Devise own regime for body, skin

By The Standard | Aug. 11, 2013

Once in a while I am rudely reminded that I am a woman, and I am forced to bother about things that other women worry about constantly.

Inside Track with Grace Mutandwa

Most of my female friends worry about how their skin looks, the kind of make-up they use and where to buy the latest trendy clothes.

I am not a follower of the crowd, so my life is usually very simple and easy going. I wear what I want and have the kind of body that mostly permits me to eat and drink what I want.

Although my alcohol intake would probably worry my parents if they were still alive, it does not really bother me. I love cooking so I try and make healthy but exciting meals. I love vegetables — cooked and raw and also eat fruit as much as possible. I drink a lot of milk but recently switched to swigging quite a lot of soya milk — smells horrible but I love it. I love spices and herbs and use them a lot.

I love good bath crèmes and am also very willing to splurge on facial and body crèmes sold by my favourite chain — the Body Shop. When I go to South Africa I buy large amounts of all my favourite stuff from the Body Shop — like real serious stocking! I think bath and body crèmes, perfumes and lingerie are the things that I really go crazy about.

I have my own home remedies of getting rid of toxins and these usually are in the form of drinking lots of warm or cold lemon water, celery and cucumber juice seasoned with black pepper, a dash of chilli and a teaspoon of lemon juice or a garlic, ginger, honey and cinnamon warm water drink. Do not ask me what these things do because I have no truthful answer.

All I know is that somehow my body works well when I go through these weird regimes. I just feel healthier and stronger and more importantly, I never suffer a hangover.

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I make lots of fish, chicken and vegetable soups. These are good for the days when I do not want to cook large meals and also for strength building.

Maybe I am lucky that I do not spend as much time as some of my friends fretting about skin products, clothes or hair extensions, but it does make me wonder why these things never bother me. Do I suffer some disorder or am I just weird?

I take my vitamins directly from fruit and vegetables but I also take supplements. I however feel conflicted when a magazine tells me that I can also take my vitamins through my skin. Does this mean that at some point technology is going to be so advanced that we might not even need to eat, but just smear something on our bodies and we will feel fully nourished? How far is this madness going to go?

I am all for having nice supple skin, but I seriously do not believe that my face and body crèmes contain Vitamins A, B, C, E and whatever vitamin F is.

First we are told to drink lots of water and eat lots of vegetables and fruit and now someone tells us that we need to feed the skin with vitamins. And these super crèmes do not come cheap.

Added to that, there are also too many diets on the market just to confuse us even further.

Dieting is a choice so is eating healthy. If you stick to it, it works but if you have no staying power then do not waste your time.

At the rate our consumerism is going, our children will not be able to afford having their own children. It will cost way too much just to keep a centimetre of your skin alive.

Maybe women need to re-look at the way they feed their bodies. There are perfectly affordable ways of staying healthy. There are foods you can grow in your garden that can give you the same healthy glow, which that expensive diamond face crème promises to deliver in three months.

There are also exercise regimes you can follow. You do not have to go to the gym to get a toned up body although I am not against visiting the gym purely for entertainment purposes and to ogle some of the hunks that litter the capital’s gyms. Take up brisk walking, buy exercise music videos and dance your way to health.

I have taken up hip-hop dancing as a form of exercise. It might sound easy but it is not. It works your abs and the first week you will think you are going to die from pain, but after two weeks you feel good, strong and you start feeling your muscles regaining strength.

Working out will make you feel good about yourself, will give your skin a healthy glow, will help your metabolism and you might just fit into those skinny jeans you wish you could rock some day. Better still, work out with your spouse, believe me it will improve your sex life — do not take my word for it, try it.

Grace Mutandwa is a Communications Specialist, Media Trainer, Author and a Mentor of young female journalists. She can be reached on 0772414482.

email: [email protected] Twitter:GraceMutandwa1/Skype:Wisteria42