lifestyle design Archives | Rachael Phillips

Why you need Apple Cider Vinegar in your life!

Let me tell you about the first time that I tried ingesting Apple Cider Vinegar. I’d read all about it’s health benefits, what it was good for and how it would improve my life. So I decided to add it to my regime. I added my tablespoon of ACV to my glass of water and down the hatch it went. Except, I made the big mistake adding it to sparkling not still, so it was like drinking a pint of cider at 7.30am in the morning, not good. Of course, I like to think I learn from my mistakes so from now on, it’s still only!

Anyway, Apple Cider Vinegar and why you need it in your life.

I’m not going to bore you with a million details, just 4 GOOD reasons you need it in your life.

It can help you lose weight. It can help a few ways. First of all, acids help with the digestion of protein, the building blocks for some of our hormones, especially growth hormone.

Secondly, ACV contains pectin and pectin is what helps us feel fuller for longer. So 1 to 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar + 1 glass of water. Drink before meals 3 times a day.

Mix with water for a non-toxic, all purpose cleaner. Yep, time to put down that flash spray and mix one part acv with one part water for a cleaner that is a brilliant alternative to all those harsh chemicals in well known brands.

Get rid of skin tags or warts. Douse a cotton wool ball in apple cider vinegar and attach to the area, leave overnight and you’ll see a reduction. It may need a couple of “treatments” but you’ll soon find they disappear.

It can clear your sinuses. With winter setting in and colds starting to come out in force then you’ll need all the help you can get if you’re planning on avoiding the snuffles. So to breathe easier sip on water and acv throughout the day. It’ll stop bacteria growing in your sinuses and because it has a high potassium content, it’ll help easy the mucus (sorry) that’s in your nose.

Which Apple Cider Vinegar should you use?

To make sure that you get the full benefits, you need to buy raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, preferably organic. The raw and unfiltered ACV contains the mother, a natural sediment with pectin, trace minerals, beneficial bacteria and enzymes, which will make it appear cloudy, not clear.

I buy Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar which varies from £4.99 to £5.50 a bottle on amazon and you should be able to find a good, raw one in your local health food shop.

I’ll be doing another post on Apple Cider Vinegar soon because seriously, the benefits are vast so I could write a whole book on it! Tell me, do you use Apple Cider Vinegar? And what for?

Health benefits of the top 10 essential oils

As you may have noticed via instagram, I’m starting to work with essential oils. I’ll be hosting some workshops on the run up to christmas so be sure to sign up to my newsletter for details.

So what are essential oils? Well, they are organic compounds that are extracted from the plants. They have so many uses, from relaxation to healing and can replace most modern medicine, especially when it comes to things like colds & flu, sore muscles, skin conditions and digestion problems.

But it’s SO important that you buy certified, pure therapeutic grade oils to see the true benefits. Not all essential oils are created equally. In fact, most of them are pointless and often synthetic. If you want to order or find out more about the brand I trust and personally use, email oils@rachaelphillips.me.

To get ONE 15ml bottle of lemon essential oils, it actually takes 45 lemons.

Since every essential oil has unique and healing benefits, I thought I’d run though 10 of the most popular essential oils and just some of the ways you can use them…

Ginger will improve your digestion, reduce inflammation and relieve nausea.

Sandalwood which is my absolute favourite, as I tell Tanya of Tanya’s Healthy Living, it just smells so grown up and will improve energy.

Lemon is one of the most popular essential oils, I’m not ashamed to say that I add a drop or two to my G&T’s (again, if you want to ingest essential oils they HAVE to be 100% therapeutic grade). But lemon doesn’t just taste amazing it also improves lymph drainage and cleanses the body. It’s a great oil to diffuse too if you want to get energised. Also, use lemon to replace many of your household cleaners – better for the environment and better for your health. Continue reading “Health benefits of the top 10 essential oils”

Why I include oils in my beauty regime

I’m going to be blogging a bit more about essential oils in the next few weeks/months (including running some online workshops on how to use essential oils, if you’re interested, sign up to my newsletter for details)

beauty,vintagead,1957,palmolive,seattletimes,soap-45cffee1139375d9e01d271e6bb58e5f_h-1 — *I love vintage beauty ads! Like this one from Palmolive in 1957*

But I just wanted to do a quick post on why I use oils when it comes to looking after my skin.

First of all, oil is a simple, clean ingredient and much like what we eat, the less processed our beauty products are, the better they are for us. My top tip is that if you see the word “fragranced” or “perfumed” then it’s been tinkered with. Stick to organic, cold pressed oils for the best results.

