Innehållsförteckning för TAK2330 från Take 5

Do you find that you struggle to effortlessly rise and shine in the mornings no matter what you do? Fatigue can have greater consequences than battling to make it through the day, explains accredited practising dietitian and exercise physiologist Kate Save. Here, she offers up potential causes of endless tiredness, and simple ways to tackle it at home. 1 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT We all know that a healthy diet is best, but it’s easy to make bad choices when we’re busy. While food shopping, a good guide is to stick to the outside of the store and only head into the aisles for essentials. PLANT-BASED IS PERFECT Foods like low-starch vegetables and salads are extremely nutrient-dense and an excellent choice as they are low-calorie and high in dietary…

Hi Take 5ers, I’m about to get married and move to a new house with my fiancé. Truth is, it’s always been my dream to be a stay-at-home mum who looks after the children and takes care of the house so I’d like to quit my job after I get married. My fiancé is okay with this, but I’ve been getting a lot of backlash from the women in my life. Some friends have told me they think it’s un-feminist to spend my life looking after my husband and kids. Even my own mother thinks I should aspire to do more than cooking, cleaning and child-rearing and says I should contribute more to society. What should I do? Lily*, 31 With everything in life there is no one rule for everyone.…

Megan King, 33. Scrolling through my phone, I came across a video and clicked play. It was of my beloved Rottweiler, Ned, who’d recently passed away, from heart failure. As I watched the video, my staffy cross German shepherd, Nancy’s ears pricked up, hearing Ned barking in the video. Immediately, she started crying loudly. “Oh darling, I miss him too,” I said, tears welling. That night I called my mum, Sandra, who lived in Northern Ireland, and told her about Nancy pining for Ned. “Maybe you should get another puppy?” she suggested. She’d fostered dogs for many years, so I agreed to let her find me another Rottweiler puppy. A few weeks later, in early November 2022, she rang to say she’d found a local breeder she trusted. “Go and…

Amelie Coggan, 18, Christchurch, NZ. My heart was racing as I glided down the snowy slope. I really hated skiing and had only agreed to go on this trip to get out of practising for my French exam at school. Clap your hands nine times, and you'll be fine, I told myself. I made it safely to the bottom of the slope, and because of this, I quickly became convinced that doing things nine times would keep me and everyone around me safe. Anxious and intrusive thoughts had been a part of my life for as long as I could remember. I had terrible nightmares as a child, and started reciting lines to every family member at home each night before bed, hoping this would make them stop. “I super-duper…

Zoe Zoina, 34, Mt Gambier, SA. Sitting in front of the TV, I watched the video of five-year-old me walking down the aisle. Back in 1994, I’d been the flower girl at the wedding of Angelo and Anna, who were close friends of my parents, John and Debbie. Anna would often put on their wedding video when my family visited so we could watch me and her nephew, Matt, six, who’d been the pageboy. “Wouldn’t it be so cute if you two ended up together?” Anna joked. Many people from our families had made comments like this. As I grew up and got to know Matt more at family events, I started hoping we’d end up together, too, as I liked him a lot. At 14, I worked up the…

Erin Miletic, 32, Melbourne, Vic. My eyes lit up the second I saw all the old Disney VHS tapes. “Look at these!” I cried to my husband, Mitch. We’d visited an op shop in Melbourne hoping to find heaps of retro treasure and, low and behold, there they all were – video copies of Aladdin, Pocahontas and other favourites from the ’80s and ’90s. There were several times when I had to pinch myself remembering that going out hunting for old-school treasure like this was all in a day’s work for us. We run a business called Retro Rescuers, where we find valuable collectable items and clothes from the ’80s through to the early ’00s and resell them all online. In our time we’ve found everything from Tazo collections through…

BANISH BUILD-UP Using the wrong shampoo for your hair type can lead to a multitude of problems including clogged hair follicles and product build-up, which can then stunt hair growth. To save stressed strands, add a clarifying shampoo to your routine every two weeks. Giving your hair a deep clean can help clear clogged follicles leaving it lush and healthy. Aveda Rosemary Mint Purifying Shampoo, $30 (2), is great for those who have a sensitive scalp and contains white vinegar to purify the hair without disrupting the natural balance. For oilier hair try Essano Clarify & Balance Micellar Shampoo, $15.99 (1), which uses micellar water to wash away excess oil, pollutants, and buildup without damaging locks, along with rose water to help soften and hydrate. Aveeno Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo,…

Rosemary Kariuki OAM, 63, Oran Park, NSW. I opened the packet of greeting cards and started to write. Dear Door Number 1, I began, My name is Rosemary Kariuki. I live at door number 7. Merry Christmas. Please will you talk to me? After that, I wrote to all 15 of my neighbours in my unit block in Sydney and slipped the cards under their doors just before midnight on Christmas Eve, 2000. I was 40 years old and had arrived in Australia one year before. In my home country, Kenya, I’d suffered many traumas, like abuse and tribal clashes, that made it impossible to stay. Desperate to flee, my friends helped me pay for a flight to Australia. “I’ll come and get you as soon as I can,” I…

