Health magazine spring 18

health PLUS: WIN A SPA BREAK!

UP

OUT Why it pays to exercise in the morning

TOP

BLOG The secrets and lives of successful health bloggers

ISSN 2040-4484 Spring 2018

READY, SET, GO! Are you marathonready? Last-minute training tips to give you the edge

WEARING

WELL Could your gym kit enhance your performance?

Spring cleanyour

life

Out with the old... in with the new! www.health-magazine.co.uk

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Health Magazine Spring 2018

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EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to the spring issue of Health Magazine.

This time of year generally sees an increase in our motivation for healthy living, so there’s no better time to kick start a new and improved fitness regime. Here to help with some practical and inspirational tips are renowned Persoanl Trainer Matt Roberts (page 9), not to mention retro workout insructor Mr Motivator (page 13) who has put together an excusive series of workout videos showcasing his popular, high energy style! Besides becoming more active, there might be other aspects of our lifestyles we are looking to ‘spring clean’ this season, and this is something our team of experts includng a celebrity life coach - are well placed to assist with (page 29).

If you’ve ever turned to the internet for health or fitness inspiration, you might be interested to read our ‘behind the scenes’ with some of the most well recognised heath & lifesttyle bloggers (page 18) as they shed light on the secrets to their success.

Enjoy the issue.

Caroline Seekings

MARATHON TRAINING TIPS

SPRING CLEAN YOUR LIFE

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29

OUT Morning workout wonders

TOP

BLOG The secrets and lives of ten of the internet’s most successful health bloggers

Spring cleanyour

life

Out with the old... in with the new! www.health-magazine.co.uk

ISSN 2040-4484 Spring 2018

Are you marathonready? Last-minute training tips to give you the edge

L

14. A-Z OF MENOPAUSE MANAGEMENT Take control of your symptoms

PRODUCED BY:

s

life tyle magazines

28. FIGHT OF FLIGHT The top 8 flying myths debunked 29. SPRING CLEAN YOUR LIFE Expert tips for positive change 34.BEAT THE BLOAT Reduce bloating naturally 35. VEGAN LIFE Tiffany Watson on her passion for growing the vegan food market

www.health-magazine.co.uk READY, SET, GO!

13. GET FIT FOR SPRING Mr Motivator’s 7 day workout progamme

24. BRIGHT & WHEEZY Take control of hayfever

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UP

10. WEARING WELL Why it pays to wear the right workout clothes

22. READY, SET, GO Marathon training tips

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health

9. PUSH YOUR LIMITS Matt Roberts reveals the correct push up technique

18. TOP BLOG Meet ten of the most successful health bloggers

MR MOTIVATOR

PLUS: WIN A SPA BREAK!

8. UP & OUT Discover the benefits of a morning workout

16. BEAUTY Top tips for healthy skin

Editor

NEW !

NOW

4. SURF & TURF From waves to wilderness, meet two of instagram’s most successful influencers

Get in touch:

caroline@health-magazine.co.uk Tel: 07834 233346 Imagery www.istockphoto.com

36. BREAKFAST NEWS Healthy ways to kick start your day 37 WIN A SPA BREAK Your chance to win an overnight stay

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Information in Health Magazine is not intended as a substitute for diagnosis, prescription and/or treatment by a Medical Professional. Opinions expressed in Health Magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher, and the magazine is in no way liable for any such opinions. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the content of this publication is accurate, we cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies. No advertisement, article or image may be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers.

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From waves to wilderness, meet two of the internet’s most succesful influencers as they live out their passions for surfing and hiking!

be in that water. Even when it was freezing cold, I didn’t care. I fell head over heels (sometimes literally) with the sport and set my sights on becoming the first female UK professional surfer. After a year of hard work, my dream of becoming UK champion came true and I knew this was all I wanted to do for the rest of my life!

As far back as I can remember I’ve been involved with competitive sports. An active child, I was a keen runner, gymnast and swimmer. So when my family moved from Bristol to Devon I couldn’t wait to try my hand at surfing. My Dad and I took 4

Health Magazine Spring 2018

our boards down to Croyd Bay and after my first day I knew it was going to be my thing.

I surfed before school, after school, at weekends, whenever I got a chance to take my board out I would

Since then, I have been lucky enough to turn my passion into a career and travel the world, a journey I never imagined I would be embarking on at age 14! At 15 I was hitting the beaches of Bali, where I continued to grow and improve as a surfer and a young adult. I had to grow up pretty fast and will be forever grateful to my family for supporting me following this dream. I now live in Portugal which is home to some of the most beautiful surf spots in the world, like the Ribeira De Ilhas – now a World Surfing Reserve and one of my favourite places to be.

One of the most amazing aspects of my profession is that I get to inspire people to follow their own dreams. The surfing community is so encouraging of people ... www.health-magazine.co.uk

TURF

BE INSPIRED The Girl Outdoors is the guide encouraging women to get out in the great outdoors, get fit, get healthy and have fun – full of beautiful photography and fantastic sections on being active outdoors including surfing, paddle boarding, canoeing, diving, wild swimming and cliff jumping!

Q&A WITH THOMAS GATHMAN - THE REAL HIKING VIKING When did you first discover your passion for hiking?

getting into the sport and I’ve been fortunate enough to create a real platform to promote this through campaigns with incredible brands such as Billabong and Nike. For anyone who’s considering giving it a go – get yourself to the nearest coast and to the local surf school! I would always advise taking lessons right from the start so you can learn in the safest way and avoid picking up any bad habits that can be hard to shake.

What I will say however, if surfing isn’t for you, find out what is and go for it full on. Don’t waste another minute, get up, get out and go for it. You never know.. it could change your life forever.

Laura Crane, Professional Surfer, Model and Influencer www.health-magazine.co.uk

I was really outdoorsy as a kid growing up in Central PA as I was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout and into very active sports as well. I just couldn't find enough outlets for my high levels of energy, much to my parents dismay at times. But I didn't really discover my deep rooted passion for hiking until I hopped on the Appalachian Trail on March 17, 2013. It was on that near 6 month adventure that I just knew I had to do whatever it took to keep going.

I fell in love with the outdoors in a way I didn't know was possible and I knew I had to experience it more and in different places.

Where did the nickname ‘The Hiking Viking’ come from?

Well the nickname was really a very spontaneous thing. It was the fall of 2013 after I had finished that first AT thru hike and my sister was telling me that I should start a blog

to share my future adventures with people. I was sceptical of doing that but she convinced me that it would be to my benefit (and it has).

All I had to do was come up with a name for it. I had been growing a beard since the day I started the trail earlier that spring and my beard was big and quite full. So I knew that whatever the name was would have to focus on said beard somewhat. It just popped into my head out of nowhere, "Hiking Viking." It rhymed. It was badass.

And being that I was a warrior in the United States Marine Corps Infantry, I had no problem claiming the title of Viking being that they are also bearded warriors. I very well could have some Viking blood in me being that I have ancestry from Ireland, Scotland, and Germany. But I have not taken the necessary steps to learn whether that is true or not.

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How do you feel your hiking adventures have benefited you physically and mentally?

I don't feel like I would be in such a good head space as I am today without the amount of time I take unplugging in the back country.

And physically I don't think I have ever been as in shape. It is a very symbiotic relationship out there being mind and body. And I tend to always be riding high.

How important is nutrition in what you do?

I am 35 years old and nutrition has never been more important to me as it is now. Between operating at such a high physically level on trail (30-50 mile days) or the training I do in the off season, nutrition has been the ultimate focus for me over the last two years in keeping my body recovering properly and keeping my energy levels up.

What are the main physical implications/ challenges that you have have to overcome?

At some point, barring injury, the physical challenges take a back seat to all of the mental challenges. Your mind is the most important tool you have out there. You can overcome most physical challenges with a strong mind.

Including fractures in your feet/ankles, which I had to do for nearly 300 miles to close out my Continental Divide Trail thru hike. It was brutally painful but my mind didn't let me quit.

What is the toughest trail you have embarked upon to date?

I'd have to say that my toughest and also my most favorite high to date was the Continental Divide Trail in 2014.

What is the next challenge you are looking to undertake?

I have several challenges always in the mix. I’d like to knock out a couple ultra trail marathons this year in training for the Barkley Marathon in 2019, which I was “weight-listed” for this years race.

Feeling inspired?

Trail Running around Lake Garda: Lefay Fusion Fitness On the West shore of stunning Lake Garda, explore the region during a 2.5km running trail around the idyllic landscape featuring lemon trees, olive groves and a motionless silver-blue lake. Experience ultimate wellness luxury, whilst secluded in the mountains of Riviera dei Limoni. During your active break, choose from a variety of fitness activities, from innovative cardio sessions and body-sculpting circuits to a spiritual Qui Gong lesson in the garden. Set the tone for your future fitness regime and reap the benefits of your healthy holiday.

Health and Fitness Travel (0203 397 8891 healthandfitnesstravel.com) offers 7 nights with Lefay from £1,560pp or £2,210 for single occupancy. Price includes daily breakfast, a Fusion Fitness programme, return flights and transfers.

Swell Surf Camp Swell provides active surf holidays with surf lessons, quality accommodation, healthy food and a unique social vibe in the cool surf town of Cabarete, Dominican Republic. Swell caters for people who want to learn to surf in a safe, fun and social environment, and as such is an ideal destination for solo travellers, couples and friends alike. https://swellsurfcamp.com

What advice would you give to anyone who would like to get into hiking?

