Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip Establishing Positive Eating Habits for Children

Childhood is a particularly important period for forming positive behaviours related to nutrition. Children who learn and practise positive eating habits from an early age are likely to make healthy choices when they grow up. Here we explore some ways to help promote positive eating behaviours:

Stick to regular meal and snack times • A regular eating pattern forms the basis of a healthy, balanced diet. • Children love routine. Providing three meals, and two or three snacks a day is ideal for children. • Keeping mealtimes regular creates predictability and encourages a healthy appetite. Set a good example • In the long term, children and young adults are most likely to learn from how we behave rather than what we tell them. The more we can be a role model about healthy eating habits the better! • Set an example to your child by showing them how you make healthy choices and how you practice positive eating habits; this could be something as simple as

choosing to eat a wide variety of foods, or by ensuring you drink plenty of water. Eat together at the table • Wherever possible allow your children to eat with you. Family mealtimes offer an excellent opportunity to teach children good eating patterns as well as a time to connect and talk to each other. • Make the meal table relaxed and enjoyable, free of pressure or tension and minimise distractions by turning off the television and keeping phones away. Get them involved! • Children love to get involved in new things, so why not get them to help in the kitchen? Cooking with kids and getting them involved in the meal preparation process may encourage them to try new healthy foods. • Small children could be responsible for setting the table, any mixing or stirring

If you’d like to support Heart Research UK’s vital work into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease, please visit www.heartresearch.org.uk for inspiration on how you could help.

and washing fruit and vegetables. Older children could get involved with preparing the shopping list, chopping, and peeling!

We hope this has given you some ideas to try with your family!

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at

www.heartresearch.org.uk/health-tips To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website:

heartresearch.org.uk/ heart-research-uk-recipes-2 Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

heartresearch.org.uk/ heart-research-uk-cookbook

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive Officer at Heart Research UK

For Everything Paul Smith

Now Including Sunglasses

By Paul Cusimano, Joseph Clothing, Lancaster

The curtain gently rises to reveal a new world. A world in which nearly everyone has been affected, in different ways and to varying degrees. Although free, we each must determine how cautiously we move forward

There’s no point debating the rights and wrongs, the could ofs and should ofs, but no doubt they will be for many years to come. Me, I’ve always been a ‘glass half full’ person. Never lived recklessly but won’t wrap myself up in cotton wool either. I felt, and hoped, that twenty twenty-two was going to be the beginning of the end, the two years we all want to forget, but will never.

Another January Lockdown that most of us feared, never happened. Instead, the restrictions we have been subjected to, have been gradually lifted. It still feels surreal. It’s still not like it was. I think we are all shell shocked and are having to set our new ‘normals’, gradually. We need coaxing out of ourselves again.

To that end, I want to coax you. Not just to visit our City and its history, culture, architecture, cafés, restaurants, bars, shops and hospitality but with some incredible events. Let us entertain you, as the saying goes.

The first has already been and gone, Lancaster Chinese New Year. The celebrations were the largest in Lancaster’s history. On Saturday the fifth of February there was a Chinese variety show held at Lancaster Grand (a ticketed event). Over two hours of music, dance, singing and beautiful traditional costumes. The audience left the theatre totally enamoured by the experience.

On the Sunday (sixth), there was the traditional parade around the City centre streets with the customary lions and dragons. There was live entertainment in Market Square along with stalls selling both Chinese food and goods. The streets and many of the City’s businesses were filled with colourful displays and Chinese lanterns. Sorry if you missed it, well Percy and Josh (Popber) have promised an even bigger event for 2023.

You cannot say that we are not issuing you with plenty of notice. May is the month when Lancaster is the place to be. For many of the events you may wish to consider stopping over in one of the many fantastic boutique style rooms found in the City (see www.totallylocallancaster. co.uk for places to stay).

Lancaster Chinese New Year. Lancaster, City of Culture.

Lancaster Chinese New Year. Fun for everyone.

Highest Point Festival (12-14 May) As the name suggests, this event is held in fifty four acres of stunning park located at the highest point of Lancaster.

Highest Point Festival (main stage).

Ashton Memorial watches over Highest Point.

James at Highest Point 2021.

With views over the City and across Morecambe Bay to the hills of the south Lake District, Williamson’s Park is an incredible venue. During the summer, ‘The Dukes Theatre’ also put on live shows in the park, often moving the audience around it using different areas for different scenes.

The main stage is located opposite the Ashton Memorial with usually two to three supporting stages located around the park. Although a ticketed event, the prices are very reasonable and sell out pretty quickly. Last year saw headliners such as James, Rag’n’Bone Man, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Rudimental, The Lightening Seeds and Rick Astley, to name but a few.

