By SHANNON SKAE, health and life coach at Revive with Shan Body positivity is something we hear about a lot. It means to embrace and be happy in your body no matter your shape or size. Body positivity drives self-acceptance and a positive attitude towards our bodies. As a movement, body positivity aims to challenge how society treats the body. It encourages acceptance of all body types, helps to build confidence in the body, and works to address unrealistic beauty and body standards. It is a movement for a reason, challenging the aforementioned is difficult in a society that places…
Author: Nyx Mclean
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By SHANNON SKAE, health and life coach at Revive with Shan Orthorexia is defined as an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy food. The idea is to eat only “pure” foods and not anything deemed unhealthy. It is not currently recognised as an eating disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. However, this may change as awareness of this disordered eating approach gains awareness. Eating nutritious food is usually good for you, but if it becomes a compulsion, deprivation, or restriction, you likely have orthorexia. This approach to eating can cause physical problems because what someone deems healthy or unhealthy can…
By NYX MCLEAN As the editors of Grocott’s Mail, Rod Amner and I have written in the past calling for ward councillors to tell us if they are in conversation with their constituents, whether that is on social media such as WhatsApp or Facebook, or offline in regular ward community meetings, or elsewhere. We have also asked Makhandan citizens to tell us if their councillors are in conversations with them. We received some responses from the usual suspects and groups that we, as the editors of Grocott’s, are already a part of. I was quite frustrated with the lack of…
By SAM BABAYA Last week, an un-dated voice note warning of an impending petrol shutdown was shared on Makhanda WhatsApp groups. None of these rumours has been confirmed by petrol stations or residents – and this is almost certainly fake news. With the constant influx of new information being shared on social media, it is sometimes difficult to identify valid versus fake news. It has become the responsibility of readers to differentiate information from misinterpretations and propaganda. Here are five ways to fact-check your news to ensure you are not a victim of fake news. Five steps to fact-check your…
By SHANNON SKAE, health and life coach at Revive with Shan “Movement is the song of the body” Vanda Scaravelli Exercise or movement is vital for a healthy body; it improves brain function, sleep, coordination and increases energy levels. It can also help with bone strength, weight loss, prevention of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol, depression, and high blood pressure. The minimum amount of exercise for 18-64 year-olds should be 150 minutes of moderate physical activity and/or brisk walking per week. At least two days a week should consist of high-intensity exercise and resistance training such as weightlifting, bodyweight…
By ROD AMNER and NYX MCLEAN Last week we welcomed our new intake of journalists in training. We gave them a week to find their feet, to get to know each other, to research Makhanda, to read past editions of Grocott’s Mail, and to make space for their curiosity. Curiosity about the community they will be working in, for, and with. We have already published a few stories from our new journalists, namely a report by Toto Tsarneba on the Ukraine protest in Makhanda on Tuesday 1 March and a story by Zimkita Linyana on the recent snare clean up…
By SHANNON SKAE, health and life coach at Revive with Shan More and more, we hear of plant-based diets or challenges, such as Meatless Monday. Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people to try eating a plant-based meal on Mondays to improve their health and do their part to help the planet. A plant-based diet refers to when a person eats mainly organic foods that are whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. The idea behind this type of diet is to choose more of your foods from plant sources rather than meat or dairy. There is evidence…
By ROD AMNER and NYX MCLEAN Community is not a given thing. Living in the same town may mean you are part of a geographical community, but it does not mean that you are in community with each other. Makhanda is fragmented. If we are a community at all, we are a community of communities—small pockets of belonging here and there, often in conflict with each other. If we disagree on issues, this does not mean that we need to lose our sense of belonging with each other. Instead, we need to find a way to allow for different values…
By SHANNON SKAE, health and life coach at Revive with Shan There has been a longstanding standoff between protein and sugar. Is one healthier than the other? Present-day society places a substantial emphasis on eating protein to have a healthy diet. The health and fitness industry push protein consumption to build muscle. However, more people are dying from the overconsumption of protein rather than underconsumption. Overconsumption of protein can lead to weight gain, kidney problems, and obesity. Processed meat is also a leading contributor to health issues related to the overconsumption of protein. Processed meats like salami, ham, bacon, and…
By SHANNON SKAE, health and life coach at Revive with Shan Many of us go through daily tasks with our heads in the sand, just trying to survive. We suppress our emotions and trauma, rather than express them. We then often turn to sometimes not healthy ways – such as excessive drinking, eating, or overworking – to distract ourselves from difficult and painful emotions. This does not help us feel any better but instead fuels the emptiness. Why do we feel this emptiness? It is often a sign or message that we have reached a point of stagnation in our…