How to reboot your body with a few little tweaks
Most New Year detoxes are so extreme that it’s easy to break your resolve. Be realistic and you may end up pleasantly surprised by the outcome, says Sonia Haria
If you’ve tried to commit to a New Year’s resolution before, and failed by mid-January, it’s probably because you were a little over-ambitious.
The best way to reboot your body for the New Year is by making small tweaks for an overall impact, rather than taking drastic action. Here are five things you can try. Be present with your plate “Switch off devices and other distractions at the dinner table,” says the nutritionist Eve Kalinik.
“It will feel a bit weird at first, but this will allow you to better connect and appreciate your food, which can help to tune in more to hunger signals – so you can have more of a sense of truly being full.
“And by chewing thoroughly you can often find positive knock-on effects to things like bloating and reflux.”
It’s no surprise mobile phones affect sleep, too. If you’re feeling very tired when you wake in the morning, ask yourself this: did you fall asleep straight after checking your phone?
Chances are if you did, your brain would have had difficulty switching off. Dry body brushing OK, so it’s nothing new, but dry body brushing is the single most important way to improve sluggish circulation and brighten the skin on your body. Kate Shapland, the founder of bodycare brand Legology, agrees – but says to avoid any body brushes that come with plastic knobbles that make claims of being able to “break down fat”.
“Body brushing cannot break up fat,” she says. “It promotes the lymph, which carries toxins away to be metabolised, and while the lymph sits just beneath your skin, it only needs the lightest touch to push it along. So there is absolutely no need for you to stand there for hours scrubbing at your limbs: just short, quick flicks with natural bristles are all that’s required.”
If you’re pushed for time, add a few drops of a detox oil to the bristles and brush over your body during a shower or after you have finished. Exercise for better skin “For your best skin, there are two simple starting points – eating well, and seasonally, and exercising often,” says make-up artist Wendy Rowe, who counts celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Sienna Miller as her clients. “When it comes to exercise, you should include cardiovascular workouts to get the blood circulating, which will improve the oxygen level in your blood, which will in turn improve the skin.” Even two or three short sessions of cardio a week will make a visible difference to your skin. Take a daily probiotic Facialists and fashion editors swear by the probiotic drink Symprove for overall health and vitality, especially if your digestion is feeling sluggish. “In my opinion it’s the best one on the market,” says Kalinik, “and they also have the research to back it up. Just a morning shot of this can get your gut off to a flying start. Alongside this, see if you can add in fermented foods a few times a week as these provide natural sources of beneficial bacteria.”
Of course, if you are on a budget, you can opt for a bowl of natural yoghurt, which contains natural probiotics. Bath-time treats Bathing in warm water with a handful of salts sounds relaxing (and yes, it is), but it could do great things for your overall health, too. Magnesium-rich salts are excellent problem-solvers for everything from achy joints to bad skin – but you have to bathe in the salts regularly to really feel a difference, so try to aim for a couple of times a week. If you like your baths to smell nice as well as feel nice, try adding a few drops of an essential oil to the water. – The Daily Telegraph
