Jan 3
As New Year detoxing gets into full swing, I thought I’d re-post my Guide To The Ultimate Detox from this time last year. I’m doing pretty much exactly the same this year, but will be trying out a few new exercise classes which I’ll post about. Read more
Dec 19
Blow Bar has opened up blow dry hair salons in two London Virgin Active gyms (Moorgate and Mayfair). It’s such a brilliant idea and I’m suprised more gyms don’t offer it – perfect for the party season as well! Read more
'90's Cheese Party!
Last week, I headed to The Ivy, The River Cafe and The Beach Blanket Babylon for dinner (not on the same night I might add!), alongside a trip to the theatre to see The Mousetrap, a night out dancing to ’90′s cheese and an evening visit to the amazing Dennis Severs’ house in Shoreditch, followed by more drinks…apologies for the lack of posting but it was a busy/fun week! Read more
Oct 19
At the start of the week, I was very excited to receive my 5 Day ‘Juice Master Cleanse’ from Soulmatefood. It is a 5 day, 6 juices a day detox which aims to totally cleanse the boy, kick-start your metabolism and lose you up to 6lbs! Read more
My beautiful, wonderful Aunt, Mel Seares, is taking part in the Great North Run next weekend, to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer – which constantly researches new treatments for Breast Cancer and how to prevent it in the future.
Very sadly, Mel was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 -with 3 young children to look after – and surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed. She has overcome it and is an inspiration to so many women out there.
Tragically, breast cancer is something that affects so many women and the more research we can do into preventing or curing this terrible disease the more we can do to help all those who are suffering and will suffer in the future.
GUEST BLOGGER: Freelance Journalist Amy Golding
Yesterday lunchtime I walked past a shop on a bustling Fitzrovia street to see five men, fully suited, sitting backwards in chairs, heads face down in pillows, getting rubbed up (and rather roughly too). They’d each paid £31 for the privilege.
May 29
THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED.
Congratulations to Tracy Nixon from Tyne and Wear for winning!
FashionBite has a fab workout DVD for the XBox 360 to giveaway ‘Your Shape: Fitness Evolved’, courtesy of the lovely folks at Nivea, plus some glam goodies from Ann Summers…
With summer now fast approaching and an impending holiday to Tuscany in 6 weeks, the need to kick-start my body blitz is becoming quite apparent!
So a trip to the luxurious Ajala Spa in the 5* St. Paul’s Grange Hotel seemed like the perfect starting off point…
Jan 22
Amy Golding Tests Nike's New NTC App
Nike Blogging Event to Launch New App
GUEST BLOGGER: Freelance journalist and beauty writer Amy Golding
This January, I made the resolution not to buy a gym membership. So far I’ve succeeded. Yet I still want to keep fit and, as proof, have purchased a fab new gym kit, skipping rope, hula-hoop, exercise ball and handheld weights.
Now I am going to rely on Nike Training Club (NTC) to get me to use them. NTC is a new (free) app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which offers 15, 30 and 45 minute training programmes in beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.
Nike describes the App as like ‘having a personal trainer in your pocket’. This ‘trainer’ guides you though workouts with instructional and motivational messages, which play over your own music.
Different programmes aim to get you ‘lean’, ‘toned’, ‘strong’ and ‘focused’. As long as one of them gets me to do some exercise, I’ll be happy.
You can also watch demonstrational videos to see if you are performing an exercise, like a sit-up or squat, correctly. This is a plus for me. My biggest issue with exercising alone is that I don’t know whether anything I’m doing is actually beneficial.
If you are good and use the App regularly Nike rewards you by unlocking a range of ‘exclusive’ workouts. These include tennis superstar Maria Sharapova sharing her workout regime and revealing ‘secrets’ about her training.
In total, the App offers around 60 workouts and 90 drill combinations. I doubt I’ll ever compete them all, but it is nice to know they’re there if I need them.
You can download the App for free at iTunes.
