The Recommended
type: channel
link: https://www.therecommended.com
description: Your source for expert recommendations and advice.
date: 2023-07-25T13:31:19.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Feng Shui tips for beginners: create a peaceful home with tips from an expert
items: How to clean your yoga mat, according to a yoga teacher
items: How to make smarter decisions, according to a psychologist
items: The importance of sleep for recovery: how sleeping can help you reach your fitness goals
items: 5 signs that you’re being too nice, with tips from a therapist
items: Seven tips for better focus and improved concentration
items: How to lower your stress levels: 5 tips to stay calm
items: Beginner’s guide to meditation: tips, tricks and techniques for meditating
items: Time management methods: 6 ways to get more work done
items: How to get rid of a stiff neck: four simple tips from a doctor

Feng Shui tips for beginners: create a peaceful home with tips from an expert
type: item
date: 2023-07-25T13:30:12.000Z
creator: Finn Byrne
subject: Wellness
subject: Furniture
subject: Mindfulness
subject: Wellbeing
description: You may have heard of Feng Shui, but do you understand how it works? We’ve pulled together tips from an expert Feng Shui consultant to help harmonise and destress your home.
encoded: If you are feeling uncomfortable in your living space or struggling to adapt to it, then Feng Shui might be the answer. The ancient Chinese practice promises to help you harmonise with your environment and find comfort through small changes. It is said to work by helping you enhance the positive energy flowing into your living space and promoting balance, well-being, and prosperity. To help you incorporate Feng Shui into your life and improve the feeling within your home, we have some tips from Barbara Herzog, a renowned Feng Shui expert. Barbara often offers her expertise to improve feelings of well-being inside office spaces, private areas, homes, and gardens. She is a certified Feng Shui consultant and has given some tips on how to begin Feng Shui and use it to improve your living space. What is Feng Shui? Feng Shui is a belief based on ancient Chinese philosophical principles about the flow of energy, known as Qi. The belief centres around Chinese cosmological concepts, including the Taoist principles of Yin and Yang (opposing forces), the Five Elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), and the I Ching (Book of Changes). The goal of Feng Shui is to harmonise and balance the Qi (energy) in the environment to promote positive energy flow and create a harmonious living space. With this optimised energy, those who practise Feng Shui believe that your well-being, prosperity, and overall quality of life can be enhanced. Feng Shui consultants have many tips and tricks to help you create a living space which is good for the mind, body, and soul. Barbara has provided some key ways to use Feng Shui to enhance your own living space and create a positive energy flow. Feng Shui tips to use in your home Here are Barabra’s top tips for improving how comfortable you feel in your home using Feng Shui: Position your bed properly In Feng Shui, the flow of energy is crucial. You want there to be a good flow of energy through each room to improve feelings of wellness. Barbara says …

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How to clean your yoga mat, according to a yoga teacher
type: item
date: 2023-07-24T07:30:07.000Z
creator: Cordelia Aspinall
subject: Fitness
subject: Wellness
subject: Burda
subject: Exercise
subject: Wellbeing
description: Your yoga mat might be harbouring more germs than you realise, but we’ve got the ultimate guide on how and when to clean your yoga mat, with advice from a yoga teacher.
encoded: According to a recent study from FitRated, exercise and gym equipment can be hotspots for germs, harbouring more bacteria than we realise, and this includes your yoga mat. Studies found eight times as many germs on a mat than on a toilet seat! These unwanted microorganisms can lead to skin conditions such as pimples, rashes and fungal infections - not what you want. So, be honest: when was the last time you cleaned your yoga mat properly? Or have you ever even cleaned it at all? We’ve got the ultimate guide on cleaning your yoga mat - from a step-by-step on how to do it and how often to recommended products to help you along the way. We’ve also included top tips from yoga teacher and founder of Yoga Cat, Tristan Post. Read on for all you need to know and get practising your poses, from cobra to downward-facing dog, using your freshly cleaned and hygienic mat. Why is it important to clean your yoga mat? Looking after your yoga mat may not be your top priority, but regularly cleaning and disinfecting it can avoid several negative consequences, Tristan explains. We’ve rounded up some of them below: The mat can become damaged: Your mat may wear out faster if it's not properly looked after. Over time, grease and solid particles such as skin flakes can accumulate on the mat’s surface and in the pores of the material, causing it to lose its grip and compromising your stability and balance in poses. This will result in your slipping more and the mat becoming less durable and shorter lasting. An unpleasant smell can develop: As the mat is used for exercise, it will pick up sweat from its users. Not cleaning it after your workout can result in a build-up, causing an unpleasant odour to linger during your practice and affecting your focus and enjoyment. Skin problems and illness: An uncleaned mat can hold germs and bacteria. These can lead to skin problems such as blemishes or rashes, fungal infections such as athlete's foot and nail fungus, or even flu viruses due to the pres…

