What Happens When You Eat Cake For Breakfast

On By queeenvkIn Food, Health, Help, Inspiration, self helpLeave a comment

Photo by Larissa Farber

Watch me explain this blog post on YouTube

You don’t eat while you’re sleeping, and a period of not eating is called a fast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because you’re breaking your fast (hence the name). What you choose to break your fast with is quite important for the optimal function of different organs in your body.

One scientific study has shown the best time to eat cake is WITH breakfast but it should not be the only thing you consume to break your fast at the beginning of a new day. For optimal health, consume a mixture of healthy fats and protein to feed your body and brain after a fast.

The Brain Consumes Sugar

Your brain uses sugar for energy to do its important work: constantly firing neurons to transfer signals between different organs throughout the body. The brain needs a lot of glucose (fancy chemistry word for a simple sugar molecule) to function and those sugar molecules come from what we eat. What you choose to feed your body and your brain does affect the way your body functions. However, the brain doesn’t need you to feed it simple sugar molecules directly, no! That is the last thing it needs. It might want sweet, sweet simple sugars but our body needs complex sugar molecules. Craving sugar is a want verses a need. Build the foundation properly so that you won’t crumble and fall with disease. All of the organs in your digestive system work together to convert the complex sugars (such as carbohydrates) into simple sugars (glucose) and then distribute them around the body as required. So you don’t really need to eat simple sugars, they are just a rare treat. Sweets are a sometimes food, as Cookie Monster says. (If you have a psychological attachment to certain foods then it is important to also do some other types of brain training for your mental health and understand the why behind your food addiction. The brain is powerful on so many levels and we can harness it whichever way we want: towards health or away from health).

A healthy habit to start with

If you’re not yet in the habit of eating food within the first hour of waking then listen up! Here are a couple of reasons WHY you want to eat breakfast (to start your motivation and mindset for this new habit): Firstly, your brain is impaired when it’s hungry (think of how “hangry” you act if you skip a meal) and your decision-making skills are different, even without you noticing This applies to both food and non-food related decisions. My favourite example is the Hungry judge effect: The judge grants parole for more people right after morning tea and lunchtime, but no parole for people right before lunch. Imagine, you don’t even know that you’re making bad decisions while driving to work or selecting a snack before lunch. Secondly, you want to avoid blood sugar spikes because this puts extra wear and tear on your poor little pancreas. Your pancreas regulates the concentration of sugar in your blood so that the sugar does not harm your organs. When you eat too much sugar, especially first thing in the morning, you’re overloading your pancreas with hard work. Eventually, the pancreas can fail which leads to the disease we all know as diabetes.

How to start a new healthy habit: Hack your brain by doing the same thing consistently. The important part is the consistency because your brain likes to follow the same path. It’s easier to travel the same known path over and over. Think of your brain as a muscle that you’re going to train. Your brain training every morning is to select an optimal breakfast that will set you up for the day. Picture yourself in the future, it is tomorrow morning. You want to make good decisions for your life and your health. The night before, you arranged your breakfast ingredients front and centre in the fridge to remind your sleepy morning brain. The ham, cheese and tomato are ready and waiting. (Now, don’t forget to pre-heat the grill!) Slice the ingredients fresh for optimal flavour, or slice the night before and seal in a container so they don’t dry out, then layer the bread with the ingredients, popping the cheese on top. Slide the open sandwich under the warm grill and set the kettle to boil as you prepare a mug with honey or sugar and a teabag or coffee. By visualising the tasks beforehand, you begin making those pathways in your brain, boosting the ease at which your brain moves along the path. If you do some steps the night before when you have more willpower and energy, then your tired morning-self has less resistance through the pathway. Set yourself up for success. Mindset is everything.

Blood Sugar Concentration Spikes Make You Feel Exhausted

As I mentioned above, your pancreas controls the level of sugar in your blood after you eat food so that the sugar does not damage your organs. When the pancreas is broken or diseased then it can cause negative health effects such as Prediabetes that will quickly get much worse if left untreated. If the pancreas is not regulating the amount of sugar in your blood, the sugar concentration can build up to high levels which makes you feel very tired and sluggish, even when you get enough sleep. Speak to your doctor for more advice on the symptoms of prediabetes because our bodies are so different, each person can have a varied experience.

For a more consistent level of blood sugar, without making your pancreas work for it, you want to select foods that will release sugar more slowly. These are called low GI foods.

