Table of contents for 20-Jun-2019 in Pick Me Up!

So drained Q My energy levels are low all the time. Is there anything I can do to change this? Sophia, Birmingham A If you have a healthy lifestyle and are regularly getting seven-plus hours of sleep a night but still lack energy, book an appointment with your GP. They’ll talk through potential issues and may carry out tests for health conditions such as anaemia or thyroid problems. Trying for a baby Q Does having a miscarriage previously mean it’ll be harder for me to conceive? Helena, Nottingham A Having a miscarriage is a very stressful and emotional event, but understand that the majority of miscarriages can’t be prevented - it’s usually a one-off event that is then followed by a healthy pregnancy. Give yourself enough time to fully recover…

What’s normal, what’s not? Hay fever Hay fever is totally normal and can happen to us all – and it can come on if you’ve never suffered before. It’s usually worse from March to September, when the pollen count is highest and it is warmer and windier. Visit a GP if your symptoms are getting worse despite using treatments from a pharmacy – your doctor may prescribe steroids or refer you for immunotherapy. 25% That’s how much your risk of dying from pancreatic cancer increases if you’re under 50 and overweight, according to a new American Cancer Society study. Have you tried… listening to How To Fail with Elizabeth Day? This is the podcast you never knew you needed. Each week, it celebrates the things that haven’t gone right with…

For Jemma Lilley, a promising life started off on the wrong foot. Born in idyllic Stamford, Lincolnshire, her father worked hard to support his family. Jemma was left at home with her mother, who suffered mental-health issues. Jemma was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia at 6. After her parents divorced, Dad was granted custody of young Jemma - and, when he married again, his second wife became Jemma’s stepmother. Despite her troubled start, Jemma had potential - a high IQ, musical and artistic talent. But she was also obsessed with horror films, in particular A Nightmare on Elm Street. The film’s main character Freddy Krueger - the spirit of a serial killer who uses a gloved hand with razors to kill his victims - was her hero. She was fascinated…

We put some truly original products to the test… Havaianas Lilo, £30, havaianas-store.com The perfect accessory for the pool or beach, the ‘strap’ on this fun Havaianas flip-flop-shaped lilo means you’re less likely to fall off. In matt, metallic and printed – we want one of each! Verdict: BONKERS! Crackers but floats our boat! The Kiddimoto Karbon Bike, £999, kiddimoto.co.uk With a state-of-the-art frame made from superlight carbon fibre that weighs just 350g, this has been designed to help kids learn to ride a bike. Genius, right? Unfortunately, it must be the dearest balance bike on the planet! Verdict: BONKERS! The price tag is eye-watering! Zitsticka, £27 for 8, cultbeauty.co.uk Solving your skincare worries, these clever patches are applied straight on…

A Full House for my big day Sarah Clive, 27, from Wales, couldn’t believe her eyes! I love deciding how to spend a day off! It was last September, and while my fiance Richard, 33, was heading to work, I had the day free. Normally I’d be at my job as a beauty therapist. But after a snooze, I spent the morning making plans for my wedding. Together 11 years, Richard and I had been engaged almost as long! Later, taking a break from planning, I decided to treat myself to a game of bingo. I’d signed up to Pick Me Up! Bingo a few months before after a friend recommended it. I love how easy and fun the site is, and like the convenience of playing from my own…

Smile and nod. The woman you once knew will return when it’s all over. Offer alternatives. Perhaps you can host a bridal shower at someone’s home, rather than at an expensive hotel? Listen to her. It might be just what she needs to realise how ridiculous her demands are. Stand your ground. You shouldn’t have to take out a second mortgage for your best friend’s wedding. If that’s what she’s asking of you, maybe she’s not the kind of friend you need.…

Avon Mark Mineral Powder Bronzer, £10 Create a healthy-looking glow with Avon’s bronzer made from 100% naturally derived pigments. It’s featherlight and heat and humidity-proof – ideal for summer. L’Oreal Paris Back to Bronze, £8.99 This no-shimmer powder creates a natural look. Apply over cheeks, chin and forehead for a warm glow, or use in the hollows of your cheeks and under the jawline for a sculpted contour. Rimmel Insta Strobing Highlighter in Bronze Glow, £5.99 The silky cream texture allows you to define and accentuate features naturally by easily blending for a flawless finish. Available in three shades – pink, gold and bronze. NYX Professional Makeup Matte Body Bronzer, £8 Available in three shades, each gives a bronzed finish without any shimmer for an ultra-natural look. Grab a large…

