Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i Women's Fitness

Want to be your best for party season, but feeling more frazzled than fabulous? This month’s H&F will help you stay happy and healthy! No time for the gym? Shape up in a flash with PT Gideon Remfry’s fast and furious party-dress workout, ‘Get Party Confident’ (page 98). Sort Christmas shopping, stress free, with ‘The H&F Gift Guide’ (page 50), where you’ll find nearly 50 amazing ideas to keep your loved ones happy (and maybe treat yourself too..). Want to stay calm amid the chaos? In ‘Your Festive Survival Plan’ (page 62), Hollywood wellbeing guru Sara-Chana Silverstein reveals how to harness the power of your mind to turn stress into serenity and seasonal cheer. Or soak away stress (plus improve sleep and aid your fitness) with the home spa ideas…

DIY party canapés Entertaining shouldn’t be a chore. These easy ideas from healthy chef and food writer Lyndon Gee ( lyndongee.co.uk ) take just minutes to whizz up but look impressive and are super-nutritious too. Winner! • Spicy curried chickpeas with mango chutney Drain a can of chickpeas and mash with a fork, stir in 1 tbsp curry paste and 2 tbsp mango chutney. Serve in little gem lettuce leaves or spread onto chunks of hot naan bread or crackers. Garnish with pomegranate seeds. • Melon and ginger spears Use a melon baller or cut up cubes of cantaloupe or honeydew melon. Take a piece of stem ginger in syrup and cut into 2mm slices. Pop a slice of ginger on top of the melon, secure with a…

FLU FIGHTERS MARTIN Serves: 1 80ml coconut water 50ml freshly squeezed orange juice 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 4 tsp rhubarb or elderflower cordial 4 tsp pure aloe vera juice 1cm piece fresh ginger, peeled 1cm slice red chilli A couple of ice cubes, to garnish Slices of ginger and a chilli, to garnish 1 Put all the ingredients, except the ice cubes, in a blender and blitz well. 2 If you wish, you can pass the blended liquid through a fine-mesh sieve for an elegantly smooth drink. It is equally delicious and slightly spicier not passed, with the chilli flecks remaining, so it’s entirely up to you whether you follow this step or not. 3 Put the ice cubes in a cocktail…

ALFA ITALIA VALENTINO £199.95; alfaitaliapro.com With tourmaline-infused ceramic features for reduced hair breakage, the Valentino cuts drying time in half and is the first hairdryer that boasts a two-year guarantee. DYSON SUPERSONIC £299.99; johnlewis.com Smart temperature control guarantees to prevent extreme heat damage, while the balance of airflow is quiet, and delivers fast, static-free results that smooth the appearance of spilt ends. We love. T3 CURA IONAIR £195; currentbody.com Wide airflow dries hair 75 per cent faster, while digitally-controlled heat and negative ions smooth your hair cuticles for frizz-free locks.…

‘I exercise more on Christmas Day than on a usual day, starting early with a short dog walk with my sister. Back at home, we do an online class or two, like a weights and HIIT combination followed by some yoga, which we practise outdoors unless it’s raining. After eating fish for lunch, we head out again for a long dog walk, with woolly hat and wellies on. I’m not exercise obsessed, but exercise isn’t just about burning calories and building muscle: it’s a mental-health tonic, too. It clears my mind, gets rid of stress and banishes anxiety. Chemically, endorphins flood your body and make you feel better, while your circulation is boosted and energy levels soar. It’s so much better to feel that way, rather than sitting with indigestion,…

Last winter was a record-breaker for snowfall and, with the euro finally dropping slightly against the sterling, it’s a great time to take the plunge and book a ski trip. But do it mindfully: climate change is the buzzword this year, and skiers are among the most environmentally aware bunch because we can’t avoid the inevitable: winters are getting shorter and less predictable. FUNKY NEW PLACES TO STAY New hotels and more unusual forms of accommodation are opening up across the mountains — from piste bashers (machines that groom the snow on the pistes) to tree houses to eco hotels. Here’s our pick. • Sleep on the slopes Head to La Plagne and you can stay overnight in an achingly cool luxury piste basher, then be the first to ski…