What About Fruit For Breakfast?

As with cake, fruit shouldn’t be eaten alone for breakfast. Fruits contain simple sugars called fructose which can cause a rapid increase in your blood sugar concentration. Fruit by itself is not a complete meal. It’s more of a snack or a side dish alone, or a great ingredient with yoghurt and pumpkin seeds. Eat a variety of different coloured foods to ensure you’re consuming a larger range of vitamins and minerals which are important for all of your organs.

Your turn to share

Have you experienced bad decision making when you’re hungry or hangry? Would you like to share your morning breakfast routine? Feel free to comment below and share with The Full Cup Wellness community. Let’s help each other. 🙂

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Therapeutic Benefits Beyond Belief

On By queeenvkIn Health, Help, Inspiration, WorkLeave a comment

When I lost my full-time job and decided to work on the family business, the Aromatherapy Clinic, I didn’t realise there would be so many road blocks and hurdles at every single step of the way. It’s only been 2 weeks but I feel like I’ve been wading through mud for months.

The first thing I wanted to do for the company was update the 20 year old website so that it feels modern and easier to navigate. But alas, I have no access to edit anything on the old website because it was created by a developer who hasn’t granted us admin access.

So my next step was to create a new website of my own. Here is what I came up with.

The product pages currently link back to the old website so that you can add the products to your cart and pay using the secure payment options already implemented at the original site. In the near future I hope to integrate my new website with e-commerce software so that there will be a cart and various payment options available.

The second step I wanted to implement for Aromatherapy Clinic is a regular newsletter to provide our customers with valuable product news and useful aromatherapy information that can be used to improve health and well-being.

Feel free to click through to the new Aromatherapy Clinic website and sign up to our brand new newsletter for all of the latest aromatherapy health and wellness tips.

Comment below or email info@aromatherapyclinic.com.au to ask all of your aromatherapy-related questions. We’re here to help!

You Can Get Creative On Redbubble

On By queeenvkIn Help, Inspiration, WorkLeave a comment

Redbubble is an online store where people create their own original designs and artwork that you can have printed on various items such as t-shirts, bucket hats, phone cases, coasters, mugs, drink bottles, pet beds, shower curtains and more!

Anyone can create a design on Redbubble, as long as you aren’t plagiarising someone else’s work, or impacting on international copyright laws then you can upload your artwork as a digital file. It’s a potential side hustle that can bring in some passive income. And it’s a great way to let your creative side come to life. Think outside the box and design something that you would love to own.

Update 27th April 2023: Redbubble is introducing paid tiers to the seller accounts that are actually making sales on Redbubble. That means, if you don’t make a sale you aren’t charged anything so you’re not out of pocket as a fledgling artist. If you have a Redbubble seller account you can login and view the payment tiers in your account Dashboard.

I’ve printed out some hats and shirts from Redbubble already. The clothing quality is fantastic. The fabric is soft and durable. The coasters are brilliant! They have a cork backing and are properly sealed to protect the artwork from spills.

Check out my original designs at my Redbubble online store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/fullcupwellness/shop

Have you designed or bought anything from Redbubble? What did you think? Comment below!

Why Do I Have A Carbon Footprint And Why Does It Matter?

On By queeenvkIn Environment, Food, Health, InspirationLeave a comment

With all of the discussion around the climate crisis and environmental health, you may have heard the term Carbon Footprint. Your personal carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases, that you produce through your actions.

The release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from human activity is a measurable impact of our effect on the environment. As mentioned in the satirical movie Don’t Look Up, all of the data is there in front of our face. We cannot ignore it. Now is the time for action.

All of us can do our part for our future and the preservation of our gorgeous world. Small actions put together make huge progress.

Be Aware Of Your Environmental Impact

Often there is an indirect environmental impact when you are buying particular clothing or a more direct impact like choosing to travel by plane or train.

Transportation:

This one might be the most obvious but every time we fly a plane it produces massive amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants that are released into the atmosphere. Choosing to take a train or carpool for shorter distances is a better option for the environment.

Ditch the car for a walk up to the shops if they’re only a few blocks away. Enjoy your walk outside and make it part of your self-care routine. Instead of setting aside time to exercise or go to the gym, you’ll find this incidental exercise much more enjoyable and it doesn’t cost money to put on your walking shoes and a backpack with your shopping bags. Don’t forget your reusable drink bottle!

