Take the stress out of your work day

Tags

adrenaline, apps, books, Boss, break, breaks, breathing, Buddhify, busy, calls, career, clarity, clear your head, coffee shop, colleagues, Commutes, computer screens, deadlines, delegated, desk, downing tools, efficient, emails, energised, friends, gym membership, health, hobbies, holiday, increase your productivity levels, less productive, less stressed, long hours, lunch, meaningless jargon, meetings, mini break, more productive, morning, negative impact, outbreaks, park, post room, prioritise your workload, promotion, refreshed, relationships, Relax, revive, sandwiches, sea, sleep, smiling, stress, two weeks, walk, work, work life balance, write a list, yoga classes, Zumba

Let’s face it, even when you love your job, have a great boss and colleagues you get on well with, work can get stressful.

Commutes, long hours, computer screens and being contactable pretty much 24/7 thanks to mobile devices and the digital age, means work can take over your life if you aren’t careful.

What many of us don’t realise is that while a little adrenaline can keep us on our toes, ongoing stress can have a negative impact on our health, relationships, sleep and if you aren’t careful it can cause burn out.

We have looked at some easy ways of taking care of yourself while keeping your career on track.

Know what’s important
We are constantly saying we are busy, but don’t make this a reason to be late, tried and in the end, less productive. Each morning before you look at emails or make any calls, write a list of what you need to do that day and check on any meetings that have been scheduled. When you prioritise your workload, it is easier to have a stress-free day and if additional tasks come in, look at just how important they are before dropping your original plans.

Learn to say no
We are conditioned to say yes, but doing so can pile on the stress and make you less efficient. It isn’t easy to say no to a new project from your boss, especially when a promotion is on the cards, but if things feel too much, sit down with them and look at where other tasks can be delegated and what the deadlines are – tomorrow isn’t always realistic.

Take breaks
If you spend most of your day at a desk, you need to get up, walk away and take regular breaks. Making a cup of tea, walking to talk to a colleague, going to the post room and even making a phone call in reception are simple but effective ways to have a break from sitting down and staring straight ahead. When it comes to lunch time, it might be tempting to sit and work through your to-do list, but this is the perfect time to get away from it all. Go for a walk, have lunch at a local coffee shop or pack sandwiches and head to the park and clear your head.

Meditate at work
Meditation isn’t just for yoga classes and a quick session at your desk can really help bring clarity to your day. Even if you are having a super busy time, downing tools for five minutes, taking stock of your breathing and taking a step back can help increase your productivity levels and leave you feeling energised. There are loads of great books and apps out there, we like Buddhify, so have a look around and find something that works for you.

Work-life balance
We know it sounds like meaningless jargon, but it is vital to plan your free time as well as work diary to get the right balance. Having a mix of hobbies, a group of friends to meet up with, gym membership or regular Zumba class to attend, will all help you turn off from work and relax.

Book a holiday
Just as you need to take a break in the day, you also need to use your holiday time. We aren’t saying take a full two weeks, but a long weekend with the girls or a mini break by the sea can really revive you and you will go back into work feeling refreshed and smiling.

So, if you want to be more productive and less stressed, take time out for you and we think you will see a difference.

Team Pure Beauty

Advertisements

Have a Home Spa Experience with Elemis

Tags

Alpine Lavender, bathroom, Birch, Blue Chamomile, body, botanicals, breathing, bristles, cactus, cellulite, clove, dry skin, dryness, elbows, Elemis, Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak, Elemis Body Detox Skin Brush, Elemis British Botanical Hand and Nail Butter, Elemis Devils Mint Body Scrub, feet, hand, home, hot tub, invigorate, juniper, knees, massage, mint, nail, natural, oil, Relax, scrub, sea salt, senses, soak, Spa, uplift, visualisations, Warming, Wild Thyme

Royalty-free image

Going to a spa is one of our favourite indulgences, but it’s not something we’re able to do do every weekend due to time and money (mores the pity!). There’s no reason, however, that you shouldn’t have that spa experience right from your own home and Elemis have a selection of products which are perfect for giving you that spa-glow without having to step foot outside your house. Read on for our pick the the best ‘home spa’ products from the Elemis ranges:

Elemis Body Detox Skin Brush

We recommend that you begin your spa experience with a gentle brushing with the Elemix Body Detox Skin Brush; its natural cactus bristles help to reduce the appearance of cellulite by improving circulation and softening the skin. It will help you to brush away the top layer of dry, dead skin cells to allow you to treat the new skin beneath with a cocoon of moisture from all the other products you use.

