Personal Training - My Guilty Pleasure

Personal training in my own home, at my own pace. All the kit is brought along. My wonderful trainer and now good friend is enthusiastic, goal orientated, and knows how to motivate me further each time. I pay for the time and expertise of a brilliant trainer, no sweaty gym or fancy club to support with my fees. No parking or traffic issues. It's all about me! And it works. 


Since I have been training with Carrie, I have found myself looking forward to the work outs and sessions. As a personal stylist, I need to set a good example to my clients and indeed for myself. To say I feel better for it would be an understatement. I have more energy, I look so much healthier and I'm generally enjoying life so much more. I'm even running my first 10k in a few months!! Roll on the summer!


I highly recommend Carrie from Enrich Fitness - http://www.enrichfitness.co.uk/   

Dream Dress: NW3 Collection at Hobbs

In the interests of full disclosure, I should probably admit that I wore this NW3 Military Dress (£149) for Afternoon Tea with the girls at The Petersham today.  I absolutely adore every single element of this dress, from the incredibly right shade of emerald green to its amazing feminine shape (making it perfect if you want to accentuate those va-va-va-voom curves). I especially love the little flare on the skirt, and the bow around the waist, which means you can cinch it in to accentuate your shape.   Plus, it's incredibly soft, making it feel more like you're wearing a hug than a dress. Teamed with bright red lipstick and a killer pair of heels, it's definitely the thing to wear if you're looking to make a (very) stylish statement.


Back to NW3, I love it's heritage. The name comes from Hampstead's post code, NW3 - the location of Hobbs' first store. The NW3 branding, namely a gold coin, is based on the original currency used in Hampstead a few centuries ago.The idea was to have regionalised currency so people would have to buy local and stay local..makes sense! The attention to detail is impressive, the NW3 coin is cleverly woven throughout dresses and jackets, into lining and stamped on buttons. I absolutely love this brand! 


Camelia, The Director of The Divine Image x

The 5 Minute Rule

Running? Love it or hate it, it’s one of the cheapest ways of getting fit. All you need is a pair of trainers.  But what if you’re one of those people who say “I hate running”? Try this, and I can make you enjoy, maybe even LOVE running.

Too many people think that they should be able to just put their kit on and run a couple of miles and find they get disappointed when they struggle or worse, they hurt! It’s simply because their body wasn’t ready for the stress that was put on it.  You wouldn’t run a marathon without any training but to your body a marathon could be just two miles.Get yourself a stopwatch and follow the beginners or intermediate program detailed below:

Beginners

The aim here is to get you exercising for a full 30 minutes without you getting frustrated, giving up and chucking your trainers at the cat.  

For this, we follow the “5 Minute Rule”. We treat each 5 minute segment separately and split it into a jog/walk ratio.  Firstly, walk for 5 minutes as a warm up and then jog for 1 minute before walking again for 4. During the jog, go at a comfortable pace, this isn’t about speed!  The walk is so you can recover enough to do the next 1 minute jog at the end of the 4 minutes. Do this 5 times and you’ll have been exercising for a total of 30 minutes. Who cares that you’ve only been jogging for 5 minutes in total? You! Once you get over that and realise that you were exercising for 30 minutes then you’ll start enjoying it!  Honest.

Do this a couple of times a week and then when you feel ready, increase the ratio to 1.5 mins jogging and 3.5 mins walking. If you stick to the program you’ll be progressing at a pace that your body can cope with. Your next mission is to steadily increase the ratio until you’re doing 4 mins jogging and 1 min walking. At this stage I’d class you as an intermediate runner, nice one!!!  It is important to let your body get used to this new regime, so every 4 weeks, have an easier week by stepping back a ratio or reduce the times you jog and also make sure you stretch after each session.

Intermediate –

The aim here is to get you exercising for a full 60 minutes

Simple, follow the beginners programme but run instead of jog, increase your pace to increase the benefits.  Once you can achieve this for 30 mins, progress on to the 10 minute rule.  Start with a 6/4 ratio and when you feel ready then move onto 7/3, 8/2 etc.  By the time you achieve the 9/1 ratio, you’ll be well on your way to running your first 5k or 10 k or marathon!

When I trained a certain Irish ex Blue Peter presenter for the 2006 London Marathon, we adopted this method to complete it and she never ‘hit the wall’.

Good Luck and I’ll see you in the 2012 Olympics!!! 

