Here are a few ways Dr Chatterjee suggests getting your morning light fix:

• Have your morning tea or coffee in your garden, balcony, or next to a window.
• If you work from home, take a walk around the block or do a short workout outside before you start work.
• If you need to drive in the morning, leave your car a 10-minute walk from your destination. The same can apply if you get the bus or train.
• Walk your dog first thing in the morning (or offer to walk someone else’s).
• Talk a morning break and spend it outside.

How to strengthen your pelvic floor

Pelvic floor exercises are not just for women. Men can also benefit from learning to contract and relax their pelvic floor muscles.

• Imagine you are trying to avoid passing wind or stop the flow of urine. Tighten those muscles at the same time for one second then release.
• Repeat that 10 times, aiming for three sets altogether. If you are finding it difficult to locate your pelvic floor muscles, a pelvic floor physiotherapist is a great next step.

“My advice is that if you notice a change in your continence that is impacting your quality of life, please seek help sooner rather than later,” says Dr Kariappa.

“Highly processed breakfast cereals often have fibre and protein added to increase their health rating,” says accredited practising dietitian and Choice food expert Shadia Djakovic.

“Rolled oats have a high rating due to their naturally-occurring fibre content. But they have only one ingredient – oats – which means they have a higher rating without the need for any added nutrients to make them healthier.

“Look at the shape and colour, does it look like a natural product?” says Djakovic. “If it is far from natural-looking, chances are it is highly processed and needs things like salt and sugar to make it taste good.”

Salads

Watch out for salads, warns accredited practising dietitian Melissa Meier in body&soul. We think of them as a healthy option but they are not always the best thing on the menu, she says.

Salads contain vegetables, but may come loaded with refined carbohydrates and processed meats, says Meier. And store-bought dressings often contain way too much sodium (which may increase blood pressure), with some also high in added sugar and saturated fat.

The best bet is to make your own dressing, says Meier, with good quality oil such as extra virgin olive oil, a splash of vinegar or citrus juice, and some flavour in the form of mustard, pepper and dried herbs and spices.

Protein bars

Protein bars are promoted as a healthy snack to fill the protein gap in our diets and help build muscle.

But most people do not need extra protein as they get enough through their diet, says Dietitians Australia. For those who do need more, foods naturally high in protein like eggs, fish, yoghurt, nuts, tofu and beans are good choices as they also add nutrients.

Protein bars vary significantly in quality, so it pays to read labels. Many are full of sugar, salt, artificial sweeteners and colours, and oils and thickeners that add kilojoules without making you healthier.

Heart health

Octopus is a good, affordable source of omega-3 fatty acids, commonly known as ‘good fats’. These fats can reduce blood pressure and lessen the buildup of cholesterol plaques in blood vessels. This in turn can lower your risk of stroke and heart attack.

Octopus also contains an amino acid called taurine which reduces blood pressure and cholesterol.

Anti-oxidants

Taurine is also an antioxidant. It protects cells from damage often associated with inflammation and cancer. Octopus contains other antioxidants such as selenium, vitamin B12 and folate.

Brain health

Octopus contains magnesium which can help support healthy brain function. The omega-3 fatty acids found in octopus may lower the risk of developing depression.

Note: While for many people octopus is a healthy choice, some people need to avoid or approach with caution.

• If you have a shellfish allergy, you need to avoid octopus as well.
• Octopus has a higher salt content than some other lean protein sources. Factor this in if you are watching your sodium intake.

How can exercise change your brain?

Neuroplasticity is a term that describes your brain’s ability to change itself in response to various experiences or exposures. A review article published in Neural Plasticity in 2021 draws on many smaller studies to describe how exercise releases various chemicals that change the number and function of nerve cells (neurons) and their neighbouring support cells (astrocytes). It found exercise also improves blood flow to nerve cells in the brain and increases the connections between nerve cells.

Other studies using brain scans in people have shown that those who exercise have an increased size of the parts of their brain that control thinking and memory.

