Whoever decided to make deprivation desirable in January – of all months – was misguided. This is a time of year when we deserve to treat ourselves, we say, without fears of failure. Being healthy needn’t be hard, either. In fact, even the laziest amongst us can make a healthier lifestyle ours without hitting the gym or giving up chocolate. Here’s how:
1. The juice boost
We’re all familiar with juicing – an age-old practice that peaked in popularity as a wellness trend earlier this decade – but not all juice plans are made equal. Not at all. While the merits of going on a strict juice cleanse, whereby solid meals are replaced with (preferably low-sugar, vegetable-based) juices, are often debated, what is undoubtedly beneficial is the ‘juice boost’. It’s simple: you add one or two nutrient-dense juices into your regular diet and reap the healthy rewards without the hunger. We say priorities convenience and try Plenish, who offer a ‘pick + mix’ option in addition to cleanse packages where you can choose from their range of organic cold pressed juices, ‘probiotic water’ and nut milks (dairy and refined-sugar free, of course) for home delivery. A personal favourite is the Kick juice, blending lemon, lime, red chilli and coconut nectar for a spicy source of vitamin C. It could even replace your morning espresso, dare we suggest it. For the converted green juice fans (well, you might as well go hard if you’re not going hungry), try the Fuel, packing 1kg of organic products–of which 96% are vegetables–into 500ml.
2. The meals on wheels
Is indulgence gorging on Christmas pudding and cheese boards? Or is it having exceptionally-tasting, healthy food delivered to your doorstep? It’s January, so let’s go with the latter. Whether you can’t cook, won’t cook, or don’t trust yourself to prepare genuinely healthy meals, having a professional company do it for you is the next best thing to having a personal nutritionist and chef. There are endless options out there, but one of the best services we’ve found is from The Pure Package, who’ve been in the biz for more than a decade. You select your programme by your goal (‘Healthy Eating’ is probably the best suit-all, lazy girl approved one), sign up, receive your daily deliveries and enjoy. We feasted on herbed scrambled eggs and rye bread for breakfast, Japanese sea spaghetti and mushroom salad for lunch and mattar paneer followed by cinnamon chocolate mousse for dinner – plus healthy snacks. Zero hunger pangs.
3. The Netflix of yoga
Can’t even bring yourself to get dressed at the weekend, let alone to an exercise class? Sign up to Movement for Modern Life (MFML) and you can do your workout – or simply stretches – in your pyjamas, guided by a pro. With over 700 videos lessons in yoga and pilates; you can choose from restorative to challenging, two minutes to two hours, sofa yoga to a headstand challenge. Sure, you can search for similar videos on YouTube, but the convenience of having all the classes in one place (with five, seven, 21, 30 and 31 day challenges, should you wish) and on your own terms, is priceless. Or, more literally, from £10.99 per month. Our current faves include the 45-minute Chair Yoga class (under Yoga for Work, designed to relieve desk pain and strain) and Get Up and Glow (under the Morning Energiser tab), a punchy 30-minute vinyasa sequence.
4. The sleep-easier aids
Sadly, there are no quick-fixes when it comes to helping you sleep more (unless we’re talking prescription drugs, which we’re not here). We know that our lack of sleep is a big problem for our health, but getting more needn’t be even if it does require a combined approach. The aforementioned exercise and a nutritious diet should help aid restful sleep – so that’s one step in the right direction, and other moves can be equally simple. Going old school and swapping the smart phone for a book at bedtime will provide the right kind of wind-down stimulation, while sleep aids centred on plant therapy (such as lavender pillow mists like This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Sprayand eye masks like the Holistic Silk Lavender Eye Mask) have proven benefits. You can also try swapping your morning showers to nighttime, as research has shownthat it can help improve the quality of your sleep. Similarly, keeping your bedroom cool and dark and committing to a non-negotiable bedtime are known sleep-enhancers and are, in the most part, super-easy.
From: Harper’s BAZAAR UK
