I’m always excited when I am planning the next issue of Aesthetics & Beauty Guide. Apart from the deluge of pampering treatments to look forward to, it is also extremely gratifying to conjure a rocking editorial list that will give my readers insight into the latest treatments and products available that can make them feel and look better.
After scouring the Internet, online beauty forums and blogs, and speaking to people, here’s a sneak peek into what you can expect from ABG 2012:
- Sexy treatments to add some sizzle back into your schizzle
- The latest anti-aging treatments at top spas
- Age Management aka how to age younger feature
- Everything you wanted to know about breast augmentation
- The truth about cosmetic surgery abroad
- The most powerful treatment for pigmentation
- And, last but not least, we have a secret celebrity gracing our cover and sharing her beauty tips
All you need to start 2012 looking your best and more!
However, if you can’t wait, you can still grab a copy of our July’s issue at news-stands…
I’ve always wanted to go on a detox retreat. Why? I’m not exactly sure as I am already eating well and exercising regularly. Maybe being on a detox retreat kinda fulfills my superstar fantasy where personal chefs prepare healthy, wholesome meals for me daily, and I get 1-on-1 yoga classes with instructors giving me personalised attention and coaxing my limbs into submission. *daydreaming*
Mucky goodness
Anyhoo, I will be headed to The Farm in the Philippines in two weeks where I will be doing my first colonic cleansing! Can’t wait to get my ass there (no pun intended!) and intrigued about what will come out of me. Besides getting my pipes cleaned, I will also be pampering myself with a plethora of healing and beautifying treatments at this gorgeous retreat. The Farm offers Prevention and Recovery Retreat programmes that focus on medically guided detoxification as a way to jump start the body cleansing process. Psycho-emotional detoxification is an integral part of this cleansing programme – as they say, if your tummy is not right, your thoughts will be clouded too. For those with more serious health conditions, The Farm medical staff will design a Recovery Retreat programme with their licensed medical doctors tailored to your individual specific health needs.
Planning the new issue of Aesthetics & Beauty Guide (ABG) is always a fun process – I think about all the treatments I want to get, and contact the relevant places for it. Well…that’s part of the process, it’s actually a lot of work as I have to research online and in forums to find out what is new and relevant, then develop topics to cover those themes.
Working for a bi-annual magazine also makes me think way ahead, and considering that July is already mid-year, I’m sure many of you are tired from work and in need of a break. That’s why I decided to make ABG July a wellness issue, covering pampering treatments at spas as well as the latest rejuvenating treatments to revive tired miens. Everybody say ahhhh….
The latest trend now is also about treatments with little or no downtime. With technology advancing at a rapid speed, more super machines are being developed that promises to erase all your problems with no interruption to your hectic social life. Who can afford to stay home for a week these days to recuperate from treatments? We want to zip into the clinic and out to our limousine ready to be whisked to our next soiree!
ABG is still first and foremost an educational guide to the complicated world of laser machines and aesthetic treatments, and with July’s issue, readers can once again look forward to our in-depth treatment reviews and further explanations of even more industry jargon. Fun, fun, fun!
Chronic fatigue, stress and allergies, these are all the by-products of a hectic city life. In recent years, medical experts have begun to understand the seemingly intangible relationship between physical, mental and emotional health. “Good health is more than a disease-free body. Good health is a stress-free frame of mind and vibrant energy,” says Dr Richard Anderson, creator of the Arise & Shine fasting programme and supplements at Atsumi Healing Center – a fasting and detoxing retreat in Phuket.
Dr Anderson’s program aims to elevate practitioners towards greater health, vitality and energy. It is much more than a colon cleanse. It is a complete intestinal cleanse and you will clean your entire alimentary canal from your tongue to your stomach and all the way down to your colon. In addition, however, as you begin to cleanse your digestive system (the hub of your body that every cell and organ depends upon) other parts of your body will respond as well. With this programme, you will not only rid yourself of toxic waste, you will also release disease-causing toxic emotions. In a very real sense, it’s as if the emotions are stored with the toxic waste and as one is purged so is the other. A total sense of well-being can be created from having a healthy body and a healthy mind.
Fasting is nature’s way of curing disease and one of the quickest ways of encouraging the body to rid itself of toxins,restore health and prolong life and vitality. Fasting allows the body to stop processing all the junk that’s put in it, to stop using energy to run the digestive and eliminatory systems, allowing an excess of natural energy that can then be devoted to cleansing, purifying and repairing all of the bodily systems. Through detoxification, the body’s amazing power to heal itself will be revealed, leaving you in tune with your own physical state, and reaching ever towards the pure perfection of health that we were all born with, and to which Mother Nature constantly guides us. Yoga, exercise and massage speed up this process by stimulating the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid.
My sister and I are heading there in February next year to escape the Chinese New Year chaos and noise. Four days of no coffee…oh no.
For more information onAtsumi Healing Retreat, check out its video here:
With the F1 season upon us and the endless parties this weekend, here are eight tips to ensure that you are the belle of the ball:
1. Eat to power up
Have a healthy breakfast full of body-beneficial foods – eat a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries or strawberries with a sprinkling of cinnamon. Oatmeal is packed with protein, B vitamins, minerals and fiber. Berries are high in vitamin and fiber content, and is an excellent source of antioxidants that protect our bodies from the stress of daily living.
2. Pop a pill or two
Beat fatigue by taking B vitamins which are important for our energy levels and our ability to handle stress. Consider a fish oil, flaxseed or evening primrose oil supplement for omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to boost our body system.
