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THE BEST YOU TRANSFORM • INSPIRE • MOTIVATE • ENRICH • EMPOWER • ENJOY OCTOBER 2014 / PRICE £3.99
DAN REINSTEIN Helping people see clearly
THINK PINK October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
BEYONCÉ KNOWLES
ICON OF MODERN FEMINISM, BUSINESS WOMAN AND R&B ROYALTY - QUEEN BEY RULES
TOP SIX CITIES TO LIVE IN
INSPIRING STORIES
WHAT DOES IT TAKE...
LOOKING FOR A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE? START HERE
CELEBRITIES WHO OVERCAME DEPRESSION
TO BE AN A&E NURSE? WE CHAT TO CHARLOTTE JAYE
ALSO: ARE SOCIAL SITES USING US AS GUINEA PIGS?
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OCTOBER 2014
CONTENTS
REGULARS
5 EDITOR’S LETTER
Bernardo Moya welcomes you to the latest issue of The Best You
18 WE SUPPORT… Breakthrough Cancer – working towards putting an end to cancer
29 BOOK REVIEWS We review some of our favourites – a small selection of what’s available
66 THE BEST YOU DIRECTORY Find the best coaches, trainers and practitioners here
16 TOP 10 CITIES TO LIVE IN LOOKING FOR A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE? HERE’S A FEW OF THE PLACES YOU’RE LIKELY TO FIND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
FEATURES
22 QUEEN OF THE WORLD
We profile the reigning queen of R&B and modern-day feminist, Beyoncé Knowles
26 SUCCESS IN CLEAR SIGHT Justin Stoneman interviews the ophthalmologist who is making a difference
INNER YOU 10 DIGITALLY HYPNOTIC
We feature the best videos and mp3s to help with self-hypnosis
13 BEST EMOTIONAL RELEASE
Dr. Lisa Turner has some suggestions to help you let go of stress
ENJOY LIFE
16 TOP 10 CITIES TO LIVE IN
Looking for a better quality of life? Here’s a few of the places you’re likely to find what you’re looking for
22 QUEEN OF THE WORLD WE PROFILE THE REIGNING QUEEN OF R&B AND MODERN-DAY FEMINIST, BEYONCÉ KNOWLES
19 IT’S THE GOOD NEWS
With so much of what we read in the papers being negative, The Best You is bringing you some good news
20 BLAST AWAY THOSE WINTER BLUES
We welcome back Mel Carnegie, who has a neat trick for keeping those winter blues at bay
THE BEST YOU No. 24 · October 2014 · Year 2 · EDITOR / PUBLISHER Bernardo Moya · DEPUTY EDITOR Zoë Henry ASSOCIATE EDITOR Bryan Szabo · COPYWRITERS Aaron Wells and Peter Rogers · GRAPHIC DESIGN Luke Cleary NEW MEDIA Allan Banford TECHNICAL CONSULTANT Martin Carter · ADVERTISING advertising@thebestyou.co The Best You Corporation LTD 5 Percy St. · London, United Kingdom, W1T 1DG · Tel: +44 (0)845 230 2033 · www.thebestyoumagazine.co
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OCTOBER 2014
CONTENTS
LIVE LOVE LEGACY
36 COMBATTING DEPRESSION
In light of Robin Williams’ recent suicide, Paul Farmer from Mind says we should get help before it’s too late
38 THEIR INSPIRATIONAL STORIES We chat to four household names who overcame their battle with depression
41 DECISIONS, DECISIONS... Jim Aitkins is back with his regular column. This month it’s all about making decisions
42 WHAT DOES IT TAKE… …to be a nurse? We chat with Charlotte Jaye, who is a nurse at St. Mary’s A&E
FEEL & LOOK GOOD 42 WHAT DOES IT TAKE… …TO BE A NURSE? WE CHAT WITH CHARLOTTE JAYE WHO IS A NURSE AT ST. MARY’S A&E
46 WE WANT TO BREAK THROUGH Yinka Ebo from Breakthrough Cancer tells us about a few ways to prevent breast cancer
48 WINTER WONDER-WORKOUT Celebrity fitness instructor Keli Roberts has an intensive work out that you can do in the warmth and comfort of your living room
53 TOP FIVE SUPER FOOD Nutritionist Angela Steel suggest five super foods that will make you feel great
WEALTH & RICHES
57 TOP SEVEN CREATIVE BUSINESS MISTAKES Sophie Andrews addresses some of the concerns business owners should see to
61 CAPTAIN AND CREW Gerry Robert says that you are the captain of your ship. It’s time to whip your crew into shape
62 DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE Is property always a safe investment? Vincent Wong from Wealth Dragons answers a few questions
70 LET’S GET SOCIAL THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF RECENT CASES OF SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIMENTING ON THEIR USERS. WE LOOK AT WHY IT’S NECESSARY
64 THE ROCKY ROAD TO SUCCESS The Best You looks at some historical figures who didn’t have success handed to them on a silver platter
21 CENTURY LIVING ST
70 LET’S GET SOCIAL
Social media companies experiment on their users. We look at why it’s necessary
72 FORTHCOMING ATTRACTIONS Associate Editor Bryan Szabo looks at some mind-blowing tech that will soon be available in stores near you
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THE BEST YOU
EDITORIAL
FEELING LET DOWN?
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hat does being let down really mean? It has many connotations, but the dictionary defines it as: 1. To make someone disappointed by not doing something that they are expecting you to do 2. To work less hard or make more mistakes than the people who you are working with This month I want to look at some of the reasons we might feel as though we have been ‘let down’ and what we can do with these feelings. Synonyms of let down are: abandon, depress, disillusion, fall short, leave in lurch, leave stranded, fail, dissatisfy. Ask yourself if people are letting you down? Think about it for a minute. Are they actually letting you down, or are your expectations just too high? Are you effectively communicating with your colleagues or loved ones, telling them when and how they’ve let you down, or are you keeping these feelings to yourself? Ask yourself if you letting others down? Think about it, talk about it, and ask yourself this question: How do you
know if you are or aren't letting anyone down? You probably are, and, deep down, you know it, but you might be ignoring it. I think that life and time shows you that you have to have reasonable expectations with people, and as the eighteenth-century poet Alexander Pope said, ”Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” Helping a friend or a person through a difficult time in their life is one of those times when you should be extra aware of not letting them down. If, for instance, you have a friend or family member struggling with depression, be the one they can count on for love and support. This month, In light of the suicide of actor and noted depressive Robin Williams, Chief Executive of Mind Paul Farmer answers some questions you may have about dealing with depression. But it’s not just people who can let you down. Sometimes you can feel let down by nature or even by your body – such is often the case when we are diagnosed with a serious illness. Since October is Breast Cancer
Awareness Month, we have teamed up with the folks at Breakthrough Breast Cancer for a Q&A that revolves all around breast cancer prevention and early detection. With the right tools and information, you can do whatever is in your power to avoid being let down by your body. Many times, when people are let down, it is for quite small and relatively insignificant things. Perhaps you have to cancel dinner plans or something happened to make you late for a show. We need to learn to not sweat the small stuff. What matters is supporting people through the hardships of life, like
depression or cancer; this is when it’s most important to not let others down. Being let down is never a positive experience, no matter what form it comes in, so make it your duty to allow it to happen as little as possible. This means not letting others down, but it also means feeling let down less yourself. By doing so, you’ll start being a better and stronger person today. b
BERNARDO MOYA,
Editor-in-Chief Follow me: @Bernardo_Moya
WE WANT YOUR STORIES The Best You is all about inspiring people. If you have a tale to tell that you think will help someone become the best they can be, please tell us.
video slider gallery
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THE BEST YOU CONTRIBUTORS
BRYAN SZABO
ANGELA STEEL
is a Nutritional Therapist and expert on weight loss, metabolic health and diabetes. She also runs healthy cooking classes in London. Check out her website at www. superwellness.co.uk
@SocioWellBeing
DR. LISA TURNER
is a practitioner of NLP, time line therapy, hypnotist, shamanic healing, and other healing processes. Feel free to contact her if you think she can help. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.
@DrLisaTurner
GERRY ROBERT
is a Canadian-born freelance editor and writer who specialises in helping authors realise their potential as writers. His prominent appearance on the acknowledgement page of dozens of published works is proving that the voice he is helping budding authors to find is a precious thing indeed.
is the best-selling author of The Millionaire Mindset and marketing speaker. Over 3 Million people have attended his live seminars. He is also the publisher at Black Card Books, an entrepreneurial book publisher helping companies use books as marketing tools.
MEL CARNEGIE
PAUL FARMER
is the author of I’m Still Standing and creator of DeNA Light-Up, the revolutionary coaching and development approach for conscious leaders – in business, education, healthcare, and in life.
@Mel_Carnegie
@gerryrobert
has been Chief Executive of Mind, the leading mental health charity working in England and Wales, since May 2006. Paul is chair of the Disability Charities Consortium and the Diversity Forum panel on human rights. He is a trustee at the Mental Health Providers Forum.
@MindCharity
JIM AITKINS
is an American author. He speaks and trains for corporations and organisations on the topics he writes about. He believes personal growth is easier than most people think and should be fun. Visit Jim’s blog, Obstacle Blaster, and leave a comment if you like what you see.
SOPHIE ANDREWS
is an award-winning entrepreneur, a sought-after strategist, connector, mentor and public speaker, and author of The Creative Collection. With more than 25 years of SME experience, she helps creatives and entrepreneurs who lack the business and financial tools to run a competitive enterprise free their hands to do what they do best: create.
JUSTIN STONEMAN
is a journalist, filmmaker, producer and composer. Specialising in news investigations, he has written for every national UK newspaper title. Music and production credits include the BBC, Channel 5, QVC and Sky.
VINCENT WONG
COO and cofounder of Wealth Dragons, is one of the world’s most dynamic property entrepreneurs. He helped develop a legal system for lease options in the UK, the Netherlands and Malaysia. Vincent is a former Pharmacist and holds an MBA from Cass Business School.
KELI ROBERTS
is a world-renowned fitness educator, trainer and the award recipient of the 2003 IDEA International Instructor of the Year. As a continuing education provider, Keli conducts seminars and workshops worldwide.
@Keliroberts
YINKA EBO
is the Health Information Lead at Breakthrough and develops their information resources, ensuring they're empowering, evidence-based, and of the highest quality. She's previously worked at Cancer Research UK and Dr Foster Intelligence for several years. She has an MSc in public health nutrition..
@BreakthroughBC
@AccountsStudio
The Best You is published by The Best You Corporation Ltd, 5 Percy Street, W1T 1DG. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect The Best You Corporation Ltd, policy. The Best You Corporation Ltd accepts no responsibility for views expressed by its contributors. Advertisements and reader offers are not endorsed by The Best You or The Best You Corporation Ltd.
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THE BEST YOU INNER YOU
THE BEST
YOU
Connect with the wonderful, special, and powerful inside. Learn new ways to get your mind and body in balance, bringing out the rich core of your being. Discover the secrets that will enable you to take charge of your inner life and become The Best You.
Life Without Limits
TM
DIGITALLY HYPNOTIC e feature the best videos and mp3s to W help with self-hypnosis
BEST EMOTIONAL RELEASE r. Lisa Turner has some suggestions to help you D let go of stress
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INNER YOU THE BEST YOU
DIGITALLY HYPNOTIC If you’re reading this magazine, you’re probably already a believer in NLP and the power of hypnosis. Hypnosis has been scientifically proven to work in a number of studies, and with the power of YouTube behind you, now you can do it at home. The Best You picks some of the best online hypnosis videos.
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our eyes are getting heavy and you are going into a deep trance. Does this sound good to you? Do you feel your tensions slipping away? Using hypnosis as a relaxation technique is an idea that has been around for a while. Of course, some people are more susceptible to hypnosis than others, but your chances of achieving that state of deep relaxation also depends heavily on the skills of the person trying to put you under. There is more to the art of hypnosis than a soothing voice and a pendulating pocket watch.
EXTRA DEEP HYPNOSIS 4 BY ULTRA HYPNOSIS
This video is designed to take the viewer into an exceptionally deep trance and make all future trances much deeper and easier to reach. They recommend watching this video lying down so you can relax all the way and not worry about falling out of your chair, which can be a real concern during hypnosis. The voice is incredibly soothing and the instruction could make even the most tense of people relax. Testimonial: “I'm an incredibly tense person and I'm entirely relaxed right now.” – Gabe Zomkev
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBFEsc3ebHY
8 HOURS SLEEP HYPNOSIS BY JODY WHITELEY
Whereas many hypnosis videos and mp3s come in at the 30-minute mark, this hypnosis session by Jody Whitely, which is designed to treat depression, anxiety, confidence issues and promote emotional healing, comfortably hits the eight-hour mark, so you can listen to it while enjoying a night’s sleep. Whitely says that if you listen to this session nightly, you will start to feel less anxious and depressed, and some people claim it has even helped their OCD. Testimonial: “I sleep better, wake up happier, and I am grateful for your kind sharing of your work.” – Debra Ramsay
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqLzR7gLQmw
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THE BEST YOU
HYPNOSIS FOR MEETING YOUR HIGHER SELF BY MICHAEL SEALEY
This is a guided hypnosis session for deep relaxation, designed to enable an experiential communication between your conscious and subconscious or unconscious mind. A higher level of personal congruency can be realised when we are able to listen to our deeper truth. You may find the answers to many ongoing personal problems and issues, if you simply take the time to ask your inner self for a new direction. Testimonial: “I loved the hypnosis video! I felt this really powerful vibration, and I felt like my body was just floating out!” – Javier Ramirez
INNER YOU
DEEP RELAXTION BY PAUL MCKENNA In this double audio, Paul McKenna best-selling author and hypnotherapist, teaches you how to switch off completely and focus on the art of doing nothing. The first audio is an introduction to deep relaxation by McKenna, while things get more practical in the second audio as he lulls you into a state of semi-consciousness and urges you to close your eyes and get caught up in being deeply relaxed. Testimonial: “The mp3 facilitated my journey into nirvana.” – Pete Pratt
MP3
PAST LIFE REGRESSION HYPNOSIS BY TRUST AND TRUTH
This one is for a narrower audience – only those who believe in reincarnation need click the link. That said, if you fancy doing it just to see what happens, go ahead. There are many stories from people who tried it not expecting anything and then saw themselves in their past lives. However, as with all hypnosis techniques, it is more likely to come to fruition if you believe that it will work, so let go of that cynicism. Testimonial: “I really didn't think anything was going to come to me, but some things did.” – Ashley Tree
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqqUjWRaS0g
CREATIVE VISUALIZATION BY ANDREA SCHROEDER
It’s no secret that positive thoughts bring positivity into your life. In this video, Andrea Schroeder prompts you to focus on the things you want out of life, the belief being that once the ideas are put into the universe, you will draw the reality to you. Many celebrities, such as Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith and Jim Carrey, use creative visualization and attribute much of their success to it. Testimonial: “I haven't felt this good in a long time. That was amazing. THANK YOU!” – Matt Ritchey
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgQjW4v9tyk
COMING SOON: PAUL MCKENNA AND RICHARD BANDLER PRESENT SECRETS OF HYPNOSIS. WWW.THEBESTYOUMAGAZINE.CO | 11
Whether you’ve a lot or a little to lose, we have a programme for you. To start living your LighterLife call us today
(UK) 0800 2 988 988 (ROI) 1800 927 213
ŠLighterLife UK Limited 2013. All rights reserved.
