How to eat for wellness in 2020

Tags

a fruit and veg smoothie, avocado smash, bananas, blueberries, body, caffeine and fizzy drinks, calm, cancers, cereals, chocolates, Christmas, cocktails, crash and burn, curries, dried, dried fruit, drink more water, Eat breakfast, energy drink, faddy diet, feel better, five portions of fruit and vegetables, five servings, fresh, Frozen, fun, goal, healthy, heart disease, homemade date bars, hydrate, indulge, Iron Man, juiced, low impact exercise, marathon, mash, meat and dairy free, mind, nuts, pasta, plant-based, porridge with banana, rice cakes, rich food, run, sausage rolls, skin, slice of cake, soups, spice, strokes, sweet potatoes, swim, take away, tinned, varied diet, vegan diet, veggie, Vitamin C, wake up, well-balanced, White bread, wholegrain alternatives, Wholemeal toast with peanut butter

Too many sausage rolls eaten?

Too many cocktails drunk?

Too many chocolates picked from the box?

Christmas is a time for fun and we all like to indulge, but all that rich food and sugary drinks can play havoc with our waistlines as well as our skin, teeth and mood.
Eating a healthy, well balanced, varied diet is key for good health and well-being and it can also help keep things like heart disease, strokes and certain cancers away.
We aren’t going to tell you to try a faddy diet or starve yourself because that won’t do anything for anyone, but we do have some ideas of how you can change what you eat and drink, and feel better for it.

Eat breakfast
We know this isn’t for everyone, but eating breakfast is the best way to start your day. Don’t load up on cereals packed with sugar or knock back an energy drink when you wake up, because you will crash and burn. Wholemeal toast with peanut butter, a fruit and veg smoothie, porridge with banana and blueberries or avocado smash are all perfect morning starters and they will see you through the morning.

A starter for five
Old news maybe, but eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day is the goal. It doesn’t matter if it’s fresh, frozen, tinned, juiced or dried, but get in the habit of having five servings and if you can go further, you are winning.

Drink more water
It’s clear… drink more water if you want to feel good. The advice is to drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water a day and this will impact you mind, body and skin. You might also want to cut the caffeine and fizzy drinks and switch to herbal teas which will help hydrate and calm you.

Keep snacks in your bag
Dried fruit, nuts, rice cakes, bananas and home-made date bars can be kept in your bag, car or desk drawer and not only will they fill you up, they are so much better for you than a bar of chocolate or slice of cake. Yes, have treats, but now and again and not every day.

Make switches
White bread and pasta aren’t going to really do much for you, so why not switch to wholegrain alternatives? Sweet potatoes are a brilliant source of vitamin C, so leave the mash for another day, and a bowl of berries will beat a bag of sweets any day.

Go plant based
This isn’t for everyone but cutting animal products out of your diet isn’t a bad idea. If a full vegan diet isn’t right, maybe think about being veggie or if this is still too much, go meat and dairy free a couple of days and week and let natural plant goodness fill your plate and your tummy.

Exercise more
We aren’t saying that you need to train for a marathon or become an Iron Man candidate but moving your body goes hand in hand with improving your diet. The weather might still be cold, but a run around the park will warm you up, a swim is a low impact exercise many of us can do and if you want to spice up your life, how about a salsa class with a friend? Don’t sign up for an expensive gym membership in January that you won’t use, but do look for something you will enjoy, because then you will want to do it, and you’ll be glad you did. Do remember, that going for a job doesn’t mean you can then eat a massive take-away, but you can make curries and soups from scratch that will nourish your body for longer.

Got a tip for us, let us know as we are all for a happier, healthier 2020.

Team Pure Beauty

How to waste less this Christmas

Tags

antique markets, art class, best intentions in the world, bight, bills, bin, BOGOF, books, bottles, box of chocolates, brand new, budget, buying gifts, cans, carbon emissions, carnage, charity shops, Christmas, Christmas lights, comics, cooked, cookery course, curries, dad, December, decorations, drink wine, eat food, environment, foil, food, fridge, Frozen, give and receive gifts, good time, Grazia, gym membership, high waste alter, hospice, January, kids, landfill sites, LED lights, leftover, library, list, local hospital, loved, physical products, Plastic, Radio Times, ramp up, recycle, shelter, shiny, sister, soft toys, soup kitchen, soups, spark nostalgia, supermarket, tree, unique gifts, Veg and meat, vintage clothes, vintage scarf, waste, wrap, wrapping, wreaths

Let’s face it, Christmas can be a time of waste.

