Wellbeing Journal
DETOX YOUR SKIN, DETOX YOUR LIFE
Spring is the time of year that evokes thoughts of blooming and renewal, so it’s not surprising that it’s also a popular time for health kicks. Detoxing – which minimises the effects of harmful or undesirable influences on your wellbeing – is high on people’s to-do lists, particularly when it comes to diet, exercise and lifestyle.But detoxing is about more than just upping the juice cleanses and beach runs. There’s detoxing your skin, detoxing your home, detoxing your habits – detoxing your life – with a nurturing, holistic approach to wellness.Because it’s not about cutting out the good stuff. It’s about taking care of you, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and making sure you have everything you need to live a happy, healthy life.Read on to learn about detoxing your skin, life, and everything in between.Detoxing your skinYour skin detox starts with understanding external aggressors. Pollution is a big one, whether you live in an urban or rural area. Links have been found between exposure to these particulate matter and skin health.On the other end of the spectrum, you have obvious external aggravators like make-up, which is longwearing and has direct access to skin. While cleansing and exfoliating can help remove impurities, a regular skin care ritual provides the solution you need to deeply cleanse and purify.Introducing Purity SpecialistDesigned for detoxingJurlique’s Purity Specialist range is a two-step system specifically formulated remove pollution and product build-up for a gorgeous, glowing complexion. It offers a soothing treatment ritual, giving you time to relax, reconnect and enhance wellbeing as you nurture your skin.Purity Specialist Compress ConcentrateThis potent botanical concentrate blends purifying extracts to help open pores, release impurities and prepare skin for further treatement. Rich antioxidants also help protect skin from pollutants and premature ageing. The concentrate includes:Soap Bark, to cleanse and purifyChamomile, which protects and restores radianceIndian Cress, to protect and toneUse weekly or as needed after your normal cleanser, and before your toning mist.blog-6-supporting-img-623x313-v3Purity Specialist Treatment MaskThis creamy clay mask has natural ingredients to deeply cleanse and absorb impurities for radiant, healthy skin. These include:Kaolin to absorb impuritiesRosemary, which cleanses and protectsApricot Seed, which exfoliates and smoothPeppermint to invigorate and sootheApply after Purity Specialist Compress Concentrate, as it opens pores, making impurities easier to remove. Follow with the rest of your Jurlique skin care ritual.blog-6-supporting-img-623x313-v1Detoxing your lifeWhile waiting for your treatment mask, think about which areas of your life are most in need of detoxing:DietExerciseSleepFamilyRelationshipFriendsHouseFinanceWorkWhat ideas do you have about improving them, particularly for the ones you really care about?For example, if you’d like to detox at home, would a declutter help? Or is it more about crafting a relaxing, restful atmosphere to rejuvenate in? At work, does detoxing involve better time or stress management? Or is it working on more projects that bring you joy, while allowing you to stretch and grow?Asking these questions and being openly curious about discovering answers means you’re not just problem solving, you’re unlocking opportunities (and in ways that inspire you to action).The idea behind detoxing is really about finding your optimal balance, to ensure a happy life experience. If you’ve over-extended in particular areas, the knock-on effect is to no doubt feel under-exposed in others. Returning to your equilibrium – and in ways that satisfy you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually – is your ultimate path to wellness.1 World Health Organisation (WHO) factsheet, No 313, HYPERLINK “http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/” Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health, updated March 2014.Shop the Story:Purity Specialist Compress Concentrate | $65Blog-Wellbeing-BlogBanner-purity-concentratePurity Specialist Treatment Mask | $85Blog-Wellbeing-BlogBanner-purity-maskWant more natural skin tips and tricks? Download the Jurlique Skin Care ChallengeDiscover more Jurlique skin care tips by subscribing to our newsletter.Share
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UNDERSTANDING: THINGS HAPPEN FOR YOU AND NOT TO YOU BY VASHTI WHITFIELD