H&F feature writer Eve Boggenpoel gets the hair she’s always wanted – and it isn’t extensions! What? Hair Botox, from £40. Where? Salon Mirror, Duke Street, Chelmsford, Essex. ‘It was a good day when I chanced upon Salon Mirror. Exasperated with hair parched by this summer's heatwave – even at the best of times my corckscrew curls are thin, frizzy, fragile and prone to breakage – and desperate for a solution, I popped in for some advice and ended up having a Brazilian botox hair treatment. ‘The process itself is simple enough. First my stylist, Kem, washed my hair with Emiliv Procleansing deep cleansing shampoo to remove impurities and open cuticles so it had the ideal texture to receive the botox treatment. Then he dried my hair around 70 per…

For the meat eaters among you, the festive season can be an endless round of roast turkey, bacon-wrapped sausages and clove-studded hams and, although turkey is one of the leaner farmed birds available, moving away from mass produced or highly processed meat and poultry and turning your attention to game can have considerable health benefits. ‘Game is a particularly good source of protein,’ says Simon Boddy, co-author of Game: New Ways to Prepare, Cook and Cure (Kyle Books, £22). ‘Take, for example, venison. Mostly, it’s wild or reared on a naturally balanced diet with no hormones, additives or growth promoters, so is extremely low in fat. There are also strict seasons for game, so it’s sustainable and only eaten when in prime condition.’ Written in conjunction with ITV’s This Morning…

STAR LETTER MUM’S THE WORD I really enjoyed your Real Life feature ‘Meet the medal-winning Mums’ (December issue), including Tamsin Greenway, Laura Kenny, Amy Williams and Laura Warren. It can’t be easy combining motherhood with sporting careers, and discovering these women’s tips for post-partum fitness was very helpful as I’m expecting in March! I regularly play golf, ride horses and swim and I hope to keep these up, but I’ll be a hands-on mum until I go back to work – hopefully when my child is three. I feel reassured about what to expect now. I like the fact these sportswomen accept, embrace and enjoy the fact they are women – they just happen to have children to take good care of too. Mia Byron, Liverpool GOOD GUT GUIDE Thank…

‘I get up at 7am, make a smoothie using oats, almond milk, banana, berries and KIN’s OMG! NO WHEY Vegan Protein Blueberry Powder (£34.99 for 1kg), then join my husband (and business partner) Kyle for breakfast and coffee, where we have a strict ‘no business talk’ rule before work begins. We’ve been a couple since I was 18, and officially in business together for two years running KIN Nutrition – a line of 100 per cent natural, vegan and whey proteins – and KIN Luxury Fitness Retreats in Ibiza, plus we’re in The X Factor house for the second year in a row, keeping the contestants healthy through the live shows with yoga and meditation sessions, one-to-one personal training and advice on healthy eating. I love making a difference to…

SKULLCANDYVENUE  £149.99;skullcandy.co.uk Get in the workout zone, with noise-cancelling technology. Push a button and these new,  rapid-charge, wireless bluetooth headphones also let you hear what’s going on around you. MIIEGOBOOM  £149;miiego.co.uk Swap from plush faux-leather ear-cushions to more breathable, washable sports  ones with these new wireless gems. Use the built-in microphone to take and make calls. BEATSBYDRE SOLO3WIRELESS  £249.95; apple.com Never be without juice for a workout – power up these  fold-up headphones (that come in new iPhone colours) in five minutes for three hours' play.…

‘A great knee-stability exercise is balancing with your right foot on the flat side of a BOSU ball, while trying not to let it tip and move much. Reach your left leg out behind you as far as you can and touch the floor with your foot, then bring it back in. Then touch to the side, then in between the two. Focus on keeping your right knee stable. Swap legs. When you can do that, bring one leg forwards and perform single leg squats on the BOSU ball.’ ‘For flexibility, try the hip-flexor lunge stretch and the yoga frog pose. Your hips can get super tight while skiing, so loosen them off daily.’ ‘And my favourite stretch is ‘the world’s greatest stretch’ (Google it!) – it’s actually more of…

SOUND BITE ‘There are always days… when my jeans feel a bit tighter than they did – but that’s just life. I eat healthily or do another Spin class.’ Christine Lampard COMFORTING NEWS If you feel compelled to eat carbs during winter, don’t feel bad – it may better for you than avoiding them. A study published in Science magazine found the make-up of bacteria in the gut changes with the seasons and that in winter a genus called prevotella flourishes. This strain breaks down high-fibre carbohydrate foods such as beans, root veg and whole grains, and encourages weight loss. In previous studies, people who had a high ratio of prevotella in their gut microbiome lost more weight while eating a high-fibre diet than those who only had a small…