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How to make smarter decisions, according to a psychologist
type: item
date: 2023-07-21T13:30:31.000Z
creator: Cordelia Aspinall
subject: Wellness
subject: Burda
subject: Wellbeing
description: Struggling to make smart choices? We’ve got some invaluable guidance from a world-leading psychologist on how to make smarter decisions to help you out.
encoded: Gaining a clear, unbiased perspective on the world around us may seem like a reasonable goal, allowing us to solve problems intelligently, unlock our potential, and ultimately make better decisions in our day-to-day lives that boosts our wellbeing. However, it's not as easy as it sounds. Our thinking can be prone to errors and societal and inherent biases - making decisions, therefore, isn’t always straightforward. However, by recognising these and implementing strategies, we can make more informed and intelligent choices. With expert advice from Woo-Kyoung Ahn, a Psychology Professor at Yale University, we’ve put together this guide to help you navigate the complexities of decision-making, and included some practical tips on how to improve your day-to-day decision-making and achieve the best logical outcomes. Understanding decision making Decisions shape our day-to-day lives and can impact our futures. Understanding the complexities of decision-making and how our decisions are often influenced is a really important first step when thinking about how we can make better decisions. Factors including cognitive biases, emotional states, societal norms, and personal experiences and beliefs can contribute to our decisions, and according to Woo-Kyoung Ahn, we also have cognitive limitations, which can sometimes lead to errors in our thinking and judgements. Over thousands of years of evolution, humans have developed ‘heuristics’, or rules of thumb, as a quick and efficient way to solve problems within these limitations. While heuristics generally work well, they are not foolproof, especially in a complex and confusing world. These faulty thinking patterns and perceptual distortions can result in personal and social imbalances, leading to problems such as racism, misdiagnosis in medicine, discrimination, misunderstandings, and errors in our decisions. Self-awareness is the first step, therefore, to better decision-making. By recognising our cognitive blind spots and emotion…

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The importance of sleep for recovery: how sleeping can help you reach your fitness goals
type: item
date: 2023-07-21T07:30:06.000Z
creator: Finn Byrne
subject: Wellness
subject: Burda
subject: Sleep
subject: Wellbeing
description: Find out why sleep is so important for your mental and physical recovery
encoded: When it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle, people usually focus on following a nutritious diet, regularly exercising, and properly hydrating. These are all healthy habits, but it’s common for one of the healthiest to be overlooked: sleep. It’s important not to disregard this time you spend with your head on the pillow as it is vital for our overall health, specifically our recovery. Quality sleep gives the body the opportunity to recover by helping it grow, re-energise, and repair. Sleep doesn’t just provide physical recovery but aids our minds in recovering and helps us maintain good mental health. Understanding how sleep assists recovery can help us get our sleeping patterns in order and motivate us to make sleep a priority. The benefits of sleep for physical recovery It’s long been said that sleep is the cheapest medicine when it comes to physical recovery, and this is certainly true. Sleep is vital for recovery from sports and injuries whilst also helping your body repair itself from the demands of everyday life. When it comes to ‘good’ sleep, we consider this to be, for adults, 7-8 hours of uninterrupted shut-eye. For more information on why this is the peak time for adults to be sleeping, check out our guide to how much sleep you need. Here are the four main benefits of sleep for physical recovery: 1. Enhanced muscle repair and growth When you nod off, your body produces its growth hormones. These are essential for repairing and building muscles. With quality sleep, you give your body more time to undergo the necessary processes for muscle recovery, leading to improved strength, endurance, and overall physical performance. For more advice on how to improve muscle growth, head to our fitness page. 2. Immune system improvements When you get the flu, a cold, or any other type of illness, you can often feel weak and sometimes can’t physically bring yourself to get out of bed. Quality sleep can play a vital role in lowering your chances of this by supporting and…

