Wave: health & beauty news & reviews
Pilates: The Core Workout
Renowned Pilates instructor Lynne Robinson launches her new fitness DVD, Pilates: The Core Workout, on Boxing Day (just when we’re eating leftover turkey and Christmas pud). Once all the food and wine has gone, however, this DVD is the perfect kick-start to an energetic and healthy 2012.Pilates DVDs can be hard to follow, as there is no instructor with you in person to make sure you are in the proper start position with the core engaged. Beginners will find it harder to follow a DVD but there are workouts designed for those new to Pilates on this DVD. Lynne makes us aware of our posture and breathing and explains things clearly, making this an effective and fun workout DVD. The Ab Blaster section is quite tough so build up to it gradually. No pain, no gain, right?
Available from www.amazon.co.uk and www.bodycontrol.co.uk£14.99.
Vitamin boost 
Over Christmas we can struggle to get our five-a-day of fruit and veg (strawberry liqueur doesn’t count!). To keep in tip-top health over the festive season and new year, try new Green and Fruiti capsules. These aren’t designed to replace fruit and veg in your diet but simply to complement them, providing two of your five a day. Packed with 11 fruit and 11 vegetables including grapefruit, papaya and asparagus, it has all the vitamins you need to stay healthy at Christmas. £19.96 for 60 capsules, www.greenandfruiti.com
New Year Bootcamp 
Attention! Places are booking fast for Christian Vila’s Kettlebells Bootcamp (14 January–11 February 2012). If you’re not looking forward to squeezing into your favourite pair of jeans post Christmas, or you know you will be feeling lethargic once the New Year celebrations have died down, attend Christian’s Brighton bootcamp to lose weight (he guarantees it, or your money back!). A diet plan which is a great January detox is part of the bootcamp.
Places are £95. Enrol now at www.kettlebellsbootcamp.co.uk or call 07876 558 850.
Juna Drinks launch in Brighton 
Lulo, Guanábana and Mora are set to be the new must-try fruit drink flavours of 2012 – offering a taste of the South American Andes – and they are hitting Brighton first! Bringing the taste of Colombia to our city, Juna fruit drinks also make a positive impact on the communities growing the fruits for its products, opening new markets for small farmers and their families in Colombia. 5p from every bottle sold goes towards the Juna Project, designed to strengthen fruit grower associations in remote areas of the country. Available in 250ml recyclable PET bottles with biodegradable labels, Juna drinks are 100 per cent natural and do not contain any artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. www.junafruits.com
www.facebook.com/junafruits
Find Juna drinks at Taj Natural Foods and Infinity Foods, Brighton, £2.10.
The Sweetest Thing
Superfoods™’ Steviana – a calorie free, all natural alternative to sugar – has just launched in the UK. It’s derived from the stevia plant – a small shrub grown largely in Argentina and Paraguay, that has been used for centuries by the indigenous population to sweeten their food and drink. With the Department of Health revealing that over 60 per cent of adults and almost 30 per cent of children are overweight or obese in the UK, seek out Steviana if you can’t resist a sweet side to your cuppa. Available at www.nutricentre.com and independent health food stores, £6.99 for 100 tabs.
The cleanest and greenest 
Simply Soaps beat some stiff competition to be crowned winners for ‘Best Natural Candles’ in the Janey Loves 2011 Platinum Awards. Simply Soaps was set up by two brothers with funding from The Prince’s Trust in 1997. Simply Soaps test their products on people, not animals, and their electricity is from green powered energy too. Now with a diverse range of creams, soaps, candles and gift sets, there is something for everyone, even if you have eczema and sensitive skin.
www.simplysoaps.com
Quit the habit 
New Skycig electronic cigarettes are odourless, tar and tobacco-free, and can help you give up the smoking habit for good in the new year. According to Cancer Research, nearly two-thirds of smokers in Britain want to give up. Skycigs are a healthier alternative to smoking as they don’t produce second-hand smoke, nor do they contain the high levels of nicotine found in ordinary cigarettes! They also cost 75 per cent less than tobacco cigarettes per year! How they work: Skycig are battery powered and provide smokers with inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vapourised liquid nicotine solution. The sensation is similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke – but no tobacco, smoke or combustion is actually involved.
www.skycig.co.uk
Beauty Detox 
Add these items to your New Year wish list for the ultimate detox (for your hair and skin): Fudge Detox – cleanses hair to remove build-up and leave it squeaky clean.?It’s nourishing and smells gorgeous too. (£9.95 – available from salons nationwide);
Gadi 21 Minerals Purifying Dead Sea Mud Mask – made with nourishing Dead Sea mud and minerals this mask deeply cleanses skin, leaving it extremely soft and looking fresh-faced. It also aids skin cell regeneration, making it a must-have indulgent treat all year round. (£50, available from House of Fraser stores nationwide). 
