Minding Mini

Here was me thinking that the 10K Mini-Marathon was called after its much bigger, meaner and fitter older brother the 26.2 mile Marathon. Well, how wrong can you be! It turns out that this female-only race is more of a distant cousin than a close relative to the ancient race and the origin of its name is more girly than any Greek Goddess could imagine. It all started when the very first female-only running race took place in New York in 1972 and it was named after the defining fashion symbol of the time – the mini skirt. In the early days they even recruited its runners from among the Playboy Bunnies, which got a few of the fellas out naturally, to cheer them on. At the inauguration, when just 78 women competed, the winners were asked to pose at a press conference by pulling up their skirts to show off their legs! Incidentally they refused, but the name ‘mini' stuck and the event has grown into a world-class athletic competition – tomorrow some 40,000 women will take part in our very own Dublin City Mini Marathon.

Whether you opt to wear a miniskirt or not, it's no easy feat completing 10K, but as always there'll be plenty of support and fun along the way to keep you going. And at the end of the day you can always get your nearest and dearest to revive those weary legs with a relaxing massage. Atlantic Aromatics massage oil for sports aches and pains contains arnica which is a fantastic blend of natural oils which is terrific at relieving muscle pain and smells oh-so yummy on the skin. Available in health stores and pharmacies nationwide from €9.00.

Brain Gain

It's exam time again, which means the weather is bound to be great, as students routinely hibernate and delve into their books to cram for exams. Flexing your brain muscle and improving your memory is essential if you want to get top marks and one of the best ways to do this is to take regular exercise. Not only will exercise keep you fitter, but it turns out that it boosts your brain power too. Researchers have found that people who exercise regularly have improved memory function and improved learning ability. So anyone sitting exams at this time, should get up, get out and keep their brains active with exercise.

You can also help prevent ‘burnout' and improve your mental alertness by taking a regular supplement. ‘Brains' is a new natural remedy which contains five key ingredients to enhance intellectual capabilities including lemon balm, blueberry, rhodiola, brahmi and bonito oil. Lemon balm is known as the ‘good mood' plant, which helps improve memory and attention, while calming the nervous system. These ingredients all work together with omega-3 essential fatty acids to aid brain function and help relieve the stress associated with exams. Available in pharmacies at €19.99 or from http://www.naturalife.ie/

Prepare to Bare!

Get your tootsies looking cutesy and your legs looking fab with some luscious poducts from Origins (available in Arnotts and House of Fraser)

WASH - Paradise Found Balinese body cleanser EUR23.00

BUFF - Paradise Found Balinese body glow EUR31.00

MOISTURISE - Precipitation Extra Moisture recovery for Extra dry skin EUR38.50

TAN - Let it show Bare body skin enhancer EUR23.00

PROTECT - Sunshine State SPF 20 with natural minerals for face and body EUR23.00

FEET - Reinventing the Heel Mega Moisture for dry, cracked feet EUR25.50

Frozen is Best

The next time you reach into your fridge and examine a wrinkled up courgette or squashed pepper and discard it in the bin, consider just how much money you could save yourself if you opted to buy frozen vegetables instead of fresh. Sometimes frozen veg can even be higher in nutritional value than fresh and now they can help you feel guilt free too! New research commissioned by Birds Eye Ireland has revealed that 75% of Irish people regularly throw out some of the fresh vegetables they buy because they've ‘gone off' before they've had time to eat them. Almost half, (48%) admitted that they feel guilty about throwing out some of the vegetables they buy each week and 39% agreed they feel better buying frozen vegetables because they last longer.