Madeleine Shaw - the Instagram fave and author of healthy eating cookbook 'Get the Glow' - explains the simple steps to a healthier lifestyle...
After moving to Australia at the age of 18, Madeleine Shaw couldn't understand why she had such bad digestive problems. With specialists failing to find the root of her problem, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
Cooking at a café, Madeleine fell in love with the power of food. ‘It wasn’t until I started looking at food, health and lifestyle that I changed my diet. Things started to change instantly.' She started studying nutrition and created her eponymous blog. Flash-forward to 2015, and Madeleine has 157,000 Instagram followers, her own recipe book ‘Get the Glow’, and a bestie in former Made in Chelsea star, Millie Mackintosh, who credits Madeleine for kick-starting her nutritional health regime.
Now with her own cold-press 'Get The Glow' juice range with Savse Smoothies, Madeleine shares just how easy it is to start working towards a healthier you… 1. Change Your Mindset ‘Eating healthy does not equal difficult, time consuming cooking. In 'Get the Glow', there’s a whole section called ‘Speedy Suppers’ where you can make everything in less than 30 minutes. It doesn’t take very long to fry a piece of fish and make a salad, plus it’s a lot quicker than boiling up pasta or ordering a takeaway.’ 2. Plan Ahead ‘Picking the right things ahead of time makes preparing dinners a lot easier. Plan ahead and do the food shop on Sunday, or mid-week. Buy a whole roast chicken, some salmon, or mackerel, with juices as well. That way, when you’re in need of a snack, you have something good at hand, rather than just popping down to the corner store for a chocolate bar.’
3. Get Your Heart Rate Up 'I'm not a hardcore exerciser, but I know how important it is to get your heart rate up. So I do yoga, pilates, weight classes or I sometimes take a long walk. When it comes to exercise, I’m very relaxed.' 4. Listen To Your Gut ‘The gut has almost as many neurotransmitters as your brain. You can tell from your gut feelings to having butterflies when you fancy someone, how interconnected the gut is to your emotions. So working on your stress levels, and being mindful of what you eat and eating slowly makes a world of difference to how your body feels.’ 5. Ditch the Low-Fat ‘Sometimes people assume that low fat yoghurt or eating low fat is good for you. It is not. Eating good quality natural greek yoghurt is much better – it’s less loaded with sugar and I always say you should eat everything in its natural form.’
6. Get Your Protein… ‘By getting your protein in the morning, it helps regulate your blood sugar levels so that you start your day with a steady level of energy. If you eat a piece of toast, or something sugary, you end up slumping around 3 o’clock because your blood sugar levels are spiking up and down throughout the day. That’s why getting your protein is an essential I live by.’
7. …And Don’t Be Afraid of Protein Powder ‘I’m really campaigning for protein powder. A lot of people think that if you drink it, you end up with big muscles – but it’s not true! We need protein, and a lot of us aren’t eating enough of it, especially with the amount people work out now. That’s why I created my Protein Punch juice with Savse, it’s the first protein juice I’ve ever seen and it’s the perfect post-workout drink. It replenishes the muscles after they’ve been broken down, and it has coconut water and pineapple, so it tastes just like a pina colada!’
8. Drink More Water ‘Really make a conscious effort to up your water intake. Water is something we bang on about all the time, but often forget how important it is. Fill up a big water bottle and use it as a monitor to make sure you get your daily 2 litres. Otherwise, make sure to have a tea break each day, and fill up on green tea. ‘
9. Take A Break ‘I’m a work addict, and it’s really important to take breaks for myself and have time to rest. Living in London, we’re told to do, do, do, and we never program any time to rest. Make sure that during the weekends you’re not going to meetings, or seeing people all the time. Instead, sleep in, have breakfast in bed, lie around, read a book and just take some time for you. It doesn’t have to be hours, but its really important to have that balance.’
10. Perfection Is So Overrated ‘I’ve met younger girls who’ve come to my events, who’ve grown up with Instagram and are too obsessed with exercise or healthy eating. I eat really well, but I also go out, enjoy a glass of wine and have a nice dinner. Don’t strive for perfection, because you’re not going to die and go to heaven because you ate organic. I think young people find it hard to understand that, but you need to implement a balance. That’s the perfect way to live.’
Savse’s 'Get the Glow' range with Madeleine Shaw includes three delicious flavours crammed full of goodness and natural ingredients. To find out how you can get the glow visit: www.savse.co.uk