Take the advice of others with a grain of salt when it comes to getting out there and doing what you want to do. The main thing is getting out there. Whether it is for a day, three days, thirty days, or three to six months, it is just walking. One foot in front of the other. If you can dream it, you can do it. There was a day I had never backpacked more than 20 miles over the course of a few days. Then before you knew it, I had hiked over 15,000 miles over the course of 5 consecutive seasons.

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Health Magazine Spring 2018

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& OUT UP

Five reasons why going to the gym in the morning is the best time of day

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1. IT’S EASIER TO FOLLOW HIGHVOLUME TRAINING SYSTEMS Trying to do a tri-set or a giant set is all but impossible in a packed gym.

This guy over here wants to work on his glutes. That girl over there wants to steal your dumbbells. Others cast an evil eye your way for hogging so much equipment. They would have a point — if the gym was crowded. But it's not, because you were ready to rise and grind before everyone else.

It's much easier to complete these types of training programs when the facility is less crowded. That just happens to be in the morning.

3. IT LEAVES TIME FOR OTHER PRIORITIES Nothing is more important than family. Clearly there's a trade-off between the amount of time you spend in the gym and the amount of time you can spend at home. Which is why slicing off a small segment, like you can in the morning, is usually better than in the evening, when you have to fight rush hour, navigate a crowded gym environment, get home to shower, and allot whatever's left for your family. The maths simply works better if you get your workout done in the morning.

2.

YOUR HORMONES ARE WORKING TO YOUR ADVANTAGE In the early morning hours, crucial hormones (i.e., testosterone) that help build muscle mass are elevated in the body. By exercising in the morning, you're taking advantage of these naturally circulating hormones as they're peaking, rather than later in the day when they're lower.

4. YOU’LL BE LESS LIKELY TO SKIP YOUR WORKOUT It may take a cup of coffee to get your morning going, but once you're up, there are few distractions on your way to the gym. But later in the day, any number of distractions can sabotage your workout: less motivation, fatigue, the gang is going out for some drinks, a sick

Health Magazine Spring 2018

child, an overdue report for work or school. If you've already completed your workout, you can simply roll with whatever obstacles come up later in the evening without feeling bad that you missed another day. You're far more likely to be consistent with your training if you get it done early in the day rather than waiting for later.

5. YOUR METABOLIC RATE WILL RECEIVE A QUICK BOOST Without a doubt, exercise can boost your metabolic rate. The degree depends on your current fitness level and the kind of activity you choose. All other things being equal, working out in the morning will help to boost your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories for the rest of the day. This phenomenon is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. https://RIGHTPATHFITNESS.co.uk

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PUSH YOUR

LIMITS Personal Trainer Matt Roberts guides us through the correct push up technique The push up is easily one of my favourite upper body exercises.

Whether your goal is to get stronger, lose weight or improve performance, the push up can help you achieve it. As well as being a great way to build upper body strength, full push ups also provide a fantastic training stimulus for your core and lower body muscles. Not bad for one exercise!

For many people and, particularly the female population, developing the strength to perform full push ups can often seem impossible.

The most common way to make this exercise easier is to place the knees on the ground and perform what many refer to as “girl push ups”. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with this version of the exercise, the connotation that it is for girls (and that full push ups are not) is an incorrect assumption that needs to end. Despite what many may believe, there is no reason why full push ups can’t be an exercise for everyone. Plus, the only way to truly see the benefits from this fantastic exercise is to develop the strength to perform the full version. So, if you have been stuck on your knees for too long, keep reading to discover some of my favourite ways to help people progress to achieve full push up status.

Correct push up form Before we go into some new ways to improve your push up strength, here are some simple guidelines to apply to each of the options to ensure you are doing things right.

Firstly, start with a neutral spine in the top position – this means the body is in a nice straight line from the top of the head right down to the feet. Imagine you have a broom www.health-magazine.co.uk

stick running along your spine, if you’re in the right position you would have 3 points of contact on your body from the stick.

1. The back of the head 2. The upper back 3. The buttocks.

There should only be a slight, natural curvature, of the lower back and the knees should be locked.

This position should be maintained during both the lowering and pushing phases of the movement.

As you lower the body it is important to maintain about a 45-degree angle at the armpit, so the elbows do not flare too wide while at the same time do not come too close to the body. The chest should fill the space between the hands, rather the head or neck, and the shoulders blades should move around the rib cage towards each other, rather than allowing the shoulders to roll forward. As you push back up, feel the shoulder blades move away from each other and reach long with the arms at the top.

Incline push up – This is a great option for the beginner and helps an individual incorporate correct integration of the core and lower body muscles – something that a knees-down version neglects. The lower the incline the harder the exercise becomes.

Photos needed Full eccentric to knees down concentric – Most people will be

stronger on what can be referred to as the “eccentric” part of an exercise or the lowering phase. In this version of the push up, start in the top position and slowly lower your body far as you can, stopping just before you feel yourself losing control. Then place your knees down to push the upper body back up (this part of the movement is also referred to as the concentric phase).

Once the arms are straight you can lift the knees off the floor again and repeat.

Band assisted push up – This version of the exercise is especially good for those who feel their upper body strength is a limiting factor. You will need a couple of sturdy, evenly weighted bands. Start by anchoring the bands above a doorway or a place that allows you to be directly underneath the anchor point. Loop a band around each shoulder and then assume a normal push up start position. The resistance from the bands will assist you in the full push up movement, especially on the way back up when the bands are returning to a less stretched position.

Alternatively, you can use one band looped around the waist (also anchored from above). This variation can help to assist those who struggle specifically with maintaining the correct trunk position.

As you gain strength in either of these variations use lighter bands to increase the difficulty. After a while you can remove the bands all together.

Hopefully one or all these suggestions will allow you to start making progress towards performing full push ups as part of your everyday exercise regime.

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WEARING

WELL

The right workout wear can not only help you feel more comfortable working out, it could even enhance your performance...

With the working-out-naked trend taking off, we might imagine a world where workout clothes – and clothes in general – just don’t exist.

For some who are completely comfortable in the way they look, this would be the dream. But for others who are shy, workout clothes will always be an important part of their exercise regime. Choosing the right style of clothes, made from the best quality material, is important to make sure your body is supported, and you feel good about yourself too.

Keith McNiven - Owner of RIGHT PATH FITNESS - has given us 5 tips for choosing the best workout clothes for your body type and discipline.

1. BODY TYPE – we all sweat during a workout, but some people suffer more than others. If you’re a sweater, you can buy clothing that wicks sweat away from your body, allowing it to breathe. Examples include tops with breathable patches under the arms and materials designed to dry quickly, instead of staying wet, as well as towelling headbands to stop sweat dripping down your face.

2. DO YOUR RESEARCH – before heading off to the shops or going for an online shopping-spree, take the time to read about different styles of fitness clothing from a variety of brands – that way, you’ll know the price range, colours and materials available before you part with any cash.

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3. THE MATERIAL – some people are big fans of lycra, whilst others prefer loose, cotton clothing. This can be for a variety of reasons – either you would rather skimp over any lumps and bumps, or you find it helps your skin breathe better.

Sports bras with soft lining are a god send, after all, who wants chafing? Ouch!

4. TYPE OF EXERCISE – the clothes you choose for a high-intensity bootcamp session are going to be very different to the ones you choose for a chilled-out yoga class.

For the gym, road runs and HIIT, clothes made from robust materials such as lycra are your best bet – ideally shorts/leggings and shortsleeved tops or vests. For a gentler session like yoga or pilates, you’ll want loose t-shirts with tracksuit bottoms or yoga pants.

it’s never too late! The options for trainers are endless, with so many different styles and shapes to choose from. When it comes to running or ‘performance’ trainers, the look isn’t actually that important. Make sure you choose a pair that suit your activity level and have the amount of support you need. This is particularly important if you’ve suffered an injury.

5. TRAINER STYLE – a true gymgoer has a trainer collection to be jealous of. If this isn’t you yet,

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5 REASONS WHY THE RIGHT GYM WEAR IS ESSENTIAL Entering the daunting world of exercise can be seriously daunting.

There are so many different workout regimes and plans available, a seemingly endless supply of machines in the gym and a host of different websites, blogs and articles telling you how you get to achieve the best results. However, regardless of what your personal health and fitness goals are, whether you want to gain muscle, lose fat or tone up, there’s one thing that’s universal - the right gym wear can help you to achieve your goals faster. Here’s how!

1. IT’LL GIVE YOU MOTIVATION The first reason why choosing the right workout clothes can help you burn calories faster is that ensuring a good workout wardrobe will give you motivation to exercise. When it comes to working out, half the battle is psyching yourself up to go.

With a workout outfit that makes you feel great, fits well and boosts your self esteem, you’ll feel more motivated to work out and consequently will exercise more, therefore burning more calories.

2. A GOOD FIT IS KEY FOR MOVEMENT Choosing workout equipment that fits well, is flexible and supports you in the right places will be key for movement. If you don’t have workout gear that allows for proper range of movement and stretching, then it’s unlikely that you’ll fulfil your workout potential, and therefore you won’t truly get as much from your exercise routine as you might like to. Ensuring the right fit will let you really move how your body needs to, helping you to burn those calories and have an effective workout.

3. GOOD WORKOUT CLOTHES CAN WICK AWAY ANY SWEAT When you’re really working hard, whether that’s in the gym, on a run or in an organised sport, sweat can seriously get in the way and impact your workout.

Whether it makes your hands slippery, gets in your eyes or simply makes you uncomfortable, choosing workout clothing that can wick away the sweat will help to keep you from overheating, allowing you to extend your workout times and get those calories burnt.

