Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2016 i Woman&Home Feel Good You

Happy, happy spring! (Can you tell I’m not a winter fan?) I always feel that this is really the best time of year to make a commitment to get fit – no excuses that it’s too cold, or too dark! That’s why we’ve come up with a brilliant action plan that holds your hand through a fab walking workout plus a four-week, 15 minutes a day toning routine. Do try it! Of course, if fitness isn’t your focus, we’ve plenty of other feel good ideas, from herbal remedies that will sort all your wellbeing niggles to brilliant beauty tips that will get you glowing, to healthy eating made simple to how to beat stress and find balance, which is so key for us all in this hectic world. Hope you…

> Sport was my everything when I was at school; I actually chose my secondary school based on the sports facilities! I loved netball, tennis, trampolining and rounders. But my least favourite was hockey – because my shins took a battering! > These days, my big love is yoga, preferably the hot version. I’d like to do it every day, but I’m lucky if I get two classes a week in. When I’m really short of time, I do Amanda Byram’s TBSeen workouts (the abs workout is quite brutal!) or a Davina McCall fitness DVD. > I like to set myself challenges. When I started at my yoga studio, Yoga Centric, I paid £20 for 20 classes, but you had to do a class a day to get the deal.…

MAY MYMARATHON In aid of: The British Heart Foundation Where: Anywhere you like! What: You pledge to run 26.2 miles in your own time (could be over four weeks!), at your own pace, during May. Sign up: For free at bhf.org.uk/mymarathon MAY-JULY PINK RIBBONWALKS In aid of: Breast Cancer Care Where: Country estate venues in Oxford, Wiltshire, Surrey and Derbyshire, plus night walks in Glasgow and London. What: 5, 10 or 20-mile walks. Sign up: For £30 at breastcancercare.org.uk MAY-AUGUST ADRENALINE RUSH In aid of: Macmillan Cancer Support Where: In eight city locations, from London to Glasgow. What: A 5k or 10k course of obstacle races including mud pits and zip wires. Sign up: Entrance fees start at £30; theadrenalinerush.com…

For some reason, when it comes to your health, something is always not quite right. A cough is not just a cough – you’re pretty sure it’s a sign of pneumonia – and most of the time you find yourself diagnosing your “serious” illnesses with the help of Dr Google. Due to our 24/7 stressful lifestyles, anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions in Britain. Hypochondria, which is a form of health anxiety, makes you constantly worry about symptoms that you don’t really have. Is it an upset stomach or is it Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Any change in your digestion or gut function can cause anxiety, not to mention physical discomfort. In some cases, it’s easy to identify the cause – and food poisoning isn’t hard to…

FGY TIP New Yeo Valley Bio Live Yogurts contain live cultures and less than 10% total sugars per pack, meaning you can fuel your busy day with good, clean energy without compromising on taste. £2, selected supermarkets 1 TAME AN ANXIOUS TUM… with a flowery tea Stress always lands in our stomach and creates havoc. If your tum feels restless and nervy, try a tea that hugs you better. Amy Jirsa, naturopath and author of Herbal Goddess (Storey Books), has a soothing recipe. ✢ In a pot, combine 1tsp each dried lavender and lemon balm. ✢ Steep for 10 minutes, strain and sip. “Lemon balm is talented at treating a nervous stomach and blends beautifully with lavender,” says Amy. TRY adding some spoil-yourself sweetness with a little honey. Aaah… feels…

1 FILE ONCE A WEEK This will prevent nails from breaking and help them grow. The nail bed is made up of several fine layers, so letting them grow continually means the weakened ends can start to separate and split. What shape to go for? Nail pro Jenni Draper recommends the “curved nail”: “a natural and flattering look – shorter than the almond, not as blunt as a square but more elongated than a rounded nail. It suits both bold colour and nude.” Don’t be tempted to over-file the sides, just gently shape the corners. Shape with a regular emery board, but use a crystal nail file to smooth edges. We like Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File, £12.50. 2 CONDITION YOUR CUTICLES Healthy nails start with healthy cuticles, so massaging…

Defining your brows strengthens and offsets the rest of your features,” says Florrie White, Clinique UK colour artist. “Brush hairs up and along, take a brow pencil and fill in any gaps, defining the shape by using little flicks to imitate eyebrow hairs. This avoids creating too much of a harsh, graphic shape.” Try Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long-Wear Brow Pencil, £29.50, or the doubleended Clinique Instant Lift for Brows, £16, which has a crayon one end and highlighter the other. Use the highlighter under the middle arch to give a lifting effect. If you prefer a gel cream formula, Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel in Strike, £18.50, is a great shade and just doesn’t budge; while the No7 Beautiful Eyebrow Kit, £12.95, is a fab little indispensable four-in-one shape, perfect,…