WEST SUSSEX Jasmine Shepherd, 20 Jasmine Shepherd, who launched a homophobic attack on a man travelling back from Brighton’s Pride has been jailed. Shepherd hurled a torrent of homophobic abuse at the victim at Lancing railway station, before following him into a nearby supermarket. There, she picked up a bottle of wine and threw it at the back of his head. The victim suffered a serious head injury and partial loss of hearing in one of his ears. Shepherd, of Lancing, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent. At Hove Crown Court, she was sentenced to eight years and six months in a young offenders institution. An investigating officer called the abuse ‘abhorrent’. GTR MANCHESTER Lynton Bryan, 34 Reckless Lynton Bryan terrorised cabin crew and left other travellers fearing…

Dermatitis is when the skin becomes inflamed due to an irritant or allergy – but there are a few ways you can ease the annoyance. 1 Don’t scratch Do not scratch your skin – it can damage it and allow bacteria to get in, leading to infection. Try rubbing the area with your fingers instead. 2 The cause Try to identify what has irritated your skin so you can avoid coming into contact with it. 3 Soothe it Moisturising creams called emollients can help calm a mild flare-up (available from pharmacies). 4 Swap soap Use a soap substitute, such as E45. 5 See your GP If the rash doesn’t clear up after a few days of being careful with your skin, speak to your pharmacist or GP.…

1 Mumps is aviral contagious infection that used to be very common in children before the introduction of the MMR vaccine. 2 The most recognisable symptom is painful swellings at the side of the face around the parotid glands. 3 The infection can only spread between people under 25. 4 You must have antibiotics to kill the infection. 1 TRUE However, there have been more recent outbreaks among teenagers and university students. 2 TRUE Other symptoms include headaches, joint pain and a high temperature. 3 FALSE It can spread between anyone, in the same way as colds can, so stay on the ball with hygiene, regularly washing your hands and disposing of tissues. 4 FALSE There is currently no cure for mumps, but the infection should pass within two weeks…

Struggling into my plus-size school uniform, I sighed. I’d always been overweight. At 14 and a size-16, I’d accepted my fate as the fat girl in the group. I always will be, I thought. And although my friends never commented, I heard the whispers in the playground. ‘Fatso,’ bullies muttered. They were right. I was fat. But I was also bubbly and always smiling. At home, my mum Lavinia, 43, raised me alone, working long hours and leaving me to feed myself. For lunch, I’d gorge on pasties or head to the chippie. Dinner was microwave meals, and I snacked on crisps and biscuits. By 16, in July 2001, while everyone looked forward to our school leavers’ party, I was a size-18 and dreading it. I accompanied friends as they…

The weather was cold, but watching my three kids tear round the amusement park in January 2019, I smiled. Because I realised, you don’t need sunshine, or tons of money to have fun. Just bundles of energy and your loved ones beside you. My partner and I grinned as our brood ran riot, bombing down slides and climbing up metal frames. ‘That was a great day,’ my bloke smiled back home as we collapsed exhausted on the sofa, the kids in bed. I hoped we’d have more like it, particularly once I bought a car too. I’d passed my test back in October 2018, was busy saving for my first runaround. For now though, my fella was the one ferrying us about. As we settled into a well deserved evening…

A lot of the time, it’s everybody else who turns women into a bridezilla. Once a wedding is  announced, everybody wants their say and has an opinion on how things should be done. You can’t win! Not upsetting people becomes the priority rather than what the bride and groom want. Annie Oldfield-Bruton, Gosport Brides need to accept everyone has different budgets and priorities. The  important thing is exchanging vows with the love of your life and celebrating with the people who mean the most to you. It’s definitely not a time to make ridiculous demands of your bridesmaids and guests. Ann Johnson, Runcorn I’ve always been very happy as a bridesmaid to go along with whatever the bride has  wanted. I fully excuse ‘out of character’ bridezilla behaviour. Everybody has…

Lemon and herb fish with linguine Serves: 2 Prep: 15 min Cook: 1 hour 5 min ◻ 1 x pack Young’s Gastro Lemon and Herb Marinated Basa Fillets For the pasta: ◻ 1 red pepper, cut into wedges ◻ 1 yellow pepper, cut into wedges ◻ Low-calorie cooking spray ◻ 50g dried linguine pasta ◻ 5g grated Parmesan For the sauce: ◻ 2 red peppers, halved and deseeded ◻ Low-calorie cooking spray ◻ 1 small onion, finely chopped ◻ 1 garlic clove, finely chopped ◻ ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped ◻ 1 small tin chopped tomatoes ◻ 1 vegetable stock cube ◻ Freshly ground black pepper ◻ 1tbsp finely chopped fresh basil 1 Preheat the oven to 200C, Gas 6. To make the sauce, place the red pepper…

