We all know that shopping requires stamina and a certain amount of flair as well as decision making. Faced with the dilemma of a Mathew Williamson new dress or the ultimate handbag from Anya Hindmarch or maybe a le Creuset pot to impress the in-laws, you need to be tough, straightforward, cold-hearted and decisive. This means making sure your head is clear and your body is not in a distracted slump.
If this sounds a step too far, don’t worry, Eat Yourself Chic has all the answers.
Ist step: Keep your sugar levels low. Make sure that the day before shopping you have minimised your refined sugar intake and only had complex carbs and fruit for your sugar boost. Too much sugar can create acidity, cause inflammation and disturb hormonal balances of the body. We all know how desperate we feel when our hormones are out of balance, that yo-yo feeling of super high mood then super low tantrum. Manic energy just won’t stop, suddenly followed by an almighty crash. You may just feel guilty that the muffin you ate bloated you and, as punishment, you have to deny yourself having anything worthwhile. You find yourself, despite your original intention, giving the Escada wardrobe a miss and heading for accessories instead.
2nd step: Avoid Wheat. This is a known bloater. If you suffer from bloated bellies and windy Wednesdays stay away from wheat, especially when you are shopping, otherwise that super fabulous, sexy underwear from Agent Provocateur to lure the man of your dreams may allude you and you may find yourself slinking into The White Company for a ‘cover me up quick’ towelling robe instead.
3rd Step: Drink lemon water first thing in the morning. To get that wonderful cleansed feeling, drink warm water with half a lemon squeezed into it first thing in the morning, half an hour before food. This not only detoxifies your body, it alkalizes, giving you the perfect PH. This means your body and brain will function optimally. It is also a great source of Vitamin C , so there will be no sneezing and eyes running disturbing your ability to choose wisely. Lemon also lessons sugar cravings and helps balance blood sugar levels. It also helps you drop pounds, so a perfect little helper for that tight Diane von Furstenberg dress.
4th Step: Dose yourself up on garlic. Not only does this contain vitamin B6 which helps with serotonin production and corrects high cortisol levels, which in ‘chic’ terms means you can fight stress more easily and increase energy for all that walking and decision-making. More importantly, the sulphides in the garlic have been shown to increase adrenaline and noradrenalin which are pumped out in stressful situations and normally cause fat reserves to increase, however garlic helps you lose that fat and build muscle. This will be helpful as you fight off a foe who is planning to take the last pair of Prada thigh boots that are your size. Garlic is a known seducer and aphrodisiac, so you can charm your partner when you come home with all the goodies and said thigh boots.
5th Step: What to eat while shopping. It is important to keep the stamina up without making you lose your will once you have sat down to the deliciously enticing 3 course gourmet lunch. Eat light so that the dress you tried on in the morning still looks fabulous when you try it on later. Eating light means avoiding high sugar, high salt, high fat foods (ban those chips). Avoid alcohol. This may make you feel drowsy, make you indecisive and in some cases paranoid. You may feel like taking back the underwear and remembering the argument with the In-laws over Christmas, so the Le Creuset seems an irrelevant item. You might even give Smythson a miss feeling that somehow your friends have all deserted you and you have no one to write to any more. Self-pity is a terrible thing!
Fortify your stamina by hydrating your body with a glass of water, eat light, feel strong and soldier forth to buy the best, be the best and always remember, remain ‘chic’ at all cost.
