6 Tips on How To Keep Cool and Survive Hot Weather

Attention! The world is currently in a state of heat and people are struggling to keep their body temperatures cool. England, Germany, Hong Kong, Las Vegas and Honolulu are all experiencing temperatures at 30°C and above so, wherever you are, here is how to survive. 

1. Open windows early then shut them when the outside temperature is higher than your house. It will help if you have a thermometer that tells you inside and outside temperatures. If the room is facing away from the sun then keep those windows open.

2. Between 11 and 3, stay under a tree. When the sun is at it's highest in the sky it does the most damage to your skin and makes you very uncomfortably hot. During these times find shade or stay inside and make your sunbathing times in the morning and the afternoon.

3. Instantly cool down by putting and ice cube, cold water or anything cold on your wrists, neck, inner elbow or inner knee. These areas are pulse points and pressure points so they are the hottest parts of your body. 

4. Sleep downstairs at night if the heat is just too unbearable (if you live in a two-story house). Heat rises and there's nothing you can do about that so if the heat is keeping you awake at night then simply move to the cooler places in your house.

5. Change your bedding to a thinner one, or if you don't want to spend money on new bedding then you can always use a sleeping bag because the material is thinner. However, sleeping bags are insulators so try opening it up and use it as a normal duvet.

6. Drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated and keep bottles of water in the fridge. This allows you to have instant access to cold refreshing water straight away.  

Let me know how you are coping in the heat. What's the hottest temperature it's been this summer where you live?

Look Into My Life | Small City Break in Lincoln

I go to Lincoln at least twice a month yet I had never been to the City of Lincoln because I visit my grandparents. There really is such a big difference when you go to the city as it is pretty busy (we went during the week before the school holidays so I imagine it is much busier on weekends and during holidays). I'm going to let you have a Look Into My Life to show you what I got up to there.

Me, my Dad and my brother hired out 40/42 Michaelgate, right on the corner of Steep Hill, through the National Trust. This is probably the best location to be a visitor of Lincoln as the cathedral, the castle and other attractions were almost on the doorstep and the house was lovely and welcoming.

Not only is Steep Hill home to many small shops selling all sorts of things but my great grandparents owned a store where the shop is in the picture below. In 2015, there was a festival celebrating the history of Lincoln and all the shops decorated a figure of a guard, which were still displayed in the windows.

 A highly anticipated trip to the cathedral was also on the agenda with the castle, which you can see the cathedral in all it's glory by walking on the castle walls.

There was some fantastic views of every angle of Lincoln from the walls. In the picture above you can see a block of flats peaking up on the right side of the horizon which is near where my grandparents live.

We only stayed 4 days in Lincoln and that's my holiday getaway for the summer over! I really enjoyed myself and it was a nice change to go somewhere more local and learn about a place that I go to so often.

Have you ever been to Lincoln? What did you enjoy about it?

Why You Should Drink More Green Tea

To many, including me, green tea seems like a miracle drink. The health benefits are exactly what you can wish for in a drink and I'm about to tell you why...

• It has almost no calories (technically it has 1 calorie that you will burn off by making your green tea) plus it increases your metabolism which makes you burn off calories faster.
• It contains antioxidants that will flush away all of the bad toxins in your body.
• Because of the antioxidants, it's very good for your skin and will help prevent imperfections from spots to wrinkles.
• The small amount of caffeine it contains is the right amount to keep you feelings energised all day. It actually contains half the amount a cup of coffee has so you can have it if you're sensitive to caffeine.
• This amount of caffeine also produces a more focused "buzz" than coffee meaning you'll be more productive sipping on your green tea than your coffee.
• Studies have shows that drinking green tea often can reduce your chance of getting type 2 diabetes, cancer and Parkinson's disease. 

Too good to be true? Well maybe there are a few cons but the pros easily outweigh them. I'll go through them to pre-warn you before you start a green tea binge.

• A lot of the pros can only be completely felt by drinking about 5 cups a day over an extended period of time. That being said, I know people who can drink that many cups of coffee and fizzy drinks in a day so if you're the same then simply replace them with the greener alternative.
• When you first start having green tea the taste can be really hard to stand. To make it taste better, you can add honey or lemon (both of which also have health benefits). You can also buy green tea that is already mixed with other nice tasting things such as salted caramel although I'm not sure I would be that keen on it....

Try doing a green tea challenge and replace two of your drinks a day with this healthier alternative and let me know how you get on!

How to Deal with Disappointment

Received your exam results and couldn't be more disappointed? Most of us have felt that way - whether you were 1 mark of an A* or had been told you were working at a B grade to then get a D.

In most cases you can't do anything about it other than to get your head around these things and I will give some help as to how you can deal with self disappointment even in situations separate from your exams.

1. Firstly, try and see what you did rather than what you achieved. I know that I tried so hard for my AS level exams that I gave up ALL of my interests and hobbies to do revision and work for my courses and I'm proud that I did that (even though I didn't like it).

If you know that you you did the best you could do then the outcome should not have your full attention. GCSE's and A levels are a process of 2 years of work and (personally) the exams at the end of the year do not show your full potential. Of course you could apply this theory to many things such as if you do exercise and you feel disappointed that you didn't do more - at least you did something.

2.Find out what you can do with the result. If you can still take the subjects you want , that's great but if you can't you could either take another subject (that you wouldn't mind learning) or let the people in charge know that you will be completely committed and will work your hardest. Whatever you do, do not feel defeated because you are worth more than an exam result.

Again, if you are having a hard time dieting then look at what you have learnt when you have tried to diet, for example if you know that you will binge eat if you are stood around in the kitchen or that having spare money will make you buy from that vending machine. Every day and every experience is another chance to learn no matter what the lesson may be.

3. Talk to someone. Even if they don't know how they can help you, just talking about whatever is bothering you will make you feel like you have released something that has been really annoying you. Sometimes you might not realise that it is something you need to talk about or it can allow you to figure things out for yourself. 

I know that there have been plenty of times that I have been so disappointed with something but then when I tell someone I realise that my mind is making it a much bigger deal that it is or that there is a simple solution that I hadn't realised before. You never know that the other person might also have some very important advise to give you anyway.

4. Think about it perspectively - will this exam result be relevant in a year? Or 5 years even? Sometimes it could be and you need to find a way to counter that so don't procrastinate and really reach for what you want. If it won't be then don't beat yourself up about it. My Dad got a U in his German A level and it obviously wasn't that important because he got on with the rest of his life and has a successful job.

5. As I had just said - don't beat yourself up about it. There is no point in getting getting upset then staying upset. Once you have been upset accept it and move on. It might sound harsh but moving on will help you to counter the set back and take your mind away from it. It will help the problem to become something bigger or to be left behind instead of staying forever as a disappointment.

I hope these few little point of how to deal with disappointment have been useful.
- Zin