4. OFFER ADEQUATE INSULATION It can be incredibly difficult to workout in the winter www.health-magazine.co.uk

especially if your exercise of choice is running outdoors.

The cold weather can be brutal and it can impact your effectiveness. That is of course, unless you have the appropriate workout gear! Great workout gear will offer you adequate insulation for colder weather, helping you to get the most out of your workouts even in the bitter freezing cold - helping you to keep burning calories right throughout the winter.

5. SAFETY One of the most important elements of exercise is safety - particularly when it comes to running or lifting weights. Ensuring that you have the appropriate and correct footwear that will offer you stability will ensure your running is safe and that you don’t cause yourself any injury. The right shoes can offer protection from blisters and cramp, as well as offering you stability. The appropriate gloves for lifting weights can help you to avoid blisters and callouses on your hands. Investing in the correct workout gear for your exercise routine will help to keep you safe and maximise your workout potential.

In essence, the work for your workout routine starts before you even set foot in the gym. Invest in workout gear which fits well, makes you feel fabulous and helps you to get the most out of your workout, and you’ll see a difference in your results. www.rightpathfitness.co.uk

TRY CONTACT LENSES FREE Maidenhead 85 High Street Tel 01628 777 220 specsavers.co.uk Contact lens free trial: One pair of monthly lenses or five pairs of daily disposables lenses. Trial subject to suitability and includes easyvision lenses only. Excludes other brands, coloured, gas permeable or hard lenses. One free trial per person per year. Current prescription required. Alternatively, an eye test will be required at our standard charge. ©2011 Specsavers. All rights reserved.

Health Magazine Spring 2018

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GYM BAG ESSENTIALS

Our pick of the most comfortable and practical fitness basics

T Shirt £40 from www.mygymwardrobe.com Active Striped Track Jacket £25 www.forever21.com

'Off To The Gym' Bag, Neon Coral by HEY HOLLA £20 www.notonthehighstreet.com

SPORTS BRA www.chantelle.com

STANCE Siella Tab £10.99 www.thesportsedit.com

LEEK SCULPTURE LEGGINGS INTENSE CORAL

GEL-Nimbus 20 £150 www.asics.com

£38.00 www.gymshark.com 12

Health Magazine Spring 2018

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WARM UP

SAY

! h a e Y ...to Mr Motivator’s 7 day workout programme

DAY 1 K TO CLIC IDEO V VIEW KOUTS WOR

DAY 2

DAY 5

DAY 3

DAY 6

DAY 4

DAY 7

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r u o Y

A-Z of

MENOPAUSE management

Your guide to the most common menopausal symptoms, and how to manage them Perimenopause is a term to describe the transition to menopause, this can occur in the years leading up to menopause when the reproductive function starts to slow down. Irregular periods are common, and women can experience other symptoms of the menopause. You are officially in menopause once you have gone one full year without a period (www. intimina.com).

A is for anxiety – mental changes stemming from the menopause may affect as many as one in three women.

B is for bloating – most commonly experienced during the perimenopause, the preliminary stage of the menopause C is for crawling skin – known as formication, women describe it like ants crawling over their skin D is for depressed moods - women describe feeling low one day and fine the next. Different from clinical depression, it is common around menopause.

E is for eye symptoms - Dry, tired or irritated eyes are very common in women after the age of 45, affecting about 60% of menopausal women F is for fatigue- a quarter of women report suffering from extreme fatigue in the menopause G is for general wellbeing – You may feel constantly ‘under par’ and that you perform less effectively at work H is for hot flushes - Three out of every four menopausal women have hot flushes, it is the most common menopausal symptom I is for irregular periods - Recent research shows that shortened 14

Health Magazine Spring 2018

intervals between periods are one of the most common symptoms of irregular periods in early menopause J is for joint pain – Studies have shed new light on a little-known type of arthritis known as ‘menopausal arthritis’ which effects women at the onset of the menopause and causes moderate to severe pain and swelling in mainly the fingers and wrists (Study by David T. Felson Sept 2005 issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism) K is for kegel exercises - Kegel exercises can make a world of difference for women in perimenopause because they can relieve symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis, vaginal pain, and help with incontinence.

L is for lank hair - Fifty is the average age for menopause, but changes to your hair can begin long before, and is one reason why hair thinning during menopause is difficult to counteract. Nobody over 40 has the same volume of hair they had in their twenties, but menopause is an extra and accelerating cause.

M is for mood swings – Experts at the University of Calgary in Canada tracked 282 people with the menopause. Mood swings affected 78 of them N is for night sweats - hot flushes and night sweats affect around 70 per cent of women for an average of 5 years O is for osteoporosis – Women can experience as much as a 20% drop in bone density five to seven

years after the menopause, which makes them at greater risk of developing osteoporosis, according to nhs.co.uk. The rapid dip in bone density is caused by falling levels of oestrogen. A healthy diet can help as can HRT but the latter doesn’t suit all women P is for Promensil – the natural alternative to HRT – Backed by over 15 years of research, Promensil assists in supporting good health during menopause as nature intended by harnessing the power of red clover isoflavones, a source of non-chemical plant oestrogen which has been shown to help reduce hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety and improve general health and wellbeing Q is for questions you should ask your GP about your options – Don’t be afraid to ask them! If you have menopausal symptoms, it’s important that you discuss all treatment options with your GP. All women will go through menopause and 80% will experience symptoms mentioned here R is for Red Clover Isoflavones, for use in menopausal symptoms – Research suggests they can have a positive effect on reducing symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats related to oestrogen loss by mimicking the effects that natural oestrogen has on the body. www.health-magazine.co.uk

S is for skin – Because the body stops making as much collagen during menopause, you can lose elasticity and fat from under the skin.

Combined with dryness that can be caused by hormonal changes, women may experience more fine lines and wrinkles as well as some sagging around the neck, jawline and cheeks T is for tender breasts – menopause is the transitional time when your periods slow and finally stop. This change in hormone production can cause breast soreness (Mastalgia) U is for urinary problems – you may feel the need to pass water more frequently and get up more at nights V is for vaginal dryness – this condition affects half of postmenopausal women aged between 51 and 60 according to a survey by Menopause Matters.

Back to basics With 75% of women suffering needlessly from hot flushes as they transition through the menopause, it’s clear to see that sudden heat surges, profuse sweating and extreme chilling sensations are symptoms that need addressing.

Women can begin peri-menopause – the period when hot flushes are most likely to be troublesome – as early as their 30s but as it’s often seen as something that occurs after mid-life, symptoms can go undiagnosed for years.

Fortunately, Become™ have created a duo of apparel basics that work to alleviate such symptoms, empowering peri menopausal and menopausal women to live comfortably, stylishly and inspiringly. Featuring unique Anti-Flush Technology™ For further information and to shop the range, please visit www.webecome.co.uk

INTIMATE MOISTURISER Sylk is water-based intimate moisturiser which contains no harmful chemicals, hormones, or parabens. It matches your vagina’s natural pH, helping to keep bacteria at bay whilst gently and safely hydrating and moisturising your most intimate area.

W is for weight gain – Hormonal changes during menopause can make weight gain more likely but since ageing is a factor too, a healthy diet and exercise can help keep the pounds off as the metabolism slows down X is for X-rated – Sex can become less enjoyable for women post-menopause with one survey suggesting that up to 84% of menopausal women find it painful Y is for yeast vaginitis – The thinning of the vagina walls that commonly occurs after menopause is caused by decreased oestrogen levels. It can raise the risk of infections and also make intercourse painful for some Z is for lack of ‘zzzzzzs’ – The years from perito-post menopause are when women report the most sleeping problems, says the National Sleep Foundation. In fact, as many as 61% percent report symptoms of insomnia Sources: A,M,N Daily Mail E Women to Women (www. womentowomen.com F&I www.34-menopause-symptoms.com

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BEAUTY

Another tip is to ditch the processed margarines. If you’re going to have butter then make it organic natural butter which has less synthetic ingredients.

3. Try light exercise: Getting up and moving daily will boost circulation, and getting your muscles moving will increase your levels of ‘happy’ hormones or endorphins and blood flow. This in turn will give your skin a lovely healthy glow.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a light stroll or training at the gym, as long as you’re moving your skin will feel the benefits.

4. Get an early night: Lack of sleep increases the visible appearance of ageing, such as dark circles caused by sluggish circulation.

TOP TIPS FOR HEALTHY SKIN:

by Sanex

1. Say goodbye to unnecessary chemicals:

With that in mind, say goodbye to your phone or tablet at least an hour before going to bed and try to get a good night’s sleep – your skin will thank you for it.

5. Reduce sugar intake:

Some fragrances and colours are skin irritants and have no actual benefits for the skin - they simply look and smell nice.

A high intake of sugar can cause an inflammatory reaction within the skin resulting in a whole host of skin conditions, from acne and rosacea to premature ageing and dry skin.

According to research, almost two thirds of British women are concerned about the chemicals in their personal care products.

A little treat every now and then won’t hurt, but try to keep an eye on your sugar levels if you’re looking to keep skin healthy.

2 Avoid low fat diets:

6. Curb the caffeine:

When it comes to holistic health, achieving a healthy balance is really important. Choose healthy fats for healthy cell function – this can be added into your diet through foods such as avocados, fish, nuts and seeds and plant oils such as flax and hemp.

Too much coffee or caffeinated drinks can put extra stress on the liver and digestive system which impacts your body’s natural detoxification process.

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This build-up of toxins can have a negative effect on the health of

your skin causing issues such as dry skin, redness and sensitivity.