Secondly, and this is the most important of all, because so many people think that by using oils they’re going to have greasy skin – just like fat doesn’t make us fat, oil does not make us oily. Fact.

Continue reading “Why I include oils in my beauty regime”

Are you a scanner? And how to cope if you are.

Here’s a post originally published in 2014 but I think that some people may find it a help…

So here’s a question for you, have you heard of the term “scanner” when it comes to describing someone’s personality?

No? But I’m sure that you’ve heard the variants such as multi-passionate and multi-potential which have become somewhat buzz words of late.

But the term scanner was coined by Barbara Sher who describes this personality type as:

“People who love to read and write, to fix and invent things, to design projects and businesses, to cook and sing, and to create the perfect dinner party. (You’ll notice I didn’t use the word “or,” because Scanners don’t love to do one thing or the other; they love them all.)”

Well, this is me down to a tee. I’m constantly digging, scheming and dreaming. I’ve known about this term for quite a while and you know what? I’ve learned to embraced it.

And I’m not alone!

I’ve had quite a few ~~careers~~ jobs in my young(isn) life (call centre agent, sales, talent agent, event planner, public relations, small business owner, journalist etc) AND alongside a vast range of interests and willingness to try new things has meant that I’ve often been branded unfocussed and scatty…

But as the New York based author says: “A scanner is GENETICALLY wired to be fanatically interested in multiple things at once.”

You hear that? It’s genetically wired.

But scanners have a major problem. We become bored and go off on tangents and we think it’s bad that we keep quitting things and moving on. Something which Sher thinks we should stop feeling bad about and instead start having fun with. We also tend to doubt ourselves because we fail to decide on just one career path which then leads to worrying that we could be getting it wrong which then leads to the frantic need to focus.

But before you start thinking that procrastination habit is OK, not everyone is a scanner. There are people who jump from idea to idea that do so because they actually can’t make up their mind about what they want to do or have other reasons for doing so. Continue reading “Are you a scanner? And how to cope if you are.”

5 Ways To Help You Quit Sugar (& a recipe)

Sugar has been on the health gurus hit list for quite a while.

Personally, I’m of the opinion that the odd sweet treat like a slice of cake or bar of chocolate will do you no harm, it’s just when that occasional treat becomes a daily habit. And for so many of us, it is a daily habit.

And even if you don’t think you have a sugar habit, you maybe surprised by how much sugar you’re actually consuming on a daily basis – but I’ll cover that in another post.

So if you’re planning on giving up sugar then here are 5 quick tips to help you eliminate excess sugar from your diet.

Use Spices. Continue reading “5 Ways To Help You Quit Sugar (& a recipe)”

London: Sky Garden

I like heights. I especially like to see big cities from above. There’s something magical about looking at grand old buildings look so small and actually seeing how the city fits together.

So I LOVED my visit to the Sky Garden in London. Unfortunately it was raining so I didn’t manage to get outside (or get any really good pictures) but here are a few snaps I managed to take…

Continue reading “London: Sky Garden”

Power Drink: Healthy chocolate shake

If you’re in one of those moods where the only thing that will do is chocolate then check this out.
Thick, indulgent and VERY chocolatey – without the crap that you find in shop bought milkshakes.

Oh and did I mention its super simple too? It has just 3 ingredients.

– 350ml Unsweetened Almond Milk (coconut milk works REALLY well too)

– 1.5 tsp of Organic Peruvian Cacao Powder (obviously this depends on how chocolatey you like it)

– 1/2 Frozen Banana

Just place all the ingredients in a whizz. I like to add a teaspoon of chia seeds too for an extra thick shake.

Here are some top smoothie tips…

Continue reading “Power Drink: Healthy chocolate shake”

How the right bedding can boost your health

We all know that bedding can have a big impact on the look of rooms and you’re no doubt keen to find dapper duvets and pretty pillows that have the power to elevate the aesthetics of your boudoir. However, did you realise that as well as enhancing the look of your home, the sheets you sleep in can boost your health?

Helping you get sufficient sleep

First and foremost, comfy bedding can help you to nod off at night. Most adults need between seven and nine hours of good quality slumber a night, but up to a third of Britons fail to get this much shuteye. There are lots of reasons why people can struggle to sink into restful sleep, and bad bedding is one risk factor. When you’re perusing the variety of pillows, duvets, sheets and covers available on specialist websites like juliancharles.co.uk, make sure you choose materials that will help soothe you to sleep. Ideally, the products should offer just enough warmth and they should feel good against your skin.

Bear in mind that as well as helping to give you energy to face the day, sleep plays an important role in fending off potentially serious illnesses. In fact, regular sleeplessness can increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also raise your chances of getting long-term mood disorders like anxiety and depression. A lack of sleep can reduce your immunity too, meaning you’re less able to fight off infections.

