by Editor on May 26, 2009
by Stacey Richardson
Over the past nine years that I’ve lived London, I’ve made some dramatic changes to my lifestyle; when you’ve moved from a vast country of wide open space to one of the most congested cities in the world, it’s hard not to! For any ex-pat, the way you live in another country will change, from your eating habits to the way that you socialize. The UK has also changed my carbon footprint for the better (strange when you consider that it’s so polluted here!). One thing that I’ve noticed is in Canada and the US, we take space for granted. We also consume way more than we need to. Here are three of the ways that London life has changed my lifestyle to be more green, but these simple changes can be made by anyone, regardless of where you live. See if you can incorporate these simple yet effective ways to save money and be green:
Image courtesy of www.earth-photography.com
- Long live the drying line
It’s not uncommon for houses in Britain to only have a washing machine. There is nothing better than hanging your clothes out to dry in the fresh air; they smell amazing and sometimes you don’t even need to iron them because the wind just blows away the creases. Of course, hanging your laundry year round may not be an option due to weather (depending on where you live), but there is no excuse not to ditch the dryer in the summer months to save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
Markets are a huge thing in Britain, and London has some of the most famous street markets in the world. While most people here are just like North Americans and buy the majority of their shopping at a grocery store, buying fresh, locally produced food from a market is a way of life. Whether it’s a weekly trip to stock up on farm fresh fruit, veg or meat, or a visit to a fruit stall on their lunch break, many Brits consciously try to buy fresh. I love this facet of life here, as it supports the small farms and businesses around the area and again, it is more environmentally friendly to get your fruit from a farm on the outskirts of town rather than flown in from South Africa.
Whenever possible, use public transport. I’ve never owned a car in London and while it can be a pain running for a bus on occasion, I much prefer the ease and cost of catching a bus or train to driving and maintaining a car. My husband has a car for work which we use for running errands, but whenever possible we try to walk or take a train. In some cases, you just need your car, but remember that anytime you walk or use public transport you’re saving money and being green, plus reducing stress levels.
by Editor on May 21, 2009
by Stacey Richardson
Like any working mom with the responsibilities of running a business, taking care of a child and maintaining a home, I find that there are not enough hours in a day. Not one to back down from family or work commitments, there are many days where I’m running on empty and end up working late into the night to get everything done. While the odd late night allows me to meet deadlines and goals that I’ve set out for the week (and thus in my eyes is beneficial), lately it’ become a way of life which is definitely NOT beneficial! I research and write on a variety of beauty and wellness topics, so I should know better than to deny myself rest. So, as a reminder to myself and all of the busy women out there, here is a list of why we need to get a good night’s rest on a regular basis:
- Appetite- Lack of sleep leaves our hormones imbalanced, which affects our appetite and cravings the next day. This is why when we get less than 8 hrs of sleep a night we are more prone to weight gain and obesity.
- Repair- Everything from our muscles to our skin gets repaired at night. By denying our bodies enough time to rejuvenate, we awaken with dull skin, aches and pains and a general feeling of being run-down.
- Looks- As we age, the body loses precious stores of collagen, vitamins and minerals that are needed to create youthful-looking skin. Without adequate sleep, the body has to deal with less rejuvenation time in addition to depleted vitamin and mineral resources, resulting in tired, dull skin, not to mention those nasty dark circles under the eyes.
- Concentration- As if we don’t have enough to contend with on a daily basis, lack of sleep can leave us with serious memory and organizational skill issues the following day. Short-term memory loss and that ‘scatterbrain’ feeling is directly a result of lack of sleep, not to mention a short temper.
What Can We Do?
For starters, we need to start scheduling in sleep time as crazy as it sounds! If we don’t plan ahead and set a time for ourselves to hit the sack, it may not happen until the early hours of the morning. There’s always something that can be done rather than sleep whether it be catching up on housework, working late or watching our favorite TV program, and these things can easily take priority over sleep if we let them. Schedule in an early ‘beauty sleep’ night once a week to start with and you will soon find that the renewed sense of vitality and efficiency beats a late night any day. Also, make sure you get proper rest each night by investing in a high quality mattress and supportive pillow.
We sleep for 1/3 of our lives, so make sure you are getting the best possible rest for a healthy mind, body and soul.