Mollie's Feel-Good Feed: things to look forward to in lockdown 2.0

From a dance routine, to hiking...

Welcome to Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed, a place where each week Mollie King shares her round-up of the things bringing her joy in these strange and uncertain times. Check back each week for uplifting music, self care tips and, hopefully, a smile being put on your face.

Well this has been an interesting week hasn’t it? And now that this next month means that most of us will be stuck indoors, not able to meet up with friends or eating and drinking out, I hope this column will provide you with some feel-good suggestions that we could all do with right now.

Singles 

With so much great music around at the moment it’s hard to cut it down to just a few favourites, but I couldn’t write my column this week without mentioning the release of Meduza and Dermot Kennedy’s single, Paradise.

If you're a foot tapper or a hip popper, get ready to move to this undeniably catchy song. Combining one of the most exciting new production groups with one of the most distinctive voices around right now it’s a recipe for success. Kennedy’s gravely voice brings so much emotion to his songs, and in this track it’s been laid over a basey dance beat that instantly takes you back to Meduza's huge breakout hit last year Piece of Your Heart that stormed the UK charts making it all the way to number two.

Dua Lipa has done it again. Everyone’s quite rightly excited about the release of her most recent track, Fever, with Belgian songwriter, Angele.

In true Dua form, this track is all about strong vocals. Be sure to also catch her remix album Club Future Nostalgia with contributions from Paul Woodford, Missy Elliot and Madonna herself. Iconic.

Albums

These four girls are unstoppable right now. Not only do they have a BBC One primetime show scouting for a band to join them on their UK tour, but Little Mix have also just released a brand new album and are gearing up for another tour next year. Confetti is the band’s 6th studio album, and with tracks on there like Break Up Song, Holiday and Sweet Melody it’s guaranteed to boost your mood right now. And if you need more joy in your life, head to the band's Instagram account where you'll see the girls practicing their Sweet Melody dance routine. And they want to see everyone's own interpretation. It’s girl band choreography at its absolute finest. And I say that from experience.

TV 

Last year BBC Three treated us to the great new show, Glow Up, which saw amateur makeup artists competing for the title of Britain's Next Make-up Star. Hosted by the fabulous Stacey Dooley and judged by the ever so charismatic industry professionals, Dominic Skinner and Val Garland, this up-beat show has you rolling from one episode straight into the next.

Whether makeup is your thing or not, Dooley brings her well-loved warmth to the show and the challenges go way beyond a touch of blusher and mascara. We're talking prosthetics, red carpet, West End and drag eleganza. Get your lip gloss ready, it’s time to Glow Up.

Fitness

Hello leggings, hello sports bra, hello hiking boots! Wait, what? Yes, you read that right. This year has been a strange one, but for a lot of us it’s meant taking the time to think about what truly makes us happy. I’ve realised how much of an impact fitness and being active has on my mood. Which is why I like to start the day outside with some fresh air. However, I'm talking more than a quick dash around the park - I’ve become a hiker. Well, not really, I bought hiking boots. I went on a long walk in the Peak District a few weeks ago and fell in love.

The combination of being active, the wonderful views and the feeling of cold air on my face was perfection. So last week I headed to Buckinghamshire and went on a big stomp on National Trust land. Hiking feels like pushing a reset button. I can’t recommend it enough, especially to those who have a tendency to get a little lost in their thoughts. I'm taking my new hobby so seriously, that I've just added waterproof trousers and a walking stick to my Christmas list. Who would have thought it?

Thanks so much for reading Mollie’s Feel-Good Feed – check back on Marie Claire every Friday for more of my feel-good recommendations. Take care and stay safe!