Elemis Aching Muscle Super Soak

The next step is to turn your bath into a hot tub and soak your aching muscles in this Super Soak. It contains a blend of botanicals which not only help to unknot tense muscles but also to relax the mind through the power of aroma. The mixture of birch, juniper, clove, alpine lavender, wild thyme and blue chamomile, combined with sea salt will uplift and invigorate the senses whilst warming the body and recharging your muscles.

Elemis Devils Mint Body Scrub

Once you’ve finished your soak, we highly recommend giving your body another level of exfoliation to ensure that any dead skin is totally removed. This devil’s mint body scrub uses peppermint to give your skin a real “ZING!”, and literally polishes your body using only natural ingredients. We’d recommend focusing on common dry areas, such as your knees, elbows and feet to give them a really good going over.

Elemis De-Stress Massage Oil

Once you’ve awoken your mind and body, we recommend giving yourself a chance to relax once again by smothering yourself in this de-stress massage oil in long, sweeping strokes – or if you’re lucky enough to have someone around to help, get them to do it for you. This oil is intended for use in conjunction with deep breathing and calming visualisations, so try to use it in a quiet, darkened room where you can really allow yourself to relax.

Elemis British Botanical Hand and Nail Butter

For a final touch, we would recommend treating your hands and nails to their own personal coating of moisture from this hand and nail butter. Our hands are often one of the most neglected areas of our body, whilst arguably being one of the most hard-working, so ensuring that they’re properly moisturised and massaged will really add that final touch to your spa experience – you could even give yourself a manicure beforehand!

Which yoga is right for you?

Tags

105 degrees, 40% humidity, 5000-year-old Indian philosophy, a thing, active and athletic, aiding relaxation, ashtanga, B.K.S. Iyengar, basic postures, Bikram, Bikram Choudhury, Bikram class, Blocks, boards, body and soul, brand new, breathing, British Wheel of Yoga Teachers, classical approach, clearer, diet, effort, environment, exercise, flow, GP, harnesses, Hatha, hot yoga, inhale and exhale, Iyengar, meditation, mind, moved, muscles, perfect position, popular, power, power yoga, precise alignment, pregnancy, psychic cleansing, purist form of yoga, rapidly, reflect and mediate, relaxation, restorative, sauna-like conditions, six established poses, specifically adapted poses, straps, strenuous, students, time out, universally popular, vinyasa, workout, yoga

Yoga is a 5000-year-old Indian philosophy that combines breathing, diet, exercise, meditation and relaxation to
give your mind, body and soul a workout.

However, it seems a new ‘type’ of yoga comes on the scene every week so we have decided to have a look at the most popular types to make things a little clearer.

Ashtanga
This yoga practise is faster than many types as you rapidly, flow from one pose to the next with each inhale and exhale. It is based on six established poses that can be pretty strenuous if done correctly. You go from the primary series, second series, third series, and so on with each series of poses linked by the breath. This co-ordinated movement of breath and pose is called a ‘vinyasa’.

Bikram
Also knows as hot yoga, Bikram is all about yoga being practised in a sauna-like conditions and has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Whatever the weather is outside, when you take a Bikram class the temperature is turned up to 105 degrees which in turn tends to create an environment of around 40% humidity. Created by Bikram Choudhury, this practise is made up of a series of 26 basic postures and each one is performed twice.

Hatha
As one of the six original ‘branches’ of yoga, Hatha is a universally popular yoga practise and enjoyed by thousands. Classes tend to take a classical approach with time spent on getting breathing and basic postures right. If you want a balance of effort and relaxation, this could be a good starting point.

Iyengar
Named after the founder B.K.S. Iyengar, this is considered to be a purist form of yoga. Blocks, boards, harnesses and straps are often used in classes to help students get into the perfect position. Practised by people of all ages and abilities, Iyengar yoga focuses on precise alignment and exact sequencing, but do not be fooled, it isn’t an easy option.