As part of our Jurlique Mindfulness Challenge, executive life coach Vashti Whitfield has created an exclusive four-part series of guest blogs for us. In part four, she explores how actively practicing mindfulness can help you deal with whatever life throws at you.Over the last decade, I dove into – and then out of – the role of ‘wife of a superstar’. I learned very quickly the value of self-worth, which became an absolute necessity as a stay-at-home mum. With too much alone time with two small children in remote countries, I was forced to question and explore the whole concept of life, love and legacy.I also nursed my husband through a tumultuous 18-month cancer journey from “Yay, you’re going to make it!” to “No, you have three months to live”. I transitioned from being married to my best friend for 13 years into being a widow, the single parent of two gorgeous kids, and the sole provider and breadwinner. Oh, and did I mention that I’m also driven by my unwavering commitment to make a difference in people’s lives in any way possible?So believe me when I tell you that I totally get it. I know what it’s like to wake up in the night wondering how I’m going to manage the multiple balls I’m juggling. I understand the insane commitment it takes to be fully present for the people around me when my mind is racing; worrying about something in the future, or regretting something I could have done differently in the past.I had to explore different ways of looking at life to learn how to approach the scale of the life I was asking for – and cope with the mind-bending scenarios life decided to throw back at me. Because regardless of whether life is easy or difficult, it’s how you choose to interpret it that will either make you or break you.Creating the life you wantWhile no two brains are alike, we’re all hardwired to think our way forward, towards what we most desire. This is the part of our brain that, when it’s clear in its intention, is motivated and capable of making almost anything happen.But we are also hardwired – rather cleverly and somewhat annoyingly at times – to detect and protect ourselves against anything that might cause us pain, humiliation or rejection.In order for you to really dive into the potential of a situation and make things happen in your life, it is absolutely critical that you own, choose and understand what you want. This will immediately support you to clarify your level of commitment to your goal, and help expose any underlying fears that might have held you back up to this point.Actively practicing mindfulness is a powerful tool for reconnecting with your most intuitive and capable self (and it’s far more cost-effective than going on holiday). It’s also what the modern-day mind needs to tap into our innate wisdom, and our ability to create, adapt and grow from anything that life throws at us.Through this ongoing curious and non-judgemental enquiry of learning more about ourselves, we are able to live, love, and lead often remarkably inspiring lives.* With thanks to Byron Katie for the quote.Explore the Jurlique Mindfulness Challenge for tips, tools and a step-by-step plan for transitioning from mindful-mess to mindfulness. Download the Jurlique X Vashti Whitfield Mindfulness Challenge here
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WHY YOU NEED A MORE PLANT-BASED DIET BY JACQUELINE ALWILL
Jacqueline Alwill’s philosophy at The Brown Paper Bag is about nourishing the body inside and out with a delicious wholefoods and a plant-based diet. Over the course of two weeks, Jacqueline’s Challenge will help you find your inner glow by learning to commit to healthy and wholefoods eating.The plant kingdom has such an incredible abundance of beautiful elements to offer our bodies. For the skin plants can help soothe, hydrate and brighten, and similarly the nutrition they offer our body can help energise, restore and protect. There are so many reasons to include plants in our lives and more than ever we should be basing our diet on plants so we can fuel ourselves with nutrients to thrive.A plant-based diet is not vegan or vegetarian per se, but instead sets the foundation of the diet on plants and builds from there. I encourage people to incorporate a plant-based diet into their lives because it helps transition away from processed and refined food, is sustainable for our earth, and fuels the body with beautiful nutrition. Vitamins, minerals, fibre, carbohydrates, amino acids, phytochemicals, pre and probiotics can all be found in plants. So, let’s chew a few together…Pre and probiotics:Pre and probiotics work as team and are essential for digestion and absorption. When there is not enough of one or the other in the diet, gut health begins to decline. Remember the gut is the seat of our health and poor gut integrity often creates a snowball effect for poor health. Part of an easy solution is to include a little more of both pre and probiotic rich foods in the diet. Prebiotics we find in plants such as onions, asparagus, chickpeas, lentils, beans, slippery elm, guar gum and psyllium, so increasing the intake of these plants supplements an increase probiotic rich foods too. Fermented foods are wonderful way to up probiotics in the diet and miso, cultured (fermented) vegetables, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, tofu and fermented tea known as kombucha will take you there.Thinking of pre and probiotics as a team, we can increase them in our diet with:salads incorporating legumes as a protein source to a delicious alternative for animal sourced proteins dressings incorporating miso and onion an evening drink of kombucha where once there was wine. Plant Proteins:Proteins are made up of amino