Get the Glow: Madeleine Shaw's tips for Young Mums

Madeleine Shaw was one of the headline presenters at WellFest at the weekend, she had a cooking demo in the WellFood tent where she shared some recipes to help us ‘Get the Glow’ and we were lucky enough to have a quick chat with her afterwards.

Madeleine really lives up to her name and exudes a glow so we asked her what ‘Get the Glow’ means for her. She rightly points out that when people are eating well, moving their bodies and feeling less stressed that they start to glow and feel a new-found form of energy and excitement for life.

For Madeleine, this phrase highlights how wellness could make you feel and not just how you look – how refreshing!

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As a Mum to 9-month-old Shay, Madeleine has been open about that fact that staying healthy at this stage of life can be much more challenging so she shares some of her tips to combat these challenges.

1. Prioritise and prep – She recommends spending 20 minutes in the evening to prepare something like Bircher Muesli, a batch of rice or quinoa or a tray of roast veg – things that are handy to grab from the fridge and make a quick meal.

2. Stock cupboards with good foods and don’t have unhealthy foods in the house – even she recognizes that if biscuits are in the cupboard, it’s incredibly hard not to eat them!

3. Have a plan – eating on a whim is much harder with a baby so having a meal plan really helps and cook double one night a week so you can freeze a batch and eat a batch.

You’ll be glad to hear that Madeleine also has switch-off time. She’s not permanently doing yoga or meal prepping!

She loves to get out in nature and spend some time alone. She also loves a good pamper with something like a massage, getting her nails done or using her Origins ‘Glow-co-nuts’ face mask. [Naturally, there are so many mask brands available and even DIY ones that you can make from key ingredients such as oats and honey].

There’s a huge movement towards healthy eating and living at the moment so, what does Madeleine think will be big in this space over the next 12 months?

1. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and Kimchi.

2. Frozen veg – not just the humble pea but there’s a greater variety of amazing veg that are flash frozen and so hold their nutrients much better.

3. Mindfulness & Mindful eating. This is about thinking about how we’re eating and not just what we’re eating – stop the lunchtime scrolling!

Lastly, we asked Madeleine what her top 3 tips are to new Mums who are trying to stay healthy and we got some really helpful answers.

1. Buy a big bottle of water and have it with you at all times.

2. Ask friends to bring you home-cooked food instead of flowers.

3. Buy food that can be eaten instantly with zero prep required like smoked mackerel, hummus and avocados. All things you can just grab and eat from the fridge.

Madeleine’s latest book, A Year of Beautiful Eating is available to buy now.

Looking for more wellness reading?

Operation Transformation fitness expert Karl Henry has released his new book Karl Henry's Healthy Living Handbook.

Cook Well, Eat Well is Rory O'Connell's book covering healthy eating and living.

The WellNowCo: Instagram & Facebook: @thewellnowco www.thewellnowco.com

Get the Glow: Madeleine Shaw's tips for Young Mums

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