Power or Vinyasa
This is a pretty active and athletic style of yoga and is based on Ashtanga. Unlike Ashtanga, power yoga doesn’t follow the exact same sequence of poses and you may find the style changes with the teacher. After the class you will feel like you have moved and worked-out, so remember to take a little time to reflect and mediate afterwards.

Pregnancy
Yoga during pregnancy has become quite ‘a thing’ and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Teachers create classes based on specifically adapted poses that help women in all stages of pregnancy. As well as aiding relaxation and breathing, yoga can help keep muscles strong during pregnancy and give them the strength and energy to return to normal once the baby has been born. Always check the credentials of the teacher with the British Wheel of Yoga Teachers and if you experience any pain during a class, stop and consult your GP or out of hours service.

Restorative
This is less about working out and more about relaxing and taking stock. Time will be spent doing four or five simple poses with blankets, bolsters and lavender oil being used to deepen relaxation levels. Many people feel that this is like a psychic cleansing of the mind and leaves them feeling feel brand new and refreshed afterwards.

Why not try out a class or two and find a yoga that is right for you?

Team Pure-Beauty

Free your mind

Tags

21st century, aced it, anxious, best friend, bigger picture, bottle, brain, breath, breathing, brisk walk, changes, chill out, close friend, count to ten, desk based jobs, destructive, dwell, endorphins, enjoy, every day, face to face, focus, free fall, free your mind, fresh air, fun, harder and harder, harsh, heart beat, ideas, inside, interview, job, jump to conclusions, laugh, Life is short, Live in the moment, living, long hours, look, make a list, manageable chunks, missing out, mode, month, more to life, mum, new job, on the ball, on trend, one step, over worked, partner, positive, quick swim, regroup, Relax, revolves, right now, sit back, situation, social media, step back, stop, stressed, talk, think back, time, tired, tomorrow, under paid, week, work, world, worst-case scenarios, you

Stressed?

Over worked and under paid?

Tired?

Anxious?

Far from being words that are banded around for the sake of it, for many of us this is the reality of 21st century living.

We are expected to be on the ball, on trend and down with the kids 24/7 and sometimes, things can get a bit too much.

We have put together some easy ideas of how to free your mind so you can relax and chill out once in a while rather than constantly having your brain in free fall mode.

Breath
Before you do anything else, sit back, count to ten and breath. Focus on your breathing, feel the air go into your body and out and just stop for a few minutes and regroup.

Talk
After breathing, comes talking. If you bottle everything up, then it is only going to get worse and seem harder and harder to deal with. Open up to your partner, mum or a close friend and they may have ideas about how you can make changes and find a positive way forwards.

Live in the moment
Whatever is making you anxious right now, isn’t going to last. Breakdown what is bothering you into manageable chunks and tackle it one step at a time. For example, if you are moving house you might feel overwhelmed, but step back, make a list, work out what needs to be done and if you can, delegate.

Not this again
If you are worried about an interview, think back and see if was the same the last time you went for a new job? If it was, and you got the job, what are you worried about? You aced it last time and we bet it will be the same the time round too.

It’s not all about you!
Harsh we know, but not everything that happens in this world is about you. Yes we can all feel put upon or have our sensitive days, but thinking every situation revolves around you in some way can be really destructive and you could be missing out on a lot of fun.

Look at the bigger picture
Ask yourself whether the issue that is on your mind right now will still be there tomorrow, in a week or in a month. It is unlikely it will be, so regroup, relax and look at what is going on in the world and see there is more to life than a difficult boss or messy flatmate.

Preparing for the worst
I will lose my job. He is going to dump me. She doesn’t want to be my best friend anymore. We tend to jump to conclusions and dwell on the worst-case scenarios and this can lead to stress and depression. It is far better to talk to the person involved face to face and find out what is really going on before you make yourself ill believing the world is about to end.

Take some exercise
Social media, long hours and desk based jobs mean many of us get less exercise than ever. Try to get some fresh air every day and even if you have a brisk walk or a quick swim, your heart beat will go up and the endorphins will pump good vibes around your body.