ARIES 21 March–20 April There’s lots of activity in your house of love, so of course you’ll be over-analysing your relationships. But you begin to see, with ease, where you were going wrong and who’s been leading you up a very windy path. Move on with dignity, not fireworks. Call: 09058 170 710* TAURUS 21 April–21 May With so many mixed emotions making their way through your chart, you begin to think about – and focus more on – exactly who and what is important to you. You’ll soon start to see that there’s always two sides to any story, especially where family is concerned. Call: 09058 170 711* GEMINI 22 May–21 June There’s a really serious feel to your chart. Seems you’ve taken it upon yourself to be everyone…

Send us your stories and photos, including all names and ages, a daytime phone number and full address. E-mailpickmeup@ti-media.com CALL 020 3148 6460 WRITE TO Pick Me Up!, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP FACEBOOK facebook.com/pickmeupmag SEE OUR WEBSITE lifedeathprizes.com TI Media Limited reserves the right to reuse any submission sent to Pick Me Up! magazine, in any format or medium. Unfortunately, we can’t return photos without a stampedSAE. Letters/photos must not be sent to any other publication.…

As he showed me around his kitchen, I noticed that my neighbour was blushing. ‘Help yourself to whatever,’ Lee O’Shea, 32, said. He was the grown-up and I was just a kid but he could barely look me in the eye. He seemed so shy. ‘I’ll be back in an hour,’ he said. As he left, I switched on the TV and relaxed. My younger sister went to school with Lee’s kids and he’d asked me to babysit while he went to the gym. It was June 2012 - and at 13, I was excited to be earning my own money. When Lee came home and pressed the cash into my hand, I was elated. ‘Mum, I got £40!’ I squealed. ‘Lee’s a nice bloke,’ my dad smiled. After that,…

Jumping out of bed to turn off my alarm, I glanced at the time. ‘Five o’clock,’ I yawned, stretching. It was May 2016 and, while most people were fast asleep, I was pulling on trainers for an early-morning run. I’d had the same routine for years. Friends thought I was mad. But that 45 minutes to myself before work helped set me up for the day. Running helped clear my head and kept me fit. I was hooked. That morning, I listened to my favourite playlist as I pounded the pavements of Edinburgh. Checking an app on my phone, I’d clocked up more than 5km. Not bad for before 6am, I thought. Arriving at my office-manager job soon after, I couldn’t help but feel smug. But while my morning runs…

Just answer this question Q What is the capital of Spain? A. ParisB. BerlinC. Madrid If you know the answer go to lifedeathprizes. com then click Win and look for the competition. It is open from 9am on 13 June 2019 and closes at 11.59pm on 13 July 2019. Terms and conditions: Standard Pick Me Up! terms and conditions apply . For details, go to ti-media. com/ standard-competition-terms/. Entry implies acceptance to these rules. For website rules of play , go to comps.lifedeathprizes. com/rules. The promoters are TI Media Limited and Neutradol. The winner , their partner and up to 2 children under 12 years old will receive round trip flights from major UK airports and 7 days self-catering at the Acuarium II Apartments in Benidorm. The holiday must be tak…

Picking up my mobile phone, I bashed out a quick text. Sorry, can’t make it tonight. Too tired, I wrote. Another planned evening out with friends, another excuse from me. It was October 2017, I was only 26 - yet I hardly ever saw my mates. I worked long, hard hours at my job in recruitment, and I was always too shattered. Most evenings, I’d just collapse on the sofa with a ready meal. Putting my phone down now and staring at my computer screen, I got back to work. I manically typed an e-mail with one hand, while sipping a mug of strong coffee with the other. My stomach churned at every new message that pinged in my inbox. I’d spent the last four years working my way up,…

Eyes snapping open, I looked over at my daughter Ella lying next to me in the bed. It was February 2013 and I’d woken up at 1am to the sound of her being sick. Seconds later, Ella, 10, started having a seizure. ‘Call 999!’ I shouted to Ella’s dad Mark. The next half an hour went by in a blur as we were rushed to Worcester Royal Hospital by ambulance. They tried to remove as much of the tumour as they could By now, Ella was barely conscious as she was taken for a CT scan. Me and Mark, 44, paced around the waiting room. ‘What’s wrong with her?’ I asked when the consultant came to speak to us. ‘We’ve spotted a massive tumour on the left side of her…

As we walked through Asda, my daughter Olivia, then 13, stopped in the cake aisle. Her gaze shot straight to the ones decorated in fancy, brightly coloured icing and fondant. ‘That’s the one I want,’ she smiled, pointing at a pink box. I crouched down to look inside - and what did I see? A big, pointy horn on top of a colourful sponge. ‘Are you sure that you want a unicorn?’ I asked. She nodded excitedly. ‘Well, alright then,’ I sighed. But, instead of popping the cake in my trolley, I took a careful mental note of what it looked like. Because my challenge was to recreate that cake in time for Olivia’s birthday . Unlike this store-bought version, mine would be dairy-free. My son Ronnie-Scott, 8, has an…