by Olivia | Feb 10, 2017 | Featured, GloBeauty, GloWellness
Car mirrors and magnifying glasses should definitely be banned I vowed as I caught sight of my rather tired looking skin this morning.
There have been a number of family visits over Christmas, a short new year’s resolution to lose weight in January with a two day starvation diet, and a string of lunches and dinners accompanied by wine and coffee with friends.
It is no wonder my skin is suffering from wear and tear, as was evident when I dropped the kids off at school this morning as I glanced into the mirror as I was sitting in the driver’s seat.
Talking of being in the driving seat, we really are as we can definitely do something about it. I always remember the famous Body Shop mogul Anita Roddick saying to me in an interview that as long as you hydrated, your skin would look good.
So we can begin with drinking more water. I am the first to admit that my coffee and tea consumption over the winter months has exceeded my water intake, and I am about to take myself in hand on that one.
I have now stocked up on bottled water, as although tap water is good, I can always taste the chlorine and so prefer Evian or Fiji, the latter being my favourite and being stocked in Waitrose or you can order online.
Drinking several glasses of water a day will visibly improve your skin within a few days, and is an excellent way to start.
You could also improve your skin cleansing technique by taking an extra 2—3 minutes a day to make sure the surface is squeaky clean and leave your makeup off for as long as possible, even if only half an hour.
Skin creams are in abundance, but you have to find the one that suits you best. You could go for the Rolls Royce of skin creams, Crème de la Mer which is great for every skin type, and even clears up Eczema – being originally created by Dr Huber with the sea kelp as its main ingredient as a healing property . Visit the website http://www.cremedelamer.co.uk/ for a special Valentine offer or throughout the year where they justify the investment with extras that make it worthwhile. A good size pot with perks around £150.
If your budget is still fragile at this time of the year you could go for a more affordable line with Clinique 3 step for £20. This is an excellent skincare kit and will get you in the zone for a full on revamp of your skincare regime.
Last reminder is to exfoliate, some say twice a week, I personally feel once weekly is sufficient to help sustain a glowing skin – and gets rid of any excess of makeup or open pores through exposure to the elements.
It really is what suits you best – shop around there are some great offers out there and it is sometimes good to kick off with a facial which sets you on the road to youthful looking skin.
Do all of the above and you will enjoy those car journeys and the unexpected glimpse of your younger self in the wing mirror.
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by Olivia | Dec 19, 2016 | Featured, GloWellness
It seems that very few people can describe this powerful emotion of love. As Prince Charles famously said at his engagement to Lady Di when asked if they were in love ‘whatever love is’.
The truth was he knew exactly what love was – but was forbidden to say it as he was in love with someone else at the time, and later on rocked a nation and almost the monarchy to be with the woman he loved.
This was not the first time a similar event had occurred within our Royal Family. Indeed our very own King Edward VIII had fallen for Wallis Simpson who had been married twice, and as a result abdicated because of Royal protocol, even with the support and sympathy of the Nation behind him. But he ended his years with the woman he loved in exile in France.
Millions of people across the world fall in love every day, and yet we cannot see or touch ‘love’ which is extraordinary because it can make us go weak at the knees, perspire, lose our appetite or even our mind.
So what is this crazy little thing called love?
A very close friend of mine fell in love but it was unrequited and the affects were overwhelming. She was a dancer and when she went on tour to Germany, the emotional experience affected her so much that she completely lost her appetite for days, ending up in a hospital in Berlin. They ran a series of tests and could find nothing wrong with her – until a young sensitive doctor sat on her bed and asked her the million dollar question. Are you in love? Anna burst into tears and confessed that this was indeed the condition that was making her ill. But it was this realisation and the kind words of the young doctor that helped her to heal.
There is of course the love that we feel for a parent or offspring, or for even a pet. But I am talking about when you meet someone of that magically turns your life upside down, so that you have difficulty breathing.
The majority of us have experienced being ‘in love’ at some point or times in our life, sometimes the intensity of the feeling is so overwhelming that it will eclipse any other emotion. Sometimes it is appropriately placed, as with a young couple who intend to spend the rest of their lives together, and sometimes sustaining the feeling over a lifetime is another challenge.
But we are talking about now, and the intensity of love itself when it strikes. It is not surprising that most music, movies and poems are written about love, and so why is love so powerful, and why are we given this emotion which is in the end the most important thing of all.