lighterlife.com
DR. LISA TURNER
INNER YOU
THE BEST EMOTIONAL RELEASE One of the biggest myths portrayed by the media, films and stories is that once you’ve had a traumatic experience, you will be emotionally scarred for life and that the best you can hope for is to learn to live with it and to understand it. Dr. Lisa Turner knows otherwise. Recent years have brought about a plethora of techniques that can help to release emotions. This list has been put together based on my personal experience of these therapies in my own quest to recover from childhood sexual abuse. I am a walking testament to the fact that emotions can be released. Limiting beliefs like ‘I’m no good’ or ‘I deserve to be punished’ can be released forever. Here is a list of some of the most popular techniques: Psychotherapy - Essentially a ‘talking cure’ that centres on the client talking through their issues with a therapist. The idea is that talking about your problems and past will give you a better understanding of yourself and raise self-awareness. Affirmations – Repeated positive affirmations might change your state of mind or mood in the short term, but they don't remove limiting beliefs. Also, in order for affirmations to change your state, you have to remember to say them. Psychodrama - This is where
you act out painful situations from your past and change them so you can experience something different, like fighting back, feeling more powerful. EFT - This technique is based on tapping meridians to release the emotion. The tapping points are usually on the face, torso and hands. EmoTrance - By paying attention to where you feel the emotion in your body, allowing it to soften and flow using attention, the feeling leaves your body, and with it, the emotion. Shamanic Healing - Based on various tribal cultures, this uses altered states of consciousness, dream work, energy work and symbolism to change your experience of physical reality. NLP Neuro-Linguistic Programming and hypnosis - NLP is a collection of techniques that are based on modelling successful therapists and therapies. I found this amazingly enabling; it allowed me to access more resources and cope with situations that had previously caused me great anxiety.
It’s quick and effective. Timeline Therapy - TLT is phenomenally powerful and, as someone who had been daily haunted by my past, was barely able to function normally, and found even the most ordinary situations traumatic and terrifying, TLT was a miracle. Higher Self Therapy - This technique is even more effective than Time Line Therapy as it is even quicker and removes emotions at an even deeper level. Whereas TLT removes the emotions from the emotional and mental body, Higher Self Therapy also releases it from a soul or karmic level. These last two are the ones I now teach to my students and are the ones I recommend most highly. If you have had trauma in the past, even if you are not healed yet, please take this one thing from reading this: You can recover. All you have to do is decide. If you have decided, to get free instant access to abuse recovery advice, go to www.recoverfromabuse.com b
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INNER YOU ALEXANDRA TRUTA
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THE BUCKET BEST LIST YOU
ENJOY LIFE
THE BEST
YOU
Laughter, humour, travel, love – these add the sparkle that make life worth living. Climb a mountain, give to others, start a family, embrace life. What are the things you wish you had done but haven’t yet? Life is no rehearsal – find ways to enjoy it whenever you can!
Life Without Limits
TM
TOP 6 CITIES TO LIVE IN
Fancy moving to one of the best cities to live in around the world? We give you the options.
IT’S THE GOOD NEWS
With so much of what we read in the papers being negative, The Best You is bringing you some good news
BLAST AWAY THOSE WINTER BLUES
Mel Carnegie has an alternate way of beating the winter blues.
ENJOY LIFE
BUCKET LIST
TOP 6 CITIES TO LIVE IN Melbourne, Australia. Where is it? It is located on the large natural bay of Port Phillip, with its city centre situated at the northernmost point of the bay – near the estuary of the Yarra River. With a population of 4.35 million, Melbourne is the fastest-growing capital city in Australia. What makes it great? This year, it was ranked third in the world’s most liveable city survey, and it’s appeared in the top three every year since 2002. Melbournians love the city’s vibrant energy – each area has its own distinct character. Modern, cutting-edge designs add to the fascinating mix of heritage architecture present in the city’s ever-changing skyline.
Cape Town, South Africa. Where is it? Located on the southernmost tip of Africa, this metropolis is home to the two oceans, Table Mountain, and an extensive commune of hipsters. Despite the fact that it is in Africa, it retains its distinctive European vibe – a product of its rich (and occasionally rocky) colonial past.. What makes it great? There is a fantastic mix of European influence and raw Africanism in this city, and, whether it’s a hike or a night out on the town you’re after, Cape Town has whatever you need. It does have a reputation for being a bit cliquey, but over the past two decades it has welcomed so many international visitors and residents that this reputation is fading into the past.
London, England. Where is it? England’s beating heart is as hard to find as it is difficult to love. One of the world’s most famous cities, it is almost universally known as the city of miserable weather, bad food, and, of course, the ubiquitous cabs and red busses. None of that prevents the world from falling in love with the place. The place to be if you love culture or pints at the pub (especially if they’re both your cup of tea). What makes it great? English lexicographer Samuel Johnson once said: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” Gender-biased as that statement might be, it is absolutely true. There is never an excuse to be bored in London. Sure, it may be expensive and wet, but there is always something interesting to do and fascinating people to meet.
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BUCKET LIST
ENJOY LIFE
City living can be exhausting, but some cities are more draining than others. Then there are those cities that are rejuvenating, whether it’s because of the weather, or the cultural aspects. The Best You has put together a list of the top six cities to live in. Quality of life is subjective. Some people value readily available outdoor activities, while others might demand a smorgasbord of galleries and museums. No matter what your interests, there is a city that is perfect for you. If you’re looking to relocate, don’t start packing until you have read this list. We’ve got something on the list for everyone, and you are sure to find your bliss. Of course, if you’re happy where you are, no one’s telling you to move. As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke…”
Calgary, Canada.
Where is it? Situated in the vast river basin where the Elbow and the Bow rivers converge, Calgary is the largest city in Alberta. With 1.2 million people, Calgary is not as big population-wise as Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal, but, as the largest undivided metropolitan centre in North America, it makes up with size what it lacks in numbers. What makes it great? Not only is Calgary’s economy booming, it also boasts one of the most popular and funniest mayors anywhere (something of a Twitter celebrity). Though the needle can occasionally dip below -30 degrees, the warm Chinook winds that blow through the city sporadically make the long and dark Canadian winters bearable. Cyclists can be seen on the city’s bike path network all year round.
Auckland, New Zealand.
Where is it? Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf of the Pacific Ocean to the east, the low Hunua Ranges to the southeast, the Manukau Harbour to the southwest, and the Waitakere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west and northwest. It has a population of 1.4 million and more boats per capita than anywhere else in the world. What makes it great? Auckland, like many other parts of New Zealand as well, is one of those rare places that has both a rich, versatile culture and a strong economy. The city is known for being very friendly, which makes it a popular spot for relocation. New Zealand as a whole has a reputation for being quite overcast weather-wise, but Auckland is the sunniest of the cities and has very mild winters.
New York City, USA. Where is it? New York City is in the northeastern United States, in southeastern New York State, approximately halfway between Washington, D.C. and Boston. It is home to 8.5 million people, and 800 languages are spoken in the city, making it one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world. What makes it great? New York City has become known the world over as the city that never sleeps. If you’re the kind of person that craves dim sum and a fake Prada handbag at 4am, then NYC is the place for you. Packed with an amalgam of cultures, covering all brows from high to low, galleries, museums, live music and great food all abound in the Big Apple.
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ENJOY LIFE WE SUPPORT
WE SUPPORT Breakthrough Breast Cancer Breakthrough Breast Cancer is determined to stop breast cancer from taking the women we love. Our cutting-edge research is focused entirely on breast cancer. We’re discovering how to prevent it, how to detect it earlier, and how to treat it more effectively.
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e’re taking on breast cancer at every stage and for every woman, learning how to control and outwit the disease so that, one day, we can stop it from taking lives. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK; one in eight women will face it. Half a million people are living with it. And yet, despite significant advances in treatment and care, we still can’t stop breast cancer from taking the women we love. In just 25 years, our research has begun to answer some of the biggest questions about breast cancer. We’ve discovered more than ever before about what causes the disease. We’ve found ways to diagnose breast cancer earlier and we’ve developed innovative new treatments. But women are still getting breast cancer. And women are still dying from it. This month alone, 1,000
women will lose their lives to this terrible disease – and more women are being diagnosed every day. Breast cancer is not yesterday’s problem. There’s still so much that needs to be done. That’s why we’re beginning a new era of life-saving breast cancer research – a new way forward that will help us stop breast cancer for good. We’ve talked to patients and their families, leading scientists and experts, and doctors confronted daily with the disease, and together we’ve identified a clear and ambitious direction that will mean we save more lives, faster. We’ll bring leading researchers together and give them the freedom to pursue bold ideas. We’ll unite scientists and doctors from around the world in pioneering centres of excellence, where they can work at the cutting edge of breast cancer research. And we’ll use our influence
This month alone, 1,000 women will lose their lives to this terrible disease – and more women are being diagnosed every day.
to make sure this research is translated into practical benefits for everyone who faces this terrible disease. Over the coming years, we need to double our investment in our ground-breaking research so that we can save more lives faster. But we can’t do it alone. We’ll need to invest at least £100 million in funding the most cutting-edge breast cancer research in the world – research that has the power to put an end to breast cancer, once and for all. We’re depending on your support to make that happen. b Will you help us stop breast cancer for good? For more information visit www.breakthrough.org.uk
OTHER WORTHY CAUSES WE SUPPORT Teenage Cancer Trust
Katie Piper Foundation
Children Of The Night
www.teenagecancertrust.org
www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk
www.childrenofthenight.org
SMA Trust
War Child
The Children’s Trust
www.smatrust.org
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www.warchild.org.uk
www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk
THE GOOD NEWS
THE GOOD NEWS
ENJOY LIFE
The news we read in the newspapers and see on the television is so negative that it can often feel like the media is conspiring to get us down in the dumps. That’s why The Best You is bringing you snippets of good news.
Vermont is going, going, green
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ou may know Vermont as the state where American gays and lesbians have been flocking to tie the knot since 2009, but being the first state in the United States to legalise same-sex marriage isn’t the only forward-thinking thing happening in The Green Mountain State. Burlington, the state’s largest city, can now boast that it gets 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable resources such as wind, water and biomass. “It shows that we’re able to do it, and we’re able to
do it cost effectively in a way that makes Vermonters really positioned well for the future”, said Christopher Recchia, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Service. Diane Moss, Founding Director of the Southern California-based Renewables 100 Policy Institute, said that she wasn’t sure if any other communities as large as Burlington – a city of 42,000 – have reached 100 per cent, but that many are working on it. Story adapted from The Associated Press
PRINTING A NEW LEASE ON LIFE
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ure, 3D printers are loads of fun. Design a shoe, or a cup, or a bust of Burt Reynolds, and it pops out fully formed on the other side. But, as it turns out, they are worth more than a bit of fun. A 3D printed vertebra is helping a 12-year-old Chinese boy walk again. Several months ago, the boy felt an injury in his
neck after heading a ball while playing soccer. After examining his spine, doctors realized he had Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. A malignant tumour was growing in his second vertebra. The bone, which helps protect the spine and support the body, had to be removed and replaced. “This is the first use of a 3D printed vertebra as an implant
for orthopedic spine surgery in the world”, said Dr. Liu Zhongjun, the surgeon behind the project and the director of the orthopaedics department at Peking University. The boy underwent the surgery in July and is reportedly doing well. Story adapted from Business Insider
Courtesy of Bespoke Innovations
Economy on the rise We have been speaking a lot about the recovery of the economy over the last few months, and we are continuing to discover good news on the topic every day. The U.S. economy grew at a brisk annual rate of 4.2 per cent in the April-June quarter and India’s economy expanded by 5.7 per cent, according to official figures released at the end of August.
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ENJOY LIFE
THE BEST YOU
BLAST AWAY THOSE WINTER BLUES!
I
t’s that time of year again. Memories of summer are fading into the distance, children are back at school, and there’s a chill in the air. To top it all off, it’s getting darker earlier every day, or, as one of my Scottish friends would lament, “Aye, the nights are fair drawing in.” So is it any wonder that many of us are starting to feel a little bit down in the dumps? Have you found yourself grumbling about all sorts of things lately? The weather, work colleagues, rising costs, lack of good TV. You name it, when we’re feeling fed up, any number of things can add to our frustration. Short of getting away from it all, it often seems there’s little else we can do, other than complain and just sit things out. Well, this is where I’d like to introduce you to a team of rugby bums who just might be able to lend you a helping hand – costfree and within the comfort of your own home. Imagine four bottoms sitting on a rugby goal post. With a little more imagination, you could say that each one looks like the letter W and that the goalpost is a letter H. Got the picture? Good. Now I’d like to introduce them to you as your very own team of helpers, sitting and awaiting your instructions. Their names, by the way, are Who, What, Where, When and How, and they’ll happily burst in to play as soon as you point your finger.
Remember I talked earlier about the way we grumble? The way we can blame other people and situations for the way we’re feeling? We know, of course, that there are times when it feels good to express frustrations and ‘get it off your chest’, but did you also know that whenever you point the finger of blame out at anything or anyone, you are potentially causing yourself more harm than good? It’s very tempting to point out and say things like, “It’s his/her fault, he/she made me feel this way!” The com-
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plaining might feel good at the time, but if it’s left at that, it becomes just a temporary hit that creates a sense of helplessness that only compound our blues. We’re left with the same feelings of frustration, and as well as that, now a sense of powerlessness as well – because nothing is happening to change it.
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ENJOY LIFE
With rugby season upon us, Mel Carnegie reckons you might be interested in exploring how a bunch of rugby bums might actually be able to help blast away winter blues.
