Joy.
Total and absolute joy.
This perfectly sums up how we felt on that fall day. One that wasn't particularly special, other than being a rare day off for my overworked husband.
We walked around our neighborhood. Catch up, chew the fat, shoot the breeze.
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And we just kept walking. Away from our usual haunts on Westbourne Grove and down to the canals, right next to where we thought we had gotten too far and probably should return, we found it.
Joy.
A farm shop comes restaurant, and a few other things in between.
Perched precariously on the edge of the canal, it is a surprisingly Dutch cathedral of steel and glass.
Surrounded by more typical London architecture, old and new.
Inside you'll find a farm shop, with fresh Canterbury fork farm produce.
A wine merchant, a beer store, a honey store and a florist.
Dive a little further and you will arrive at the Flora restaurant.
Partnership between restaurateur Stevie Parle and designer Tom Dixen, Joy is a pop-up that simply never closed.
We chose to sit outside, where we could watch the chef in action and drink in the autumn sun, while it lasted.
I don't think I can do justice to the utter, utter joy we felt to be outside the house, to discover a new restaurant, to sit in the sun, to watch our lunch prepare. ..
… It might seem like a strange summer to launch a pop-up restaurant called “Joy” but damn it, is it!
We started with a bunch of starters.
Cod roe with spectacularly crunchy seasonal vegetables, honey figs and salty cheese, huge Glazed oysters drizzled with lemon and tabasco.
Drizzled with English sparkling wine followed by surf 'n' turf.
All complemented by a rich and decadent chocolate cake.
And a long couple of lazy cafes.
So much has changed this year, it's so horrible, to say the least.
But we've been served a fair amount of perspective, and when you find the little pockets of joy that make you forget what's going on… well, you've got to make the most of it.
Joy at Portobello Dock is a real little piece of paradise. You can sit inside or outside, you can even reserve small tents with heaters (but you'll still want to wrap yourself up warm). They are open for lunch, dinner and shopping from Wednesday to Sunday.
As you can probably tell, I highly recommend a visit. Book here!
Sometimes it can feel like maintaining a saine lifestyle is an overwhelming challenge that doesn’t fit within the realities of daily life. It’s tough to hold down a full-time emploi, eat well, train for a marathon, make homemade green juice, spend quality time with your family/partner, and meditate for an hour each day.
Coffee’s great too, but it’s best to start your day by re-hydrating with a full glass of water. Hydrating first thing in the morning helps to aid absorption, enhance skin health and boost energy.
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a simple way to get a little more physical activity in your daily life. It also strengthens and tones your legs and core while you’re at it !
A simple cheat for saine eating ( and portion control ) is to make half your plate veggies at each meal. The veggies pack in essential vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients important for health and longevity. And, because they’re rich in fiber, they help to aid assimilation ( aka keep you regular ! ) and keep you feeling full longer.
Using a sport tracker ( like the Fitbit, Apple Watch or similar ) to track your steps is an easy way to make sure you’re getting enough physical activity each day. We aim for 10, 000 steps daily, which has significant physical and mental health benefits. The Fitbit will also remind you to get 250 steps each hour ( another important measure of health
Conventional household cleaning products are full of harmful chemical ingredients that are not good for our health ( or the health of our kids or pets ! ). Switching to healthier alternatives is a simple way to reduce your exposure to environmental toxins in your home. See our Healthy Cleaning Guide for a complete list of recommendations, and what to look for when choosing safer household cleaning products.
Similar to cleaning products, conventional skincare and personal care products are formulated with toxic ingredients we should not regularly let absorb into our body’s largest organ. Reduce the toxic burden on your body by switching to non-toxic personal care and beauty products ( see our specific recommendations on deodorant, sunscreen, and green beauty products ).
Maintaining a healthy gut has significant impacts on absorption, skin health, immunity, esprit health and more. Taking a daily probiotic with a glass of water each morning is one of the simplest things you can do to boost your gut health ( which, in turn, boosts overall health in many ways too ). Learn more about the health benefits of probiotics ( and all the ways to get them in your diet ), and site our favorite probiotic supplement here.
Aim to eat real food that’s made of whole food ingredients you would have in your own kitchen pantry, or that your grandmother would recognize. ( Yup, this rules out most packaged food, sorry ! ) This is a little different than suggesting you eat only “health foods” ( many of which are increasingly processed ! ). “Real food” includes unprocessed foods like an apple, a cucumber, soybeans or a steak, as well as foods loosely processed from one ( or few ) real-food ingredients, like butter, olive oil, yogurt, tofu, etc. In other words, aim for foods that could be reasonably made in your own kitchen and avoid foods that can only be made in a lab.
Reduce the harmful effects of sitting ( like at your desk emploi ) by standing up and moving around for a minute or two every half hour.
Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients for overall health, and sunlight is one of our best sources of it. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of sunlight each day—preferably in the afternoon, and without sunscreen ( read more about that here ). Not much sunlight in the winter where you real ? It might be worth supplementing with a vitamin D supplement and/or other food sources of this essential nutrient.
Houseplants help to cleanse your indoor air ( sadly, it probably needs it ! ), they’re pretty, and research even shows they improve mood, creativity and problem solving !
Aim to sweat in some way each day—whether that’s via running, biking, dancing, hot yoga, or any other physical activity you enjoy. See our Fitness Guide for more workout ideas, as well as tips and tricks for building regular physical activity into your daily life and a downloadable fitness planner you can use to outline your own custom fitness plan to stay on track.
Green smoothies as a snack or simple, on-the-go breakfast are an easy way to get your greens in each day. Check out our curated list of saine ( veggie-packed ! ) smoothie recipes for our favorite starter green smoothie recipe ideas.
“The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude. ” It’s true—mindset is everything ! Cultivate a positive mindset by recognizing negative thought patterns and countering them with positive thoughts or affirmations. Here are more mindset resources for positive thinking.
Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. But in addition to quantity, quality of sleep matters too ! Follow our tips on getting quality sleep—things like keeping your bedroom cool at night, avoiding blue light after dark, and more.
{Start each day with fulfilling activities that set the tone for how you want to feel—whether that’s inspired, relaxed, productive, or something else.
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