Some of those already confirmed for this year are Richard Ashcroft, Kaiser Chiefs, Shy fx, Jax Jones and Clean Bandit (who also performed last year). A wonderful few days of superb entertainment, in what has to be, one of the best outdoor venues in the country (see www.highestpoint.co.uk for more information and ticket sales).

Lancaster Festa Italia (21-29 May) As the joint biggest single day event in Lancaster’s calendar, we have not only decided to take over the running of the event ourselves (Bruno, Michelle and I – ‘Totally Local Lancaster’) but we have decided to expand it, due to popular demand…

There will be live Opera at Lancaster Castle (ticketed) on the twenty first and second. This launches the event. Many of the City’s bars and restaurants will be offering Italian food and drinks (as ‘specials’) during the period of Festa. We are planning to have live entertainment on the Monday (23rd) and Tuesday (24th) at The Grand Theatre.

On the Thursday (26th), and in collaboration with the organisers of the ‘Lancaster Music Festival’, there will be live performances in some of the bars and restaurants. The Friday (27th) sees the Winner of the Totally Local Lancaster ‘Best Italian Actor’ in an Italian series screened in the UK, flying in to be presented with the award. The winner will be chosen from either Montalbano, Gamorrah or The Young Montalbano.

There will be a screening of one of their films/episodes as well as opportunities to meet and chat with them over the weekend (all details to be confirmed nearer the time, see ‘Lancaster Festa Italia’ fb page).

Sunday the 29th, the Main Day. The Gran Finale. There will be more of everything; music, dancing, supercars, motorbikes, Italian street food, traditional markets stalls, street acts, roaming Roman soldiers (not forgetting our wandering waiters), Gladiator re-enactments and even cooking demonstrations.

Lancaster Festa Italia - Everyone’s joining in. Cars, Scooters, Motorcycles - if it’s Italian, we’ll have it.

Lancaster Festa Italia. Bennett’s MV Agusta dealership will be present.

Lancaster Grand Prix - One gruelling course. Incredible athletes. Lancaster Jazz Festival.

We are proud to announce that this year Lancaster Castle will also be involved on the Sunday. Outside the Castle there will be more vehicles on display (Alfa Romeo’s, FIAT’s, Lancia’s and Abarth’s), whilst inside there will be artisan stalls, the Bambino Zone as well as a complete array of children’s activities and entertainment. Ci vediamo li.

Lancaster Pride (26 June) Another Event that brings colour and flamboyancy to Lancaster. An Event that has steadily grown and has been really embraced by the businesses. The Pride parade marches around the City finishing in Dalton Square, where there will be stalls and live entertainment. Many of the bars also join in to support and promote the Event.

Lancaster Grand Prix (17 July) Following last year’s highly successful round of the National Road Series, supported by British Cycling, the event will not only return but will see the addition of the Women’s race (women’s am, men’s pm). Williamson’s Park will again host the event (start/finish) with the race itself being battled out over multiple laps through the Trough of Bowland. A physically demanding, yet beautiful, course.

Dino Day (16 & 17 July) To date, this has been a single day Event but due to its popularity, it is going to be held over the full weekend. Children absolutely love it. Realistic dinosaurs roaming around the City centre, baby Dino meet and greets, a competition trail and in the City’s Museum, there will be a plethora of palaeontology pursuits to both entertain and educate the young ones.

Lancaster Jazz Festival (9-11 September) A firm favourite of the locals. Just chill away the weekend with great beer (or drink of your choice), fantastic music and a superb choice of venues. It is as simple as that. Come enjoy and make new friends.

Lancaster Music Festival (13 – 16 October) This is definitely one that rocks the City. Up until 2019, the multi-award-winning Music Festival was hosted in most of the bars and outside spaces in the City, but in 2021 (2020 was cancelled) musicians would pop up and perform in some of the shops also.

This is another Event for which you might consider staying over for a couple of nights.

Light Up Lancaster (4 & 5 November) Lighting displays all around the City. Visual displays that will mesmerise you, and the children, projected on, and in, some of the iconic buildings, like the Judges Lodgings, City Museum, inside Lancaster Castle as well as other countless buildings.

You will find illuminated art in shop windows, creatively lit passages and Squares. The Event closes with a spectacular fireworks display that is visible from almost anywhere in Lancaster and surrounding district.

Light Up Lancaster Finale.

Light Up Lancaster in The Priory Church. Light Up Lancater. Welcome to Lancaster.