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5 signs that you’re being too nice, with tips from a therapist
type: item
date: 2023-07-19T07:30:40.000Z
creator: Finn Byrne
subject: Wellness
subject: Burda
subject: Wellbeing
description: A few tell-tale pointers that you’re being a people pleaser and might be putting others’ well-being above your own.
encoded: The majority of us aim to live our lives as kind and nice people, surrounding ourselves with others we believe to be of the same nature. But, can you ever be too nice? It might be hard to think someone can be too nice. After all, it can seem like we’re surrounded by doom and gloom in today’s world. However, some people can find their niceties are being taken advantage of or fall into the category of ‘people pleasing’, a behavioural pattern where individuals constantly strive to please others, often before themselves. To help you notice if you’re becoming too nice and not prioritising yourself, we have five tips from therapist Logan Cohen. Logan has dedicated his life to helping people through therapy and has written a self-help book to help people improve their mental health. He explains how to recognise if you’re a people pleaser and if you need to start putting yourself first. 5 signs you’re being too nice Here are Logan’s top five signs you’re being too nice and maybe becoming a people pleaser: 1. You're always there to lend a hand Logan says that one trait people pleasers lean towards is always being on hand to help. This isn’t just being a helpful person but never saying no to people when they need help. For example, you would immediately stop doing something if someone else asked you for help. This can lead you to prioritise others' needs before your own, even when you are working on a task that is important to you. 2. You are excessively agreeable Another pointer to being a people pleaser is that you tend to be excessively nice. Logan explains that if you have a reputation for being nice, it can make you hesitant to speak your mind for fear of causing disagreements. He says that people pleasers often believe that expressing their true thoughts might result in being perceived as nasty or wrong because they are usually agreeable and unfailingly friendly. People pleasers tend to have a fear of being alone, so don’t want to cause animosity or fall out with people…

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Seven tips for better focus and improved concentration
type: item
date: 2023-07-13T13:34:57.000Z
creator: Ruairidh Pritchard
subject: Wellness
subject: Burda
subject: Mindfulness
description: Unlock improved focus with our top seven tips for better concentration, from mindful tech use to the Pomodoro technique.
encoded: Ever found yourself knee-deep in a critical project, only to be derailed by the bleep of a smartphone notification or the addictive scroll of social media? You're not alone. In our fast-paced digital world, maintaining concentration is becoming increasingly difficult. We're all trying to keep up with emails, notifications, and the latest tweets, but the more we juggle, the harder it gets to stay focused on one thing. And here's the kicker - when our concentration is all over the place, we're not as productive, and it can get pretty stressful. Sounds familiar? Don’t sweat it, we've got your back. To help you out, we've put together seven top tips for cranking up your concentration and making your attention span the best it can be. Get ready to take notes! Say goodbye to smartphone notifications Our first tip might seem harsh but is based on scientific research. A study conducted by Professor Larry Rosen from California State University demonstrated that smartphone notifications can trigger stress and anxiety. It's tough for our brains to ignore these alerts, leading to distractions. The simple solution? Switch off notifications on your smartphone to create a peaceful, distraction-free space. Harness the power of the Pomodoro technique If you're prone to juggling tasks all at once, this technique is a game-changer. Multitasking can diminish productivity and hike stress levels. Using the Pomodoro technique can prevent this productivity nosedive. Here's how to do it: Break down your tasks into four 25-minute chunks. Concentrate fully on the first task for 25 minutes, then enjoy a five-minute break. Repeat this for the remaining sections. After four 'pomodoros', take a lengthier break of around 15 to 20 minutes. Prioritise exercise and meditation Don't underestimate the power of taking a screen break. Our brains need time to recharge, and a bit of exercise or meditation during working hours can boost your concentration and productivity. Whether you decide to meditate for…