No matter what the situation might be, there is always something we can do – even if it seems insignificant. When everything in my world had collapsed around me, I made it my focus to recognise what was still within my control. On some days, it seemed that only my ability to breathe or my decision to speak softly or loudly were in my control – but even acknowledging those small things helped me to lift myself out of helplessness one small step at a time. Beating the blues is all about remembering that you always have a choice – no matter how small it may seem. Imagine pointing your finger out towards whatever is upsetting, annoying or frustrating you – and look at how you hold your hand. Notice that for the one finger that points away, there are three pointing back at you. For each of the three fingers pointing back at you, allocate one member of your rugby team and use them to start a question that gently allows you to consider your options. For example, let’s say that a friend or colleague has just done something to annoy you – out goes the pointing finger (to acknowledge the source of your frustration) then immediately in comes three members of your rugby team, one for each of the three fingers pointing back at you.
HOW would I prefer to be feeling right now? WHO can I talk to about this? WHAT can I do now to make myself feel better?
As with most things in life (as I’ve usually learned the hard way), it’s all about perception. So here’s the trick. Rather than putting energy into what is annoying you, instead choose instead to focus more on how you’d like things to be and what you can do about it. By doing that you will increase your sense of control and ultimately affect your feelings of wellbeing.
The answers will come – maybe slowly at first, but they will come. With practice the questions will come more automatically and the answers will flow more freely. The more time you spend getting used to your new rugby team, the more keenly they’ll play for you – and they’ll start jostling for your attention. So, how’s that? Point your finger and four rugby bums come running to do your bidding. I don’t know about you, but that thought alone makes me smile. b
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To many, she’s the epitome of perfection, which is why it’s surprising to discover that, under that superhuman exterior, Beyoncé is human after all
QUEEN OF THE WORLD This is Beyoncé’s world. We just live in it.
"I worked so hard during my childhood to meet this goal. By the time I was 30 years old, I could do what I want", Beyoncé Giselle Knowles says. "I've reached that. I feel very fortunate to be in that position. But I've sacrificed a lot of things, and I've worked harder than probably anyone I know, at least in the music industry. So I just have to remind myself that I deserve it.” Knowles was born in Houston, Texas in 1981 to Xerox sales manager Mathew Knowles and hairdresser and salon owner Celestine Ann ‘Tina’ Beyincé. Her name is a tribute to her mother's maiden name. Her singing talent was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, perfectly hitting the high-pitched notes. Her interest in music and performing continued after she won a school talent show at age seven (beating out competitors twice her age), singing John Lennon's “Imagine”. Aged eight, Beyoncé and childhood friend Kelly Rowland met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl entertainment group. They were placed into a group with three other girls as Girl's Tyme, and rapped and danced on the talent show circuit in Houston. In 1995, Beyoncé's father resigned from his job to manage the group. The move reduced Beyoncé's family's income by half, and her parents were forced to move into separate apartments. The group changed their name to
I now know that, yes, I am powerful, I'm more powerful than my mind can even digest and understand
Destiny's Child in 1996, based upon a passage in the Book of Isaiah. They released their self-titled debut album in 1998, scoring their first major hit, "No, No, No". The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry. The group released their multiplatinum second album The Writing's on the Wall in 1999. LeToya Luckett and LaTivia Roberson became unhappy with Mathew's managing of the band and eventually were replaced by Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams. This was a difficult time for Beyoncé. She was so depressed when Luckett and Roberson quit the group that she spent days in her bedroom refusing to eat. It was at a lonely time in her life when a longstanding boyfriend also turned his back on her and she found herself at her lowest point. She was reluctant to speak candidly about her depression because Destiny's Child had just won their first Grammy Award, and she feared no one would take her seriously. “The break-up of my romance and my band left me questioning who I was and who my friends were”, she says. “I felt attacked as the media began to turn on me. It was my mother who helped me get through the blues. She asked me, ‘Why do you think a person wouldn't love you? Don't you know how smart and sweet and beautiful you are?’” She rose from the ashes of her depression with a renewed sense of purpose. She recorded two more hit albums with Destiny’s Child, 2001’s Survivor and 8 Days of Christmas, before striking out on her own. Her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, was released on 24 June 2003, after former bandmates Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland had released their solo efforts. As of 2012, it remains Beyoncé's best-selling album, with 11 million copies sold worldwide. The album's lead single, "Crazy in Love", featuring Jay-Z, became Beyoncé's first number-one
single as a solo artist in the US. The album earned Beyoncé a then-recordtying five awards at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards. She followed this up with B’Day in 2006 and I Am… Sasha Fierce in 2008. Around this time, she revealed her marriage to hip-hop royalty Jay-Z. "We have been together since I was 20 years old", she says. "We took our time and developed an unbreakable friendship before we got married. I admire his ability to inspire others. To me, Jay represents the American dream. His music has helped define our generation. All that he has overcome and worked to achieve gives millions hope that they can become whatever they want to be. I respect him so much; he is a great man and a great artist. We focused three years on our marriage and found that it brought us an even stronger bond and connection. But like anything great and successful in your life, marriage takes hard work and sacrifice. It has to be something
both you and your husband deeply want. The best thing about marriage is the amount of growth you have because you can no longer hide from your fears and insecurities. There's someone right there, calling you out on your flaws and building you up when you need the support. If you are with the right person, it brings out the best version of you.” At the same time as plotting her stratospheric rise in the music world, she continued taking on acting roles. After standout roles in Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001), Austin Powers: Goldmember (2002), The Fighting Temptations (2003), The Pink Panther (2006) and Dreamgirls (2006), she achieved critical acclaim for her role as blues legend Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008). “Playing Etta really changed me”, she says. “It was a darker character, and I realized that if anything is too comfortable, I want to run from it. It’s no fun being safe. I am finally
I realised why I was born, and more than anything, all of the things I want to pass onto my child, and the best way of doing that is not by preaching or telling her but showing her by example, which is one of the reasons I'm here. 24 | WWW.THEBESTYOUMAGAZINE.CO
at the stage in my life where I am not so concerned with other people's opinions about my life decisions. It is so liberating to really know what I want, what truly makes me happy, what I will not tolerate. When I was younger I had a hard time setting boundaries.” One of the biggest sources of joy in her life is her family. It was important to her that she gave herself time to focus on becoming the woman she wanted to be, building her empire, relationship and self-worth before becoming a mother. She gave birth to Blue Ivy Carter in 2012. “Having a daughter just gives you purpose”, she says. “All of the things that my self-esteem was associated with – it’s all completely different. I realised why I was born and, more than anything, all of the things I want to pass onto my child, and the best way of doing that is not by preaching or telling her but showing her by example, which is one of the reasons I'm here.” Being a mother has given her a renewed confidence in her body. “Something changes when you become a mother,” she says. “You discover what your body was meant to do and you gain power from that. I feel sexier than ever. I like to show my waistline and legs. I feel women should find their best features and accentuate them, but it's interesting to be versatile. I let my mood dictate what I wear before my curves. Sometimes I feel classic, sometimes I feel like a hipster. Sometimes I feel like a seductress and sometimes I feel like a tomboy. It's great to be a woman and have the freedom to express my emotions through fashion.” Her positive body image has inspired millions and, in the process, has made her a global ambassador of modern feminism. “Equality is a myth, and for some reason everyone accepts the fact that women don’t make as much money as men do”, she says. “I don't understand that. Why do we have to take a backseat? I truly believe that women should be financially independent from their men. And, let's face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what's sexy. And men define what's feminine. It's ridiculous. At the end of the day, it’s not about equal rights. It’s about how we think. We have to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves.”
“I’d like to believe that my music opened up that conversation. There is unbelievable power in ownership, and women should own their sexuality. There is a double standard when it comes to sexuality that still persists. Men are free and women are not. That is crazy. The old lessons of submissiveness and fragility made us victims. Women are so much more than that. You can be a businesswoman, a mother, an artist, and a feminist – whatever you want to be – and still be a sexual being. It’s not mutually exclusive.” Still, she is a human being and not insulated against the insensitivities of the modern world. When she encounters a story about herself on the Internet, she reads only the story. She doesn’t let herself scroll down into the comments sections, which have a tendency to become cruel, ad hominem free-for-alls. “Don’t scroll down!” Beyoncé advises, laughing. “You’re definitely going to get your feelings hurt. That said, I don’t feel like I have to please anyone. I feel free. I feel like I’m an adult. I’m grown. I can do what I want. I can say what I want. I can retire if I want. That’s why I’ve worked hard.” "I now know that, yes, I am powerful", she says. "I'm more powerful than my mind can even digest and understand." b
BEYONCÉ KNOWLES AT A GLANCE • Born in Houston, Texas in 1981 to Mathew Knowles and Celestine Ann ‘Tina’ Beyincé • Singing talent discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, perfectly hitting the high-pitched notes • Teamed up with childhood friend Kelly Rowland and they were placed into a group with three other girls by LaTavia Roberson. The group was called Girl's Tyme • In 1995, Beyoncé's father resigned from his job to manage the group • The group changed their name to Destiny's Child in 1996, based upon a passage in the Book of Isaiah • Destiny’s Child released their self-titled debut album in 1998 • The group released their multi-platinum second album, The Writing's on the Wall, in 1999 • LeToya Luckett and LaTivia Roberson became unhappy with Mathew's managing of the band and eventually were replaced by Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams, which sent Beyoncé into a depression • She was helped out of her depression by her mother • Her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, was released on 24 June 2003, and remains her bestselling album with 11 million copies sold • She followed this up with B’Day in 2006 and I Am… Sasha Fierce in 2008 • Revealed her marriage to hip-hop royalty Jay-Z at around this time • Starred in a number of films including Carmen: A Hip Hopera, Austin Powers: Goldmember, and Cadillac Records • Gave birth to daughter Blue Ivy in 2012 – an event that changed her life • Has become a symbol of modern feminism
FEATURE THE BEST YOU
Meet Professor Dan Reinstein, a name synonymous with perfection: an innovator and scientist, a renowned musician, and an ophthalmic surgeon who is just as at ease designing lasers as he is caring for patients. Justin Stoneman shapes him into full focus.
Success
M
in clear sight
y suspicion that this guest could be the near-ultimate exponent of 'the best you' mantra was confirmed early in the proceedings. Having asked Professor Dan Reinstein's office to send me his CV, eighty-five pages landed in my inbox. It was the compressed edition. Peeling through the reams of success was an eye-watering task. The catalogue would make even Stephen Hawking feel like an underachiever. In an extraordinary career, Reinstein has made a string of medical
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advances, holds an endless list of patents and continues to set international standards in his field. He was the man who developed Laser Blended Vision - the LASIK treatment for ageing eyes. Earlier in his career, the Professor's discovery that ultrasound could be used to scan the eye to within one micron led to him build the prototype for Artemis, now the world's most accurate corneal scanner. Reinstein, 51, holds more titles than Floyd Mayweather. The specialist ophthalmic surgeon is the medical director of the London Vision Clinic, the
THE BEST YOU key medical consultant for Carl Zeiss, he is a research scientist, a voluntary faculty member at Columbia University P&S and he holds professorships in both New York and Paris. In between these duties, the Cambridge graduate (with enough letters after his name – BA, MA, MB BChir, MD - to crush anyone at Scrabble), has also found time in his career to deliver over 400 lectures, grace 50 scientific meeting panels, publish over 100 peer-reviewed articles in medical journals, pen contributions for 32 books and 135 press articles and present 227 scientific papers. On top of all this, Reinstein also earns international plaudits as a jazz musician, having regularly performed with the world's greats. One suspects that Reinstein's efforts to become his own 'best you' are a little difficult to fault. Welcoming me into his plush Harley Street clinic, there are no traces of the airs and graces one would associate with an eminent Professor. Friendly and self-effacing, warm and fully engaged, Reinstein’s breakneck-speed chatter makes it clear that he knows the value of time. His clock ticks louder than most. "Let's get started," he says. You've enjoyed a life of extraordinary achievements, what is your secret? "The key component has been that I have always tried to leave no opportunity untested", he says carefully. "I set the goals far higher than I can usually reach, way beyond what is realistic. On a quest, I will not let go. I will not sleep, I focus 110%, I will be constantly alert, so when that crack opportunity presents itself, I am there – I am awake, ready to pounce, to put my chisel in the crack. In one word, 'indefatigable'."
I joke with my kids that that they can do absolutely anything they want – once they have graduated from medical school.
FEATURE
message I want to tell them is that they have to find their own voice. When you find your own voice, work becomes what you love doing. Instead of loving your work, do work that you love." From philosophy to some hard facts. The London Vision Clinic is regarded as a world leader in laser eye surgery, patients flock from around the world to be treated there, and Reinstein himself has performed over 20,000 procedures. He regularly teaches his techniques to surgeons internationally. How and when was the clinic conceived?” "Craig Engelfried is my partner in the business, and he is an old friend from childhood. We had not been in regular contact, but a close mutual friend of ours, who subsequently tragically died, brought us together. Craig was finishing a job in the UK for a California company. Our friend brought us together. I'd just moved back to Europe from America, and Craig suggested I should start a clinic. I said I don't know anything about business, but he said he could help me. That was back in 2001." Are you and your business partner well matched? "Perfectly. He has almost the identical personality to me in terms of how we do things, but his is from a business standpoint – diligence, highest demands for customer care, ethical practice, best possible value for the patient. He is brilliant."
Has that furious drive has always been in your blood? "Yes, it has basically been that way my whole life", he says. "I think both my parents were very focused people, very hardworking, workaholics to be honest. My father was a pharmaceutical researcher and my mother was a theatre person. They had passion and were both obsessed with what they did. They had good values." You have three children now yourself. Have you tried to instil that same drive? "I joke with my kids that that they can do absolutely anything they want – once they have graduated from medical school. I tease, but yes, I'd be flattered, but the key
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FEATURE THE BEST YOU You first knew each other as children. Did you connect with those similar traits in him when you were younger? “You don't really notice those things as a kid, but I knew he was a high achiever. He was head boy, prefect, captain of everything, so he was already in that kind of mould. The London Vision Clinic has been built around an ethos. We have demanded the highest quality in every way that we can."
