Table of contents for 25-Jun-2020 in Pick Me Up!

INSTANT appointment With Consultant Dietitian Sophie Medlin (@SophieDietitian on Instagram) Skipping breakfast Q My son never eats breakfast. He claims it makes him feel sick. Should I be worried? Lorna, Suffolk A Children need a lot of energy to grow and develop and breakfast is a great opportunity to get extra fibre and nutrients in. It is worth getting him checked out by your GP just to make sure that there isn’t any cause for the nausea and that he’s growing normally. All being well and if your son is growing normally, is a healthy weight, doesn’t struggle with his concentration in the morning and doesn’t have any health problems, there is no need to worry. Some of us are morning people and wake up hungry and others don’t get…

Sitting in the school canteen with my friends, I sheepishly ate my lunch, hoping no one was staring directly at me. At just 16-years-old, I weighed 17st 2lb, and absolutely hated the thought of anyone seeing me eat. I’ve always been a big girl, weighing 10st when I was 10-years-old, and putting a stone on every year since. As the ‘fat friend,’ as well as the biggest one in my family, I was absolutely miserable inside. Apart from my small close group of friends, I hid away from everyone. Lacking confidence, I hated drawing attention to myself. As a result, I often skipped meals around people, instead gorging on huge portions when I was back in the comfort of my home. My mum Kimberley, 43, always encouraged me to love…

3 letters Imp Inn Sea Sue Sum 4 letters Sing Snag Snow Stew Stow 5 letters Canoe Sprig Title Twist 6 letters Entire Lentil Mighty Muesli Nectar Sinful Thrill 7 letters Arsenal Oblongs Risking 8 letters Chickpea Clothing Gauntlet Grilling Sudoku! To solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each column and each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Solve the puzzle, then read down the numbers in the highlighted squares for the answer. Sunshine 6, 1, 6…

Perfect your skills with DJ BBQ! Butcher to the royals, Donald Russell, have partnered up with barbequing guru, Christian Stevenson AKA DJ BBQ to share his top tips. To celebrate, Donald Russell has launched a DJ BBQ Selection Box, which includes 1 Beef Rump Cap, 2 Minced Steak, 4 Steak & Mushroom Burgers, 4 Steak, Bacon & Gherkin Burgers, 8 Porchetta Pork Sausages, Alpine Fries & 4 Potato Rösti. All for just £40! Find out more at donaldrussell.com/djbbq 1. The easiest way to set up your grill is the half and half technique by putting charcoal on one side and no charcoal on the other. By doing this, you can get a good charred colour on your food over the direct heat, but if the heat and flames are too…

You know that old bike that’s been rusting away in the shed or maybe a desk that’s on its last legs? They don’t have to make a one-way trip to the dump! Why not give them a new lease of life? With a splash of paint and a dash of creativity, virtually anything can be upcycled–it’s a great way to save some money and help save the planet, too! Comic book chair Upcycling can benefit everyone in the family, especially the kids! Take their old favourite comics and give them something that will last for years to come. Thanks to Furniture Choice (www.furniturechoice.co.uk), you can create a chair that will fit perfectly in their bedroom. YOU WILL NEED: □ An old chair □ PVA glue □ Brushes □ Comics □…

Mindfulness is the practice of purposefully focusing all your attention on the current moment, and accepting it for what it is without judgment. Sheena Shah (www.inspiring-success.com) is a life coach and mindfulness practitioner who helps those suffering with anxiety and other mental health challenges. She shares her tips on how to practice mindfulness in our everyday lives… 1 Be present in the moment Observe today without any judgement and simply let go of any thoughts about yesterday, which would put you in regret mode, or tomorrow, which would put you in worry mode. Come back to the moment and focus only on that. 2 Simply stop Mindfulness can be practised any time, anywhere, whether you are brushing your hair, eating a meal, or going for a walk. While doing these…

Standing up, I whipped out my purse. ‘Right, it’s my round ladies, what are we all having?’ I asked above the racket in the pub. ‘The usual please babe,’ they shouted,, smiling at the thought of more drinks. It was 11 May 2019, and we were at The Good Measure pub in Caldicot. I was out with a mix of family and friends–a few had gone home already, so it was just me, my aunt Bernie, 59, and my mate Jackie, 50, still standing. After a few more rounds, they decided to call it a night. ‘Stay for a few more, the night is young!’ I begged them. Living at home with my parents, Liz, 69, and Frank, 75, I was Dad’s full-time carer. I rarely got the chance for…

Be a winner! This week, our tip of the week will receive a great product from Addis! This window vac will make light work of cleaning windows (£24.99). This household cleaner is multi-purpose, offering effective cleaning on windows, mirrors, shower screens and fighting against condensation. For more ways to make your life easier, visit addis.co.uk SUSTAINABLE LIVING Launching their new Art Collection bottles, cleaning brand Method shares their top tips for making more planet-friendly plastic choices at home… 1. SQUASH TO SAVE SPACE Fit more into your recycling by squashing plastic bottles. 2. LEAVE THE CAPS ON Smaller pieces of plastic might fall out during the recycling process, so leave your caps, pumps and triggers on the bottle. 3. FOOD CONTAMINATION You can’t recycle packaging that’s covered in food, such as…

