5 steps to a better body

In an effort to ban the bloat, it seems that everyone is not eating something. But this food culling is rarely based on real medical fact. Dietician Daniele Massaro of the Henri Chenot clinic at Palace Merano tells me that for every 100 patients she sees who claim to have an issue with gluten and carbs, “when tested, 97% don’t have any problem at all”. My advice is to cut back, not cut out, a food group – except possibly sugar – as it’s the amount we eat that usually causes problems. And be properly screened: stool testing is good to identify parasites and pH issues that impact digestion, while blood testing will clearly profile problem foods – both are widely available from good nutritionists. It’s not always the obvious culprits: I discovered that black pepper, kale and cauliflower caused my stomach issues.

At the famous Leg School at the Capri Palace hotel, along with daily immersion in cold and hot water and chilly menthol wraps, they use coffee grounds to scrub and massage the legs – the stimulating effects of caffeine make it a standard ingredient in most cellulite creams. Made with ground coffee beans and jojoba seed oil, the excellent Pursoma Revive Coffee Body Polish can give you the same effects at home when used twice weekly. I also highly recommend the Pursoma range of de-puffing bath salts and detoxing bath clays.

It may be old school and dull, but dry body brushing works. A recent talk with Dr Barbara Sturm inspired me to make twice-weekly brushing part of my routine: “When I do it, I see the difference in tone and texture in just weeks,” she told me. Body expert Nichola Joss (famous for top-to-toe beauty prepping for her A-list clients pre-Oscars) makes the process fast and fuss-free by using small, round brushes, one in each hand (using two halves the time it takes) to work briskly up the body pre-shower, in the shower, or after using your body skin oil or cream – Legology Air-Lite Daily Lift For Legs is incredible when used chest to toe to streamline and de-bloat the body. Alternatively, use two small loofahs in the shower or bath, again working upwards, to buff skin, stimulate circulation and get sluggish lymph moving.

It’s incredible the difference that a simple salt and oil scrub makes to the body, leaving skin silky, healthy and gleaming. Use it twice a week on dry skin and really massage it in, working it twice over shins, bumpy backs of arms and the back. Even better, use pre-bath so the salts turn the water into a cleansing treatment (salt deep-cleans the skin’s pores). Mauli Rituals Reawaken Himalayan Hand & Body Scrub uses rose, jasmine and lime oil with Himalayan salts to buff, polish and rebalance the body. On the other five days, apply the glycolic acid-infused Lancer The Method Polish – it’s the best body-transforming cream I have ever used.

Elle Macpherson says that she raises her legs against a wall for 15 minutes when they feel heavy – simple but super effective. Nichola Joss takes this a step further, using her Netflix time to shape her legs. “Raise one leg (you can rest it along the back of the sofa) and use your hands to circle your ankle and then press and release your leg as you work toward the thighs,” she says. “It’s great for toning the legs and shifting water retention – do it daily for just a couple of weeks and you will see a real difference.”