Fruit-scented shampoo and leopard-print leggings, light-as-air-trainers and sleep-boosting eye-masks, oh dear I’m not sure this is working, anyway, these are a few of my favourite things…

Make Your Own Rules Diet By Tara Stiles, £15.19, Amazon

I’m a bit of a yoga nerd (you might have noticed!) and so when I heard that rock star yogi Tara Stiles was going to be teaching in London late last year I instantly signed up to do one of her classes, despite it being in Chiswick, which is pretty much as far away from Leyton where I live as it is possible to get, whilst still being in London. They say don’t meet your heroes but I’m glad I ignored what they say. Meeting Tara and doing her class was one of the highlights of my year. Obviously I snapped up her book and read it cover to cover but it’s only recently that I’ve started really using it. The book is misnamed really, although there are recipes in it, there’s so much more. I’m always curious to read how people got into yoga and Tara’s story is interesting. There are also chapters on getting back in tune with yourself, a guide to meditation and several yoga sequences including an energizing morning flow and an easygoing wind down flow for the evenings. I’m trying to get into meditating so I’ve found that chapter particularly useful, and I love the yoga sequences, especially the heart-pumping sweaty flow, when I don’t have time to make it to a class. The book is deliberately lo-fi – many of the pictures are from Tara’s Instagram account – which gives it a very real, almost workbook kind of feel. It’s a great jumping off point for a shift towards a healthier life.
You can buy it here

Organic Colour Systems Power Build Shampoo and Aqua Boost Conditioner

Unusually, for me, over the last few years I haven’t been loyal to one particular hairdresser or even salon but the last couple of times I’ve had my hair cut has been at Glasshouse Salon, an East London-based hairdressers which uses products that contain natural ingredients and avoids chemical additives. Regular readers will know that over the past year or so I’ve been trying natural alternatives to my favourite products but, having used natural shampoos and conditioners in the past which left my hair feeling heavy, I didn’t want to waste more money on hair products that left my hair looking greasy within 24 hours. However I loved the way my hair smelt, looked and felt after a cut at Glasshouse and so, on my hairdresser’s advice I bought this shampoo and conditioner on my last visit. Unlike my previous experiences with natural hair care, as well as smelling lovely, my hair doesn’t need washing every day and is in great condition even after a week in the sun.
Find out more about Organic Colour Systems here

Leggings, H&M Sportswear

At the same time as high end sportswear gets increasingly expensive, high street sportswear just gets better and better. I bought these leggings from H&M’s sportswear collection earlier this year. They’ve been to every type of class (spinning, boxfit, cardio kettlebells, regular yoga, hot yoga, you name it) and have been washed least once a week (sometimes more) for several months and they’re still as good as new.
These leggings are no longer available but you can shop the current collection here

Nike Flyknit Trainers

Shortly after adding cardio classes to my regular yoga routine I realised that the cheap trainers I bought for last year’s Nike 10k run just didn’t cut it, they were too heavy and unwieldy for classes which involved leaping around all over the place and so I invested the money I saved by swapping my monthly yoga membership for Classpass membership on a pair of Nike Flyknits. I love them. They’re the lightest trainers I’ve ever owned and keep my feet happy through even the highest energy HIIT classes. They’re not cheap, but for performance and looks combined, they’re worth every penny. I wear them in and out of the gym, so I’m definitely getting my money’s worth. Highly recommend.
The style I bought is no longer available but you can buy other styles in the range here and it’s worth signing up for updates from Nike for early access to shop their sales

Soap & Glory Eyes Cool, £6, Boots

The wooden slatted blinds at the window in my bedroom look nice but don’t do a terribly good job at blocking out the light, which doesn’t matter so much on dark winter days but on light summer mornings all too often leads to me waking up around 4.30am when it’s getting light. Great for scoring a few extra hours in the day to get things done but does mean I’m exhausted by mid-afternoon. An eye mask had been on my to buy list for a long time (probably since the first time I saw Breakfast At Tiffany’s) but the ones I liked were often wildly expensive, until I spotted this one in Boots. It contains a gel insert that you take out, put in the fridge, then pop back in to depuff your eyes as you sleep. I don’t suffer badly with dark circles or puffy eyes and so tbh I usually wear the mask without the insert. The first time I woke up with it on I was a bit confused and disorientated but I’m used to it now and, apart from one time when it worked its way off overnight, it does help me sleep a little longer, making it a blimming bargain.
You can buy one here

What healthy buys have you made recently? As ever, do share below!