I was recently invited back to The Massage Company in High Wycombe to see how they are getting on, try out some of their most popular massages and share an updated review on my blog.  I first visited them in June and July 2019 but since then we have all had the stress of a pandemic to cope with! The Massage Company was one of the many businesses that had to shut their doors for months on end.  But they are back open and offering a selection of full body massage treatments again - these include a hot stone massage and a deep tissue massage alongside quite a few relaxing upgrades to restore our wellbeing and help our stress and tension!

The Massage Company gifted me three massages which I took over a period of about six weeks, so one every two weeks.  And first of all can I say, they were amazing!  But let me tell you in a bit more detail ... and share the many benefits of regular massage too!

This is a gifted blog post.

Sometimes I wonder if the last two years were a dream, did all that really happen?  It felt like the plot of a movie a lot of the time.  A worldwide pandemic.  Loved ones separated.  Confusing media messages.  An urgent vaccine developed.  I am desperate to put it all behind me, rebuild my day to day life and start a new chapter post pandemic.  And get back to feeling healthy - mind and body!

I think the early days felt almost quite fun, like a novelty.  I probably didn't feel that at the time, but when I look back, well we had no idea that it would last any longer than a few weeks, months at the most.  Gathering for Boris' press conference at 5 pm every day, setting up family quizzes and zoom chats, drinking too much wine, and putting up with Chris Whitty's 'next slide please', all seems like it happened in a dream.

When I look back at my lockdown posts now, I realise how hopeful and how naive we were in 2020!  The weather was amazing, we got outside lots and we still thought we'd be back to normal in 2021.

​This is a sponsored blog post.

Do you go through different phases of breakfast choice?  I go months having the same thing for breakfast then move onto something new!  Past favourites have included overnight oats, granola or muesli and natural yoghurt or egg based like poached egg and crushed avocado on toast.  But one that I keep coming back to is a healthy smoothie.  I can pack in so many good ingredients and extra supplements, it is quick and easy and surprisingly satisfying and a healthy smoothie is good at keeping me full until lunchtime.

Here are a few of my favourite healthy smoothie ingredients to really make your morning smoothie pack a nutritious punch!

This is such a beautiful and inspirational brand offering the softest organic cotton underwear, it is difficult to know where to start with telling you about Y.O.U Underwear!  Their founder Sarah was volunteering in Uganda and was shocked to find that women and children were lacking something we all take for granted - underwear.  So she started a business, Y.O.U Underwear was created and her mission is to change the world, one pair of pants at a time!  They operate a 'buy-one-give-two' model and support menstrual hygiene projects as well as helping to increase access to education and employment for vulnerable women and girls.

That's the simple story but there is so much more to their sustainable credentials that you need to dig deeper. 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Y.O.U Underwear are supporting breast cancer charity FUTURE DREAMS as well as championing the importance of regular breast self-examination.  I'd love you to read on and find out more ...

This is a gifted blog post.