Clothing:

This one is surprising… the clothing industry accounts for 10% of all global carbon emissions annually. That is more than the flying and shipping industries emit each year. When you purchase an item of clothing you are accepting all of the steps involved in producing that t-shirt or pair of socks. Some companies may offset their carbon emissions by purchasing “Carbon Credits” however, there is a lot of controversy around carbon credits as this can be seen as an excuse to continue with less environmentally-friendly practices. This is also sometimes referred to as “Greenwashing” or making something seem better for the environment than it really is.

To reduce your environmental impact when purchasing clothing, you can choose to support companies that are transparent with their business practices and environmental considerations. Purchasing less clothing is also very important. If you select higher quality items that last longer, then you will spend less money in the long run because you won’t be buying more items to replace your torn t-shirt or jeans. In-turn, you reduce the amount of resources used around the world, many of which are in limited supply.

Additional Environmental Note: A massive amount of water is used in the production of denim jeans. The best place to purchase denim (and other clothing) is at a second-hand shop.

Purchasing Power:

Where you spend your money is one of the most important decisions you can make when considering your impact on the world. Many of the banks and superannuation funds that hold your money are using the money to invest in particular companies and projects, including those that pollute the environment, such as coal mines and oil companies. You can research the investments of each of the companies and make your decision to put your money where you would like it to be used best.

The main place where you’d put your money, other than the bank, is at the shops! Buying lower quality items from companies that use unsustainable practices to produce their products means that you support the actions of these companies. The cheap knock offs might seem okay but look behind the price and cheap materials to see the real priorities of the people who are taking your money and using it to continue their unethical practices.

Food Waste:

When you compost food properly then the right bacteria breaks the food down and it is converted into a nutrient-rich fertilizer containing the forms of nitrogen and carbon necessary for plants to grow. When food waste is sent to landfill the lack of oxygen and the right types of bacteria prevent the composting process from occurring as normal. Huge amounts of greenhouse gases are produced when food rots in the rubbish dump instead of being composted under the correct conditions.

The best way to reduce food waste going to landfill is to be more conscious of your purchasing, take stock of the food you already have and use it up before it goes bad and is thrown in the bin. Use a shopping list when doing the grocery shop for the household. Don’t buy more than you will use up before it expires. Freeze extra food before it goes bad. Use up leftovers! Share your food saving tips in the comments.

Repair, Reduce and Reuse before you Recycle:

When recycling materials such as plastic bottles there are a lot of resources used up in the recycling process, such as water and electricity. The recycled plastic then loses its integrity and can only be used for certain applications. Recycled plastic can’t be recycled back into the same strong plastic it was before. Even with plastic recycling programs available, only a small percentage of all plastic is recycled. The best option for the environment is to refuse plastic and other types of low quality items, rather than trying to recycle all of the plastic that is produced.

When you purchase clothing and footwear of good quality you will find that they not only last longer but you can often repair them to extend the life and prevent more waste going to landfill. This is also true for some larger items like furniture and appliances.

Thank you so much for joining me today in learning more about our carbon footprint and why it matters.

Have a read of my previous post on reducing the waste you produce in your home and some simple swaps you can make to help the environment. Visit my online store for some handmade environmentally friendly, low carbon-footprint products.

Comment below with your tips on reducing your environmental impact!

Featured Image credit: Shutterstock

The joy of handmade

On By queeenvkIn InspirationLeave a comment

Nothing beats making something yourself. The sense of accomplishment alone is rewarding enough. The time and effort you put into a creative project is worth it because not only have you created something with your own hands but you have also developed your skills. Every minute you spend on your hobby you are improving and honing your skills.

Being creative and enjoying your hobbies has a positive effect on our mental health. It lowers stress and increases feelings of self worth and self confidence.

I’d love to share with you this project I recently completed. For those of you who don’t know I have a passion for crochet. I tried a new crochet pattern and I modified it slightly to create this super adorable Santa Hat bralette.

Crocheted Santa Hat Bralette Handmade By Queeenvk. Crochet pattern modified from https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/muy-caliente-bikini-top

I made this bralette top in a size small but the straps are long enough to fit a medium too. The cups fit a C-D. Feel free to send me a message to order a custom crocheted bikini top, or something else that you might need. I also have a passion for making weighted therapy items so reach out to me if you are interested in ordering a crocheted commission piece from me.