7.Skincare shouldn't stop at your face: There can often be a temptation to focus on the health of the skin on our faces but we must remember that the whole body is covered in skin which is the largest organ of your body – so we need to make sure we are giving it the care it deserves.

Our skin absorbs a percentage of the products we apply, so choose products that are gentle on skin with natural moisturisers.

Too much coffee can impacts your body’s natural detoxification process, which in turn can affect your skin www.health-magazine.co.uk

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£42 www.amlybotanicals.com LIHA SHEA BUTTER LIHA Ghanian Shea butter is the ultimate African beauty secret. Used for centuries by women to protect and regenerate the skin, its potency lies in its naturally high concentration of A and E. A multi-purpose moisturiser for all skin types, it can be used on dry areas, stretch marks, scars, as a nappy balm, or as a base for making your own natural cosmetics. £20 www.lihabeauty.co.uk ROSE & YARROW FACIAL SERUM Root & Flower’s Rose and Yarrow Facial Serum is a highly effective skin rejuvenation concentrate which combines precious oils and active botanicals to restore elasticity, silken the skin and remind you of your natural beauty. £28 www.rootandflower.co.uk www.health-magazine.co.uk

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I started blogging back in 2010, I had just discovered blogs and I was looking for a way to keep myself motivated on my weight loss journey.

I found blogging such a wonderful creative outlet I never looked back!

LAURA AGAR WILSON

My blog has changed a lot over the years, it started as a weight loss blog very much focused on food and exercise. However, it's always been reflective of my personal journey and now my blog is about being Wholehearted - living life to the full, being your own expert, taking care of yourself and reminding yourself of your wholeness.

wholeheartedlylaura.com

I'm a Mum to a 3 year old little boy so it's always a bit of a juggle! I run my blog as part of my coaching business now, which means it is easier to balance it with my other commitments. I usually block off some time each week to create new blog posts and post on social media. Whatever I do I try to be present to that rather than multi tasking, especially as a Mum I don't want to always be on my phone checking Instagram when I'm with my son - although it does happen sometimes!

I enjoy so much about what I do! First of all I just love connecting with my readers, I've ran 3 retreats and working with them in person is just brilliant. I also love the creative side of blogging, I take all my own photos and I even designed my website. The writing is always interesting and sometimes quite cathartic as well. The only downside for me is sometimes finding it hard to switch off.

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Be consistent with your blogging, commenting and posting to social media so that people know what to expect from you and just be you! Try not to compare yourself to other bloggers, my favourite blogs are the ones where the blogger is really authentic and isn't trying to emulate anyone else. Always let your passion shine through, to be a successful blogger you need to have a lot of passion for your subject area!

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BLOG

I started my blog while I was in college. I had started to cook a lot and had become really interested in nutrition, which was influencing the ingredients I was using. I was experimenting a lot and coming up with loads of my INDY POWER own recipes so thelittlegreenspoon.com my family suggested I started a blog. I was really secretive about it in the beginning and didn’t tell anyone but the more I did it, the more I loved it.

My main aim with my blog is to get people into the kitchen, cooking more. My recipes are really simple, quick and easy- there are no complicated techniques or crazy ingredients, it’s just about good food that tastes amazing and is easy to make. My food philosophy is simpleeat to feel good and that’s the whole premise behind The Little Green Spoon.

For me, running the blog is all about organisation. There’s no set schedule when you have a job like this so it’s really important to set yourself deadlines and enforce a bit of structure. I try to have specific days for writing, photography, events etc so that I can tick off some boxes and know where I am on my to do list.

My favourite thing is when you feel like you’ve really inspired someone, whether it’s a lovely email or a tag on instagram of a recipe they’ve recreated. It’s so rewarding and a great way to stay motivated. I absolutely love what I do and I’m so grateful to be able to call it a job, there are no real downsides but it can be hard to switch off as it’s such a personal thing and social media makes it very constant.

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My advice is just to be yourself. It’s such a saturated industry so the best way to set yourself apart is to do something that nobody else can do and that’s be you.

An insight into the secrets and lives of ten of the internet’s most successful health bloggers

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www.health-magazine.co.uk

CHOCOLATE COVERED KATIE

LOTTIE MURPHY

www.lottiemurphy.com

I started blogging because I loved reading blogs myself and wanted to start writing and sharing my own journey. Before getting into blogging and my Pilates teaching career, I was a ballet dancer and very into health and nutrition but I didn't really know how to turn it all into my "job." I trained to become a Pilates teacher and also loved presenting which is why I started my YouTube channel. It all then started to grow and build organically.

Starting the blog was a lot of hard work at first, but I now have a great balance with work and life and don't put too much pressure on myself to do EVERYTHING! I post on my blog once or twice a week and write my weekly newsletter, I teach a comfortable manageable amount of hours and I try to switch off in the evenings and at the weekends.

I know now when I'm taking too many projects on and have found the rewards of saying no.

There are so so many perks.

Meeting incredible people, being creative, being in control of your time and schedule, travelling, attending wonderful events, eating out at yummy restaurants and getting to hang out with my best friends most days. I enjoy every part of what I do, even the admin side.

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Just be you and share your journey, remember that anyone could be influenced by what you say so be mindful of that as what works for you might not work for everyone.

Have fun with it and get to know other people in the industry. Don't start just because you want to be like someone else you follow or make loads of money from it. Be true to yourself and remember to switch off and have a life outside the blog too.

www.health-magazine.co.uk

choocolatecoveredkatie.com

I started the blog in college, and it was originally not meant to be a food blog at all! Chocolate-Covered Katie was actually my email account name when I was in middle school; chocolate has always been my favourite food.

The idea of my blog is to offer healthy desserts and recipes for everyone – recipes that DON’T rely on expensive or hard-to-find ingredients and that even people who aren’t necessarily into eating healthy or vegan will still love.

I’m lucky in that I get to do this as a full-time job. The hours are crazy, but although I’m basically working nonstop it doesn’t feel like work because so much of my job is made up of activities I enjoy and would do anyway, such as photography, baking, and writing.

The downside: the idea of blogging for a living is so new that, when something goes wrong, you’re not always sure how to fix it (especially if it’s computer-related, which happens A LOT!). I’ve had many sleepless nights spent trying to fix a crashed website, spam attack, or broken email service. But there’s a silver lining – When you’re successfully able to fix a problem, it’s such a rush of pride, relief, and happiness.

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Choose a subject where you have true passion, and create your own style of blogging that feels most comfortable to you. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing or if you “should” be posting more workouts, more food diaries, or more of what another popular blogger is posting. If you’re passionate about something and write from the heart, it will show through in your posts and readers will feel that passion as well.

ZANNA VAN DIJK

zannavandijk. co.uk When I was studying at the university of sheffield, I started enjoying fitness as a hobby and soon found a whole host of inspiring fitness accounts on instagram and decided I wanted to create my own.... the rest is history!

My blog focuses on female fitness, empowerment, nourishing food, active travel and conscious living. It is hard to say what sets myself apart from others, but I believe that the fact I have an authentic message unique to me, is what helps.

I manage the blog In a very structured, organised manner. I have so much to do that I often feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, so I timetable my life to the minute! I still get overwhelmed, but I always get everything done.

I enjoy the ability to connect with like minded people across the world and share my passion for fitness, food, lifestyle and conscious living with others. I feel like I have a huge network of friends in every corner of the planet and its incredible.

The main downside is that I never really switch off, I am always working and this can negatively impact my work-life balance!

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Do it because you have a message you want to share, one you truly believe in. People will support you when you’re authentic to yourself, and you will motivate yourself when you’re doing something you’re passionate about.

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JEMMA

celeryandcupcakes.com

I started my blog in 2010 as a way to document my journey back to finding balance after a disordered relationship with food. It was a creative outlet for me and still is but has become so much more. My blogging direction has definitely changed and I now focus more on wellbeing and helping women find their own version of balance and showing up in their lives as the best version of themselves.

We’re all perfectly imperfect and through my blog, I hope women are encouraged to love their bodies and feel incredible in their own skin as they are now. Being truly healthy is not all about sipping green smoothies and eating courgetti, in fact, it goes much deeper than that.

Nourishing and feeding your soul and exploring what makes you truly happy is at the very heart of being healthy and feeling great.

It's difficult to try and keep all the balls in the air, especially with a

young family. However, what I've found really helpful is setting clear work boundaries with dedicated work days and family days. I find that this means I get a chance to switch off from work, spend time with my husband and 3-year-old son and bring a sense of balance into my life.

I have so much gratitude for my work and the fact that I get to do what I love for a living which allows me to also provide for my family.

From indulging my creative side, the amazing collaborations and inspirational women that I have been honoured to work with and some have become good friends, I feel incredibly lucky. Being your own boss is amazing, but it's seriously hard work because you are your everything - there's no team, it's just you, which can be isolating at times.

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Be you, do you, for you. The world of blogging is wonderful, but it can be hard not to be influenced by what everyone else is doing.

It's important to stay true to your own beliefs, which your readers will appreciate.

CARLY ROWENA carlyrowena.com

My story is a little backwards: I worked in marketing for BMW and MINI for seven years and although it had the potential to be a fantastic career my heart just wasn’t in it. Unfortunately, I had never really known what I wanted to be, I had no distinguishing talents that could guide me into an industry and felt more than a little lost. I turned to YouTube as sort of talent finder and filmed videos from beauty to fashion, travel and fitness. After a couple of months I noticed I was receiving a lot of requests to train people, I was gaining followers and they were engaging most with my fitness content. It was then that I realised my passion was fitness, it had always been something I enjoyed doing but I’d never thought about turning it into a career! I decided to sign up for an online course which I completed while working full time and then gave myself a months worth of savings and handed in my letter of resignation. I was so nervous but my heart was so excited, within three weeks I was fully booked and from that moment on my online following has continued to grow and supported me both in and out of the gym.

