Body & Mind

JEWELS, NOT TOOLS

Sarah Hitch, The Sanctuary Beauty Rooms and The Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre

Our hands are precious and powerful. They are in constant use, exposed to extremes, substances, and abrasion, plus we wash them all the time, which strips the skin and nails of their natural oils. They are one of the first things to show wear and then we suddenly realise we have ‘old lady hands’ and it’s too late! Now I’m not for a second telling you not to wash your hands – we still live in tricky times – but I am saying you need to replace moisture lost from washing. Also aim to wash with warm water, not hot, as it dries out your skin and causes polish to soften and lift.

Treat your hands as you treat your face by using any excess product on your quick-to-age paws. Exfoliating your face? Use the rest to scrub away dead skin around your cuticles and on the backs of your hands. Slathering on face cream? Rub the remainder on your mitts, particularly night cream – every little helps.

Invest in a decent quality hand cream and apply twice daily minimum to really make sure your skin is being rehydrated, keeping it plump and supple, frightening those wrinkles away. Avoid creams

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containing lanolin as they will cause nail polish, gel polish and self-tan to lift. Position your hand cream by the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, on your bedside table, next to where you watch television...you get the point. This way you will always remember to apply (and reapply) throughout the day and night.

Gently push back your cuticles to release the edge from your nail plate. A good time to do this is with a soft towel after a bath or shower. Cuticles are there to protect your nail root from infection so be gentle. Hangnails, on the other hand, should be trimmed immediately so you don’t end up snagging them on something (or more realistically, picking at them while you’re bored in a meeting). Tidy these with proper cuticle nippers – don’t tear at them with your teeth. When you’re filing your nails use long and controlled movements and only ever file in one direction. Sawing a file back and forth will split the layers of your nail. This can also send shockwaves through your nail to the nail matrix which can cause ripples and ridges in your nail as it grows. Rub in cuticle oil once a day, preferably one containing jojoba oil as this has properties which most closely match that of our skin’s sebum.

Sporting a fabulous gel polish manicure? DON’T PEEL IT OFF! You are peeling off the top layer of your nail which is why underneath your nails are dry and split. Have them removed professionally or learn how to do it properly at home. If you are painting your own nails at home over the festive season, always start painting your nails using your non-dominant hand first – you have more patience when you start, and you won’t have any wet polish on that hand to smudge. ‘Squeak’ your nails clean with a non-acetone nail polish remover to remove any oils from the nail plate. Choose a nail polish which is non-toxic. Look for 5- Free which means the polish doesn’t contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene or dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and is therefore better for your health. A base coat helps the polish adhere to the nail plate and stops your nails from staining. Two or three thin coats of polish are better than one or two thick coats, allowing 2-3 minutes of drying between each coat. You’ll be more in control and the layers will dry much quicker if you build up the colour. Finish with a glorious shiny topcoat to seal off your manicure making it last longer and really bring out any glitter in the polish. Matte topcoats are available if shiny isn’t your thing.

Re-apply your topcoat after 3 days, it will prolong the wear of your polish by a day or two and refresh them. Your nails are jewels and NOT tools so wherever possible, don’t use your nails to pick, scratch or open cans or work with anything fiddly. Treat them with tender care and use proper tools for the job instead. A little extra care will keep them healthy and presentable.

Wishing everyone a fabulous Christmas! Take time for yourself outside of the merriment and bring on 2023!

thesanctuarysherborne.co.uk margaretbalfour.co.uk

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THE WORRY TIME TECHNIQUE Lucy Lewis, Dorset Mind

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We all worry from time to time. Worrying is a normal part of being human and how we detect and manage perceived danger or stressors. However, worrying becomes an issue when it feels uncontrollable, overwhelming, or excessive.

Excessive worrying can lead to uncomfortable physical symptoms, such as a racing heart, stomach aches, cognitive issues such as being unable to concentrate, and behavioural symptoms such as avoidance.

It is often unwise or extremely difficult to try to cease worrying entirely. Trying not to think of something can often be counter-intuitive and make us worry about it more later. Therefore, the worry time technique encourages effective scheduling of worrying, rather than avoidance.

STEP ONE – Design your worry time routine •Plan to have your worry time at a similar time each day. Our brains thrive on routine, and keeping things consistent will allow you to get used to only worrying during your planned timeframe. •Pick a time later in the day, without being too close to bedtime. Choosing a time later in the day will provide more time for the worries to accumulate, but waiting until before bed can make it difficult to fall asleep. •Decide how long you will worry (between 15 and 30 minutes) and plan either an enjoyable, mindful or relaxing activity to do straight after it finishes. This will help you to transition and decompress from your worried headspace. •Choose somewhere not too comfortable to have your worry time, such as sitting at your kitchen table. This can help you avoid staying in your worry time for too long.

