Hot Picks

Cow Print Ankle Boots, £72, Topshop

Dartington Crystal Large Cushion Vase, £45, www.dartington.co.uk

Elizabeth Scarlet Flamingo Eye-Mask, £25, Amara

Embroidered Dress, £120, Debenhams

Floris Reed Diffuser, £70, Amara

I Love Harris Gin, £45, www.harrisdistillery.com

HOT PICKS AFFINITY Esrrings, £18, John Lewis

This month’s must have gifts and accessories

Heart Shorts Pyjama Set, £35, John Lewis

Angela Langford Bloom & Glow Face Oil, £20.50, www.angelalangford.com EverSwiss Women's Watch, £210. www.watchshop.com

Green Glass Pot on Stand, £32.95, Audenza

Pandora Birthstone Ring, £40, www.uk.pandora.net

Salted Caramel Heart Truffles, £7.50, www.roh.org.uk

'Under the Star's Bra, £180, Briefs, £80, www.gildapearl.co.uk.

We’ve done all the hard work so you don’t have to, with our round up of gorgeous gifts for your Valentine B e Mine

Raymond Weil Parsifal Ladies Watch, £1,395, www.raymond-weil.co.uk

Knightsbridge Floral Pyjamas, £85, www.fableandeve.co.uk

Silver & Rose Gold Bracelet, £45, Beaverbrooks

Victoria Cator Candle, £55, www.victoriacator.com

Box 25 Valentine's Hearts, £35, www.eu.marcolini.com

Silver Rose Gold Heart Earrings, £39, Beaverbrooks

Serenata Flowers 'Bella' Bouquet, £39.99, www.serenataflowers.com Poppy Bag, £135, www.cambridgesatchel.com

Hotel Chocolat Heart Chocolates, £40, www.hotelchocolat.com

Flower by KenzoPoppy Bouquet, £47, Nationwide

A Healthy Heart

Before you give your heart away this Valentine’s day, it might be a good idea to have a healthy heart check, especially if you have any heart concerns or family history.

There is heart disease in my family, my dad had his first heart attack in his thirties so when I was offered a review of my heart from Dr Bokhari at Harley Street Consulting Clinic in the village of Great Denham, Bedfordshire (he also has clinics in Harley Street, London and Dubai) I eagerly accepted. The clinics philosophy is to try for early detection, early intervention and prevention, where heart health is at the forefront of their care, with the majority of appointments available within 24hours.

The ethos of The Harley Street Consulting Clinic is to make sure, that not only are you treated in a warm caring environment but that you are made to relax as soon as you enter the clinic. Walking into reception, you are greeted with calm music (think zen spa) and offered a hot drink whilst you wait in an atmosphere of tranquillity and calm.

After a few minutes you are taken into the treatment room where Dr Bokhari introduces himself and continues to make you feel at ease as he explains the procedures that are going to take place. He then asks you a series of questions relating to your lifestyle, history and any concerns you may have.

Once all the background checks have been done, it’s time to head over to the couch, put a gown on and begin the tests (little tip: wear separates, so you only have to remove your top half) – all the tests are carried out whilst you are sitting up, apart from the last one.

Deep breaths in and out as your heart is listened to, oxygen levels measured, and blood pressure taken, whilst these tests are being carried out you are made to feel at ease the whole time with everything being explained every step of the way.

All the data is uploaded in front of you onto an iPad and duplicated on a large TV screen on the wall next to you, you are constantly able to see what is happening, nothing is hidden and everything is explained as you go along. Next is an ECG, this measures the electrical activity of the heart while you are at rest. It can help identify problems with the heart such as coronary artery disease, an enlarged heart or disturbances in the electrical control of the heart (arrhythmia). The test literally takes a couple of minutes and is again carried out as you remain in a sitting position, sensors are attached with sticky pads to the chest and the electrical signals send them back to the ECG machine, simple yet so effective.

The final test is an echocardiogram (a scan that is similar to an ultrasound) which is used to look at the heart and nearby blood vessels.

This is the only time I have to lie down on the couch, starting off lying on my left side before swapping onto my back – Again, you are able to constantly watch what is going on, on the large TV screen, Dr Bokhari explains each step, as the small probe is used to send out high-frequency sound waves that create echoes when they bounce off different parts of the body. This takes approx. ten minutes and then it’s time to sit up, get dressed and go through the results with Dr Bokhari.

I was lucky and all my tests point to me having a healthy heart, if however, something had been found that needed further investigation, Dr Bokhari would go through this with you and what the next step would need to be.

All the tests were painless and easy, a small price to pay for peace of mind.

The Harley Street Clinic offers an affordable “Harley Street” standard of care to Bedfordshire residents, investigations for cardiac problems in adults are carried out inhouse at the clinic.

As well as heart monitoring the clinic also specialises in many other health related matters and have recently added ‘Genetic Screening’ to their long list making it even more of a one stop shop for all your health needs.

Spring Clean your Life

The days are starting to get longer and it’s that time of the year when we all start thinking about attempting a spring clean of our house- the spring equinox is definitely upon us. The gusto of which you attempted your New Year’s resolution with might be starting to wear thin, so why not try spring cleaning your life at this time of the year to give you that spring back in your step. Below are a few pointers, which will lead you in the right direction to a new, fresher outlook on life.

1. De-cluttering Getting rid of physical clutter this spring is essentially killing two birds with one stone- it combines actually spring cleaning your house with a fresher, less cluttered brain. Start by tidying up your bedroom; seems simple enough right? If you are one of those people that swear by their ‘organised chaos’, there is actually psychological evidence to suggest otherwise. [1]A study conducted found that people with clean houses are healthier than people with messy houses- with those with cleaner houses also being more active.

2. Sprucing up your diet By sprucing up your diet this spring you could end up feeling more energised and more ready to seize the day. If you don’t know where to start, the humble oat is a great option! Oats are somewhat of a super food and will definitely help you feel energized if you are prone to feeling a little sluggish. Nairn’s have a wide variety of delicious oat based products so why not try their Rough Oatcakes? Extremely versatile, packed full of fibre and very low in calories, this is the perfect base for any topping of your choosing.

3. Technology detox Getting rid of all technology is definitely too much of a big ask, so why not try spring cleaning the technology you use everyday? By deleting certain apps or pictures that cause you stress and anxiety, it will help you gain a much clearer, stress free outlook on life. If this sounds too daunting to you, tell yourself you will try it for a week and then see how you feel at the end of that week- you might surprise yourself!

4. Go Natural Going natural doesn’t just refer to the type of food we are putting into our bodies; what we put on the outside is just as important. Take time this equinox to have a look through your beauty products, and try to pick out the natural products. Leading Nutritionist Marilyn Glenville says: ‘Your skin is the most absorbent organ of the body, so be careful what you rub on it. It is estimated that a women can end up putting over five hundred different chemicals on her skin each day! Reduce your ‘toxic load’ either by reducing the amount of toiletries you use or by buying natural or organic products. Make sure you do your research before choosing your skincare. You may be surprised to know that some products that claim to be natural are actually not always as pure as they seem.’

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