Natalie Trice is a Confidence and Clarity Coach and works with women to help them create a life they love. As a uni lecturer, she helps students to take charge of their careers. natalietrice.co.uk I just can’t face her! Q My mum has been diagnosed with cancer and it’s too late for treatment. I thought I’d want to spend every second with her, but I find myself avoiding her. I don’t understand why and it’s making me feel like a terrible daughter. Tracey, Basingstoke A I’m very sorry to hear your news and send my best wishes to you. I think that there are a whole host of issues and emotions going on here and it’s not surprising that you’re finding it hard. There is probably an element of shock…

Mood boosters HEALTH TIP Every year one in four of us will suffer from a mental health problem, according to mental health charity, Mind. With the current pandemic having a huge impact on the nation’s wellbeing, Cheryl Lythgoe, Head Matron at Benenden Health, shares five tips for improving our mental health… PICK UP THE PHONE It’s often easier to send a text or an email instead of actually speaking to someone. However, building and maintaining social relationships is a fundamental human need and it has been proven to help maintain emotional wellbeing. So instead of sending an email, pick up the phone and actually speak! STAY ACTIVE One of the foundations of good mental health is good physical health. Keeping active can help reduce the likelihood of depression and anxiety,…

Feed bees the bees Did you know that the UK’s remarkable honeybees have been in a dangerously long-term decline? The good news is, we can all play a vital role in protecting and saving this incredible species, whilst creating a bee-autiful garden for ourselves in the process. The UK’s favourite honey brand Rowse shares five bee-friendly flowers to plant, perfect for this time of year. • LAVENDER–Can live for years and has a high nectar content. It can also aid sleep. • BORAGE–Re-seeds itself and attracts butterflies, too. Plus a great addition to a cocktail! • MARJORAM–Easy to grow and delicious on pizza or soup. • SUNFLOWERS–Their pollen has medicinal and protective effects on bees. • FLEABANE–Ideal for filling bare spots between shrubs or trees, or along path edges. Selfie…

100 wines to sample, you say? If you insist! The perfect challenge for wine connoisseurs. Verdict: GENIUS! Scratch responsibly! These egg cups are set to battle it out for first dibs of the egg soldiers–whilst you egg them on. Enjoy eating! Verdict: BONKERS! Egg-cellent gift! Slay the runway in style. One sock is pre-drag and the other is a finished queen. Shantay, you stay! Verdict: GENIUS! Strut your stuff!…

Scrolling through social media, a pair of gorgeous blue sparkly eyes looked back at me, bringing a big smile to my face. My daughter Kiryn’s Instagram page was flooded with pictures of her and her friends, smiling happily at the camera, posing for selfies and having a laugh. It was 2018, and at just 12 years old, I’d allowed Kiryn to post her pictures online, so long as I was allowed to monitor her account. I was a single mum, Kiryn was all I had, and I was fiercely protective of her. Just then, a comment on one of her pictures caught my eye. You’re disgusting, it read. My face dropped as I scrolled further down. More and more comments from people I didn’t know were calling my little girl…

PLEASE NOTE Pick Me Up! will still be bringing you great puzzles to pit your wits against, but will no longer be offering prizes. Don’t forget, you can do puzzles for big cash prizes every week in our sister magazine, Chat. Check out our website! LIFE! DEATH! PRIZES! Pick Me Up!’s on Facebook and Twitter! facebook.com/PickMeUpMag twitter.com/PickMeUpMag E-mailhello@pickmeupmag.co.uk WRITE TO Pick Me Up! Media Centre, Emma-Chris Way, Abbey Wood Park, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7JU PHONE 0117 440 0607…

ARIES 2 1 March–20 April Your choice of influences you have in your life is not at its best at the moment. Try not to talk to those who you know will lead you to do things which others deem out of character. This is your chance to show the world, and yourself, who you really want to be. Some upcoming exciting suggestions make for a better schedule in your week, albeit a little costly. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 2 1 April–21 May The need for change is strong in your chart this week, Taurus. You begin to see that without you making any changes, nothing will actually change. You can’t expect others not to have adopted a slower pace with all that has gone on in the world,…

Placing the last puzzle pieces in the right gaps, my girlfriend grinned proudly. ‘That was too easy!’ she laughed. Karen, 26, had always been obsessed with puzzles, had been ever since she was a child. Coming home from work, I’d usually find her sat on the floor, assembling a new jigsaw with a determined look on her face. To treat her, I’d turned to Photobox to have a black and white picture of us made into a puzzle, thinking maybe it would pose more of a challenge, but Karen finished it in a record 20 minutes! When we met back in 2015, Karen’s quirky personality had me hooked right away. We were both working at the same nursery school in Brighton, and after a few coffee dates, I asked her…