Your winter detox all wrapped up

Bodyworks

So there I am – arms raised, as a helpful woman wraps my body in cellophane – trying to work out exactly why I had agreed to this.

But when a treatment promises to help you lose inches, reduce cellulite and detoxify the body while at the same time relaxing you and leaving your skin silky smooth, it's difficult to resist.

The Floatarium's Inchwrap body treatment seemed an excellent way to restart my healthy living plan.

The wrap involves the application of products containing Dead Sea minerals. I'm not sure I fully grasped the exact science behind it, but my therapist said beneficial minerals from the products would be absorbed through my skin and into my cells, causing undesirable elements to come out of my body, leaving me all healthy and detoxified – or something like that.

To be truthful, I may not have been concentrating fully as she was explaining all this, because I was happily relaxing as my body was exfoliated and massaged with liberal quantities of moisturising and firming potions.

After this preparation, it was time for the application of the (rather cold) HS formula that contains the Dead Sea minerals. Then I was wrapped in the cellophane (which I was assured was not really clingfilm, and made specially for the job). In fact it was not nearly as awful as it sounds. The wrap was loose and not uncomfortable and I was given a white, boilersuit-type garment to put on over it, which kept me warm and distracted me from the fact I looked like a futuristic mummy.

A further 40 minutes or so of relaxation ensued before the wrap was cut off and further moisturiser applied, then I was sent out to face the world, a new and detoxified woman.

I felt great, my skin was clearer and more supple. And although immediately afterwards I was concerned my skin tone actually looked worse, I quickly noticed a firmer appearance in those traditional "problem areas" which lasted for a good couple of weeks. The therapist had told me several treatments would be necessary to get the full benefits (along with a healthier diet), and I would seriously consider going back.

Dead Sea Inch Wrap lasts two hours 30 minutes and costs £50, tel: [phone], or visit www.edinburghfloatarium.co.uk

After the toil, the treat

If you have a green-fingered mother who thinks nothing of wrestling shrubs and weeds out of her borders, Crabtree & Evelyn's Gardeners Deluxe Flower Pot is a treat for her hands.

The tin flowerpot is filled with the company's award-winning Gardeners range, including shea butter hand care, which has been developed especially to protect and soothe the most chapped skin.

The collection also includes liquid soap, hand scrub to get rid of stubborn stains and nail and cuticle cream to repair the damage.

The products are scented with fresh green clover, sage, rosemary and thyme so, although she may be washing the garden off, she'll still smell of it.

Gardeners Deluxe Flower Pot, £34, available from Crabtree & Evelyn, tel: [phone].

Fitness

Third age activity

You might think that if you are already past retirement age, there's little point in slipping into your gym gear and heading to the next available exercise class.

But you'd be wrong.

Research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that exercising after retirement can greatly prolong your life.

In fact, the older you are the more dramatic the impact of exercise is likely to have on your general health.

And those who have never exercised before will get particular benefits.

The best fitness regime is one that mixes different disciplines: cardiovascular to get blood pumping and flexibility to stretch and strengthen joints.

Walking is ideal and yoga can help improve balance and strength.

According to experts, the trick is to push yourself but not punish yourself. Find exercises that work for you – for instance swimming is lower impact than walking so it can help if you struggle with your knees and ankle joints.

Fitness, it seems, can really never come too late.

Health

Read alert

They taste delicious, they even look pretty, but did you know a tomato contains half the daily recommended amount of vitamin C? Or that it's packed with antioxidant flavonoids and vitamin E which help keep your heart healthy?

Pharmacist Ron Levin has collated decades of research confirming the positive attributes of the fruit in his book, The Red Bodyguard.

As well as containing high levels of beta-carotene, which bolsters the immune system and helps maintain healthy skin, they contain no saturated fatty acids, are low in salt, starch and sugars, high in dietary fibre and have a low glycemic index.

Best of all, tomatoes are the richest source of an antioxidant called lycopene. Eating tomatoes – whether condensed or cooked – can help you reach the recommended five to eight milligrammes a day of the antioxidant.

A single lycopene molecule can neutralise 13 free radicals, the build-up of which can cause cell damage and trigger cancer. Three independent studies also suggest it may suppress the production of an insulin-like growth hormone, IFG-1, which stimulates the growth and spread of prostate and breast cancer.

The Red Bodyguard by Ron Levin is published by Icon, priced £5.99.

A little bit fruity

Sometimes it's hard to know what goes on in the minds of marketing people. However, a rotten name shouldn't put you off what is actually a tasty snack.

Southern Alps Slow Puck, named for its resemblance to an ice-hockey puck, is a delicious dried fruit and cereal bar that comes in a range of flavours including fig and macadamia; and pear, mulberry and brazil.

With no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives, it's full of flavour and goodness. Just don't think about the name.

Southern Alps Slow Puck, 99p, tel: [phone] for stockists.