Detox Waters

If you are a member of the internet - which if you're reading this you probably are - you'll of seen tons of cute hipster girls in ripped denim drinking from mason jars with fresh fruit chopped up in it. These are detox waters, and they're super lush. You don't get the calories as you would from juice and fizzy drinks, plus you drink more because it's better tasting water. + by detoxing your body you'll lose any bloating, maybe even shed weight, you'll have more energy and a stronger immune system.

These are my three favourite detox waters, in colour co-ordinated lidded jars - obviously.

Powerful Pink

This Wednesday worthy water consists of grapefruit, raspberries and blueberries. It's the sweetest of all the detox waters I've tried, but balanced perfectly by the mildly zesty grapefruit. It's not over powering in taste and I could happily sip on this all day without ever wanting a change. Grapefruit is a great fruit to have like this as well seeing as it's 91% water anyway, the majority of the vitamins are released in the water, making it fantastic for your skin and complexion, this is down tho it's abundance in Vitamin C, which can help build collagen, and fight skin damage caused by sun and pollution. Blueberries and raspberries make this water a super star among drinks. Between them they add a mighty punch of vitamins C, B6, E, K and A as well as calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc. They're both packed with antioxidants with posh fancy names that I'm not even going to start getting involved in - but they're there!

Sunshine Yellow

This summery drink contains just the two fruit, pineapple and lemon. Let's start with the pineapple, did you know it's the only known source of and enzyme bromelain? Which studies say is effective in relieving joint pain, arthritis and reducing inflammation. Pineapple also prevents free radical damage to cells in the body it's also great for battling acne and keeps your skin looking younger. Lemon water has been a thing for years anyway, it flushes out toxins, balances pH levels in the body, aids in digestion and replenishes vital salts in the body - especially after a work out. This is summer in a glass basically, it's super refreshing, and if you want to mix it up a bit, opt of coconut water instead of tap, and you'll have a healthy piña colada! You know, if you like piña coladas, and getting caught in the rain... 

Super Green

This fantastic little beauty is my personal favourite and I just cannot stop drinking it! I have it every day at work, in fact I'm sipping one right now as a I type this (cue first sip since I actually started writing!) The zesty, citrusy lime is a fantastic wake up call in this one, if you make it at night and leave it in the fridge, a quick sip of this in the morning will set your brain fizzing waking you up quicker than any coffee - I promise you. It also aids weight loss, and will rejuvenate skin, and reduce body oder and dandruff. Along side lime I pack mint, cucumber and kiwi into this little glass. Mint is great for headaches and nausea, it also inhibits the release of histamines that cause hay fever, it can also clear up congestion in the throat, nose, and lungs. Cucumbers are great for your brain and your heart this is due to the potassium in it. Cucumbers are also packed with multiple B vitamins which are known to ease feelings of stress and anxiety. Kiwi is another fruit that's great for your skin - shock - but this one also aids in a better quality and duration of sleep. Plus it can help lower blood pressure. 

So these are my top recommendations of detox waters for you to try yourselves! I'd love to know what you make of these drinks, as well as any recipes you dream up! I cannot get enough of these, and I'm ranting and raving about them left right and centre, everyone at work drinks them now - theres even talk of them being a drink in the store for next summer (???) so start drinking these asap - you'll feel so much better for it. They relive so much bloating too, you will have a flatter stomach in one week just because of the bloat this helps you lose.

Let's Talk About Body Image

This is a subject that I think any woman out there will want to have a read of. Why? Because we're all seeking validation that we are the ideal. For many years fashion has given us tall models very slim models with legs for days, Barbie gave us the same thing to feed our children with. But over the past few years plus size models have been ebbing their way into the catwalks. Now I sat there and thought 'wow great! This is a huge step forward'. Now what I meant by this isn't that they're finally promoting the 'average' woman, but rather there is a new dynamic in the mix.

Yes the catwalks and magazine pages now might be full of both size 4 models with abs and size 14 models with nipped in waists, which are still unattainable images for the rest of the public. But it's a step in the right direction. Give it another 10 years and for fashion to take another step and we might be seeing girls with inverted triangle shapes, big boobs and then straight down from there. Or women with small boobs but Beyoncé style back sides. We aren't at this equal plain for all women yet, but we're a step closer.

I have had heated discussions with many a friend on the topic of body issue, and we all say the same thing 'I don't feel pretty'. One of my best friends is more of a column shape, she's a size 6/8 and I think she's stunning. But when we discussed this topic last week she said she doesn't feel pretty anymore. She said that because of all of these images on the internet! The 'when did this because sexier than this' Now she eats right, and she has been the one to suggest a McDoanlds on occasion, but you know what? That's her body shape. She will always look like that. 

I also had a conversation like this with my little sister. She's 17, a size 10 but she has more of a rectangular body shape. She still has a waist that comes in, but not as much. Yet she is super active! She rides horses 4 days a week and mucks them out another 2! She's been doing this for 3 years, and that is still her body shape. She is active and she takes after my mother, who is a size 8 through dieting, exercising and doing everything right, but she has the same body shape!

I am a size 10, with 41 inch hips, 26 inch waist. I have the classic 'hourglass' shape. Yet I don't feel beautiful, I still see women in magazines and actresses on TV who have slender legs, and flatter tummies, and who still have this straighter shape. I have also had people use back handed insults to take a dig at me for my size. But I am healthy, I eat right, and occasionally I indulge in some cake. I might not be the healthiest, and I could exercise more but I look in the mirror and think 'no I'm alright actually'. That confidence has taken me 4 years to develop, and I think one of the biggest things that helped be get there was having a boyfriend who tells me I'm beautiful everyday. If someone says you're ugly everyday - you start to believe it - it works in reverse too. 

I also think it is important to mention Marilyn Monroe here. She was not a US size 12-16! To accommodate for the worlds ever expanding waist lines the sizing charts were changed, a size 8 today was a size 16 then - yes - but it's still a size 8. She was sewn into her clothes most of the time as well, and she was an extreme hourglass shape, which is a completely unattainable look anyway unless you're born with it!

We as women need to stop looking at everyone else with envy, and start looking at ourselves with love. This is the only body you get, and so long as you're healthy, then sod the rest of it. You can't change the shape you were born with, just do your best. Even if you eat right you might still be what is considered 'big' and if you eat KFC everyday of your life you might still be considered 'small'. But it's just how your body works. 

We need to get over this obsession with how we look and actually understand that we're all in this together! How will we ever change the world of fashion and the way men perceive us unless WE change are perception. Until we can not be either jealous or bitchy about every other female how do we expect the industry and the male half of the population to do the same?

We are all in this together. We are the most perfect version of ourselves.

Please tweet me on this topic, I am very interested to hear your thoughts! @KHarriet

*All images courtesy of Google.