New Year, new you!

It’s coming to that time of year where the turkey has been gobble gobbled and the last of the mince pies has been scoffed. Delicious as they were, we’re all starting to loosen our belts a bit and lose the odd button.

So as New Year approaches, many of us will be detoxing and – horror of horrors – debating a return to the gym. And what’s wrong so with that?

Well, nothing really. Sensible dieting and exercise are good for us all, whether we’re in shape or not. But what happens when losing weight becomes an unhealthy obsession? With many people already suffering from eating disorders in the UK, the pressure to lose weight can prove too heavy a burden for some.

Thinking along these lines, Women and Equalities minister Jo Swinson has written an open letter to magazine editors asking them not to promote post-Christmas ‘miracle’ diets. Pre-empting the avalanche of fad diets that surface at this time of year, she encouraged publications – including women’s magazines – to "celebrate the beauty of diversity in body shape, skin colour, size and age" instead.

Co-founder of the Campaign for Body Confidence, Ms Swinson suggests “fad diets and fitness myths” can promote unhealthy body image and be harmful to dieters’ physical and mental health.

"I am sure that you want to promote a healthy lifestyle for your readers but at this time of year in particular far too much of magazine coverage tends to focus on irresponsible, short-term solutions and encourages readers to jump on fad diet bandwagons,” she writes in the letter.

"As editors you owe more to your readers than the reckless promotion of unhealthy solutions to losing weight.

"If your aim is to give practical, sensible advice about losing weight – and not how to drop a stone in five days – you should encourage reasonable expectations, instead of dangerous ones, along with exercise and healthy eating."

The editorial team at Liberti magazine takes this very seriously. Every issue contains nutritional and fitness advice because this is something our readers have asked for. However, our experts always focus on the positives – which foods you should eat to achieve a more balanced diet, and the types of exercise that would work best for you, for example. If you’re looking for motivation to shift a few pounds, I’d definitely advise you to check it out (and that’s not just because I work for the mag!).

But more than that, Liberti encourages women to enjoy a lifestyle that is positive all round, not just looking at the physical, but fully embracing life and all that it has to offer. Our team of writers discuss ways to develop emotionally and spiritually, as well as looking at tons of ways to reach out to people in our communities and across the globe.

If you’re looking to make some changes this New Year, forget the fad diets and the punishing exercise regimes and get Liberated! January needn’t be a time of bleakness and giving things up; it’s about establishing what our purpose in life is and pursuing this purpose with great gusto.

Wishing you a very happy New Year from all of us at Liberti xxx 

Christmas on a camel

So Christmas in Egypt was a pretty strange experience.

The hotel was absolutely dripping in neon lights; it looked like we’d accidentally ended up in Vegas. Everywhere we turned there were Christmas trees or Santa in his sleigh, and banners wishing us Happy Christmas.

Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome waking up to beautiful sunshine every day and having zero washing up to do. There was even a special gala dinner held in a stunning marquee with enough food to feed an army.

But it still wasn’t Christmas – the 25^th could have been any other day of the year. I really missed going to church with my family, opening presents together, sitting down for a traditional dinner and falling asleep on the couch watching Christmas films.

But despite all this, something really great came out of my time in Egypt – I met a little boy who totally changed my life. I’m ashamed to admit this, but when I first saw the group he was with, I found them loud, brash and objectionable.

From the travelling community, I resented the way the children were left to run wild in dirty clothes while the parents got hammered. I even found myself tutting at the kids for their bad behaviour.

It wasn’t until I actually talked to this young chap that my eyes were opened. This five-year-old became my best friend in just a few days. He followed me everywhere, drew me countless pictures and, according to his mum, talked about me non-stop when I wasn’t there.

He was a clever, generous, curious little boy who simply longed for attention. We played cards, we learnt to count together and we talked for hours. I found myself looking for him wherever we went and I have missed him terribly since I got back.

But what surprised me the most was that this child’s mother turned out to be a born-again Christian. I had simply written off the whole group without noticing how different she was from the others. Rather than getting drunk with the adults, she spent most of her time sitting alone, struggling to keep an eye on her three kids.

And she was the one who brought up faith. She asked me what I was reading and if I had ever read the Bible. She then asked me some pretty challenging questions and asked me to pray with her and my new buddy by the pool.

This was a woman who has suffered years of domestic abuse. She clearly loves her children but just isn’t getting the support she needs. She seemed so grateful to have someone to talk to and to take an interest in her little boy.

She aroused in me a sense of righteous indignation: at the people in her life who were letting her down, and at myself for being such a snob. Most of all though, I felt grateful that, in the heart of a Muslim country, God had reached out to me through this woman and her son; that He had both challenged and blessed me at the same time.

I’m going to stay in touch with these two precious people and I hope that next time I’ll be slower to judge and quicker to show God’s love wherever I go and whoever I meet.

Happy New Year folks!

Why I’ll be “walking like an Egyptian” this Christmas

The announcement that my boyfriend and I would be going to Egypt this Christmas raised a few eyebrows. Although they didn’t say it, I knew some people were thinking that it wasn’t a very “Christian” thing to do, as if God’s presence is somehow restricted to the British Isles.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas at home. I love snuggling up by the fire with my family, watching cheesy films I’ve seen a million times before, eating more turkey than can possibly be good for me and exchanging endless gifts. I’ve always ADORED the smell of Christmas dinner, pine needles and mulled wine (although I lost my sense of smell in the summer so this is a thrill I can no longer enjoy…).

But there are several valid reasons for spending Christmas overseas this year.

1. It is Chris’ 30^th birthday and we wanted to do something special to celebrate
2. We normally go to see our respective families (mine in Bristol, his in Derry) at this time of year, but after five years together we actually wanted to spend Christmas together. It would not have gone down at all well with my mum if we’d jilted a Bristol Christmas for a Derry one!
3. We fancy an escape from work; even I can’t do work if my laptop is 2,000 miles away
4. Egypt is WARM!

Anyway, I don’t know why I’m explaining myself. Yes, I will miss going to my own church on Christmas Day. I have certainly not forgotten that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place. But Jesus was born a lot closer to Egypt than he was to Bristol or Derry. And he is just as relevant there as he is here. Even though Egypt (shock horror!) is a Muslim country.

We’ll be having our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve this year, but that won’t make me less of a Christian than those sitting down to eat on the 25th. In fact, it might give me the opportunity to have some interesting conversations with people who don’t normally think about Jesus at Christmastime. I’ll certainly be taking his love with me everywhere I go.

Whatever you’re doing this Christmas, I hope you have a fantastic one.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year from everyone at Liberti xxx