By Helene Ravlich
Many herald the New Year as the time to put in place goals and plans, but now we’re past the half way point of 2021 there is still plenty of time to set out some new resolutions for a healthy, happy end to the year.
Take the best of summer into the cooler months: give yourself permission to take your summer mindset into July, August and beyond. Continue to spend time outdoors, to eat fresh produce from the farmer’s market, to take things slow when the weekend hits, and maybe add a few of the following to your wellbeing arsenal for a great second half of 2021.
Don’t give up on your fitness goals just yet
Switch up your fitness routine and challenge yourself with something new. Make it less of a shock by taking some of your sessions indoors and bring back the evening walks when the days start to growth in length and light. Take in the beauty of the changing seasons whilst boosting your mood and creativity along the way, and add in a new challenge like boxing to satisfy your yang side and yoga to coddle your yin. My pick for a great boxing gym is Newmarket’s Studio Box, whilst my yoga go-to’s will always be Brown Street’s snuggly Urban Ashram and the stylish wellness hub, Studio Red Yoga in City Works Depot, which has regular restorative yoga events in what must be the city’s chicest practice space.
Studio Red Yoga
Choose skincare that soothes
Chances are over the cooler months your skin has taken a bit of a hammering from the cold, wind, artificial heat and more, so gently bring it back to life with products designed to heal and soothe. Add in a facial oil and rich body moisturiser, or for a multitasker that can’t be beat, Sans (ceuticals) Activator 7 Body + Hair + Face Oil is a reparative oil that uses active vitamin A to stimulate cell repair, increase collagen production and boost skin thickness and elasticity. It’s also the perfect time to embrace ‘skip-care’, a considered and consolidated skincare routine that has become popular of late as a reaction to the idea of an overly complicated multi-step routine. Opt for powerful, multitasking products that go to work on more than one thing, and take some time to assess how your skin feels on the day. Skip-care also has the added benefit of making beauty more sustainable, simply by reducing the packaging required.
Activator 7 Body + Hair + Face Oil RRP $59.00
Eat immunity-boosting foods
This time of year salads can still be the go-to, but create them using the beautiful vegetables and fruits that make their appearance in supermarkets and farmer’s markets across the nation during the cooler months. In the midst of flu season, it’s important for your immune system to be in tip-top shape. Eating healthy foods with vitamin C (like limes, oranges, and lemons) are key to fighting off infections, whilst garlic, ginger, spinach, and almonds are also big winners when it comes to boosting your health and immunity. Try to shop local – I love the Grey Lynn Farmer’s Market – if you can, and eat seasonally so what’s going into your body is at its optimum best.
Try meditation
If you’re committed to goal setting and letting go of stress, it doesn’t come much better than a regular meditation practice. Be it training in Transcendental Meditation (a favourite of creative types like David Lynch and Lady Gaga), using an app or just practising mindfulness wherever you are, there are thousands of studies that have shown meditation can positively impact mental and physical health. Whether it’s by reducing stress, improving sleep, increasing focus, or improving relationships, research shows that meditation – when practiced regularly – works.
Keep up your H2O
It may seem counterintuitive, but we’re actually more likely to be dehydrated in the cooler months than in the warmer months, according to recent research. The reason is two-fold: Not only does our thirst response diminish during this time of year, but our urine output increases (sorry, it had to be said). All of this can result in dry skin and lack of energy, and those glasses of Pinot Noir downed in front of the fire aren’t helping either. My solution for is filling a reusable bottle with water and a helping of Dose & Co’s new Beauty Blends. The super powered formula has 10 grams of Type 1 marine collagen per serving, as well as 1000mcg of Biotin (vitamin B7) per serving to enhance energy and mood. Formulated using ingredients clinically proven to not only support your skin, nail, hair and gut health, but to help you glow from the inside out, I’m loving the citrus flavour Beauty Blend mixed into water, juice and smoothies. There are also a number of apps (like Daily Water) that will help you monitor your water intake, if you need a bit of a helping hand.
RRP $79.90