Lidl Argentine Cooked Red Shrimp (£6.99, 400g) Presented in a wooden box, these giant shrimp are sweet, juicy and super-fresh tasting. ASDA Chicken Laksa Roses (£2.50, 10-pack) A low-fat, low-sugar and lo-cal pastry with fragrant Thai chicken, that looks good on the plate. ASDA Vietnamese Rainbow Rolls (£3, 10-pack) Swap battered spring rolls for these pretty steamed rolls, filled with fresh vegetables and traditional herbs, with a soy and ginger sauce. Iceland No Bull Sausages (£2.00, 8-pack) Hot on the heels of its ‘No Bull Burger’, Iceland vegan chipolatas are the ideal alternative for your non-meat-eating guests. Olly's Olives (£3.50 for 180g, sainsburys.com ) The super-tasty, unpasteurised jumbo pitted green olives, sourced from Halkidiki, Greece, have a satisfying crunch and are the perfect pairing for a party…

BEING BUSY CAN BE HEALTHIER It’s supposed to be a time to relax and enjoy down time, but the festive season often ends up being one of the busiest times of year as we juggle work, socialising and searching out that perfect present for a friend or loved one. So it’s good news that a recent research paper in the Journal of Consumer Research argues that individuals who are busy or feel busy may actually make healthier choices. When I first read this, I thought it sounded counter-intuitive, given being rushed off our feet can often lead to us having less time to exercise and cook from scratch. But what the researchers, from Hong Kong, America and Singapore, actually found was that being busy increases people’s sense of self-worth and…

Each issue, we bring you the best advice from the latest self-help books This month we look at Your Dream Life Starts Here, by Kristina Karlsson (kikki.K, £18). In a nutshell: From the woman whose dreams led her directly to founding successful stationery business kikki.K, Kalrlsson shares her advice and experience on how to dream without limits. Try exercises that help you discover what truly matters to you, uncover your passions and purpose, and help you make your dream life a reality. A snippet: ‘When you read your dream notes daily, you start to open yourself up to opportunities, and take actions to make them come true.’…

‘I’ve always found Christmas stressful and overwhelming. Before having children, I spent the festive period hiking in the Himalayas, diving in the Red Sea or horse riding in Cuba. Now, with little ones, destinations are closer to home, but my appetite for adventure remains undiminished. Last year, we drove to Wales and stayed on an almost-deserted campsite, waking up on Christmas morning to the raw beauty and tranquillity of the Welsh countryside, metres from a river. Rather than unwrapping presents and arguing over toys in a cramped living room, my boys spent the day running along the riverbank and building a den. And instead of losing my cool over the turkey and trimmings, I kept warm by a campfire before enjoying a very untraditional Christmas dinner cooked over a camping…

‘Christmas is one of the few times of the year my 10 brothers and sisters and I all manage to get together as we live in various areas of the country and the world. One of our more unusual festive traditions is to go for a Boxing Day run – it started a few years ago as an impromptu jog to burn off our Christmas dinner and has now become a highlight of our celebration. We even have a favourite route along the seafront and, every year, invite friends and extended family to join us. Last year, we managed 11km, but it changes every time, depending on who’s running and how we feel. I find a group run is a great way to get some collective fresh air and catch…

Cinnamon: warming, stimulating and energising, this spicy scent reduces irritability and brings joy. Fir needle oil: Not only does the smell of Christmas trees evoke happy memories, it can also help you feel grounded, calm and safe. Frankincense: Used in meditation and ceremonies, this promotes deep breathing and relaxation and induces feelings of peace and spirituality. Ginger: Warming, energising and uplifting, ginger is called the oil of empowerment. Myrrh: Used as incense in religious ceremonies, this is considered a spiritual oil that brings inner peace and foresight.…

Make the most of a short break on the slopes by leaving the UK with only hand luggage – and don’t add to the mountain of clothing thrown out each year. Ski Chic is available in 20 resorts across the French Alps, promising to deliver a clean, chic outfit to your accommodation before you arrive — and to collect it on departure. With kit for men, women and children aged between eight and 16, from Fusalp, Poivre Blanc, Quiksilver, Roxy and Salomon. Prices start from €16.65 per day; skichic.com.…