R
einstein is rather less vocal about the extraordinary role that he and Engelfried have played in changing eye care in a remote area of Nepal. You will not see it mentioned in the press, but away from the plush surrounds of Harley Street, Reinstein and Englefried used their combined medical and business skills to remarkable effect in one of the most impoverished regions on earth. The London Vision Clinic Foundation is a charity set up to share their advanced technology in deprived areas. Their partnership with the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Nepal has enjoyed fantastic results. As the photos testify, patients used to only the most rudimentary healthcare now have access to state-of-the-art eye care treatment. Reinstein has been keen to highlight the role of others in initiating the project. However, I know, courtesy of a little research, that his input has been extensive. “We cannot believe how lucky we are to have found a conduit for the work that we wanted to do”,
he says. We are affiliating with an organisation that is already doing great work but needs help. The more we do, the more they can do to help everyone else. I see them as one of the major contributors to the World Health Organisation’s 2020 initiative to eradicate preventable blindness." The Professor's life is also dictated by music. He has been playing the saxophone religiously for 25 years, including two years of study at the world famous Berkley College of Music. He has played with a long list of the world's greats – in a remarkable twist he has provided surgical procedures on the eyesight of many as well. "I only ever wanted two things in life – to be a great musician and a great sight saver. I love music, but it is hard work, a never-ending bottomless challenge. The knowledge base for jazz is always half-full. Using my instrument on stage to communicate with other musicians is amazing. Jazz is mathematical – improvised music is complicated interplay between theoretical and artistic sides, the right brain and left brain totally working in harmony". “Can you close by telling us your recipe for success?” "As I said, doing what you love. Personality that lends itself to endearing others to you is important. Maybe in my case it is polarising – my friends are few but they are really my friends – but having a strong sense of whom and what you are is important. It is crucial to focus on things you are passionate about. For me it was medicine and music. Find your love and give it your all." b
DAN REINSTEIN AT A GLANCE Being 'the best you' is not simply about excelling in your own field. Maximising your potential means going the extra mile – professionally, personally and for the betterment of society. Professor Dan Reinstein is an epitome of that philosophy. He has innovated in his field, and he fights daily for constant improvements and advances. To his London Vision Clinic patients, ‘Professor Dan’ is the caring doctor guiding them through laser eye surgery and gifting them improved sight. Having performed over 20,000 procedures and revolutionised the field, each patient knows that they are in truly safe hands. To others, Reinstein is a research scientist, filing patents, developing lasers for Carl Zeiss Meditec, constantly pushing his field to new levels of excellence. If you are a jazz fan, you may know Reinstein as an acclaimed saxophonist. Taking to the stage at Chelsea's famous 606 Club every week, he exchanges complex improvisations with the world's finest musicians. 'The Prof' is always full of surprises. The secret to his success comes down to passion. Simply "do what you love," he instructs. "Find your voice and you will excel", he says. Commitment, doggedness and indefatigability are the words that best describe the man and his approach to life. Whether it is on an individual basis with the patients he treats, or on a global level with thousands benefitting daily from his medical and scientific advancements, Reinstein's influence is clear to see.
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THE BEST YOU
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Life Without Limits
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For friends... do but look upon good Books: they are true friends, that will neither flatter nor dissemble.� – Francis Bacon
Great reading, viewing and listening to empower, entertain, enrich, delight and enhance. The Best You rounds up classics and new books and media products that will make a positive difference in your life.
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SELF-HYPNOSIS FOR DUMMIES
BY MIKE BRYANT & PETER MABBUTT
Self-Hypnosis For Dummies is a hands-on guide to achieving your goals using hypnosis. Whether you want to lose weight, overcome anxiety or phobias, cure insomnia, stop smoking, or simply stop biting your nails, this guide has you covered! The reassuring and straight-talking information will help you harness the power of your mind, retraining your subconscious to think in more healthy and constructive ways that can help you overcome specific issues, such as anxiety and paranoia, and break bad habits, such as smoking. The easy-tofollow style will guide you through every step of the process, empowering you to take control and start making changes right away.
“
Keep Self-Hypnosis For Dummies on your resource shelf.” – Richard Szponder
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THE BEST YOU
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THE CITIES BOOK BY LONELY PLANET
Which city will be the first you turn to in this lucky dip of a book? Copenhagen? Buenos Aires? Shanghai? Maybe you’ll find out how much you want to go to Beirut or Nuuk. Who knew? The world is full of unmissable cities - this large format pictorial will put a few more on your radar. Taking our cue from the buzz on the street, we have captured the flavour of the world’s top 200 cities through the eyes of the typical citizen: hot conversation topics, urban myths, the best places to eat and drink and to seek out after dark. This pictorial mixes a tempting cocktail for the urban adventurer.
“
Offers days of browsing pleasure.” – New York Times
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BEYONCÉ: CRAZY IN LOVE BY DARYL EASLEA
Beyoncé Knowles first rose to fame as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, one of the most successful girl groups of all time. Since striking out on her own as a solo artist in 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, Dangerously in Love, Knowles’ career has gone from strength to strength. This biography tells the full story of a fantastically talented artist, detailing the ups and downs of her early career with Destiny’s Child, the group’s success and disbandment, her move into the solo spotlight and the commercial and critical acclaim that has followed. The book also examines key events in Beyoncé’s personal life, including her marriage to hip-hop entrepreneur Jay-Z.
“
Fun and insightful. A perfect introduction to the queen.” – Kelly Williams
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THE BEST YOU
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WHEN THE LAUGHTER STOPS BY EMILY HERBERT
With his twinkling eyes, boundless energy and unrivalled natural wit, Robin Williams was the comedian who brought laughter to a generation. His child-like enthusiasm was infectious, sweeping viewers away. With his lightning-quick improvisation and ability to riff lewdly off any cue thrown at him, Robin was that rare thing – a true comic genius who appealed to adults and children equally. He could also play it straight, and empathetic depth came to him naturally. He had battled depression and addiction for many years and was allegedly beset by financial difficulties. Emily Herbert’s sensitive and thoughtful biography celebrates his genius and warmth, but also attempts to understand what could have driven such a gentle and gifted man to end a life that meant so much to us all.
“
The sensitive and thoughtful biography attempts to understand how such a warm and gifted man took his own life.” – John Blake Publishing
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BOOK REVIEWS
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INTEGRAL HEALING BY LYNNE FELDMAN
After being diagnosed with breast and lung cancer, Lynne Feldman was faced with the inevitable question: What next? Integral Healing is the result of Feldman’s exhaustive research into traditional and contemporary cancer treatments. Integral Healing follows her emotional and physical recovery from cancer and gracefully weaves her personal story into a multi-faceted guide to health and healing, enabling readers to develop their own individualised healing blueprint. Above all else a story of hope, Integral Healing will educate, challenge and move readers, encouraging us not to view cancer as a death sentence, but to play an active and positive role in our own recovery.
“
Lynne Feldman has crafted an approach to healing any illness that gives you the best possible chance of recovery.” – Ken Wilbur
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LIVE LOVE LEGACY THE BEST
YOU
What do you want to be remembered for? What are your relationships like with those around you? How does life treat you - and how do you treat your life? There is so much good in you. Enrich your life with the passion you feel and the connections you make.
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COMBATTING DEPRESSION
Paul Farmer talks about how we can change the stigma that surrounds depression and how to recognise its signs
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DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Jim Aiken is still learning about life and talks about the decisions we make in our everyday lives
WHAT DOES IT TAKE…
...to be a Nurse. We chat with Charlotte Jaye who is a nurse at St. Mary’s A&E
LIVE LOVE LEGACY PAUL FARMER
COMBATTING DEPRESSION On 12 August of this year, the world awoke to the shocking news that actor and comic legend Robin Williams had committed suicide after a long battle with depression. The Best You talked to Paul Farmer, Mind’s Chief Executive, about what can be done to help combat this illness.
T
he apparent suicide of Robin Williams is a tragic and shocking event,” Paul Farmer said. “Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this very difficult time. Depression is a very real illness. It does not discriminate and can strike anyone regardless of age, gender, ethnic group, profession or social status. We urge anyone who is experiencing the pain and distress of suicidal feelings to seek help as soon as they can. It is ok to ask for help. Try and speak to someone, whether friend, family, a doctor or a charity such as Mind or Samaritans.”
What are the symptoms of depression? Psychologically: feelings of helplessness, low self-esteem, being irritable or pessimistic, numbness and an inability to enjoy things one would normally take pleasure from. Physically: change in appetite, trouble sleeping or increased tiredness, and physical aches and pains with no obvious cause, loss of interest in sex.
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How common is depression? Depression with anxiety is the most commonly
Depression diagnosed mental health problem. At least one in six people becomes depressed in the course of their is a very lives, and according to the World Health Organisareal illness. tion, by 2020 depression will be the leading cause It does not of health problems in Europe. Some people will just discriminate have one patch of depression, but it is very common for people to experience more than one episode and can in their life. More women than men are diagnosed strike with depression (11.8% for women to 7.6% in men according to ONS figures), but this may be partly due anyone the fact that many men don’t seek the help they regardless of to need. We all have bad days, and the phrase ‘I feel age, gender, depressed’ is often bandied around, but, if you have ethnic group, felt low for more than a couple of weeks, you should profession or consider visiting your GP. social status. What does Mind recommend for those dealing with depression?
Talking treatments such as CBT and counselling can
PAUL FARMER
give you space to explore difficult feelings with a trained professional. Antidepressants can be very effective and life saving for some people. Speak to your GP about the options available. Our research has also shown that outdoor exercise is often enough to help sufferers turn the corner. Nine out of ten people said that their self-esteem improved after an outdoor walk. Relaxation techniques, such as a massage or acupuncture, might also help. Get enough sleep, and don’t over-indulge in alcohol. Eat well, and keep blood sugar and caffeine levels stable. Talk to friends. If feelings of depression persist, visit your GP.
Stigma is one of the main challenges facing people with mental health problems. How common is stigma? Mind runs Time to Change, an anti-stigma campaign with another mental health charity, Rethink Mental Illness. Through Time to Change research, we know that almost nine out of 10 people with mental health problems have experienced stigma and discrimination. Since 2007, we have seen an 11 per cent reduction in discrimination reported by people with mental health problems, but we still have a long way to go.
What problems does stigma cause? Stigma isolates people from friends and family, makes it harder to get or keep a job, and makes people reluctant to seek help, which makes recovery a slower and more difficult process.
What needs to change? TTC hopes to create a society where mental health problems are not hidden in shame and secrecy. The first step is encouraging everyone to open up about mental health. Our two information lines (Mind Infoline and Legal Advice Service), along with our network of over 150
LIVE LOVE LEGACY
local Minds, helps us to reach over 400,000 people a year. Demand for Mind’s services is higher than ever, with 6 million visitors to our website in 2012 (up from 3.6 million in 2011).
How often does depression result in suicide?
TTC hopes to create a society where mental health problems are not hidden in shame and secrecy.
The latest ONS figures show that, in England, there were 4,524 suicides in 2012, continuing the slight upward trend that we have seen since 2008. In 2012, 5,981 suicides in people aged 15 and over were registered in the UK – 64 fewer than in 2011. But prior to this, there was an upward trend. The UK suicide rate was 11.6 deaths per 100,000 population in 2012. In 2012, male suicide rates were more than three times higher at 18.2 male deaths compared with 5.2 female deaths per 100,000 population. The highest suicide rate was among men aged 40 to 44, at 25.9 deaths per 100,000 population.
Is there a link between comedy/creativity and mental health? There is little evidence to suggest higher prevalence of mental health problems such as depression among specific professions, such as those who work in comedy. We are grateful to anyone brave enough to speak out about their personal experience of mental health problems, whether it’s our President Stephen Fry, comedian Ruby Wax, or anybody else such as our campaigners, supporters and donors. Talking about these issues helps normalise mental health problems, raise awareness and reduce stigma. b
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LIVE LOVE LEGACY THE BEST YOU
THEIR INSPIRATIONAL Depression is far more common than you may think, and sometimes, even people who are household names, suffer from it. To start off a monthly feature where we feature inspirational stories, we spoke to four people you might recognise from the field to the screen. These are their stories. Frankie Sandford, one-fifth of all-girl pop band The Saturdays and contestant on Strictly Come Dancing: “In the summer of 2011 I started feeling really ill. I’d known I’d had depression for a long time, but suddenly things started to feel so much worse than ever before. I was crying all the time and I just couldn’t hold myself together. I went to see my doctor and she suggested that I went into hospital for a week. The week turned into two weeks and then a month. I stayed there until I started to feel better and learn more about my illness. When I did eventually decide to tell the public my real story, I’d started to feel so much better. I was so scared when the magazine hit the shelves. I was worried people would look at me and think, ‘What has she got to be depressed about?’ But instead the feedback was amazing. I had so many letters and tweets from people saying they identified with my story and some people said I’d helped them face their problem. I’m in a much happier place than I was this time last year and I’m excited to be working with Mind to help raise awareness of mental health issues.”
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STORIES Clarke Carlisle, former Premier League player: “The biggest thing with depression is understanding yourself, so my wife and I regularly discuss any potential triggers. One of the most important things I’ve learnt is to verbalise things. Every time I’ve had a major episode it’s because there were so many things going around my head, and instead of verbalising them I reached illogical conclusions. There needs to be the understanding, freedom and awareness to address and discuss mental health in the same way we discuss physical health. And if I can spread that message and support people who are going through what I’ve been through or prevent people going through what I’ve been through, then I’ll do that until the day I leave this earth.”
THE BEST YOU
LIVE LOVE LEGACY
Matt Johnson, TV presenter: “I felt so very alone. I have never felt so scared of being myself. I pushed away a lot of my friends. I lost a relationship. I think my family was aware of my situation but they kept a distance because they know I am very secretive when I want to be. I can hide my feelings. I can put on a mask and pretend everything is fine, even when it isn’t. What helped me was the process of re-establishing myself. I had lost myself over the years. I started slowly regaining the person I was. I began to listen to rock music again and do exercise. I trained for the London marathon. I learnt to drive. That was a major step for me. That gave me independence. My advice to anyone struggling with depression is to tell somebody. It doesn’t matter who it is. It could the guy on the street or somebody on the bus. It’s okay not to feel good about yourself. Explaining your situation and talking about it is half the battle. Or tell a close friend of yours. The best thing is to realised that you’re in a situation and it is important to you.”