RECLAIM ROSE It’s loved, loathed and a little bit loaded, but let’s not forget pink is the most flattering make-up shade around. It’s also absolutely everywhere this season, so let’s forget girlish stereotypes and look all the better for it! ➤ Rosebud lips How to wear pink lipstick now? Pick a matte formula, just a few shades up from your normal nude. Avon Ultra Colour Matte Lipstick in Pure Pink, £8, has rich undertones for darker skin, while bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie in Chase Your Dreams, £17, suits olive complexions. Fair? Try MAC Lipstick in Please Me, £15.50, from the all-pink Flamingo Park collection. ➤ Cheeky flush Rosy pink cheeks are the most youthful thing in the world, and the easiest. Swirl Zoeva Rose Golden 128 Cream Cheek Brush, £12.50, in…

WHAT TO EAT ON FAST DAYS The goal here is to eat 35GLs in the day and not exceed 800 calories. All the recipes given here are in the right ballpark, averaging 250 calories and allowing room for one snack. The simplest way to do this is to have three 10GL meals a day and one 5GL snack. It doesn’t matter what you choose and when you eat it, so long as you choose THREE of the MEAL options – breakfast, salads, soups and main meals – and ONE SNACK option. BREAKFASTS ✢ A bowl of porridge, made from a small cupful of oats, 150ml water, 75ml milk, plus 3tsp chia seeds and berries. ✢ Yogurt and berries – a handful of blueberries, 100g of natural sheep’s, goats’ or soya…

There aren’t a lot of downsides to using mason jars to store your food, but there are a ton of pluses. It’s true that you will have to invest in a few different jar sizes, but the benefits for the minimal cost outlay are truly great. ✢ Glass is trendy. In the wake of consumer reports about the potential health risks associated with plastic containers, you can feel confident about the safety of storing and reheating your food in glass containers. Toss out all those plastic containers to make room for glass mason jars. They can be reused indefinitely, and they go from refrigerator to microwave seamlessly (just remove the lid before microwaving). ✢ Meal assembly is efficient. If you prepare all of your ingredients in advance, you can pack…

Trending now – and no wonder: bone broth is important for healing the gut; the gelatin it contains is a “hydrophilic colloid”, which means it attracts and holds liquids, including digestive juices, so it aids digestion. Bone broths are also rich in glycine, an amino acid found in collagen, which is important in maintaining a healthy gut lining. ✢ WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BONE BROTH AND STOCK? Not a lot: they’re both made by simmering meat or bones, veg and seasonings, then it’s all strained so you’re left with the nutrient-rich liquid. Obviously the focus with bone broth is on the bones, which are generally roasted first to improve the flavour then simmered over a long time (up to 24 hours!). ✢ Store bone broth in the fridge for a…

Having good balance can help keep you active as you age, and protect you from fractures and falls in later life – a leading cause of death from injury in older people. What’s more, it can be a sign of good health. The UK’s Medical Research Council found that 53-year-olds who could stand on one leg for ten seconds with their eyes closed were the most likely to be fit and well 13 years later than those who couldn’t perform the trick. As kids, we practised our balancing skills without even realising it – jumping, walking on walls, playing hopscotch, climbing trees. But as we age, not only do we tend to spend more time on our bottoms – and less on our feet – but all the senses and…

MY ASICS APP “Running a marathon taught me that anything is possible when you put your mind to it” Ellen Manning, 33, is a journalist. She’s married and lives in Birmingham. “Hearing that Huntington’s Disease Association – a charity that’s supported members of my family who have suffered with the hereditary disorder – were asking for volunteers to run the London Marathon, I thought, ‘I’ve got to apply!’ I’ve always loved running and this was a chance for me to raise money for a cause so close to my heart. So, I was ecstatic to open the email confirming my place in the 2014 London Marathon. It was nine months until race day, and the pressure was on. After tapping the date of my race into the My Asics app,…

When you’re bending to pick something up, turn the move into a squat: extend your buttocks behind you and pretend you’re about to sit in a chair until your upper legs are almost parallel to the ground. You’ll build leg muscles and sculpt your rear view. Every time you exercise, whether you go for a run, take a walk with a friend or hit the gym, mark that day with a star in your calendar. It’ll give you a quick overview of how often you’ve been working out that month so far. If you’re waiting for a lift, strengthen your core: contract the muscles around your belly button then elevate your upper torso and release. When working with weights, many people contract their muscles slowly and then release more quickly.…