Stuart Amory x

Find True Love for Valentine’s Day

Are you looking for love online but not having much luck with internet dating?  

Have you ever visited an online dating website and come away with the feeling that you just can’t measure up? All of these people have posted terrific profiles and you just don’t have the time or the writing experience to match them? That’s where The Divine Image can bail you out of this situation and put you on the road to success in time for Valentines!

Camelia Fredericks, London’s Female Version of Hitch and Style Guru offers “Find True Love for Valentines”.  This wonderful pampering package includes a make-up (for women only) and hair styling session, a professional photo session, website selection that fits your needs and a bespoke dating profile written just for you, by Camelia Fredericks.

Camelia will carefully craft your online dating profile to ensure it has the va va voom!  Your enticing profile, complete with a witty user name and headline and eye catching photos will make you stand out amongst the rest.

This fantastic pampering package offered to you in the comfort of your home costs £550 for both men and women. Get ready for Valentines and find true love very soon! 

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Introducing Stuart Amory - Our New Personal Trainer

My name's Stuart Amory of In-Kilter Fitness. I've been a well known personal trainer for over 5 years and a RAF Physical Training Instructor for 10 before that. I have a Diploma in Personal Training and am also an Advanced Kettlebell and Boxercise Instructor, qualified in pre and post natal exercise and am soon to be one of a handful of Certified Bulgarian Bag Instructors in the world!

In teaching and motivating clients, celebrities and soldiers for so long it qualifies me to give to you that little helpful guidance or push in the right direction. However, it's up to you as you'll only be able to reach your goals if you really want to.

I am passionate in what I do which then drives you, the client forward to behaving and becoming healthier, fitter, more confident and look amazing. 2011 is going to be my fittest and healthiest. Follow my tips below and let this year be yours too!


Start with long term goals and then break them down into smaller short term ones that will help you on your way. Decide monthly activities, then weekly and finally daily ones, 'so to achieve my long term goal, I must
do this today'.


Be focussed with your goal. Write your goal(s) down along with a date on piece of paper and attach it to your bathroom mirror or fridge.
Dream of what you WILL feel like when you achieve that goal...if it doesn't excite you then it's not strong enough!
 
Exercise doesn't always mean 60mins at the gym, you could probably do some exercise right now! 

Saying "I have no time for exercise" will get you nowhere. Find ways to get fit...Stairs not lift, get off tube/train/bus a stop earlier, do 3 squats before you sit down.

Make this fun, why would you do something you don't enjoy and why on earth would you stick to it?!?


Get a support group and do it together. Follow @inkilterfitness on twitter and you'll join thousands feeling the same as you.


Celebrate success. We are all big kids at heart and love getting a 'well done' pat on the head, so before you achieve your goal, plan a reward!


Good luck and let's make 2011 your fittest and healthiest year yet!!!

 Stuart Amory
  

Crisis at Christmas

Spending the last few days out in London’s freezing cold weather conditions has reminded me of how many people will be spending the whole of the Christmas period outside in them, with no family, food or even a comfortable bed to sleep in let alone all the other great things most of us get to experience around this time of year. Crisis is an amazing charity who offer thousands of homeless people warm food, company, entertainment and most importantly, a comfortable bed to sleep in every year on Christmas day. 

I helped out with Crisis at their homeless shelter in Hammersmith in London over the Christmas period and I could'nt recommend a more humbling experience. 

The whole atmosphere of happy smiling faces is an amazing experience – on both the volunteers and ‘guests’. The stories you hear are sometimes sad, but also sometime happy, but you will learn some amazing skills and quite simply make someone’s Christmas. I could talk all night on specific examples – and am happy to elaborate more if anyone is interested – however if you are in London next Christmas you may want to spare a couple of days to dedicate to some people (often truly lovely and a joy to meet) who have had a tough time in their life. And when you hear their stories there is often little between ‘them’ and ‘us’ – apart from some bad luck which has spiraled out of control.

I’ve got to to know a man from Ireland who has been on London’s streets for over 20 years. To me, Christmas is meeting up with him in the Shelter and having a cup of tea and a long chat with him. As I said, it’s addictive and I would miss it if I didn’t do it. know it’s a scary thing for many of you – which is why I welcome your questions. However what I always say to people is, give it a couple of hours at least. If you really hate it no-one is going to hold you there – but I reckon you’ll be there for much longer

Many thanks for reading this – I hope you've had a lovely Christmas and remember always think about the ones less fortunate than us. 

