It's Now or Never
The year is flying by and we are approaching spring already. You have had plenty of time to fail in your earnestly declared New Year resolutions, made with hand on heart.
These no doubt included plans to exercise more, eat/drink less, read more books that don’t revolve around shopping/unrequited love and to stop watching junk TV. This was going to be the year you reinvented yourself as a successful, thoughtful, well dressed individual, instead you are reading this while eating cake, watching Celebrity Big Brother and shopping on line for stretch pants!
I met a friend (Ingrid) the other day and told her she looked amazing (which she did!) and she said ‘it’s now or never’.
This made me think about how I was treating life. My conclusion was I had better get on the ‘now or never train’ and shape up. If we wait until everything is perfect to take action it will never happen. Endless dissatisfaction with ourselves means we slouch around in clothes pulled haphazardly from the wardrobe that are thrown on bad temperedly because we hate our figures. We spent so much time trying to cover up our imagined flaws that there is no time left over to celebrate our good parts.
I quote another friend who is a personal trainer, she encourages people to ‘work on what they can change and stop being so anxious about the bits they can’t’. If you have a body that is well toned and nicely muscled then no matter what size it is everything is going to look better including those short legs, wide hips, small bust and any other bit you care to moan about. We are wasting time wanting things we can’t have. Anxiety makes your face pinched and grey and that is never a good look.
Can it really be possible to feel depressed because you can’t fit into a pair of jeans you wore five years ago?
Stop, throw the jeans out, let’s face it they are not fashionable any more and when that shape does come back into fashion you’ll want to buy new ones anyway. Take this new positive attitude, stop living in the past, and apply it to other areas in your life.
Confidence oozes when we feel good so how do we make sure we capture that feeling all the time? Come on, what are you waiting for? Start by taking stock of yourself, your wardrobe and your beauty routine.
Huge changes can be made without spending any money – I’m sure that was a resolution for lots of people - to spend less money this year and we are going to be sticking by that one.
Start with working out what you like. I know that sounds mad but we often end up doing things we don’t like to please someone else or to fit in, including what we read, how we dress and how we think or you may be stuck in the past and are too lazy to reassess what is important to you now.
If you like trashy novels and they bring you joy then keep on reading them. If you like wearing grey jumpers or peach lipstick and they are not in fashion then, who on earth cares, stick with it! No matter how big or small the option if it makes you happy (and it is not harming anyone else) it’s worth it.
We all have to eat so now is the time to start making better choices. Make sure you are eating foods that contain the vitamins and minerals that allow your body to function at its best, don’t sabotage yourself with copious amounts of sugar and fat. You are in charge of what goes into your body, no-one is force feeding you lemon drizzle cake, unless you are tied up in a basement somewhere in a hostage situation, in which case, enjoy the cake!
Eat foods that are rich in the essential amino acid tryptophan that is thought to enhance your mood, to help with depression, anxiety and insomnia. Tryptophan converts into seratonin after reaching the brain, which is needed to regulate moods, appetite and sleep. As we do not produce this amino acid in the body it has to be obtained through diet making it an ‘essential’ amino acid.
Bananas, peanuts, turkey, fish, eggs, avocados, carrots, hazelnuts, salmon, rice, oats and baked potatoes are all good sources and can fit into any kind of regime.
If you are attempting to take better care of the inside of your body then carry on the good work with the wrapping on the outside. Can I really go on about body brushing any more? It’s so simple and so effective. For those who are new to this magazine then here is a brief how-to.
Body brushing can be done using an air-dried flannel, which has a rough surface, if you don’t want to invest in a brush. Using your dry flannel or brush start with the soles of the feet then make long sweeping strokes towards the heart. Small circles over the stomach and chest, finishing with strokes on the arms and neck. This is not for the face. If you are using a flannel wash it every other day.
The benefits of this short daily treatment are myriad. Circulation is improved bringing with it a more glowing and less congested complexion. Increased oxygen and blood flow enhances the growth of nails and hair. The friction of the rough flannel or the bristles of the brush increases the rate at which skin cells are renewed so you have fresh plump cells making their way more rapidly to the surface giving your skin a younger appearance. The lymphatic system that runs round the body carrying away toxins is also improved.
Follow this with a short, not too hot shower, (good for your skin and a money saving tactic to boot) and finish with the best moisturiser you can afford. Applying moisturiser to damp skin locks in the water boosting your application.
Always have a good manicure and pedicure, which makes you look well groomed and adds to your confidence factor. Both words mean ‘treatment’ for that area not just the cosmetic enhancement of polishes. No polish is better than chipped polish. Nails that are all the same length are best; so if you break one, file down the others to match, uneven lengths can make you look a bit eccentric in a Howard Hughes kind of way. Hands are always noticed and if you are wearing sandals then so are your feet. I think this could be called putting your best foot forward.
Being the best that you can be does not take a Herculean effort just a little tweaking by taking each part of your life style routine up a notch. Wouldn’t you like to enter a room and not have to think about your appearance because you are always, without fail, well groomed, be able to have an opinion on at least one of the latest world events and that your outfit was an outfit and not a collection of shapeless layers in shades of ‘don’t notice me brown’? Those things are all in your control. It’s not too late to get a ticket for the now or never train. All aboard.
Happy Trails, Readers, Happy Trails.
First published March/April 2012 By the Dart.
