Don’t let autumn bugs get you down

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Autumn is a beautiful time of the year, but the changing seasons, and the kids going back to school, means it also comes with a wave of health concerns. While a healthy diet, lots of water, good sleep patterns and exercise can keep you fit, bugs do come along so we have had a look at what they are, and what you can do to get things under control.

Coughs and colds
Coughs and colds make a sharp come back in the chillier months of the year and while they make you feel tired and sorry for yourself, fortunately they aren’t that bad and do go away. The common cold can’t be treated with antibiotics, so you don’t need to see your GP, and you can treat the aches and pains with over the counter painkillers. Keep fluids up, drink soups and smoothies, use a vapour rub and get some rest. Do remember to use a tissue to catch germs when you sneeze and cough and then bin the tissue and wash your hands to stop passing onto others.

Flu
If you have flu you will know it as you will feel terrible for several weeks. Flu can be serious for young children, the elderly, and anyone with a respiratory illness or disease. Flu gives you bad muscle aches and pains that prevent you from getting out of bed, you have a high fever, a raw throat and cough that can keep you awake at night. Again, there is no cure, but you can have the vaccination, which is free for vulnerable groups, otherwise it’s painkillers, rest, a hot water bottle and lots of fluids. If things do get really bad and your symptoms aren’t easing, speak to your GP and just check that you don’t have anything more serious.

Mental health
As the nights draw in, the hours of sunshine decrease and the cold hits our bones, some of us may well experience lower moods, increased anxiety and SAD. A healthy diet, exercise, time outside and a vitamin D supplement can help. If you feel down and just can’t shake this off, contact your GP and see if you can talk to someone and look at the options, but do not suffer in silence.

Sick bugs
Some viruses at this time of year will cause upset tunnies, vomiting, or both, which are pretty miserable, so stay in bed and rest up. Hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of the virus, and you shouldn’t return to work or school until 48 hours after things have cleared.

Throat infections
Viral infections can cause sore throats that then become infected and inflamed. You can use painkillers from the chemist, but if you have difficulty swallowing, a temperature, painful and swollen glands, or white spots on your tonsils, you may have tonsillitis so will need to see your GP.

So, eat well, drink water, get lots of rest and keep the bugs away as much as you can.

Team Pure Beauty

Easy ways to stress less every day

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anxiety, appreciate the little things, bed, best friend, bike, body, breathing, busy, caffeine, coffee, deep, demands, desk, edge, emails, endorphins, energised, exhaling, family, feel-good hormones, focus, food, full breaths, gratitude journal, gym, health, healthy sleep routine, herbal tea, here and now, Insta perfect, Inta perfect, life, look after, Meditative breathing techniques, mental health, morning, mouth, move, natural way, negative phrases, nose, physical wellbeing., Relax, relaxed, savour the moment, scroll, shallower, shifts, shorter, sleep, social media, stress, stress levels, stressful, sun shining, tension, to do list, trigger, vicious cycle, wake up, walking the dog

Life is busy, demands grow every day, the need to be Insta perfect plays on our minds and sometimes things can just get too much. It is just as important to look after your mental health, as it is to keep tabs on your physical wellbeing or things can start to get on top of you.

We have had a look at some simple ways you can take back control when it comes to feeling good about life and stressing less each day.

Think about how you start your day
For many people, anxiety is an issue and it can feel worse in the morning. To help with this, try to avoid activities that trigger your stress levels the moment you get up. Don’t look at your emails as soon as you wake, scroll through social media when you are at your desk and not in bed, and if coffee adds an edge, try a herbal tea and some meditation before hitting the caffeine.

List it
We aren’t talking about a to-do list, but a gratitude journal. Each day write down ten things that you’re grateful for and start to appreciate the little things we often take for granted, like family, health, food on the table and even the sun shinning. When you start to see what you do have and focus less on what you wish you had, shifts can be made and stress levels can go down.