acids, some of which we must acquire from dietary sources in order to build complete proteins within the body (essential amino acids) and others our bodies can synthesise on their own. These are non-essential amino acids. Both animal tissues and plants can provide us with proteins and combining different foods will give our bodies an adequate supply of protein for growth, development, and repair and to utilize for optimal health.Including a variety of food in the diet will offer our body the protein it needs. However, more commonly, we think only of animal-based proteins. But we can up our protein game very simply with plants! Ingredients and foods such as pumpkin, peas, sesame seeds, seaweed, kidney beans, chickpeas, hemp and chia seeds, almonds, kiwis, blueberries, apples, figs, cacao, watercress, spirulina, sweet potato, mushrooms, cauliflower, quinoa, buckwheat, teff and corn are all wonderfully nourishing and rich in plant based amino acids, both essential and non-essential.Combining these foods is where you truly amp up the game try these simple combinations:sprinkling hemp and chia seeds over fresh fruit such as apples, blueberries and kiwi for breakfastmaking little snack balls with figs, cacao, nuts and seedsincluding quinoa, buckwheat or teff with a meal to accompany where once may have been a wheat based side such as pasta or bread Phytochemicals:Phytochemicals are compounds found in plants that can have powerful effects in preventing disease.Ever wondered what an antioxidant is? Phytochemicals can work as antioxidants; stimulating the actions of different enzymes in the body and reducing the replication of cells that may cause our bodies more harm than good. And they can make an easy and frequent appearance in our diet. Some phytochemical rich plant sources include blueberries, cherries, raspberries, apples and vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and kale, carrots, garlic, green tea, chilli, capsicum and tomatoes. Try upping your phytochemical quota with: evening desserts of mixed berries and a spoon of yoghurt roasted cauliflower and broccoli as a side green tea where there once was coffee And if greens and plants is what you need, let this green noodle bowl rich in all the good of plants be your plant inspiration for the week…GREEN NOODLE BOWLGF : DF : SFServes 2 2 kale leaves, torn from stems 1 bunch broccolini, trimmed 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed 90g soba noodles 1 silverbeet leaf, trimmed on stalks and roughly torn 1 zucchini, spiralised 1 cucumber, shaved into ribbons 2 tablespoons sauerkraut 1 tablespoon pepitas 2 teaspoons sesame seeds 1 tablespoon micro coriander 1 tablespoon micro garnet 1/2 avocado, sliced Dressing: 1 tablespoon miso 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon honey Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Place the kale leaves, broccolini and asparagus into the water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove vegetables from the water, place in colander, refresh with cold water and set aside. Bring the water back to the boil, add soba noodles, cook for 4 minutes or as per packet instructions. While the soba noodles are cooking whisk together the salad dressing ingredients. To assemble your greens bowl arrange the greens and soba noodles around the two bowls. Top with sauerkraut, pepitas, sesame seeds, micro herbs and avocado before drizzling the dressing over the top.Discover all of Jacqueline’s recipes and download the full Jurlique by Jacqueline Alwill Wholefoods Challenge hereblog-wellbeing-button-downl-challenge
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SNACKS TO FUEL AND THRIVE BY JACQUELINE ALWILL
Jacqueline Alwill’s philosophy at The Brown Paper Bag is about nourishing the body inside and out with a delicious wholefoods and a plant-based diet. Over the course of two weeks, Jacqueline’s Challenge will help you find your inner glow by learning to commit to healthy and wholefoods eating.What to eat in the mid-afternoon slump? This is probably on of the most common questions regarding energy that comes my way. The morning is productive, boxes are ticked, lunch is done and then three o’clock hits and we subsequently and habitually feel like we’ve hit a wall. There is reason for this. The circadian rhythms, governing wakefulness and sleep, program our bodies to hit downtime between 12-3pm each day. We are physiologically programmed to rest in the afternoon. And whilst in an ideal world we would take twenty and close our eyes for a quick power nap, in reality this isn’t feasible for most. So throughout our day, we need to eat foods to nourish our bodies, rise above the slump and energise throughout the day. The more common picture however, is that instead of reaching for the nourishing pick me up we go for the quick fix… sugar and caffeine. Sound familiar? It’s time then to take a break, make a change and focus on eating to energise.MAKE THE SWAPWe can’t expect to improve energy levels if we’re going to feed our bodies food that causes a spike in blood glucose and/or adrenaline levels and then a rapid fall. This