These findings support the growing understanding that exercise leads to structural and functional changes in the brain.

Scientific Reports published a study in 2023 that included data from more than 350,000 people. It showed that physical exercise leads to better memory, better thinking skills and lowers the risk of developing dementia.

What counts as exercise and how much do you need to do?

The research describes physical exercise as being different to just ‘activity’. To get the benefits of exercise for your brain, you need to aim for 30 minutes, five days a week of moderate exercise (for example a brisk walk, light jog) or 15 minutes fives days a week of more intense exercise. It takes six months before you start to see the benefits, so it is important to develop a habit and stick with it.

How does exercise help my brain overall?

As well as the changes the scientists saw in the structure and function of the brain, physical exercise is also known to help reduce stress and anxiety, improve your mood and often helps you get a better night’s sleep. This all contributes to better brain function.

Getting started

As tempting as it may be to strap on your running shoes and race out for brain health, if you are a novice exerciser, it is a good idea to start slow and build up. Aim for 10 minutes a day and build up to half an hour. Find something you enjoy whether that be a walking group, solo runs or a dance class. You want to start something you can stick to.

Finding your fit

1. Aerobic exercise. Studies show it is never too late to start. Get your blood pumping to boost blood flow to your brain.

2. Weight training. Research shows the benefit of weight training for both memory and other thinking skills. When you practice unfamiliar movements, you activate the nerve pathways in your brain.

3. Yoga. A 2016 University of California study showed that yoga can help your visual-spatial skills and some aspects of memory.

4. Tai Chi. Tai Chi combines both mental focus and movement. It often has a community aspect to it which is also helpful for making your brain feel good.

5. Dancing. A landmark 2003 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed regular dancing reduced the risk of dementia by 76 per cent.

Geriatrician Dr Tabitha Hartwell reminds us ‘Exercise, preferably a mixture of aerobic, strength and stability, is the single most important factor in maintaining physical, mental and emotional health across your lifetime’.

What all these different experiences have in common is that they are often the quiet moments in your day that get missed when you are worried or rushing.

Author and mental health expert, Robyn Haney Dafoe, writes in Psychology Today, ‘Cultivating joy is a (re)learning how to foster a feeling of ease and a sense of hope, even when things might still be uncertain.’

This reminds us that bringing joy into our life is not about creating big moments, it is about finding joy where it already is. Becoming joy detectives.

Focusing on joy does not mean you deny things that are hard in your world. But it opens you up to see that both can exist at the same time, that there is room for joy in your life. Over time, your brain will more naturally tune into joyous moments, allowing you to experience happiness and hope more often across more of your day.

Another reason joy feels so good is that it brings energy and connection. Oxford University philosopher and leading joy researcher Matthew Johnson wrote in the Journal of Positive Psychology, ‘joy… is energising, joy is motivating’. He also describes joy as ‘a gathering emotion’. Harnessing that shared positive energy can help you keep going, even when things feel hard.

So perhaps rather than waiting for a grand expensive holiday, start now. Start small, start simple, look for the moments that bring an exhale, a drop of your shoulders, the ‘eye sparkle’ smile, the warm lift to your heart. Find the joy that is already there, waiting for you!

Finding joy

Try these tips to add more joy to your daily routine.

1. Get curious and creative.

It may be a while since you have thought about what makes you feel joyous. Instead of feeling daunted, get curious and creative! Try listening to different types of music, going for a walk, do a taste test of different foods to see what brings that smile to your face. Focus on the fun in the small things.

2. Do more of what feels good

Once you know what brings you joy, do more of it and give yourself time to savour the experience.

3. Think gratitude

Yale-Professor Laurie Santos teaches that joy is connected to appreciating particular things. Remembering to ‘count your blessings’ helps focus on the good things in your life that brings joy.

4. Be mindful

Slow down, connect to the moment, and adjust your expectations around what joy is. If you are only looking for grand moments, you will miss all those beautiful tiny daily bits of joy life gives you.

There is a certain pleasure in biting into a crisp apple, juice spraying. It is a childhood memory for many of us.