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JESSICA SEPEL jessicasepel.com

I’ve wanted to be a nutritionist since I was 14 – I was just fascinated by how the body works – and how powerful food can be in changing your health and wellbeing. But my real passion for helping people live a healthy life came from my own personal struggle and negative relationship with food. After moving to Australia from South Africa when I was a teenager, I became a serial fad dieter. I had become dangerously obsessed with my weight. I was weight conscious, not health conscious. Something needed to shift.

After school, I went on to study a three-year Bachelor of Health, then a further two years specialising in nutrition. It was in my fourth year of study that something really clicked. I started blogging – privately at first – about my learning, new recipes I was creating and the amazing changes I was experiencing by eating a wholefood diet. It

I feel I’m a little older than a lot of the other fitness bloggers online, I just turned 30 and I’m very lucky to have such an engaged community on social media. Over the last year, we’ve hit some big milestones together with over 390,000 on my YouTube channel and 140,000 on Instagram. I love that we’ve created a community of support, encouragement and self-love.

I love what I do! It’s taught me how to work efficiently, I soon learnt that there’s no such thing as multitasking, I sit down and complete one thing at a time but I also have to remind myself daily that I am one person and one person can only do so much. I don’t want to let myself get to the point where I’m not practising what I preach, I have to maintain a work-life balance as I would hate to dislike what I’m doing.

The only downside I can see is that I miss switching off sometimes, but I have to learn that its ok to go offline, people won’t just stop following because I’ve got quiet.

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I’d recommend anyone to give blogging a go, but I would recommend you approach it as a fun or a side hobby, not with the opinion that it has to become your career. Outside of this, be yourself, there’s only one you. www.health-magazine.co.uk

was all very organic – I never expected it to become a full-time job!

My philosophy is very balanced – there are no diets or extremes. I think it’s refreshing for people to hear that you don’t have to be perfect ALL the time. We are so overwhelmed by health messages these days – what we should be eating, what we should be drinking, which diet we should be following. People are struggling to find balance with food and health. My blog, my online Program and my books were created to help people clear the confusion and reconnect to their unique bodies.

I have an incredible team behind JSHealth who support me. I can’t do it all, but I’m good at delegating and focusing on what I am good at – ensuring I maintain my connection to my community. They matter most.

The fact that it is my own business is a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, I can govern my own hours 90% of the time. On the other hand, it’s 24/7.

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are about. Nothing is off limits on our blog, it is just about finding healthier ways to make your favourite meals and enjoying it in moderation. Also, the focus isn’t just on food.

Being healthy and losing weight is far more than just about what we eat.

Emotional eating was always my biggest problem, so we talk about that a lot, as well as small ways to fit in more activity.

We have a one year old daughter now and that makes keeping the blog running a lot harder, but we just had to get more organised. It is so easy to spend 18 hours a day working on the blog (I used to), but we have found a better work/life balance now.

I love how flexible blogging can be. Hungry Healthy Happy got to a point where my husband was able to quit the job he hated too, and come on board the blog full time - he handles all the technical side so I can do all the creative stuff. Working together and being able to spend so much time with our daughter is amazing. But, it doesn’t come without it’s downsides. Who knows where blogging will be in 5 years time. Self employment can be so unstable, but that just makes us work harder every day. Having a blog allowed me to realise my dream of having a book published (Hungry Healthy Happy was published in January 2016).

Find a message that you are genuinely passionate about, and don’t be afraid to share it with the world. Never be afraid to show the vulnerable and hard times too.

Dannii Martin

hungryhealthyhappy.com I started Hungry Healthy Happy as a way to keep myself on track with my weight loss and improve my health. It was a place to keep my favourite recipes and share them with friends and family who kept asking how I was losing weight and what I was eating. I had finished university with a degree in Criminology and working in a call centre which I hated. I spent all my free time working on the blog and it quickly took off. I decided to quit the job I hated with the savings I had and focused on the blog and building it up. You just have to take that leap.

So many “healthy eating” blogs out there are focused on giving something up and that’s not we www.health-magazine.co.uk

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Write about what you love. Don’t get sucked in to doing what everyone else is doing, or worry that your blog isn’t where someone else’s is. It takes a lot of time and work to make a success of a blog and there are so many blogs out there now. So, make sure you actually enjoy what you are writing about.

MAEVE MADDEN

maevemadden.com Before I started blogging I had been a professional Irish dancer, touring with Michael Flatley around the world. I had gone to university and I was working full time as a model.

I had started to post pictures of myself at the gym and my campaign shots from modeling with brands like Adidas, Women’s Fitness etc.. I had many requests to share videos of my routines. In the beginning I was shy as I wasn’t a qualified personal trainer, but when I shared my videos and people loved copying them I was so happy.. from there I went on to qualify as a Personal Trainer and I now have a diploma in nutrition. I wanted to expand my knowledge and be able to give fully qualified, professional advice to my followers.

My page is very much who I am in every aspect of my life, I don’t sugar coat anything, you get the good the bad and the bloat... I was diagnosed with IBS when I was very young and PCOS 8 years ago. I had a really bad few weeks where I couldn’t work or post my fitness videos, I kept telling everyone I was sick but in reality I looked like I was expecting triplets! I finally plucked up the courage and shared what was really happening, I knew I wasn’t going to be the only one with this issue and if I want my blog to be a reality for everyone, then I had to share what was really happening...

My days are hectic but I wouldn’t change it for the world.. I believe that when you’re really passionate about something it doesnt feel like work at all, my passion is my purpose .. I still PT clients in london but I do take two or three days per week where I mainly focus on my blog and my social media and of course I take one day to myself..

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Believe in yourself even when no one else does.. Stop doubting yourself and wondering if you're good enough, know that you are. Good things don’t happen in comfort zones, I know this to be true. Each and every single one of us is flawsome so embrace it and share it with the world.

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READY, SET, GO! Taking part in a marathon is a goal for many, but with the demands of leading a busy life, it can be all too easy to fall behind on your training. To help make sure you are prepared, Lindsey Pasaic from VitalityHealth has put together the following top tips: 1. Start with the right shoes Always be sure to visit a quality running shop and speak with a specialist about finding the best shoes for you.

Your feet can grow up to half an inch in length and splay 15% in width while running. The right shoe is about fit, not snazzy design. And don’t forget – if you need a new pair, buy them now and train in them rather than having new trainers for your race.

2. Get a training plan in place Having a training plan in place means you can make small incremental changes to your daily routine, slowly building up to the big run. Try going for a lunchtime jog, running to work or taking a Sunday morning run around the park. Events don’t need to break the bank either, you can sign up to free runs like parkrun with Vitality to get those vital training miles in.

3. And stick to it…

Busy workloads, social lives, and even the typical British weather can make it tempting to skip sessions. We’re all guilty of letting time get ahead of us even when race day is fast approaching. Training plans are designed to facilitate specific physiological adaptations to running, so that when it comes to the main event you’re ready to achieve your goal. Not meeting your weekly training mileage could set you back. It’s also important to avoid going further than planned. Those days of feeling extra fresh should be enjoyed, but don’t let your enthusiasm derail your plan. Going rogue could result in doing too much too fast, making you susceptible to injury.

4. Don’t skimp on stretching Stretching not only reduces the risk of injury, but decreases muscle soreness and increases flexibility at the same time. Before you start a workout it is good practice to take your joints through their full range of motion by doing a dynamic (active) stretching routine.

Dynamic stretches (for example high knees or twisting 22

Health Magazine Spring 2018

Whether you’re running 10k, a half marathon, or the full 26.2 miles this spring, here are some top tips to help get you race ready in time... lunges) increase your core temperature and prepare your muscles for exercise.

When you’ve finished a run be sure to make time for static (passive) stretches. These are more appropriate for cooling down as they relax the muscles and increase extensibility. Using a foam roller will also help your body recover, improve circulation and reduce muscle soreness.

5. Eat well and drink water As the distances get longer and more physically demanding, you need to leave room before and after your run to eat and drink properly. Training is the time to test what works and what doesn’t, and to learn which nutrition combination fuels your body best. Two hours before running, opt for 500-600ml of water and a small snack high in carbohydrates but low in fat and fibre such as half a protein bar, a slice of toast with peanut butter, or a banana. Post run aim to drink plenty of water, while focusing on consuming carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes of your session. Every two hours for four to six hours after running, aim to replenish your water, carbohydrate and protein intake.

6. Workout with a friend Going on the journey with friends, family or colleagues helps keep those motivation levels up. Whether they have signed up for the event with you, or simply want to get fit in 2017, training with other people will not only benefit your health but make the experience more enjoyable. It will also serve as a good time to catch up or de-stress from the pressures of the office.

7. Set realistic goals and celebrate your success It’s important to recognise success and remember that you don’t have to do everything in one go. Don’t be too ambitious when setting targets - remember slow and steady progress is key. It's better to reach your end goal slowly rather than increasing the chance of getting injured. Setting achievable and attainable goals that can increase over time will help you reach the marathon target more quickly, while also contributing towards a happier and healthier lifestyle.

www.health-magazine.co.uk

8. Practice makes perfect One key tip is to practice your race day game plan on one of your longer training runs. Put on the same clothes and trainers you’ll wear, and eat and drink the fuel you’re planning to consume. This test will make sure you’re comfortable and ready to go. Doing a practice race day run also means waking up at the same time you’ll need to for the actual event!

