Ajit Patel UK

When it comes to cooking,  there is lots of advice that gets  repeated time and time again. But  often, these snippets of wisdom  are based on tradition rather than  science.  Adding salt makes  water boil faster  –  Adding  salt actually raises the boiling  point of water so if anything, it  will take longer to boil. The reason  recipes suggest adding salt to  water is to add flavour and, as  the boiling point is higher, for  ingredients such as pasta to cook  more efficiently. But as most of us  get too much salt in our diet, you  can ditch it all together. Searing meat keeps  moisture in –  Searing a steak  may create a delicious crust that  contrasts with the succulent meat  inside but there is no evidence to  suggest that searing meat keeps  the juices in. You need to salt  aubergines –  Many recipes  suggest salting aubergines to ...

Wouldn’t it be great to return from work to a delicious home-cooked healthy meal without having to spend hours in the kitchen? Well thanks to slow cookers, you can. These traditional kitchen gadgets are currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity as people are realising how convenient they are for making cheap, healthy family meals. A slow cooker is an electrical appliance that sits on a kitchen worktop. It usually consists of a large ceramic cooking pot with a lid and uses electricity and water vapour to cook food gently over a period of several hours. Some models need to be switched on before you head off for the day, whilst others can be programmed to come on at a particular time. Some can even be set to change from cook mode to keep warm mode after a certain length of time. The principle of a slow cooker is that you simply throw your chopped raw ingredients, for example meat and vegetables, into the cooker along with a liquid such as water or stock and then leave the slow c...

It seems like out of nowhere, Zumba has happened. What was once another contended in a long line of fitness fads has now become a favourite wellness workout. 14 million people take classes around the world on a weekly basis, so what’s the appeal? According to Donna Murphy, Ireland’s Zumba Fitness co-ordinator, ‘It’s all based around exercise in disguise. You don’t feel like you’re working out. But you’re burning, minimum, 600 to 1,000 calories per class, plus toning.’ The routines are based on traditional Latin dance styles like Salsa and Merengue or urban styles like Reggaeton, but specialised cardio, core and flexibility movements are deeply integrated into every workout. Donna explains, ‘Even if you’re doing something basic, like a salsa forward and back step, you incorporate a forward lunge at the back. Or you could do a Samba and do a leg lift, so you’ll be working your core muscles and your thigh muscles.’ Zumba’s success can partially be put down to how adaptable it is; it...

When you are trying to lose weight, regular exercise is just as important as a healthy balanced diet. An hour of intense cardio exercise can burn as many as 600 calories, and its great for your heart, lungs and general well-being. Many people turn to running, cycling or weight lifting and lots of us go to the gym, but it is not every bodies cup of tea. If you don’t enjoy regular exercise or simply want to add some variety to your exercise schedule, then have you considered dancing? Why Choose Dancing? Exercise may be important part of a healthy lifestyle, but a lot of people detest working out and dread the mere thought of jogging or entering a gym. Regular exercise may be a little easier to stick to if you really enjoyed doing it. Have you got a favourite sport such as golf, tennis or football, that can keep you active? A varied exercise regime can certainly help keep you fit and highly motivated. Dancing can provide a really energetic and fun workout, and there are plenty...

Have you ever watched street dancers, whirling, spinning, jumping, and swaying? Next time you see some downtown or on television, notice how they are sweating. Notice also that they seem to be having such a great time that they don’t realize that they are exercising. How long has it been since you’ve looked forward to exercising simply for fun? Ever? Perhaps the street dancers are onto something. Maybe you should be dancing at the gym.   People dance for fun. It’s great to feel a rhythm, move to a beat, and become absorbed in the physical interpretation of good piece of music. It doesn’t sound like exercise, but it is becoming most popular with fitness experts. It’s a great way to lose weight and keep in shape while having fun. The following dances are a few of the most popular in fitness circles.   Aerobic Dance: These dances will get your cardio-vascular system in peak running shape. Often used with an aerobic step box, you work your legs, derriere, and heart by pe...

Don’t you wish you were the kind of person who stopped to smell the roses? You might think; who has the time?! However, not only is slowing down good for your emotional wellbeing, it’s also an important tool in mental health. Research has shown that mindfulness, or the practice of consciously and non-judgmentally observing the present moment, is linked to better wellness, with naturally mindful people reporting being more emotionally stable during the day and more relaxed at night. For a University of Utah study, 38 people aged 20-45 completed a questionnaire that measured how  naturally mindful  they were, including their ability to notice their surroundings and act consciously. According to Paula Williams, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the University of Utah and co-author of the study, ‘People who are more mindful are able to stay somewhat separate from shifts in their body and their emotional state. They’re more observant, as opposed to reactive.’ ...

They say that youth is wasted on the young, and it’s not hard to see why. Yes, you’ve got the world ahead of you and endless opportunities with none of the responsibilities, but it’s only as you age that you realise what you had. Young people don’t know what the future holds. They can’t predict that they’ll get a job, fall in love or find some sort of purpose, even though most people do. Still, your emotional health isn’t in torment forever; the restlessness of youth gives way to contentedness in older age. According to a recent study by the National Council on Aging (NCOA), United Healthcare, and USA Today, baby boomers and seniors remain optimistic that the best years of their lives are ahead of them. This is just one study amongst many that show a profound link between ageing and your emotional wellbeing. Richard Birkel, who leads NCOA’s Centre for Healthy Ageing, explains that the generation interviewed for the study had seen parts of the Great Depession and World War II, which...