Life Updates..

I am in…Sardinia!

Random, last minute and unexpected trip out to see some friends.

I have the weekend & Friday + Monday off so thought why not!

I get back to the UK on Tuesday then immediately off on Wednesday to Mumbai for a literary festival for 4 days where I’ve been invited to chat about my upcoming book

(and for sure I’ll be filming and eating stuff at the street markets!)

Normality and surgery and guts resume in the first week of November!

Why Do Medications Taste So Bad?

The majority of chemicals in medication are derived from plant -

the defense chemicals and the “anti nutrients” in plants are typically sour and bitter to deter animals from eating them (not that it works!)

Adding in tasty sugars and other additives could potentially interfere with the drugs mechanism of action so this is usually low priority!

If you do struggle with pills there is nothing terrible you can do by swallowing it with a bit of honey.

If you have trouble swallowing pills, tilt your head back and drink it with water

But for tablets, since they’re more light weight, tilting your head forwards should do the trick to allow the tablet to float towards the back of your throat!

Bone-apple-tea!

What You Should Watch

If you like crime drama/suspense/foreign language series/comedy all rolled into one then look no further than

“Lupin”!

Master thief Lupin has 3 seasons for you to binge on and it’s surprisingly gripping stuff!

The Art and Curse of Overthinking 

One of my greatest weaknesses is overthinking.

I used to (and sometimes still do) overthink most things.

From what clothes to wear, to what others might think of certain things I say or do, to desperately trying to predict outcomes out of my control.

I’ve gotten slightly better at this over the years by limiting choices available to me and thus my potential for overthinking.

E.g avoiding decision fatigue by wearing simple clothes and being content with this.

Overthinking is valuable in some cases -

E.g deciding and discussing extensively about a type of operation a patient needs could be the difference between life or death.

However in every day life for non life-threatening decisions it can be paralysing.

My baby steps to overthinking and over-analysing include:

doing the thing which your gut instinct tells you to do and considering consequences (if any) later.

Build small habits and routines in your daily life so the amount of thought you need to put into actions is progressively diminished as you build patterns.

What You Should Read

“Red Notice” - Bill Browder

I’m not particularly interested in finance

BUT I am a fan of conspiracy theories and real-life thrillers.

Red Notice is the true story of an American financier in the Wild East of Russia and his crazy mission to expose the Kremlin's corruption - colliding with the Russian mob, oligarchs and even Putin along the way!

Why do Sardinians Live Longer?

It’s not reasonable for someone living in London, New York or Mumbai to have the same lifestyle factors as someone in Sardinia.

Let’s be realistic - these sort of places are tiny flecks of idyllic peace which few can experience for their entire lives.

To gain something (peace and longevity), you lose something else (excitement, the vibrancy of life around the world).

However there are certainly habits we can borrow from the Sardinians.

1. Movement:

It’s an incredibly hilly place and the locals walk almost everywhere!

Walking is a vastly underrated form of exercise - it’s not always just about lifting weights and furiously pounding concrete.

Just walking half a mile, a mile or whatever you want to every day is worth it.

2. Prioritise plants:

I’m neither vegan nor vegetarian but perhaps it’s time for us to consider making plants the start of the dish rather than a side accompaniment.

There is nothing inherently wrong with eating meat but this shouldn’t come at the cost of sacrificing volume and nutrients from plant based sources.

3. Social contacts:

It’s a small island with a strong community feeling.

Similar to the “Moai” or tribes the Okinawans have,

the sense of community amongst Sardinians lasts generations and this pays off when it comes to offsetting declines in mood, mental health and even staving off social isolation which has negative consequences for health.

It’s not even about the quantity of your social contact but more the quality of each one.

Less is more.