GET

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E V I ACT

9. Distract yourself from the distance ahead As the distances ramp up it’s a good idea to have a few ways to distract yourself from the mileage ahead. Listen to music if the race allows, and think of how far you’ve come rather than how long is left to go.

10. Think laps not miles To make the distance more manageable mentally, break it down into shorter segments such as three mile sections.

A 26 mile run will soon become just over eight and a half laps, and suddenly the prospect of a marathon doesn’t seem quite so daunting.

Source: Lindsey Passaic, Wellness Coach at VitalityHealth

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Health Magazine Spring 2018

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The HAYFEVER

DIET (It’s not to be sniffed at!)

Nutritional Therapist ANGELIQUE PANAGOS reveals how to eat your way to a symptom-free spring While most of us welcome the thought of warmer, sunnier weather with a real spring in our step, some will already be starting to dread the summer months.

For those who suffer from streaming, running noses, itchy and puffy eyes and a constant sore throat, the advent of spring and summer can often mean the beginning of months of suffering.

Unfortunately, hay fever is a growing problem – a whopping 21 million of us suffer with an allergy of some kind in the UK alone. Yet, you don’t need to dose yourself up on drowsy antiallergy pills to overcome it – there are plenty of things you can do to ease the pain, if only you know how.

What is Hay Fever?

First up, we need to know who we are dealing with properly before we can overcome it. Hay fever – also known as allergic rhinitis – is a kind of inflammation and is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen from trees, grass and weeds.

Some are more susceptible then others, but this reaction puts our immune system into fight mode.

Our immune system sees the pollen as a harmful substance invading our bodies, which causes us to release the 24

Health Magazine Spring 2018

antibody immunoglobulin E. In turn, this makes our bodies release histamine, inflammation and swelling, along with that comes a runny nose and other symptoms such as sneezing, excess mucus, streaming eyes and a sore throat.

How Can I Treat Hay Fever?

Before you reach for those over-thecounter medicines, ready to prop and dose yourself up for months on end, why not try an alternative to your hay fever suffering? Of course, for some of us, anti-histamines are much needed during hay fever months, but working on this in the months leading up to hay fever season may help reduce the symptoms.

Here are a few of my favourite remedies to try: Eat the Rainbow: Fruits and veg rich in vitamin C – think red peppers, citrus fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, kiwi and tomatoes – are perfect to enjoy at this time of year. Vitamin C is nature’s very own anti-histamine and is also an antiinflammatory, helping to keep our immune system strong and healthy.

Another fruit I swear by for hay fever sufferers is pineapple, which is rich in

the enzyme bromelain. Bromelain has all sorts of amazing anti-inflammatory effects and can help to decongest mucus and nasal build-up. You need to eat the pineapple core for this one!

Sip a Turmeric Latte Turmeric is often used in Ayurvedic and Eastern medicines, and is another anti-inflammatory wonder. It contains curcumin – the compound that lends it its gorgeous, sunshine hue – which has been found to have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties. I love to make myself chickpea curries rich in fresh turmeric root, or even a turmeric latte with added grated ginger and coconut oil – another fantastic addition to antiinflammatory diets!

Tea Break If turmeric lattes aren’t your thing, then there are plenty of teas you can try to ease symptoms. Ginger tea is a natural anti-histamine and can also ease congestion, green tea can strengthen the immune system and prevent the body from producing histamine, while nettle tea can relieve inflammation in the respiratory tract.

Better still, add a spoonful of locallyproduced, raw honey to your tea which can also help us to become immune to the allergens found around us! www.health-magazine.co.uk

Garlic While your OH may not thank you for it, garlic is an old wives’ tale worth paying attention to. Not only can it clear bunged-up noses, but it also has powerful anti-biotic properties which can ease respiratory problems. It’s also full of quercetin, nature’s very own anti-histamine – no expensive pills needed!

Ditch the Dairy Wherever possible, ditch the dairy from your diet and opt for plant-based alternatives, such as almond, cashew, coconut or oat milk instead. Dairy is one of the most inflammatory foods in our diet (and who needs any extra inflammation when our bodies are on red alert anyway?) and foods high in dairy can also increase our body’s production of mucus and worsen that dreaded congestion.

Ditch the Sugar Sugar and overly-processed foods, such as white breads and pasta, pastries, cakes and biscuits, can worsen inflammation in the body at a time when we need to calm the immune system. Support your body with a nourishing diet that’s free from processed foods, sugars and junk. Instead, embrace whole grains, rainbows of fruit and veg, protein and ‘good’ fats such as avocado and olive oil.

EFA helpers: Wwe want to support our respiratory tracts, aiding lubrication and reducing any mucus membrane inflammation. Put simply? Eat plenty of Omega-3 fats!

You’ll find these in oily fish (think salmon, mackerel and sardines) as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

Omega-6 fats are also of benefit here, giving you a great excuse to nibble on some almonds, brazils nuts and cashews. I love to sprinkle these on my vitamin C salads and blend into summer gazpachos. Aim to consume a small portion of good fats in each of your main meals, and mix up the source!

Bee Prepared: If there’s one product that’s always within my allergy arsenal, it’s Unbeelievable Health’s Bee Prepared.

I’ve had great personal and clinic success with this supplement, comprising of natural anti-histamines quercetin and vitamin C (thank you black elderberry!) with a bee propolis base it works to help prime the immune system and reduce the histamine reaction.

Bonus, tt’s free from gluten, sugar, soy, yeast and GMOS, making it a safe family option, with the formula suitable for ages 4 and above.

Here’s enjoying your first low to no symptom summer!

Angelique’s new book The Balance Plan is out now

ASTHMA & ALLERGIES A GROWING PROBLEM ALLERGY and asthma rates are rocketing up across the world. Symptoms range from upset and inconvenience right up to potentially fatal complications, making the issue a serious global health threat.

One in five households in the UK includes someone with asthma and 5.4 million people are currently receiving treatment for the condition. One in 11 children in the UK is affected and the UK has some of the highest rates for asthma symptoms in children in the world (www.puressentiel.com/uk) A nationally representative poll of 2,000 UK adults also found that asthma symptoms have doubled in the past five years alone. The number of people suffering with asthma symptoms has gone from 6% in 2012 to 12% today, representing 6.2 million people currently suffering. (www.PharmacyOutlet.co.uk) Experts had thought that the rise in allergies and asthma was down to excessively clean homes and paranoia about germs, leaving children hypersensitive to otherwise harmless irritants. Studies suggesting minor childhood infections, growing up around animals and living in a less than spotless home seemed to protect against allergies which added weight to this explanation. But many scientists now believe this view is overly simplistic and the increase is caused and exacerbated by three mechanisms: infectious agents, environmental factors and allergies. Outdoor and indoor air pollution is thought to play a significant role in undermining respiratory health and the increase in conditions such as asthma and allergic rhinitis – an inflammation of the inside of the nose that affects one in five people in the UK. Indeed, across Europe rhinitis affects 21 % of adults, 8.5 % of young children and 14.6 % of adolescents. www.puressentiel.com/uk

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TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR PELVIC FLOOR Many factors, including pregnancy, child birth and the menopause, can lead to a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles, and Television presenter Carol Smillie is determined to tackle the taboo of this issue. She has come up with some tips on how to handle those little leaks, and become healthier and happier this spring:​ 1) Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles – squeeze your pelvic muscles once a day, 10-15 times in a row, holding each squeeze for a few seconds. Make sure you’re in a comfortable position and add more squeezes as you get used to the exercise. Don’t expect overnight results but if you stick to it you will notice positive changes in just a few months!

2) Be mindful of the amount of liquids you consume – it’s incredibly important to stay hydrated when exercising but ensure you swap caffeinated drinks for water. Caffeine irritates the bladder leading to leaks and often making stress incontinence worse.

3) Weight managament – being overweight is known to weaken your pelvic floor muscles because of the pressure of the excess tissue on your bladder.

4) Swap high-impact for low-impact – certain exercises such as running and HIT training will put increased pressure on your bladder and can lead to leaks. Classes focussing on stretching and strengthening (Yoga and Pilates for example) can be a great alternative and are an amazing way to tone too!

5) Be selective with your exercise – lifting is known to put a strain on your pelvic muscles so why not go for a brisk walk with a friend instead? I love going on long walks with my husband and dog, and find a daily walk is a fantastic way to look and feel good! If you are doing exercise involving lifting remember to tighten your pelvic floor muscles before with the above technique.

6) Pretty Clever Pants perfect for catching any little leaks.

Protective underwear with a secret waterproof layer, they look and feel exactly like normal knickers. They’re super soft, comfortable, machine washable and allow you to concentrate on your personal best - You’ve got no excuses now! (www.prettycleverpants.com). www.health-magazine.co.uk

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By Christopher Paul Jones, The Breakthrough Expert Millions of people have a flying phobia.

This phobia may well prevent sufferers from getting on an aeroplane, disrupting travel plans and stopping them – and their families enjoying the overseas holiday they would like.

Even for people who don’t have a phobia, many of us will admit to being a little nervous when flying.

Seeing plane crashes on TV, whether fact or fiction, leaves us wondering what would happen if we were in that position.

Fight or FLIGHT

220 times more than you would flying, and 5 times more about sleeping.

Myth 3: If an aeroplane crashes it’s over.

Here’s a fact for you: you have a 95.7% chance of walking away from a plane crash.

Myth 4: If an engine fails the plane will fall from the sky.

Fact: A plane is simply a big glider and planes can be flown and landed without an engine.

The fact is that the chances of being hurt when flying are 1 in 11,000,000 (one in eleven million). Flying is actually the safest way to travel!