• Grouse – the older birds are great for braising, pâté and broths. Young birds are perfect for simple roasting. • Pheasant – has its own distinctive flavours, but brining and smoking most definitely enhances it. The meat will be extremely soft and juicy with a lovely smoky flavour. • Pigeon – is extremely cheap and has a good proportion of fine-flavoured breast meat. I serve three breasts per person and the bones make excellent stock. • Wild duck – is delicious roasted, in broths and soups, braised and sometimes grilled. It’s also quite lean, as opposed to domestic duck. • Venison – with healthy eating and heart disease becoming more common, venison slots in nicely as a red-meat alternative. It’s hugely versatile and can be used whenever a recipe…

Helps ward off cancer – research shows green tea can reduce the risk of some cancers, including breast, bladder, prostate and colon. Boosts heart health – matcha is brimming with catechins, anti-inflammatory antioxidants that help prevent heart disease. Creates a sense of alert calm – a mix of caffeine and amino acid L-theanine promotes alpha waves, leading to a state of relaxed alertness – aiding concentration, enhancing mood and easing anxiety. Aids exercise recovery – the catechins help reduce muscle damage after high-intensity workouts, too. Helps with anti-ageing – catechins also counteract the effects of free-radicals from the environment that can cause cell damage.…

BACK Your back should be parallel to the floor, in line with your lifted leg LEGS Keep your legs straight but don’t lock out your knees WARRIOR III This dynamic yoga pose will stretch your quads and hamstrings and strengthen your legs, back, shoulders and arms, while expanding your lungs, chest and shoulders, too. It also tones and invigorates your whole body, builds stability and strengthens your pelvis and spine. Not bad! HOW TO DO IT • Stand up tall in mountain pose, with your feet together and your arms down by your sides. • Step your left foot back, keeping your weight on your right foot. • Place you hands on your hips and lift your left foot behind you as you lean your torso forwards from your hips.…

BACK Make sure your back’s neutral – don’t arch or hunch it. CORE Keep those core muscles engaged! KNEES Don’t lock out your knees. REVERSE FLYES Reps: 15 Benefits: Strengthens your back muscles and the backs of your shoulders. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your knees slightly bent. Keeping your back flat, bend forward from your hip joints (A). Exhale and lift both arms to the sides, keeping a slight bend in your elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together (B). With control, lower the dumbbells back towards the ground. REVERSE DUMBBELL CURL AND PRESS Reps: 12 Benefits: Targets your forearm muscles and your biceps. Hold two dumbbells at your sides and do a biceps curl by bending your elbows and bringing them to your shoulders (A).…

Phone a friend. ‘Running with a buddy who is slightly faster than you will push you a little more.’ Head to the beach. ‘Running on sand gives you a killer workout: the softer the sand, the harder you’ll push yourself.’ Get on your bike. ‘Doing something different, such as cycling, from time to time will build strength and flexibility in muscles that running doesn’t use.’ Liz Barker is founder of Fit for Living ( fitforliving.co.uk ).…

SAUCONY TRIUMPH ISO 5 £140; sportsshoes.com Enjoy a bouncy stride for longer, thanks to more of the durable and flexible EVERUN material underfoot than ever before. 1000 MILE TRAIL SOCKS £12.99 for a twin pack; 1000mile.co.uk Merino wool makes these new socks naturally anti-bacterial, wicking and quick-drying. They also boast extra ventilation on the tops and good padding on those hotspots. 2XU THERMAL COMPRESSION TIGHTS £110; 2XU These cosy leggings offer targeted muscle support to quads and calves to help reduce fatigue and injury risk, plus compression for improved recovery. We love the reflective pattern, too.…

This month, Mia wins a fantastic pair of Cébé STRIDE running glasses, worth £45. Beautifully styled to follow your facial contours, the STRIDE remains in place, however demanding your run is, thanks to adjustable nose pads and temple tips that ensure a customized fit, plus anti-slip rubber on the nose and the temples. The sunglasses are very light (weighing just 26g) and robust and provide perfect protection whatever the weather, thanks to the two sets of interchangeable lenses. Find out more at cebe-eyewear.com.…

Tania Adib, Harley Street gynaecologist ‘Thrush thrives in warm conditions, so if you exercise a lot, do be careful. Avoid exercise wear that contains synthetic, non-breathable fabric as, when you’re sweating, it can create moisture build-up, which can aggravate the condition. Tight clothing can aggravate symptoms too. Wear cotton knickers, as many synthetic fibres contain harsh chemicals that irritate the vulva. If you’re not sure it’s thrush, try using Canestest Self-test for Vaginal Infections (£9.99; superdrug.com).ʼ…

