Privacy for members | Privacy for employers | General terms & conditions

Should I Drink Lemon Water?

23. April 2025 Mayfair (0)

“I have heard lemon water can help with weight loss, improve my digestion, boost my metabolism, increase my energy levels and is a great way to detox. Is this true?””

Unfortunately, the health claims of lemon water are not backed up by science. These is no evidence that lemon water helps with weight loss or has any impact on your metabolism or energy levels. There is no need to “detox”. Your body has its own natural detoxification processes and lemon water (or any other product claimed to assist detox) is not recommended.

The benefits of drinking lemon water are derived from the Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, that is found in lemons. One glass of water with the juice of one lemon provides approximately 20% of your daily Vitamin C requirement, but otherwise there is very little nutritional value.

Lemon juice is a natural flavour and is preferable to soft drink and artificially flavoured waters. Adding a squeeze of lemon can be helpful if you struggle to drink 1.5L of plain water each day.

The downside to lemon water is the potential for it to damage to your teeth. Lemons are acidic and may damage the protective tooth enamel, leading to cavities. Tips to protect your teeth include drinking through a straw and rinsing your mouth afterwards.

So, should you drink lemon water? If you enjoy a squeeze of lemon in your water, then keep drinking it. If you do not like it, do not worry - you can easily get your daily Vitamin C from other citrus fruit, berries or a red capsicum.

Workplace Bullying: What You Need to Know (and do)

14. April 2025 Mayfair (0)

Most people will spend about a third of their life at work. Work should be a place you feel safe and included. But what do you do if it feels like you are being bullied?

Bullying is defined as a persistent pattern of behaviour aimed at intimidating, humiliating or undermining a person or a team that has an impact on health and safety. It might range from constant criticism or unrealistic work demands to threatening comments or physical intimidation.


In most places, you have specific rights and protections when it comes to workplace bullying under local work health and safety laws. These will usually include such rights as:

  • The right to a safe work environment

This does not just mean physical safety, it also means you have a right to a workplace free of bullying.

  • The right to make a complaint

If you are being bullied, you can report it to your manager, human resources or a health and safety representative.

  • The right to confidentiality

Your privacy should be respected, and no one should be told that you have made a complaint

  • Protection from retaliation

Your complaint must be handled fairly, and you cannot be targeted unjustly for speaking up.

  • The right to seek outside help

You can seek help from a union representative, lawyer or workplace advocate. The work health and safety regulator in your area will also be a good source of information and support.

  • Compensation and legal support

You may be able to seek compensation if the bullying causes psychological or physical injury through a workers’ compensation scheme.

It can feel scary to speak up, but it is important to get help so you can feel safe and comfortable at work.

If you feel you are the target of a workplace bully, there are some steps you can take:

1. Gather evidence.

2. Speak up. Lodge a formal complaint.

3. Seek external support: If the issue is not resolved, go to the relevant work health and safety regulator.

Tips to Reduce Burping

8. April 2025 Mayfair (0)

Eat slowly to reduce the amount of air you swallow. Avoid eating on the go. Try sitting down at a table for your main meals and avoid eating while watching TV or on your computer. Distraction tends to make us eat faster.

  1. Drink slowly. Avoid gulping a large volume of liquid.
  2. Avoid fizzy drinks which contain a large amount of carbon dioxide gas that will quickly expand your stomach. Beer has a similar effect.
  3. Avoid chewing gum. This increases the amount of air swallowed, particularly when you chew with your mouth open.
  4. Limit fatty foods. These slow down the emptying of your stomach which leads to an overly full and bloated stomach. Burping helps to release some of the gas and often makes us feel better.
  5. Limit spicy foods. Spicy foods often cause reflux accompanied by burping. They also increase the amount of swallowing (of both food and air).
  6. Cut down on caffeine because it can increase stomach acid production which leads to burping.
  7. Exercise regularly to help with emptying of the stomach. Try a short walk after dinner.
  8. Stress often exacerbates other gut problems (IBS, bloating and reflux) which are often the trigger for burping.
  9. Keep a food diary to see if your burping is linked to any specific foods.

Some people burp 10-20 times a day and usually there is nothing to worry about provided your burps are just burps – no discomfort, no reflux, no bloating or other symptoms (and you are not embarrassed by your burps).

Every day our body produces 25 litres of gas in the intestine. Thankfully most of this is re-absorbed and only about one to two litres is expelled from the body by either burping or flatulence. Burping is how our body gets rid of excessive gas from the stomach. Gas further down the intestine will be released as flatulence.