Laugh
If nothing else, remember to laugh. Life is short so make the most of it and enjoy every single day you have.

Team Pure Beauty

Yoga for Beginners

Tags

body, breathing, exercise, mind, relaxation, soul, yoga

If you’ve never tried yoga, where have you been?

As well as being a great way of getting that much needed ‘me’ time and zoning out of the everyday pressures life, regular yoga practice can change your physical and mental capacity, whilst preparing the mind and body for long-term health.

We have been speaking with Vicky Holmestock, Results with Lucy Yoga Expert, about just what yoga is and how to get started.

What kinds of yoga are there?
There are several different forms of yoga but all ultimately have the same aim which is to lead the practitioner to enlightenment.

In the west the most popular form of yoga is Hatha yoga, the practice of postures known in Sanscrit as Asanas. The postures are practiced to enable the practitioner to be able to sit comfortably for long periods of meditation. There are several styles of yoga that have been developed around the practice of Asana. The main styles you might come across are;

Hatha is a gentle form of yoga where participants rest between poses. It can be very relaxing but will still work the muscles hard and develop strength. All other forms of physical yoga are developed from the hatha yoga postures.

Astanga Yoga is a stronger practice that uses a set sequence of poses. You jump from one pose to the next making it quite physical. Classes are generally 1.5 to 2 hours.

Vinyasa and Dynamic yoga have been developed as a combination of the two. You flow from posture to posture, the main difference to Astanga is there is no set sequence.

Bikram and Hot Yoga are practised in a room heated to 105 degrees. Essentially hatha yoga poses are practised in the heat, Bikram uses a set sequence of postures. It is said the heat helps the body to detoxify and improves flexibility and potentially increases weight-loss. Although the latter has not been proven.

What is your advice for new beginners looking to incorporate yoga into their lifestyle?Yoga is said to be the only form of exercise that when practised leaves you with more energy than when you started. It is a lovely complement to an existing exercise regime or can be done as the main form of exercise. It will help you to develop flexibility, strength and power and the more dynamic forms also offer a cardio vascular workout. Alongside the physical benefits you will learn to relax and feel energised and balanced.

I highly recommend a twice-weekly practice to really feel the benefits. With online programmes like Results with Lucy it is now possible to enjoy 15 min practices that are easier to fit into your schedule although classes can be an hour long with great benefits. You have the added benefit of being able to work with world-class teachers whose sessions you might not normally be able to get to.

What equipment is needed for new beginners?
The lovely thing about yoga is you don’t need any equipment and very limited space. You can do it anywhere in the world and keep up your practice whilst on holiday, travelling with work or at home.

Ideally you would use yoga mat which has the benefit of being non slip but in the absence of a mat a towel is great too. Yoga mats can be purchased from as little as £5.

How is yoga different to Pilates?
Yoga is quite different to Pilates as it is a spiritual based practice that works on both the mind and body.

There is a strong focus on the breath in yoga, which aids the focusing of the mind and energises the body. The breathing in Pilates is also important but tends to be the opposite to yoga in terms of the inhalations and exhalations and movement of the abdominal wall.

In a physical sense yoga poses tend to be held for 30-90 seconds whilst Pilates utilises short repetitive motions. This difference means the muscles are worked very differently.

How long should you do yoga for at any one time for it to be of benefit?
Any practice is better than none. If you are short on time 15 minutes twice per week will still be great. If you have more time a complete session of an hour will work the whole of the mind and body and give time for a relaxation at the end. The relaxing is as important as the postures.

What are the different types of yoga taught on RWL?
Results with Lucy has a really varied yoga offering, there are relaxations, breathing exercises, dynamic flow sequences, 3D Yoga (a form that incorporates functional movements and is great for injury rehab and prevention) and traditional hatha yoga.

Are there any food types people should avoid before and after doing yoga? If so, why?
It is best to avoid eating 2-3 hours before a class. The postures are designed to massage the internal organs of the body and will aid digestion, on a full stomach it can be uncomfortable to get into some of the forward bends or supine positions.

A lot of yogis follow a vegetarian diet but this is not essential to your practice and is something to explore as you develop.

So what are you waiting for, yoga seems to have something for everyone with some great benefits.