And breath
Tuning into your breathing can make a real difference to how you feel as this really does affect your body. Think about it, when you are stressed out, your breathing becomes shorter and shallower, this can make you feel worse and a vicious cycle is set in place. Meditative breathing techniques can make a big difference to how you feel and allow you to become more relaxed and able to think straight. Start by simply taking deep, full breaths in through your nose, and exhaling slowly out of your mouth. Set aside ten minutes a day, more if you can, and just sit with your breath and feel the tension lift.

Get some exercise
Yes, we are all busy but there are real benefits for our mental health if we exercise. When you move your body releases endorphins, feel-good hormones, and when this happens it helps you to feel more energised and focused. This doesn’t mean hitting the gym twice a day or training for a marathon, but simply walking the dog, getting on your bike or taking a step class are all ways to bring good vibes into your life the natural way.

Be your own best friend
Have you ever stopped and thought about how you talk to yourself? Words like stupid, slow, lazy and failure are negative phrases we often use with ourselves, but now is the time to stop and be your own best friend and look after you.

Sleep it away
When we are tired, our worries seem to get worse and we find it harder to turn off and relax. Try to get yourself into a healthy sleep routine so you are able to give your body and mind time to recuperate and catch up. A set bedtime, having a warm bath with added essential oils, doing some yoga are all ideas that can have a positive impact on your mental health.

Live in the moment
It is all too easy to think about what went wrong in the past, or worry about the future, but why not start to enjoy and appreciate the here and now? You cannot change what has happened and we do not know what will happen tomorrow, next week or next year, so savour the moment and leave those worries at the door.

Team Pure Beauty

How to get your life together this summer

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ability to thrive, alcohol, amazing benefits, anxious, blood flow, body, bottle of water, boundaries, boxing, brain, burnout, cook, dawn to dusk, debilitating, demands, draining, easy, eat and drink, energised, energy, exercise, family, feel good endorphins, feeling, focus, friends, fruit and veg, glowing, good for you, GP, health, health and wellness, healthier, healthy skin, hormones, ideas, just say no, lash out, life, longest day of the year, marathon, meal planning, more organised, natural stress reducer, people pleasers, perform, pressures, priorities, rampant, Relax, rested, sacrifice, screens, shopping, shortcuts, sick, sleep, stress, stress levels, suck, sugar, support, take-aways, taste great, trainers, under control, wake

As we are fast heading to the longest day of the year, how are you feeling about your life?

Is everything great, or could things be just a little bit better?

A bit healthier?

More organised?

Could you sleep better and feel more energised?

Well, we have put together a few ideas that we hope will let you be the very best version of you, from dawn to dusk.

Nutrition
How often do you sacrifice meal planning and cooking from scratch, for taking shortcuts and getting take-aways? It is so, so easy to get caught up in the pressures of life and the demands of everyone around you, but the truth is that won’t do anyone any favours. But, we do get why it happens. The key is to figure out what to eat each week, ensure you have the shopping organised so that you can then cook recipes that don’t require a massive amount of preparation but taste great and are good for you.

Try to eat foods that nourish your body, support your life, and make you feel and look your best! Keep sugar and alcohol down and fruit and veg high.

Keep stress under control
Stress is totally debilitating, draining, and can have massive damaging implications on our health, energy, and ability to thrive. Let’s face it, stress can stop us from achieving lasting health and wellness, so it is important to look at how we deal with it so that we don’t burnout, or lash out. If we don’t monitor stress levels, we can age before our time, get sick more often than we should, and feel anxious all the time as hormones run rampant around in our bodies.

Think again about what you eat and drink. How much time you work and spend at your screens, and consider how best to get good sleep at night so you wake feeling rested. Make time for you and relax. If you are worried about your stress levels, speak to your family, friends or GP and get some support in place.

Exercise
We have said this before, but it is key to take exercise because it has so many amazing benefits. It’s a natural stress reducer, it gets the blood flowing through your entire body, including your brain, and this can help you focus, think more clearly and allow you to perform better. Exercise gives you glowing, healthy skin and can help improve your immune system.

We aren’t saying that you need to train for a marathon or start boxing for England, but find something you like doing and in time, you will love it and all that it brings to you.

