Radiance - The Juice Cleanse Co.

You may or may not already be familiar with Rosie Millen, or Miss Nutritionist and she's more commonly known, but she is the genius behind these delicious 'Dynabites'.

These bars tick every box as far as we are concerned, acting as the perfect chocolate brownie replacement. They are gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, high in protein and higher in flavour. Created by mistake in her kitchen one serendipitous afternoon, these bars are certainly a fortunate accident. They are certainly a huge hit here at Radiance HQ. 

Valentine's Day is an occasion that always divides the crowds. Every year I find there to be roughly three categories that emerge in the lead up. First: The Lovers, those filled with anticipation and excitement, revelling in the opportunity to flaunt their mutual adoration. Second: The Sceptics, those who may or may not be in a committed relationship but generally have a fairly neutral opinion on the whole juncture. Just another day, corporate greeting card companies money maker etc are all phrases that come to mind.  And finally the Valentine's day Scrooge, those who have the general consensus that Valentine's day should be banned.

Whatever your stance on the holiday, it's still a nice excuse to show someone you love that you care, romantically or otherwise. Who say's valentines should be limited to celebrating your relationship with your other half. We are also grateful for the loving relationship we share with our friends, family, colleagues or pets even should you wish, so let's show it!  

Many of you won't necessarily appreciate the archetypical box of refined sugar temptation that you are typically presented with. So we have put together a little gift guide for the spouses, partners and friends of rather more health conscious individuals.

Radiance Valentine's Gift Box

I hate to blow our own trumpet but this box is the perfect gift for even the most salubrious valentine. With two of each delicious and nutritious juice or nut milk you and your partner can enjoy a few of our bespoke blends together. Mix a juice with an alcoholic spirit of your choice for a more virtuous cocktail and tuck into Miss Nutritionist's mouth watering Dynabites for dessert. This gift will guarantee you a spot in the good books!

Kai Perfume

Fragrance can be quite a personal thing, but I am yet to come across anyone who doesn't love this beautiful perfume. Two members of the Radiance team wear this already and I doubt it will take long to convert the rest. Kai has a devoted celebrity following and who are we to argue?

Time together 

As Valentines Day conveniently falls on a Saturday this year, why not make a day of it? A lovely couples massage or relaxing facial ought to do the trick. Our wonderful friends at Ila have a specially created experience called Couples Connect, available at spas across the UK.

Or if you're both more the active type then why not do a class together or go on a romantic walk. Studies show that couples that exercise together stay together for longer. 

I personally love a New Year. It carries that certain familiar hope of a new beginning. The excitement that this year everything will be totally different to all others that have come before.

Human nature relishes a fresh start, with each New Year, Valentines, Birthday, Lent, Easter etc becoming a marking stone for things to be better. For us to be better. 

We knowingly divide our year into corporate opportunities to start afresh. It is for this same reason that every diet restarts on a Monday. We love to set a mental benchmark by which we strive to break old habits. As if the clock strikes midnight on a Sunday night, our halo realigns and all will power is restored once again. I'm as guilty of it as the next person. I consistently set new goals within my day to day life  to read more, lower my caffeine intake, or spend more time outdoors on a weekly basis.

However coming into the end of January I find even the best New Years intentions are beginning to waver. It is here that I believe the problem comes to a head. Once again we have set ourselves up to fail with our unrealistic goals, guaranteed to fail from the start. 

We do not carry such expectations of excellence within our family, friends, partners or spouses so why do we project them onto ourselves? I struggle to understand where this 'perfect' ideal has transpired from. I don't see that flawlessness is necessarily a positive, actually I'm pretty sure I would develop a thorough dislike for any flawless person. 

I suggest instead we should try not to be so hard on ourselves. Let's release all the guilt if that new diet hasn't quite gone to plan. Let's let go of the disappointment if that new gym membership hasn't quite got as much use as you'd anticipated and make a new kind of resolution. The saying "be yourself, everyone else is taken", comes to mind. Instead let's make this the year to practice some self love, get to know yourself and you never know, you might be surprised at how great you are already.