I collected some really great items that will help you keep strong, stay healthy and pamper yourself in between trips to the post office, card shop and various stores for holiday presents, food and drinks.

I hope you have a wonderful December and remember, BREATHE!

Big hugs and warmest wishes,

Stephanie Dickison
Publisher & Editor of the knack

The Fit Flop

For a long time now, I’ve been trying to get rid of that little extra flesh up at the top of my leg. It’s leftover for my office days, eating sandwiches for lunch and sitting for much of the day. No matter how well I eat or how much exercise I’ve done, it remains, making it just that more difficult to get my leg into my jeans.

And my legs, despite a couple of months of long walks, jogs and stretches remain the same – okay, but not great. Not the great gams that they were in my youth.

That was, until I tried Fit Flops.

Basically they are flip flops that are engineered to stimulate your muscles while you’re wearing them. There is a whole scientific explanation into why and how they work at the website, but all I know is, I’ve been wearing them around the house as my indoor slippers for just about 6 weeks now and I can really see a difference in my bum, upper thigh and my calves!

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true!

There is a little bit of leg fatigue by wearing them all the time – kind of like after you’ve had a good workout and your legs are kind of achy – but as a Certified Fitness Instructor (I’m not currently teaching), I think that’s a good, no, a great thing! It feels like you’re really working the muscles – and according to the designers of the shoe – you are.

The thick, cushiony bottom is quite comfortable and the thong between your toes is too (and for a girl that doesn’t like things between her toes, that’s something!). I have a red and white pair that makes me feel ultra sporty, even if I’m just at my desk working much of the day.

I don’t know that I’ll ever go back to the sequined slippers that I used to wear. By seeing such a drastic change and feeling better than I have in years, why would I?

Nope, it’s Fit Flops for me all the way!

Now if only they had something for my tummy…

Relax Wines

If you’re looking for an easy on the palate wine, go with RELAX Wines.

They say teasingly, “No complicated labels to understand. No cute little animals. No geography quiz.
Just a nice, everyday wine that's easy to get along with. Sophisticated enough for the toughest critics, priced and packaged for people who'd rather enjoy wine than study it.”

Huh. A nice change from the wine snobbery that can abound.

Their metallic packaging from top of the screw top to the bottom of the bottle has a great modern feel and look and stands out next to those other traditional bottles on the rack.

Their Riesling is clean and crisp and works with just about everything. It’s quite refreshing and slightly fruity. Doesn’t that sound good?

And their Cool Red is great too. It’s medium-bodied but finishes cleanly. And if you’re not worried about the sneers and stares, you can serve it cool or even chilled!

It’s flavourful and most like a Beaujolais, so go ahead and have it with turkey, pork, cheese, chocolate – whatever your heart desires. There’s no rules with RELAX – that’s what’s so great about it – just enjoy!

And the bottles come in a petite Junior size (375 ml) that’s ultra-portable and thanks to being all aluminum, unbreakable! It serves about 2 glasses, which sometimes is just what you’re looking for.

I think RELAX Wines are a fantastic choice for people who want a simple wine that is both delicious and not too evolutionary on the palate.

So relax during the holidays and just enjoy your glass without the pomp and circumstance that comes with some wines!

H2O+ Sea-Derived Skincare

I love the skin and body care lines from H2O+! Here’s what I tried:

The Oasis₂₄ Hydrating Booster is a neat aqua-coloured liquid that you put on to immediately hydrate your skin – and you know in this crazy cold weather, your face needs all the moisture it can get! It’s oil free and goes on easy and smooth. It is said to boost the hydration on your skin “60% upon application.”

I don’t have any numbers for you, but my skin felt immediately refreshed, reawakened and hydrated.

You put it on before your moisturizer and it retains the moisture for up to 24 hours.

Then I applied the Face OasisHydrating Treatment thick, aqua gel – it really delivers on the moisture! It says that it distributes moisture “equivalent to 8 glasses of water.” Can your current moisturizer do that?

It smells good too.

I’d do these during the day and then apply the Deep Sleep Recovery Cream at night. With marine-derived collagen, and firming marine algae, you wake up to a slightly better, tighter version of your face than the one you went to bed with!

Before applying the cream though, I’d use the FaceOasis Cleansing Water which is also aqua blue and not only removes your makeup, but softens your skin. It’s oil-free, too.

I also used the Sea Results Overnight Perfecting Peel for those times where my skin felt dry and dull, and the Sea Mineral Mud Mask for when I needed a good skin purification and detoxification. I looove the Sea Results Thermal-Active Skin Polisher, which has the tiniest little sandy granules that warmed up as soon as they were released from the tube, giving you the softest polish, but one that really exfoliates and rejuvenates! What a trip!

And their body line is just as lush and hydrating:

The Hydrating Body Butter is a thick cream that immediately is absorbed by the skin and yet, your skin feels thickly moisturized all day, something that at this time of year, I’m especially grateful. And it’s got a whole whack of good stuff for your skin – natural coconut and vegetable oils, green tea extract, Paraguay Tea and vitamins C and E, to mention just a few.

I’m a huge body wash lover and was thrilled to discover that H2O’s Sea Salt Body Wash not only gives a wonderful lather, but it’s fresh scent and thick consistency really made my skin feel clean and refreshed.

And for tired, dry winter skin, a great relief is the Sea Marine Body Scrub. Its pumice and crushed apricot seeds goes to work on removing your dry skin and aloe vera keeps your new skin not only protects your new skin, but offers antioxidant healing along the way.