The Hemsleys: the art of living well

In the first of their ethical living columns for Psychologies, whole foodies and wellness-guru sisters Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley share their refreshingly honest and practical approach to good health

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The Hemsleys: the art of living well

1 Forget next-day delivery. ‘We speak to lots of people who don’t get health and wellness. People think “healthy” is difficult, when in truth, if you spend just a few days eating right, you’ll actually desire it. Ultimately, it is never as easy as being zapped better, but as a society, we’ve come to expect quick fixes. It won’t happen overnight, but we believe the pursuit of better health should be practical, cheap and for life.’ Jasmine

2 First food first. ‘A lot of people have quite a punishing mindset – you’ll overeat or drink too much, then force yourself to go to the gym to work off the calories. Or stress will be carried home after work, you’ll comfort-eat, and go to bed too late, feeling stressed. Then you’ll do it all again the next day. Food is the entry point for a lot of people. You eat three times a day, plus snacks, so you have a choice each time. Start by asking, “When is a particularly tricky time for me?” Do you not feel like eating in the morning or is supper your downfall? Once you work that out and start to eat better, and that part of your life is more enjoyable, the next step towards health – sleep, exercise or meditation – falls into place more easily.’ Melissa

3 Kick-start the guts. ‘There’s lots of chat about which probiotics are really good, but for us it’s easier to talk about building up your gut naturally. We make a probiotic BBQ ketchup and pink chilli kraut, which is really easy and cheap – it’s just cabbage and a bit of sea salt. We also find bone broth really soothing on the gut – it offers huge nutritional benefits in the most easily digestible formula possible.’ Jasmine

4 Rise and scrape. ‘I would rather live without my toothbrush than without my tongue scraper. My daily health is impacted so much by something so quick and cheap. It’s a brilliant habit to get into, removing build-up and bacteria, and you don’t need to use any products.’ Jasmine

5 Daily units. ‘We love turmeric in tea and smoothies, ginger and lemon juice in water, and chaga tea. Everyone laughed at us, then suddenly they had all ordered their boxes of chaga tea. In our first book, one of the recipes people loved, because it doesn’t involve any cooking, is our Pep-Up Tea with ginger, turmeric, cayenne and lemon. It’s lovely hot or cold and a great one to take into work in a flask.’ Melissa

6 Meditation in action. ‘Meditating is a bit like sugar – when you’re on it, you crave it. In the morning, I do it before anything else, or I’ll make excuses. I get up, go to the loo, scrape my tongue and drink a glass of warm filtered water. I like meditating in a sofa or chair to support my back, with a blanket.’ Jasmine

7 Sleep hygiene. ‘I turn the lights low and if I haven’t meditated yet, I do that. I love a bedtime Yogi or camomile tea. If I’ve been on the phone or cooking, a face and neck massage is great. I also like to massage my fingers and light my Neom Tranquillity candle, £45. Maybe some sesame oil with a few drops of lavender oil to give my legs and feet a rub. I instantly relax. I don’t always do all of this, but I always do some of it.’ Melissa

8 Evening app. ‘We’re really into the apps Twilight and f.lux, where you set your time zone on your gadgets and they mimic the sunset. The big problem for city-dwellers is that we don’t get enough daylight and then we get too much blue light (from screens) during the night. Using an app like this is a really easy reminder to yourself that it’s the evening, and time to prepare for sleep.’ Jasmine

Find recipes and foodie inspiration online at the #360me channel at lifelabs.psychologies.co.uk/channels/353-360me

Good + Simple by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (Ebury, £25), is out now. 

Photograph: Nicholas Hopper

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