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How to lower your stress levels: 5 tips to stay calm
type: item
date: 2023-07-06T06:18:12.000Z
creator: Finn Byrne
subject: Wellness
subject: Burda
subject: Sleep
subject: Wellbeing
description: Use these tips and tricks when you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or feel that nerves are getting the better of you.
encoded: Many of us suffer from the effects of stress, and last year 74% of UK adults had a point where they felt so stressed they were overwhelmed or unable to cope. These feelings of stress impact our mental health, and they also take a strain on us physically. To protect ourselves, it’s important to know ways to manage these stress levels and prevent ourselves from becoming overwhelmed. We’ve created this guide to provide five simple tips to lower your stress levels and help you embark on a journey to serenity. How to lower your stress levels Here are our five tips to help you lower your stress levels. Remember, if your stress levels are routinely becoming overwhelming or you feel unable to cope, then consult your GP. Make time to have a break and relax <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/47/2023/07/deep-breath-9f29642.jpg" width="6240" height="4160" alt="Tired software developer concept: handsome IT support male in denim shirt looking up with closed eyes. Bearded caucasian male freelance software engineer at working place in office. High quality image" title="Freelance male software developer or IT support looking up with closed eyes" /> When your mind is racing all day long, it's like running a computer with too many programs open—it's bound to overheat. That's where regular breaks and relaxation come into play. It doesn’t always need to be an hour-long relaxation session but just small breaks which encourage you to destress. Try incorporating some of these into your routine: Take a deep breath: During stressful situations, shallow breathing becomes the norm. Unfortunately, this restricts oxygen flow to the brain, leading to headaches and tension. Take a moment to breathe deeply, preferably in the fresh air, to replenish your oxygen levels and promote relaxation. Relaxation exercises: Engage in simple activities that help calm your nervous system. Stretch your body, focus on your breath, or be mindful of your surroundings. By redirecting y…

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Beginner’s guide to meditation: tips, tricks and techniques for meditating
type: item
date: 2023-07-05T11:30:44.000Z
creator: Finn Byrne
subject: Wellness
subject: Burda
subject: Exercise
subject: Wellbeing
description: Learn how to kickstart your meditation journey with these practical steps and helpful tips.
encoded: If you’ve never practised meditation before, then it can seem a mysterious and daunting habit to start incorporating into your routine. Beginners might think that meditation is reserved for the likes of life coaches or hippies, but this isn’t how the ancient practice should be viewed. Instead, meditation should be looked at as a transformative practice that can kickstart you on a journey of mindfulness to a more conscious life. Its mental health benefits should also be noted, and they might explain why over 8 million people in the UK currently meditate. If you’re interested in joining them, this is the perfect guide for you. Here we get to the bottom of what meditation is and provide some tips to start meditating yourself. We also explain some simple meditation techniques and the benefits you’re likely to see from continued meditation. What is meditation? Before starting meditation, it’s best to know what we’re actually attempting to do and what successful meditation looks like. In short, meditation involves training the mind to focus and redirect the thoughts it has. It is about carving out dedicated time for yourself to cultivate self-awareness and let go of stress. Through meditation, the goal is to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. If done ‘properly’, meditation is meant to leave you feeling clear and balanced afterwards. Luckily, meditation is not restrictive, and there are many ways to practise it. Contrary to many people’s beliefs, you don't have to sit in silence or cross your legs to meditate. The key is to approach meditation with an open mind and find a routine that resonates with you, your lifestyle, and the time you have available. Can you learn meditation on your own? Yes, you can. While some people might find that joining a meditation class is a good way to start the practice, you are more than able to teach yourself. One great way is to follow this guide and our tips and tricks. These can help assist you in starting your…