Denise Welch,
actress: “Depression came out of the blue. Five days after my first child was born, I had a panic attack, which I’d never had before. I wasn’t anxious, the panic attack came out of nowhere. Suddenly I felt very weird, as if I was in this dream, looking in on my own life. And within hours of that I was in a black suicidal depression, and that was the beginning of my nightmare. Unfortunately for me, post-natal depression opened up a lifetime of depression. ‘Snap out of it, pull yourself together.’ People say it, or think it, a lot. It’s the most pointless comment, because if you could snap out of it you would, wouldn’t you? Unless you’ve experienced it, it’s almost impossible to understand mental illness. You can’t explain clinical depression to anybody. There have been huge advances as more and more people have spoken about mental health, but the stigma sadly still exists. There a lot of education needed, especially to improve the way the media portray those of us who are mentally ill. There’s a long, long way to go. Which is why I’m thrilled to take on the mantle of being a Mind ambassador, so that I can get on my soapbox and shout about it at every available opportunity, whether you want me to or not!”
Do you have an inspirational story that you would like featured in The Best You? Email us at marketing@thebestyou.co
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No one should have to face a mental health problem alone
Mind Infoline: 0300 123 3393 info@mind.org.uk mind.org.uk Registered charity number 219830 40 | WWW.THEBESTYOUMAGAZINE.CO
JIM AITKINS
DECISIONS, DECISIONS… Jim Aitkins is an American writer who is still learning all about life. He finds that learning goes great with a small dose of humour, and we tend to agree. This month, he looks at the types of decisions we make in life.
W
hich of the following represents your predominant outlook: “I am, right now, living the results of my life’s worst decisions”, OR, “I am, right now, living the results of my life’s best decisions.” It happens that both are accurate, but since you can choose to emphatically agree with one of them while shrugging off the other, why not choose the more positive option? Why not remind yourself every day that you are poised for greatness, because, after all, you are, right now, living the results of your life’s best decisions? None of us set out in life determined to make bad decisions. All of us would like to make better decisions, and to do so more consistently. And the fact of the matter is that, in general, bad decisions tend to lead to good decisions. So, if we actively view our life as a funnel for better decision-making (using statements like the above to help us anticipate better results), better decisions are, in general, what we will start to see more of. This same principle is just as true for acquiring wealth, achieving workplace and career success, and quality relationships. We get what we expect. We find what we are
most earnestly looking for. I am pretty sure the following story is not true, but since it perfectly illustrates this point, it doesn’t matter: An old preacher was dying. He sent a message for his banker and his lawyer, both church members, to come to his home. When they arrived, they were ushered up to his bedroom. As they entered the room, the preacher held out his hands and motioned for them to sit on each side of the bed. The preacher grasped their hands, sighed contentedly, smiled, and stared at the ceiling. For a time, no one said anything. Both the banker and lawyer were touched and flattered that the preacher would ask them to be with him during his final moments. They were also puzzled; the preacher had never given them any indication that he particularly liked either of them. They both remembered his many long, uncomfortable sermons about greed and avaricious behavior that made them squirm in their seats. Finally, the banker said, “Preacher, why did you ask us to come?” The old preacher mustered up his strength and then said weakly, “Jesus died between two thieves, and that’s how I want to go.” Every day, you owe it to yourself to put yourself right in the middle of exactly what you
LIVE LOVE LEGACY
None of us set out in life determined to make bad decisions. All of us would like to make better decisions, and to do so more consistently. want. You do that with your thoughts. Some have criticized my emphasis on thinking your way to getting what you want in life. They say you need to act, not merely to think. My response to that is that too many of us do not apply serious thoughtful analysis and emotionally intense thought about exactly, precisely what we want before we rush off into action. Doing the right things right – with firmness of purpose and an internal knowing that this is what ought to be done – is always better than action for the sake of action. There is no such thing as action without some thought. But the question is: Would you rather enjoy the results of decisions made on a foundation of imagination and creativity, with focus and passion and purpose, or the decisions made after chanting, “I must do something. I must act!” with very little thought about the outcome of that activity? The first one? That’s what I thought. So, go back to the top and think about the question I posed. Think about your life’s best decisions and how to make more of them. Your thoughts are indeed a summary of what you really want most in your life. Think about it. Change your thoughts. Change your life. b
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LIVE LOVE LEGACY WHAT DOES IT TAKE…
TO BE A
Nurse? Part of being the best you can be is focusing on what it takes to get there. We’re continuing the “What does it take…?” column, which looks at this aspect of being the best. This month, we’re chatting with A&E nurse Charlotte Jaye.
life-changing experiences and situations As a nurse, I meet many incredible people from different walks of life.
And the most challenging? The hours are sometimes long and are not geared for a family life. I deal with many aggressive and challenging patients. Some have drug and alcohol problems, some have mental health issues and others become aggressive because of long waits in the department. The Government also set targets that are sometimes impossible to reach, making working life more stressful.
What’s your average day like? How do you become a nurse? Training is now a four-year degree course. During that time you can decide on whether you are going to be an adult nurse, a children’s nurse or a psychiatric nurse.
What is the best thing about becoming a nurse? Being a nurse is a very rewarding job. It is about helping people to become well and helping them deal with difficult and
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My average day consists of taking charge of the department. Knowing most things about each patient, liaising very closely with members of the team and constant planning to ensure the smooth and safe running of the department. Working in A&E, we never know what will come through the door, so we need to be prepared for every eventuality. One minute we can be fairly quiet, then, within 20 minutes, we can have a full resuscitation area with patients suffering from road traffic accidents, cardiac arrests, burns
WHAT DOES IT TAKE…
LIVE LOVE LEGACY
and self inflicted wounds. It gets very busy at around 11am and stays like that until around 4am.
Is this something you see yourself doing for the rest of your life? I see myself being a nurse until I retire, but I won’t be working in A&E that whole time. I will probably venture into sexual health nursing, where the pace is not so hectic. It would be good to specialise in something else.
What made you want to become a nurse? My Grandmother and mother were nurses, so I guess I just fell into it.
Which assets are mostly used in your career. You have to be very patient to be a nurse, not everyone can work at the pace you want them to, and patients will not always understand what is asked of them, especially the ones who speak limited English. You need to have good clinical judgement to make serious decisions, and this comes with time, expertise and training. As nurses, we need to be able to empower people, helping them to achieve maintain and recover independence.
Historically nursing is seen as a woman’s profession. Is this changing and, if so, why? Nurses have been predominantly female in the past, but there are many more men going into nursing, One in ten nurses are now male. Many think the likes of such programmes such as Casualty have attracted more men to the profession. The main character, Charlie Fairhead, is a good role model because he is competent and caring and a man. Men are no longer put off by the gender stereotyping.
Which living person do you most admire and why? I admire many people for many different reasons. I admire people who don’t give up and carry on with their lives despite the hardship and difficulties they face.
How do you relax? Baths, dinners, a glass or two of wine, friends, laughter, travel, music and sleep.
What do you want to be remembered for? Hopefully, being a great mum, daughter and friend.
What advice do I have for people that want to take up nursing? Think about it. Do some research. Nursing can be very rewarding, but has brutal hours and consequences on social life, particularly when you’re young. It’s also not a well-paid job. But on the other hand, its great fun. You can meet lifelong friends and share amazing experiences with them. It’s a great job to travel with. If I won the lottery, I’d like to think I would stay in my job. I work with an amazing bunch and I love my job. b
What is your proudest moment? The birth of my kids.
What did you want to be when you were little? An actress/pop star/film star/princess, like most little girls.
When did you last see the sunrise? In August, in Greece, on my way home from a night out with the girls!
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THE BEST YOU
FEEL & LOOK GOOD
THE BEST
YOU
Life Without Limits
TM
Feeling good about yourself makes the joy shine from your eyes and your skin. It makes others respond to you in new ways and it gives you a whole new outlook on life. Looking good draws others to you and enhances your life in ways you haven’t yet imagined. It’s great to find new ways to feel and look good now!
WE WANT TO BREAK THOUGH
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Yinka Ebo tells us about Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
WINTER WONDER-WORKOUT Celebrity fitness instructor Keli Roberts has an intensive work out that you can do in the warmth and comfort of your living room.
FEEL & LOOK GOOD
YINKA EBO
WE WANT TO BREAK THOUGH
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month – a disease that claims the lives of 1,000 women each month in the UK alone. The Best You chatted with Yinka Ebo, the Health Information Lead at Breakthrough Breast Cancer to find out more. What is Breakthrough? Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UK’s leading breast cancer research charity. We are determined to stop breast cancer from taking the women we love. Our cutting-edge research is focused entirely on breast cancer. We’re discovering how to prevent it, how to detect it earlier, and how to treat it more effectively. We’re taking on breast cancer at every stage and for every woman, learning how to control and outwit the disease so that, one day, we can stop it from taking lives.
How common is breast cancer? Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. One in eight women will face it. Although more women are surviving breast cancer, sadly this month alone, 1,000 women will lose their lives to the disease.
No one knows your body better than you, and everyone will have their own way of checking their breasts
What are the early signs? Most women know that a lump is a sign of breast cancer but there are other signs and symptoms to look out for as well. At Breakthrough we believe that it’s as simple as Touch, Look, Check (TLC). These include changes to the size and shape of your breast, changes in
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skin texture, colour, nipple appearance or discharge. Breakthrough has produced a pocket-sized TLC guide – small and portable – which serves as a handy reminder to women to be breast aware. Being breast aware simply means knowing what your breasts normally look and feel like, being on the lookout for any unusual changes and getting them checked out by your doctor. For more information and to download a free TLC guide visit www.breakthrough.org.uk.
How often should women check their breasts? The earlier breast cancer is found, the better the chance of beating it. That’s why it’s so important to get to know what’s normal for you so it will be easier to spot any unusual changes. No one knows your body better than you, and everyone will have their own way of checking their breasts – there’s no special technique and you don’t need any training. You may normally feel breast tissue changes or pain before or during your periods. This is why it’s important to check your breasts regularly so you get to know how they look and feel at different times of the month and can notice any changes.
How often should you be invited for a mammogram? You should be invited to attend a breast-screening appointment every three years.
YINKA EBO
FEEL & LOOK GOOD
When should you expect to be invited for mammograms (age)? Because the programme is a rolling one, which invites women from GP practices in turn, not every woman receives an invitation as soon as she is 50. But she will receive her first invitation before her 53rd birthday. Once women reach the upper age limit (70) for routine invitations for breast screening, they are still eligible for free screening, but they won’t be automatically invited, so they just need to make their own appointment.
Mammogram screenings through the NHS only start at age 50. Isn’t this a bit late? Breast cancer is more common in older women. 4 out of 5 cases of the disease occur in women over 50. That’s why screening starts at this age. It’s also important to note that the breast tissue of younger women – those who haven’t yet gone through the menopause – is much denser than older women as the tissue turns to fat after menopause. This means the process of mammography is less effective in these younger women, as it’s harder to see areas of concern on the images. Breast screening isn’t the only way to spot breast cancer early. It’s really important for all women to be breast aware and get any unusual changes to the size, shape or feel of their breasts checked out by a doctor.
Can men get breast cancer? Is it common? Around 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK, but it is rare compared to around 50,000 women every year.
What are the best ways to prevent breast cancer? Our dedicated team of researchers are tirelessly working to find the answer to this question and, though we don’t yet have a complete answer to that question, we are learning more and more each day about why some women develop breast cancer and others don’t. There is no one single cause of breast cancer – it is caused by a combination of our genes, our lifestyles and life choices, and things in our surrounding environment. The good news is that there are steps that all women can take to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer. For example, just 30 minutes of daily physical activity can reduce breast cancer risk by up to 20%. Limiting how much alcohol you drink and maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce breast cancer risk too.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. One in eight women will face it.
breast aware. It can be downloaded for free from iBreastCheck.com, so tell all your friends and family how important it is to be breast aware.
How can people contribute to your cause? There are lots of ways! You can get ideas and sign up for UK-wide challenges and events via our website, or, if you would prefer to donate via direct debit, you can do that too. This year, we’re on a mission to raise as much money as possible to help fight breast cancer, and the next big fundraising campaign we are running for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the Breakthrough Bake Off. Taking part couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is gather friends, family and colleagues to share some home-baked goodies and raise some cash. This year’s Bake Off day is on October 17th, but you can hold a Breakthrough Bake Off anytime, anywhere. Just visit our website to sign up and get your free fundraising pack. b
Breast cancer has already taken too many lives. It's time to put an end to it. Will you help us stop breast cancer for good? To get involved visit www.breakthrough.org.uk
What can people do to raise awareness of breast cancer? We have developed a mobile app called iBreastCheck, which provides all of our TLC information and is designed to educate women on everything they need to know to be
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FEEL & LOOK GOOD
KELI ROBERTS
WINTER WONDER-WORKOUT When the weather gets cold, it is easy to let inertia set in and to blow off your workouts. Problem solved! Keli Roberts’ super effective, fun winter-wonder-workout is guaranteed to break the cycle and energize your body, mind and spirit.
A
The only equipment you need is a set of dumbbells. You will train your whole body with big-bang exercises to strengthen and shape your muscles and combine those movements with high-intensity cardio blasts that will stimulate your resting metabolism so you torch calories and melt body fat. This progressive workout offers 20-, 40- or 50-minute workouts that begin with a low-impact, strengthonly program and ramp up to a super-high-intensity calorie-torching, advanced workout. You’ll start with a 20-minute workout. Once you’ve mastered the moves and laid down a strength foundation, you’ll be ready to increase your intensity and do more sets, so, by week three or four, you’ll be adding another set. Within six to nine weeks, you’ll be ready for some real hard work, and you’ll add a third set as well as the calorie-torching cardio for a total body strength and cardio metabolic blast. During the first foundational weeks of training, mastering technique is critical. Once you reach the second phase of training, you may also be ready to increase the weight of your dumbbells. If you can get through the recommended exercise time easily, it’s time to up the ante and go heavier for some real strength gains. Don’t be afraid: even if your goal is merely to ‘tone up’, heavier dumbbells will speed up your results. It’s always good to keep in mind that a strong muscle has good muscle tone.
