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When your alarm clock is blaring, hitting that snooze button one or two more times sounds a lot more appealing than getting out of bed in time to make breakfast. Still, the first meal of the day is also the most important one, offering both short and long term benefits.

Eating breakfast:

• Gives your body more energy to get through the physical and mental demands of your day by replenishing your glucose levels, also known as blood sugar.
• Helps you lose or maintain your weight by decreasing your hunger, thus making you less likely to binge later on. Plus, you’ll be less inclined to chow down on unhealthy work food like chips from the vending machine.
• Reduces your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Statistically, people who eat breakfast are less likely to develop these conditions.

Generally, you want a protein-rich breakfast featuring foods like eggs and nuts. Combine these with whole-wheat toast, whole-grain cereal, and low-fat/nonfat milk or yogurt. Add berries (fresh or dried) for flavor.

Still reaching for that snooze button? You can guarantee yourself a quick — and healthy — breakfast by cooking hardboiled eggs the night before, or by stocking your workplace with breakfast-making materials.

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Now that the New Year is here our thoughts turn to resolutions. Many of us will be vowing to lose weight or give up smoking, stop eating chocolate or start a new venture. Whatever it is that you want to change you need the energy to take it forward.

So, how do we shake the winter doldrums and re-energise ourselves? It is hard to start jogging or going back to the gym when your body feels lethargic after the indulgences of the festive season.

Massage seems too much of an indulgence to be good for you, but the truth is that you will feel more in tune with your body and uplifted to face your new challenges. So many people think that massage is simply to relax you and ease aching muscles, but it is so much more than that. Massage increases blood flow to your muscles, tissue and every cell in your body which brings oxygen and nutrients to these critical areas. It also stimulates lymphatic flow, improving tissue drainage and the immune system.

There are many different types of massage to choose from. Which one you choose depends on your personal requirements. Some people feel uncomfortable to try massage as they don’t want to have to undress. In fact, Reiki is a therapy that can be done over your clothing and does not even require ‘hands on’. The therapist can either rest hands on or just above the body to realign chakras and dissolve toxic substances from your physical and emotional being. People often feel warmth or tingling sensations during Reiki and come away feeling uplifted.

The most commonly used massage is a Swedish Massage where oils are massaged into the skin with flowing strokes and kneading to relieve tension in the muscles.

Acupressure and Shiatsu apply pressure to the acupuncture healing points. This unblocks the flow of energy and encourages blood and lymphatic flow.

Other massage methods include deep tissue massage, sports massage and hot stone therapy which will all alleviate muscle pain. Craniosacral therapy can help treat headaches, ear and eye problems as well as whiplash and back problems.

If you just want the feel good factor, then an aromatherapy massage tailored to suit your personal needs could be just the thing.

To find a suitable therapist, check a Massage Listings directory. You may well be able to find out more information from the massage listings with each therapist explaining their own speciality.

Whatever massage you go for, you are sure to get that sense of well being that will kick start you into 2010!

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