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Time management methods: 6 ways to get more work done
type: item
date: 2023-07-05T09:04:40.000Z
creator: Finn Byrne
subject: Wellness
subject: Burda
subject: Mindfulness
subject: Sleep
subject: Wellbeing
description: From CEOs to GCSE revisers, these time management hacks can help you organise your time better and get your work done more promptly.
encoded: Everyday life is full of commitments, and it can be increasingly difficult for us to manage our time. We worry about juggling our jobs, studying, family life, hobbies, commuting, tax bills, appointments, and even walking the dog. With so much to do and think about, organising our time without becoming stressed or suffering burnout can often be tricky. The good news is that there’s a handful of tried and tested time management methods that can help us get everything done while avoiding stress and worry. We’ve broken down the best time management methods to help you structure your time better, with easy-to-follow steps and practical advice. 6 of the best time management methods Here are six of the best time management methods and how to employ them: The Eisenhower method If you struggle to structure your working time efficiently, give the Eisenhower Principle a try. This method involves categorising your tasks based on their importance and urgency using the Eisenhower matrix. The matrix consists of four quadrants that you should assign to each of the tasks you have to complete in your selected time period: Quadrant 1: Important and urgent tasks that should be prioritised and completed promptly. Quadrant 2: Important tasks that are not urgent. You can schedule these tasks for a later time. Quadrant 3: Tasks that are urgent but less important. Delegate these tasks to others if possible. Quadrant 4: Tasks that are neither important nor urgent. These can be postponed or discarded. This method is suitable for both short-term and long-term projects, and it is especially beneficial for people in leadership positions. It can also be useful if you’re revising, just swap out the ‘delegate to others’ for ‘do another day’. ABC method of analysis Similar to the Eisenhower Principle, the ABC analysis is an excellent method for prioritising tasks. This strategy is more suitable for structuring shorter time periods and is ideal for learning the basics of time management. You should s…

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How to get rid of a stiff neck: four simple tips from a doctor
type: item
date: 2023-07-04T12:34:34.000Z
creator: Finn Byrne
subject: Fitness
subject: Wellness
subject: Burda
subject: Exercise
subject: Mindfulness
subject: Wellbeing
description: Stiff neck causing you problems? We’ve found four ways you can keep your neck in good health and avoid painful cricks or stiffness.
encoded: In the modern world, there are plenty of ways we can end up causing ourselves neck pain; scrolling on our phones, bad posture, lifting heavy shopping, and playing sports, can all strain the muscles in our necks. Even if you avoid all of these, we’ve all woken up to a crick in the neck because of our sleeping position or pillow placement. If you are one of those people who find that you are suffering from frequent bouts of neck pain, this guide is for you. We have got four simple tips which can help relieve your neck of tension and prevent it from becoming strained in the first place. The tips come from orthopaedic surgeon Dr David-Christopher Kubosch, who works for the Joint Clinic in Germany. Dr Kubosch specialises in musculoskeletal conditions and joint pain, so who better to help you avoid stiffness? Four tips to get rid of a stiff neck Here are Dr Kubosch’s four tips for resolving and preventing neck pain. By following these simple tips, you can ease tension and keep your neck pain-free. Give them a try and start feeling the difference! 1. Take a dip in the pool Dr Kubosch explains that one way to ease neck tension is by swimming. This works as doing laps in the pool helps to strengthen the muscles in the chest and shoulders. These two muscles help support the neck, so building them means the neck doesn’t have to work as hard to support the head. Swimming also gives the neck rest as it is supported by water during the exercise, so it doesn’t have to hold the same tension that it would on land. Dr Kubosch says that swimming is great "provided you don't keep your head above water the whole time”. He says to opt for backstroke or try submerging your head underwater during the gliding phase of breaststroke. If you want to strengthen your neck through swimming, then you might need some equipment if you’re just starting out or your gear is old. Check out our guides to the best swimming goggles and the best swimming caps if you’re in need of an equipment update. 2. Str…

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