Please check out my online store with some of my crochet creations. My repertoire ranges from small stuffed toys to large ottomans. Bikinis are relatively quick to crochet but cardigans are slow going, just to give you an idea.

Thank you so much for your support. You can find me on Instagram and YouTube by searching for me, Queeenvk.

Prevent Hair Damage: How To Dry Your Hair Carefully

On By queeenvkIn HealthLeave a comment

Note: To listen to me read out this blog post for you please follow this link to my Podcast Channel

There is a a right way to treat your hair, especially when it comes to cleaning and drying it. This post isn’t about styling your hair with heat or products, in this blog I want to address healthy hair maintenance. I hope this will help you to hone your personal grooming techniques and also your self esteem and self confidence as you feel satisfied with the image in the mirror.

For some people, how our hair appears directly affects our mental health as it is often the first thing we see when we look in the mirror. Our perception of our own self, whether positive or negative, will affect the way we act and react to the situations around us.

We can cause damage to our hair especially when it is wet. Wet hair is more prone to breakage as it is brittle. A lot of damage can be caused when brushing or combing wet hair as the hair will stretch when wet but the strands do not snap back to their regular form after stretching, they become even more brittle.

My number 1 rule for preventing frizzy, weakened hair is to NEVER DRY YOUR HAIR BY RUBBING A TOWEL HARSHLY OVER YOUR SCALP. Using a towel to rub your hair dry can cause damage to the hair shaft, stretch and snap your hair. Be gentle to your precious hair all the way from the follicles to the tips of the strands. The rubbing motion also pushes the hair cuticle upwards, causing a frizzy appearance.

What to do instead: Gently wrap your hair in a towel and allow the moisture to be drawn into the fabric. I also like to air dry my hair because we get a lot of warm sunny days here in Australia.

Adding heat to wet hair actually increases the temperature on your hair, further increasing damage. Reduce the amount of water on your hair before using the hair dryer. It’s also a good idea to set the hair dryer on a cool setting before using the heat. Hair stylists recommend you dry your hair to at least 50-70% dry before adding heat. And turn the heat setting down if you are using heat, your hair can be burned and damaged beyond repair if your styling appliances are set too hot.

I hope this is useful to you! Please comment below and share your hair care tips.

If you like my blog please show your support by subscribing to my Youtube Channel and having a look at my online store.

Featured Image Photo by John Diez

Healthy Caffeine Consumption And How To Reduce Caffeine Intake

On By queeenvkIn Food, Health, HelpLeave a comment

What caffeine does to the body

Caffeine is classed as a stimulant drug which means it increases the activity of the brain and nervous system. It also binds to adenosine receptors, preventing you from feeling sleepy and if you do fall asleep it will prevent you from experiencing a deep restful sleep.

Caffeine also keeps the dopamine in our brain, which makes us feel good, but can also lead to addiction.

Caffeine chemistry

The average adult can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine per day. The maximum dose for adolescents is much lower at 100 mg, but anyone under the age of 18 should avoid caffeine consumption where possible. This is because of the potential negative effect of caffeine during brain development. You want to give your developing brain the best chance it can get to reach its full potential.

The half life of caffeine is approximately 6 hours. So if you have a big 200 mg dose of caffeine at midday you’ll still have 100 mg in your system at 6 pm.

Why should I reduce caffeine intake? How much is too much caffeine?

Caffeine is a legal drug and is so ingrained into our society that it often doesn’t occur to us that it could have negative impacts on our health. There are many positive effects of caffeine, and like most things, it is beneficial in small doses. But if you consume too much then you are putting extra pressure on your body. Caffeine is in a lot of our food and drinks so it pays to be aware of any negative side effects in your body that could be caused by excessive caffeine.

The negative side effects of excessive caffeine include; insomnia, feeling nervous/jittery/anxious, stomach aches, headaches, muscle cramps and spasms.

Metabolism varies based on genetics. Some people have a stronger response to caffeine than others and it is actually caused by the genes you inherited through your ancestry. For example, some of my relatives can drink coffee right before bed and it doesn’t have an impact on their sleep. However, I have inherited genes that make me very susceptible to the effects of caffeine. Only one cup of coffee before midday is enough for me!

It is important to note that caffeine also has a diuretic effect so it will cause you to urinate more frequently as your body is receiving signals to rid the body of extra water and salts. However, various studies have shown that this mild diuretic effect will not cause dehydration, especially if you exercise after consuming caffeine.