We now know the skin and those juices contain antioxidants and fibre that fight many diseases of the modern world.

Apples contain antioxidants called polyphenols, along with pectin which is a fibre and a prebiotic.

What do these things do?

Heart health

The polyphenols in apples are thought to reduce both total and LDL (or ‘bad’) cholesterol. They improve blood vessel health, which may reduce high blood pressure and lower the risk of stroke and heart disease.

Appetite

It was previously thought that the high water and fibre content helped us feel satiated after eating an apple. It is now thought that polyphenols also play a role in appetite suppression.

Gut microbiome

Recent research has shown the importance of the gut microbiome in overall health. Pectin is a prebiotic; it fosters growth of ‘good’ gut bacteria. A healthy microbiome is associated with a lower cancer risk, reduced risk of some inflammatory diseases and improved mental wellbeing.

Get those benefits!

Leave the skin on! Half the fibre and nearly all the polyphenols are contained in the skin. Eat the skin to get the most out of your snack.

Combine decision fatigue with the cost of living crisis and it is easy to see how your stress levels peak around mealtimes. Making a meal plan might help.

Meal planning involves creating your weekly food menu ahead of time. Whilst there are plenty of people offering templates and ‘hacks’ at a cost, getting started can be as simple as using a pencil and the back of an envelope.

What are the benefits of meal planning?

Meal planning reduces the mental load of keeping yourself and your family fed, it lessens food waste and overall saves you time and money (no more after-work trips to the supermarket!).

Meal planning has also been shown to increase the diversity and quality of food people eat.

Easy ways to get started

1. Tackle dinners first. These are the meals that often end up as take-away if you leave the decision to the last minute.

2. If planning for a family, choose several meals you know are well received, then ask the kids or your partner to suggest something for the other nights.

3. Make your shopping list as you go. Online orders will save you even more time and reduce impulse buys.

4. Try doubling recipes. Leftovers can make great lunches or can be labelled and put in the freezer for another night. ‘Future you’ will thank you!

5. Do not expect perfection, you are human! If you skip a day, do not worry. Just pick up where you left off and keep on going.

To keep you and your colleagues safe, here are some tips to minimise the risk of accidents at work.

1. Beware of spills

Whether it is your morning green juice or a rogue plastic bag, unexpected spills on the floor are common causes of slips. Where possible, clean up small spills immediately to prevent accidents, otherwise let someone know so the cleaning crew can be called.

2. Keep your space tidy

Not only does keeping your desk drawers closed look neat, it also stops them becoming trip hazards. Keep things like handbags off the floor as well.

3. Mind the cords

Always use the power point closest to you and avoid trailing cables across walkways to prevent tripping hazards.

4. Pick up after yourself

A moment spent to scoop up stray pens can save you and your co-workers from potential slips or trips.

5. Use handrails on stairs

This is not a suggestion to slide down the handrails, fun as it may be! Always use handrails when going up or down stairs. It helps keep your balance and you are less likely to fall.

6. Maintain clear sightlines

Also known as watch where you are going! When carrying anything large, if you cannot see past your load, find another way to move it.

7. Furniture is not a ladder

Do not be tempted to save time and climb on the shelves or other furniture to reach high shelves. Do yourself a favour, get a ladder!

8. Mind your load

Be careful on stairs and uneven surfaces, especially if you are carrying something.

9. Watch your step

Keep hallways and walkways free from clutter. In rainy weather, take extra care entering the workplace as slips are more likely. Do not rush. We are all busier than ever before, but try and slow down – hurrying and frustration are big human factors in slips, trips and falls. Always use appropriate footwear with slip-resistant soles for added grip.

10. Do not get distracted!

Mobile phones make it easy to use the time moving between spaces to catch up on emails or make phone calls, but distraction is a significant contributor to slips, trips and falls. Remember that when you are tired, you are more easily distracted and prone to accidents.

These simple actions do not take much time or effort but they make a big difference when it comes to keeping you and your colleagues safe.