ALL ABOUT YOU

ESPA at Mondrian Doha has you covered with these lifestyle tips to offer you the ultimate wellness experience.

SLEEP & RELAXATION
Lights out
That’s all lights – not just the conventional ones. Blue light stress is the name given to the way those little halos of light that emanate from computers, tablets and, of course, phones can diminish sleep quality, and even wake you up. For deeper, uninterrupted sleep, remove as many digital devices from the bedroom as you can. If you want to go for the full black out, why not try an old-fashioned lights-free alarm clock?

Eat to sleep
It’s widely known that a heavy evening meal, eaten late, affects sleep quality. There are however some foods that will help your body relax and get the best possible night’s sleep. Magnesium-rich foods in your evening meal such as dark leafy vegetables, raw nuts, seeds, pulses, seafood, avocado or dark chocolate will act on your nervous system to help switch it from active mode to rest and digest.


ANXIETY & ENERGY
High hopes
Dopamine is a chemical produced by the brain that reduces anxiety and enhances feelings of pleasure, focus and calm. To optimise this natural high, put apples, watermelons, almonds, natural yogurt, beans, eggs and meat at the top of your shopping list and watch out for excess sugar, caffeine and stress, all of which can suppress dopamine production.

Stand tall
Posture has a powerful effect on both mood and energy. Slouching cuts off the flow of energy and makes breathing less effective. If you stand up straight, draw your shoulders back and breathe in deeply, you’ll feel the benefits both to your mood and your energy levels.

2-Minute yoga
This is the very best reboot tip. Simply take a tennis ball, and then against a wall roll it up your spine, from between your shoulders to that little indentation at the base of your skull. Then roll it from side to side along the base of the skull.
It’s called the occipital ridge and is full of acupressure points, which may be why it releases so much stress and pressure.

DIET
Sweet like sugar
When it comes to a steady flow of energy, sugar is one to put on the watch list. Keeping sugar intake low and looking for alternatives wherever possible helps sustain stamina, supports concentration and allays mood swings. Wheat flour is also a surprising energy-sapper so try to minimise the amount of bread, crackers, pastries, cakes and biscuits you eat.

Fats are good
Well, some fats. A diet rich in healthy fats, (along with high fibre foods and complex carbs) will help you avoid energy peaks and troughs – which also makes it easier to control your weight. Healthy fats include: extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed butter/ghee, avocados, coconut (oil, flesh, milk), whole nuts and seeds and sugar-free nut butters.

See a rainbow
Essential to equilibrium is the right balance of nutrients in your diet. Luckily nature has given us a handy colour-coding system – eat a rainbow at every meal and you’re

well on your way. Here’s the science bit: white foods (such as onions, leeks, garlic) boost the immune system, dark blue, purple, red and orange foods (think berries, tomatoes, beetroot, sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash) are packed with antioxidants. And we all know how good dark green leafy veg is for everybody – packed with fibre, nutrients and antioxidants.

Eat your greens
That childhood advice is some of the best we’ll ever receive. The liver processes nasties into waste and greens are a key supporter of liver function. Dark green leafy veg and herbs – think kale, cabbage, spinach, brussels sprouts, watercress, rocket, parsley, coriander and basil all do the job. Support them with nuts, seeds, and lean, high protein foods such as eggs, organic poultry, fish and seafood.

Magic magnesium
Friend of the liver, Magnesium is known as the master mineral as it facilitates over 300 reactions in the body, many of them in the liver. A balanced diet should feature Magnesium in every meal; try foods including dark chocolate, dark green leafy veg, nuts, seeds, pulses (such as lentils and chickpeas), avocado and seafood.

MIND FULL OR MINDFUL
Mindfulness is a global, billion-dollar business and the biggest story in health and wellness for decades. With good reason. Mindfulness is, quite simply, living in the present. Being in the here and now, focused only on what can be changed today. It’s a state of mind that grounds us, making us more productive and helping to restore mental and physical equilibrium.

BALANCE
Take five
Take a cue from ESPA’s Restorative range and steal yourself a little time out. Whether you just step away from the fray for a quick cup of tea or make mealtimes sacrosanct – sitting down, away from screens to eat slowly, chewing often – take as many time outs as you can.

And breathe
It’s easy to forget to breathe properly but deep breathing helps calm and relax like little else. Here’s a simple way to get the oxygen (and nutrients that make skin look healthier and brighter) flowing around the body. Exhale – completely, through your mouth (make a whoosh sound). Inhale – with your mouth closed, through your nose for a count of four. Hold your breath – count to seven. Exhale – (whooshing) to a count of eight. Repeat five times.

DETOX
Brush off
Ask ESPA Experts the single ritual they’d never skip and it’s always body brushing. Quick and easy, all you need is a firm brush (ESPA’s brush uses brisk cactus bristles) and just 30 seconds before you get in the shower or bath. Always use a dry brush and make short, sharp strokes towards the heart. Brushing sweeps away any dull skin cells to reveal the fresher, brighter skin beneath, and stimulates circulation too.

Just add salts
One of the expert’s top tips for maximising the benefits of any essential oil, especially when detoxing, is to add Epsom salts to your bath water. Not only does it help soften skin, and have proven healing powers, but the minerals draw the oils (and their benefits) even deeper into skin for optimal results.


ESPA Doha is open for delivery of products. For more information, please call 4045 5550.
@espa_doha / @mondrian_doha
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