Woman's Weekly Living Series February 2020

From us to you First there was… the living wall Now there’s… the houseplant hotel Walls covered in plants to soak up inner-city pollution have been appearing throughout cities for some time. The latest in plants improving your health are the rooms at a London hotel awash with greenery. Leman Locke in the East End transformed three suites into urban jungles to help stressed out travellers and Londoners reconnect with nature. They were designed by botanical stylists at thejoyofplants.co.uk. NEW READ Feel better in 5 (£16.99, Penguin) GP and BBC Breakfast doctor Rangan Chatterjee prescribes more than 30 five-minute tips to do three times a day to help you lose weight, improve sleep and kick-start your health. WHAT IS THAT? It’s…

Do you have an active lifestyle? YES That’s fantastic, because 30 minutes of weight-bearing activity (brisk walking, dancing, for example) five times a week can help maintain bone density. NO It’s important to get regular exercise because bone is a living tissue, which grows stronger with the force of our muscles pulling against it. ‘Exercise can help delay the rate of age-related bone loss,’ explains Craig Sale, a professor of Human Physiology at Nottingham Trent University. Stick to activity that uses your body weight, alongside weight-resistance exercise (such as strength training). In later life, exercises to improve muscle strength and balance can also help prevent falls. Even if you are frail, there are exercises you can do to boost your bones. Do you take vitamin D supplements? YES Great! NO…

Lose weight Adding new habits to your daily routine can help you reach your goal easily and permanently. Start by taking small steps without thinking about the bigger picture. Go small: Give yourself smaller portions rather than dramatically changing what you eat. Use smaller plates. Research shows that they look as if they contain more food, and eating with smaller cutlery encourages you to take smaller mouthfuls. Eat slowly, chew your food more and put down your cutlery between mouthfuls to give yourself a chance to notice when you’re full. Get enough sleep: Sleep allows your body to release the appetite-suppressant leptin, which also affects your body temperature, increasing the amount of calories burnt. Being sleep-deprived means you don’t produce enough leptin, but overproduce ghrelin – a hormone that increases…

Diehard Coronation Street fans may have noticed that one of the Street’s veterans, Sue Nicholls, has not been seen much in recent months. That’s because the 76-year-old suffered a nasty fall at home, which resulted in her breaking her collarbone and having to take an extended break from the soap. ‘I had to be written out of some scenes, which I hated’ Sue – who is married to former Corrie co-star Mark Eden – admits, ‘I had to have an operation, be written out of some scenes and take time off – which I hate doing as I don’t like letting people down. But everyone was so lovely.’ Explaining how the accident came about, she says, ‘I was creeping around in the dark after taking my face off at about…

Want to lose weight, boost energy levels and improve health? Injecting more colour into your diet can make a huge difference. ‘The way most people eat, especially in winter, tends to be quite bland,’ says nutrition specialist Deanna Minich PhD, author of The Rainbow Diet . ‘Yet you need colour to nourish your body, to stay healthy and to lose weight. ‘Red, blue and purple foods are high in protective antioxidants. Yellow and orange foods are packed with carotenoids (that protect cells from damage), and green foods are high in immune-boosting antioxidants, chlorophyll and fibre. Research shows that a diet high in colourful fruit and veg is associated with lower levels of diabetes and cancer. Rainbow eating also has a balancing effect that enhances weight loss.’ DAY 1 GO RED…

1 Use smaller plates Sounds simple, but it tricks your brain into believing you’re eating larger helpings. Portion size has played a huge part in the rise of obesity, with ready meals and restaurant portions increasing in size, and therefore calories. 2 Get a grip on emotions Easier said than done, but it’s possible to reprogramme your body’s response to eating triggers, says dietician Lyndel Costain (weightloss resources.co.uk ). ‘When you crave food and aren’t actually hungry, ask yourself: Why do I want to eat and what am I feeling?’ Find a distraction – a walk or chat with a friend. ‘The more often you break the “eating when you’re not hungry” habit,’ she says, ‘the weaker its hold.’ 3 Drop the ‘D’ word Label yourself as ‘on a diet’…