As a rule of thumb, most of us made some resolutions at the stroke of midnight a couple of weeks ago. And since even the best laid plans sometimes go awry, it’s pretty likely one or two of them have been broken. Already. Thing is, we love to set ourselves unrealistic tasks and challenges as a way to see in the new year. But here’s the thing: you are still the you that went to bed in 2017. Change takes time.
I like to indulge over Christmas. A couple of years ago I tried having a ‘healthy’ Christmas. No drinking, no sugar, low carb. Suddenly the festive period had passed me by and I was left wishing I’d made the most of the seasonal allowance for poor choices and excess. I learnt my lesson, so Christmas 2017 was an extravaganza of everything I wanted, safe in the knowledge that January is a new month.
Many of my friends do Dry Jan or – and this really is quite niche – Veganuary. But these are essentially two extreme examples of going cold turkey. And honestly? I really don’t think it works. Because come Feb the natural reaction is to reach for whatever you resolved to give up for a month and go wild. Much easier and more sustainable are making a few tweaks to gradually work towards a healthier lifestyle. And not just the naff ‘eat more greens’ – practical changes that’ll really make a different. Things like…
Start the day with a cup of hot water with lemon to wake-up your digestive system ahead of food
End the day with a soak in epsom salts to draw-out impurities from your skin (remembering that your skin is the largest organ in your body)
Have regular massage to stimulate lymphatic drainage
Try yoga. Or if you struggle for time, use a few key moves before bed to help massage your internal organs promote a healthy system. Moves like torso twists are great for this.
If your goals are aesthetics-based, take some pictures. I know this is hard to do when you’re not happy with an area of your body / face, but trust me it’ll really help when your motivation is running low after a couple of weeks and you get to look back on photos to prove your making progress. Gradual change is the healthiest change, and since you’re living with yourself 24/7, it can be hard to spot actual results during the process.
Boost your results with a bespoke treatment using the latest technology. Hasti at Neville Salon in Belgravia has a famed butt lift treatment, which plumps your butt in half an hour (15 mins each cheek). And Lorraine at Eden Skin Clinic uses Venus Freeze, which is a non-surgical, non-invasive body contouring system. It can be used to combat ageing skin, to reduce cellulite, and for fat loss. I’ve tried the treatment on a really stubborn pouch of tummy fat that I couldn’t shake even with daily workouts and a completely clean diet. The confidence my results have given me has blown my mind. For the first time in probably a decade I feel good with my tummy on show, and stand tall in pictures rather than slouching to try and hide my little pouch. Having my weekly 20 min treatment with Lorraine felt like a gold star for all the hard work I was putting into my training and diet, and it was a like mini milestone each time I stepped out the clinic, feeling gradually leaner.
Olivia x