So, even if your worst nightmare does happen, and the engine fails you can relax, safe in the knowledge that your pilot will have gone through rigorous training to land this big glider.

If that’s not enough to convince you, here are some facts to debunk those myths:

Myth 5: Turbulence is dangerous.

Fact: Turbulence does not increase the odds of an aircraft accident.

Myth 1: Flying is dangerous.

Even those of us who do not have a phobia will probably be guilty of thinking this one. But when you are told, as above, that the odds of you actually being involved in an accident when flying is 1 in 11 million, it might make you question why you are even scared in the first place.

We’ve all been there, enjoying a nice glass of wine on the plane, when whoosh, turbulence hits, and our wine spills everywhere. For most of us, turbulance is just annoying but for some people it can bring on a real fear that the plane could be brought down.

However, phobias are not based on logic, and that is why they are irrational. Irrational and illogical they may well be, but for some of us, they feel totally rational and logical.

Myth 2: It does happen to somebody.

Of course it does, things happen, but - and here is the big BUT - if you are going to use this junk logic then you would need to worry about driving 28

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Myth 6: Lightning can bring down a plane.

Fact: No modern plane has been brought down by lightning and modern planes are designed to withstand a lightning strike.

So, all you need to do if lightning does strike whilst you are flying is sit back and enjoy the view. It can be pretty spectacular seeing things from that height.

Flying phobias - the top 8 myths debunked

Myth 7: Worrying keeps me in control and prepares me for the ‘what if’.

You cannot control everything and trying to do so creates stress and OCD, with potentially detrimental effects on your health. The best thing that you can do is to seek help for your phobia, so that you can soon stop worrying.

Myth 8: Plane crashes happen a lot because I keep seeing it on the news.

You see them on the news because they are so rare, that when they do happen, they make the front page.

There are 100,000 flights per day, think about that in comparison to how many actual crashes you hear about.

However, that said, the trouble is that phobias are not logical or rational.

The part of your mind that deals with fear, is not the same part that deals with logic. A phobia is an irrational fear, and that can make it all the more frustrating for the person who is experiencing it because, on a logical level, they KNOW that their fear may not have any substance behind it, and that it is based on emotion rather than logic… yet the human brain still does its best to rationalise everything and make sense of it.

Once you look at a flying phobia in a rational way and think about these facts and figures, you realise that, actually, most of what we believe can be attributed to myth. This can be quite sobering and, perhaps, when this realisation hits home, it’s time to think about actually working on your phobia with a skilled therapist. www.health-magazine.co.uk

Spring clean your

life Discover how ‘decluttering’ more than just your home this spring could help you feel refreshed and ready for the new season

When people think of spring cleaning they tend to think Top tips from of vacuuming, Psychologist Honey washing windows Langcaster-James and scrubbing floors.

However, that only results in a clean and tidy house, not necessarily a clean and tidy mind. There are a multitude of ways you can have a good old clear out in other aspects of your life, and they involve everything but the kitchen sink! Here are my top tips for giving your entire lifestyle a deep clean, leaving yourself feeling renewed, refreshed and ready for your next chapter to unfold.

• Conduct an honest ‘relationship audit’ by assessing the people in your life in terms of profit and loss. Most of your relationships are likely to be healthy, leaving you feeling refreshed and replenished when you spend time with that person, but some people may leave you feeling drained and exhausted. Consider reducing the time you spend with those who leave you feeling like you’ve ‘lost’ something, and commit to devoting all your time only to those who actually bring ‘profit’ to your life.

• Clean out your social media accounts. It can be damaging to your psychological well-being and selfesteem to be constantly exposed to some of the toxic posts people share on social media. Clean up your news feed by unfollowing those people whose posts leave you feeling anything less than happy and positive. They needn’t even know you’ve unfollowed them but you’ll start to feel the benefits of a jolly good social clear-out immediately.

• Do you tend to hoard objects, letters and memorabilia that bring back happy memories from time gone by? There’s nothing wrong with being sentimental www.health-magazine.co.uk

but you could spring clean your collection and declutter considerably by photographing and then discarding many of those items. Turning your loft full of old junk into one small photograph album or even a hard drive full of pictures that bring back those memories, not only clears space, but you’ll probably find you’ll look through them more often than you would have done before anyway.

• Did you know that you can clear up your thoughts? Just because you have a persistent inner critic and may be plagued by negative thoughts, you don’t have to listen to them or give them any importance.

Spring clean your own mind by practicing mindfulness.

Notice your thoughts entering your head but then simply let them go, only pay attention to those thoughts that actually serve you and leave you feeling well and happy.

• Declutter your diary! Your average week likely includes various commitments that you feel you ought to attend, but spending too much time doing things you ‘have to do’ can leave you without enough time to do the things you really love. Put in some boundaries and block out time for you. Clear out some of those appointments you really don’t need to devote time to. Get used to disappointing people by keeping only those activities and meet-ups that will refresh you in your diary. Your calendar should work for you and not against you!

• Spring clean your diet. Clear out all the junk food and snacks from your cupboards and commit to eating clean. That means eating only ‘good mood food’, healthy, nutritious, fresh produce that nourishes your body and soul. By eating well you’ll notice the benefits both mentally and emotionally and by ensuring you get enough fresh fruit and vegetables you’ll give yourself a good clear out in more ways than one!

Http://www.HoneyLangcaster-James.com Health Magazine Spring 2018

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ABOUT SLOAN SHERIDANWILLIAMS

CELEBRITY LIFE COACH

SLOAN SHERIDAN-WILLIAMS

reveals the lifestyle changes that could help put a spring back in your step this season

Sloan Sheridan-Williams (www. celebritylifecoach.co.uk) is a celebrity life coach, international speaker, relationship expert and media personality. She has over 15 years of experience achieving extraordinary long-lasting results for her clients from rock stars to royalty and politicians to CEOs. www.wealthmasterylive.com

EXERCISE Even if you work out in a gym, ensure you are being as active as possible each and every day, from taking the stairs instead of lifts and escalators to going for a 30 minute walk during your lunch break every day. Learn yoga or other exercise based on stretches that you can do anytime anywhere. That way wherever you are, be it at home or on holiday, you will still be able to maintain your exercise routine.

LIFESTYLE In this fast paced world, it is important we get into the habit of shifting focus away from the demands and distractions of modern life and spend quality time on ourselves. Get in the habit each day of having a 30 second dance party to help re-energise you. If you’re not in private you can do this behind the closed door of a toilet cubicle! Start going to bed and waking up at the same time every day including weekends and use a wearable to monitor your sleep patterns and adjust your wakingsleeping times to fit your natural sleep cycles.

ENVIRONMENT You spend the majority of your 30

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income on the roof over your head so it is important that your home is a place you look forward to returning to and spending time in. Create a daily habit to keep your home organised. Declutter and learn to let go of items which no longer serve a purpose or bring you joy. Make your bed every morning rather than just throwing back the covers and put things back in their proper place.

CAREER If you wake up every Monday morning dreading the week ahead or feel like you have no time to enjoy your money or develop healthy relationships then it’s time to reassess your work situation and what is important to you. You need to either renew your passion for the job you’re in or look elsewhere to find a job that will truly resonate with you. This could mean focusing on getting a promotion, learning a new skill or changing career direction.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO? As well as making positive changes in your lifestyle, those finding 2018 a little tougher due to outside circumstances can look at psychological interventions that will support your emotional and physical wellbeing. Good examples

include hypnotherapy, deep muscle relaxation, visualisation, yogic breathing exercises and mindfulness or if you prefer a more spiritual route explore the benefits of Reiki or Theta healing.

Reducing your workload may not be feasible but it is important to improve your work/life balance.

This can even just mean making small changes in your daily routine to allow for just one hour where you focus entirely on yourself in a mindful way without any external influences.

It is also essential to develop a support network of trusted friends or inspirational mentors to help you focus on the positive, check your perspective and bounce ideas off. You may also wish to consider working with a date coach or relationship expert if you want to look for a fulfilling relationship with a significant other.

The key to happiness is constant progression so start using these strategies from today and soon you’ll achieve the life you truly desire and deserve.

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EXPERT CORNER Four experts give there tips for positive change this spring Dr Carl Brandt, co-founder and medical director at Liva Healthcare (https://livahealthcare.com) provides his top tips for those looking to make long-term behavioural and lifestyle health changes: 1. Set realistic goals. The first step towards making long term lifestyle changes is to set goals that are realistic for you. Goals need to be individual, measurable and able to be monitored either manually or through a device or app. That way it will be possible to track your progress and easily identify if goals are not being met.

2. Be specific. Make sure your decisions and goals are operational. It is all well and good to say ‘I want to live healthier’ but it is important to take the time to understand what that actually involves. To achieve long term change you need to lay out what your goal is and what you have to do, step by step, to achieve this.

3. Get help. Research shows relationships are key to driving long term behaviour change. Don’t try and do it alone.

Consult with your GP, a health professional or even a family member or friend to help keep you on track and accountable for the changes you want to make. It’s important to get feedback from someone you trust and who you believe can help you along the way to achieving your goals. These relationships are fundamental to driving change.

HOW TO CREATE POSITIVE SELF-TALK Just think for a moment about the way you speak to yourself and others about yourself and your body, be completely honest with yourself now, are you speaking as nicely to yourself and about yourself as you would if you were talking about someone you love and adore? If the answer is no, then I invite you to fall in love with yourself and you body and start to encourage yourself now to start saying nice things to yourself.