GO ON – MAKE A FUSS! Over a third of women have delayed visiting a GP with a breast cancer concern, deciding to self-monitor instead, or citing lack of time, or not wanting to cause a fuss. The research, commissioned by the UK’s largest private hospital group, BMI Healthcare, of over 1,000 Mumsnet and Gransnet members, found that while over 90% of the women correctly said you should check your breasts monthly, only 47% were actually doing so – showing a big reality gap between how often respondents check and how often they think they should check. Nichola Evans, Group Director of Oncology, BMI Healthcare, says: “While our research showed that in many cases women know they should regularly perform self-checks, too often they’re failing to do so, and even…

The secret to habit change is that we must know ourselves. To succeed, we each must cultivate the habits that work for us. For instance, to master our habits, it helps to know where we stand in the “Four Tendencies” framework. In other words, we should ask: “How do I respond to an expectation?” We face two kinds of expectations: outer expectations (meeting work deadlines, observing traffic regulations) and inner expectations (stop napping, keep a New Year’s resolution). People fall into one of the Four Tendencies: 1 UPHOLDERS respond readily to both outer expectations and inner expectations. They form habits fairly easily, and they embrace habits. 2 QUESTIONERS question all expectations, and will meet an expectation only if they believe it’s justified – so they make all expectations into inner…

1 SLEEP Getting enough sleep is one of the most important factors for peak performance, memory, productivity and mood regulation. A good night’s sleep more than doubles the likelihood that you’ll be able to solve a problem requiring insight. Adults need between six and ten hours. TRY THIS: Sleep in a cool, dark room and, when possible, go to bed and wake at the same time (use an alarm if necessary). Naps can also be helpful for mind and memory – keep them under 40 minutes and not too close to bedtime. 2 EMBRACE GOOD ENOUGH We all suffer from decision overload. A simple trip to the supermarket invokes dozens of them (to get cereal with honey/nuts/apples, with oats or wheat, or all of it?) A weekend in Paris means…

PRETTY UNDIES Treat yourself to some lovely floral underwear. Thea Blush Floral balconette bra, £32; briefs, £15, panache-lingerie.com BELT UP A really useful white belt for the lighter days, in a lovely plaited design. £14 (pack of three), next.co.uk CLEAR WINNER Simply fill this stylish glass teapot with a selection of yummy Tiosk teas. Glass and olive wood teapot, £54; teas, from £10, toast.uk BEAUTIFUL BODY This luxurious body cream with 25% shea butter intensely nourishes skin, ready for summer exposure! £32, loccitane.com FRESH HERBS Bring the outside in with a spritz of the new Jo Malone colognes. Herb Garden Collection, £44 for 30ml, jomalone.com SPRING SCENT Herald the coming of warmer weather with the scent of peonies. Room diffuser, £23.50, branche-dolive.com ROSY CHEEKS The ideal blush compact to warm…

It’s a well-known fact that as we get older, we lose muscle tone and strength – that’s the bad news. The good news is, we can get back to peak muscle fitness at any age with minimum effort. Age-related muscle loss – aka sarcopenia – is reversible with exercise and diet tweaks. “We all lose strength and muscle cells as part of the ageing process,” explains GP Dr Tom Margham, primary care lead at Arthritis Research UK. “However, our research has shown that many of the symptoms we associate with ageing, such as tiredness, are caused by being physically inactive – muscles shrink and fat invades them, which in turn can lead to problems.” Potential causes include age-related changes in hormones, being more inactive, lower protein intake and inflammation caused…

BEAT BRAIN FOG ✢ EASE UP A LITTLE People with a positive, outgoing, relaxed personality are 50 per cent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than pessimists. It’s hard to beat the habits of a lifetime but making a conscious effort to take minor setbacks in your stride and think positively will make a difference. ✢ BALANCING ACT Our ability to balance is a measure of the health of our vestibular system, which controls movement and our orientation in space as well as balance. Can you stand on one leg, eyes open, for 30 seconds? Eyes shut is harder so move on to that and practise each day. Standing up and sitting down without using your hands is also good for balance, as is tai chi and yoga. See our balance…

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE Taking a few minutes each day to try different breathing techniques can contribute to the health of elderly people… and their carers. Many older people can spend a lot of time sitting or lying down, often because of medical problems; many also suffer from stress-related conditions. “A few simple techniques can make a huge difference, and we’d urge anyone caring for an elderly relative to sit with them, join in and encourage them,” says Deborah Stone of advice website myageingparent.com ✢ TO DE-STRESS Sit straight and breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose. You should feel your stomach expand. Breathe out slowly through your mouth. Repeat for ten minutes or longer. ✢ TO AID SLEEP Breathe out through the mouth, making a whooshing noise. Close…

