This month, more so than ever, I’m really channelling the wellness rituals that work for me. My wellness habits usually always stem from the standpoint of promoting self-care, self-confidence and self-love and it seems fitting this month is a bit pink in theme! Below I’m talking about how to make your bathing go further, an important health lesson from a truly inspiring lady and a new pre-holiday prep routine that’s making me feel happy and confident!
The Imperfect Nutritionist by Jennifer Medhurst
I’ll admit it, I’m a self-confessed cookbook hoarder and I love adding beautiful, inspiring (and most importantly delicious) books to my expanding collection. Flicking through recipe books is one of my favourite Sunday morning pastimes and they’re really important for keeping me inspired to try different meals and ways of cooking some of my favourite foods. The Imperfect Nutritionist by Jennifer Medhurst is all about breaking down the principles of healthy eating and features some stunning recipes that make meal times much more interesting and tasty.
NEOM Organics Limited Edition “You Rock” Three-Wick Candle
If you’re looking for a natural wax candle that doesn’t skimp out on the gorgeous scent and luxe packaging then you can’t do much better than NEOM Organics. Their regular staples like their Perfect Night’s Sleep candle and their Complete Bliss candle are always winners but I do love their Limited Edition candles they release every year. The new Three-Wick “You Rock” candle is infused with one of my most loved scents, Ylang Ylang as well as Patchouli and Frankincense and it has a whopping 50-hour burn time which is going to get me through many relaxing baths!
Make The Benefits Of Bathing Go Even Further…
Well, speaking of baths, that brings me to my next topic! Making your bathing go further. 2023 is the year to embrace pimping your bath with something other than your almost empty, likely out-of-date bubble bath. We’re talking seaweed, magnesium, herbs and flowers. Bathing is a proper self-care ritual and deserves to be embraced to its full potential so you can maximise the wellness benefits. Magnesium is wonderful for relaxing tired minds and bodies whereas herbal infusions can provide soothing benefits to the skin and can even aid an illness. I love lavendar and eucalyptus for when I have a stinking cold. The rising steam is full of sinus-clearing aromas and can help take the edge off my foggy head. I’m also getting into seaweed baths too! Not only does the salty stuff have many health benefits when ingested, but it also adds another wellness element to your sacred bath time. Bathing in seaweed has lots of benefits… it’s helpful for relieving skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema due to its soothing properties and it’s also widely known to help ease muscle aches and pains. I love Voya who sells detoxifying seaweed bundles delivered straight to your door from their home on the Irish Atlantic Coast. If you want to take it one step further, their traditional seaweed bath house is a must-visit.
Get Fanatical About Fibre…
I’m on a massive mission to get enough fibre in my diet this year. I was privileged to meet the late Dame Deborah James a few years ago who, after being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, spent the remainder of her life campaigning about the importance of gut and bowel health. I met her at an event with Ryvita where she brought home the truths of being diagnosed with bowel cancer at such a young age and how much fibre plays a role in keeping your digestive organs healthy. It really opened my eyes and research shows most of us struggle to meet the 30g daily criteria. So, that’s what I’m focusing on and I’ve found it to have quite a positive impact on my well-being in general. Of course, regular bowel movements are an obvious benefit but it has also helped with my periods. I sometimes struggle with irregular periods (although not at all recently) and I have researched that it can sometimes be a cause of too much estrogen in the second part of your cycle not being effectively eliminated from your body. The easiest way for your body to get rid of excess estrogen is through your bowel so I definitely think upping my fibre intake has helped regulate my cycle.
I love a good vitamin gummy. My pantry cupboard is always well stocked with my faves and one I’ve recently started taking is the Apple Cider Vinegar gummies from wellness Queen, Jessica Sepel’s supplement brand, JS Health. Firstly, they are absolutely delicious… be real, the taste of ACV is pretty horrendous so why wouldn’t you choose a berry-licious gummy instead? Great for skin and gut health, this is the answer to your daily dose of ACV minus the baby-eating-a-lemon-for-the-frist-time grimace every morning.
I’m off on holiday at the end of the month and I’m trialling a sunless gradual tan in a bid to have a bit of a glow already going by the time I strip off and get into my bikini on day one. I have been recommended Tan-Luxe products for a while by a lot of my friends and I decided to plump for their gradual tan lotion and, so far, I am enjoying the results and ease of the process. I am a fake tanning newbie so wanted to start off with something buildable and non-drying and this has worked a treat at building a decent layer of golden glow that evens out my skin tone and makes me feel confident baring a little more skin. I am reasonably fair so I feel this would work for skin tones that don’t naturally tan easily. It’s not overly orange, doesn’t fade patchy and one application just gives a subtle glow. Equally, the product is buildable for more of an obvious tan… you can decide how far you want to take it! It will definitely be coming with me on hols!
words by Molly Jennings
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