Reality check Beyond the boot-camp extremes, there are easier, more sustainable ways to improve your well-being

1 On carbs

Carbs are not the enemy, provided you focus on unrefined sources, such as pulses, quinoa, sweet potatoes, gluten-free grains, fruit and veg. Load up on vegetables. they’re not just healthy, but make you feel less deprived psychologically.

2 On elusive sleep

that’s one of our core tenets for good health. We encourage guests to hand over the mobiles at 6pm. meditation, a magnesium bath, eating carbs later in the day and gentle exercise can help. Hitting the treadmill in the evening isn’t helpful.

3 On willpower

Feeling guilty is a zero-sum game. If you want to go off-piste, do it intelligently. Instead of pizza and beer, try organic wine, organic steak, sweet-potato fries. start by being ‘good’ two days a week but don’t ever get to a point where you feel deprived.

4 On breakfast

We don’t believe any meal is evil. some do well without breakfast. Others need it. It’s about what you eat. switch your morning latte and low-fat high-carb breakfast for a highprotein meal. If that happens to be last night’s leftover curry, then fine.

5 On that 4pm energy slump

Usually, uneven blood-sugar levels are the cause. What are you not eating to make your body crave an extreme bloodsugar hit? What time did you go to bed? If you must snack after lunch, make it nuts, fruit or bestquality dark chocolate.

6 On hormones

Weight gain on the lower abs, hips, thighs or triceps can be a sign of oestrogen dominance, and can be caused by a highly processed, nonorganic diet; toxic beauty products; medications; and environmental stresses and toxins.