ALL IN THE EYES Your eyes are the fastest age giveaway there is. What’s going on? Skin here is naturally thinner and more vulnerable to external aggressors such as UV and pollution (smoke), so target daily care to plump, soften and protect. What can YOU do about it? ➤ THE MINIMUM “Massage helps de-puff and get circulation moving,” says celebrity facialist Debbie Thomas. Hydration is everything so combine both when you apply eye cream. Dr Sandeep H Cliff, consultant dermatologist and dermatological surgeon for Surrey and Sussex NHS Trust, recommends NeoStrata Skin Active Intensive Eye Therapy, £51.45, “One of the few creams that can also be applied to the eyelids too.” Or try Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector SPF30, £29, which is tinted to brighten skin underneath. ➤ A…

Feeling fragile? “Hair is remarkably strong,” says trichologist Philip Kingsley. “A single healthy hair is stronger than a steel wire of the same diameter and can stretch up to 30%: but only if it’s in good condition!” This strength and elasticity is due to strong bonds in the hair (disulphide bonds) that bind the keratin in your hair’s cortex; and this needs moisture for hair to stay supple and flexible too. Lack of moisture results in porous hair that breaks easily and acts in a “fragile” way. ➤ AVOID “Any chemical processing that may dry your hair out more and cause it to break more easily, such as bleaching and highlighting, keratin straightening treatments, and overuse of heated styling,” says Philip. ➤ TRY THIS Regular shampoo and conditioning is key.…

Q WHAT WILL HELP MY SKIN? It has recently become incredibly dry – I think it’s my age! Is there anything I can do to sort it? Whether it’s temporary or long-term due to decreasing oestrogen, there are two immediate ways I’d rehydrate my own hair and skin. Firstly, from the inside – try a marine-based collagen drink. Research shows that by drinking the tiny fragments of collagen (the key to softer, plumper skin) in these supplements, it tricks our skin into thinking we have a collagen breakdown and naturally stimulates the fibroblasts in our skin to produce more. I love them, especially Pure Gold Collagen, £35.99 for ten x 50ml bottles (gold-collagen.com), with hyaluronic acid, borage oil and vitamins B and C. And secondly, from the outside. Get a…

Make-up sponges help you apply make-up, but usually soak up more liquid foundation than what ends up on your face. A foundation brush means you waste less foundation and it allows for a more even and precise application than a sponge. For curlier, flirtier lashes, heat your lash curler with a hair dryer for five to eight seconds before curling them. For fullerlooking lashes, use a cotton bud to apply a little baby powder to your lashes, then coat with mascara. It can be tempting to whack your shower temperature up full blast but this will damage your scalp. So try to wash hair in tepid water. If your mascara has become clumpy even though it’s relatively new, add two drops of eye drops into the bottle and move around…

Eat well the low-GL way! Try these easy meals the whole family will enjoy Roasted cod 1 Mix ½tbsp each of olive oil and fresh parsley, chopped, and 1 garlic clove, crushed. Rub over a portion of cod (or haddock or plaice) fillet and leave for 10 minutes, then bake at 160C fan, gas 4 for 10 minutes. 2 Serve with a tomato and onion salad and choose from 100g cooked brown rice or couscous, or 2 boiled potatoes. Three-egg omelette The best kind of fast food! Add a thin slice of smoked salmon, 2 asparagus spears or wilted spinach, plus a sun-dried tomato as a filling. Or try stir-fried shiitake mushrooms. Garlic chilli prawns with pak choi (Serves 2) 1 Put 3 garlic cloves, crushed, in a blender and…

IT’S CRUNCH TIME ✢ Well&Truly Gluten Free Tortilla Chips contain 40% less fat than the average tortilla, £1.69, Tesco % Kettle Bites are only 95 cals a pack and have 50% less fat than standard crisps, £1.89, Tesco % Dilly & Wolf Chisps are a high-fibre pulse alternative to potato crisps in compostable bags, £1.69, ocado.com…

