What would I do in January?

So, January is here, and I am sure many of you have set goals to achieve this year. For lots of us, making it to the end January is a goal in itself, whether this means dealing with post-Christmas bank balances, or trying to lose extra weight left over from the festive period. For me, my goal is to start working towards a healthier and more balanced lifestyle…

What does this mean for me?

I’m the first to admit that the gym just isn’t for me! I find myself intimidated by the serious players there (probably because I’m useless at working out how to use all the complicated gym equipment!). I do however love my weekly Pilates and ballet classes. As my classes are in the evening, therefore I try to avoid having a heavy meal beforehand, instead opting for a healthy snack high in Nitrate, since this eventually becomes Nitric Oxide once digested, which is super healthy and helps to make you stronger! Usually this involves a good portion of spinach, beetroot and carrot salad, or even a quick stir fry with broccoli and cauliflower… yum! Typically, I eat 90-120 minutes before exercising so that I feel the full benefit of my superfood when I need it most.

The festive period was the perfect excuse for me to snack literally all day (and night!!), as a result, trying to shake this habit post-Christmas when back at work sat in front of the computer has proven to be tricky! Again, healthy, appetite-suppressing snacks are going to be key:

• I typically start the day with oat porridge and blueberries; delicious, and the oats will slowly release energy throughout the morning.
• In theory porridge should last me until lunch time, however in reality, it doesn’t! So my hero snack is baked vegetable crisps (no added salt or sugar); a handful actually counts as one of your five-a-day!
• Nuts are another of my go-to snacks, they contain healthy fats that help to keep cholesterol low—they are also a good source of appetite-killing fibre, which digests slowly and therefore keeps my stomach feeling fuller or much longer than other carbs.

My absolute favourite winter warmer drink is ginger and rock sugar tea. I am always cold (unless I am in the Caribbean!), so instead of warming myself up by drinking ten cups of sugary Yorkshire tea every day, I turn to this delicious ginger and rock sugar combo. Ginger warms you from within; I remember my mum cooking ginger tea with rock sugar in the cold winter season in China, it worked wonders! It also boots your immune system, soothes your digestive system, and is another great choice to supress your appetite.

To fight off the January blues, I love diffusing essential oils around my home. To promote soothing and calming feelings I diffuse ylang ylang, clary sage and roman chamomile; to balance my mood and lift my spirits I diffuse some citrus based essential oils, such as lemon, sweet orange and grapefruit.

To protect my skin from the harsh winter weather, I make an extra effort to stick to a skincare routine that works best for me. When I listen to my skin, it tells me it needs deeper nourishment and hydration so I always make sure I use an oil-based serum before moisturising as it has smaller molecules that can travel deeper into the skin to help keep it glowing in the dry winter air. Check out Bemora’s Glowing Essential Kit to help keep your skin looking fresh and healthy throughout the winter season.

Weiwei x

Founder of BEMORA Skincare

BEMORA, Be More You