Collaborative / Partnered Post - Small Changes You Can Make To Have A Positive Impact On Both Your Physical And Mental Health*

I don't know about you, but the last twelve months or so have been a bit of struggle mental health wise. I don't whether it's totally been down to Covid, and lockdown, after lockdown, or just life stresses mounting up and getting the better of me, but at times I've really struggled. The key thing when you're struggling with anything but especially mental health is to talk, be it to a friend or a family member, or even seek some professional or unbiased help.

When your struggling with your mental health every problem can seem so huge but when you look at it even the biggest problem is just a series of tiny little ones, and when you break it down, the majority of times it isn't quite as scary as what you thought it was, and the same thing applies when it comes to making changes that benefit both your mental, and physical health

As a species, humans tend to be very good at thinking big, and setting huge goals for themselves, that to be honest aren't always achievable in the one go. I know it isn't always possible but if you want to truly benefit your mental health then you need to start out with something more manageable, and more achievable. The first thing you need to do before you start focusing on some of your problems is to think about self care, and the tiny changes that you can make on a daily basis, that can help you get your mind and body into focus, and prepare yourself for the task

Exercise for 20 Minutes

It’s important to know that your version of working out doesn’t have to be anything like someone else’s, and believe me mine isn't! It doesn’t matter at all if you want to build up so you can eventually run marathons or whether you just want to try and get a little bit fitter, and get some much needed fresh air to boot, if it makes you feel better, it all matters and it all counts. Now I just do as and when, but what you need to do is make sure that you schedule it into your calendar, like you would a coffee date, or a zoom meeting, and make it part of your day and your week. You don’t have to go running either, or do anything strenuous, just spend 20 minutes or so a day being more active, you can save on the stresses, cost and self esteem issues of going to the gym by doing an online class, following a You Tube video, by buying a bit of exercise equipment (I've recently bought a seated exercise bike) or even going for a 20 minute walk. Whatever the form, exercise really gets those endorphins going, and it can really help with stress, depression and self esteem issues.

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

Eat More Fruit And Vegetable

When I'm feeling a bit down, or stressed, I turn to food, and in particular things like chocolate, crisps, and junk food and I'm not alone in that - so many of us turn to food and comfort eat in times of stress, and that's fine, don’t restrict yourself , no food should ever be forbidden, instead though, instead of reaching for the biscuits try and introduce more fruit and vegetables into your diet. Consider how to add more vegetables into your daily meals so that you can increase your nutrient intake, add some salad vegetables to a sandwich, snack on some carrot sticks, and hummus, instead of using crisps or bread for dipping, and if you love bananas, then why not add more of them to your diet, pop them into your porridge, yogurt or cereal or even pop them in a sandwich. As I said in my last post if you hate Brussel sprouts, change how you cook them, but if you still aren't a fan then don't force yourself to eat them there are plenty of other vegetables out there to eat. It maybe because I'm a vegetarian but I do love vegetables and eating more fruit and veg is such a tiny change that can make a huge impact on both your mental and physical health.

Drink One More Glass of Water a Day

It sounds strange but just drinking one extra glass of water a day can play a huge role in helping both your physical and mental health. The average adult needs to drink around 8 glasses of water, and a few more alongside, if you're drinking a lot of caffeine. If you don't drink enough water your body and your mind will suffer, you won't be able to concentrate, you may get a headache, and it can effect your skin. It can look dull, and you can get more breakouts. and suffer from more blotchiness and skin damage. If you are struggling with your skin, it may be an idea for you to look into hyperpigmentation treatment.

Sleep for Half an Hour Extra A Day

Although most of the time I'm not one of them, so many of us just don't get enough sleep that it’s so important that you make this year, the one where you actually look after yourself. I know it's hard when you're feeling anxious but give your body the sleep that it has been craving and make sure that you are getting between 7 and 9 hours every night. If you don't get enough sleep you really struggle to focus during the day, and as well as altering your mental health it can ultimately also ultimately effect your physical health. I've done a few posts on sleeping better so take a look back through the blog, but if you are having trouble sleeping then spend some time winding before you go to bed, cut down on the caffeine, turn off that phone, and prepare yourself for a goodnights sleep.

Even if you try all of things I can't guarantee that your problems will disappear but if you give them a try, they might make you feel a little bit healthier and hopefully they might help you to think a little bit more clearly x Remember though it's okay not to be okay, and there is always help out there and somebody is always there to listen

*Collaborative / Partnered Post

Press Sample / AD - Upping Your Water Intake With Zero Water*

Now I might not be very good at a lot of things health and well being wise, but something that I am pretty good at is drinking water. Up until recently I didn't realise just how many people struggle to drink the recommend 6 - 8 glasses of water a day - if anything I probably drink more than that, I usually drink around 2 litres of water during the day, and another glass or two during the night!

I have a confession to make though, I might be drinking enough water, but up until recently 99% of the water that I drank came in a bottle, from the supermarket, and no I don't mean the stuff in the fancy glass bottles, I mean the regular stuff, in a nasty plastic bottle!

