How to banish the winter blues

January is always a difficult month with the excitement of Christmas over and spring nowhere in sight! Here are a few ideas on how to lift the winter blues in quick and easy ways:

1. Play with a dog! This may seem like strange one, but just having fun with a dog for a few minutes a day has been shown in scientific studies to lift your spirits and act as an antidote for depression. You don’t need to rush out to buy a dog; borrow your neighbour's!

2. Sniff a lemon! Again, another strange suggestion, but the smell of citrus has a positive effect on moods according to some scientists.

3. Eat fish twice a week. Omega-3 is excellent at keeping depression at bay. Just 2 portions of mackerel or salmon a week is all you need. Flaxseed is also good and can be sprinkled on anything from ice-cream to omelettes.

4. Take a daily multi-vitamin. This will make sure the body is topped up with all the vitamins and minerals it needs. Vitamin B is particularly good for lifting the mood.

5. Get regular massages. Just 10 or 20 minutes of back massages a few times a week is enough to lift your mood dramatically. It is possibly due to a boost in serotonin levels.

6. Stay up all night. Don’t attempt this if you have to be at work the next day, but staying up all night allows the body to readjust its internal clock so you sleep better in the following days and weeks even.

7. Go for regular walks during the day. Exercise is one of the ultimate mood enhancers so get those trainers on and get out there!

8. Sleep in a different room. This is particularly for those who have trouble sleeping (often due to depression). Having a break from your normal sleeping routine can help you get more sleep.

If any of you have any other suggestions on quick and easy ways to boost your mood, send them in.

Supplements for your Kids

In the past supplements were mainly thought of as for adults only, however today with kids eating more and more processed food than ever before, it is becoming more common for supplements to be given to children by their parents. A deficiency of vitamins and minerals in children is a serious problem and that is why some people are turning to supplements for an added boost and to ensure appropriate levels are being reached within their kids.

The difficulty can be however that kids don’t want to swallow a pill, particularly one that tastes bad. Baldwins can help though as we have Vitamer’s new ‘Bengal Bites’ for sale. These are the perfect vitamin supplement for kids because not only do they taste great, they are chewy and in a fun tiger shape. The natural berry flavour makes the chewy tablet more like a sweetie than a vitamin supplement.

They contain 100% of the recommended daily allowance of 11 vitamins and minerals needed by children over the age of 4. They are vegetarian and contain only natural ingredients, sweeteners and flavourings. The yellow colour is provided by Turmeric, not an artificial colouring. There are also no preservatives, yeast, gluten, wheat, egg or milk products within the multivitamin.

Furthermore, you are also giving a helping hand to Bengal Tigers when you purchase this product as a portion of each is donated to the extremely worthy cause of preserving the natural habitat of these incredible creatures.

This week at Baldwins we have these fantastic supplements on special offer. You can now boost your child’s immune system for 20% less than you could before!

Do any of you give multivitamins to your kids? Have you tried “Bengal Bites” and if so did you kids like them and enjoy taking them? As always, send in your comments below.