Pick Me Up! 27-Feb-2020

After 11 years in the industry, in 2012, I decided to take the plunge and set up my own private physiotherapy practice. Within just nine months, I was fully booked• giving physio to disabled children. I knew if I could get the kids out in the community for exercise, then their parents might be able to do it every now and then, after I’d shown them the ropes. I took one to a gym, one to a climbing wall, and one to a soft-play. It seemed like a great idea, but I quickly realised that it wasn’t going to work. Whether it was because of accessibility, staff or facilities, there just wasn’t anywhere I could take the kids. So, I got together 60 parents to find out what they wanted.…

Did you know? If you didn’t already know it, this year is a leap year, with Leap Day this Saturday 29 February! But what does a leap year actually mean? Wrap your head around these facts… • Adding an extra day every four years keeps our calendar aligned correctly with the seasons. Since a year according to the Georgian calendar and a year according to the Earth’s orbit around the sun are not exactly the same, without this extra day, the seasons would become out of sync. Imagine celebrating Christmas in the summer! • Leap Day is also known, as Ladies Day, as in many cultures, it’s believed that it’s the one day when women are free to propose to men. • According to some folklore, during a leap year,…

Placing a bottle of Mad Dog wine on the counter, I smiled politely at the cashier. ‘How’s your day going?’ I asked as she rang up the till. ‘Not too bad, thanks,’ she replied back. She was a complete stranger, but I always liked to be polite – always believed that a smile could go a long way. And as I walked out with my bottle of wine, I could tell that I’d made her day just a little bit better by chatting to her. I’d always been a happy, smiley, bubbly person, never had any trouble making small talk. Even as a child, despite warnings never to talk to strangers, I’d happily go up to people and make conversation. And as I got older, I realised how happy it…

My face was lined with three huge rows of stitches, across my left cheek and jaw. I looked deformed and I felt so ugly. Tears started streaming down my face, but it hurt too much to cry. ‘Please don’t let the kids see me like this,’ I begged John quickly. After that, I was dealt another major blow… Sat next to my bed, a doctor looked at me seriously. ‘Your face has sustained significant damage,’ he told me. ‘You may not be able to smile again.’ Not smile? I thought, horrified. I was told that with time, my muscles could adjust, and I could re-learn to smile, but that it was very unlikely. I was devastated – my smile had been ripped away by complete strangers. Police came to visit…

Taking another iron tablet, I was utterly exhausted in bed. At just 17-years-old, I was suffering with anemia, so I was taking the tablets to try and help. Only, after taking them for a few weeks, I started suffering with stomach cramps. And a few days later, I noticed there was some blood in my stool. ‘I think you should go to see the doctor,’ my mum Karen, 54, suggested. Only, when I saw the doctor, he didn’t seem worried. ‘It’s just IBS,’ he said. As the week went on, the cramps intensified. ‘This can’t be IBS,’ I sobbed. I went back to the GP, but again, I was told it was nothing. That week, I went to see the doctor four times, but eventually, I’d had enough. ‘If you’re…

This week, our tip of the week will receive a great product from Addis! Brighten laundry days with the affinity board (£39.99) and collapsible laundry basket (£19.99). The board has seven height positions and a handy integrated hanger bar. While the basket folds down so you can tuck it away. For more ways to make your life easier, visit addis.co.uk How to make your phone battery last longer Experts at Mobiles.co.uk share their tips on how to save energy and get the most from your smartphone battery. 1.ANALYSE USAGE Check your Settings > Battery to understand where your power is going. Video streaming apps and games tend to drain batteries faster, so try to reduce time spent on them. 2.MINIMISE NOTIFICATIONS Disable the notifications for the majority of apps on…