind, your mind health is just as important as your body health for overall wellbeing to live a happy fulfilled life.

We have just started our vitality for the mind venture, this section will raise awareness of mental health conditions, it will focus on positive self help lifestyle tips and guides, which will include mindfulness, exercises and meditation all linking into our sustainable fashion brand, there will be downloadable content for all to use as needed.


Below are some definitions of chemical reactions that happen in our brain that produce feel good happy feelings. Once we understand what the chemicals are and what they do, it is easier to produce more of the chemicals to make ourselves happier.


DOPAMINE

Pleasure Neurotransmitter

| Feelings of motivation, pleasure

| Can be addictive people repeat behaviours that release dopamine

| Dopamine is released to make us feel motivated and gives us satisfaction from completing a task

| Released when: playing sports, learning something new, finishing a project provides focus

SEROTONIN

| Mood neurotransmitter

| Contributes to happiness and overall wellbeing

| Helps to regulate sleep and digestive system

| Released when: being out in sunlight, eating certain foods and exercise

ADRENALINE

| Flight or flight neurotransmitter

| You have heightened awareness due to increased blood flow and heat rate which gives you a boost

| Released when: your are in stressful and exciting situations

ENDORPHINES

| Euphoria neurotransmitter

| Gives feeling of euphoria and wellbeing

| Relieves pain

| Released when: exercising, excitement, laughing and eating


Here are some simple tips to boost these chemicals for overall well-being:

| Lower stress levels with self care

| Go for a walk outside

| Get consistent good sleep

| Eat well, a variety of foods with lots of vitamins, nutrients and protein

| Listen to music

| Regular exercise

| Spend some time in the sun

| Get a massage

| Learn to meditate

| Giving back, help others

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