I’ve always loved January; the clean slate, the optimism and the fresh start, but I am so over the thought that January is the only time for a life overhaul (and that you are a failure if you don’t quite manage it).
You can change your life at any time or day and I believe it is the small changes that develop into big results. So, I went about finding things to improve my health that fit into my on-the-go lifestyle seamlessly and effectively. It was much easier than I expected!
I started with Symprove probiotic. I have written about the importance of digestive balance and gut health before, and I think most people are aware that good health is directly influenced by how balanced their gut bacteria is, so it was an obvious place for me to start. I regularly take a probiotic supplement anyway but Symprove is different to the rest, dare I say….superior. Symprove is a water based formulation containing multi-strain, live and active bacteria which does not trigger digestion- meaning 100% of the healthy bacteria reach the targeted areas of the gut completely unharmed and you receive 100% of the benefit. You take it on an empty stomach each morning and wait 10 minutes before eating or drinking anything else to allow the Symprove to reach the gut and begin colonising, it couldn’t be easier! Rebalancing the gut can take time and commitment (Symprove recommend a 12 week course to start) but I can honestly say I felt a difference after 2 weeks! My stomach is flatter, my head is clearer and my energy levels are up! Impressive stuff, this one’s a keeper.
Next on my search list was a mini detox or cleanse, I settled upon the Pukka Clean Me Green Wellbeing Kit and the Imbibery Intoxicating Detox juice cleanse. Ease of use being the priority for both choices. I am a big fan of Pukka supplements and teas already so I was very happy to discover their new well-being kit! It’s a 14 day programme that will “help clean your body green” you take one energising Clean Green Superblend sachet in the morning (in a smoothie or with water; I chose water- the smoothie recipe they give you is delicious but slightly time consuming for me and my busy mornings), late morning you drink a cup of green matcha tea and early afternoon one cup of detox tea. Easy peasy! Pukka encourage approaching this cleanse in a very holistic way, they advise self-massage, deep steam therapy, daily walks outside and so on, which will certainly add to your well-being but for me the high grade turmeric, lemon, fennel, matcha, kale and wheatgrass (to name a few) in this kit are enough to give anyone a boost, not to mention the extra water intake with each blend. This is great one for whenever you feel a bit sluggish or lacking, excellent for giving you a kick start if you’ve been under the weather too.
Now, Imbibery could be just the thing the people with the crazy lifestyles have been waiting for! They are the highest quality, cold pressed juices (to retain all the nutrients) delivered to your door! You can build your own cleanse or choose a specialty cleanse such as the ‘Post Ibiza Cleanse’ (I hear ya!) including shots and mylks. Imbibery doesn’t come cheap but you are paying for ingredients that have been sourced as the best, safest and from the most sustainable environments available, to ensure you receive the most outstanding juices possible. You are also paying for the gift of time! There was only one juice I didn’t enjoy- it contained my nemesis parsley (yet parsley is a fantastic source of vitamin K- great for strengthening capillary walls, vitamin C and folate) all the others I loved. Even the mylk was delicious (so spelt because it is non-dairy). The shots were my favourite though; little energising shots of lemon and cayenne pepper! I drank my juices over 2 days alongside small meals. You can use them as a meal replacement if you want to do a serious cleanse but for me, a 2-day boost was perfect and really enjoyable. If you’re time short and health conscious, you should definitely check these out.
Last, I wanted to introduce some sort of daily supplement or vitamin to my diet but how to decide? Ideally, I’d be getting all my nutritional needs from the food I eat but with today’s agricultural and lifestyle issues, it is becoming harder and harder to do so. The problem was, like so many people, I wasn’t sure what I might be lacking in. So, I downloaded the VITL app and answered a series of questions about my lifestyle, diet, caffeine/alcohol intake, stress levels etc, they then sent me out a 4-week supply of specially chosen supplements based on my answers!
My bespoke pack consisted of a Gi probiotic (again, stressing the importance of gut health), a multi-vitamin to boost energy, a co enzyme q10 soft gel for anti-ageing and brain functionality and a liver cleanse capsule to combat the negative effects of stress; all sounded pretty accurate to me! The app also gives you daily reminders to take your vitamins and little motivational messages- like a friendly little guru in your phone!
Not one of these options interfered with my day-to-day nor did they cost me in time, which was the essential point for me. After all, we all have good intentions but the reality is we have a much better chance at sticking to healthy life changes if they are easy to do- and let’s face it, no one wants to be getting stressed over these things!