Royal weddings, balmy sunshine and the promise of a decent summer makes us all feel warm inside and suddenly a little more conscious of the shape of things to come. Skin is all over the place and this month and I’m focused on how to maximise the good stuff and minimise the bad. This months Gorgeous Girl has recently celebrated a wedding of her own and the union has produced a collection of bags that are a reflection of the super cool rock’n roll heritage of the creative duo. This months Gorgeous Treat is a fat busting, muscle enhancing triple threat that will kick some serious butt and my Lust of the Month is a fizzy beverage that will balance your body and calm you down.
I always say we should focus much more on shape than size, but sometimes we just need to drop a few pounds. Diets don’t work in the long term - that’s why they have spawned a multi-billion dollar industry; we all know that staying in shape requires a life long commitment to maintain healthy habits (most of the time). But when I need to fit into a very little black dress I add some additional fibre to my diet by sprinkling FiPro Flax onto my yogurt or oats, increase my consumption of green tea and water, eliminate refined carbohydrates all together and avoid any carbs after dark. It is simple, effective and healthy. Any diet that suggests avocadoes are the enemy should be avoided. As a basic rule, if it grows it’s good. Indeed increasing the right kinds of fats can help diminish the wrong kind of fat around your tummy. So make friends with coconut, avocado and olive oils because adding good stuff is as important as taking away the bad.
Finding time to exercise is a challenge for so many of us, regular readers know I am a huge fan of the very high-tech Power Plate and the very low-tech Rebounder, both of which improve circulation and boost the lymphatic system in addition to the usual inch, weight-loss and general health benefits of most exercise. Twenty-five minutes of each, a couple of times a week and you have a perfect exercise combination. But if you can’t make that commitment, don’t sweat, as a very wise man once told me – life is a gym. So stop using the lift, walk up the escalator, get up from your desk every hour and perform 5, then 10, then 20 squats. Stretch for 2 then 3 then 5 minutes at the beginning of each day and divide your heavy shopping into two equally weighted bags. Soon all the minutes will add up to a fitter, stronger, sleeker you.
For those of you at the other end of the spectrum with plenty of time, if not calories to burn it’s all about mixing it up with as many different forms of excersice as you can handle. After years of absence I’ve finally got back to Yoga, so many other things work, but there is nothing like the intense stretch and the wonderfully invigorating breathing practice of Yoga. If like me you like your warrior pose with a little less grit and a little more polish check out the YAS studios in LA or Third Space in London, both offer dedicated Yoga classes in chic urban environments delivering all of the results and none of the Om!
For a little extra help to smooth things over, a new crop of skin smoothing, cellulite busting formulas have hit the market and Nivea's Goodbye Cellulite is one of the best.
The forecast for summer - gorgeous!