With all the best intentions in the world, as we give and receive gifts, eat food, drink wine and generally have a good time, there will be things that get leftover and thrown in the bin which puts the environment on a high waste alert.

We aren’t saying don’t have fun and relax, but we are going to look at how you can enjoy Christmas without adding to landfill sites and blowing your carbon emissions out of the water.

Buy pre-loved
When buying gifts, you don’t have to get something that is bright, shiny and brand new. Spending an afternoon at antique markets and visiting charity shops is a fun way to find some really unique gifts that will be just as good, if not better, than something going to a new home for the first time. Books, soft toys, vintage clothes and china are all out there for the taking and you never know, you could spark nostalgia with the gifts you give this year and make someone feel really loved.

Think about gifts that keep giving
You don’t have to buy physical products. How about a pass to the local petting farm? A gym membership? A cookery course or an art class? These could really help someone out and they will know you have thought about them with your choice of gift, and of course an experience means no waste.

It’s all in the wrapping
Once you have a present, think about how you wrap it. If your sister is fashion mad, wrap that vintage scarf in the pages of an old copy of Grazia, for kids, use comics, and for your TV bonkers dad, the Radio Times covering his box of chocolates will be perfect. This means you recycle and cut down on glitter and ribbon that isn’t good for anything at all.

Be a smart shopper
We have all been there – the night before Christmas and the supermarket is carnage and not a lot of fun as people buy as much food as they can. Make a list of what you need, don’t go for the BOGOF offers and keep to a budget.

Don’t waste food
If you do over do it on the dinner front, don’t just put the remains in the bin. Veg and meat can be put in the fridge and eaten the next day, soups and curries can be cooked and frozen and if you have more than you need, make up parcels and give them to a local soup kitchen or shelter – someone will be very grateful you don’t bin what is probably great food.

Save power
We all love Christmas lights, but they don’t need to be on 24/7 for the whole of December and January. Put them on in the evening and turn them off when you go to bed. Use LED lights and go easy on outside decorations, as they can eat electricity and ramp up your bills as well as your emissions.

Recycle
The tree, decorations, wreaths, cans, foil, bottles, plastic and food are all recyclable. It might seem like a pain, but if we all do this it does make a difference. Also, if you have gifts that aren’t for you, why not give to someone who would like them, take them to a local hospital or donate to a charity shop or library. You might not want it, and you might not want to offend the recipient by asking for a receipt, so do something for someone else and you will be glad you did.

Got a create less waste tip? Send it our way, we are all ears.

Team Pure Beauty

How to practise self care when you work from home

Tags

9 to 5, afternoon, bad habits, balance, bills, biscuit tin, boost, boundaries, break, calls, chair, chocolate bar, clear, clients, coffee, computer, designated office space, desk, DIY, eight hours of sleep a night, energy, evening, exercise, Eyes, fresh air, fresh fruit, Friday, friends, headaches, Headspace, healthy snacks, HIT session, home, homemade flapjacks, job, lighting, living room, meal, meditate, mind, motivated, motivation levels, nuts, oil fish, perk, pitta with feta and egg, PJs, postman, return, routine, salad with oily fish, sensible, set of goals, shops, showered, Skype, soups, stews, team meeting, tidy, tip, unwind., VA, walk, weekend, work, work and personal life, working from home, working hours, yoga, yoga pants, zone

When you work from home, self-care is vital and it is important to make a clear distinction between your work and personal life, ensuring you take time for yourself.

We have some sensible, but easy ways you can get a better balance when it comes to working from home.

Set Boundaries
When you work from home, it is really easy to slip into bad habits like working late into the evening and at the weekend. To maintain a healthy balance between work and home, set your work hours and stick to them. Maybe it is the traditional 9 to 5 that works for you, 10 until 6 is better for some people, a half day on Friday can be a perk of the job. Decide it, do it and stick to it.

