Our regular round-up of what we are reading, watching, buying and generally doing to help live our best lives right now.

For a full mind and body detox experience…

We don’t need to tell you that wild swimming became a pretty popular pandemic pastime (nice alliterative tongue twister for you there) – indeed, it had a 300% increase in devotees over the last 18 months. But we bet you always do it in the same place, are we right? To mix things up a bit, take a look at The Art of Wild Swimming, full of hand-picked gems of locations from locals across Great Britain, from Cairngorm locks to Cornish coves, to give you inspiration for your next invigorating wild swim. It’s also your ultimate guide to water safety, wild camping, biosecurity and how to be a responsible swimmer. The Art of Wild Swimming Scotland is out on 26 October and The Art of Wild Swimming England and Wales on 11 November from good bookshops. Pre-order here

For bright, healthy skin…

We are all about the new Timeexpert Radiance C+ range from Germaine de Capuccini. So you thought you got all your Vit C from the humble orange/kiwi fruit… alas, there are other, treat-like ways to get a dose of the all-powerful vitamin, and this new collection has it in spades, to light up your skin, improving tone, neutralising free radical damage and helping delay ageing. The range features a serum, an illuminating antioxidant cream and an emulsion, as well as an eye contour. Shop the range here

For an inspiring sofa session…

Get primed (literally too), as the trailblazing wonder-woman Nicola Adams delivers her own big-budget movie-length documentary (from the same folks behind the powerful, moving Alexander McQueen doc). Coming to Amazon Prime early next month Lioness: The Nicola Adams Story is the tale behind Team GB’s first ever female boxing champ, and the battles – of  outrageous sexism and domestic violence, among others – she faced outside the ring along the way.  Empowering, much? Lioness: The Nicola Adams Story will be on Prime Video from 12 November.

For a healthy immune system…

The Blueair HealthProtect air purifier doesn’t merely bring us clearer air, it can also protect against viruses and bacteria – and, let’s face it, we’ve got more than enough of those around at the moment. Here comes the science bit – the GermShield™ technology removes up to 99.99% of bacteria and viruses and the 7400 series has proven it can be effective at removing the airborne SARS-CoV-2 virus when tested under laboratory conditions. It works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home or the Blueair app, which helps you understand the effect that dust, pollen and household cleaning products have on the air inside our homes. And breathe. Buy one here, priced from £639

For reaffirming our brilliance…

Whenever we need to reframe any of those wholly frustrating negative thoughts that encroach on our brain space like unwelcome visitors, we’ve been turning to our favourite card deck. No, not for a game of gin rummy, but for a boost in confidence from The Empowered Women positive affirmation cards. Anyone who believes in the power of affirmations should get hold of  these beautifully illustrated cards for a shot of self-belief and self-esteem. The Empowered Women positive affirmation cards. From Lesley Stonier, £26

For a zen home…

Don’t know about you, but those cupboards and drawers we cleared out in lockdown (nicely cleansing our brains in the process) have now filled up with stuff and nonsense again, and we can barely open them without feeling overwhelmed and chaotic. It simply cannot wait until spring, so we shall be having an autumn house cleanse, with the help of The Home Clearing Club, the brain-child of Tanya Slater, who calls herself The Girl Who Simplified. Her carefully-crafted online course teaches us how to declutter our homes to feel calmer, happier, more creative, focused and even improve our relationships. Step aside Marie Kondo. Find out more here

For nutritious, foody inspo…

What is a kitchen without an Ottolenghi book on a shelf? If yours is lacking, get yourself a copy of his new book Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love (Ebury Publishing), a collaboration with Bahrain-born chef Noor Murad. It is inspired by our culinary experiences in lockdown, when we’ve all ‘been standing in front of our kitchen shelves, cupboards and fridges, wondering how to put a can of chickpeas or a bag of frozen peas to good use, instead of taking an extra trip to the shops’.And the result gives us the best of everything simple – from how to make the most insane hummus you’ve ever tasted, to the most wonderful of tomato salads. You can also sign up to a live online event where Yotam and Noor will share how it’s possible to cook with less faff and fuss, but with all the wow factor of an Ottolenghi meal (that’s our next dinner soiree sorted). Access to the event on 10th November (7pm) is free when you buy a copy of Shelf Love via Bookshop.org