Lancaster Christmas Light Switch On (27 November)

Another family favourite and one that launches the festive period. The proceedings start with the annual ‘Santa Dash’ in aid of the local CancerCare. Seeing adults, children and even dogs wearing Santa outfits, running the two different length courses is wonderful. A few take the race seriously, but for most it’s just great fun.

Once everyone has had chance to catch their breath, the stage show begins. Live music and entertainment until around 8pm, only stopping for the official lights switch on which is shortly after 5pm.

Lancaster Christmas Light Switch On. Always pulls a huge crowd.

These are just some of the larger scale Events. Particularly through the summer months, there are plenty of other smaller Events scheduled, including a few new ones that are just being finalised. Then there are the ‘Plays in the Park’, in which actors the likes of Andy Serkis have performed in.

Lancaster is small, compact and punches well above its size. Just goes to show, size doesn’t matter. In fact, I feel that these are real strengths for Lancaster, as everything is so accessible. Any business is within a five minute walk from one to another, including the stunning Lancaster Castle. From Lancaster Castle to the Ashton Memorial in Williamsons Park, is just over a mile. You don’t want to drive. Lancaster railway station is located in the City centre. You’ve no excuses. Hope to see you soon.

Balance Counselling and Coaching Ltd PUT YOUR LIFE IN BALANCE

By Kathryn Taylor

In life, there are many times when we can be our own worse enemy when we let our negative thoughts and emotions hijack us. This is never intentional but the impact on our life and mental wellbeing can be totally overwhelming.

They can prevent us from functioning on a daily basis and if left unchecked can immobilise us and prevent us from addressing the underlying issues.

It is natural for us to focus on the negatives but the impact it can have on us if we don’t realise this is what we are doing, impacts our ability to move forward and process situations and can leave us feeling trapped and at times overwhelmed.

The thoughts it can generate include statements like the below:

Nothing ever goes right for me

Everyone is against me

I’m not good enough

All my colleagues think I’m not up to this job

It’s all my fault

There is nothing I can do to change this situation The First step

First, you need to recognise and acknowledge that this is what you are doing.

This can be done in several ways a couple of which I have detailed below:

1. Ask people you trust to be honest with your family/friends/colleagues, whether they recognise that when you talk about situations in your life do you talk negatively about yourself. Do they recognise that you use phrases like those above.

2. Think about the situation that is causing you an issue and do a brain dump writing down exactly what your self-talk says. Then when you have finished read through what you have written and identify the negative thoughts you are having about the event.

Taking action

Once you have identified the negative thoughts you are having then you can start to examine them in more detail: • Are you mind reading – this is when you think you know what someone else feels or thinks but have no evidence to support it?

• Are they factual? What is your evidence?

• What are the actual facts?

• How can you find out the facts?

• What emotion am I feeling and why?

When you have all the facts down you can start to ask yourself:

• What would you like to be thinking and feeling about this?

• What is in your control to change?

• What can you do differently?

• Who do you need to include to support you to take action?

• Knowing what I now know is there a different way to view the situation?

Whilst it isn’t something you can change overnight there are things that you can do that will help you address your thoughts and start to move forward and change the things in your life that you are not happy with and over time cement new thought patterns that allow you to be open to different options in life.

This enables you to start to form an action plan to enable you to change the way you think and feel about the situation you are in. When making your action plan think about the steps you need to take and break them down into manageable parts.

Then put your plan into action.

Focus your attention on the positives

We can retrain our brain to be more focused on the positives in our life. We can do this by taking daily steps to enable us to start looking for all the positive things in our life’s:

1. Create your own positivity journal.

a. Get yourself a new notebook that you will only use for this purpose

b. Every day write down a minimum of three positive things that have happened that day. These can be small things, like getting out of bed on time, enjoying a coffee with friends, having a comfortable bed etc.

The purpose is just to get you to start noticing all the positive things in your life. This has two benefits to it.

• You are starting to retrain your brain

• you are having a bad day and feel everything is going wrong you can read back through it and remind yourself of all the positives in your life.

2. Create an achievement log – This is aimed at work situations but can be used across all areas of your life.

a. Get yourself a new notebook/ create a spreadsheet that you will only use for this purpose b. Diarise 15 minutes at the end of each work week to note down everything you have achieved that week.

The purpose of this is to get you to pause and recognise your achievements for that week and pause to recognise them. This has several benefits

• It allows you to focus on the positives in recognising what has gone well

• If you are having a bad day/week it reminds you of everything you have achieved. • When preparing for your reviews it can be used to remind you of everything you have achieved. This is especially useful for annual reviews as we often forget to include things especially if they are from the start of the review period.

• When you update your CV then you have a record of your achievements to choose from

• When you decide to apply for a new role/go for promotion it gives you multiple options to demonstrate your competencies.