5 Foods To Stay Healthy This Summer

As you know, we've been experiencing a scorchingly hot summer this year, with 2013 proving to be one of the hottest years on record. Can you believe that Monday the 22nd of July was the hottest day in 7 years? So, in weather so drastically different to what we usually experience in the UK, we thought it appropriate to provide you with a few tips on what to eat to make sure you're staying healthy in the madness of the heat!

1. WATERMELON!

This is a great fruit to consume on hot days - with a percentage of 92% water, it is perfect for keeping up levels of hydration, acting as both a tasty snack and a water supplement. It also contains lycopene, which protects skin cells from sun damage! A tasty sun lotion...

2. GRILLED VEGTABLES!
Perfect on the BBQ, and a brilliant way to remain healthy throughout the summer, and of course very tasty indeed. There's a variety to choose from... whether your tastes are bell peppers, asparagus, courgette or red onion - they're fab for adding flavour to any summer meal and provide you with your necessary source of greenery. Try them on skewers with your favourite kinds of meat - chicken, lamb, pork? 

3. BANANAS!
As well as tasting delicious, bananas are also helpful for replenishing your body after its loss of fluid through sweating, and is a rich source of potassium. If bananas don't float your boat, how about dried fruit or greens- fab sources of potassium too!

4. ORANGES!
Oranges, similarly to Watermelons, are a great way to keep yourself hydrated, as they are 80% water, and they're also another brilliant source of potassium. If you didn't already know, a loss of potassium can put your muscles at risk of cramping, so replenishing it is highly important during the hot summer days. 

5. RASPBERRIES!
Would you believe that one cup of raspberries has 8 grams of fiber? This means they are an excellent way to prevent weight gain and lower your cholesterol level - by increasing your intake of fiber to 8 grams per 1000 calories, you can lose upto 4½ pounds!

Here at Smart Gift Solutions we sell a variety of fruit baskets that you can either treat yourself to, or send to a friend this summer for both a healthy treat and a way of showing them you're thinking of them. Click here for our selection, suitable for all different occasions...

6 Tips for Healthy Hands!

As you may well know, the downside to gardening can be the stress it can cause on your hands - creating dry skin, cracks and even blisters. So, to avoid that this summer we've put together a short and sweet list of top tips to avoid hands that suffer at the expense of your gardening!

1. Wear gloves! The best way to keep your hands dirt free and protected.

2. Sprinkle talcum powder on your hands before putting on your gloves, and it will make the process of removing the gloves later a lot easier for you.

3. Keep your nails short to avoid them breaking, or having dirt trapped underneath them.

4. If you don't want to shorten your nails, you can make sure they have lots of vaseline under them before applying your gloves, so dirt is less likely to be trapped under your nails! 

5. Both olive oil and baby oil are the perfect treatment for rubbing on your hands after a hard day of gardening, to keep them well moisturised and in the perfect condition. 

6. Be sure to massage your cuticles - both before and after - to be sure you don't find them drying out and breaking away easily.

Remember - just because you love to garden, doesn't mean your hands should suffer - follow these 6 rules and you can keep hands as soft as the petals you're working with!

Happy Gardening :)

'Tis the season for a great wedding!

As you all know it is summertime (despite the weather tending to say very different), meaning there is an abundance of wonderful romantic weddings occurring left right and centre, BUT the question on everybody's lips is what exactly do you buy for the newly wedded couple?

We've recently added a selection of new personalised gifts to our wedding section here at Smart Gift Solutions so you won't be stuck when choosing the right present! For example, there is a gorgeous Rustic Wooden Heart Decoration for just £10.95, which is a great way to give the new couple a gift they can treasure and flaunt in their home, inscribed with their names for extra sentimentality.

Or perhaps, a gorgeous heart shaped map, beautifully presented in a wooden frame - which you can personalise with a postcode of your choice (perhaps where they live or the location of their wedding day) for only £19.99! Once again, its a wonderful gift that is very special to the couple - it's the gift to assure your present won't be pushed into the spare room!

Click here to be directed to our Personalised Wedding Gifts section, to get choosing the perfect gift for the special couple!

National Kissing Day!

Today is National Kissing Day, and in celebration, we thought we'd share with you a few fun facts about kissing! 

Although it may seem utterly ridiculous, it has been proven that kissing can in fact lower cholesterol levels and cause a decrease in stress levels, so if you're having a bad day at work kissing may make things a little better!

The longest recorded kiss in history was made earlier this year on Valentine's Day in Thailand by Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat, recorded at a whopping 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds! Isn't that absolutely crazy... how did they manage that?! Lots of practice we presume!

Kissing may seem natural, but it is quite a sport - using 34 facial muscles! That's a heck of a lot, and no wonder it can burn 2-3 calories... A passionate french kiss can burn up to 5! So, we say forget about the diet and get kissing, because its a damn healthy, beneficial activity!

What are the health benefits of chili?

To coincide with our Facebook competition, in which we are giving away 3 Grow It Chili Plants - all you have to do is you simply like and share our status, we thought we'd provide you with a few key facts that you may not have previously known about chili! Even if chili doesn't tingle your tastebuds, there are many beneficial factors to eating it that may make you change your mind...

For example, did you know that the key ingredient found in chili is called capsaicin, which has been scientifically proven to both REDUCE blood pressure and BOOST weight loss? (Can this really be true...) Well, yes! Capsaicin has anti-bacterial and anti-diabetic properties, and can reduce cholesterol levels. It can also speed up your metabolism, consequently reducing your appetite and improving weight loss!

Chilies do more than just fire up your taste buds and add flavour to a variety of meals, they can also stimulate and clear mucus from your blocked nose, meaning it can help rid you of your horrid cold! BUT be warned - there is a chance you may become addicted to chilies, due to the endorphin released when eating it, giving you a sense of pleasure! Get involved in the chili madness, by growing your very own chili plants - available here...