Wednesday 2 November

INTRO – TOPIC OF THE DAY – TIPS TO RELAX

PART 1A): CELEB CHAT – CRAIG DOYLE

Holiday hunk and sports reporter, Craig Doyle has travelled the world with his job and now he’s an ambassador for holiday site iExplore, he is here to talk about the new holiday phenomenon, “thrillaxing”.

PART 2A) EXPERT- DR DAWN HARPER – STRESS

NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY

HEADLINE: STRESS: ARE YOU CRACKING UNDER THE PRESSURE?
Metro, 30th October 2011

· Are we as a nation suffering from the condition or are we simply overusing the word when we’re just uptight?
· Stress is one of the most talked about conditions of our time. The Mental Health Foundation reports that one in five of us feels stressed every day.
· However, according to Ann McCracken, chairwoman of the International Stress Management Association, many of us don’t understand what it is to be stressed so we are overusing the word: ‘When people say they are stressed out, it usually means they have lots to do and are a bit uptight but stress is so much more than that. Stress is actually ill health.’

HEADLINE: Teachers should have 'sabbatical' to avoid burnout and return 'refreshed', says new Ofsted head

· Stressed teachers should be allowed to take sabbaticals to ensure they are fresh for the classroom, the new head of schools watchdog Ofsted said yesterday.
· Teachers currently get at least 13 weeks of paid holiday each year – almost three times that of the average worker.
· In addition, school budgets are already stretched, with some facing the prospect of having to make redundancies over the next few years.

HEADLINE: IT’S WIFE IN THE FAST LANE, The Sun, 2/11/11

· A third of women have such hectic lives they only get 30 minutes of ‘me time’ a day according to a poll
· More than half fight the clock to juggle work and home tasks, and 60% never get time to complete their ‘to do’ list.

HEADLINE: STRESS NOW COMMONEST CAUSE OF LONG-TERM SICK LEAVE -The Guardian Online, 5th October 2011

· Worries about job losses have helped stress become the most common cause of long-term sick leave in Britain.
· Stress has overtaken other reasons for long-term absence such as repetitive strain injury and medical conditions such as cancer, according to survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and healthcare provider Simplyhealth

PART 3: CELEB – JODIE PREGNER

Taken to the nation’s heart when she won the coveted role of Nancy, after competing in the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything, Jodie Prenger’s career has continued to go from strength to strength. Now she is showing us her softer side, as she turns judge herself, and heads up the search for a new Mills and Boon author.

PART 4 A) MAGICAL MOGGIES – ADPOT A BLACK CAT

According to recent reports from animal charities, black cats are the most difficult to rehome, with many coal-coloured kittys being left in shelters long after their tabby or ginger companions get taken in.

According to one animal charity in London, they had taken in 15% more black cats than this year than last.

A spokesman said: "Unfortunately we've seen more cats generally, partly for economic reasons, but black cats can take twice as long to rehome as other colours. Superstition can be a factor, as they can be both lucky and unlucky. Some people believe black cats are unlucky, but it rather depends on which part of folklore you go for, and which part of the country you're from. A black cat turning up unexpectedly at a house in Scotland is usually regarded as a good omen, whereas one turning up further south isn’t quite as welcome.”

PART 4 B) GADGETS TO HELP DE-STRESS YOURSELF

1) The Alpha-Stim® SCS, £299: A device that uses a minimal amount of electrical waves to induce a relaxed yet alert state which is claimed to calm the central nervous system. (Available from www.alpha-stim.co.uk, or call 0843 289 7227.)

2) Heated Egg Massager, £14.95: Using a combination of single frequency vibration and heat, the egg massager provides relief for muscular tension and stress. Four rubber pads on the base of the massage egg can be passed over tight muscles to gently massage away the stresses and strains of everyday life.

3) StressEraser®, £145: The StressEraser cues you to not only slow your breathing but to synchronize your inhales and exhales with the natural cycle of your heart rate. (www.stresseraser-uk.com)