is the result of quick fix foods such as coffee, confectionary and sugary treats. Their effect on the body’s energy is only momentary and if you tune in to your body when you eat them they have a similar effect on mood. If some of the ingredients to your afternoon pick me up involve the likes of the above then it’s time to make the swap to foods to nourish. Scale back and make the swap:from coffee initially to black tea then green, followed in time by herbalform refined confectionary and to fruits and nourishing treats made with nutrients to help you shine from pastries, cakes and sugar laden mouthfuls to protein rich snacks that stabilise energy levels for the remainder of the dayENERGY FOODUse the slump as an opportunity to fuel the change in your eating habits. Think about these nutrients to up the ante when you feel the low.Water: a well hydrated body is a well nourished and energised one. We cannot disregard just how important good hydration is for energy. If you feel tired and lethargic upon waking, water is your first step to flush and hydrate the body. If hunger strikes you at unexpected times, and a less than ideal snack is tempting, then a glass of water is your friend before anything else comes into play. And most certainly if you’ve relied on the quick fixes (caffeine and sugar) to see you through the 3pm slump, then water is going to be your partner in crime to improve energy for the long term. Have faith in this old trick it’s been touted in health for centuries for good reason.Magnesium: This is an incredible mineral for improving energy, not to mention helping us focus and consequently relax when we need to. Magnesium plays a vital role in the reactions that generate and deliver energy to our cells. Augment your diet with these magnesium rich foods such as dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, quinoa, legumes (beans and lentils) and best of all good quality dark chocolate. Integrate these foods as snacks with: Green juices or smoothies A handful of raw nuts and seeds Quick crunch on vegetable sticks with hummus High quality dark chocolate made without refined sugars B Vitamins: Our friends niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, B6, B12 and pantothenic acid work as a little team within the body to metabolise energy from protein, carbs and fats. Fortunately we find them in abundance in our foods but when we need to up our game and improve energy to see us through our lows then we can hone in on the B snack factor with a few little tricks: Natural yoghurt with crushed almonds, pecans and a serve of fresh fruit Small piece of poached chicken wrapped in spinach with fresh herbs Couple of teaspoons of natural (preservative/additive free) peanut butter spread on a banana Half serve of green salad such as tabouleh Quick boiled or fried egg with chilli and paprika Cacao smoothie with greens Half an avocado with lemon and pepper And if you’re still hungry for inspiration, these wholesome energy rich icy poles are a wonderful in the right direction.RASPBERRY MANGO AND VANILLA ICY POLESMakes 6 small icy polesRaspberry Layer: 1 cup coconut cream 140g mango pieces 1 banana, peeled 1/4 cup raspberries 2 teaspoons honey Mango layer: 1 banana 1/2 cup mango 1 teaspoon vanilla bean To make the raspberry layer combine all of the ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and blend until combined. Divide the mixture across the base of the icy pole moulds. Tap the moulds against a counter to ensure no air bubbles remain. Make the mango layer by blending all of the ingredients together. Pour the mango mix into the moulds and place a paddle pop stick into each. Place in the freezer to set overnight.Discover all of Jacqueline’s recipes and download the full Wholefoods Challenge hereblog-wellbeing-button-downl-challenge
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WHAT TO EAT FOR GLOWING SKIN BY JACQUELINE ALWILL
Jacqueline Alwill’s philosophy at The Brown Paper Bag is about nourishing the body inside and out with a delicious wholefoods and a plant-based diet. Over the course of two weeks, Jacqueline’s Challenge will help you find your inner glow by learning to commit to healthy and wholefoods eating.Glowing skin is something most of us yearn for, but it’s not something we can necessarily achieve over night. As with any aspect of our health we have to nourish the body inside and out, break old habits and make new patterns in order to change and create rituals in self-care. We have beautiful skin care at our fingertips but what we put inside our body is just as important as what we put on our skin in order to find our glow. Let’s take a look at how we can achieve radiant skin by nourishing from the inside out.Focus on whole foods for whole nourished skinBuilding a wholefoods diet into our lives is the ticket to longevity in health and radiant skin and yet, is one so easily missed. With busy schedules, work, family and friend commitments, our diet is often the first to go out the window and more often than not our skin follows. Start slowly and begin by adding these simple steps into your life