UPDATE A CLASSIC What makes this Russell Hobbs classic so special is the new built-in re-freezable “cool tube” that will keep your favourite smoothies at the perfect chilled temperature for longer. Simply fill the bottle with fresh ingredients, pop it on the blade unit and whizz up a tasty treat in seconds. The two 600ml bottles are dishwasher safe and fit conveniently into car cup holders. £29.99, russellhobbs.co.uk ONE-POT WONDER The kCook is a time-saving and hassle-free food processor that gives you the confidence to create delicious healthy meals. It chops ingredients, cooks and steams food, and can also heat and stir – all this at the touch of a few buttons. £329.99, kenwoodworld.com PERFECT MEASURE Levups are a set of four measuring cups that take precision baking to a…

FGY FAST FIX Herbamare seasoning salt is made from sea salt and 12 organically grown veg, herbs and iodine-rich kelp. Use less – get more flavour. £2.40 for 125g, avogel.co.uk KICK YOUR SUGAR CRAVINGS Not easy – but these tips from experts at Slice Live will really help: ✢ Go cold turkey! Your palate will adjust to less sugar. Try at least three weeks on a really low-sugar diet. Cut out all processed sugar in food and drinks. Cut right down on sweet fruits and replace with veg. Don’t replace sugar with “diet” drinks or anything with artificial sweeteners. ✢ Always read the label! There is sugar lurking in so many food products. ✢ Change your daily habits. If you are used to always having something sweet after dinner, start…

RAMP UP YOUR STEPS Walking is one of the best ways to improve fitness and burn calories, especially when you’re pushed for time. We’ve devised a doable routine that gets results fast. WALKING INTENSITY GUIDE SLOW PACE » 3-4 out of 10 effort MODERATE PACE » 5-6 out of 10 effort BRISK PACE » 6-7 out of 10 effort FAST PACE, POWER WALK » 8-9 out of 10 effort WALKING WORKOUT 1 The long, slow fat-burner (40 minutes). Start at a slow to moderate pace for 5 minutes. Then speed up to a moderate to brisk pace for 5 minutes. Repeat a total of 4 times. WALKING WORKOUT 2 The hilly one (25 minutes). Option 1: Outside Find a route that includes at least 15 minutes of hill walking. Start…

I couldn’t have been less interested in exercise growing up; in fact, when we had to choose what sports we did in PE lessons at school, my first choice was table tennis! It took a long time for me to realise the power of an unhealthy lifestyle though. When I went on tour with my first band, I was eating a lot of fast food, not sleeping enough and drinking far too much – and I didn’t feel good at all. Eventually I came to the realisation that I couldn’t keep doing that to my body. ‘Going to the gym made me feel capable and strong – it was a real eye-opener’ It was only after I had my eldest child, Sonny, that I started going to the gym –…

Ramp up the action and you’ll boost calorieburning! First think about your feet. Instead of moving through heel-toe, heel-toe step, lead with your heel and roll through your entire foot before pushing off with your toes. ✢ Pump your arms – you’ll pick up the pace, which means you’ll build upper-body strength and get a better cardio workout. Bend your arms at a 90-degree angle and punch them forward and back, close to rather than across your body. ✢ Suck your abdominal muscles in and up like you’re zipping a tight pair of jeans. This helps tone your tummy and maintain better posture. ✢ Your glute muscles are the engine that puts power in your stride. Make them work even better by holding them taut and contracted as you walk.…

WHAT ARE YOU AFTER? The first thing you need to assess is what sort of fitness fan you are – I like to divide people into colours: WHITE means you prefer more yoga, Pilates exercise and focusing on the mind and stretching, so you need to make sure on the gym timetable they have this kind of body balance class. RED means you prefer high-energy, challenging workouts and being competitive. So make sure the timetable has circuits and HIIT-style group classes. BLUE means you prefer exercising alone and like swimming, cycling, running and walking. For this you need to make sure the gym has a good pool and plenty of exercise machines. BE A GYM INSPECTOR Here’s what to bear in mind when you look around: ✢ The first thing…

It used to be thought that bed rest would help you recover from a bad back, but it’s now recognised that remaining active is likely to help you recover more quickly. This may be difficult if the pain is severe, but try to move around as soon as you can and aim to do a little more each day. Avoid anything that causes a lot of pain. Going back to work will help you return to normal activity, and can distract you from the pain. Some people find non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, more effective than paracetamol; if you need something stronger, you can take codeine in addition to paracetamol. None should be taken long-term! Heat – a hot bath or a hot-water bottle placed on the affected…

Q WHAT WILL STOP THESE FAINTS? Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve been prone to fainting easily – for example, at the sight of blood. My doctor says it’s nothing to worry about, but is there anything I can do to stop it happening? Fainting occurs when there’s a temporary reduction in the blood flow to the brain, causing a brief loss of consciousness. It’s usually due to a malfunction of the internal nervous system. There’s nothing you can do, though in hot weather, keep hydrated to stop blood pressure falling further. If you feel light-headed, lie down and raise your legs to improve blood flow to the upper part of the body and the brain. Q WHAT WILL HELP EASE THE REDNESS? I’ve recently developed redness and spots…

