Health, Healthcare, Mental Health, Well-being, Women's Health
Christmas is a time for giving, but by the time the big day comes around most of us are shattered, we have given it our all and are exhausted. This year we are encouraging you to indulge in a little more self-care and make time to relax and enjoy the holiday.
Make sure you leave the house over Christmas, walking is the best form of exercise over the holiday period, being out in the open will clear your head and give you some space away from others. Walking will aid digestion, get the circulation moving and ease depression. Wrap up warm and get moving. A fitness tracker will encourage you to walk further, we like the Fitbit Charge 2* from Amazon.
Rediscover the joys of bathing. Make time before bed to relax in a warm scented bath, there’s nothing like it for calming the mind and easing the body. Add a large handful of Better You Magnesium Flakes* 1kg £9.95, and a dash of Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax, 55ml £49.00, and feel the tension slipping away as you soak. The ultimate gift to self or a loved one, is the Kiss the Moon Glow to Sleep Gift Set. Glow, the gorgeous, orange and geranium fragrance, is captured in the Aromatherapy Soy Candle, Pure Essential Oil Soap and the Bedtime Bath Salts only £48.00.
If you’ve been for a walk and come home shivering, take a soak in Dr Hauschka’s comforting Spruce Warming Bath Essence 30ml £10.00. The natural essential oil of Norway spruce invigorates and soothes with the scent of an evergreen forest, perfect for the winter season. It warms the body inside and out.
The relaxation response can be triggered by touch. Massage allows the mind and body to release the physical effects of stress. It increases the blood and lymph circulation, and helps to relax muscle tissue. A simple self-massage can work wonders for tired legs after standing all day cooking. If you have someone willing to carry out the massage even better.
Try Tisserand Aromatherapy Total De-Stress Massage & Body Oil, 100ml £9.95, a skin pampering base of sesame and jojoba oils, rich in nourishing vitamins, antioxidants blended with 100% natural pure essential oils of sweet orange and balancing geranium, with warming nutmeg.
Olverum has been creating natural wellbeing products since 1931. In addition to their famous Bath Oil, they have recently added The Olverum Body Oil 100ml £40.00. A blend of 30 essential and cold pressed botanical oils, including raspberry seed oil. This nourishing and beautifully fragranced body oil helps calm tired bodies and soothe weary minds, it also leaves skin silky smooth, plump and rejuvenated. Use on slightly damp skin straight from the bath or shower for the best results.
Getting enough sleep over the festive season can be difficult especially if you’re entertaining or attending parties. Try whenever possible to get an early night and prepare the body by taking a bath one hour before bed. The drop in body temperature after the bath signals to your body it’s time to sleep.
If you are a poor sleeper or suffer from restless leg syndrome, try Wild Nutrition Food Grown Magnesium, 60 capsules £16.50, to gently support mind and body aiding a more restful sleep.
A dose of Benenox Overnight Recharge, the natural supplement that helps feed the brain during the night, means there’s less chance of you waking in the early hours of the morning and a better chance of waking up refreshed, ready to start the day. Benenox Overnight Recharge* 135ml £12.50
Prepare to sleep with ESPA’s The Sleep Experience, this deeply soothing collection created with a blend of pure essential oils and potent actives to boost skin’s overnight recovery. Consisting of Soothing Bath Oil, Soothing Body Oil, Overnight Hydration Therapy and Tri-Active Advanced Night Booster presented in a zipped beauty bag £30.00.
The Danes know there is no quicker way to practice hygge than to light a candle. As Meik Wiking mentions in The Little Book of Hygge* ‘No recipe for hygge is complete without candles.’ Not only will candle light change the atmosphere of a room, it can help you to relax, feel calm and relieve stress. Aromatherapy Associates soy wax Relax Candle 27cl £42.00, created with West Indian bay and myrrh can transform your surroundings and lift your spirits.
MOR, the Australian creators of the most beautiful bath, body and lifestyle products, has a range of candles that can’t be beaten on price or quality. Try MOR Rose & Patchouli* 380g £34.00 for relaxing with a good book.
Even in the most stressful of times, there is always time for tea. Pukka Herbs Love, 20 sachets £2.99 with organic rose, chamomile and lavender can be enjoyed at any time during the day or evening. Try Pukka Night Time, 20 sachets £2.99 with its combination of a sleepy crush of oat flower, soothing lavender, and silky-sweet limeflower with valerian, the perfect cup of tea for the evenings.
The best-selling book by sisters, Nadia Narain and Katia Narain Phillips, will guide you in the art of self-care. Learn some good tricks and tips ready to take care of yourself in the New Year. Self-Care for the Real World* is available from Amazon £11.52.
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