to help transition into wholefoods eating, a well-nourished body and beautiful skin.Reduce processed and refined foods in the diet that do not nourish our body or our skin. Focus on reducing and eliminating packaged foods containing refined sugars, additives, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and ingredients matched with numbers and instead introduce an abundance of whole unprocessed foods to our lives. Fuel the body with fresh vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and quality sources of protein and feel the change for the good. If the glow in skin is a little dim, then we need to establish goals to achieve results. Feeling a sense of purpose with health and carving our way to feeling and looking sensational does not come without setting out a few ways to get there. Consider the beauty in skin and health like a map and make check points along the way. Reducing sugar, processed and refined foods might be the first stop, increasing water intake the next, introducing a new ingredient to eat our way to delicious skin third and it goes on. By establishing goals and ticking the boxes we make ourselves responsible for the health of our body and beauty of our skin.Nourish the gut to find the glow The gut is the seat of our health and without caring for the state of our gut we cannot expect our skin to thrive. Through our gut we absorb the beautiful nutrients from food so with that in mind we need to mindfully nourish the gut so it can effectively do all in it’s power to give our skin nutrition from within. To do so consider…Integrating a small cup of bone broth each day to the diet. The collagen from the bones breaks down to gelatin to restore gut lining and boost the beautiful elasticity and youthfulness in skin too. Foods rich in probiotics such as cultured or fermented vegetables, natural (unsweetened) yoghurt, miso and fermented tea can help establish healthy bacteria in the gut to aid the digestion and absorption of nutrients in our food. This is essential to see changes in our health and our skin.Warming foods in the later stage of the day help to ease digestion as our body leads into restful hours. Whilst raw foods are wonderful to amp up in the earlier stages of the day, many people respond better to cooked foods to close the day. Integrate cooked vegetables (steamed, baked, sautéed or grilled) with quality proteins and healthy fats as a beautiful way to warm into rest and wake feeling energised and vibrant. Eat a radiant rainbowWhen considering the health of our skin we need to nourish with abundance and variety and a beautiful way to do this is to eat the colours of the rainbow from fresh whole foods produce. In particular, introduce the following essential nutrients to fuel lustrous healthy skin. Fill the diet with:ACE… or Vitamins A, C and E from carrots, kale, spinach, oranges, broccoli, brussel sprouts, almonds, avocados and seeds. Also look for fresh fruits and vegetables in rich colours such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, capsicum, sweet potato, beetroot and greens a plenty to help protect the effects of ageing and oxidative stress on the skin.Selenium… a beautiful trace mineral that can aid the absorption of Vitamin E in the skin, reduce breakdown of collagen and maintain elasticity. Get an added Selenium boost to your diet with walnuts, brazil nuts, nourishing whole grains and seafood. Essential Fats from avocados, almonds, linseeds, brazil nuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pepitas, olives and their oils, coconut and fatty fish are delicious, nourishing, satisfying for hunger cravings when included in the These Essential Fats also help skin by reducing inflammation, providing a rich natural moisture and repairing damage to skin cells. Zinc to help regulate the action of sebaceous glands and oil production, heal damaged tissues and wounds and aid problematic skin conditions. To add zinc into your diet and skin, try adding more poultry, legumes, wholegrains and seafood.RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE TARTGF : DF : SF : V : VG : PALEOServes 8-10Tart base: 1 1/2 (225g) cups almonds 1 1/2 (175g) cups pecans 6 medjool dates, pitted 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted 100g raw chocolate, broken into pieces 2 teaspoons vanilla Filling: 1 cup coconut yoghurt 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 2 tablespoons maple syrup 375 g raspberries (approx. 3 punnets) To make the tart base combine the almonds, pecans and dates in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds to combine. Add in the coconut oil, raw chocolate and vanilla and process for a further 20 seconds.Line the base of a 27cm tart tin with baking paper. Press the tart mixture into the base and sides of the tin and transfer to the freezer to set for 2 hours.Once the tart base has set whisk together the coconut yoghurt, vanilla bean paste and maple syrup. Spread the yoghurt mix evenly across the base of the tart and top with fresh raspberries.Discover all of Jacqueline’s recipes and download the full Challenge hereblog-wellbeing-button-downl-challenge