1 It lowers your inhibitions. With a drink in hand, you’re less likely to exercise self control. The result? You stop worrying about the effects of stuffing your face with unhealthy food... until the next day that is. 2 It can influence your satiety hormones. For example, it’s thought that alcohol may inhibit the effects of leptin – a hormone that’s associated with suppressing appetite. And there’s an emerging theory that the neurons in the brain that are activated by starvation, causing an intense feeling of hunger, are also stimulated by alcohol. 3 It lowers blood sugar. Drinking impairs the liver’s ability to release the right amount of glycogen, or stored glucose, into the blood to keep blood glucose levels stable and, in turn, can cause us to crave sugar…

Sainsbury’s Alcohol Free Sparkling Wine (£2.75 for 75cl) Designated driver? This flavourful fizz tastes better than some of the low-alcohol sparkling wines on the market. Sainsbury’s Low Alcohol Apple Cider made by Westons (£1.10, 500ml) A tasty cider made by a proper cider maker. Nobody will know the difference. Monte Rosso (£2.50, 275ml; Ocado, Waitrose) Swap your Aperol spritz for this bitter-sweet sparkling drink with mountain berries, handpicked botanicals and Venetian bitters. Serve over ice with a thin slice of orange. Belvoir Mulled Winter Punch (£3.50, 750ml; most supermarkets) With nutmeg oil, mixed spice extracts and winter berry juices, you won’t even miss the alcohol. Seedlip Grove (£27.99, 70cl; seedlipdrinks.com ) Want a grown-up drink without the hangover? Seedlip’s latest nonalcoholic spirit is a citrus blend that…

BREAKFAST ‘I normally have an omelette or kippers. I avoid carbs at breakfast as I find if I eat cereal or toast I get really hungry by mid morning, whereas if I eat the same amount of calories in the form of kippers or omelettes (both of which have decent amounts of protein) then I’m fine until at least 2pm. I’ve measured my blood sugar responses to each of these breakfasts and it’s the toast and the cereal that sends my blood sugars through the roof.’ DRINKS ‘A couple of cups of black coffee in the morning, then herbal or black tea in the day and a lot of water.’ LUNCH ‘I often skip lunch, but otherwise try to have a salad, soup or something low carby. I always have…

Q Can I ease dark circles under my eyes naturally? ‘A naturopath would assess the colours of the shadows and circles, and use other tests to see if they indicated overworked liver and kidneys (potentially a sign of food intolerance), sluggish bowels, lymph or adrenal (stress) issues. Sinus issues could also be a cause, as inflammation, increased blood flow and poor drainage affect the under-eye area. Tailor-made remedies would depend on the cause, but you could try these, whatever the cause: ditch alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, fizzy drinks, processed and non-organic foods; cut out gluten products for two weeks; for the next two, cut out dairy, to see if these make a difference. Eat fresh food with plenty of veg and fibre and take a probiotic supplement daily. Try gentle…

CRYSTAL CLEAR The trend for crystal-infused beauty shows no sign of abating, but what’s the science behind it, we hear you ask? ‘Crystals such as amethyst carry a negative charge,’ says Elemis president Noella Gabriel, ‘while toxins and free radicals carry a positive charge. So the amethyst can help detoxify the skin.’ Aha! Elemis’ new Peptide 24/7 Amethyst Roller Collection (£94; elemis.co.uk) uses the gem in a face and eye roller to reduce puffiness, ease facial tension and aid absorption of active ingredients in the included products. Or try Bodhi & Birch Lemon Water Hydrosol Tonic (£50 for 100ml; bodhiandbirch.com) with a clear quartz crystal sphere to charge the senses and fruit enzymes, hyaluronic acid, hydrosols and pea peptide for moisture. CELEBRITY CORNER ‘This is the absolute best make-up remover…