Camelia, Director of The Divine Image x

Introducing Natalie - Our New Hair and Make-Up Stylist

We would like to welcome the lovely Natalie Guest to The Divine Image.  Since moving to London in early 2009 from New Zealand, Natalie has been working on film, fashion and beauty makeup and hair styling work. Natalie has worked on feature films, high profile ad campaigns and has had work published in local and national magazines in London.

Camelia Fredericks, our founder and MD of The Divine image has personally interviewed Natalie and has nothing but praise for her. Competing against numerous applicants, Natalie was offered the job almost immediately after her mock session with Camelia due to her passion in what she does, her excellent hair and make-up skills, her professionalism and friendly and warm nature. 

Getting to know Natalie…….

Isabella: What’s the top hair trend for this season?

Natalie: Hi Isabella, firstly I'd like to say hello and thanks for the warm welcome!

Going into winter, trends are getting longer and more relaxed after a summer of high ponys and side braids. I'm seeing a lot of 40's inspired waves and curls, along with long tousled bobs with strong fringes. Having said that I think Emma Watson's pixie crop is going to start being replicated pretty soon, even though we are approaching winter! It's quite a statement cut, so it's not for everyone, but it's another sign that short, slightly androgynous cuts are still on trend, in keeping with Rihanna's short do last year.

Isabella: Top hair colour, in your opinion, for this season?

Natalie: Well red has been a very popular colour all year, with celebrities such as Florence Welch and Paloma Faith sporting vibrant reds. This seems like a trend that is not going away just yet so I think we'll see lots more cherry reds all over the place going into winter.  In-keeping with this flash of colour, there has also been a bit of a back lash against going darker for the winter season with rich golden blondes being very popular as well. This is probably due to the popularity of retro 40's styles which always look great with a warm blonde

Isabella: Favourite celebrity hairstyle and why?

Natalie: I love Scarlett Johansson's style. Whether she's wearing her hair up or down she always gets it right. She is often sporting lovely vintage inspired waves and curls, which look really great on her and are not too far fetched for us ordinary folk to try!

I also love how Jennifer Aniston's style has pretty much stayed the same for about a decade! She knows what works and she sticks to it, looking great the whole time - a lesson in if it's not broke, don't fix it!

Isabella: Do most models really have fabulous hair — or is that the work of a gifted artist such as yourself?

Natalie: Most models don't have fab hair - unless they are hair models of course! There is a lot to be said for a good smoothing serum, cleverly placed hair and of course great photoshop I'm afraid! 

Isabella: Which make-up brand do you mostly use on your clients and why?

Natalie: I use a broad range, from pro artist brands to luxury names to high street brands, depending on what job I am doing and which product is best for that particular task. This is all based on the performance of the product, not where I bought it or how much it cost. Having said that, I do have a bit of a favourite - Make Up For Ever, which is a pro makeup artist brand. I use their HD Invislible Cover Foundation as it is almost invisible to both the eye and cameras and feels amazingly light, while still providing a great coverage - especially good for brides and my work in film. 

Isabella: What is your beauty advice for our clients?

Natalie: Your skin changes as you age so it's important to keep your routine and products appropriate to your skins condition.

I believe everyone should have a daily moisturiser with at least spf15 in it as the sun is a big threat to youthful looking skin. Wear it everyday, all year round. Also remember to take your makeup off before bed and drink lots of water to keep your skin hydrated and elastic.

Isabella: Any favourite hair and beauty products you would recommend?

Natalie: Yes! For fuss-free hair brushing, get yourself a Tangle Teaser and say goodbye to knots. For the face, I love my Soap & Glory face massage mini mitt for gentle exfoliation before bed followed by a couple of drops of Bio Oil massaged into my face at night which leaves my skin feeling so smooth - great if you have dry skin.

Isabella: What made you join The Divine Image team?

Natalie: As soon as I knew what The Divine Image was about I knew I wanted to be part of it. I love the idea that through teaching the Makeup Masterclass I might open the door to a new outlook on makeup and feeling good for someone who just needs a little guidance in looking great, and therefore feeling better about themselves. 

Thank you, Natalie and welcome to The Divine Image. 

Isabella, Marketing Manager for The Divine Image x