3. Warm up, charge up
Wake up your body with some slow and relaxing stretches. Do the cat stretch which is great for releasing tension and stretching the spine. First, get down on all fours, as you inhale, let your entire body relax, looking up, exhale and draw belly button towards your back, arching it and looking down. Focus on really rounding the spine as you draw your belly button towards your back. This helps to bring circulation and energy to the nervous system. Repeat five times.
4. Refresh in the shower
Rejuvenate your mood further with a fragrant bath using invigorating scents like camphor, citrus, cinnamon, lemon, peppermint and rosemary.
5. Eating for energy
Decrease your intake of white flour and sugar, processed foods, red meat and fatty foods as they make you sluggish. Increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, soy products, cold-water fish like salmon and tuna or lean protein like skinless chicken and turkey. These power foods contain premiere sources of vitamins and valuable minerals like calcium, iron, selenium and zinc – essential for building bones, maintaining nerve function, as well as for fighting cancer, forming blood cells and keeping immune systems robust. Guzzle at least two litres of water throughout the day as it helps carry nutrients and oxygen to cells, and remove toxins and other wastes.
6. Meditate to recharge
Quiet time can be restorative. Find a secluded corner in the house and give yourself 15 minutes to refresh with simple meditation. Sit comfortably with your back straight, close your eyes and attempt to clear your mind by focusing on your breaths. Inhale and exhale deeply and if your mind wanders just bring your focus back to your breathing.
7. Get moving
If meditation is not your thing, head to the gym for some cardio and body boosting workouts. If you have not exercised in a while, start slow with yoga or Pilates classes which rejuvenate dormant muscles. Get lively with some tunes. Research has shown that music can increase energy, so put on your iPod filled with your favourite tunes and move! Add stretching to your daily routine as it increases well-being and fights fatigue.
8. Look like brand-new
It’s time to get ready for the F1 parties. Unfortunately, you’re looking more “criminal mugshot” than “dewy beauty”. Not to worry, help is at hand. All you need to look brand-new are a few key products. First, refresh skin with a face mist containing soothing ingredients like chamomile or lavender. For a quick touch up, use a pressed powder with oil-control and highlight eyes or cheeks with shimmery colours to add radiance to tired looking skin. Lastly, keep puckers lustrous and in top form with tinted lip balm. Stimulate your tired mind by burning a few drops of essential oils, while you touch up your make-up. Close your eyes and inhale the zesty fragrance for an energy boost!
Surprising ways to get healthier, calmer, stronger & happier:
1. Follow the two-bites principle – Have two bites of anything you want that’s unhealthy and pass it on. Those first nibbles have the most flavour and give you the most pleasure – you’ll often find they’re enough to satisfy a craving.
2. Breathe right – Take five minutes to energise yourself with this simple aroma-therapeutic breathing technique. Hold your favourite tea bag (dry, not brewed) near your nose (try cinnamon, apple spice, ginger or peppermint), then inhale through your nose for a count of four, holding your breath for eight, and finally exhaling for a count of four. Repeat 10 times and you’ll feel instantly more revved.
3. Rearrange your desk – It will save you time and will establish a visual path for the workflow through your office. Create three areas: “In, In-process and Out”. The In area should be at the corner of your desk closest to the door and should contain only things that are brand-new. Once you’ve started work on something, it goes into the In Process area (the largest in the system) which should be within arm’s reach. The farthest end of your desk is the Out area, this includes letters and packages to mail or hand in. Taking just half an hour to create this simple system will help you stay calm and controlled.
4. Schedule a fitness wake up call – Make a pact with a friend to phone each other for your morning workouts. It may just be the extra push you need to get out of bed and into your workout clothes. Use the same tactic to lure your workaholic friend out of the office and into your favourite Spinning class.
5. Visualise success – Before, say giving a presentation, take three minutes to visualize things turning out wonderful. A calm feeling will come over you that prepares and sets your body in the right tone.
6. Declare an email-free zone for an hour – For many businesspeople, email has become a terrible addiction that interrupts their thinking and their ability to concentrate. If, instead you spend the first hour of your day doing your most critical task, you will feel a sense of accomplishment.
7. Select a stretch of the day – Write the stretch on a Post-it note and place it on your keyboard, then do the stretch for 20-30 seconds (no bouncing) everytime you think of it (aim for two or three times a day). Stretch these five areas to get your through your first workweek: wrists, neck, shoulders, calves, back.
8. B energised – Supplement with a B-vitamin complex formula that includes B6, especially when you are on oral contraceptives which interfere with the absorption of B vitamins, which may make you feel sluggish, depressed or tired.
9. Follow the 10 per cent per week rule – Working out at too intense a pace for too long increases your chance of injury, and wreck havoc on your digestive system, causing constipation, diarrhoea or even vomiting. Aim to keep your workout time and resistance by no more than 10 per cent per week.
10. Stop a snack attack – Eliminate a taste trigger to a snack you can’t stop nibbling by eating something that is the exact opposite. For instance, if you are craving something sweet, sip something tart such as water with lemon in it. When chips or nuts are tempting, reach for an apple or a piece of cheddar to counter the salty, crunchy taste trigger.
One piece of advice experts love to give to anyone contemplating a major life change is: “Take baby steps”. By focusing instead on meeting one simple goal at a time, you might find that you have dropped a size, deepened your relationships, improved your 5km time – or that you simply smiled more often.
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