Here’s how it works:
Beginner workout: • • • • • • •
Two to three times per week, non-consecutive days Perform a five-minute warm-up (described below) before you start Do all of the exercises in the order they are written, omitting the cardio blast Do all of the exercises in each series before continuing on to the next series Do each exercise for 45 seconds with a 15-second recovery period between sets Finish with five minutes of stretching Do this for two to three weeks
Intermediate workout: • • • • • • • •
Two to three days per week, non-consecutive days Perform a five-minute warm-up before you start Do all of the exercises in the order they are written, omitting the cardio blast Do all of the exercises in each series before continuing on to the next series Do each exercise for 60 seconds with a 15- second recovery period between sets Repeat all the exercises for a second set Finish with five minutes of stretching Do this for two to three weeks
Advanced workout: • • • • • • • •
Two to three days per week, non-consecutive days Perform a five-minute warm up before you start Do all of the exercises in the order they are written, including the cardio blast. Do all of the exercises in each series before continuing on to the next series Do each exercise for 60 seconds with a 10-15-second recovery period between sets Repeat all exercises for a second and third set Finish with five minutes of stretching Do this for two to three weeks
SERIES NUMBER
LOWER BODY
UPPER BODY
CARDIO BLAST
Series 1
DB squat
Bent-over row
Jump squat
Series 2
Lateral lunge
Scorpion press-up
Burpie
Series 3
Sumo squat
Push press
Speed skater
Series 4
Crossover lunge
Curl-press-lateral raise
Mogul skier
Series 5
Deadlift
Single-arm row
Jump switch lunge 1
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KELI ROBERTS Tip: Don’t forget the rocking playlist
FEEL & LOOK GOOD Series one
Warm up:
DB Front Squat
Perform the following movements for 60 seconds each, keeping movements free flowing and dynamic: 1. Squats 2 Jogging on the spot 3. Spinal rotation 4. Front lunges and side lunges 5. Arm circles and side-to-side swings
Set up: Stand with your feet shoulder distance apart, toes forward, holding dumbbells in front of your shoulders. Look forward with your chest open and your core engaged.
Bent-over row Set up: Stand in a staggered lunge stance with your right foot forward and your left foot back, holding a dumbbell in your right hand. Hinge forward at the hip, to bring your torso parallel to the floor while maintaining a lengthened spinal position.
Action: Bend hips and knees, lowering into a squat as you inhale. Keep your weight more towards your heels. Exhale and drive hips up to a standing position.
Action: Reach your right hand towards the inside of your left ankle, fully extending the elbow as you inhale. Allow the shoulder blade to open away from the spine Exhale and pull the elbow past the ribs, bringing the hand to the lowest rib while squeezing the shoulder blade towards the spine.
Jump Squat Set up: Stand tall with your feet shoulder-distance apart and your core engaged Action: Lower your body into a squat and swing your arms low towards the floor. Jump up and drive your hands forward and up. Land by absorbing the impact with the hips, knees and ankles bending.
Series two Lateral Lunge Set up: Stand upright holding dumbbells in each hand with your feet together, chest lifted, eyes forward, and your core engaged. Action: Take a large step to the right, keeping your toes facing forward (parallel) and bend at the hips and knees. Drive your hips back behind your and reach both hands towards either side of your ankles.
Scorpion press-up Set up: In a high plank position (or on knees if you prefer), hands directly under the shoulders, core fully engaged. Action: Perform a press-up by lowering your chest between your hands until it almost touches the floor. Then, from a full plank, raise your right leg up and cross it behind you, till your hands are on the floor and your feet are on the floor, crossed behind. Raise your right hand up off the floor into a side plank stretch. Hold! Place hand back on the floor, uncross legs to full plank and do a full or a modified pushup
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FEEL & LOOK GOOD KELI ROBERTS Burpie Set up: Stand upright with feet slightly wider than shoulder distance, with your toes forward, eyes forward, and core engaged. Action: Squat down and place hands on the floor in front of you shoulder-distance apart. Jump feet back into a plank. Fully engage the core. Jump feet back into a squat, jump up and reach overhead.
Series three Sumo Squat Set up: Stand upright with your chest open, core engaged holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your hips, in a wide stance with feet at 10 and 2 (if you were standing on the face of a clock). Action: Squat down, bending knees and drive the hips back behind the feet. Keep knees aligned with feet. Press through your heels and stand to start position.
Push press Set up: Stand upright with your chest open and core engaged, holding the dumbbells in front of your shoulders. Your feet should be shoulder-distance apart with your toes forward. Action: Perform a quarter squat, dropping your hips back. Maintaining a lengthened spine, push up through the legs to the upright position while simultaneously extending your arms overhead. Keep your palms facing inwards.
Speed skater Set up: Stand with your hips lowered, with your left leg crossed behind your right, arms in an athletic position. Action: Leap off your right leg directly sideways. Land softly on your left leg, cross your right leg behind with hips lowered. Repeat this side-to-side motion, aiming for width.
Series four Crossover lunge Set up: Stand upright with your chest open and your core engaged holding dumbbells by your side. Action: Step your right leg back and across your left leg, sinking your hips by bending both knees. Allow your torso to lean forward while maintaining a lengthened spine and engaged core. Press up from your left leg to repeat on other side.
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KELI ROBERTS
FEEL & LOOK GOOD Curl-press-lateral raise
Set up: Stand upright with your chest open and your core engaged with your feet shoulde-width apart. Holding the dumbbells with your palms facing inwards. Action: Flex your elbows and bring your hands to your shoulders (palms facing each other), press the dumbbells overhead (palms of the hands facing each other). Return along the same path: elbows bend, hands to shoulders, elbows extend, hands to sides. Raise arms to side at shoulder height, lower to sides. Repeat curling and pressing motion.
Mogul skier Set up: Like skiing moguls. Stand with feet together and hands holding imaginary ski poles, with the upper body twisting away from the feet. Action: Jump up and twist the lower body away from the upper body. Alternate the jumps, side-to-side
Series five Deadlift Set up: Stand upright, chest open with your core engaged and your feet together, knees soft. Hold the dumbbells at your side
Single-arm row
Action: Flex at the hips bending torso forward allowing arms to reach towards the floor. Think of shining your ‘tail lights’ up the back wall. Pause at the bottom of the movement when you feel a slight hamstring stretch. Avoid any kind of rounding of the back and fully engage your core. Stand back up to start position.
Set up: Stand in a staggered lunge stance with your right leg bent, left leg extended, and one hand resting on your right leg to support your back. Hold a dumbbell in the left hand, hanging directly under the shoulder. Action: Draw your shoulder blade towards your spine to initiate the pull. Drive your elbow up past your ribs, continuing to squeeze your shoulder blade towards the spine. Slowly lower the arm back down, releasing the shoulder blade last. Do ½ allotted time on one side then switch
Jump switch lunge Set up: Stand in a staggered lunge stance with your knees bent and your hips low with the opposite arm forward and your body upright. Action: Jump up and switch legs/arms mid-air to land with the other leg forward. Absorb impact by bending both knees and sinking the hips. Keep alternating.
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FEEL & LOOK GOOD SAMANTHA BELL
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ANGELA STEEL
FEEL & LOOK GOOD
TOP FIVE SUPER FOODS In the words of Gandhi, “It is health that is wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” The foods you choose to eat are the greatest contributors to this bank balance. Here are four of Angela Steel’s favourite convenient and nutrient-rich super foods that will tip the balance in your favour. Pumpkin seeds Taste and convenience alone make pumpkin seeds a
super food in my view – they are so easy to sprinkle onto salad and soup, and delicious lightly toasted in a dry frying pan – no more than 5 minutes at medium heat so as not to damage their omega 3 and 6 contents. These healthy fats, as well as their generous concentration in vitamin E and Zinc, make them a perfect food for your skin. Of all the nuts and seeds, pumpkin seeds are one of the highest in phytosterols – a naturally occurring compound with cholesterol-lowering properties.
Red cabbage I’m a recent convert to red cabbage, having unjustly spurned it in the past. I just keep one in the fridge and slice off chunks that I eat raw as a snack or chop into my salads. The purply red colour and incredibly fresh, crisp texture make this a particularly attractive member of the Brassica genus of vegetables (which includes broccoli and cauliflower too). Brassica contain compounds called indoles, which are known for deactivating carcinogens. No wonder they have a reputation for dramatically reducing the risk of cancer! The red variety will also give you a healthy dose of anthocyanins, the same plant pigment molecules that make blueberries blue. Avocado So many people are afraid of avocados because they believe them
to be fattening. And yet the fats contained in this super food are the healthy monounsaturated fats, which have been linked to a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Among them are so called phytosterols, which have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. This unique and creamy-textured wonder food contains a myriad of other nutrients including lutein – an antioxidant linked to eye and skin health – folate, vitamin E, and high levels of fibre, making them an ideal ingredient to boost your smoothie’s nutritious credentials.
Beetroot Clients often ask about foods to help reduce high blood pressure,
and beetroots are highest on my list. They are rich in nitrates, which get converted into nitric oxide in the body, a chemical known to dilate the arteries and bring down blood pressure. For the same reason, beetroot has been linked to increased blood flow to the brain, and possible dementia-preventing properties. Their deep red pigment, found also in small amounts in the stems of rainbow chard, signals a rich concentration of betalains, a phytonutrient with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification properties.
Dark chocolate Cocoa-rich chocolate (as long as it’s low in sugar – check
the label) has many health benefits. Studies have found it helps prevent cardiovascular disease and strokes by reducing the clumping of platelets, which cause blood to clot. Recent research linking it to the cutting-edge field of ‘gut microbiome’ is particularly fascinating. Our gut bacteria are the interface between the food we eat and what our body takes from it, and it appears they love to feast on the components in dark chocolate (who would blame them?), turning them into powerful anti-inflammatory compounds.
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WEALTH & RICHES MICHAEL JACOBSEN
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THE BEST
YOU
Wealth [n] “happiness,” also “prosperity in abundance of possessions or riches” from Middle English “wele”, meaning “wellbeing”. Riches [n] “valued possessions, money, property." Make money and bring greater wealth to EVERY area of your life.
Life Without Limits
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TOP 7 CREATIVE BUSINESS MISTAKES Being a creative entrepreneur is tough. Sophie Andrews addresses some of the concerns business owners should see to before they become problems
CAPTAIN AND CREW erry Robert says that you are the captain of your ship. It’s time to G whip your crew into shapet
DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE Is property always a safe investment? Vincent Wong from Wealth Dragons answers a few frequently asked questions
WEALTH & RICHES SOPHIE ANDREWS
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SOPHIE ANDREWS
WEALTH & RICHES
TOP 7
MISTAKES MADE BY CREATIVE BUSINESSES Often, the most creative people lack the business smarts they need to make their dreams a reality. Nobody need roll over and accept failure, though. Sophie Andrews, author of The Creative Collection, looks at some of the most common business mistakes that creatives make.
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reative entrepreneurs often enter the marketplace ill prepared to deal with the business challenges they will encounter therein. The combination of fierce competition in creative markets and global financial insecurity has made it harder than ever to bridge the gap between inspiration and success without some degree of business acumen. Here’s the rub: though there are exceptions, creative business owners by and large enter the world of business without business-specific training – a creative with an M.B.A. is about as common as a leader of industry with a fine arts degree. This leads many creative entrepreneurs to enter the market armed with either generic business advice or a trial-and-error approach that, more often than not, means that the business stumbles on shaky legs rather than striding confidently abreast of its competitors.
What follows is a list of the seven mistakes that creative entrepreneurs most often make. Some of these apply to the earliest stages of business development and growth, but there are others that can dog creative businesses and their owners for years or longer if left unaddressed. In my book, The Creative Collection, I address in more detailed ways the specific habits that stand between creative entrepreneurs and success; this list complements the detail-oriented approach of the book; here, I focus on the mindset issues that are most often responsible for the bad business habits I encounter most frequently. . If reading this list feels like looking in the mirror, a mindset overhaul might be in order.
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
The combination of fierce competition in creative markets and global financial insecurity has made it harder than ever to bridge the gap between inspiration and success.
Turn a blind eye to issues (financial or otherwise) within your creative business at your own peril. Countless creatives have come to me with a laundry list of issues that, left ignored or unaddressed, have brought their businesses within a hair’s breadth of collapse. For many creatives, the end goal of going into business is the time, space, and financial independence they need to do what they do best: create. Too many creative entrepreneurs either sidestep or ignore staffing or financial issues when they are in their solvable stages. Whether you’re dealing with cash flow issues, an unproductive or counter-productive staff member, a problem client, or a dwindling or shifting market for your product or service, sensory deprivation only means that you’ll be further behind the eight ball when necessity demands a response. Few people like confrontation (least of all those who are being confronted), but seeing nothing, hearing nothing, and saying nothing tends to be a shortcut to nowhere.
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WEALTH & RICHES SOPHIE ANDREWS Undervaluing your work Creative entrepreneurs often find their work deeply rewarding or fulfilling in ways that more traditional business owners do not. This can lead them to place a value on their productions incommensurate with what the market expects or will bear. It is undoubtedly true that, rather than financial rewards, a great many creatives prefer to be recognised for their achievements. Before putting your desire for acknowledgement ahead of your financial needs or desires, ask yourself if you’re not creating a false dichotomy. Prosperity and artistic integrity don’t have to be at odds with each other. At the heart of this issue is an attitude towards prosperity that many creatives struggle with. Intent focus on the bottom line has been – due in large part to the popular image of the struggling (not to say starving) artist – widely misunderstood as a form of ‘selling out’. It seems as though anti-capitalist dogmas have been taken in like mother’s milk in the liberal arts colleges where so many creatives receive their training. If you’re going into business, it’s a good idea to take a long, hard look at your attitudes towards wealth. Don’t sacrifice your financial security on the altar of your artistic integrity.
Inflexibility Creatives often view their business and financial matters as diametrically opposed to their creative efforts. Creativity is, by its very nature, flexible; it moves forward and backward in time and constantly rewrites its own rules. When planning for current or future business issues, too many creatives attempt to put a full stop at the end of what should always be an unfinished sentence, expecting business to flow in dependable ways through predictable channels. More rigid strategies are, indeed, more common in financial matters than they are in creative ones, but don’t drive your stakes too far into the ground. When market conditions change, don’t be unwilling to adjust your approach to new data. Whenever and wherever possible, make sure that you’ve got the wiggle room you need.
Dreaming too big There’s a Les Brown quote that has
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been making the rounds in business and self-help literature for decades: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars!” While there are countless examples of business owners who aim for the moon or the stars and hit their targets, this kind of baseless optimism can be catastrophic for entrepreneurs if it is not tethered to strong, reality-based financial foundations. Align your goals with what is possible given your resources and risk profile. Not every business plan is a good one, not every risk is worth taking, and not all advice is good advice. Be sure to surround yourself with people who inspire and uplift you, but critical listening skills are a must. Shrewd entrepreneurs are often those who have learned to distinguish puffery from insight. The highly competitive nature of creative industries means that the margin for error is thin, but this doesn’t mean that spectacular success is out of reach. By all means, dream big, but, whenever possible, sleep with one eye open.