STEP TWO – Postpone your worry •When a worry occurs, write it down. We often ruminate and think about a concern over and over as we worry we might forget it, so writing it down removes the need for mental rehearsal. •Tell yourself that you have written it down, allocated time to consider the worry and that you will deal with it then. You may have to remind yourself of this repeatedly if your mind keeps going back to the worry.

Stay consistent. Over time it will get easier to wait until worry time as your mind gets used to the routine. •Once the worry is written down and you have reassured yourself, distract yourself. Be mindful and fully present in whatever you are doing. Look up

STEP THREE – Worry time •If you feel anxiety symptoms, such as a racing heart, stomach ache etc. do some deep breathing or a relaxation technique •Work through each worry in turn, by asking yourself: 1. Is this still a concern? (If you are no longer worried about it, cross it off.) 2. Do I have any control over this worry? If you do, make a plan. The plan does not have to completely resolve the problem, it just has to include achievable steps that you can take towards improving the problem. If you do not have any control over the problem, consider: A. Is the problem likely to happen, and if so, is it likely to happen soon? B. Can I survive it if it does? 3. Whether you have control or not, consider whether the problem will have any lasting effect on your life 5 years from now.

When your allocated worry time is over, praise yourself for effective coping and move on to a fun or relaxing activity.

If you would like to learn more about worry and services that can help, visit dorsetmind.uk. If you are struggling to cope with your mental health in general, please talk to your GP.

If you’re in a crisis, treat it as an emergency – call 999 immediately or The Samaritans, FREE on 116 123. NHS Dorset’s Helpline ‘Connection’ can be reached on 0800 652 0190. It’s also available 24/7.

Worried about your or your child’s emotional wellbeing?

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Dr Sarah Temple

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CHRISTMAS FITNESS

Craig Hardaker BSc (Hons), Communifit

Image: Dave Bendell

Festive greetings to you all! All of our team would like to send you our warmest wishes this Christmas. It has been another hugely successful year for all involved with Communifit. None of this would have been possible without your love and support. Thank you for reading our articles, attending our classes and supporting our events. Last month we raised a whopping £548 for Yeovil Freewheelers from our charity 5k/10k fun run. The Freewheelers are a charity organisation who provide a critical, free service to the NHS delivering blood, medication, scans and many other important products across South Somerset. As with all our other charities, we are delighted to be able to help such a worthy cause. This month sees our next run raise vital funds for Sherborne Food Bank. Again we are pleased, indeed proud, to be able to help. We would love to see you participating in our next 5K/10k, providing valuable support for the Food Bank. If you don’t want to run, we are always on the look out for marshals!

December is a busy month for us all and regular routines can go out of the window. There is lots to do with so little time. Unfortunately, this can adversely affect our exercise routine. This tends to be in complete contrast to January when we tend to punish our bodies with vigorous exercise programmes and perhaps unrealistic nutrition programmes after an enjoyable Christmas period. Avoid any feeling of guilt or discomfort by starting a pre-Christmas routine!

There is lots we can do to narrow the need for a punishing January without being a scrooge during the festive season – here is how!

Drink lots of water Water will fill you up so you are less likely to eat as much! Eating fewer calories in December will result in less to burn off in January. With all the rushing around and increased social (and perhaps alcohol and chocolate-filled!) activities, we tend to drink less water in December than during any other month. Be wary of this and stay fully hydrated.

Higher intensity workouts If you are struggling to fit in your standard one-hour exercise routine, why not shorten the duration of time given up to exercise and increase the intensity? This is a popular training alternative for anyone who has little time yet is wanting to build strength, burn fat and relieve stress. Perfect training for the Christmas period! However, this method isn’t suitable for everyone – feel free to contact us if you have any doubts

Sense of routine With most routines going out the window in December, why not commit to thirty minutes of exercise each and every day? Being able to de-stress during what can be a busy and sometimes chaotic month can also be important for your mental wellbeing, so ring-fence time for yourself in order to help you focus, and de-clutter, in turn helping ensure you have a more enjoyable month.

With this being said, Christmas is nevertheless the month to celebrate with your loved ones. So please do eat, drink and enjoy your Christmas and New Year celebrations – we can’t wait to help you achieve your health and fitness objectives in 2023.

Wishing everyone the most wonderful Christmas and all the best for the new year.