So, grab your trainers, get some funky workout gear, a bottle of water, and let those feel good endorphins racing around your system, making you feel fab.

Just say no
This isn’t easy, as so many of us are people pleasers, but it is important to have boundaries in place so you are OK saying ‘no’. Yes, you want to be able to help others, but if you don’t put yourself from time to time, you won’t be able to help anyone else. Look at what you have to do day to day, work out what your priorities really are, and if you can’t take anything else on, don’t.

We hope you have a great summer and that some of these steps will ensure you are on the right path to being the best you.

Team Pure Beauty

Tips for trying a vegetarian diet

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absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, anaemia, avocado, ‘bad’ cholesterol, body growth, brain function, bright, brown pasta, buckwheat, bulgur, calcium, cell membranes, cleaner eating, Convenience foods, dairy products, diet, dried fruit, egg yolks, eggs, energy sources, fat, flaxseed oils, fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soya milk, free from meat and fish, fruit and vegetables, GP, green leafy vegetables, happy vegetarian, health, health food shop, healthy, heart, heart disease, immune system, iron levels, key nutrients, metabolism, nuts, oats, olive, oxygen, protein, pulses, Quorn, red blood cells, reproductive health, salt, seeds, Starchy carbohydrates, strokes, sugar, suitable for vegetarians, supplements, tofu, trend, unsaturated fats, Vegan, vegetarian, vibrant mix, Vitamin B12, waistline, wholemeal bread, Yeast Extract, zinc

While the current trend might be to go vegan, for some people, becoming a vegetarian is the first step to cleaner eating.

A diet free from meat and fish can be a good move, you need to make sure you are still eating key nutrients, so we have some tips on how to be a healthy, happy vegetarian.

Protein is needed for body growth and repair, and good vegetarian options include pulses, nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy products, tofu and Quorn.

Starchy carbohydrates are great energy sources, and you can find these in wholegrains, such as wholemeal bread, brown pasta, buckwheat, bulgur, and oats.

Unsaturated fats are another energy source and you also need them for building cell membranes, brain function, and for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). Olive and flaxseed oils are one source, together with nuts, seeds, and of course super tasty, very versatile avocado.

We all need iron for healthy red blood cells and to carry oxygen around our bodies, and is key for children, teenagers and women. Low iron levels can lead to anaemia so try to include egg yolks, pulses, dried fruit, green leafy vegetables, and fortified breakfast cereals in your daily diet.

Zinc is brilliant at supporting your immune system and for reproductive health. Go for seeds, pumpkin ones are good, nuts, green leafy vegetables, pulses and wholegrains, you can get your fix.

You really need Vitamin B12 as a vegetarian as it helps your metabolism and can prevent B12 anaemia. Eggs and dairy products, yeast extract, fortified soya milk and breakfast cereals are all ideas to consider.

Omega-3 fatty acids are the healthy fats that lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol and thus reduce your risks of heart disease and strokes. We tend to get this nutrient from fish, but vegetarians can get them from seeds (especially flaxseeds), or vegetarian supplements, so ask your GP or health food shop staff about the options.

So, how do these fit into your diet? Each day aim to get:
At least five servings of fruit and vegetables, but go for more if you can and aim for a bright, vibrant mix.
Three to four servings of starchy carbohydrates
Two to three servings of protein, such as pulses, nuts and seeds and, the same with dairy, plus a little oil or butter.
At least one type of food fortified with vitamin B12, such as yeast extract or cereal.
Do the same as above with Omega 3, or take a supplement.

Go for a balanced diet full of variety. Some of us fall into the habit of eating the same foods day in and day out, but you need to eat a variety of foods to avoid missing out on vital nutrients. Really embrace fruit and vegetables, eat them raw, blend in smoothies and add spices and lentils to make tasty, filling dinners.

Bread and pasta are good sources of starchy carbohydrates, but they can fill you up before you get all of the other nutrients you need.

Cheese is full of protein and calcium, but it’s also high in fat and salt, so just watch how much you eat.