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SKIN FIT: FINDING YOUR GLOW WITH LEAH SIMMONS
As part of our Jurlique Wellbeing Challenge, pilates teacher and general fitness guru Leah Simmons has created an exclusive fitness plan for you to take on over the next four weeks. As part of this challenge, she guest blogs about her own personal fitness journey, relationship with food and some great tips along the way.*We all know that exercise does wonders for our body. The benefits of leading a healthy, active lifestyle are numerous and, although it may be harder than sin to drag yourself out of bed for that early morning workout, I’m fairly certain no one ever regrets doing it after they’re done. But the rewards of exercising transcend far beyond just dropping those kilos or cultivating your six-pack. There are additional, more subtle effects that exercising has on our bodies… perhaps you are sleeping better, maybe your hair is shinier or you are feeling less anxious?One of the more visible benefits is the effect it has on our skin. Our skin is our largest living organ, made up of billions of skin cells and blood vessels. So, like every other organ in our body, it needs nourishment and nutrients to thrive.Skin-Fit… Is There Such a Thing?Go For The GlowYou’ve just finished your workout, your heart is beating like a Metallica drum solo and you crawl to the bathroom to catch your breath. You peer into the mirror and after the initial shock of seeing that exhausted sweaty face staring back at you, you notice that your skin has taken on a kind of golden sheen. You are glowing!! And this is no accident, believe me. When you get your heart really pumping, you deliver a flood of newly oxygenated blood to the living layers of your skin and skin cells. Your circulation is firing and you start producing more natural oils thus giving you that gorgeous “glow.”Sweat It OutHave you ever wondered where “sweat” actually comes from? Sweating is our body’s natural cooling system. When our body temperature increases, our pores secrete sweat to remove excess heat and waste from our skin through evaporation. You could almost say sweating is actually like having a mini-facial. Imagine those pesky little blackheads that you just can’t seem to get rid of… sweating can push the impurities out from your pores. It’s important to note however that you must wash your face immediately after working out to ensure that the gunk doesn’t get sucked back in!Wrinkles Be Gone!!Exercise can also help regulate skin-significant hormones and prevent free-radical damage. When we get stressed where is the first place it shows? On our faces… Dark circles, sagging skin and a pasty pallor are not a healthy person make… and this can be due to elevated levels of the stress-hormone Cortisol. Regular exercise can help maintain healthy levels of this hormone and also supports the production of collagen which can help keep your skin stay firm and supple-looking.Don’t Worry… Be Happy!!And finally… exercise just makes you FEEL GOOD!! You’ll have a spring in your step and your energy levels will sky rocket. And sooner or later you’ll be rocking around town with a giant grin on your face. Laughter is the fastest and easiest way to elevate your mood and help you look and feel amazing. When you smile with your whole face it’s like an instant facelift! So turn that frown upside down and laugh your way through your next gym session!!A Few Things to NoteAlways remember to protect your skin from the sun and wear a broad spectrum sunscreen whether you are working out indoors or out. I’m currently obsessed with Jurlique’s SPF40 Sun Specialist Cream – it smells amazing!Try to avoid wearing makeup while working out. You want to try and get rid of dirt on your face, not add to it! Bring your favourite cleanser in your gym bag and make sure that you wash your face immediately after your workout. I love Jurlique’s Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Mousse which has a light, foamy texture and is great for combination skin.Wash your hands thoroughly after working out before you touch your face. You don’t even want to know what bacteria lurks on communal gym equipment… yuck. Be aware of too-tight clothes and skin chafing – it you are going to be sweating a lot make sure you are in some comfortable gear. If you are swimming in a chlorinated pool then make sure you rinse off in some fresh water immediately after you get out – the chemicals used in pools can be quite irritating and drying for some skin types. And don’t forget to lock-in moisture for face, body and hands. I love Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Face Oil and the always classic Rose Hand Cream by Jurlique. Check out the Jurlique Fitness Challenge for fitness tips, how-to’s and a four week calendar to get you started.Download the Jurlique X Leah Simmons Fitness Challenge hereblog-wellbeing-button-downl-challenge*The views contained in this Blog are those of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of Jurlique. You should seek medical advice before commencing any exercise regime.
