Pre Holiday Tips

Every year I get super stressed before I take my spa holiday. The run up to the date of travel is horrendous with self imposed personal deadlines adding to the obligatory work deadlines. This year I decided to do it differently and force myself not to get into a frenzy .
For those who haven’t yet gone away here are some tips to take away the stress of travel and burnout before you go:

• Do NOT try and leave your home spotless before you go (many of us have inherited this from our mothers). Yes it’s nice to come back to a clean place but it doesn’t need to look like a show home!

• Ditto with the laundry – just launder all the clothes you want to take on holiday

• The day before you travel try and eat your evening meal by 7pm and make it low in carbs. This allows your digestive system to work before bedtime giving you a better night’s sleep. There is nothing worse than feeling exhausted before you get on the plane.

• Cut down on stimulants and drink plenty of water a few days before travelling. This helps with jet lag and also reduces water retention. Even on some short flights you can feel sluggish and look puffy and bloated when you arrive (not a great beach look!)
  

• If your flight is not too early, try and do some stretching before you go to the airport so your body doesn’t feel knotted and tight during the flight

• I always travel with my holistic silk massaging slippers and lavender eye mask (even for short haul flights). The slippers are great for flights as they have magnetic insoles that help with circulation and massage your feet. www.holisticsilk.com

For more advice before you take your luxury spa holiday visit our website!

Happy travelling!
Stella

MEDITATION Comes Out of the Closet

Excuse the pun, but I have had meditation on my mind for quite a while now. As someone who used to meditate at least once a day over 10 years ago, I don’t need convincing about the benefits. So why did I stop? You know how it goes...I convinced myself that I was so busy that I couldn’t find 15 minutes a day to practice something that would help me stay healthy, calm and focused and actually be more productive!

I tried to convince the sceptics around me of the proven benefits, flattening the 60’s image of bearded Indian gurus, mung beans and middle aged hippies sitting cross legged in circles chanting and smoking joints. What a difference 10 years can make in perception and image! It seems that the media machine is working hard as journalists cover the topic in broadsheets and glossy magazines to push meditation into today’s sober baby boomer consciousness. You know why? There are more and more stories being shared by high-powered, top of the power chain execs that meditate as part of their success regimen. Even the medical profession has reached a state of consciousness as the NHS now prescribe meditation to help treat depression, high blood pressure and even diabetes. Scientific research conducted at Harvard and the University of Massachusetts is routinely quoted to prove that this is not some far out practice only for disciples of the Beatles sojourn to India a few decades ago.

So I feel like the universe is telling me to pick up where I left off. I recently discovered www.getsomeheadspace.com which is a good introduction to meditation that you can do online. If like me, you want to a face to face session to start or kick start, check out www.londonmeditationcentre.co.uk.

Here at Wellbeing Escapes are working on a range of meditation holidays, so focus and watch this space.

Stella