LET’S GET PHYSICAL
Time was when getting fit meant some decent trainers, a pair of shorts and a shot of motivation. These days the fitness industry – and it is a mega-grossing global industry now – has mushroomed to such an extent it’s become something of a minefield. Providing some much-needed navigation through that minefield is Shop Physical. Based in Bridgend, not only is it a pun-intended physical shop but it also has an extensive website that offers anything from gym kit and equipment – shipped for free the next day anywhere in the UK – training tips, as well as advice on diet and nutrition to tweak the best out of your exercise regime.

One of its specialist areas of expertise is fat-burning/muscle-building supplements that help achieve optimum fitness levels. Traditionally, these dietary aids have had a bit of a dodgy name, but here they aim to dispel a few of the old, raddled myths by offering both sound and detailed information and stocking the latest products on the market because most of the time we want to either lose some baggage or bulk ourselves up so we don’t disgrace ourselves down the gym. Impressively, though, Shop Physical isn’t about the hard sell. Through its collaborations with top-flight fitness experts and nutritionists it works hard to help you reach your own personal physical peak and, more importantly, maintain it.

www.shopphysical.co.uk

THAI-ING THE KNOTS
Anyone who has had a halfway decent massage in the hands of someone who knows their way round a back ripped with knots will attest to the healing powers of a good old pummeling. One of the best therapeutic forms is Thai massage. Also called Thai yoga massage because the therapist uses their hands, knees, legs and feet to move you into a series of yoga-like stretches, Thai massage is unique because it is sleepily relaxing and rigorously energizing in equal parts. If you don’t fancy flying eastwards for a spot of R&R – although, who would object to a jaunt to Thailand? – then visit Penarth’s Holm House, not just one of the best hotel spas in Wales but one of the best in the UK. Their Samunprai Thai Herbal Heat Energiser massage (1hr 30mins; £85) may be a mouthful to say, but it does achieve one simple thing: complete contentment. A traditional hot Thai massage, heated herbal poultices provide a deep medicinal heat to de-tangle muscles and sooth joints while the invigorating massage and oils help boost the body’s energy reservoirs. And if that doesn’t kick-start your chillaxing chi, then you can always enjoy the tranquil seaside scenery surrounding this top-drawer hotel.

www.holmhouse.com

LIFE AFTER DEATH
Anyone want to talk about death? No, anybody? Let’s face it, when it comes to facing the ultimate 6ft drop into the unknown we’re not the best at discussing what happens when our clogs are popped, which explains the shortage of organ donors, particularly in Wales. Consequently, the launch of Donate Wales – Tell A Friend. Using a bunch of home-grown celebs including Sky Sports’ Sarra Elgin and Radio 1’s Aled Jones, the aim of the campaign is to tackle both our general apathy regarding organ donation, as well as the fundamental problem that four out of 10 families refuse for their loved ones’ organs to be donated simply because they don’t know what they would have wanted. But it’s a cause worth getting onboard with. In the last five years alone more than 750 lives in Wales have been transformed by a transplant and the generosity of a donor, while in that same time 150 people have died, many just children. Without more donors more lives will be lost. And it’s a lot easier to sign up than you’d think. Just visit the website and register. Or if you truly are terminally lazy and can’t be bothered even doing that, then at least tell your family about what you want because it may sound too sentimentally hokey, but helping someone else after reaching the departure lounge has got to be better than just becoming worm food.

www.donatewales.org

CALLING IT QUITS
If your New Year’s resolution is to pack in the fags, you’re not alone. Of the UK’s 12 million smokers, three million attempt to quit each year but the bad news is only 3% manage to stay on the wagon long-term. As an ex-smoker, I know how hard kicking the habit to the curb is, because I’ve been off the nicotine for three years and I still get the occasional craving. If you want to take the sting out of stopping then smoking cessation programmes are becoming increasingly popular, primarily because they’re more likely to work. The late anti-smoking tsar Allen Carr’s much-vaunted course is probably the most famous. Spread over five hours of one day in groups of about twenty, it uses a psychotherapy/hypnotherapy double whammy approach and focuses on why smokers continue despite the obvious disadvantages as opposed to concentrating on why they should quit. It’s successful because it’s about cognitive behavioural therapy: changing your behaviour to change the way you think. The course costs £220 - private sessions are a couple of grand - which sounds a lot but is a mere drop in the ocean compared to how smoking dents your wallet over a lifetime - and this will actually prolong it - and if it doesn’t do the trick then there’s a money back guarantee to boot. For details of your local Allen Carr therapist log onto the website: www.allencarreasyway.com 10 WAYS TO BEAT THE WINTER BLUES
1. Don’t sheep-flock to the gym with the masses this January, take up a team sport instead. Try not to barf, but the camaraderie can be a real mood elevator
2. Take up a new interest. I know this sounds Simon Says simplistic, but sometimes simple is best
3. Lay off the drowning-your-sorrows approach, as alcohol is a potent depressant. You may feel a temporary lift but the high is soon goodbyed
4. Eat spicy food. The substance that makes chillies hot, capsicum, stimulates the release of feel-good endorphins in the brain. Think about it: have you ever seen a depressed Mexican?
5. Drink green tea. It contains high levels of antioxidants that help fight mild depression as well as protect against cancer and heart disease
6. Take vitamins. Zinc is especially effective at upping the brain’s good mood medicine, serotonin
7. Do a negativity edit. If you’ve got a whinger mate who’s always on the moan, limit the amount of time you spend together. Or, harsher still, hit the delete button
8. Change your routine. Experiment by chopping and changing the ingredients of your life to keep things fresh
9. Have a Thai massage. This is much more energising and rigorous than other forms of massage, literally extracting stress from the body
10. Remember winter doesn’t go on forever so enjoy some of its perks, like long walks on crisp, frosty days or having a Sunday roast in front of a crackling country pub fire

THE HEALTH REPORT

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