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LEAH SIMMONS TOP 10 TIPS FOR A BETTER WORKOUT
As part of our Jurlique Wellbeing Challenge, pilates teacher and general fitness guru Leah Simmons has created an exclusive fitness plan for you to take on over the next four weeks. As part of this challenge, she guest blogs about her own personal fitness journey, relationship with food and some great tips along the way.*My workout hour is my place of solitude. It’s kid-free, work-free and phone-free. I’m un-contactable for those precious 60 minutes and fully able to immerse myself into what I am doing at that very moment. It’s my heaven. But what makes it so good? And why do I crave it every day? Because the prep I do beforehand ensures I have the best workout experience I can… and I’m about to share it with you.DO A BRAIN DUMP.Ok. What the heck is a brain dump? It’s probably one of the most important gifts you can give yourself prior to working out. You know all those little thoughts that are flying around in your head at the moment? Meetings, deadlines, shopping, meal prep, school pick-up, that fight you had with your friend / spouse / child? Write them down, plan them out and then forget about them for the next 60 minutes. Get your body and mind to a neutral state where you can concentrate on the task at hand (because exercise does require concentration)!WARM UPI feel this one is obvious but it’s amazing how many people don’t do a proper warm up before they launch into their workout. Hellooooooo injury! You have got to get those muscles firing before you load them up with a 50kg squat. Start with 3-4mins on the treadmill or a few rounds of some bodyweight squats that will help your heart rate elevate safely and get your muscles into workout-mode.COOL DOWNSee above. Ever just run out of the gym after the mother of all sweat sessions and made a bee-line for the couch? (Yes don’t worry I’ve got my hand up too…) The Cool Down is just as important as the Warm Up as it helps to disperse the build-up of lactic acid in your muscles. You’ve probably woken up the next morning feeling like you didn’t even go to the gym but come the day after that and even the slightest cough can send your abs into meltdown mode. This is called DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness… yes it’s a thing) and although it can’t be removed altogether, a good stretch session after your workout will help you a lot.HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATEWater, water and more water. Can’t get enough of that good stuff. We are made up of roughly 60% to 70% of it. You should be drinking between 2 to 3L of it per day. Look at the colour of your urine. That will tell you whether you’re getting enough (Lighter and clearer is obviously better – I think you all know what I’m talking about here.) I like to kill two birds with one stone in my daily water intake and also add a few drops of Zinc and Selenium to my water bottle.HAVE SOME PROTEIN WITHIN 30 MINS OF YOUR WORKOUTYou’ve just done a mammoth workout and pushed your muscles to their limit. But do you know how muscles actually grow and shape? Each time we work them we make tiny tears in them. So they are constantly repairing themselves with new lean muscle fibres. And where do these fibres come from? Protein of course! If you have a protein shake or eat some protein-rich foods within 30 mins of your workout you are giving your body the goodness it needs to start repairing and building your muscles. Check out my post on Fitness and Food for more information about macronutrients.MAKE SURE YOUR TECHNIQUE IS ON POINTThe owner of the gym I train at applies the same amount of concentration and discipline to a 20kg squat as he does to a 250kg one. If your technique isn’t correct then you will not only hinder your progress, you may well hurt yourself in the process. Go back to basics, ask a professional and make sure your technique is PERFECT.PLAN YOUR WORKOUTSMy weekly training schedule looks like this: 2 to 3 x strength days 2 x circuit days 2 x mobility sessions (pilates or yoga). Sometimes I double up a strength day with a mobility day but generally I like to know what I’m doing and when I’m doing it. Planning allows you to make sure that your whole body gets a work out over a designated period of time without the stress of having to try and squash it all into one session. It also gives your body the best chance of recovery if you plan say, a yoga class the day after a strength day.BUY A NEW OUTFITAs silly as this sounds, nothing spells motivation to me more than a killer new outfit. Who doesn’t want to strut their stuff at the gym in the hottest new crop and the latest pair of kicks? New gear is a must – use it as motivation to start training and to reward yourself when you have hit some of your training goals.PUT TOGETHER A KILLER PLAYLISTLike a new outfit, the right music is also a no-brainer. Your workout will seem to go that much faster if you are enjoying the music you are listening to while doing it. Make a few playlists for different days. I have everything from upbeat dance music to R’n’B to daggy 80s. I’ve actually been known to go flying off the treadmill during a particularly enthusiastic rendition of “Eye Of The Tiger” – just make sure you watch what you’re doing…!MIX IT UP!We don’t eat the same foods every day so why should we do the same workout every day?? There are so many different types of exercise that you can be doing from outdoor activities to dance classes to boxing and martial arts to a good old gym session. Get out there, find a few things you love and shake it up a bit! Mixing it up will also allow you to get the most out of your training as your body won’t become used to the same movements. And it’s also an amazing way to meet new people… so go on…. give it a go!!!Check out the Jurlique Fitness Challenge for fitness tips, how-to’s and a four week calendar to get you started.Download the Jurlique X Leah Simmons Fitness Challenge here*The views contained in this Blog are those of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of Jurlique. You should seek medical advice before commencing any exercise regime.
