Beat the winter blues

Catch LifestyleMK's Dr Audrey on the Chrissy B Show (Sky 203) talking about Seasonal Affective Disorder.

The Chrissy B Show is the UK's only TV programme dedicated to mental health and wellbeing.

Then tune into LifestyleMK on Tuesday at 7pm as Audrey and Gill take a look at another topic affecting millennials - Shift work!

Boost your life with some colour - says LifestyleMK's Audrey

LifestyleMK's Dr Audrey also appears as one of the Chrissy B Show (Sky 203)'s resident guest experts.  The Chrissy B Show is the UK's only TV show dedicated to Mental Health and Wellbeing.  

With the rain we've been having - how about some colour to bosot your life?  (and style!?) 

For the full episode:

and you can subscribe to Chrissy's channel here  or catch her show on Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 10pm, Sky 203 - and you might see Audrey too!

Meanwhile LifestyleMK is back for a new season on October 4th.  The girls Audrey and Gill are raring to go on Tuesdays from 7 - 8 with chat, tips and secrets on all aspects of life.  They are joined by their awesome team - Personal Trainer Robb, Vet Dr Jamie, Dating (disaster) Paula, and feature presenters Ro and Ashley.

Tune in from October 4th, or  - if you can't wait - catch past shows on Mixcloud.

Shedding the years - 24th Sept 2015

Sept 24th in Milton Keynes brings the first regional ‘Meet the Shedders’ get together.

Milton Keynes had the first "Shed" in the region and now there are about 20 either established or in formation in the area and over 100 across the country.

As well as a place for [primarily] older men to meet and get involved in a wide range of different activities in a social setting, Men’s Sheds are also addressing significant health and wellbeing issues highlighted in reports such as ‘Isolation – the emerging crisis for older men’ published last year by the charity Independent Age.

2012 Project Team Men in Sheds MK (AgeUK MK newsletter)

We want to see more Sheds established in Milton Keynes and across the region and, as well as telling older men about them, we want to engage with health and social care providers in a more proactive partnership – so that Men’s Sheds are fully recognised for their contribution to the health and wellbeing of older men in local communities.

To find out more about the event click HERE

AgeUK is also seeking your support for POSTCARDS ANON

Postcards Anon, the Age UK Milton Keynes annual ‘secret’ exhibition and fundraising sale is back for a fourth year.

We are asking local people to create original postcard size artworks [6”x4” or 7”x5”] that we can sell at the exhibition at Gallery 200, the premium exhibition space at Silbury Boulevard, in November to raise vital funds. They can be any medium - except photographs.

Send your artworks - signed only on the reverse - together with your name and contact details to Michelle Turnbull at The Peartree Centre, 1 Chadds Lane, Peartree Bridge MK6 3EB - by Friday 30th October.

Kick start your week

Here's our wellbeing idea for the week ahead.

This suggestion comes from Personal Trainer, Robb Henderson and if you like what you see, he reviews other classes on his blog or you can follow him on Twitter

For everyone trying to select a new fitness class - here are his tips on the differences between Pilates and Yoga:

PILATES OVERVIEW

Class Type: Strength & Flexibility

Duration: 60 mins

Average Calorie Burn: 200-300

Complexity/Difficulty: 6 to 9 out of 10

Class Size: 10-30 (varies depending on type/location)

Areas Worked: Whole Body

Equipment: None. Classes which use equipment such as stability balls etc they are provided – you may want to take your own mat. Wear loose clothing.

Music: Soothing & relaxing


A lot of people ask me what the difference is between Pilates & Yoga as at first glance they can appear very similar. Both classes have a focus on flexibility, strength, balance, posture and breathing techniques based on controlled movements and stretches but there are some differences:

Being rooted in meditative practices, Yoga has a more spiritual side that is often included within the class such as chanting and aligning your chakras. Pilates does not have this and has a more anatomical approach to body alignment

Pilates classes tend to be around 60 minutes, whereas Yoga class will usually last 75-90 minutes. Yoga concentrates more towards holding static poses for a number of breaths. Pilates is a little more dynamic in terms of movement.

As a newbie deciding between them – it’s best to give them both a try and see which you like best!

Pilates has a number of variations within it’s scope but the two main variations are either “mat based” or “Reformer”.

Mat based Pilates can either be “pure” – using various body weighted exercises and stretches or equipment such as bands, blocks or a stability ball and class sizes can vary between 10-30 people.

