Lifestyle

Hydrate naturally!

My new favourite drink of choice is Vita Coco. Made from 100% natural coconut water which is taken from young, green, healthy coconuts, this refreshing and tropical tasting drink takes me back to the beaches of Thailand where I would sip on this delicious water straight from the young coconuts daily. Although I’m not known for being particularly sporty I’m told that coconut water is the ultimate post-workout drink as it is extremely hydrating and contains 15 times the electrolytes found in sports drinks (this also makes it ideal for hangovers!) It is also fat free and cholesterol free with no added sugar making it much healthier than normal energy drinks. Pure coconut water also has numerous other health benefits including keeping the body cool,  boosting circulation, easing stomach pains, balancing your body's pH level, detoxifying the body and boosting the immune system as well as promoting weight loss.

I love the original version but for those people that need something a bit sweeter, Vita Coco also comes in several flavoured varieties such as peach and mango and acai and pomegranate which are all made using natural fruit purees to flavour them.

Vita Coco is available from Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, Whole Foods and Planet Organic.

Mike Mains and the Branches

Mike Mains and the Branches

I have never been a musically talented person, but I am a self proclaimed music appreciator. Since coming to London, I have been exposed to a lot of alternative and “underground” bands. Since my experience at the Troubadour, I have been doing some heavy YouTubing and have found an unsigned band, Mike Mains and the Branches. Their song, Stereo, has a catchy indie rock feel that I can’t get enough of! They are based out of Owosso, MI (USA) unfortunately, but you Brits can check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z4ruIbCYZ0]

A Tropical Escape

So it’s Friday afternoon and time we think for a little bit of daydreaming about far off countries where we have no worries or concerns, where the beers are cold and the sun is hot. Having been lucky enough to have just returned from a jaunt to Jamaica I wanted to share a bit of this magical island with all of you.

Jamaica has received some rather negative press lately. Certainly when I mentioned to people that I was going many followed up their initial positive and excited responses with warnings of supposed dangers and civil unrest. Now I would not want to comment on the situation as I feel I am not particularly well informed on the finer points, but I would just like to say that as a tourist I felt completely safe and welcome at all times. Sure, there are some areas of Kingston that it would be wise to avoid, but isn’t that the case in all major cities? I know there are areas of London that I would rather avoid!

We began our trip high in the Blue Mountains, famed for their coffee and banana plantations. Blue Mountain coffee is widely revered as the world’s best coffee, an ideal combination of altitude, volcanic soil and austere care produces beans that are slow to mature, but larger in size with a complex and sublime flavour. Now personally I am not a coffee aficionado, being more of a green tea/earl grey fan, but even I found myself ordering coffee every morning for breakfast. The lush, rolling hills and valleys of the Blue Mountains provided some of the most spectacular backdrops I have ever seen and it was truly a magical experience.

After some time in the mountains we ventured down to the coast, a relatively short journey as the crow flies, but due to the mountainous region and the poorly maintained roads it was a journey that took over three hours. When we arrived in the parish of Portland, with its capital town of Port Antonio, we were ready for a relaxing swim and a rum cocktail to revive us. The area is famed for its stunning beaches and the natural wonder of the Blue Lagoon. Local beach Frenchman’s Cove was voted one of Conde Nast's five most beautiful beaches, a secluded little cove with soft white sand and tropically blue waters. A freshwater river flows into the beach on one side providing a tranquil little lagoon for those not keen on flinging themselves into rolling waves.

Jamaica provided all I was hoping for from a tropical escape and more. I would not hesitate in recommending a visit. Be sure to drink the locally produced Red Stripe beer and eat some authentic jerk chicken, roadside shack cooking may throw up some health and safety worries, but sometimes you just need to throw caution to the winds and get away from it all...

I am usually quite the workout fanatic, back in the States I would wake up every morning at 6:30am to go to the gym. Since arriving in London, I have slacked off heavily and have been gaining a few pounds here and there. So, when my housemate asked me if I wanted to join her at a Bikram Yoga class, I jumped at the opportunity. Plus, there is a beginner’s deal currently on at HOTBIKRAMYOGA located in Fulham and Balham which is just £15 for 10 consecutive days!

I had participated in yoga before, usually putting on some jogging bottoms and a T-shirt. I knew that wouldn’t be the right attire for a 44°C stale room and I got a bit nervous about what would be appropriate. I ended up wearing a swimsuit top and some leggings, but soon realized I had made the wrong decision. I soon discovered my swimsuit top was not designed to cover someone in the midst of complicated yoga positions. The leggings I wore were ones I use on a daily basis and they were a horribly hot and sticky material. As soon as I got home, I started searching the internet for yoga clothing that would also work for Bikram.