How To Reduce Caffeine Intake:

Remember, caffeine is a drug so you want to reduce your intake slowly to avoid experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Start by tracking the amount of caffeine you consume per day. Include all of the sources of caffeine in your diet such as tea, energy drinks, soft drinks and chocolate. You can keep a tally of your caffeine consumption any way that works for you, such as in your phone, a physical journal or a spreadsheet on your computer.

Then once you are aware of all of the ways you add caffeine to your diet, you can make the conscious decision to reduce your intake. An easy way to reduce your intake is by watering down your caffeinated drinks so that you are diluting the amount of caffeine in your cup. Steeping your caffeinated tea for longer will also make for a stronger cup of tea so try taking the tea leaves out of the water after just a few minutes. Or if you normally have 3 cups of coffee in the morning try reducing it to 2 cups to start with then make your way to one cup in the morning if that is your goal. And perhaps substitute that 3rd cup of coffee for a caffeine-free herbal tea or fruit juice so that you can still have your late morning treat or self care. Take that time for yourself, don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything.

The more you use your willpower, every time you refuse that extra dose of coffee, your willpower grows like a muscle. Also your mindset will help you on your way towards your goal, be gentle on yourself and remember to treat yourself as your friend when you fall off the bandwagon and drink that energy drink. Don’t think about the energy drink as a failure or a reason to give up, but flip it around and instead look at how long you went without an energy drink. Use that positive confidence to keep moving towards your goal, tell yourself “now is not the time to give up!”. (Hint: this same mindset can help you quit smoking or begin a new healthy habit).

I hope this information is helpful for you to move confidently towards your goals, and don’t forget to keep your cup full of positivi-tea! Or positivi-coffee, if that is your preference.

Regulating Calories-In Is More Important Than Calories-Out

On By queeenvkIn Food, Health, Help, self helpLeave a comment

The idea of Calories-In versus Calories-Out involves the calories you consume through your mouth versus how much you consume through basic metabolism and physical exercise. Your basic metabolism is the energy (in calories) that your body needs to function, eg. keep your heart beating, your lungs breathing and your cells functioning. The amount of energy your body needs to stay alive will depend on your age, gender and weight. But overall, the amount and type of energy you feed your body is more important than how much energy your body is expending.

If you eat more than your body requires then you will put on weight in the form of fat, which is the way the body stores extra energy. If you overeat by 500 calories every day you will slowly notice your waistline increase over the space of only a few years and your clothes will no longer fit you the same way.

Portion sizes have been slowly getting larger and larger over the years. I find that I can only eat half a serving from a restaurant, then I take the leftovers home to enjoy later. Remember, your stomach is about the size of your closed fist. You don’t want to keep forcing more and more food in there even after it is full.

When we do get physically active, we often overestimate the amount of calories burned from exercise. A walk around the block won’t burn off that Mars Bar. Either eat the Mars Bar or don’t. But whatever your choice, do it mindfully.

We also forget how many calories are provided by the alcohol you drink and the empty calories in the store-bought snack foods that are designed to make us keep eating. These are called Ultra-processed foods and I have written about them previously in my post: Food For Life: The Best Way To Feed Your Body

However the type of calories you provide your body will also affect the function of your organs.

For example, when you overload your bloodstream with sugar your pancreas will work overtime to bring your blood sugar levels back to a stable concentration. If your pancreas has to work so hard that it becomes impaired and breaks down, then you get Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes is the inability to regulate your blood sugar levels from within your own body.

The brain requires sugar for it to function. When you’re hungry your brain is low on sugar and it’s screaming for a quick fix. But you must use your common sense. Feed your brain foods that will break down slowly into sugars. These are called Low GI foods. The GI stands for glycemic index, which is the relative amount of time it takes for the food to raise your blood sugar levels. Low GI foods are those made of complex carbohydrates because carbohydrate molecules are just long chains of sugars stuck together. The body uses energy to break the molecules down in to sugars. High GI foods are made of sugars that are easily broken down by the body and will quickly increase the level of sugar in your blood.

To avoid overloading your organs with high concentrations of sugar you have to be mindful of what you feed your body.

You know what they say, “You are what you eat”.

Your diet can be whatever you want it to be. But be aware that what you consume will be processed by your organs.

The diet that is most suited for humans is one made up of mostly plants, some meat, and very small amounts of everything else. You want to make sure you have a diet containing various sources of fibre. The body requires a range of vitamin and trace minerals which are present in different food types. So eating the exact same meals day in and day out is not a good idea, even if they are healthy meals.

