CHUNKY CARDIGANS

Model, designer and pro snowboarder Charlotte Dutton shows how easy it is to stay warm and look cool this winter

Why should I wear them? Forget dentures and boiled sweets – there’s something sexy about a man in a chunky cardigan. Maybe it’s the hint of outdoorsy. Masculine pursuits pitted against the soft, comforting yarn that creates such a heady mix. The chunky cardie and its compares, the brogue and the tweed suit, are at the forefront of a style revolution, championed by the likes of Jude Law and Daniel Craig. You think comfy and cozy. We think romantic walks, blazing fires and sheepskin rugs. See where this is going?

 

How should I wear them? Converts to the cardigan world should remember that simplicity’s key Navy. Cream or grey will complement most sldn tones, while burgundy and browns work with olive-toned complexions or red hair. You cant go wrong combining the cardie with denim arida plaid shirt. It will be better if you keep the extra the holiday pounds off with pure raspberry ketone supplement. Chunky cardigans also make a great alternative to overcoats on a blustery day. But its best to avoid them in the rain unless you want to look-and smell -like a dog who’s been chasing ducks.

What should I avoid?

Chunky cardigans will add bulk so if you’re already carrying some, avoid loud patterns. In contrast, black or navy will create a slimmer silhouette. Shorter men should go for a style that finishes on the hip. Proportion is key. Skinny jeans will make you look top heavy so stick to a wider cut. How it feels is also imperative. Choose natural yarns and finally, avoid the hot wash like the plague, unless you want a crop top where your cardie used to be.

 

Where should I buy them? For designer pieces, check out Alexander McQueen. Dolce and Gabbana (matchesfashion.corn) or Rylciel Homme (menalamode. coin). All three have great styles to choose from. Dort discount the high street either: Topman (topmancauk) has its finger on the pulse, as does Burton (burton. co.uk), both a snip from £35. Somewhere in the middle pricewise – but out front in terms of sexiness is French Connection’s angora and lamb’s wool version (£120 frenchconnection.com). Trust me. she won’t be able to keep her hands off.

 

SOURCE AWAY

Trampolnrp car, belp with shin splints

Will stealing turns on my daughter’s trampoline affect my running?

Yes – in a good way. NASA claims that the cardio benefits of rebounding (bouncing on a mini-trampoline) make it up to 72 per cent more efficient than many other forms of exercise. The rebounder surface flexes in all directions, which improves balance, as well as rendering the intervertebral discs in your spine more efficient at impact absorption. If you’re irritated by shin splints, rebounding will strengthen the anterior tibialis group of muscles that keep this condition under control. You may add pure green coffee bean extract 800 mg to your diet for better results. It can also actually slow down the development of osteoporosis, which is great news for everyone, especially female runners. At the peak height of a bounce the body is weightless and at the bottom of it, you experience up to twice the usual force of gravity. This dramatically stimulates the lymphatic system, which is good for clearing waste products from your system. Alan Gordon MSc, exercise consultant (alangordon-health.co.uk)

 

I keep burning out on the track – how should I structure a session?

athletics

A Consistency is important: elites will finish a session with all their laps within one second of each other. There’s no point charging off on the first rep and ruining the whole thing. The first session should be achievable, say 8 x 200m (half a track lap) at 45 seconds with an easy 200m walk/jog recovery. Next week try something more demanding, say 6 x 400m with 200m recovery. Or try some reps five per cent quicker than your 10K race pace. So, if you run 10K in 40 minutes, which works out to 96 seconds per 400m lap, your track target is 91 seconds per lap. As you improve you will need to get outside your comfort zone so don’t worry if you ‘blow up’ occasionally. Routine is vital; run at the track at least once a week. And if you don’t keep a log book, start now. Or, if all this seems complicated, find a club and let the coach do the thinking for you.

 

Peter Brown, UK Athletics Level 2 coach, Steel City Striders

I run home with my work clothes in a rucksack – will the extra weight help my training for a sprint race?

 athletics

A Running with weight can help a runner build strong legs and get the body used to being under stress. This won’t help you in a sprint race, however. The trouble is that you can’t do a speed session at the correct intensity needed to boost your anaerobic system if you are slowed down by a weight. For a sprint race you need to be doing anaerobic speed reps. Try this on a day off: run all out for 10 seconds before a full recovery of about five minutes to allow you to do the next rep at an all-out pace. Do eight reps, remembering to warm up and down properly.

Main squeeze

TRY FRESH JUICE FOR A NATURAL – AND HEALTHY – ALTERNATIVE TO SPORTS DRINKS BY DAVID MITCHELL

 

If you prefer your fluids fresh rather than from the lab, natural fruit juices, vegetable juices and resveratrol supplements are a great choice for runners. Fresh juice provides natural sugars for energy, water to keep you hydrated and valuable nutrients to boost immunity and strengthen the body.