We would like to hear your experiences of being in love, don’t worry we won’t share it with anyone – except our viewers of course!
Let us know at @glotimetv_ on Twitter and Facebook
by Olivia | Nov 16, 2016 | Featured, GloWellness
A year after giving birth to three children, two of them twins, I caught a sideway glimpse at myself in the bedroom mirror and said ‘enough is enough’ – I was running out of excuses.
Weighing in at a robust 15 stone, and as I am 5ft 8ins in height felt that I ‘carried it off’. Both friends and husband had tactfully told me that this was the case and after all, looking after three kids under four was no mean feat.
All of this was true, but the truth of it is I just loved eating foods covered in high calorie sauces and high in fat content, and am prone to indulging in chocolate and relaxing at the end of the day with a glass or two of red wine.
It was a Monday morning when I made the final decision to take action, as I had indulged in the most sumptuous meal the night before with friends, as I prepared pulled pork and chunky chips followed by banoffee pie and an entire cheese board of full fat brie and dolce latté.
I had tried Weight Watchers and various fad diets which had worked for a while, but when I stopped had piled the weight back on again.
A couple of friends had told me about Slimming World and how it was different from other diets as you could eat loads and never be hungry, but it was about the content and not the quantity. So no painstaking weighing and tiny portions of food. It was all too good to be true, but I decided to attend the local Slimming World class which happened every Wednesday in my local village.
I am telling you this now as it was just before Christmas, and I knew that if I didn’t do something about it I would just put on another half a stone over the festive season.
I had envisaged a mean mouthed sadist similar to Fat Fighters in Little Britain, but instead was greeted by a rather lovely lady who was very sensitive when I weighed in and told me I was doing well, but it was good to nip it in the bud and just control the weight gain, but that she didn’t want me to lose it too fast or feel I had to compete with the other members.
That was a good thing for me as I am competitive by nature and so refrained from aiming at ‘Slimmer of the Week’, but after two weeks did achieve a special prize for losing four pounds.
Now, ten months later I am a healthy 12 stone 10 lbs and am happy to just lose a few more pounds and am enjoying the camaraderie of the group meetings.
It is true I relate more to certain members as with any group of people, but have made a couple of friends I can swap recipes with and have met up with them socially as we have kids and similar interests in common.
You also don’t have to change your lifestyle that much, and can still drink alcohol in moderation and enjoy the odd chocolate bar. These are classed as ‘sins’ and are encouraged so that you don’t go off the boil with boredom.
The most attractive element of the Slimming World ethos is the clever strategy of the diet which is as long as you eat low fat foods, you can more or less eat as much of these foods as you like.
These are called ‘free’ foods and range from bananas and other fruit to meats and vegetables. As long as you stick to the diet you lose weight immediately and never go hungry. Did I say that before? Well it needs to be repeated because it is hard to believe, and the only reason I have stuck it out.
Here is a Slimming World recipe to try:
Grilled Cajun-spiced chicken, wedges and corn on the cob
Serves: 4
Ready in: 30-60 Minutes
Syns per serving:2
ingredients
4 chicken drumsticks, skinned
4 chicken thighs, skinned
900g large new potatoes, quartered into wedges
30g sachet Schwartz Flavourful Cajun Chicken Recipe Mix
8 mini corn on the cobs
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish
For the coleslaw:
200g summer cabbage, quartered, cored and shredded
2 carrots, coarsely grated
Salt
4 level tbsp. extra-light mayonnaise
4 spring onions, finely shredded
method
Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°Fan/Gas 6. Cut a few slits into the chicken drumsticks and thighs and put them in a large roasting tin with the wedges. Sprinkle over the Cajun seasoning and toss everything together.
Roast in the oven for 50 minutes, mixing occasionally.
Add the corn cobs halfway through the cooking time.
For the coleslaw, put the cabbage in a colander.
Pour over a kettle full of just-boiled water, letting it drain, to soften the cabbage slightly. Cool it quickly with cold water and let it drain again.
Add the carrot to the colander. Sprinkle over a good pinch of salt and mix well (this both seasons the veg and draws out some of the moisture). Leave to drain for 15 minutes.
Transfer to a large bowl and mix together well with the mayonnaise and shredded spring onions.
Divide the spicy chicken, potatoes and corn cobs between 4 plates, garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve with the coleslaw on the side.
See more recipes at: http://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/healthy-eating/recipes.aspx
