This wonderful season has many a way of taking its toll on your body. Yet with just a few tweaks you can enjoy the best of the season while protecting skin, body and mind. Our guest holistic experts tell you how...
1. Protect your peace
“Protect your inner peace and keep your spirit uplifted by avoiding negative speaking and thinking (be grateful and kind at every opportunity) and spending some time in stillness and silence each day. Go outside, get comfortable, close your eyes, and sense the wordless warmth of the sun on your skin. Peace within leads to peace in your life. It’s that simple.”
Maggie Richards, Meditation Teacher – meditationwithmaggie.com
2. A brush a day
“To make the most of your skin this summer try dry skin brushing daily before getting into the shower. Use a dry flannel or loofah pad, with a gentle circular clockwise motion – not too hard! Start with your feet, work up your legs, then arms, then torso, always working towards your heart. Dry skin brushing helps with the mobilisation and removal of waste and toxins from your body. Furthermore, it improves the skin's micro-circulation and tone, especially in areas prone to cellulite.”
Susse Wedel, Natural Medicine Practitioner – sussed-out.com
3. Strengthen your qi
“The heat of summer can cause imbalance in our bodies and minds.Dry heat causes dehydration and clouds the mind, where damp heat can allow fungal problems to thrive on our skin. Acupuncture aims to protect the body and mind from external heat by strengthening our 'defensive qi' and correcting internal imbalance.”
Andy Green, Acupuncturist – shiatsuandacupuncture.wordpress.com
4. Simple nourishment
“Hand and nail care need only be simple. When cooking, massage your cuticles with any oil you have to hand. I find that olive oil and coconut oil work fantastically.”
Annie Yates, Natural Beauty & Holistic Therapist – wildheartnativesoul.co.uk
5. Eat the rainbow
“A diverse array of fresh produce offers a daily chance to 'eat a rainbow' of antioxidants. Stock up on fruits, vegetables, and whole foods of every colour for immune boosting, anti-ageing and skin protecting benefits. Simple smoothies and salads offer the quickest route to a rainbow in a meal!”
Angelique Panagos, Clinical Nutritional Therapist – angeliquepanagos.com
6. Fighting free radicals
“Antioxidants are the key to protecting against degenerative disease, preventing the free radical damage that leads to premature ageing. For optimum skin health look for skin specific antioxidants such as Superoxide Dismutase, L-Glutathione and Resveratrol.”
Andy Millward, Facialist & Skincare Expert – andymillward.com
7. Care & condition
“The sun breaks down the hair’s protein, so keeping hair well moisturised will keep damage to a minimum. I recommend using a leave-in conditioner (try the new Amber Rose 4-in-1 Organic Conditioner or the Scented Organic Hair Oil) to keep sun damage at bay. Avoid products with alcohol at all cost, as they will cause your strands to dry out at a much faster rate.”
Tabitha James Kraan, Organic Hairdresser – tabithajameskraan.com
8. Warm & stretch
“With the lighter evenings and increased socialising, the temptation to skip or cut short your training session is one we all know too well. While I'm a firm believer in living a balanced life, don't risk injury by cutting the warm up and stretch elements of your sessions. Warming up is key to preparing your body for the strain you're about to put yourself through. And stretching is imperative to keep muscles healthy and injury free. Let's face it, no one can throw shapes on the dance floor or wear those killer heels with a torn hamstring! With this in mind, warm up appropriately for the activity you're about to commence, and stretch thoroughly paying particular attention to the muscles worked during your session.”
Vinny Lewis-Jamerson, Master Trainer at Ten – ten.co.uk
9. Barefoot breezing
“Go barefoot as much as possible. Walking barefoot strengthens the intrinsic muscles of the foot and ankle. It can also help prevent corns and blisters, often caused by poorly fitting shoes. Plus nothing beats the feeling of wiggling your toes in soft summer grass or sand!”
Tracy Byrne, Podiatrist – tracybyrne.co.uk
10. The bright side of life
“When you are stressed, it affects all aspects of your life, from your mood to your diet and your skin health. Look on the bright side of life, learn to take it easy and most importantly learn to let go... you'll be surprised how some problems end up solving themselves. When you are less stressed, you'll smile. And when you smile, the world smiles with you.”
Elijah Choo, Founder – bodhiandbirch.com
With a big thanks to each of our experts for helping us enjoy these last weeks of summer! Now we'd love to hear from you. Which tips will you be adding to your life, and which should we add to ours?
Comments
Great tips!
Protecting your skin is really a tough job. I would love to try out these tips. Thanks!