Body & beauty

Madeline Shaw On Getting The Glow

We catch up with Madeleine Shaw who shares her tips on feeling good and getting the glow

Nutritional therapist, best-selling cookery writer and yoga teacher Madeleine Shaw is one of the original wellness warriors. With her mantra ‘get the glow’ inspiring many to explore a healthy way of eating and exercising, Madeleine encourages her readers to forget the calorie counting and focus on feel-good, nutritious foods and a mindful way of life. Madeleine’s books include Get The Glow and A Year Of Beautiful Eating, and her blog (madeleineshaw.com) is home to recipes, wellness tips and yoga practices. We find out what keeps Madeleine motivated and how she juggles it all. Ready, steady, glow…

I suffered from IBS for years and really wanted to understand what was causing it. I started working in an organic café in Sydney and just fell in love with what they were doing with their food. I blossomed in the kitchen and loved creating new recipes with fresh produce, and making meals that were both healthy and tasty. I knew, from then on, I had to make healthy cooking part of my life. Learning how food affected my health and wellbeing, and changing my eating habits as a result, has healed my body, and I want to help other people avoid suffering like I did.

When I first started eating healthily, people always said that I was glowing. I loved that word – it described how I felt and how I wanted to look. It was at that point that I had the first ideas for my book: Get The Glow. Creating it was amazing. I never dreamed I would write a book – I thought they were for big names like Jamie Oliver, not for little old me! Still, now when people tell me they have bought Get The Glow or cooked a recipe from it, it makes me feel so happy. To know that my books have got people excited about cooking is awesome.

Receiving messages from people saying how much my recipes and articles have helped them really keeps me motivated to keep spreading the wellness word. I’m also driven by how healthy eating makes me feel – I know that when I eat well I feel good, and I want to inspire people to feel like that too. The most important lessons I’ve learned in my career are to keep learning, to be kind to myself, to take time off, and to always listen to my gut and my audience.

I love yoga and meditation because they aren’t just about getting flat abs. Yoga goes so much deeper than aesthetics and it strengthens your connection to yourself. Nothing compares to the feeling of being present and in tune with your body and mind. I love meditation, too, as it is such a great stress reliever – I can get really wound up about work, so it’s a great tool to help me chill. To keep balanced, I spend a period of time working really hard and then take a break and have some time off. My boyfriend and son don’t feature in my work much, so, when I’m with them, I’m off work and present. There’s always a lot going on and it can be a juggle, but I know when I’m pushing myself too hard. I guess we’re all striving to find balance in all areas of our lives. Every day is different and I love that I get to make a difference to people lives. I am very lucky that I love what I do and get to spend time writing delicious recipes (and tasting them – yum!), as well as writing blog posts for my website and creating videos about wellness and how to get the glow.

Madeleine has collaborated with Origins to create Glow-Co-Nuts, a coconut moisture mask to hydrate skin and restore your glow (£26.50, origins.co.uk)