Keep calm and actually enjoy Christmas

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Don’t laugh, we are being serious here, you can keep calm this Christmas.

Yes, there’s the shopping to do, presents to wrap and don’t even start us on the table plan for the big day, but Christmas is meant to be a happy time when you can celebrate the good in life and spend time with those you love.

Instead of being annoyed you got the rubbish Secret Santa present (again) and laying awake at 3am worrying about whether to cook turkey or beef, keep calm with our easy to follow tips and you’ll feel like the Sugar Plum Fairy all the way to 2018.

Calm Time
Think about the times in the day when you feel calm and content and go back to those moments when you feel your stress levels rising. This could be when you wake up, sip your first hot cup of coffee of the day, you get a hug from your best friend for showing up to her work drinks or when you sit watching The Holiday for the 100th time – whenever it is, go back to that point and count to ten.

Feel Good
Don’t focus on the negatives and stop yourself from moaning, about everything that needs to be done. Yes, there will things you don’t like doing over the festive period, but why don’t let those awkward in-laws dominate your thoughts and instead think of the great stuff that is happening and your mood will be lifted.

Plan Ahead
Leaving everything to the last-minute is a recipe for disaster. If you can, start early, plan your Christmas list and every-time you are out shopping, add a gift in the basket. Before you know it, you’ve got a stock of presents, and there will be no need for panic buying amongst the masses on Christmas Eve.

Be a Kid
Christmas is all about the children and because they naturally seek out fun and happiness, we think you should do the same and are pretty sure you will feel so much better for it.

Take a Break
Rather than filling every moment of every day with jobs, take time out for you too. Whether it is lunch with a friend, having your hair done or going to a yoga class, putting up the decorations and delivering cards can wait, but your happiness can’t.

Pat on the Back
Remember what you have done already. Yes, you might not have the turkey yet and Aunt Betty might not have a present under the tree, but things will get done so just remember how much you have already achieved and give yourself a pat on the back.

Delegate
You don’t have to run the Christmas show alone. Getting flatmates to decorate the tree, asking your boyfriend to buy presents for his family, asking your mum to make the cake and buying presents online, will all take the pressure off you and give you some breathing space.

Meditate
Take ten minutes out to meditate. If things are getting too much, find a quite spot, concentrate on your breathing and slow down. By being in the moment you can take back control and look at your to do list with fresh eyes and a new perspective.

Stop and Think
Think about why you love Christmas, and the good things that happen over that special time. Christmas often passes in a blur of wrapping paper and champagne corks, but if you stop, savour the moment and cherish those you love, you will realise it is all worth it.

Set a Deadline
Put a date in your diary when you stop doing things for everyone else and start enjoying yourself. We all need to take time off and relax, and that includes you.

Whatever you do this Christmas, keep calm, be grateful for what you have in your life and be happy.

Team Pure-Beauty

The most important meal of the day

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When you have a busy morning, it’s easy for breakfast to become low on your list of priorities. However, taking a few minutes to have something to eat can make a big difference to your day on so many levels.

Breakfast provides your body and brain with fuel after fasting overnight and that’s where the name originates, breaking the fast. If you don’t eat it you will be running on empty and it will be a bit like trying to drive car without petrol. Tricky!

It is suggested that breakfast should be eaten within two hours of waking and it should make up around 25 – 30% of you daily allowance of calories. We all have different energy needs based upon gender, activity levels and life stage and men generally require more calories than women. Men typically require around 2500 kcals a day and women 2000.

Just like any other organ, the brain needs energy to work at it’s best. Breakfast restores glucose levels, which the brain needs in order to function. Studies have shown that eating breakfast can improve memory and concentration levels, make us happier, improve our mood and lower stress levels – which is always helpful.

It is also interesting to notice that children who eat breakfast tend to have better attainment and behaviour levels and ultimately grades too. If you can, eat breakfast together. Establishing and maintaining healthy breakfast habits from childhood throughout adolescence can help develop good eating habits that last a lifetime.

Apart from providing us with the energy we need to function, well chosen breakfasts tend to offer excellent good sources calcium, iron and B vitamins plus protein and fibre. Fruit and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals so try to include a portion of your daily five at breakfast. That can be a serving of melon, a banana over cereal or a goodness packed smoothie.

Breakfast can be good for waistline too because if you eat it you’re less likely to reach for sugary snacks that pile on the pounds when the mid-morning munchies strikes.

Even if you are short on time, these ideas will ensure you are fuelled up for the day ahead:

Muesli, fresh fruit and yoghurt
Fruit added to your muesli (one with no added sugar) counts towards your five a day and a low-fat yoghurt provides calcium and protein. Do remember if you go for low-fat to watch out for the sugar content as this can be higher.

Porridge with banana and blueberries
Mix oats with semi-skimmed milk then heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring every so often. When ready, add the banana (a great sugar substitute) and the berries and enjoy.

Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel
Halve and toast a wholemeal bagel. Spread low-fat cream cheese on one side and top with super-fresh smoked salmon. Add a squeeze of lemon and a little black pepper and you have a breakfast fit for a king.

Beans on wholemeal toast
This is not only naturally low in fat but also packed with fibre and protein making it a brilliant start to the day. If you are really hungry, or have had an early workout, add two poached eggs.

With energy-boosting porridge and protein-packed eggs, green smoothies and homemade granola bars, breakfast isn’t just the most important meal of the day but it can also be the tastiest.