Let The Sun Shine.

Daily Mail

Gwyneth Paltrow has been told to get more sun. Apparently she's been diagnosed with osteopenia, which can be a precursor to osteoporosis. Woo-freakin'-hoo, I hear you say.

Now, normally I wouldn't give two hoots about whether a celebrity was baring their bod in a bikini under doctor's orders, except that our lack of exposure to the sun is becoming a big problem. And not just for Gwyneth. Experts are concerned that rickets might be making a revival. Rickets, people. A disease that was eradicated half a century ago.

We're all very well schooled on the risks of skin cancer and UV exposure, but are we taking this slip, slop, slap movement a little too far? Truth is, the sun is the best way to get vitamin D, which is actually essential to prevent cancer. You don't need a lot of it, but you do need more than you'll get walking from the train station to the office all covered up in your nine-to-five gear.

On The Breakfast Menu: Bircher Muesli

Mine doesn't quite look this good. But it tastes awesome!

I eat breakfast at my desk every morning and I'm not very inventive. Normally it's just a tub of Jalna yoghurt. But I recently stumbled across this recipe for a berry bircher museli and it's quite delicious. I prepare all the ingredients and mix it together the night before and take it to the office in a container. Too easy.


You'll need...
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups apple juice (no added sugar!)
1 granny smith apple, coarsely grated
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon coconut flakes
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
1 tablespoon sultanas
1 cup vanilla yoghurt
1 cup mixed berries

What to do...
1. Place oats in a large bowl. Pour over apple juice to cover. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
2. Just before serving, stir in apple, almonds, coconut flakes, cinnamon, sultanas, 3/4 cup yoghurt and 3/4 cup mixed berries.
3. Spoon muesli into bowls. Top with remaining yoghurt and mixed berries. Serve immediately.

Cheers!

Dear Colleen

I gave up alcohol for the month of February. And it was great. My weekends were more productive, my body (and my bank balance) felt much healthier, and I didn't wake up once with a pounding headache and a giant black hole in my memory. Winner.

And I think I'm going to keep it up. Another 30 days, alcohol-free. So raise your water glasses, and here's to a parched March.

(Of course, if you are still on the boozy bandwagon, there is some good news. A recent study in the UK has found that whatever your poison – wine, beer or spirts – a daily tipple can really help your ticker. Your liver, however – that's another story...)

Meet My New Favourite Shorts.

$29.99, Running Bare from Rebel Sport

They're light, comfy, not too revealing, come in at under 30 bucks and I'm 96.4% sure they make me run faster. The hot orange colour is just the icing on the cake.

Sweet Charity.

Darling Dexter

Last week at work we had a bake sale. God, I love bake sales. So many home-made goodies, just like the kind I'm sure my dad would bake if we didn't keep him plenty busy painting, mowing the lawn, rewiring the TV, building cedar fly-screens from scratch... (He's a man of many talents my dad.)

Anyway, this particular bake sale was extra fun because not only were the cakes delicious, but what made them that much sweeter was the fact that all the money raised from the sale went to a charity for ovarian cancer. You see, February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, so it's the perfect time for a quick revision lesson on what the most common symptoms are... You got a pen ready?

• Abdominal or pelvic pain.
• Increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating.
• Needing to urinate often or urgently.
• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly.

It can be difficult to distinguish these symptoms from the changes we girls experience every day – but that's what makes ovarian cancer so tricky to catch in its early stages. If you are concerned, you can learn more here and if you want to donate, do it here. I can't promise there'll be cake, but I can promise it'll feel sweet.

Oh Dear, It's Monday Again.

Olly Moss

How did that happen?

If you're already in the office, feeling frazzled and preparing to draft your resignation letter – stop and take some time out to do nothing. At. All.

Two minutes is all you need. Just click here. Relax. Gather your thoughts. Then go get 'em.

Let Them Eat Cake.

I can have my cake and eat it too!

I've had a hankering for chocolate cake since Thursday. So this weekend I decided to cave into my craving with this ridiculously easy recipe, which comes courtesy of my aunty Carmel. 

You'll need...
125g butter
1/2 tablespoon coffee (made with 2/3 cup boiling water)
100g cooking chocolate
1cup caster sugar
1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence 

What to do...
1. Melt butter in pot. Stir in coffee, chocolate and sugar. Whisk until smooth. Cool slightly.
2. Beat in sifted dry ingredients. Add eggs and vanilla and beat wel.
3. Pour into a greased, lined tin. Bake on 150 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

It literally never fails. (Except that one time that it did, but I'm pretty sure I used the wrong flour that time, so as long as you stick to the self-raising stuff, yours should be just fine.)