Reformer Pilates is a much smaller class – 5-10 people, due to the larger apparatus used as the exercises are performed on a specialist board that adds additional challenges and resistance to the routine. Finding a “Reformer” class can be harder to find due to the equipment size.

Pilates focuses on “6 principles” – Centering, Control, Flow, Breath, Precision and Concentration and so emphasises quality over quantity. As such, instead of doing large number of repetitions by completing each exercise fully with precision, you can gain better results.

One of the best things about Pilates is that it works well for a wide range of people. Athletes and dancers love it as much as seniors and people at various stages of physical rehabilitation.

If you’re looking to start Pilates it is well worth calling in advance to see what type of class it is and whether any equipment is used so that you can make a decision if it would be the right class for you – depending on your level of experience and comfort in using items such as a stability ball.

Needless to say in ALL classes the instructor will provide variations throughout the routine to cover beginners to advanced levels – so don’t worry too much about it, but if you do have or previously had a recent injury – let the instructor know before the start of the class so they can give you specific advice.

Looking for a class close to home?

For Pilates: 

http://www.starlightpilates.com/

http://www.pats-pilates.co.uk/

For Yoga:

http://yogalily.com/classes/

http://www.whitespacestudio.co.uk/

Healthy body and mind with Secklow Sounds

A healthy lifestyle is something we all want to promote at Secklow, so each weekend I'll be giving you some wellbeing tips.

THE LESS YOU SPEAK, THE MORE YOU HEAR*

Who am I? I'm a new member of the Secklow Sounds team - Audrey, and from October, along with Alex, Dave and Gill I'll be hosting "LIFESTYLE MK" on Saturdays 12noon - 2pm on SECKLOW SOUNDS and I'm really looking forward to getting started.

So first of all...if you have any topics you'd like me to cover on my show, please tweet @secklowsounds or direct to me @draudreyt

Meanwhile, I thought I'd kick off this weekend's wellbeing thoughts with...conversations.

Discovering the "mute" button on WhatsApp was one of the happiest moments of my working life. I proceeded to apply the same switch to facebook messaging and any other social network groups or conversations in which I had deliberately or inadvertently become involved.

Why not "leave" the conversation altogether?

Well, firstly, to me, it's a bit rude. I get it...sometimes you are part of a group but the conversation turns into something you just don't need to be notified about every couple of seconds...but still "leaving" isn't my method of choice.

Why? Because, secondly, social media is, at its very core, a way of keeping up with everything that is going on...and I like it!

Newsfeeds come direct to my phone - I don't even need to go out looking for them...and this is true of gossip as well. Gone are the days when I wouldn't know what was going on behind my back because it was physically conducted in this manner because, now, playing out every drama is too delicious not to at least give one cryptic status update to a collective (if not avid) audience.

As Qualman says - it's not whether to do Social Media, but how well we do it.

These conversations are a way of knowing what is going on - if I've been invited to be a part, I like to be aware, even though I won't necessarily want to join in (nor even have anything worthwhile to contribute). It's a bit like the Office grapevine...it may not be accurate, but it doesn't hurt to hear the rumours!

Information is a gift. The more we have of it, the more we can be certain of our opinions, reactions and attitudes - indeed there may come a point where I will leave a conversation and even block people from ever adding me again, but I can rest happier knowing it was a decision that was based on a deeper thought process than getting a bit irritated...and a decision I am less likely to rescind (how many of your friends do the whole "I'm leaving facebook, Goodbye" - only to be back a week later!?)

The less you speak, the more you hear*...and the more secure you can be in your decisions.

This goes for "normal" conversations as well.

Too often we speak to put our point across, to get our voice heard - and too often this clouds the reality of what is going on. The more we speak the more favourably we perceive the interchange. Why? Because there is nothing sweeter than our own voices.

Let us learn from the internet where "conversation" flows more freely - or rather - where we have more competition to be heard and realise that too much talk is not always a good thing. (Nor is it appreciated by everyone!)

Silence is not only golden, but worth it's weight too.


*The title phrase was given to me by Wayne Austin, a wonderful Business Lecturer, Educational Manager and friend.



Lifestyle:MK starts Saturday October 3rd, 2015, 12 - 2pm on Secklow Sounds, Community Radio for Milton Keynes
@secklowsounds
@draudreyt

LIVE THE MOMENT WITH US!!