Although many people don’t realise this, sleep can also have a big impact on weight. Studies have revealed that people who sleep for less than seven hours a day are 30 per cent more likely to be obese than those who get nine hours of shuteye or more. It’s believed that when people are sleep deprived, they have lower levels of leptin, a hormone that makes them feel full. They also have higher levels of the hunger-stimulating chemical ghrelin.

Controlling allergies

As well as helping people to get enough sleep, good quality bedding can play a part in preventing allergy aggravation. Around one in four people in the UK suffer from an allergy at some point in their lives and there are a range of potential triggers. Dust mites and small flakes of skin and hair are often the causes of sneezing bouts and streaming eyes.

If these allergens affect you, it’s worth looking out for bedding with synthetic fillings such as hollowfibre and microfibre. These products are designed to be non-allergenic and they can be laundered quickly and easily. You might be surprised by how much easier it is to reduce your allergy symptoms if you take simple steps like this to control your environment.

Given how much of an impact bedding can have on your health, it’s vital that you choose the best possible versions.

foodie friday: black garlic tofu

O.M.G – have you tried black garlic? The fabulous guys at Sainsbury sent me some to try and I have to say, I’m converted.

It may look gross, after all, there’s not many black foods that we are encouraged to eat…but it’s so weird that it’s good – if you know what I mean?

Black garlic is just your regular white garlic that’s been preserved by being exposed to heat and moisture for more than a month.

The garlic then comes out like jelly, it tastes almost like balsamic vinegar. Its fragrance free too so you can enjoy without the dreaded garlic breath.

I thought I’d make Black Garlic Tofu. It’s a REALLY easy dish, you can serve with noodles, courgette noodles, salad, brown rice – whatever you feel like really. I like dishes that can be served with a variety of things, that way if you change your mind about what you fancy you don’t have to write the whole meal off.

The other good thing about this dish is that it’s really quick. If you’re not a big fan of tofu then you could use chicken, beef or prawns but I don’t think you’ll get the same crispy joy. If you want to know how to cook some good tofu then let me know below and I can do a separate post.

You will need:

5/6 cloves of black garlic
light soy sauce
a good stir fry oil
tofu
salt/pepper/crushed chilli

To start with make sure you take all the moisture out of your tofu and then cut in to cubes. Once you’ve cubed it, give it another dab to make sure that you really have got all the moisture out. There is nothing good about soggy tofu.

Then you need to make a little sauce. To do that, pop your garlic, oil and soy sauce in to a processor and whizz.

Pop some oil in to your pan and make sure it’s hot before adding the salt, pepper and crushed chilli to the oil. Next throw in your tofu and keep turning for at least 10 minutes to make sure that your tofu is crispy all round.

Next pop your black garlic sauce in and mix it in to your tofu. It will look “burnt” but it’s not, it’s just the way the sauce clings on to the tofu and trust me those black, crispy bits are so good.

And you’re done. A healthy meal in around 20 minutes.

please share on pinterest…

How Sugar Affects Your Body (and your brain)

There’s loads of talk about quitting sugar at the moment. It’s becoming more and more apparent just what sugar does to the body. And it’s not the odd slice of cake or chocolate bar that’s really the problem, it’s the fact that the majority of us (even if we don’t think we are) are reliant on sugar.

There’s no question that the majority of us use sugar as a crutch, and not to mention all the hidden sugars that we’re consuming (think low fat goods, tinned soup, white bread etc).

The reason I’m posting this today is I stumbled upon a pretty cool little video from TED lessons about how sugar affects the brain. I’ll pop the video on the end of this post – it’s well worth a watch and only 5 minutes out of your life.

But I also wanted to briefly share what sugar really does to your body. I’m going to admit, I’m just starting out on trying to eliminate sugar from my diet, it’s something that’s been talked about a LOT during my studies with IIN and it’s not easy, but the facts, really do speak for themselves.

The thing is with sugar and this is something that’s been apparent to me for a while is that whilst it’s as dangerous and addictive as hard drugs, it takes a slower approach when it comes to damaging our health. You don’t sit down with a bucket of haribo one night and die straight away from your sugar binge, it’s a slow, destructive process that only really shows itself when the damage is done (i.e obesity and diabetes).

So here are 3 things that sugar is doing to our bodies…

Sugar increases fat storing. Insulin is one of the most important hormones in the body for when it comes to weight loss. When we eat sugar this causes a spike in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). Of course if we’re exercising we can burn that off but if we’re sat at our desk or watching tv then it will turn to fat. Continue reading “How Sugar Affects Your Body (and your brain)”