Dont Neglect your Neck

Don't Neglect the Décolletage

Your neck is the first place you'll notice visible signs of ageing, so here are the best neck creams to tighten, firm and plump

Clarins Super Restorative Décolleté and Neck Concentrate, £57.06, www.feelunique.com

PRAI AGELESS Throat and Decolletage Night with Retinol, £35, Marks & Spencer

Dermalogica Neck Fit Contour Serum, £79, John Lewis

Emma Hardie Lift & Sculpt, Firming Neck Treatment, £65, www.spacenk.com

Neostrata Triple Firming Neck Cream, £45, Skincity UK

PRAI AGELESS Throat and Decolletage Night with Retinol, £78. www.stellardecolletage.com

How to Avoid Zoom Fatigue and Burnout

As we gear up for yet another month of working from home (or, you could say, living at work), many of us are finding it hard to find the energy and motivation to get through Monday, let alone the entire week. It is easy to feel that there just isn't enough hours in the day, with the week just blurring into one never ending cycle of Zoom calls, team meetings and endless emails, and before you know it, it's Monday all over again! This has left us feeling burnt out, with our evenings, sleep and the weekends simply not being enough for us to recharge.

Working from home has impacted us all, with our energy levels being the barometer of its impact. Nationally representative research conducted by Revvies, has found that 37% of Brits claim their energy levels are the lowest they have ever been, with another 37% claiming that working from home again has made them the most lethargic and tired they have ever been.

Our usual methods of recharging and replenishing our energy are not working, and with the nation in lockdown, it’ll be months before we return to any form of normality. Now more than ever, Brits are looking for alternative ways to re-energise and motivate for the week ahead. John Nolan-Neylan, CEO and Co-Founder of highperformance nutrition brand Revvies, shares his top tips to help us avoid Zoom fatigue and stay energised throughout the week:

1. Have some 'mindful' me time, and meditate

Practicing mindfulness, and particularly engaging in a simple meditation practice, has been linked to a host of cognitive benefits. Allowing yourself some time to relax, quiet the mind, and focus on regular, smooth breathing can boost the brain's executive functions, reduce impulsive and emotional behaviour, improve mood, and leave you feeling energised. This is an especially effective technique after a draining workday to achieve a productive, feel-good evening.

2. Get up early and exercise outdoors

The right amount of exercise and sleep will bring the most benefits to your energy levels. According to a study conducted by Appalachian State University, the best time to exercise for weight management and better sleep is at 7 am. Exercising and sleeping well can make yourself more alert, reduce stress, and improve cognitive functioning which is sure to make you more energised to get through the day. During lockdown it might be worth just moving this back to daylight hours because of the next point.

3. Use caffeine to your advantage

Revvies Energy Strips contain either 40mg or 100mg of caffeine in each serving – which is roughly equivalent to either a cup of tea or coffee respectively. Dissolving on the tongue in seconds they provide a faster pick me up to help you perform at your peak. Used by professional sports teams and Olympic athletes, you can take them without any water for a convenient and rapid boost of energy. Taking a Revvies sugar-free strip in a moment of fatigue, or just at the end of the working day, will give you the alertness and energy you need to help you make the most of your day.

4. Rest & self-care

It is important to use your free time in the evenings and weekends to rest and care for yourself. For some this is chilling out and watching a movie, having a bath with a glass of wine or going for a nice brisk walk with your family. It is so important to be able to use the spare time you have to rest and recharge in order to avoid burning out mid-week. Resting allows you to replenish your energy levels, whilst also taking your mind off work or any worries and anxieties you may have of the week ahead.

5. Organise your time to make the most out of your day

The benefits of organising your day are simple - being more organised and achieving your goals gives you a great sense of satisfaction, and gives you more time to reap the rewards of the other tips on this list! Being able to effectively plan your day will help you to boost your productivity - both at work and at home - and enable you to take the ‘me time’, nap time and exercise time needed to live a happy and energy-filled life.

Time for Facial Yoga

Many of us have taken up yoga to channel our inner zen and reduce the stress on our body, but did you know your yoga practice can go beyond the body and be used on the face?

Dr Rakus, founder of Dr Rita Rakus Clinic (www.drritarakus.co.uk) gives us the low down on how to counteract the effects of stress on our skin giving you one less thing to worry about!

What are the benefits?

Facial yoga is a natural facial technique that you can practise in your own home and incorporate in your daily regime. Facial yoga releases tension in your face, improves the overall tone and increases circulation to promote the production of collagen, helping reduce the appearance of wrinkle and fight the signs of ageing. Using the correct techniques, facial yoga can activate blood circulation in targeted areas, strengthening elasticity & muscles and help to smooth the skin.

How often should you do it?

For long term results, it is advised to stick to a daily facial yoga regime, spending 15-30 minutes a day to practice the technique in a quiet space.

Can it make wrinkles worse?

Instead of making wrinkles worse, facial yoga is said to alleviate the formation of wrinkles and reduce the appearance of them as you are essentially training your face with the right techniques and movements on your skin

Techniques to practice

There are some techniques for facial yoga which are said to awaken your facial muscles. For example, blowing raspberries is a warmup exercise which is said to relax muscles in the face as you cause a vibration. Another recommended technique to slim down ‘tech neck’ is relaxing your shoulders and lifting your chin up to the ceiling until you feel a stretch in the upper neck and chin area. To firm sagging skin around the cheek area, use your mouth to pull your face to one side and hold for 10 seconds to feel a stretch, repeat in the other direction.

Tools to use – Gua Sha

Gua Sha is a therapeutic massage tool based on ancient Chinese wisdom, mainly consisting in pressing and scrapping the skin for stimulating blood circulation, toxins elimination, releasing muscle tension, reducing puffiness and allowing the flow of energy through the body. The tool is small, delicate and easy to use at home, however like any other massage you need a certain level of professionalism in order to achieve effective results. A beauty professional first of all from offering the pleasure of being treated and having a much more pleasant touch - is trained on a professional level for using the tool and different techniques for different concerns. Some people may have extreme sensitivity in some areas, which a professional may notice and avoid in order not to have the risk to cause bruising. Another advantage in having a professional doing it for you is that it’s allowing you to fully relax, experience the treatment not only on a skincare level but as relaxing therapy too. Gua Sha can be nicely combined with an oil, mask or serum to help the product penetrate the skin faster (monnay.co.uk).

Products to use – Oio Lab Algaemania Treatment Oil

Oio Lab combine organic plant extracts with active ingredients offering clinically proven results so you can achieve beautiful skin guilt-free (www.wolfandbadger.com).