Love is a drug? Physically it is much like the sensation of feeling addicted to drugs with the release of euphoria, including brain chemicals like dopamine released throughout different points of attraction, helping you bond with your partner. Skin cancer doesn’t just affect your body – it can affect your scalp too. Enrol a friend and check each other’s heads just as you’d check for moles anywhere else. Especially don’t ignore any sores that are bleeding or crusting. Up to 80% of heartburn sufferers get symptoms at night; try sleeping on your left – sleeping on your right relaxes the muscle that keeps gastric acids in your stomach. Strokes are on the rise in under-45s. Key clues: sudden dizziness or severe headache, at times accompanied by hiccups or nausea. If…

Being negative can not only be stressful to our mind, body and soul, but can make any situation seem much worse than it actually is. Julia Lawless, artisan aromatherapist, author and owner of Aqua Oleum, advises how you can stay happy all year round by using pure essential oils. Our sense of smell connects directly to the part of our brain that processes our emotions. Research has shown how different scents can alter our brainwave patterns, regulate the systems within our body and influence our behaviour. Relax in a bath fragranced with a few drops of natural essential oils: ✢ Petitgrain and bergamot are particularly uplifting. ✢ Lavender and camomile soothe our entire nervous system. ✢ Jasmine and neroli are excellent oils for creating a feeling of optimism. ✢ Rose…

Q HOW DO I WORK OUT WHAT HE’S THINKING? I am 55 and have recently started dating a really nice guy. However, after six dates, he still hasn’t tried anything physical. Should I make a move on him or does he just not fancy me? He may be worried about his sexual performance. Men’s testosterone levels decline with age and by the time a man is 60, he has a 60 per cent chance of suffering from some form of erectile dysfunction, but that wouldn’t be enough to prevent a man from putting his arms around a woman he fancied. He might just be shy, but presumably you have created the right conditions for intimacy, and the fact that he has resisted the bait suggests that although this “nice man”…

PUT THOSE THOUGHTS TO BED After a busy and demanding day it can be hard to “switch off”. Technology has a large part to play, and chances are you’re experiencing “smartphone overload”. This way of “living in a state of constant alert”, as Neil Shah, director of The Stress Management Society describes it, goes some way to explaining why so many of us find it hard to switch off in the evening. “It’s vitally important for our health and wellbeing that we reconnect with our mental on-off switch.” Shah suggests self-imposing a “digital blackout” for an hour before bed and unplugging all devices that could stimulate the mind. He also suggests: ✢ Lie on the sofa on your back and be aware of your breathing. Slow it down and control…

Stop comparing yourself to others. You are not supposed to be like anyone else. You are you. Your perspectives, gifts and values are exclusively yours. If you want something to measure yourself by, compare how you were yesterday to how you are today, and be kind. If you catch yourself saying “I’m no good at anything” then rest assured, you’re wrong. Everyone can compose a sentence, eat without choking and do a million other things. Emotion can make things seem hopeless when they rarely are. Research suggests you lose time when you shift from one task to another. Doing three projects simultaneously usually takes longer than doing them separately. You can change the way you feel by reliving good times when you felt really happy. Taking deliberate control of your…

FGY • 1001 Remedies PurAir Air Purifying Spray instantly detoxifies the air and reinforces natural defences with antiviral, antibacterial anti-microbial essential oils. £24, victoriahealth.com THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT! If anyone in your family has a food allergy or intolerance, check out Spoon Guru. You create your profile (for example, no gluten or nuts, organic, etc), then the app can find you recipes and check out products via the barcode when you’re shopping to confirm if they’re suitable for you. Coming soon, a restaurant function to make eating out much simpler too. Free from the App Store; find out more at spoon.guru 80% of women now stick to diets during the week… only to overindulge at the weekends on junk food and alcohol. The survey, by Spatone® liquid iron, revealed…

HOW COOL! A stylish reminder to eat healthily: the “superfood series” of slogan sweaters includes Chia, Kale, Coconuts, Cacao, Maca, Beet, Organic Energy and Green Goddess. From £40 each, seasoulandsnow.com On average us Brits take six painkillers a week, with about a fifth of us using them as a preventive measure and most of us only waiting 1-2 hours before popping a pill to deal with head, back or toothache. So are we becoming too dependent on medication to mask the pain instead of getting to the root of the problem? Family GP Dr Sarah Brewer said, “Oral painkillers should be used in the lowest possible dose for the shortest time possible to allow you to control your symptoms. They should not be a default option that we automatically reach…

