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Miss W's blog

Winter rituals – The health kick

The knowledge that summer is just around the corner brings about the annual beach body panic.

Though you can feel the warm (practically hot) weather sneaking up on us, most Ibiza residents refuse to call this time of year anything but winter.

We’re not ready to give up our beloved ‘other season’ just yet… We need more time to enjoy our beautiful island before the tourism season hits in full force and our workloads triple! But with this warm weather comes the knowledge that we will soon be hitting the beaches, which in turn brings about the annual bikini body panic. Which leads me to another classic Ibiza winter ritual, jumping on the health kick bandwagon.

Photo: Hot Yoga Ibiza

Guys are joining the gym faster than you can say protein shake, girls are flocking to yoga, Pilates, the gym and Zumba, while party people are switching their vodka and red bull for weeklong juice cleanses. The Talamanca, Figueretes and Santa Eulalia promenades are chock full of early morning runners looking to shed those kilos gained during the box set binge watching months since Christmas and the health food shops and organic cafes across the island are doing a roaring trade. So what will my own health kick consist of in 2016? Well, first of all, I’m going to do a 30-day hot yoga challenge at Hot Yoga Ibiza, to kickstart my body into motion. The thought of this literally terrifies me… But I think, if Adam Levine can do it, so can I. Thankfully my decision to start with a health kick coincides with all the sales, so I can snap up some new workout gear that will inspire me to get out of bed and into the studio (because let’s face it, it IS still chilly in the mornings and it’s so nice to snuggle with your kitties for an extra hour).

Photo: Wild Beets

Then the really tough part begins. Switching the sweet comfort foods of winter to a healthier, leaner diet. I love to cook and winter is the perfect time to spend more hours in the kitchen, but I can’t say I’ve ever been much of a conscious chef. I love rich risottos, cheesy lasagnes, creamy Thai curries, indulgent pasta dishes, crispy potatoes roasted in goose fat… And the list goes on. When someone says quinoa, I usually cringe however I’m determined to give it a go. And failing that, I’m just going to take up residence at Passion Cafe and let Lana Love feed me three times a day! And then… There’s the drinking. Ohhhhh how I love red wine in winter. And Coca Cola. And Red Bull. And milky, sugary English tea. And chocolate milk. Yes, my name is Miss W and I am a sugarholic. I roll my eyes at the idea of water with slices of cucumber, I cringe at the thought of actually digging out and using my dusty old juicer (because ergh – who has time for washing up?) and as for hot water with lemon? I’d rather go thirsty. But I’m aware the time has come to make a change and so with the 30 days of yoga will come the 30 days of water (because with all that sweaty yoga, one needs to be extra hydrated).

Photo: Passion Cafés

Icky hot water with ginger and lemon in place of my tea each morning, litres of good old fashioned h2o to be consumed at my desk or in my car instead of my fizzy drinks and coconut water to replace wine. And a Nutri-bullet is on the way. The results remain to be seen. The fact that basically everyone who is anyone on the island is health obsessed right now makes it easy to jump on the bandwagon. And slightly embarrassing to be seen scoffing a burger and fries. The looming summer season might be three months away, but I don’t want to be the only one hiding under a maxi kaftan when everyone else is looking trim, toned and glowing on the beach! Do you?