Spa Of The Show
The Forum Spa at The Celtic Manor Resort,
Coldra Woods
Recommended treatment: The ancient Arabian-inspired Rasul Mud Ritual (£45 for one person, up to £120 for four). In an authentically-styled private chamber, you apply mineral-rich mud to yourself and allow the heat, steam and simulated tropical rain to lift those life-stresses away.
Prices: For a high-end spa, the prices really aren’t wallet-fleecing. One of the best value treatments is the Gentleman’s Retreat, which includes a facial, a foot therapy, lunch and a neck, shoulder and back massage, comes in at an unbelievable 110 quid. Even in a run-of-the-mill spa, a massage alone averages £40, so the pricing here is definitely competitive.
Service: Hyper-efficient without being too try-hard. The staff know their stuff, but tailor their approach to you individually.
The X Factor: This resort has USPs all over the place. From the rolling countryside of the surroundings to the sheer choice and standard of the facilities, everything about The Celtic Manor screams – quietly, natch – 5-star class.
NO KNEED FOR IT
If you play sport, knocks and bumps are just part of the game, particularly in contact sports like rugby and football. The knee is one of the most commonly injured parts of the body and whilst serious injury is relatively rare, it’s often difficult to know at first whether or not a knock to the knee is serious.
Any deformity of the knee or leg or significant immediate swelling should raise concerns. Immobilize the knee with a splint or brace, keep the weight off the leg and seek early attention – usually by heading for the nearest accident and emergency department. It’s often difficult to assess the knee fully immediately after an injury. In most cases of knee ligament or cartilage injury, first x-rays can appear normal. Problems which may not be picked up at this stage include injuries to the meniscal cartilage, which helps to cushion the forces transmitted from the thigh and shin bone, and to the articular cartilage, the shiny material on the end of the bone surfaces which allows the joint to move smoothly. In many cases, the knee will settle over a few weeks, but if it continues to cause problems you should seek specialist advice. If significant swelling remains, an MRI scan will show in detail damage to the soft tissues of the knee which are not revealed by an ordinary x-ray. The key indicators of a significant knee injury are persistent swelling, mechanical symptoms such as being unable to straighten the knee, grinding or crunching sensations within the knee or if the knee feels unstable or feels as if it is coming out of joint. If you suffer from any of these, seek specialist advice as soon as possible. Call Cardiff Sports Orthopaedics on 08445 617552 or log on to
www.sportsortho.co.uk
GET SUPPORTIVE
Everybody knows breastfeeding is the best possible start (a baby can have) in life, but for various cultural reasons it fell out of fashion in the 50s. Although UK rates are still lagging way behind other European countries like Norway, Denmark and Sweden where statistics are up in the high 90 per cents, more and more new mums here are taking the breast-is-best mantra onboard.
Trouble is, a lot of them give up before they really want to - a whopping 90 per cent according to a recent survey - with some citing lack of support from their partners as the reason why. For their part, dads often say they feel excluded from the breastfeeding process and worry they're perhaps not bonding with their newborn as well as they should.
There are other ways to connect with your child, though, like cuddling and settling the baby after each feed or putting the baby on your bare chest for skin-to-skin contact. It really is important to be supportive, though, because although the short-term benefits of breastfeeding are better known - a reduction in infant allergies, a lowering in the instance of cot death, a boost in immunity being just three - what is lesser known are long-term advantages such as less likelihood of high blood pressure and cholesterol in adulthood. There's even evidence that breastfed babies grow up to have increased IQ than babies who aren't - so encouraging your partner to stick with the breastfeeding routine for as long as possible is a wise move.
For more information log on to: www.wales.gov.uk/breastfeeding
Mail to: breastfeeding@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: NHS Help Line 0300 100 0212
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
Jason Jones says, put a spring in your step