August 2015 - Plutonium Sox

Natalie Ray August 30, 2015 Being a work from home mum

The health benefits of work-life balance

Blood pressure is often cited as a factor associated with your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. It is also widely accepted that exercise is a key factor in lowering blood pressure. And over the past few days, the European Society of Cardiology has revealed the results of a study about daytime sleeping. It turns out that napping during the day can lower your blood pressure significantly. In turn, this lowers your risk of having both a heart attack and a stroke. And yet, when it comes to both sleep and exercise, life tends to get in the way. I know…

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Natalie Ray August 28, 2015 Lifestyle

When I am old

Every day when I walk the dogs, I check to see whether my friend is looking as I pass her house. I don’t know her name, but I know that she’s in her 90’s and she’s lived on this estate a long time. If I can see her when I’m passing, I always wave and if she’s outside we always stop for a chat. Some days, she’s watching the world go by from her window. On other days, I don’t catch her eye because she is sitting at her desk, writing. The world seems to move a little more slowly…

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Natalie Ray August 27, 2015 Our Thursday Photos

Our Thursday Photo #68

This week, I’ve made a huge decision in regard to work. For the past year I’ve been doing transcribing work to supplement my earnings as a freelance writer. I enjoy it because it’s always nice to do something different but it’s really time consuming. I’ve always said that as soon as I was able to, I’d stop doing that and just write. After all, it’s what I enjoy. This week, I’ve finally reached that point and decided that from now on, I’m just a writer. I’ve started up my palm oil free website to make it easier for people to reduce…

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Natalie Ray August 25, 2015 Inspirational Parents

Inspirational Parents #8

In the latest in my inspirational parents series, the dads are coming up on the rails. Stuart Allen is a gentleman who I’ve never met but I can’t help but feel his influence on Twitter, where his account @StuartAllenFCMI has over 68,000 followers. Stuart runs The Sales Performance Company and he was also the founder of the amazing #WorcestershireHour. This hashtag and weekly chat has been an incredible help to Worcestershire businesses. It has enabled them to support each other, shop locally and boost the local economy. Stuart has been kind enough to take time out of his incredibly busy schedule to…

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Natalie Ray August 23, 2015 Lifestyle

Pick up the phone

So often, I read that it’s not important to have so many friends as you get older. I don’t disagree with the sentiment, of course there’s no shame in choosing your friends carefully. But I want to explain what growing out of friends really means. It’s so easy to lose touch with people as time goes by. When you have children, it becomes even more difficult to find time for your friends. But if you’re currently going down this path and find yourself speaking to old buddies less and less frequently, here are a few things to consider. One day, you’ll get to a…

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