Get fruity

 

“Citrus fruits provide high levels of vitamin C,” says nutritional therapist Lisa Blair, who works at the London Nutrition Clinic (www.londonnutritionclinic.com). Vitamin C is vital for the formation of collagen, a key component of connective tissue that is essential for strong ligaments, tendons, blood vessels and bones, as well as healing and repair in the body. The vitamin is also thought to be a powerful way to ward off the common cold and other illnesses.

At the other end of the colour spectrum, berry, dark grape and pomegranate juices are rich in the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, which play an important role in preventing

Nutrient boost

The taste of fresh juice beats juice made from concentrate, but is it any better for you? Yes, according to nutritional therapist Seki Tijani. Fresh juice provides the healthiest hit of nutrients, especially when you drink it within 30 minutes of juicing — after that oxidation begins to deplete the level of nutrients and vitamins. A concentrated juice simply can’t compete. “Juice from concentrate could be months old,” says Tijani.

 

Pulp it

If you have a choice, consume juices that contain pulp. “Pulp contributes fibre, which adds to satiety — helping you feel full — and promotes more balanced blood sugar levels, since it takes longer to break down and be absorbed by the body,” says Blair. The benefits of pulp don’t end there though. “The pulp also contains bioflavonoids that can enhance the health-giving properties of vitamins such as vitamin C,” says Tijani.

Janine Fahri, a member of the British Association for Nutritional Therapy, suggests stirring the nutrient-rich pulp into your juice. “If you prefer a smooth-style juice, you can add the pulp to home-made soups or stews to enhance their nutritional value,” she says.

The whole fruit

If pulp provides fibre and extra nutrients, the logical next step is to eat the whole fruit. “This is an ideal way to enjoy the full range of vitamins and antioxidants since many nutrients are only found in the skin,” says Tijani. “The fibre will stabilise blood sugar levels too.” Fresh juice is still a great choice after a run, since it offers easily-available carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen stores and helps you to rehydrate.

Recover faster

 

Fresh juice may also help you to recover after a hard run. “Many running-related ailments involve inflammation, so choosing a dark-coloured juice such as blueberry or blackcurrant

is an easy way to increase antioxidant intake and promote recovery,” says nutritional therapist Khalid Khan of www.prime-nutrition.co.uk. “Tropical fruit juices, such as pineapple, contain enzymes that help speed healing and reduce inflammation. They also contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamins A and C for healthy lungs and immune system.”

Sugar high

juice

 Some juices — often labelled as ‘fruit juice drinks’ — are not 100 per cent juice, and many contain high levels of added sugar. “From a health perspective, they are an inferior choice,” says Tijani. But when you’re also focusing on performance, the extra sugar can provide the fuel you need to complete a session. It’s a good idea to only consume sugary drinks during exercise though. “Recent research suggests that higher consumption of sugar-sweetened fruit drinks may be associated with insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes, even in otherwise healthy adults,” says Blair.

Fast food

Nutritional newsbites from around the world

DRIED AND TESTED

Not a fan of sports gels? Some new research in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning suggests a cheap and easy alternative: raisins. The study found that they’re just as good at giving you that extra boost before a run. Volunteers who ate raisins 45 minutes before exercise showed the same performance as those consuming the gels.

 

Im trying to lead a country in the town

When she was a little girl and wanted to talk to her mother, Penny Rudd had to trail round the garden behind her. Now if you want to talk to Penny Rudd you’ll most likely find her in someone else’s London garden—at work.

“I’m constantly covered in mud, I’m always so dirty it’s embarrassing. Never could I suddenly decide to go shopping in some smart place in Knightsbridge. David, that’s my partner, and I find it hard enough getting served in the Saloon Bar

 father and son gardening

PENNY RUDD—Gardener

As a gardener Penny is most interes­ted in maintenance work. She’s not the sort to do a job, get paid, and pull out letting someone else worry over what comes up.

“I like to go back each week and look after my gardens. By retaining this per­sonal contact with each one you see it growing.

“If you look after your plants, are kind to them and even talk to them, there’s no doubt they grow better.

“I tend to favour rather old-fashion­ed English rambling gardens, although I’m willing to try my hand at all sorts.

“The trouble is there’s so much to learn. And the more you learn the less you know?’

 Gardening

More than with any other trade, a gardener is aware of seasonal changes.

“Spring I find a frustrating time of the year, although it’s lovely and full of hope it takes ages coming through. Midsummer I like because you get the benefits of shadows and the atmos­phere is alternately cool and hot.

