For mothers and other tired people…
You’ll remember how scared I was about losing my life, my body and my business when I had a baby. And whilst I gained and lost on that front in various measures, one thing I never even considered, but I definitely lost, was my glow. Whilst the concept of ‘glow’ might sound completely frivolous and shallow, for me whether or not I have a glow says a lot about how I’m feeling, how much rest I’m getting and how (generally) healthy I am. Late nights, dehydration and a general lack of knowing what each day will bring has led to the ebbing away of any sort of glow that I might have had. Thanks Frankie! And that so called pregnancy glow? I honestly felt like it’s something the world has made up to make pregnant women feel better, because let’s be honest, pregnancy is pretty hard, in both a mental and a physical sense. Regardless of whether or not you have a baby to blame it on, chances are you might be feeling a little less glowy than in times past – maybe you’re tried, stressed or working too much. I’m guessing your glow is on empty. So I wanted to chat about that! I’ve recently created a bit of a routine and protocol for getting my glow back – call it self care (if you must), call it whatever you want really. It’s a a holistic look at how we treat ourselves… Because if you’re glowing, chances are you’re looking after yourself.
Look after your gut Glow comes from the gut. I’m sure you’ve heard enough about the micro biome, but it’s true! And it’s easy to forget about. Two things make a difference for your gut, and they are probiotics and prebiotics (aka fibre). So, to try to get my glow back I’m focusing on getting enough of both of these things – firstly trying to get at least 30 grams of fibre a day (in the form of more fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds). And secondly also remembering to take my probiotics – I always have them but sometimes I forget to take them! I love this powder too.
Walk Everyday I honestly can’t over emphasise how much walking every single day has helped me, both in my pregnancy and post partum life, and also just in general. In my first trimester I was lucky because I hiked everyday with friends (who didn’t know I was pregnant so there was no excuse) and I kept this up throughout, obviously moderating the difficulty level as I got further along. By the third trimester the only thing that has made me feel somewhat human is walking! After Frankie was born walking was the perfect way to gently get back into fitness. These days I’m trying to add back in harder hikes, and also try to get more incidental walking, so avoiding taking Ubers or escalators.
Sleep For pregnant women and new mothers out there, baby brain is really just sleep deprivation (IMHO), and there is no silver bullet for that other than sleeping (here are a few things I learnt about baby sleep). And for everyone else, the same applies. These days I often find myself slipping into later nights, just out of wanting to watch things on tv or read my book. Instead of getting 8 hours I often find myself only getting six, and when you add to that 3am wake up calls because of baby nightmares, it’s definitely burning the candle at both ends. These days I’m trying to be in bed by 9.30, like out by 10pm.
Balance Your Croissants with A Green Smoothie Ok so when you’re feeling tired, run down, hung over or pregnant you really only want to eat deliciously naughty stuff. What better way to start feeling better than a few pain au chocolate? These days, I don’t deprive myself (life is worth living right) but I do try to balance it out with something healthy too!
Drink 3 L of Water Yep, you’re going to need to pee. But that’s just life. More is more in the water department.
Glow-y Beauty Products Ok so now we come to the faking it portion of the evening… Glow-y beauty. Because, luckily there are ways to fake that glow if you’re feeling exhausted. My favourites? Adding some illuminator to your foundation, and then topping it off with a little bit of highlighter – this one and this one are faves. And that goes for when you’re pregnant too! Honestly, whenever someone said that I had any sort of pregnancy glow (clearly they were looking at my face and not my puffy ankles) I had to be honest and say ‘it’s the highlighter!’, because it really was. During pregnancy I embraced really hydrating and nourishing beauty products (read more about that here) along with bronzers and highlighters that add light back into my face when I’d rather be facedown on the bed. These are getting even more of a workout since I’ve been a mother!
shop the glow
In case you need a little illustrated motivation, here’s our (now very widely shared) healthy habits countdown!