Most of the time our burps are caused by simply swallowing too much air while we are eating or drinking. Certain foods or food intolerances may result in burping and occasionally a medical condition requiring investigation and treatment is the cause of burping.

 

Swallowing too much air

It is normal to swallow some air when we eat and drink, however when we eat quickly and drink large volumes of liquid, this increases the amount of air that we swallow. Excessive air in the stomach causes it to stretch and burping is the easiest way to get rid of the excess air. Other causes of excessive air in the stomach include chewing gum, sucking on hard lollies, talking while eating and smoking.

 

Foods that cause too much gas

Certain foods are known to cause excessive gas in the stomach because they produce gas during the digestive process. Cabbage, onions, broccoli, cauliflower and lentils are often the culprits.

Food intolerances are another reason for excessive burping. If your body has trouble digesting foods, you may get an increase in gas. Common examples are lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance. If you suspect your burping is linked to certain foods, keep a food diary and then discuss your symptoms with your doctor or a dietitian before eliminating foods.

 

Medical conditions that cause burping

While most of the time our burping is harmless, there are several medical conditions to look out for. Refluxing food from the stomach back up into the oesophagus is a common cause of burping. Other conditions include a hiatus hernia – when part of the stomach has moved up into the chest cavity. Stomach ulcers and bacterial infections of gut can also be the underlying cause of your burping.

 

When to see your doctor

If you are worried or embarrassed by your burping, have a talk with your GP. Symptoms that should be investigated include: abdominal or chest discomfort, nausea, bloating, unexplained weight loss, vomiting, difficulty swallowing or feeling overly full after eating.

75 Hard – the TikTok Fitness Trend Taking Over The Internet

1. April 2025 Mayfair (0)

It seems every few months there is a new fitness program or revolutionary diet that takes the internet by storm. The latest challenge that has got the fitness industry in a frenzy is 75 Hard. But should you do it?


What is it?

As the name suggests, this challenge goes for 75 days. It is different from most other fitness programs in that it has an extremely strict sets of rules.

Firstly, you have to do two 45-minute workouts per day, and one of them has to be outside. You have to follow a strict diet (of your own choice), without a single cheat meal. You cannot drink any alcohol. You have to drink a gallon of water per day (around 3.8 litres). You have to read 10 pages of a self-improvement book per day. You have to take a progress picture every day.

And most importantly, if you skip any step throughout any day, you have to start again from day one.

It sounds harsh, and almost impossible, but surprisingly many people are taking part. Creator Andy Frisella refers to this challenge as a ‘transformative mental toughness program’, rather than a fitness program, The aim is to be left with heightened mental discipline and healthier lifestyle habits at the end of the challenge.


Is 75 Hard healthy?

On paper it may seem like a positive lifestyle change, but some experts think it could go too far. Lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, Mark Travers, says that “the rigid nature of 75 Hard makes it unsustainable for many.” Travers believes that the inflexibility of the challenge makes it harder for people with demanding jobs, caregiving responsibilities or health conditions to follow such an extreme regimen.

Although it is well accepted that rest days are a necessary part of physical health, the inflexible nature of the challenge makes these rest days obsolete. Even when you fall sick or have more important commitments, the challenge insists you complete all tasks or you start again. According to Travers, this can “heighten feelings of guilt or inadequacy when participants slip up, potentially reinforcing negative cycles”.

 

Are there any risks?

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of this challenge is the requirement to drink 3.8 litres of water each day. For many people this amount of water is dangerous and could lead to very low sodium levels causing nausea, drowsiness and seizures.

In addition, it is important to note that the challenge creator has no medical, nutrition of fitness credentials. He is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker and coach who emphasises that 75 Hard program is actually about mental toughness, not fitness. Programs like 75 Hard should not be treated as expert advice. Rather, it is best to use them as motivation, and treat any hard “rules” with caution.

 

A more realistic challenge: 75 Soft

75 Soft, also a challenge made on TikTok, is an adapted version of the 75 Hard challenge, aimed at ensuring sustainability and a realistic set of goals. In this challenge, you have to eat well, only drink on social occasions, exercise for 45 minutes a day (with one day a week for recovery), drink three litres of water a day and read ten pages of any book a day.

Although it probably would not push you as hard as its original challenge, 75 Soft can be great for those who cannot fit the rigorous exercise and constant dieting into their routine.

Tommy Hattoo, a wellbeing campaigner who has completed both of the challenges, said that both were great but that “if he wants something more sustainable and realistic” he would choose the 75 Soft challenge.