Have a place to work
If you can, create a designated office space with a desk and upright chair that supports your back. If you have a whole room or can renovate the loft or the garage, this will give you a great working area and get you in the zone. Lighting is important as this will help you not to strain your eyes or cause headaches. Having a tidy workspace will help to keep your mind clear, and turning off the computer at the end of the day will help you maintain your working hours.

Start the day the right way
You might not have a team meeting to go to, but starting your day with a new list and set of goals, will keep you on track and motivated. You don’t have to do this at your desk, you can have a walk, a coffee after the school drop off or even speak to your VA and make sure you are both on the same page.

Walk away
Making time for some exercise during your day will boost motivation levels and increase productivity. Whether you go for a park run, walk the dog, do a HIT session, or practise yoga in your living room, doing something will give you a break and more energy.

Take a lunch break
We know many people don’t take have an official lunch break, but if you can make time to walk away from your desk and head outside for fresh air, this will set you up for the afternoon ahead. Packing up a salad with oily fish, filling up on soups and stews or having a pitta with feta and egg is a good way to fuel up and afternoon smoothies or homemade flapjacks are good too.

Do not do chores
Putting on the washing, going to the shops, visiting friends or doing a little DIY might be on your list of jobs at home, but it isn’t your real work that will pay the bills. Find times when you can do this, but stick to your working times as above, or you will end up having a clean house and full fridge, but unhappy clients.

Have healthy snacks
It is easy to go for the biscuit tin or unwrap a chocolate bar when you are working at home, but having fresh fruit in a bowl and nuts and raisins in a pot on your desk means when you are peckish, you don’t overdo the rubbish.

Get Dressed
It might seem like a good idea to work in your PJs or yoga pants, but you wouldn’t go out to work this way, so don’t do it at home. Get up, get showered, put the coffee on and get dressed and this will give you a work ready feel, and save blushes with the postman or unexpected Skype calls from clients.

Meditate
We believe that if you take a little time to meditate during the working day, it will give you headspace to unwind so you will return to your computer feeling refreshed.

You still need to sleep
We all need to aim to get about eight hours of sleep a night, and this is the same when you work from home. Late nights and lie-ins might be tempting, but they won’t do your motivation or productivity levels any good. Get into a routine and if it means scheduling calls at 9am or booking a dance class at 6pm to keep to time, then do it.

Got a working at home tip? Send it our way as we would love to know what it is.

Team Pure Beauty

Pack a lunch you will love

Tags

apple chunks, berries, brains, bulk, carrot sticks, cheese, cleaning, cucumber, cutlery, fibre, filled roll, five a day, flapjacks, flasks, freeze, fruit, humous, hydrated, Juices, leftover food, lettuce, lunchbox, mayo, microwave, midday meal, muffins, National Pack Your Lunch Day, organised, pitta bread, pots, quiches, Rolls, salsa, sandwiches, simple hacks, sliced grapes, slices, soggy sandwich, soups, spoons, sports drinks, squashes, stews, tangerine segments, tomato, tummies, tuna, veggie sticks, waste, water, water bottles, wholegrain sandwich, wrap

With 10 March marking ‘National Pack Your Lunch Day’ we have been looking at some simple hacks that will make your midday meal tasty, nutritious and keep you going all afternoon.

Wash up
There’s nothing worse than opening a lunch box when you get up in the morning to find leftover food sticking to the sides. Get into the habit of cleaning out lunch boxes each evening, so that they are ready to roll the next day. The same goes for water bottles, flasks and spoons.

Be prepared
Not everyone likes to make sandwiches the night before, but you can put together pieces of fruit, cut carrot sticks and put them in pots, wrap up flapjacks and get cutlery ready in boxes, so you are organised.

Freeze it
Rolls, muffins and quiches make great lunch times you will really enjoy. If you make them in bulk and freeze in individual servings, you can take them out in the evening and they will be ready by lunchtime.

