A Better Day: Meditation, Podcasts, Telehealth

Each weekday, our editors are sharing their quick tips, workouts, recipes, and observations to help us make the most of our time at home. We hope it makes your day a little bit brighter. #stayhome

Let’s start with some good news…

Let’s start with some good news… While hotel stays are off the agenda for most of us at the moment, a number of hospitality heroes are stepping up to put their facilities to good use. As a case in point, JA Resorts & Hotels is offering 1,000 free room stays to UAE medical workers across its six hotels and resorts in Dubai as a gesture of thanks for their hard work in protecting the local community during the COVID-19 crisis. Those who are eligible can send a copy of their UAE medical ID and contact details to thankyou@jaresorts.com before the 30 April 2020.

Do this for a healthy body

Hailed as one of the best workouts in the UAE, Barry’s United Arab Emirates is helping you stay bootylicious with its series of live home workouts to make you sweat. Check the Instagram page for timings – you can tune in on Instagram Live. #barrysdubai

Do this for a healthy mind

This easy five-minute meditation resets your mental landscape, leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Perfect for beginners, the soothing voiceover will lull you into letting go and moving forward with grace.

Delicious deliveries to your door

A problem shared is a problem halved, so make like Carrie Bradshaw and order some cupcakes for you and your bestie, then share them over a Zoom chat. The psychological benefit will outweigh the calories, we promise. We rate Sugargram, which you can order online through Deliveroo or ChatFood.

What to watch

Would you marry someone without ever seeing them? That’s the name of the game for contestants on the American reality show, Love is Blind, on Netflix. The couples get to know each other in pods before choosing whether to say, “I do”.

What to listen to

Stay up-to-date with a mind-nourishing mixture of hard-hitting cultural happenings and water-cooler gossip thanks to The High Low, a weekly pop-culture and news podcast brought to you by Everything I Know About Love author Dolly Alderton and journalist Pandora Sykes that we simply can’t get enough of. You can listen via Apple Podcasts.

Home help

If you’re feeling under the weather but aren’t sure whether your symptoms warrant a trip to the doctors, you can put your mind at ease thanks to the growing number of clinics and hospitals that are now offering online consultations. HealthBay (800 4272) is giving its existing clients the option for phone and video calls with specialists, allowing you to talk through your medical concerns and get prescriptions delivered without having to leave home. Al Zahra Hospital Dubai’s telemedicine services can be reached on 04 378 6666 while Aster is running a tele consult on 04 400 500.

Isolators we love

It’s great to see celebrities finding fun ways to connect with fans and share their self-isolation stories, too. To switch things up, John Krasinski from The Office has created a YouTube channel called ‘Some Good News’ and invites Steve Carrell to be his first ‘Entertainment Correspondent’.

Join the party

Tim Burgess, the lead singer of The Charlatans, is hosting listening parties of classic albums every night on Twitter (start times vary), where you can join in and interact with like-minded fans.

Cook like a pro

Of the many hats worn by fashion designer Jason Wu, that of chef ranks of most importance to his close friends. As ‘Guest Chef in Residence’ of Mexico’s boutique bolthole Hotel Esencia, Wu has created a number of signature dishes, including this scrummy Chinese chicken salad.

Ingredients:
• 180g shredded cabbage – green and red
• 200g shredded chicken breast
• 5g spring onion
• 1g coriander leaves (save a few for topping)
• 2g sesame seed mix – save a little for topping
• 25g roasted peanuts, lightly crushed
• 25g thin tortilla strips – crispy fried; save a few for topping
• 50g orange supreme segments
• Sea salt & black pepper

Method:
Mix all salad ingredients in a bowl, serve on a pretty dish and top with a dash of sesame seeds, a few more coriander leaves, and crispy tortilla strips

For the dressing (makes 250ml):
• 15g fresh garlic
• 5g fresh ginger
• 15ml sesame oil
• 100ml soy sauce
• 100ml rice vinegar
• 50g brown sugar

Method:
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth

And lastly…things we’d never thought we’d miss #1

Being able to use ‘Right – got to run!’ as a legitimate excuse to get off the phone. Please feel free to share your own frivolous yearnings via editor@hotmedia.me

For your home interiors, advice and inspiration in the UAE visit https://blivinguae.com/