A study of a remote South American tribe indicates that a diet low in salt and fat, but rich in multiple sources of fibre, protects the heart from increased blood pressure. The study compared the blood pressure of the members from a nearby tribe that has been influenced by western foods and found that blood pressure increased with age.

Calorie deficit diet for weight loss

There’s nothing wrong with a curvy figure, but you do want to reduce the toll on your bones and joints by reducing the load they have to carry. More strain on your bones and joints will lead to osteoarthritis which will cause pain for you when you walk and try to get about your day. A calorie deficit diet basically means you’re eating less than the amount your body needs to function. If you do this in a healthy way, as directed by your doctor, then it will lead to weight loss. You will stop losing weight when you stop restricting the number of calories that you consume.

Calorie restriction diet to extend lifespan

There is some contention in the scientific community as to whether this calorie restriction diet extends lifespan as the controls of the experiments are difficult to, well, control and a lot of the experiments were done on mice instead of humans. The basic idea is that overall you want to consume less than the amount your body usually needs to live but you don’t need to restrict your consumption every day in a row. Some people like to do short fasts for their health, other people fast for religion. Either way, it appears that short lengths of fasting have a beneficial effect on our health. Sometimes you might have a day where you treat yourself and consume all of the calories in sight. But these calorific days can be balanced out with a more modest intake on the other days of the week. If that suits your personality type of course!

Some people are unable to moderate their intake due to their personality and relationship with food.

Your own mental health can have a huge impact on how you interact with food. Be mindful of this so that you can have awareness and control over your health.

If you are unable to open a block of chocolate without finishing the entire packet then, for your health, it’s safer not to have that block of chocolate in the house unless you’re allowing yourself a rare treat.

If you are consuming a 6 pack of beer every night after work then you are basically eating an extra meal every day. But those calories aren’t keeping your body healthy.

Recognise your feelings towards food and why you are making the food choices that you are making. Think first before feeding yourself, your health is at stake…..mmmmmm steak.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope this post is helpful to you and your family.

Please visit my Youtube Channel for more health and science from me, Queeenvk.

Digital Decluttering For Digital Hoarders

On By queeenvkIn Health, Help, Inspiration, WorkLeave a comment

Do you have collections of things like photos and files and little mementos that evoke fond memories? I’ve always been a collector of things, especially when they have sentimental value.

Sometimes a collection can get out of control if you don’t trim it and organise it. If it becomes an overwhelming hoard it can cause stress and mental exhaustion. However, it’s usually difficult to see the hoard of digital clutter when it’s tucked away in your hard drive, photo gallery, archived files and all of those forgotten USB sticks stashed in the junk drawer of your kitchen/desk/storeroom.

It’s a good idea to regularly de-clutter the digital storage locations of your life, otherwise it becomes more difficult to store and locate the things that you need in your life. Think of how long it takes for your computer to search through large amount of data. As you add more data, more processing will be required to sort through the data.

Tip 1: Unsubscribe

There is no need to stay subscribed to marketing emails if they are just cluttering up your inbox. When you find yourself deleting the marketing emails instead of actually opening and engaging with them, that is a good time to locate the Unsubscribe button. Each email you receive in your inbox takes up time and mental effort from another task. Make your email inbox work for you by setting up filters for certain emails. You can also create all different folders in your inbox to sort your emails and make it easier to locate important information. For example, I have a folder for any emails that contain details and documents required for my next tax return. That way, when tax time comes around, I just open the folder and then I have what I need to fill out my tax return, including receipts and invoices to be claimed back.

Tip 2: Cull photos

Now that we no longer have to print each photo we take just to view it, it becomes easier to take more photos of the same thing. I know I have a lot of duplicate images, some more in-focus than others, so it’s easy to delete the duplicates without worrying about losing any information. Delete your blurry photos and any duplicate images that aren’t useful to future-you. Make sure to cull the photos in your phone, computer, tablet and any other photo storage locations. Even if you are removing the photos from your gallery and transferring them to a cloud-based storage location you should still consider de-cluttering the photos saved on the cloud. First, it will be much easier to look back through the photos once you’ve condensed your collection to just the meaningful images. Second, storing data on the cloud doesn’t mean the data isn’t taking up space anymore, it’s just not taking up space on your PC or phone. The cloud actually stores the data in a physical location which takes up space. The virtual storage space is not infinite so there are concerns about where we will fit all our data in the future, as all the data just keeps piling up every day.