Q WHAT WILL REV UP MY SKIN? I’m almost too scared to look in the mirror: my skin matches how I feel after winter – dull, lifeless and completely out of sorts. What can I do? Get scrubbing and oiling with some skin-improving superfoods. ✢ SCRUB IT with the gunge that’s left in your juicer! “It’s packed with vitamin C and rough enough to make a gentle exfoliator,” raves aromatherapist Glenda Taylor. > Work over your face, especially in the nooks and crannies, then rinse to leave skin looking and feeling smooth and bright. > Add two drops of essential oil. “Mandarin would complement the fruity theme and is good for brightening the skin,” says Glenda. > Include fresh ginger – said to be good for skin radiance and anti-ageing…

OK, no one likes earwax, but its job is to keep ears healthy, stopping dust, dirt and bugs from getting into your ear canal and protecting ears from infection. Ear canals are actually selfcleaning. Every time you chew or move your jaw, you’re helping move old wax from your ear canal to your ear opening. The wax then dries and falls out. Never remove wax with a cotton bud; they can puncture your eardrum and might push the wax further in, where it can harden and cause pain and hearing problems. ✢ If earwax is causing minor problems, try over-the-counter eardrops from a pharmacy; these can help soften the wax so that it falls out naturally. Contact your GP surgery if you have troublesome symptoms or eardrops haven’t helped after…

The glaring light of a tablet, smartphone or your computer’s backlit screen can throw off your body’s natural circadian rhythm by suppressing melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep and wake cycles. It’s a good idea to avoid all tech for at least an hour before bed. Bladder infection? Try Uva Ursi, a herbal medicine that combats bacteria with a compound known as arbutin. Take 500mg three times a day until at least 5-7 days after the last sign of infection. Can duct tape get rid of warts? Studies conflict, but it may just help peel away layers of the skin and trigger the immune system to fight off the wart. It’s the little changes that help you live a healthy, fulfilled life. Like buying quality well-sourced food. Yeo Valley…

Exfoliate yourself smooth Body scrubs transform skin in minutes. For a two-in-one quick step under the shower, we love salt-in-oil scrubs, such as ESPA Invigorating Salt Scrub, £36 for six sachets, as they leave skin beautifully soft. If you’re using a self-tan product, choose a wash-off scrub, such as Clarins Exfoliating Body Scrub, £29, which leaves skin more matte, and then follow with a moisturising lotion. ✢Need something with a bit more “kick” to reboot your skin? The Korean Spa Magic Peeling Mitt, £4 (thisisbeautymart.com), has one terrycloth side for cleaning and another made of rayon (taken from natural wood pulp), giving amazing exfoliation for very little effort. While showering, stand out of the water and rub the dampened mitt up and down on skin – the firmer the better,…

How it works ➤ Order your plan – Jane Plan will create a diet just for you, online or over the phone. ➤ Your diet delivered – choose when you want your diet delivered. ➤ Lose the weight – receive dedicated phone or online support. Your diet plan includes: ✢ All your perfectly portioned meals. ✢ Breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack each day. ✢ Your personalised menu. ✢ Your own free step-by-step guide. ✢ Your food diary. ✢ Access to support. EXCLUSIVE DEAL Sign up to Jane Plan and save £25 off your first month. Prices start at £174 a month. Visit janeplan.com and enter code FGY216 (not to be used in conjunction with any other voucher codes). It worked for me! Sarah Cameron, 42, from London, has two…

Q CAN I TARGET WEIGHT LOSS? I’m about two stone overweight and most of the weight I want to lose is on my hips – how can I do this? If only I had an easy answer for this! Your natural pear shape means your body is predisposed to lay down fat around your bottom and hips. There’s no food or diet that can target fat in any specific part of the body. If you start to lose weight, it often seems like you lose it from everywhere other than the part you want to most. Your body won’t exactly cling on to your hip fat, but you may have to lose a little weight first before you start to see much change in that area. Some experts think that…

An iron deficiency can leave you feeling sluggish, irritable, weak and unable to focus. Load up on lean beef, kidney beans, eggs, dark green leafy veg and nuts, and pair them with foods high in vitamin C (vitamin C improves iron absorption when eaten together). Always keep fat-free plain yogurt in the fridge – not only is it a creamy, comforting source of protein, it also works wonders as a natural low-calorie base for dressings and dips, or as a tangier alternative to sour cream. If you prefer to log your weight, step on the scale in the morning before drinking or eating, at a consistent time – daily or weekly. Got a late-night sugar craving? Take the edge off with a sliced apple with a tablespoon of nut butter…