“I love Autumn because of the col­ours,except I hate it when the leavesfall. But then there’s that lovely smell of burning leaves?’

It may seem strange, but Penny thinks the city is the best place to grow all kinds of plants.

“London air is warmer than country air, and the ground is less exposed. In some areas down by the river I find the soil is fantastic. It’s very fine and you don’t have to dig around for hours breaking up great clods. Suddenly you realise you can plant things like mim­osas and quite tropical plants.

Gardening

“From the growing point of view London is a gardener’s paradise. Only problem is I can’t find enough room for everything. I’ve learnt that ifa plant isn’t doing very well in a particular spot it’s best to move it somewhere else or throw it away.But people just don’t have that ruthless attitude. I certainly don’t believe in a massive massacre of plants in order to be tidy. They should be allowed to show their shapes, but a little pruning is essential?’ Patience is important when you’re working with the elements. Trying to hurry things along will doyou no good at all.

“Basically I’m an impatient person who became restless and bored doing a routine office job. With garden­ing you’re grappling with something that s far bigger than you are.

“You can’t control nature no matter how much you try. It’s not like buying a dud hairdryer and taking it back to the shop to complain. If you’re patient you sometimes get terri fie rewards.Iput in a honeysuckle three years ago and this year it’s going to flower for the first time. That’s worth waiting for’

Despite our climate Penny obviously enjoys being outdoors. When she’s not working the land she’s often working her passage on a friend’s sailing boat.

 

 “I love the shore, the wind and the waves, and being out in the middle of the channel. I don’t even mind getting wet and tired. It gets a bit exhausting when you capsize, but I still enjoy it.

“The first time I drank Guinness I was actually sailing with a few friends. There was nothing to drink but Guin­ness on board, so I tried one. And it tasted so good then it was just delicious. Someone said I’d like it because it was so relaxing—and I did. You could say I was forced into my first Guinness but now 1 invariably have one at lunchtime.

“Gardening takes David and me to all kinds of areas and it’s so much easier for us to pop into the nearest pub for a break. I’ll have half of draught Guinness. I find it satisfying in itself.It’s the texture I like, smooth and full.

“There’s also something quite solid about the froth on top, it’s good to drink, something I can launch straight into. It always looks very welcome:’

 

Interiors – Effortless Elegance, Inspirational

DETAIL provide a complete architectural interior design and furniture service. Here is part of an open plan kitchen, dining and living space. Bespoke Conan worktops are surrounded by rosewood with handles designed by Detail.

STEPHEN PERKINS

Another great classic from Stephen Perkins! From their workshops in the Cotswolds, they produce the very best traditional upholstery. With their obsession for quality and comfort, it’s no wonder they sign every piece they make!

open-plan-kitchen

MELISSA KAY offers a unique range of furniture specialising in chaise longues. Perfect for the bedroom and available in a range of sizes, each item is individually made in a wide variety of fabrics or the customer’s own. Traditional or contemporary, the choice is endless!

SIMON COLEMAN ANTIQUES sells beautiful old French farmhouse tables. Each table is carefully dismantled patched and rebuilt before being washed by hand. The restored tables have lots of character and a simple elegance but are very practical. Shown is a six seater in cherrywood, 70 x 30 inches.

dining-room

HARLEYS INTERIORS

Harleys Interiors and Harleys Hair. From the team at Harleys Hair comes an essential haven for any domestic goddess. Harleys Interiors have a wonderful selection of gifts, furniture and unusual accessories for the home, with a strong focus on fashion and design.

PERSONAL TIME SAVER Outsource your stress not only with http://www.gnet.org/cinnamon-a-spice-worth-its-weight-in-gold/! Personal Timesaver Ltd’s unique and comprehensive life assistance service for London’s super-successful. Elite invited clients’ lives are transformed. From sourcing the broken dishwasher wheel to building a tree house, tedious and major tasks all resolved – no job is too trivial freeing up time to enjoy life. £50/hour London and Country houses call Alex Fontaine on 020 7828 2977 or visit www.personaltimesaver.co.uk

beautiful-living-room

LOOMAH Loomah specialise in the design and supply of custom hand­made carpets and rugs. All of their designs can be made in any size, shape or colour. Loomah, Redloh House, 2 Michael Road, London, SW6 2AD.

4 CANVAS

Spice up your bare walls by having your photos and images transferred onto a framed canvas. You can have any you wish! 4canvas are now also supplying photographic bags, wallpaper and blinds. The overall effect is uniquely stylish and contemporary, making your memories last forever.