Dreaming too small There aren’t as many quotes that will tell you to be more realistic (not to say pessimistic) in your aspirations, but the advice so many creatives get from well-intentioned family and friends often reinforces the belief that only a handful of shooting stars actually make a living in creative industries. Such limiting beliefs often dog creative entrepreneurs for their entire careers, making them success shy – prone to collapsing under pressure or refusing to swim out to the deep end of the competition pool. Be realistic, but don’t let naysayers or negative self-talk keep you from pursuing your dreams. Planting your feet on solid ground doesn’t mean you have to be mired in the muck; on the contrary, terra firma is springier than you think. The trick is to be at once grounded and ambitious. The one thing that separates world-beating creative industry leaders from the pack is their ability to see things as they are while, at the same time, driving themselves and those around them to be bigger and
SOPHIE ANDREWS
better. Setting the bar at a reachable level is definitely good advice, but every time you clear the bar, set it higher than it was before.
Going it alone Creative businesses often lean heavily or entirely on a single person’s vision or talent. Too many creative entrepreneurs see hiring and outsourcing as a last resort. While some inspired individuals – particularly photographers, musicians, and artists – are able to make a name for themselves on their own, a great many successful creatives have a number of dedicated professionals to thank for the success (managers, agents, marketing professionals, and the like). The important thing is to know when you’ve reached the limit of your expertise. Whenever possible, surround yourself with individuals who are like-mind – but not necessarily like you. As soon as your means allow for it, assemble a team of professionals whose expertise complements your own. Don’t limit your thinking to business partners or staff members; surrounding yourself with the right people also means getting the right advice from outside of the organisation. This can mean a mentor, a business coach, a board of advisors, or even a good bookkeeper or accountant.
Not listening to your market/ customers Perhaps you have a single-minded vision for the future of your field or industry. Perhaps you feel that your creative project answers in some way a question that the market has been asking for a long time. You may very well be right, but your gut isn’t an infallible resource. Especially in the early
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stages of a creative venture, be sure to listen to market and customer feedback. To create a perceived or actual need for your product or service depends on a combination of timing and positioning. If your customers or the market at large are unreceptive or critical of your contribution, go back to the drawing board and refine or repackage your idea. Forcing a square peg into a round hole is a fool’s errand. None of the problems I have listed above are irremediable. This does not, however, diminish their seriousness. If you ardently desire the life of a successful entrepreneur – and all that comes with such success – make absolutely sure that you’re not standing in your own way. Whether you’re dreaming too big or too small, refusing to bend or bending too much, listening too closely or not enough to those around you, the solution begins with learning to recognise the relationship between deep-seated mindset snarls and the more superficial business problems that you are struggling with. The roots of these snarls can penetrate deep, often to the very foundations of our psyche. Anybody who says that all you need to pull them out – roots and all – is one good yank is almost certainly selling you something. The key to a successful mindset overhaul is not to try to rewrite your programming as on a blank slate; such a quixotic project rarely, if ever, produces the hoped-for results. More manageable by far is learning first to diagnose, second to understand, and only then to work to remove the mindset barriers that are standing between you and your entrepreneurial potential. Uniquely creative minds demand uniquely creative solutions, and the mindset issues that plague creative entrepreneurs are no exception to this rule. Knowing where to start, though, is half the battle. b
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GERRY ROBERT
CAPTAIN AND CREW
WEALTH & RICHES
Do you want something that is seemingly beyond your grasp? The Law of Attraction states that focussing your energy on your heart’s desires will help you to manifest them. Gerry Robert has some top tips on being the captain of your subconscious.
This simple tool could very well be the thing that turns your life around. In various forms, it has been used for centuries to alter people’s lives and what is attracted to them. Think big. See Gerry’s book, The Millionaire Mindset Here’s how to use this tool:
1. Write out your Heart’s Desire. Make a list of whatever your heart desires. Don’t worry about whether or not you can afford it, know how to get it or any other obstacle – just list what you want. What would you like to have, do or be? Write everything in the present tense, as if you already were in possession of the good you desire. Write out all your desires for each area of life (emotional, spiritual, vocational, physical, relationships, travel, material). Be balanced. Write it all.
2. Write it out in your own handwriting. We think in pictures. This exercise involves causing you to think about wonderful images of what you earnestly desire. Don’t fret about the how; your job is simply to hold the image. It must be written in your handwriting. Don’t photocopy it.
3. Start each day by rewriting your Heart’s Desire. Use a new sheet each day. You need to convince your crew (your subconscious mind) that you seriously desire these things. They will interpret them as a command from you (the captain). They will respond with the only word they know, “Yes”, and they will go to work producing those images in your life by the Law of Attraction. Remember what Bob Proctor said: “The mind is a powerful magnet and as such attracts whatever corresponds to its ruling state.”
4. Carry your Heart’s Desire with you at all times. Men should reserve their front right pant pocket for carrying this list. Nothing else should ever go into that pocket and you should always carry it with you. Always! Ladies should find a similar place to keep the sheet. The location should never change. It should be loose and not amongst a bunch of other items (wallets etc.) You want to touch it several times a day, so what you have written on it will pop on the screen of your mind frequently throughout the day. The more you do that, the more you will attract those images into your life. Throw the old ones out if you want to, but be sure to keep the sheets once you have attained a particular item on it. That will be a good reminder for you.
5. Identify your A1 Goal. What is the one goal from the list that stands out as the most important or the one you are most passionate about? Once you have folded the sheet to fit in your pocket, write your A1 goal on the outside of the sheet. This will further focus you.
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WEALTH & RICHES VINCENT WONG
DON’T BELIEVE THE
Internationally acclaimed property expert and Wealth Dragons Co-Founder Vincent Wong looks at why property is a sound investment in any market and shares his views on why investing in bricks and mortar will always be as SAFE AS HOUSES.
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rowsing through one of the daily British red tops recently, three different headlines screamed out different messages. Right on the same page, the first article told readers that millions (of Brits) are on the brink of a home crisis; the second reported that Summer 2014 led to a house market price bounce, and the third suggested that suspending Stamp Duty will boost the housing market. Conflicting information like this inevitably confuses the public. And when we, Joe Public, are confused, we tend towards that tried and tested strategy: sitting on our collective hands. As a professional property investor who has invested in many properties during economic highs and lows alike, I know that, with the right education and knowledge to hand, we can all invest in property. I have taught thousands of people the world over these very same skills and strategies. It isn’t rocket science, but it helps to have some guidelines. Here are a few top tips to get you started:
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VINCENT WONG
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Starting point – First off, consider your investment and training options. While you won’t become a property millionaire overnight, do your homework and find the right training or training programmes for you
Action – Don’t just sit still once you have attended an initial seminar or read a few books – consistently push forward
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Funding – Understand your credit scoring and understand how the system works and also that sometimes you don’t need any ‘money’ to secure a legal property deal
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Education – Education is key within this process. Do not simply rely on Google searches and then think you can go out and make a million. Many of the professionals you meet along can help you avoid the situations you should avoid based on their own experience.
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WEALTH & RICHES
Homework – Doing your homework is 100% key to securing any property deal. Make sure you research different geographical areas, current sales and rental information and where any future development is taking place (urban regeneration for example). Other People – ensure you have the right power team around you in relation to your property investment business. Through your professional training, you will network with and meet many like-minded people who can help you on your way. There is no ‘I’ in property.
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U-turns – Don’t be afraid of U-turns. Investing the professional way means that there is also flexibility tailored into your strategies and deals to allow for market dips and dunks. Flexibility means knowing when to grit your teeth and weather the storm and when to run for cover
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Stock market – It is a well-known fact that some of the greatest millionaires are borne out of a recession. Do not be fearful of macro backdrops (either Bull or Bear) or interest rate hikes – there is always a solution when you learn how to invest from industry experts
Advice – Make sure you have a good lawyer and accountant on board to help you set up and close deals – a lawyer can also help you create a solid business structure. They’re absolutely essential when it comes time to deal with Inheritance Tax and all matters linked to legacy and gifting in relation to your family.
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Smile – Enjoy what you do. If you love what you do, this comes across and people will want to be a part of your success!
Strategy – With your education and knowledge, what investment strategy is right for you? Lease Options? HMO? BTL? Commercial? Where are you going to invest? Are you looking for monthly positive cash flow, or can you wait some years to recoup your initial outlay?
Evaluate – Regularly evaluate your portfolio and consider what is working or no longer performing – let emotional attachment to property cloud your judgment.
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If you look at any of the world’s most successful business moguls such as Donald Trump or Warren Buffett, they couldn’t have achieved such wealth relying on interest in the bank alone: property portfolios are key to maximising business assets. And while some experts believe that a property will double in value over seven years, all that matters is that you start somewhere and do it right. It is only through intelligent and strategic planning that your investments will truly be as SAFE AS HOUSES. b
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WEALTH & RICHES
THE ROCKY ROAD TO SUCCESS
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES
CHERYL COLE
ALL THE RIGHT MOVES
A LOVE FOR LIVING LOUD
I hope I can help remove any stigma attached to bipolar disorder"
I've always found it easier to be strong for other people than for myself.”
In 1969, Catherine Zeta-Jones was born to Welsh and Irish parents in Swansea, Wales. She began performing from a very young age for friends and family whenever she could, at the same time catching on with a local dance company. Zeta-Jones spent many of the formative years of her career honing her skills in the theatre, a more physical method that would later help her to stand out in key film roles (also aiding in this process was the fact that her brother was a Hollywood stuntman). She briefly entertained the notion of a music career before devoting herself fully to the pursuit of film roles. It was her turn as the female lead in The Mask of Zorro that thrust Zeta-Jones into the spotlight. While her career was taking off, however, she began to struggle with bipolar II disorder. Never one to stay subdued, Zeta-Jones’s big personality would take hold and help her speak openly and honestly about her issues, paving the way for her to begin proactive treatment. Zeta-Jones’s husband, legendary actor Michael Douglas, was a constant support system throughout her treatment, supplying her with positive reinforcement and motivation to continue her stellar career and also to help bring awareness to those whose lives are affected by bipolar disorder.
Growing up in Newcastle upon Tyne, Cheryl Cole seemed to know she would become a breakout star. As the fourth of five children, she had to work hard to break out and get attention, even in her own family. Cole was featured in small, local ads as a child, but it was her love for dancing and singing that would provide the passion she needed to reach for a professional career. Buoyed by consistent modelling work, the then teenaged Cole also began to appear on television dance shows around the UK. It was following her parents’ separation when she was just 11 years old that Cole ramped up her career focus. The hugely popular Popstars: The Rivals was the platform that, in 2002, provided Cole with her true breakthrough moment with the girl group Girls Aloud. Following several successful albums and singles, Cole was recruited by Simon Cowell to become a judge on The X Factor. In 2011, Cole became familiar to American audiences when she appeared on the U.S. version of The X Factor. While she was busy building a successful television career, Cole was simultaneously cultivating a stellar solo singing career. Cheryl Cole has become one of the UK’s most famous celebrities, putting together a multifaceted career that won’t soon be replicated.
• “BIPOLAR DISORDER IS VERY COMMON, BUT IT OFTEN GOES UNTREATED. IT’S REALLY INSPIRATIONAL WHEN A STAR LIKE ZETA-JONES SPEAKS OUT ABOUT IT, ENCOURAGING OTHER SUFFERERS TO ASK FOR HELP.”
• "COMING FROM A BIG FAMILY OFTEN MAKES IT HARD TO GET INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION. CHERYL COLE’S STAR QUALITY SHONE THROUGH, AND SHE HAS BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POND.”
– BERNARDO MOYA
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– BERNARDO MOYA
THE ROCKY ROAD TO SUCCESS
WEALTH & RICHES
HARRIS ROSEN
SAMUEL L. JACKSON
SELF-MADE SATISFACTION
THE WAY UP
Bigger chains have so much on their plates, whereas I can walk around and talk to people.”
If you have an opportunity to use your voice, you should use it.”
Harris Rosen came up on the scrappy Lower East Side of New York City in the 1940s. The attitude and mentality he cultivated there is one he would later use to build his empire. Rosen heard his true calling at a young age, when his father created sketches of famous personalities for New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. He would come back to work at the famed hotel years later as a salesman before hopping to other noted properties such as the Hilton and the New Yorker Hotel. Following a stint as Director of Hotel Planning at the Walt Disney Company, Rosen made the incredibly risky decision to purchase a bankrupt and rundown Quality Inn in Orlando, Florida. Within two years he added another hotel to his ownership portfolio. This second purchase signalled the rise of Rosen Hotels and Resorts, Rosen’s hotel and hospitality company that today is valued at more than half a billion dollars. He has seen fit to give back some of his good fortune, donating $25 million in 2004 to found the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Rosen has said that when his grandfather immigrated to America from Russia in the early 1900s, he expected to find gold in the streets. His grandfather didn’t find gold, but Harris Rosen found a way to turn a small, fledgling hotel into his own golden reality.
Samuel Leroy Jackson was born far from the bright lights of Hollywood. Growing up in Chattanooga, Tennessee without a father was a trying existence for Jackson and his mother. While his mother worked full time, Jackson’s grandparents also helped to raise him, providing stability and setting him on a course to attend Morehouse College, where he would ultimately switch his major from Marine Biology to Drama, a move that would alter the course of his later life. While in college, Jackson became heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, participating in campus activism that led to his joining the burgeoning Black Power movement. Wisely steering clear of the armed confrontations of that group, Jackson eventually moved to New York, where he worked as a stage actor. It was during this period that he developed a dangerous addiction to alcohol and cocaine. After a handful of small but memorable film and TV roles, Jackson had his breakout performance in 1994 in Tarantino’s instant classic, Pulp Fiction. It was his massive appeal and instant star power that turned Samuel L. Jackson into one of the most revered and recognised movie stars of all time. From there, he went on to notch roles in such films as A Time to Kill, the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and most recently as Nick Fury in several hugely successful Marvel movies, including Iron Man, Captain America and The Avengers Assemble.
• "HARRIS ROSEN IS PROOF THAT IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU COME FROM. IF YOU WORK HARD, AND MAKE WISE DECISIONS, YOU CAN BE A SUCCESS. IT’S GREAT THAT HE’S BEEN ABLE TO USE HIS WEALTH AND POWER TO GIVE BACK.”