The benefit of these moves is twofold – not only are they going to lift and sculpt that booty before summer, but you’ll also be engaging some of body’s biggest muscle groups. Every time you do this, your muscles will create a big spike in your body’s ability to burn calories, making it a great way to reduce those muffin tops and tone at the same time. Repeat this routine three times in total. 1 THE BOOTY BRIDGE Start lying down, face up, with your palms facing upwards, knees bent, feet flat on the floor and bottom on the ground. Then, in a slow, controlled manner, push your bottom off the ground as high as you can. Hold at the highest point for a couple of seconds; slowly lower back…

Q WHY AM I NOT LOSING WEIGHT? Why is it that even after workouts and eating well, the scales still say the same? What I recommend you do with your weighing scales is place them in front of your car and drive over them several times then throw them in the bin, as they can be so demotivating and, in an instance, can crush your motivation. And they don’t tell it like it is – weighing scales don’t tell you how much body fat you have lost. When we work out, we burn off calories, which in turn reduces body fat, then we also increase our muscle tone; both these tissues are very different in their size, so you could have 1lb of fat and 1lb of muscle and they…

LACE UP YOUR WALKING SHOES Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, is urging the public to #Try20 for National Walking Month this May. The campaign aims to get people to add 20 minutes of walking to their daily routine and see the differences it can make. You don’t have to go out of your way… ✢ Try skipping a stop on public transport or parking your car that bit further out and walking the rest of the way to work. ✢ Always go on foot to local shops (if you do need to drive, park furthest away from the entrance). ✢ Enrol colleagues in a lunchtime walk. Getting outside for a break will help your afternoon focus too. ✢ If you haven’t got a dog, offer to walk…

HAND-HELD DEVICES ✢ Use at home to help cut headache duration or frequency. TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION (TMS) Place against the back of the head and at the click of a button it emits electromagnetic waves that are said to help prevent a migraine attack. In trials, after a week, 98% of patients with “medically resistant” migraines had a greater than 50% reduction in symptoms. “I have tried it on 70 of my migraine patients and around 35 have responded quite well,” says Dr Fayyaz Ahmed, consultant neurologist at Hull Royal Infirmary, who is also a trustee of The Migraine Trust. The problem is that few health authorities are prepared to pay for the £150 per month cost of hire. “You can get it for three months trial free and if…

WHY A HEALTHY LIVER IS ESSENTIAL The liver performs many metabolic functions vital to health and, indeed, life. ➤ It processes digested food from the intestine, controlling levels of fats, amino acids and glucose in the blood, and storing iron, vitamins and other essential chemicals. ➤ It combats infections and clears the blood of particles and bacteria, and neutralises and destroys drugs and toxins. ➤ It manufactures bile. ➤ It manufactures, breaks down and regulates many hormones. ➤ It makes enzymes and proteins, which are responsible for most chemical reactions in the body, for example, those involved in blood clotting/repair of damaged tissues. ➤ It breaks down food (carbohydrates) and converts it into energy (glucose), storing it as glycogen. When energy is required urgently, the liver rapidly converts it back…

Have you ever found yourself trying to be something you’re not? It could be at work, where you feel you have to pretend to be more experienced than you are. Or maybe you are reluctant to voice your true feelings about a situation. Sometimes it’s easier to behave in a way that is against your instincts, in order to slot more easily into a group. Being truly authentic can often be a struggle because we’re so busy trying to please others that we lose ourselves. The good news is, it’s simpler than you think to refocus and find out who you are and what you want. STOP FOLLOWING THE PACK Are you just trying to fit in rather than attempting to follow your dreams? Stepping away from the pack takes…

MY DREAM ESCAPE… I love heading to the coast whenever I can. I recently took the kids to the Isle of Wight and it was freezing, but there were bright blue skies and deserted sandy beaches. It was gorgeous! MY BEAUTY REGIME… I love a facial balm; I use one by Eve Lom and it’s the one thing that feels as if it gets my face clean. Then I’ll use an oil by Kiehl’s or Sanctuary, with a bit of day cream on top. MY MAKE-UP… My go-to products are a Tom Ford tinted moisturiser, a Giorgio Armani foundation and a Smashbox mascara. One thing I’ve always sworn by though is Vaseline; my mum recently bought me a massive collection (the size of a dinner plate!) of the little tins…