I came across Asquith London, an online yoga and Pilates clothing boutique. They specialize in the finest organic and bamboo clothing, making sure every piece is ethically produced. I called them straight away and spoke with Alice Asquith herself! She was more than willing to help me in my desperation. Not only did she tell me the best types of clothing to buy, she gave me her Top 5 Tips for yoga clothing;

 

 

 

 

 

Top 5 Tips for Yoga Clothing

  • Loose versus fitted- It all has to do with what you prefer. When in a dynamic practice session, it is usually better to wear more fitted clothing (legging, Capri, bootleg) so the fabric is out of the way. In a gentle practice, loose fitting clothing is nice for a bit of relaxation and comfort (foldover or drawstring trousers)

  • Natural Fabrics- Feeling good while practicing yoga is important. If you have a positive outlook of yourself, you will have a positive practice. Asquith’s Certified Organic and bamboo fabrics are not only great for the environment, but they also feel soft and luxurious against the skin.
  • Tops- You want to be comfortable doing stretches and moving into different poses while practicing yoga. Make sure your top is long enough to cover your midriff if this is a problem area!
  • Cover Ups- When going to and from yoga practice, you may want to have a cover up over your yoga clothing (I’ve noticed people in London stare if you’re in gym clothing while in public). Asquith offers super stylish wrap cardigans and funnel neck zip tops.

  • Quality- If you attend yoga practice regularly, you’ll want to have a few outfits. With the sweating that happens in Bikram, you’ll have to wash these clothes constantly. You want clothing that is sustainable, that won’t bobble, fade, or shrink.

Alice explained that because the bamboo plant does not need any fertilizers and is seldom eaten by pests, it is antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-static, making it a great material for  the skin. It is also very breathable and able to change temperatures due to the micro-gaps and micro-holes that are inherent to the bamboo fibre. When it is warm, the material is naturally cool to the touch and vice versa in cooler weather.   Bamboo is a naturally durable material and can also absorb an extraordinary amount of water, which then evaporates quickly. This makes it perfect for the challenging conditions of  Bikram Yoga and I can’t wait to try it out myself!

With these tips in mind, Alice suggested the best pieces to wear for Bikram would be the Bamboo Tie Pants and a Bamboo Strappy Top.

For those of you who want to get your hands on these fabulous items from Asquith London, they are offering Amazing PR readers an exclusive offer! Just go to www.asquithlondon.com, choose your favourite items and make sure to type in AMAZING20 into the promotional code box to receive your 20% discount until May 1st!

www.hotbikramyoga.co.uk

www.asquithlondon.com

BP

Food For Thought

Feeling a bit run down at the moment? Us too, so to ward off our winter sniffles one of the Amazing PR team has been dosing us up with Vital Greens her ‘wonder supplement’. She credits her seemly total immunity to the flu and colds that are floating around at this time of year to Vital Greens, as well as extolling its further virtues in her increased energy levels and generally happy, clappy outlook on life. Bitter? Us? Vital Greens contains 76 all-natural, certified organic ingredients designed to optimise health, energy and vitality. This all-in-one “superfood” claims to work as a “detoxifier, cleanser, energiser, alkaliser, well-being promoter and mental acuity sharpener” – wowzer!

Vital Greens promotes alkalinity which is said to make you feel more “balanced and alive.”. Our Vital Greens fan boasts a very alkaline body state, as she discovered when she got all sciency with a litmus test. This high alkalinity helps to balance us when we don’t get our daily quota of fruit and veg and, though we can’t condone going overboard on the sherries, it is great for balancing the acidic state of a hangover.

Downsides are that it is not exactly delicious, stirred into a mixer of your choice it somewhat resembles pondwater, but we bravely hold our noses and drink it down. And the benefits? Well, we’ve been taking Vital Greens religiously every morning for a week now and have already noticed we are feeling more sprightly and bouncy, even in the afternoon lull when we usually start getting grouchy and craving a sugar hit. Oh, and though we can’t say we actually look forward to taking it, the flavour does become more bearable over time.

And it’s not only humans who can enjoy the benefits of this superfood… a certain spoilt Tibetan spaniel here at the office has also been reaping the benefits of Vital Greens which is added to his food 2-3 times a week.

This plan for healthy living should ideally be supported with lots of healthy and organic food; we’d like our food sans the nasty chemicals please, and we would prefer it didn’t have to take a transatlantic flight to appear on our plates. But like all of us you probably don’t have the time, or powers of organisation, to buy all local, organic and in season – those farmers markets’ hours are not nearly as convenient as the Sainsburys Local.

Well, no need to fret, because the lovely people at Abel and Cole have taken all of the hard work out of it for you. They will deliver the best seasonal and organic food to your door on a weekly basis. Their fruit and veg boxes are perfectly put together to tailor to the size and specifications of your household. Not a fan of beetroot, or have a bit of an orange phobia? (seriously, my boyfriend actually does)...well Able and Cole make sure the offending item never appears in your box and will replace it with something more to your liking. Though it is not just fruit and veg boxes, Able and Cole could take charge of your whole weekly shop should you wish. Offering everything from organic meat, fish and dairy through to soups and prepared meals (calling them a ready meal would be a bit of an insult we feel), kitchen cupboard essentials and even organic wines and ciders.

The thing we love most about Able and Cole, apart from their scrummy food natch, is the complete dedication to their ethos. With strawberries available all year round and ‘new season’ lamb always on our shelves, many people don’t recognise what is in season when. This is a real shame as food eaten in its proper season tastes so much better. Able and Cole do source some of their products from Europe and internationally to fill the gaps when our farmers are between harvests, but they never, ever air freight and their first choice will always be small-scale, specialist, British suppliers. They are dedicated to keeping their packaging to a minimum and experimenting with new, green ways to power their vans. Oh, AND they are passionate about animal welfare, could they get any lovlier?!

This is one health kick we might keep up...

www.vitalgreens.co.uk

www.abelandcole.co.uk

KM & EM-H