Even though I always put my bottles into the recycling, it doesn't stop me feeling guilty about using so much plastic. I know what you're saying, why don't you just drink tap water? Well despite being perfectly safe to drink, my tap water often has a very chlorine like, chemically taste and smell, that only disappears when the water has been boiled. Over the years, we've tried all sorts of different filters from the plumbed in kind, to various water bottles and jugs, and nothing has really made too much of a difference, until now.

A few months ago I was given the opportunity to try the Zero Water system, having tried a few different filter jugs in the past, I was pretty sceptical at first but I have to say that I'm now a total convert.

Unlike the majority of filter jugs on the market Zero Water, removes virtually all of the dissolved solids that are present in normal tap water, compared to some of the other market leaders that only remove around half that.

What is special about Zero Water is its special 5 stage filtration system that removes around 99.6% of total dissolved solids that are present in our drinking water. Stage 1 is the Coarse Filter Screen that removes things like dust, and rust that can make the water cloudy, Stage 2 is a Foam Distributor layer that removes any additional suspended solids. Your water then goes through the Stage 3 layer which is the Multi Layer Activated Carbon & Oxidation Reduction Allow, that removes organic contaminants for example, pesticides, mercury and chrome, and it also stops the formation of bacteria in your water. Next Stage 4 the Dual Comprehensive Ion Exchange Resin layer, that removes inorganic metals, non metals and radiological contaminates. The final filtering stage is in Stage 5 and the Ultra Fine Screen & Non Woven Membrane layer that removes any remaining suspended solids.

Once your water has passed through these layers the result is cleaner, purer, fresher tasting water. In fact the Zero Water filtration system is so good it can even turn wine into water! If you don't believe me then check out this demonstration featuring This Morning presenter Philip Schofield .



Now I'm not the type of person to waste a good bottle of wine so I've purely been testing my Zero Water filter with tap water.  There are a few different models but I was kindly sent the Zero Water 12 Cup / 2.8 Litre Jug which retails at around £39.99.

The box contained the water jug itself, the 5 stage filter, a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) metre, and full instructions.

Before I started I gave the jug a good rinse through just to remove any dust etc. then attached the filter. The filter itself it really easy to fit, you just remove it from the packet, remove the cap and then you screw securely into the jug. Now how long the filter lasts depends very much on how much water you're filtering, and on how many dissolved solids are in your tap water. Based on the readings for my tap water, my filter should easily filter between 95 and 150 litres of water before it needs replacing.

Before I started testing and drinking my water I filtered a full jugful, again just to make sure everything was as clean as it should be. The jug is really easy to fill you just remove the lid and start pouring in the water, letting all of the water pass through the filter before adding more for the best results.

This particular jug and most of the larger jugs in the Zero Water range comes complete with your very own TDS metre, so you can check the purity of your own water and see just how many total dissolved solids in are in both your ordinary tap water, and your filtered water.

The metre comes with batteries already installed and operates with just two buttons, a simple on/off button and a hold button.




Now this might not be 100% scientific but I decided to do a couple of tests of my own. The first test I was on an unopened bottle of still mineral water. I not going to share the brand with you but you probably will have heard of the brand. All you take the lid off the metre turn it on and pop it into a glass of water. You can just about see a reading of 218 parts per million of total dissolved solids in the water, which as actually classed as high. I was actually pretty surprised by that reading - you buy bottled water something because you think it's cleaner and better for you but it doesn't seem to be the case especially when you compare it to my own tap water...

Despite tasting and often smelling less than appetising, and according to Zero Water having a higher TDS rating than tap water generally does in my area, my unfiltered tap water came in at 109 parts per million which is less than half the measurement of the bottled water.

The bottled water certainly tasted better than my tap water so I decided to fill up the jug with tap water and test some of the filtered water so you can see the difference.

Well Zero Water certainly lived up to its name, after filtration my tap water fell from 109 to zero, so whatever was in my water, isn't there anymore, and not only that but the chlorine like taste and smell had completely disappeared. All I could taste was clean, fresh water, with no burning and no aftertaste, and that's been the same with every glass that I've filtered since. My bottled water consumption has fell, and I'm still drinking the same amount of water - I honestly can't recommend this product enough.

My one tiny little complaint is that this 12 cup jug is a little bit too big from my small, under counter fridge, and it is quite bulky, and quite heavy to lift especially when its full, although there is a little button tap dispenser at the the base of the handle, which you can use to fill your glass by putting the jug on the edge of the bench or on a table if it's too heavy. If this jug looks as though it's too big for you though don't worry, there a whole range of different products available from Zero Water ranging from a travel bottle that retails at around £14.99, to a 7 cup jug that retails at £24.99, and even a large 23 cup dispenser, that would be ideal for a small office that retails at £44.99.

Although this probably isn't one of the most exciting gifts out there, I can't think of a single person that wouldn't find a Zero Water jug useful. Whether it's for yourself to encourage you to drink more water, or whether it's a gift for someone with a bottled water habit, Zero Water is both a healthy and environmentally conscious must have. To find our more about Zero Water, and the science behind it, pleased check out their website. Various Zero Water products including jugs and replacement filters are available to buy direct from Zero Water and from various other retailers including Argos, Amazon, Robert Dyas, Ocado, QVC UK, and Ryman x

*Press Sample /AD