• “OFTEN WHEN PEOPLE FROM HUMBLE BACKGROUNDS FIND FAME AND FORTUNE , THEY FALL OFF THE RAILS A BIT. THIS HAPPENED TO JACKSON, BUT HE FOUND THE STRENGTH TO OVERCOME, AND HE WENT ON TO BECOME THE BIGGEST BADASS IN HOLLYWOOD.”
– BERNARDO MOYA
– BERNARDO MOYA
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THE BEST YOU DIRECTORY The Best Professionals in Personal Development
UNITED KINGDOM
SPORTS THERAPISTS AND NUTRITIONISTS
Dr Stephen Simpson NLP, Hypnotherapy, and Havening Email: doc@drstephensimpson.com Website: www.drstephensimpson.com clients include leading names from the world of sport, business, and the entertainment industries.
Shayna Schulman Attitude adjuster and flexibility enhancer Email: Shayna.s@virgin.net Phone: +44 (0) 208 960 7715 Licensed trainer, coaching, consulting, yoga, nutrition
NLP TRAINERS Tina Taylor: Licensed Master Trainer and Practitioner Email: kay@the-me-group.com Phone: +44 (0) 7946 351640 Website: tina@tina-taylor.com Tina’s experience allows her to create and provide some very unique coaching services from stopping addictions to pregnancy and pain control.
Ulrika Shaw: Thrive consultant and hypnotherapist Email: enquiry@shawmind.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)7810 556029 Website: www.shawmind.co.uk Are you suffering from anxieties or depression? Maybe you’re struggling with bad habits such as overeating or smoking? I help people overcome anything that holds them back!
Geoff Rolls: Corporate Coach and Kinesiologist Email: geoff@geoffrolls.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)7905 056 513 Website: www.geoffrolls.co.uk Learning and development, NLP Trainer, TFH Kinesiology Instructor
June O’Driscoll: Exec Coach, Business Coach, Trainer Email: june@thoughtitude.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)7876 657 8055 Website: www.thoughtitude.co.uk NLP, Coaching and Hypnotherapy Training School and Consultancy
LIFE COACHES Dr Andrew A Parsons Mindfulness, Resilience and Finding Clear Purpose Email: aaparsons@reciprocalminds.com Phone: +44 (0)7854 029 268 Support people, build awareness and make changes for success
Dustin Vice Personal and Business Development Coaching Email: dustin@alliancecoachingsystem.com Website: www.alliancecoachingsystem.com Professional Coaching, Coaching Business system for professional coaches
Gail Cherry: Torchlight Coaching Email: gail@torchlightcoaching.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)1143 489 161 Website: www.torchlightcoaching.co.uk Helping people with their personal and professional development. We work together to be the best you.
Ruth Hepworth: Life Coach Email: ruth.hepworth@ntlworld.com Phone: +44 (0)1252 655 849
Those Life Consultant Guys: Coaching, Seminars. Business, goal setting and more. Website: www.thoselifeconsultantguys.com A coaching company who pride ourselves in helping you live your best life; every day, through one on one sessions and seminar programmes.
Nick Nanton Career and Life Coaching, Consultancy and Public Speaking Website: www.nicknanton.com Phone: (407) 215-7737 Recognised as one of the top thought-leaders in the business world
Edson Williams: Life Coaching Email: edson@leadbyexample.com Phone: +44(0)7867517777 Website: www.leadbyexample.com Specialising in leadership development and sport coaching
David Owen: Life Coach & NLP Trainer Email: bestyou@excel-yourself.com Phone: 07900 243494 Website: www.excel-yourself.com Stop smoking, slimming, phobias, relationships, stress, confidence, self-esteem.
THE BEST YOU DIRECTORY The Best Professionals in Personal Development
PHOBIA SPECIALISTS John Vincent Public speaking without fear Email: John@JohnVincent.tv Phone: +44 (0)7808 545 421 Website: www.johnvincent.tv
Paul Wright Phobias, Anxieties, Panic Attacks Email: paul@phobiagone.com Phone: +44 (0)203 086 8444 Website: www.phobiagone.com
NLP THERAPISTS / HYPNOTHERAPISTS Linda Cameron and Gail Walshe Inspire For Impact Email: say-hello@inspireforimpact.com Phone: +44 (0)845 601 7567 Website: www.inspireforimpact.com NLP Trainers, NLP Master Practitioners, NLP Life Coaches, Hypnotherapists
Debbie Williams Birmingham NLP Practice Group Website: www.debbiewilliams.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)121 241 0728 Life coaching, public speaking, sports coaching, all eating disorders, emotional mastery, OCD, stopping blushing, cocaine addiction, binge drinking.
Edson Williams Coaching, NLP, Personal Development Email: say-hello@inspireforimpact.com Phone: +44 (0) 7867517777 Website: www.leadbyexample.com With a holistic approach Edson is specialized in performance coaching
Laura Spicer: Public speaking skills and confidence Email: laura.spicer@gmail.com Phone: 01752 361 576 Website: www.laura-spicer.com The only accredited Sound Practice Trainer for the Society of NLP
EATING DISORDERS John Arroyo Coaching, Personal Development Email: john@johnarroyo.co.uk I have been a therapist and personal development trainer for 20 years, specialising in eating disorders for the last 10 years.
EUROPE
NLP TRAINERS
Pasquale Acampora (Italy) Master Trainer and Mental Coach, NLP, Team building Website: www.blackship.it Phone: +39 (0)335 70 99 000 Pasquale’s key areas are sport and business, he has worked with top athletes and multinational companies.
Alessandro Mora (Italy) Sport Coaching Email: a.mora@ekis.it Phone: +39 (0)522 337 611 Website: www.pnlekis.com NLP, coaching and team building applied to sport and business all over Italy
Xavier Pirla (Spain): NLP Master Trainer and NLP Coach Email: kay@the-me-group.com Phone: 91 002 84 44 (Madrid) 93 193 6449 (Barcelona) Website: www.the-me-group.com NLP, NLP Business Applications, Coaching workshops and Consultancy
Aleksander Sinigoj (Slovenia) Mastermind Academy Email: info@itnlp.com Website: www.aleksandersinigoj.com Leadership, Motivation, Sales, Business NLP
If you’d like to be featured on this list, please contact us on 0203 011 0866 or email advertising@thebestyou.co Visit www.thebestyoudirectory.co for more personal development professionals.
THE BEST YOU
21ST CENTURY LIVING
THE BEST
YOU
The pace of change can sometimes bewilder, but it can also give amazing opportunities to meet new people, discover new things and thrive. Bring out the best in you by discovering the latest innovations that will put you ahead of the pack.
Life Without Limits
TM
LET’S GET SOCIAL
There have been a lot of recent cases of social media experimenting on their users. We look at why it’s necessary
FEEL-GOOD GADGETS
We look at some of the newest gadgets that have been designed to improve the quality of your life
21ST CENTURY LIVING
THE BEST YOU
LET’S GET
SOCIAL
T
he social media landscape is an ever-changing one, with protocols and rules of engagement constantly shifting. Because of this, and the relative novelty of widespread social networking, experiments are part and parcel of this development. While it can lead to an understandable degree of outrage – with users decrying an invasion of privacy – it is important to note that
We all have deeply personal attachments to our online social networks, but did you know that you were having experiments conducted on you?
site regularly experiments on its users. In one experiment, the site took pairs of ‘bad’ matches between two people – about 30 per cent – and told them they were ‘exceptionally good’ for each other, or 90 per cent matches. In another experiment, OkCupid ran profiles with pictures and no profile text for half of its test subjects, and vice versa for the rest. The results showed that people responded solely to the pictures. “OkCupid doesn’t really know what it’s doing”, Rudder says. “Neither does any other website. It’s not like people have been building these things for very long or you can go look up a blueprint or something. Most ideas are bad. Even good ideas could be better. Experiments are how you sort all this out.” The big daddy of them all, these kinds of experiments are seen as standard practice. It’s a vital part of refining online mechanics and delivering the best service to users. As Christian Rudder, CEO of popular dating website OkCupid puts it, “If you use the Internet, you’re the subject of hundreds of experiments at any given time, on every site. That’s how websites work.” He should know. He revealed in a blog post that the
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THE BEST YOU Facebook, courted controversy when it published details of a vast experiment in which it manipulated information posted on 689,000 users’ home pages and found it could make people feel more positive or negative through a process of “emotional contagion”. Facebook filtered users’ news feeds – the flow of comments, videos, pictures and web links posted by other people in their social network. One test reduced users’ exposure to their friends’ “positive emotional content”, resulting in fewer positive posts of their own. Another test reduced exposure to “negative emotional content”, and the opposite happened. The study concluded: “Emotions expressed by friends, via online social networks, influence our own moods, constituting, to our knowledge, the first experimental evidence for massive-scale emotional contagion via social networks.” A Facebook spokeswoman said the research was carried out “to improve our services
and to make the content people see on Facebook as relevant and engaging as possible. A big part of this is understanding how people respond to different types of content, whether it’s positive or negative in tone, news from friends, or information from pages they follow.” Things don’t always work out so well. Twitter alienated a large proportion of its users when it revealed that it had experimented with certain users, populating their timeline with favourited tweets from users they aren’t actually following. Members voiced their anger over the ‘experiment’, with many explaining that they were never given the option to opt out of sharing content they had marked as a ‘favourite’ with their followers. A Twitter blog post addressed the widespread confusion in a blog post; “We’ve tested various features with small groups of our 200 million users before determining what
A big part of this is understanding how people respond to different types of content, whether it’s positive or negative in tone, news from friends, or information from pages they follow
21ST CENTURY LIVING we’ll release. These tests are essential to delivering the best possible user experience. We also experiment with features that may never be released to everyone who uses Twitter. Those experiments are perhaps even more valuable because they help us decide what not to do, which is important, as we work to keep Twitter simple while improving the user experience. Ultimately, our goal is to learn and keep making the product better; we aren’t necessarily looking to launch all of the experiments we roll out.” We go to social media to interface with ‘familiar faces’ and we see it as an online ‘home’, which is perhaps why we see any experimentation with our online personas as a serious transgression. The truth is that these experiments are actually essential tools for improving the services that have become such indelible parts of our lives. b
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21ST CENTURY LIVING
BRYAN SZABO
FORTHCOMING
ATTRACTIONS During the summer, tech companies float some of their new products and prototypes at conferences, which are a great place to test the pulse of tech-savvy consumers. Bryan Szabo looks at some of these products. Some of them are hitting the market now; others are still being developed. CREALEV CLM2 FLOATING SHELF As far as utilitarian tech goes, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere. Though its functions are limited, the CLM2 is one of those pieces of technology that, no matter how practically useless, makes beholders ask, “How much?” The newest iteration of the device can levitate as much as 20 pounds. One particularly clever user concealed the device within a cabinet and turned a hardcover book into a floating platform, upon which he stacked a small handful of books. The pile of books spins and levitates a few inches above the cabinet. Crealev charges £690 for their levitating smartphone display, which holds a quarter of the weight of the CLM2, so be prepared for a hefty price tag. Recommended Retail Price: quotes available online
AUDI A7 (WITH PILOTED DRIVING) Google’s autonomous vehicles have dominated much of the conversation surrounding the future of hands-off urban transportation. Though the technology has come a long way, Google’s roof-mounted sensor array doesn’t exactly have the buying public champing at the bit. Audi recently unveiled a prototype of their contribution to the conversation, and though there is still a ways to go before any of these cars go into production, Audi’s discreet (almost invisible) sensors made the piloted driving-equipped A7 a hit at this summer’s tech orgies. Of particular interest: the valet feature, which will park the car in the nearest parking garage and pick up the driver at curbside when they’re ready to get back on the road.
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WIRELESS POWERMAT RECHARGING PADS While mobile devices have made personal and business mobility a reality, powering these devices has largely left us tethered to wall sockets, computers, or any of the other places we can plug in our devices. The makers of the Powermat recharging pads believe that mobile users should not have to ration their power usage through the day. Claiming to do for power what WiFi did for data, Powermat could represent a big leap forward for charging. The two-pronged power outlet dates from 1895; Powermat is promising to bring power into the twenty-first century. Thanks to a partnership with Starbucks, we might be seeing the Powermat recharging stations in the ubiquitous coffeehouses very soon. Recommended Retail Price: £59
BRYAN SZABO 21ST
CENTURY LIVING
WILSON AUDIO SASHA II High-end loudspeaker design has long been the domain in which technophiles and audiophiles converge (and frequently argue). There’s enough here to satisfy both camps completely. The reviewers have each tried to outdo each other with their descriptions. Hearing the Sasha II for the first time is like the first time you ever drove a sports car. No, it’s like the first time you kissed a girl (almost all the reviewers are straight males). No, it’s like hearing the voice of God. With such a surplus of superlatives, the five-digit price tag might just be worth it. Recommended Retail Price: £10,000
POLAROID CUBE
LACIE CHRISTOFLE SPHÈRE Most external hard drives are clunky objects that users tend to tuck away in drawers or hide behind their hardware. Leave it to the French to wed function with design in an external hard drive that looks just as much at home on a pedestal as it does on your desk. LaCie contributes the hardware (1TB of memory and an ultra-fast USB 3.0 connection), and Parisian silversmiths Chirstofle wrap it in silver plate. This is not, to be clear, a technological leap forward; it is, however, a marvel to behold. Recommended Retail Price: £300
This may be the final word in lifestyle action cameras. This one-inch rubber cube is shockproof, weatherproof, and it can, they promise, handle whatever you want to throw at it. As you would expect from a Polaroid product, it can take still photos, but its ultimate application – thanks to its durable rubber exterior, its featherweight design, and its 124-degree wide-angle lens – is action video. Whether you’re a skateboarder, a hand-glider, a mountain climber, or a cyclist, the Polaroid Cube is a great way for you to capture your latest adventure. Mounting options are almost infinite: helmet mounts, bicycle mounts, tripods, and strap mounts that can be worn on the wrist or around anything else you can think of. Recommended Retail Price: £79
APPLE WATCH Apple’s recent announcement of a new product category added a degree of excitement to its latest iPhone launch. Bucking Apple’s prevailing naming trend, they went with Apple Watch. The device won’t be available until early next year, but, if the prototypes they floated at the release are any indication, the device will be available in 38mm and 42mm versions and there will be wide range of interchangeable strap options in steel, rubber, leather, and, of course, gold as well. The device will allow you to monitor your fitness, sync with your iPhone (5 or later), and it boasts the new Apple Pay feature, which, in time, should allow you to pay retailers by swiping your watch. It also tells the time. Recommended Retail Price: £200
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