Fitness: Why it's time to show yourself some love
Show yourself some love this month with fatigue-fighting gym gear, gut-friendly foods, luxurious foot balm, and the warm glow of a Jo Malone charity candle
Good Sports
If your new year’s resolution was to get moving, but you’ve hit a wall, it may be time to supercharge your workout wardrobe. Maximise your motivation levels with some snazzy new gym gear (because we all love shopping, right?).
Here’s a few of our favourite autumnal activewear looks at the more affordable end of the price spectrum:
Navy mesh panel cycling shorts, £15; Mesh panel cut-out top, £18, at prettylittlething.com
Blue sport zip top, £7, matching sport leggings, £11, made using recycled polyester, at Primark stores
Light Up
Quintessentially British brand with a big heart - Jo Malone London - has just released a new charity candle. Hemlock & Bergamot, created from a lesser-known wildflower which grows in unusual places, is an inviting scent which ‘transports you to days spent walking along a canal or lazy days in the British countryside’.
It completes a six-piece collection of Charity Home Candles, which includes fruity Elderflower & Gooseberry, captivating Lily Of The Valley & Ivy, and floral Peony & Moss.
For each candle sold, Jo Malone donate 75 per cent of the RRP to the Shining a Light on Mental Health Foundation, which supports people living with mental health problems, empowering them to recover, reconnect and grow.
Hemlock & Bergamot Charity Home Candle, £55, at Jo Malone London, Cambridge, and jomalonelondon.co.uk
Gut Instinct
They say a healthy gut is key to a healthy life. After all, if your gut is off kilter, everything from your mood to your immune system can become unbalanced.
So, why not give your gut a rest and some rejuvenation? Detox Kitchen offers a 3-Day Reset Food Delivery Package, which includes intermittent fasting meal plans, devised to increase metabolic efficiency, balance energy levels, and differentiate between true hunger and habitual hunger. Choose from a vegan or protein package of high quality, healthy meals and drinks, free from wheat, dairy and refined sugars, plus a booklet offering support and guidance to move forward after the 3-day detox. Sounds transformative!
Find out more at detoxkitchen.co.uk
What Katie Did
When Katie Walton hit 40, she began piling on weight. “My body started to change and not in ways I like,” she explains. “I seemed to be gaining weight in areas I had never gained weight before – the dreaded bingo wings, the back fat and the muffin top.”
Discovering that most of her friends in their 40s and 50s were experiencing similar issues, and that upping their exercise didn’t necessarily help, Katie decided to devise a different approach to eating and fitness. Now 50, and a wellbeing entrepreneur, Katie has created ‘Embrace over 40’, an online bespoke 30-day programme aimed at women in perimenopause and menopause.
The plan includes daily one-to-ones with Katie, fitness strategies, wellbeing advice, personal training, meal plans, menopause guidance, style counsel and life planning.
If this resonates with you, find out more at embraceover40.com
The Winner Bakes It All
Few things in life motivate us more than a slice of fluffy Viccy Sponge or a wedge of lemon drizzle – so we love the sound of Run for Cake!
Taking place at Brandon Country Park on Sunday, February 12, runners are invited to take on 5k, 10k, half or ultra-marathon distances, before feasting on scrumptious cake at the finish line.
A six-hour event, participants can run as far or as little as they like around a 5.3k lapped route through the forest, before sprinting to the tasty bake stand!
Find out more at letsdothis.com (search for Run For Cake)
Glimmer of Hope
Cambridge-based charity Touch of Sparkle has recently donated its 4500th care package to the Oncology Department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Launched in 2015, the incredible charity provides care packages to cancer patients at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
Founder and organiser, Melanie Hersey, says: “The idea behind the project is to provide a little care and humanity and try to lighten the load at a difficult time – essentially, to spread a ‘touch of sparkle’ to patients.”
The care packs include a variety of essentials, including energy-boosting snacks, handy notebooks, pens and earplugs.
In December, Touch of Sparkle donated Christmas cancer care packs to Addenbrooke’s oncology department and Breast Unit, snacks and overnight essentials to Jimmy’s night shelter, plus packages to the Woodlands Centre at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, and Cambridge Women’s Resources Centre.
“We were delighted to have reached this milestone and to be able to spread some sparkle to patients at Christmas,” says Melanie.
Find out more or donate at gofundme.com/touchofsparkle
Treat for Feet
If you’ve been pounding the streets to clock up the miles or getting your groove on at Zumba, your feet may be feeling the strain. Give them some much-needed TLC with this award-winning Wild Mint and Tea Tree Foot Balm. An invigorating blend of organic shea butter, jojoba oil, oat oil, vitamin E and soothing calendula extracts, it nourishes dry cracked heels and tired legs and feet. Perfect.
BalmNatural Wild Mint and Tea Tree Foot Balm, £14, at balmnatural.com
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Louise Cummings