Convenience foods might say they are ‘suitable for vegetarians’, but they can still be high in fat, salt, sugar and additives, so eat in moderation. The same goes with fast food and take-aways.

Being a vegetarian can be great for your health, heart and waistline, as well as the environment, so enjoy the adventure and find the foods that make you happy.

Team Pure Beauty

Pure Beauty helps ease your skincare worries

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acne, amazing, antioxidant serum, areas, Avellana Seed oil, beauty regime, blemishes, blended, body, brightened, brightens, Camellia, central heating, chapped hands, cold weather, combination skin, combo, creams, decongest, deeply cleanses, delicate eye area, Dermalogica Hydrating Lotion, detoxifies, dirt, dry patches, dull skin, Elemis Absolute Eye Mask, Elemis Balancing Lime Blossom Cleanser, Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Body Cream, enriched, excess oil, Eyes, face, fine lines, firm, Frangipani flowers, hands, happy, health, help, hydrates, ingredients, issues, Jan Marini C-ESTA Serum, jasmine, lacklustre, Litsea, luxurious product, luxurious texture, Macadamia and Sesame Oil, magnolia, make-up, Milk Protein, nails, need, nourishing, Omega 7, Pure Beauty, reduce, revitalised, rich formula, shower gel, silky-smooth, skin, skin loving, smell, smoothing, soothes, spots, super soft, tighten, tired, tired eyes, tone, trouble, Virgin Plum, vitality, Vitamin C, water, white flowers, work, worse, wrinkles, youthful

Whether it is acne, dry patches, fine lines, blemishes, chapped hands or deepening wrinkles you struggle with when it comes to your skin, at Pure Beauty, we sell a range of products that can help you get to grips with the issues that trouble you the most.

All about the eyes
We love the Elemis Absolute Eye Mask because it does so much to help your eyes look fantastic. When applied to the delicate eye area it helps to decongest, firm and tone, whilst nourishing and smoothing at the same time – amazing. You can use it twice a week and by leaving the ingredients to get to work for 10 minutes, tired eyes will be brightened and revitalised.

It’s all about the combo
If you have combination skin, the Elemis Balancing Lime Blossom Cleanser could be what you have been looking for. It deeply cleanses your skin so that dirt and make-up are removed and excess oil is balanced, but not totally wiped away. Extracts of Lime Blossom, Lecithin and Vitamin E soothe and moisturise so that skin is bursting with health and vitality.

Tighten up
Adding the Jan Marini C-ESTA Serum to your beauty regime can help tone and tighten your skin in the areas you most need it. Packed with skin loving Vitamin C, this powerful antioxidant serum helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Ongoing use means lines will be less pronounced and skin will look even-toned and healthy.

Spot it
Let’s face it, we have all suffered with spots at one time or another and sometimes the creams used to help make things better, actually make them worse. The Dermalogica Hydrating Lotion soothes discomfort and hydrates dryness so your skin feels happy once again.

What about your body?
You might take care of your face, but the rest of your body needs more than shower gel to keep it in check. The Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Body Cream is the answer to your prayers as this luxurious product is enriched with Macadamia and Sesame Oil and it leaves skin feeling super soft and silky smooth. Thanks to Frangipani Flowers you will smell great too.

Hand it to me
The cold weather, central heating and endless contact with water, means that our hands really do take a battering during the day. To ensure your hands are soft and smooth, we would suggest you keep a tube of Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream in your bag. It has a luxurious texture which is quickly absorbed by the skin so that hands and nails are instantly rejuvenated and conditioned. Milk Protein, Avellana Seed Oil, Omega 7, Camellia, Virgin Plum and Macadamia have been blended to create a rich formula that locks in moisture. White flowers, Litsea, Jasmine, Magnolia and a hint of Vanilla, means that hands don’t only look youthful and radiant but they smell sensational too.

Tired, dull skin
If you need rescuing from tired, lacklustre, dull skin, add the Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque to your basket. This all-in-one treatment detoxifies, brightens and invigorates your skin and can be used by everyone.

If you have any questions about these, or any products we stock, get in touch and we would love to help.

Team Pure Beauty