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GO WITH THE GLOW – HOW TO GET YOUR BEST SUNLESS TAN EVER
Summer and a sun-kissed tan go hand in hand, even if you don’t live along the coast. But the sun can be damaging to your skin and can cause premature ageing.Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way. Sunless tanning products can help you achieve a bronzed body, without the dangers of baking in the sun – so you can have glowing skin all year round.Here’s the top six tips you need to get your best sunless tan ever:1. Go with the right glowThe first step is choosing the right self-tanning product for your skin.Sunless tanning options include sprays, mousses and lotions. Tanning lotions are the most hydrating, and can be applied to clean skin like a regular moisturiser. Lotions also tend to offer more even coverage, layering well for dramatic effect.2. Wax on, wax offHair removal is next on your pre-tan checklist. Wax or shave well before application (around 24 hours prior), to provide less hair resistance for tan absorption. This also minimises the chance of accidentally nicking colour away with your razor.3. Smooth operatorThe golden rule of sunless tanning: smooth skin equals self-tan success. Pamper yourself by taking the time to prepare and nourish your skin for a flawless tan.Showering prior to application washes away excess oil, while an exfoliation glove helps buff away dead skin cells (or remnants of a previous tan). This ensures the best base for a fresh application – smooth, soft skin.Make sure to moisturise rough patches, like the wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, feet and hairline, as an uneven surface can result in a patchy, streaky tan.4. Clever handiworkIt’s easy to create a natural shade across your entire body, including the palms of your hands. Avoid orange-tinted palms or residue beneath your fingernails by using latex gloves when applying your sunless tan.To apply tanning lotion to the back of your hands, use a cotton wool ball with a small amount of product. A helpful tip – add a little body moisturiser to blend product into your wrists and fingers to avoid streaking. This also applies for any smudges or mistakes.Generally speaking, acrylic nails or gel manicures and pedicures won’t be affected by self-tans. However, to be on the safe side, wipe your nails after each application as this will prevent contact stains.5. Work from the bottom upThe best time to start the tanning process is 30 minutes after showering, when your skin is most absorbent. A handy trick is to finish your shower with a short burst of cold water to shrink pores – this maximises even coverage.Apply the first layer of sunless tan, starting from the feet and ankles, and work your way back up. Don’t forget to apply to your back and neck. Self-tans can discolour your hair and eyebrows, so protect your hairline with a barrier cream if you’re applying tanner to your face. Again, mix with a small amount of moisturiser for an even application.Any leftover product should be used for the back of your hands and feet, making sure to blend well at the wrists and ankles to avoid a ‘tanning sleeve’.6. Skin careThe best way to prolong your summer glow is with effective skin aftercare.Unless you’re using an express formula, avoid showering for at least 10-12 hours, and wear loose clothing to allow the tanner to absorb.When showering after a tan, don’t worry about the colour washing away. The cosmetic bronzer will wash off to reveal a gorgeous, sun-kissed tan.Apply moisturising cream after your first shower and continue moisturising daily to extend the longevity of your tan.And drink plenty of water to hydrate your skin for a glow that lasts all year round.You don’t need to spend a fortune in a tanning salon to get a sun-kissed tan this summer. Simply follow our six tips and get the glow you’ve always wanted.Shop the Story: Sun Specialist Sunless Tanner
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DISCOVER YOUR COMPLETE HAND CARE RITUAL
Take care of your precious hands by nurturing them with our complete hand care ritual.Step 1: ExfoliateStart by giving your hands the intensive care they need with our NEW Exfoliating Hand Treatment, a two-in-one mask and scrub, to hydrate and exfoliate your hands, leaving them soft and supple.Step 2: TreatIndulge hands with our NEW Nail and Cuticle Treatment Oil, a nourishing oil that helps to strengthen and smooth nails, condition cuticles and intensely hydrate skin.Step 3: MoisturiseMassage one of our iconic hand creams into your skin, then lift your hands to your face and breathe deeply. The soft, natural scent will soothe your senses and reconnect you to nature.
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