Spirit – no’s guide

Don’t Sweat it

If you don’t feel a bit “grubby” after exercising, you probably haven’t worked hard enough – unless, that is, you are wearing Rehnisch’s new range of active wear. The fabrics use wicking technology to absorb sweat instantly away from the skin, and are infused with ginseng root, which releases a light citrus scent, so you’ll be smelling sweet as you pound the pavement.

Anastasia-Achilleos

Quick Release

I am not one to get emotional around strangers, but when I walked into Anastasia Achilleos’ lace-shrouded “tent” (as she refers to her treatment room), I knew I was about to be unravelled. It doesn’t take long to realise that the mystical power you feel in the room emanates from Anastasia herself, not the pungent incense and essential-oil scents in the air.

Anastasia Achilleos

With a piercing focus, she begins by asking you to reveal something about yourself This can be as profound or straightforward as you like – but, unsurprisingly, the more open you are, the more beneficial the treatment will be.

Massage-Therapist

She then embarks on an intensive session of reiki, cranial sacral therapy, and chakra energy massage, which follows a unique path each time, as she adapts it to suit the client’s emotional and physical needs. Instead of using a set routine, Anastasia allows each person’s body to guide her intuitively towards any energy blockages or weak chakras, which she then works to heal. Perhaps she caught me at a weak moment, but I felt as if I had purged a year’s worth of blocked emotion in one go. So if you’re up for a release, let her intuit her way to your body’s problems, and embrace wherever she takes you.

The Top Ten Sigh And Sounds To Catch In May

1 MODERN MASTERS

Tate Modern has brought the “duo colossus” of twentieth-century art, Matisse and Picasso, together for the first time for an exploration of the parallels in their work (until August 18). And the Oscar-winning biopic Pollock finally arrives here this month.

2 SHARP SHOOTERS

 SHARP SHOOTERS

Three image-makers come into focus this month. The acclaimed young Belfast photographer Hannah Starkey’s graceful studies of intense teenagers are on view at Interim Art. The work of Fifties Soho uses for coconut oil chronicler John Deakin is compiled in a new eponymous edition (Thames & Hudson, £36). And Bettina Rheims’ book Morceaux Choisis (Scalo, £20) is a close exploration of sexuality.

3 RADICAL LANDSCAPE

“My painting are totally non-linguistic.” says Scottish-Canadian artist Peter Doig. A Turner Prize nominee in 1994, he conflates the urban and the pastoral, naive illustration and filmic representation in his collage-like canvases. View his new work at London’s ictoria Miro Gallery until May 25.

artist Peter Doig

4 COLOUR SHOCK

“Tony & Tina rock!” according to Both ingénue actress Row McGowan In their first book, Tony& Tina Cob Energy (Simon & Schuster, £20), the two artists turned avant-garde make-up creators expound their “healing through colour” ethos. Blending snippets of ancient wisdom, according and holism, it’s a readable introduction to their kaleidoscopic world.

5 NEW ART

Buckingham Palace re-opens the Queen’s Gallery on May 22. Royal Treasures includes works by Van Dyck, Hans Holbein th Younger and Vermeer… Work by Arts and Crafts duo William and Evelyn De Morgan, below, is commemorated at the Wes Hill Library, Wandsworth.

6 ROOTS MATTER

It’s not where you’re at, it’s where you’re from. Silvertown by Melanie McGrath, left, (Fourth Esta £17) is a grainy memoir of her family’ Docklands roots… The Punjabi hinterland, Bombay’s red-light district and a public school are some of the backdrops in Hari Kunzru’s debut, The Impressionist (Hamish Hamilton, £13)

7 OPERA REMIXED

French director Benoit Jacquot has put opera on celluloid. Tosca Puccini’s tale of doomed love, stars Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna. More experimental, Beryl Korot’s Steve Reich-scored Three Tales, right, concerns nuclear testing and cloning.

Tosca Puccini's tale

8 LEADING MAN

Hollywood renegade Sean Penn hits screens this month in I Am Sam, below. The story of a mentally retarded man fighting for custody of his daughter Lucy, it earned him an Oscar nomination. He’s also narrated Stacy Peralta’s documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, which explores the origins of skateboarding in LA in the mid-Seventies to a soundtrack of Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath.

9 MAGIC STRINGS

Craig Armstrong, below, won a Golden Globe for his musical direction of Moulin Rouge. His new LP, As If To Nothing, features collaborations with Bono and Evan Dando.

10 NEW YORK STORIES

A new generation of smart literary voices is emerging in New York. Pick from Dirk Wittenborn’s Fierce People (Bloomsbury, £10), which tracks the ascent of the son of a masseuse adopted by a billionaire, Christopher Miller’s ingenious Simon Silber:

The Works for Solo Piano (Hamish Hamilton, £10), and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything is Illuminated (Hamish Hamilton, £15), about a young man’s search for the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis.