Looking ahead to the summer
It's that time of year when, in the midst of a cold snap, we allow our minds to wander ahead to the warmer season of an English summer, a fraction of which we can ideally spend in an even warmer climate abroad, with a beach to lounge on and a chance to escape our hectic lives for two weeks and recharge the batteries.
We can even enjoy the local fruits and veg of the area, eating fresh produce and relishing in the idyllic relaxed culture in the Mediterranean or other destination where we can, for 2 weeks, be semi lazy and justly so.
But it's a funny thing to note, that despite the growing financial pressure of the current economic climate, holidays are the one non-negotiable thing one in five of us is not willing to sacrifice. And guess what, health is!
It seems that abandoning a healthy diet and exercise regime is worth it if those one in five are still able to treat themselves and escape from the daily grind once a year. Yet those same one in five don't seem to realise that health is directly related to the ability to enjoy our lives, and our holidays. The healthier we are - the more energy we have to enjoy our lives, and the two go hand in hand like a baby and its rattle.
It seems that there are those that think that they have to prioritise health over money; one in five parents are now turning to cheaper, frozen and convenience food options, and one in eight are buying less fruit and vegetables than they used to!
On a short term level it is easier to emphasise with those who save money by cutting back on health, but to provide a good life for ourselves and our kids, it is completely necessary to eat a healthy diet, because if we invest in our bodies as a whole, we in turn allow ourselves and our loved ones to perform to our/their best and therefore allow more opportunity to make it in this world, which ultimately involves making enough money to afford those well deserved holidays!