Fill up with fibre
A wholegrain sandwich, pitta bread, wrap or filled roll should not be disregarded. Packed with fibre, these are a great way to stay full for the afternoon and if you go for a good filling such as tuna, cheese or humous you have a serving of protein too. If you don’t want to eat a soggy sandwich, spread mayo between slices of cheese or ham rather than putting it straight onto the bread, and pat dry cucumber and tomato slices as well as lettuce leaves with a paper towel.

Think of five a day
Sliced fruit, veggie sticks and even green leaf leftovers are easy lunchbox fillers that go perfectly with a side serving of dip. Carrot, celery and cucumber with humous is a popular choice, or salsa if you are looking for something with more a kick. Create fruit salads with sliced grapes, berries, apple chunks and tangerine segments and you are on the way to five a day.

Be water wise
Juices, sports drinks and squashes are full of sugars, so instead why not add fresh fruit pieces into water bottles for a burst of flavour and to keep hydrated.

Use a flask
If you like soups and stews, why not get a flask and take that with you each day? Many modern-day models will keep things warm for up to six hours and this will also save you from having to use the work microwave – which can only be a good thing?

Team effort
Why not work together as a couple or family and plan lunches so that you are all are opening you lunchbox and finding something you really want to eat. If you do this, tummies will be full, brains will be ready to work and waste is kept to a minimum.

Team Pure Beauty

Make January Magical

Tags

antidote, back to work, beautiful diary, bestseller, binging, biographies, body, book, bookshop, Bridget Jones, cakes and cookies, candles, chic lit, cook, cookery skills, creative outlet, Credit card bills, crisp countryside, curries, depressed, detox, dreams, escape, exciting first chapter, feast, first chapter, fish and chips, fresh bread, friends, gloves, good book, healthy food, hotels, inspiring, January, January blues, Kindle, library, look ahead, magical, making plans, mini break, modern life, month, music, news feeds, nourishing, novel, offers, outside, overnight bag, parties, picnic, poetry, presents, pretty notebook, quiet night, sci-fi story, scones by a roaring fire, seaside B&B, social media, something special, soups, spas, stews, sun comes out, tea, thermals, thrillers, town, walks by the sea, wellies

We bet you don’t often think of January as being a magical month?

Credit card bills, back to work and a bulging waistline often get in the way of enjoy the New Year, but why not turn things round and see this as an exciting first chapter the next part of your life?

We have had a look at how you can turn what many people thing is the hardest month of the year, into something special.

Get lost in a good book
Step away from the Kindle, go into town and have a browse the shelves of your local bookshop or library. From chic lit to poetry and thrillers to biographies, there really is something for everyone. Reading lets you escape from the trappings of modern life and an hour or two away from social media and news feeds, has to be a good thing.

Go on a mini break
In true Bridget Jones style, pack your overnight bag and get away from it all. You don’t have to spend a fortune as there are many offers around for hotels and spas around, but a traditional seaside B&B can be just the escape you need. Long walks by the sea, tea and scones by a roaring fire and fish and chips out of the paper watching the sunset could be the perfect antidote to the January blues.

Write it down
They say we all have a book inside of us, why not use January to get that novel down on paper? You might not do it all in one go, but making a start on a kid’s tale or sci-fi story, rather than bingeing on box-sets will give you a creative outlet and you never know, you might produce the next bestseller?

Cook up a feast
Yes, we know we are meant to step away from the cakes and cookies, but January is the perfect time to look at nourishing your body with healthy food rather than punishing it with a detox. From stews and soups to curries and fresh bread, you can use the dark nights to brush up on your cookery skills and with some candles on the table and music in the background you can have friends over for a quiet night of catching up and making plans.

Take a picnic outside
When the sun comes out, pack a picnic, get your wellies and dine alfresco this January. Yes, you might need thermals and gloves, but there is something magical about walking in the crisp countryside and breathing in crystal clear air – take a flask of hot chocolate and you will be warm and toasty.

Plot and plan
There is nothing like a beautiful diary or pretty notebook to start a new chapter in your life. Rather than getting depressed about the parties and presents being over, use January to look ahead and plan your future. Dreams are great, but working on making them a reality can be exciting and inspiring.

Whatever you do this January, make it your most magical ever.

Team Pure-Beauty