Tip 3: Organise your Computer Desktop (or phone homepage)

When you’re at your computer, do you save all of the new files to your desktop? And is your desktop now so full you can’t fit anything else or find what you need? We all know someone who has all of those icons filling up the desktop so that you can’t even see the background image.

First, make sure that the files you save are saved to a meaningful location. You can make your own folders within folders to sort everything! Then when you need to locate the file again and you’ve forgotten which folder it’s in, you can search the entire PC or the approximate file location and the path to the desired file will be revealed. And the search won’t take as long because you’ve already decluttered all the blurry and duplicate photos that were clogging up the memory on the hard drive.

On your phone homepage you don’t need to store all of the icons for all of the apps. Just select the handful of apps that you constantly open up and only add those shortcut icons to the homepage. Or you can even find a widget or 2 for your homepage to help you out and increase productivity. For example, I use a note taking widget that I have pinned to my homepage that shows me all of my latest To Do tasks and reminders at a glance. I no longer need to write reminders on scraps of paper or the back of my hand!

Tip 4: Delete obsolete documents and uninstall programs

Just like keeping all your old school work, it can be tempting to keep all of the essays and reports you wrote for those undergrad university assignments. But what if I need to refer back to it later?! Sure, if there are documents and topics that are related to your career, hobby or important life event then you can store them in a way that makes it easy to locate and sort through the information, eg. In folders or in an app. But if you’re just keeping your first year chemistry assignments because you’re proud of them then it’s time to let go, be proud of the memory of your time at university. You can keep the graduation certificate but not the assignment about valence electrons.

Any old programs and apps that you’re no longer using on your computer and phone can easily be uninstalled in a few clicks. Be careful about uninstalling programs on your computer if you don’t know what they do. One time when I was just a teenager I thought I’d declutter my slow PC by uninstalling some programs I didn’t need. Alas, I deleted the sound card drivers and had to restore my computer to a previous date to fix my mistake. What a n00b.

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you found this content useful. If you’d like to show your support please subscribe to my Youtube Channel. And feel free to reply in the comments with your digital decluttering tips!

With Age Comes Balding

On By queeenvkIn Beauty, Health, Help, self helpLeave a comment

Almost all of us will experience balding in some way, whether we watch someone else struggle with losing their hair or we go through it ourselves. There are many types of hair loss but I want to discuss balding as we age, also known as male and female pattern balding or androgenic alopecia.

Why is it called male/female pattern balding?

Age-related balding happens in a specific pattern in men and women. The pattern of balding is how you diagnose balding and determine whether it’s age-related balding or if it is caused by something else such as fungal infection or medications. Females normally have balding or thinning from the centre part of the scalp and males lose hair from the temples or crown.

Diagram showing balding from the temples to give the classic widow’s peak. Image source.

What causes balding from age?

Androgens are a type of hormone in the body that are responsible for controlling the male characteristics in both males and females. The word androgen is made up of the latin words for man (andro-) and generator (-gen). Testosterone is an androgen that is made in the testes, ovaries and adrenal glands and it is found in high concentrations in males but in low concentrations in females.

The body converts testosterone into other forms, ie. metabolises the testosterone, with different enzymes depending on which part of the body it is in, the age of the body and also the gender of that body. There isn’t enough known about how the different types of testosterone products interact with the process of making hair follicles in men and women but we do know that no matter how much testosterone you have or don’t have, balding ultimately comes down to your genes.

It’s genetic!

As we age our hair follicles become weaker and produce weaker, thinner, more brittle hair. Then eventually the hair follicle dies and no longer produces hair. People with relatives who experience male pattern baldness are more likely to also experience male pattern baldness themselves.

There is no cure

There are topical treatments for balding to prevent and/or reduce hair loss. These treatments have limited success due to the lack of knowledge regarding the metabolism of testosterone between individuals.

The best way to deal with balding in your life is to assess your own self esteem and feelings of self worth.

Also consider how you feel when you look at a person who is showing signs of balding. Remember that the way you perceive yourself is very different to the way others perceive you. When you look in the mirror be gentle to the friend in the reflection. You are a beautiful person no matter how many working hair follicles you have.

Stay healthy and safe. Reply in the comments with your suggestions for a specific health topic you would like me to cover.

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