Fiji is a much-loved holiday destination for Australians, with the tropical paradise less than a four-hour flight away from Sydney. The laidback, welcoming people, and the beautiful, natural scenery and great weather are big drawcards for a mix of travellers. It really is a place that suits any type of holiday style, from family getaways full of activities to luxurious romantic resets. Here’s a list of some of the top places to stay, no matter your vacay vibe… FIJI MARRIOTT RESORT, MOMI BAY This five-star resort offers all you’d need for a relaxing and invigorating getaway. The over-water bures are a standout, as is its pristine lagoon. With multiple pools, water sports, nearby reefs for diving and surfing spots, there’s plenty to do – or not, depending on your chill…

Treasure hunt In 1985, when my daughter Julie was five, she wore my engagement ring to school without me knowing. Months later, when I realised it was missing, it was revealed she and her friend had used it as buried treasure in the sandpit. My late husband, Laurie, and I searched through the sand, to no avail. Months later, out of the blue, Julie said, “Now I remember! We did find your ring. I wore it to swimming lessons after school!” My mind went back a few months earlier, to hearing several radio announcements about an engagement ring being found at the pool. At the time I thought, What idiot has lost their ring and doesn’t know it? Turns out, I was the idiot, and I was thrilled to get…

Dave Bradley, 38 As I knocked on my mum Karen’s door, the smell of steak made my stomach rumble. “We’re in for a treat,” I told my Jack Russell, Scrappy. It was mid 2006 and Mum and I were close. In many ways, we were making up for lost time, after I’d spent most of my childhood in care. Mental health issues had left Mum unable to look after me until I was 15. “I’ll be the best mum I can from now on,” she said when I moved back in. We built an incredible bond and at 17 I got my own place nearby and went round every Friday for tea. “Steak tonight,” Mum said, beckoning us in. “One for you, one for Scrappy.” I laughed – Mum adored…

Emily Howell, 34, Ramornie, NSW. My stomach lurched, as I watched my six-year-old daughter, Ruby, drive her dirt bike into a pile of hay. “Are you alright?” I called, racing over to her. “Fine,” she said, shooing me away. Ruby was declared legally blind as a baby as a birth defect meant she couldn’t see out her left eye. She could only make out big shapes and knew when it was light or dark. Luckily, her right eye was fine. At four, she was given glasses that enabled her to see out of both eyes. “Your eye doesn’t define you,” I told her. “You can still achieve whatever you want to.” Before Ruby and her siblings, Matilda, five, Oliver, three, and Noah, one were born, my husband, Aaron, 38, had…

Rosie Jean, 31. Walking to the bus stop, I realised I couldn’t fight the sick feeling in my stomach any longer. Running to a nearby bush, I threw up. It was 2006. I was 14, and the bullying I experienced daily at school was so severe that it felt like entering a war zone. Although I didn’t have many friends, everyone knew who I was. “There’s the fat girl,” other students would say, making jokes about me. Little did they know of the sexual abuse I’d suffered as child. For years, I’d suppressed my pain by eating. My parents were Mormons and sexuality had always been taboo, so I didn’t tell them what I’d experienced. At 13, I would often sit in my room, rocking back and forth as I…

Sienna*, 23, Adelaide, SA. Taking a sip of my coffee, I turned to my colleague Natalie. “Did you hear the news about Fantales?” she asked, after placing her order at the cafe just outside our office. “No, what about them?” I said. “They’re being discontinued,” she replied. “Allen’s reckons they’re just not selling enough, and once the current batch on sale runs out that’s it.” My thoughts immediately turned to my grandfather Les, who I called Pop. Fantales were his absolute favourite. He’d be so sad to hear this news. Pop and I were close so I decided I would head to the supermarket on my lunch break to buy him a few bags. Back in the office, everyone was talking about the demise of one of Australia’s oldest lollies.…

SISTER SEARCH Sisters Laurinda Collado, 35, and Ashleigh Brown, 33, immediately embraced at the airport, sobbing. Passers-by might have assumed that they’d been separated for months, or even years, after living in different countries. However, Laurinda and Ashleigh were meeting for the very first time. The sisters were born in the Dominican Republic. Five months following Laurinda’s birth, she was given up for adoption, raised as an only child in Connecticut, USA. Two years after that, her birth parents had Ashleigh who was adopted at six weeks by a single mother in Barbados who moved to Ontario, Canada a few years later. As adults, they knew they had a sister and had a photo of their biological parents – but had never found each other. Then, in 2019, Ashleigh signed…

Jessamy Miller, 48, Melbourne, Vic. I watched my pet hens clamber out of their house, as I took a swig from my cuppa. “Good morning girls,” I said as they clucked and pecked at the ground around me. It was 2015 and I loved waking up to greet my five chickens. My mum, Meg, was a poultry judge, so I’d always had a feathery friend for company growing up. Then when it came to choosing a career of my own, Mum’s passion rubbed off on me and I trained to become a journalist, specialising in poultry. Shortly after, aged 21, I met my husband, Marcel, through friends. He was kind, funny and we shared an interest in being frugal. Just like me, Marcel cared about the environment and making things…