FashionBite xx
Jan 3
Ok, so I’ve tried a lot of detox plans in the past: Gillian McKeith’s 3 day detox where you barely leave the bathroom (!)-I don’t recommend; Carole Vorderman’s month long detox plan which is v.healthy but seriously restricting and impossible to stick to; and the ‘I’ll only drink hot water/lemon for 3 days’..again, impossible in practise when the thing of work/boyfriend or a life gets in your way!
So, it’s with joy that I’m attempting a new detox plan for 2011 and one which will hopefully be a lot easier to stick to.
I’ve also decided to combine this detox with the best bits of other beauty/health plans which I’ve tried over the years to provide FashionBite’s Guide to the Ultimate Detox.
The detox I’m trying is with The Organic Pharmacy and lasts for 10 days- so just about doable time-wise!
If you’re feeling flush, you can go all out and buy the full detox kit for £140, but you can also buy 2 key parts separately: Detox-Colon Cleanse and Gut Repair Capsules and Liver and Kidney Drops. Personally, I’m happy with the digestive system and liver/kidney detox so the two are sufficient for me and come in at just under £38 together.
I started the detox yesterday- you take 3 detox capsules in the morning, 3 at night and liver/kidney drops 3 times a day. I’m combining this with the GI Diet which is a healthy eating plan-not a diet per se, but if you do it properly you’ll look great, your skin will look amazing and you do lose weight (if that’s what you’re after).
The GI diet is based around eating wholegrains, veg, fruit, lean meats, fish..not rocket science but it really works, particularly if you’ve over done it on the cheese and booze at Christmas. You can eat every kind of food, there are no restrictions, it just has to be a certain type e.g. stoneground bread rather than white bread, wholemeal pasta rather than white pasta..etc.
For more info on the GI Diet see FashionBite’s post Kick-Start Summer Part I: GI Diet.
Alongside The Organic Pharmacy capsules, I’m taking effervescent Berocca and Echinacea tablets every day to boost my immune system. The big dose of vitamins from the Berocca is also great for tired skin.
FASHIONBITE’S DETOX – TOP TIPS
* Diet- Follow the GI Diet (as above)
* Exercise x3 sessions a week. One to include Bikram yoga- a hatha-style yoga in a hot room for 90 minutes-you see incredible results even after just a handful of sessions and it completely detoxes the skin as well as toning the body. I did my first session tonight and it was hardcore- it’s more about staying in the room than pushing yourself in the poses for the first few sessions- but once you’ve mastered the heat you feel absolutely incredible after each session. I haven’t done it for 3 months though, hence feeling like sh*t today!
* Sleep-ensure you get at least 8 hours. Along with diet and exercise, sleep is also a key factor in mental health and stress levels. If, like me, you find it difficult to unwind- try deep breathing exercises/meditation and a hot, relaxing bath with candles and oils before bed. Good diet and exercise will also improve the quality of sleep you get.
* Sleep is also a key factor in improving skin tone, along with tons of water (also v.important when detoxing!). Bikram Yoga can have a huge impact on skintone as it completely purges the body of toxins.
* Body Brushing is another crucial thing to detoxing, but it’s also something worth doing all year round. I’ve tried lots of different body brushes and the best I’ve found is The Body Shop’s Body Brush Round, £7. If you work the backs of your thighs, inner thighs, bum and any other problem cellulite areas you see a marked improvement in skin tone with The Body Shop brush, the bristles are v.hard so it really massages into the skin.
* Facial Oils are another thing I’ve come to love recently. Forest Skincare’s i-Rejuvenate facial oils are fab (not cheap) but really give your skin a fresh, youthful glow. Elemis also has some gorgeous facial oils on offer, for more info- see FashionBite’s post Elemis Skin Bliss Capsules – The Perfect Winter Pick-Me-Up.
So, I’ve now kick-started my New Year’s Detox, I’ll you keep you posted on how it goes!
FashionBite xx
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