Adapt your exercise routine for the winter

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While you might feel like curling up on the sofa in your onesie and watching back to back Corrie, your mind, body and soul will thank you for keeping up with your exercise routine over the winter months.

The cold wind and early evening darkness might not be as inviting as balmy summer evenings for a run, but we have had a look at how to keep fit and strong, however chilly it gets.

Don’t stop moving
In the summer, we tend to exercise before it gets too hot, so in the winter you need to reverse this and try to workout before it gets dark and your motivation is lost. Either go to the gym before work, run during your lunch hour or plan morning bike ride that will get those endorphins pumping around your body for the rest of the day.

Get the kit
By the end of your jog you should be sweating, but before you step out of the door the goose bumps will be there if you are only in a vest and shorts. The key to winter success when it comes to exercise clothing is layering. Thermal running tights, bright trainers, warm t-shirts and soft socks won’t just look cool, they will feel good against your skin and help regulate your body temperature. If you are exercising in the dark, go for a hi-vis top and even a head torch so you can easily be seen.

Go digital
If you really can’t get to grips with exercising outside in December, tap into online options. Whether it is HIIT training, Pilates, interval cycling or Zumba, there’s a wide range of sporting options that you can do at home, but you still need to put in the effort if you want to see the results.

Get a buddy
One way to ensure you get out and get going is to have an accountability buddy. If you know you’ll let someone else down if you don’t hit the gym, it’ll be harder to skip your workout. Whether it’s a friend, sister, partner, work colleague or neighbour, find someone with similar interests and make a pact to do this together.

Have a goal
Just as it can help having someone to work with, it is also motivating to have a goal to aim for. Whether you are going to complete a 5k charity run, train for a marathon or take part in the London to Brighton bike ride, write down your goals, put them somewhere you can see them and go for it.

Drink
Ice cold water is refreshing in July, but it is actually essential all year round. When you exercise it is really important to drink plenty of water otherwise you can end up feel tired, lethargic and dehydrated which will take away your motivation to get moving. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times, sip little and often and aim for at least two litres of H2O a day.

Be safe
Whatever you do, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be home. If you are exercising outside after dark, choose a well-lit route, wear bright clothing and be wise when wearing ear phones in quiet areas.

Enjoy!

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Which yoga is right for you?

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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

Laundry hacks you’ll love

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bacon, bedding, bicarbonate of soda, bright whites, bring to the boil, chalk, change your bed, cheaper, chemical stain removers, chores, clean, colour, colour coded baskets, colours, cupboard, dry outside, drying, effort, extra spin, fabric conditioner, faster, feeling, flash, fluffy towels, glowing results, grass, heat, jeans, laundry, lavender, lemons, lipstick, looking, low temperature wash, money, musty smells, nasty smells, new, pristine condition, quick wash setting, ready to use, refresh, savvy shortcuts, shape, slice, soak, soft, soft and absorbent, spin, Stain free, sunlight, tennis balls, time, tin foil, Towel fresh, trick, tricky, utility bills, white vinegar, whites

We are always looking for ways to do chores better, faster, smarter and cheaper and when it comes to laundry, every little trick helps.

We have some savvy shortcuts to share that we hope will keep nasty smells away and save you time, money and effort.

Colour coded baskets
Yes, we know this sounds a bit OTT but it works. Buy three laundry baskets and colour-code them as whites, colours and darks. On wash-day, simply empty one basket into the machine and press go leaving you free of stinky sorting.

Stain free
Go easy on chemical stain removers, and trying rubbing a little chalk into stains before you put your clothes in the wash and everything from lipstick, grass and bacon will be gone.

Bright whites
To get your whites bright once again, slice several lemons, put them into a pot of water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat off, add your clothes and let them soak for an hour before washing as usual. To get glowing results, let them dry outside in the sunlight.

Make it quick
If your laundry is pretty much stain free, go for a quick wash setting which will clean and refresh but won’t take forever or add to your utility bills.

Inside out jeans
Washing and drying is tough on denim and washing can see colour and shape being lost. To keep your jeans looking and feeling new, turn them inside out before they go into the machine and leave them like this as they dry.

Towel fresh
We all love soft, fluffy towels but keeping them in pristine condition can be tricky. Forget
fabric conditioner and instead add a cup of white vinegar to your wash load and as well as bringing towels back to life and keeping them soft and absorbent, the vinegar will also help keep musty smells away.

Go for a spin
If you want to aid the drying time of your washing, go for an extra spin during the washing cycle. Adding just ten minutes to a wash will actually cut down drying time later.

Keep your machine clean
From time to time it is worth cleaning your washing machine if you want to keep it in good working order. To do this, simply add half a cup of bicarbonate of soda to the machine drawer with half a cup of white vinegar and put it on a quick, low temperature wash.

Tumble faster
If you want to speed up drying time, and bring down costs, add a couple of clean tennis balls, dry towel or scrunched up balls of foil in with your clothes and the job will be done in flash.

Bed bundles
Once your bedding has been laundered, rather than simply stuffing back in the cupboard, why not make life easy and pack it into ready to use bundles? Put a clean folded fitted sheet, duvet cover and pillowcase in a pile, then carefully place this into one of the pillowcases and next time you change your bed, everything will be there ready and waiting for you. Add a little lavender and it will smell good too.

Got a tip that works for you? Get in touch, we would love to know what it is.

Team Pure Beauty