LEGS ELEVEN Help a friend’s new-year exercise resolutions happen by giving these show-stopping DAY/WON Colour Block Leggings. The strong, double-layer waistband gives extra support.£65; fashercise.com. SWIG IN STYLE No gym bunny should be seen without an enviable reusable water bottle these days. The S'well Bottle in Rose Gold has got to be at the top of the wish list due to looks alone, but also keeps that water cool. £33; selfridges.com DOWN AND IN Everyone should have a down jacket, and this one’s amazing value. The Tog 24 Elite Jacket contains 600 Fill-Power down (90 per cent down and 10 per cent feathers) to give excellent warmth on chilly days. £120; tog24.com. SHINE BRIGHT No more dull, lacklustre skin. Goldfaden MD Glow Kit helps create a radiant, vibrant complexion thanks…

Park Run Christmas Day and New Year’s Day runs As well as holding the regular Saturday runs over the festive period, dozens of groups are staging extra runs on Christmas and/or New Year’s Day. To find one near you, visit parkrun.org.uk/special-events/. London Santa Run The capital’s largest Santa Run (there are others) takes place on Sunday, December 2. Don your free Santa costume, choose your route (either 5km or 10km) and run with thousands of Santas in Victoria Park; visit londonsantarun.co.uk. Can’t make it? Try London Santa Dash on Sunday, December 9 and run round Clapham Common in a Santa Suit in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital; visit gosh.org. Saltwood Boxing Day Run, Kent Burn off Christmas dinner by racing three miles around this hilly, multi-terrain course. This perfect…

Anytime Fitness Christmas Buddy Campaign From December 1-12, existing Anytime Fitness members can bring an exercise buddy along for free to train at the club and join any virtual or instructor-led class. Look out for special Christmas activities, such as fitness challenges, free-fruit Fridays and coffee mornings with local charity partners. Not a member? Visit anytimefitness.co.uk/festivetrial to find your local club and register for a trial. FLY LDN Christmas Festival Head to this yoga and low-impact studio in Aldgate, London in December and buy a ticket for the day to gain entry to a class plus the chance to buy Christmas gifts from famous fitness brands and other festive goodies. Visit flyldn.co.uk for details. Boom Cycle Festive ride Boom Cycle will run a festive ride at its four London studios.…

Whether you’ve had a tough week at the office, just come in from a chilly evening run or simply feel the need for a little TLC, sinking into a warm bath at the end of the day is the perfect way to revive your spirits. It calms the mind, soothes aching muscles and leaves you feeling relaxed, content and rejuvenated. Of course, the therapeutic powers of bathing aren’t new. The oldest bath dates back to the third millennium BC, when bathing was a public affair. Used for spiritual purposes, the Great Bath of Mohenjo in the Indus Valley in Pakistan was believed to purify and renew the wellbeing of those who entered. The Greeks, meanwhile, installed indoor plumbing so athletes could bathe after they exercised. But it was the Roman…

With Brexit looming, ski companies and tour operators are warning that the price of holidays could rise by a third — especially combined with recent changes to employment law that have changed the face of chalet staff for the coming winter. With staff on a proper wage, companies are finding ways to cut their bills – from using COOK (cookfood.net) food in their (VIP) chalets to offering fewer catered chalets and more hotels and self-catered accommodation. The good news for those who want to go self-catered is that a huge number of catering companies have cropped up across the Alps in recent years, so you can still order in evening meals to cut out the work. Specialist French Alps ski tour operator Peak Retreats (who just won the Times Travel…

WE LOVE Team this hat with Rab’s Microlight Alpine Jacket on chilly days. After 10 years of honing, it’s superlight but cosy; cotswoldoutdoor.com.* RAINY DAYS Arc’Teryx Zeta LT Jacket, £350; arcteryx.com HEARTWARMING Regatta Icebound III Lightweight Bodywarmer, £50; regatta.com PACK IT IN Osprey Kyte 36 backpack, £130; ospreyeurope.com ALL ABOUT THE BASE Patagonia Capilene Lightweight Zip-Neck, £50; eu.patagonia.com HEADS UP Rab Braid Beanie, £23; rab.equipment/uk/ STEPPING OUT Keen Terradora Waterproof Mid Hiking Boots, £109.99; keenfootwear.com GET A LEG UP Columbia Titan Wind Block II Tights, £65; columbiasportwear.co.uk…

The Bramley concept is rooted in nature, so it makes complete sense that the company tries to be as eco-friendly as possible. And that’s why they’ve brought out a 1l bottle size – cutting down on waste, reducing plastic consumption and allowing customers to refill their smaller bottles. Not only that, but all the essential oils used in the products are fair trade and sustainably grown, the ingredients are biodegradable and the packaging’s recyclable. The Bubble Bath contains geranium and lavendar combined with sweet orange essential oils and the scent is beautifully relaxing yet fresh. Other products available in the new larger size include a hand wash, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, so stock up now and do your bit for the environment.…

