HEALTHY LIVING

Why money really can’t buy you happiness, figuring out your numbers, one green bottle and six signs to watch out for.

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

Blood pressure is an extremely important indicator of good health, so we should all know our systolic (the top number) from our diastolic (the bottom number).

Systolic measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats, pushing the blood through them to the rest of your body; diastolic measures the pressure in your arteries between beats, when your heart relaxes. A normal reading is between 90 and 120 for systolic, and between 60 and 80 for diastolic.

As we get older, our arteries harden slightly, which means our systolic number will increase although our diastolic number will probably stay the same. So don’t panic if you’re over 65 and your systolic number goes up to 140!

ONE GREEN BOTTLE

This new 700ml JoJo water bottle is 100 percent recyclable and BPA-free, and comes with a replaceable water filter. It’s the only part that isn’t recyclable, but it removes tons of impurities, including parasites, bacteria, trace pharmaceuticals, chlorine, lead, sediment and other nasties – plus, it will last for 300 refills. The JoJo is light, dishwasher-proof and comes with a yearlong warranty. R249,99 from Builder’s Warehouse.

KNOW WHAT MAKES US PROPERLY HAPPY?

Good health and happy relationships, says the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) in a recent report. In the long term, splashing out on restaurants, clothes, household furnishings and other consumables just doesn’t do it. ‘There is no evidence of a statistically significant association

between household disposable income and life satisfaction overall,’ the ONS said. Good to know!

6 SIGNS OF A HEART ATTACK WOMEN SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR

• Shortness of breath

• Nausea or stomach ache

• Feeling weak or light-headed

• Breaking out in a cold sweat

• Rapid, irregular heartbeat

• Pain in your shoulder, neck, jaw or arm