• Seven nights, full board at Les Cristaux costs from €394 per person; espaces-vacances.com. Or a seven-night, full-board, self-drive holiday costs from £539 per person, including lift pass with Sunweb; sunweb.co.uk. To book a ski guide/lesson or Nordic walking session, visit esf-ozenoisans.com. To book snowshoeing, visit skiaoz.com. EasyJet (easyjet.com), Ryanair (ryanair.com) and British Airways (britishairways.com) fly to Grenoble airport (approx. an hour’s drive away from Oz) from the UK.…

You may have got stirring the fine green powder with a bamboo whisk down to a fine art, but matcha has infinitely more possibilities than healthy morning brew. Not sure what to do with that quinoa flour hidden away in the cupboard? Sift it into a mixing bowl for light and fluffy matcha pancakes. Chocolate brownies not your thing? Tuck into Matcha Cranberry Blondies. Or maybe you’re looking for a more natural way to cleanse your skin. Why not whip up some honey, avocado oil and matcha for a dual-action face cleanser? All this and more can be found in the fascinating new book, The Matcha Cookbook: Discover the Health Benefits and Uses of Matcha, with 50 Delicious Recipes (Aster, £10). Written by recipe developer and food stylist Nicole Pisani,…

From glam jumpsuit to skimpy top to that black, sparkly number sitting in your wardrobe, whatever party outfit you choose this Christmas, you can feel confident, says Gideon Remfry, trainer and nutritionist, and wellness director at London’s trendy KXU (kxu.co.uk) and KX Life (KXlife.co.uk) gyms with spas and restaurants. Remfry has created you a time-efficient workout using a superset method to work your whole body in multiple planes (directions) which helps build lean muscle tissue while burning fat all in one hit. Mindful moves ‘Exercises that target more than one muscle (compound moves) in multiple planes are great for working the body’s functional movement patterns while improving the connection and communication between your brain and your muscles,’ explains Remfry. ‘These are called mindful movements, which have been shown to not…

PANACHE SPORT NON-WIRED SPORTS BRA £40; panache-lingerie.com ‘I was sceptical about trying this non-wired design, having never seen anything like it before. The individual inner cups are seamlessly moulded into the band that sits under the bust (a feat of engineering, and the future for sports bras in my opinion) fully encapsulating each breast to lift, support and separate. The fact this bra manages to do all this without resorting to underwiring or bulky, itchy seams is incredible – it’s the most comfortable sports bra I’ve ever worn. Available in B-H cups, it can also be adapted to a racer-back style. I felt slightly more breast movement than with the Freya bra, possibly due to the narrower back band and straps.’ PERFORMANCE ✶✶✶✶ COMFORT ✶✶✶✶✶ ENELL SPORTS BRA £54; boobydoo.co.uk…

‘Growing up, I was always really sporty, competing in swimming and other local sports teams. When I was 16, my sister introduced me to weightlifting and I really got into that. But when I got to university, there weren’t really any sports teams that appealed to me. I didn’t know much about Muay Thai at the time, but I knew it was a sport that used both punching and kicking and I wanted to try something that involved the whole body, so I thought I’d give it a go. I stumbled into Minotaur Gym (which was in London’s Burnt Oak area at the time; minotaurgym.com), did my first class there and found it so hard – I was totally exhausted by the end. There were so many fighters there and…

1. HOW’S LIFE BEEN SINCE RETIRING IN 2014? ‘I’ve done four Olympics, so for 16 years I was defined as ‘Chemmy the ski racer’. Each day I woke up with the goal of being stronger, fitter and faster. I lost that definition after retirement, so it was important I turned my passion for skiing into something positive. Now, I juggle charity work, motivational speaking and ambassador duties with presenting Ski Sunday, and running CDC (Carpe Diem Coaching; cdcperfrom.com) with my husband [British Ski Champion, Dougie Crawford]. We run Camps for Kids, which focuses on making children more rounded people, not just better skiers, and I’m mum to our son Locki plus we have another baby on the way.’ 2. HOW DO YOU BALANCE MOTHERHOOD WITH WORK? ‘The balls aren’t always…