When we speak positively to ourselves, when we for example look in the mirror and rather than putting ourselves down we say something encouraging this helps create a positive habit and can really help boost your confidence and motivate you in your wellbeing regime, making you want to do nice things for the body you love, yours!

We can choose, yes choose, how we think and talk about ourselves and in theory it is as easy to think and say something negative about yourself as it is to say something positive, so why not stop the negative chat and start praising yourself? This little exercise might help get you started.

4. Make small steps. While it’s great to have a long-term big hitting goal, it means nothing if you don’t understand the small steps that need to be taken each day to reach it. Long-term behaviour and lifestyle changes come from consistent small changes in behaviours that eventually lead to permanent changes in habits. It can be small levels of activity, such as walking for half an hour each day, that can tip the balance towards losing versus gaining weight in the long-run.

Write down a few things about how you feel about yourself and your body.

Notice any wording which has a negative tone to it. “I want to be fit but I don’t have the time” or “ I can never stick to a regime as I’m not “disciplined” and so on, write down as many as come to mind, “I don’t have the right shape of body for that kind of sport” and so on. Now change them into positive sentences instead.

Like for example “I make time in my schedule for me”, “I am disciplined, I stick to my schedule and I enjoy working out. “I love my body and I’m excited to see how I can make my beautiful shape more toned”.

5. Commitment then acceptance. For behaviour change to occur you need to first commit to the lifestyle interventions needed and secondly accept any sacrifices that come with those decisions. To achieve long-term change, it is not just about understanding the benefits of making certain changes but also accepting the short-term negatives that come with those changes. For example, you may want to start exercising regularly before work. However, for this to happen you will likely need to accept that you will have to get up a little earlier in the morning. Once those ‘negatives’ are identified it’s important to assess whether you are truly willing to make those sacrifices.

We are led to believe that our subconscious mind is running our lives 95% of the time. An effective way to connect to our subconscious mind is via hypnosis, meditation and affirmations. Knowing that it is even more vital that the affirmations (self-talk) we are constantly saying about ourselves are positive and supportive.

These affirmations, by the way, still work even if you don’t quite believe them in the beginning.

As you keep repeating them they will seep into your subconscious mind and with time you will come to believe them.

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Carole Spiers is the CEO of a leading UK stress management and wellbeing consultancy. She is a BBC Guest-broadcaster and Chair of the International Stress Management Association.

Things don’t always work out the way you thought.

Maybe that job promotion you had hoped for, went to someone else or the tender for that important contract was finally awarded to your competitor although he was more expensive!

Life certainly does have its setbacks - some having a greater significance on our lives than others.

However, instead of focusing on the things you cannot control, let’s look at those factors which you can, as it may be that you will need to deviate from your planned course in order to reach your goal.

Tough Roads Ahead When the road gets tough, you need to be strong in order to survive. The reality is that life is full of challenges and your success is gauged by your ability to meet and clear them. The upside is that for every hurdle cleared, the next one will be easier to jump over.

The question is, how will you manage in the face of adversity?

HERE ARE SOME STRATEGIES THAT YOU CAN USE: Stand back and reflect You may think your world has come to an end because you failed to get that promotion. But it won’t. However, use this time to reflect on the learning that came from the situation before you draw a line under it.

Talk it through Find someone who you trust and is a good listener.

Share and diffuse your feelings of disappointment but make sure you find someone of empathy with whom you can speak.

Positive Attitude This is certainly not easy at a time of challenge.

However, if you didn’t win that contract, think of the learning you took away from the exercise.

Declutter Your Life - Think Differently

By Gill Hasson To clear out clutter successfully requires new ways of thinking and doing. But before you can start doing anything, you need to start thinking differently.

The key to successful decluttering is to change your mindset; to let go of the underlying beliefs and instead take on new, more helpful ways of thinking about things.

When it comes to decluttering, you may have come across the idea of only keeping things that actually bring you joy.

Everything else you just get rid of – simple. And it would be simple if emotion didn’t play a role.

Emotions can complicate the clutter-clearing process.

Too often, guilt gets in the way. We keep things because we’d feel guilty if we got rid of them. The things we spent money on and have hardly used or worn. We already feel guilty about that – we don’t want to compound the guilt by throwing it out!

Too often, we keep things because we’d feel guilty if we got rid of them.

The things we spent money on and have hardly used or worn.

We already feel guilty about that – we don’t want to compound the guilt by throwing it out!

But those clothes you’ve hardly worn, books you never read, toys that are rarely played with, unused kitchen utensils or gym equipment; they’re all sunk costs. You’ve already spent the money. Keeping something you spent £20 or £200 on a while back doesn’t bring the money back. The money has gone. So, since you can’t get back the time or all the money that you spent on something, it’s better only to consider what benefit that thing is to you now.

Whether you’ve already kept it for a month, year or even half a lifetime, realize that, at the time, you made the right choice; you sincerely thought you would wear it, read it, use it. That was then. Holding onto it just ties you to the past. Live in the present!

This is an edited extract from Declutter Your Life: How Outer Order Leads to Inner Calm,

by Gill Hasson. Published by Capstone, 2017, it is available wherever books and ebooks are sold.

Find a way to benefit It is important to try and find a way that brings some benefit from the setback. You might want to change office procedures or introduce a new company policy.

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In today’s busy lifestyles, it is important to take extra care of yourself and tackle stress head on.

Jennifer Irvine, founder of The Pure Package and busy mother to four girls, knows just how important it is to manage stress and shares some of her top tips, linking diet to stress.

relax And

...

Improve your gut health Research has shown that ongoing stress can negatively affect the healthy bacteria in our gut Jennifer Irvine, Founder of and as a result affect our The Pure Package, shares entire system. 80% of our tips on how to de-stress immunity lives in our gut if we experience unusually with food high levels of stress, the blood flow to our gut gets affected and as a result we could be more prone to getting ill. Foods good for your gut include bananas, blueberries, beans, broccoli (and other cruciferous vegetables such as kale), and fermented plant-based foods.

Increase consumption of oily fish Oily fish contains a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been proven to have a direct link with stress.

Omega-3 fatty acids can help bring your cortisol (stress hormone) levels down, therefore keeping your stress levels even. Add a variety to your diet including mackerel, tuna, herring, and salmon. If you’re not a fan of fish, try adding flaxseeds, chia seeds and walnuts to your diet in stead.

Eat a diet high in potassium and magnesium rich foods Eating healthy might seem like obvious advice, however, during very high periods of stress focus on increasing your intake of potassium and magnesium rich foods. Potassium can help regulate blood pressure, which rises during times of stress and magnesium has been termed as ‘natures Valium’. Think of foods such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, avocados, bananas and even a bit of dark chocolate! Include some of these in your breakfast for a morning boost.

Drink water and tea Make sure you start your day with a glass of water first thing in the morning. Water is vital for hormonal function, blood sugar balance and elimination of waste – if these are not in control the body can be put under stress. Many of us forget to drink enough water, try to drink eight 8-ounce glasses each day or carry around a water bottle with you. When it comes to tea, L-Theanine, a chemical found in Green tea has been proven to reduce stress and anger. www.health-magazine.co.uk

SWAP YOUR MORNING COFFEE Matcha Morninga Ginseng is packed with antioxidants and energy-giving super foods, which all have slightly different release times and avoid you getting any jitters. The drink is tasty and perfect if you are looking for a drink to replace your morning coffee.

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Beat the

bloat 7 ways to help reduce bloating...the natural way

1. Slow and steady The old saying ‘slow and steady wins the race’ is true when it comes to your digestion! Cassandra explains, “Chewing takes place to break down our food into small particles. If you don’t chew properly, the rest of the digestive process cannot take place, as it should. This can cause bloating, flatulence and cramping.” It may seem obvious, but not chewing properly can be a major contributor to bloating.

“Try to chew each mouthful until the food is liquid, this will help to make sure the food is properly digested and will encourage you to eat slower.

Also, when you take more time to thoroughly chew and taste your food, your snack or meal becomes more satisfying and so will help to prevent you from over eating,” adds Dr. Marilyn Glenville, author of Natural Alternatives to Sugar (www. marilynglenville.com).

2. Get your diet right “In terms of what to eat, problem foods can vary a lot between individuals. One of the most successful approaches for bloating and IBS is the ‘low-FODMAP’ diet developed by Monash University in Australia2, which limits sources of fermentable carbohydrates,” explains Cassandra. Try to stick to the FODMAP diet for a couple of months and then start to slowly

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re-introduce food groups that are eliminated from the diet. This is a great way to seek out what you’re sensitive to and how your body reacts to different foods.

3. Probiotic Support “We also know that digestion – including transit time through the gut – can be affected by the bacteria that live there. So, a good-quality probiotic supplement could help move things along and improve digestive comfort,” explains Cassandra. Taking a probiotic supplement can help re-balance the good bacteria in your gut, support digestion and reduce symptoms of intolerance.

4. Drink More “If you’re feeling bloated you might think it is best not to drink, but not drinking actually makes fluid retention worse, in the same way that crash dieting makes the body hang onto fat because it thinks it’s starving. I’d recommend a herbal tea, such as Dandelion tea, as this contains a natural diuretic that helps you restore a healthy fluid balance.

I’d recommend that you avoid gas making fizzy drinks”, explains Marilyn.

5. Get your heart rate up Getting enough exercise is important as it helps to stimulate the digestive tract and move food along, which is especially important for women. “Good physical activity may therefore benefit those with constipation in particular. Exercise may also help with bloating and other IBS-type symptoms – perhaps mainly by relieving stress. For this reason, gentle and relaxing exercises such as Yoga and Pilates may be the most beneficial,” adds Marilyn.

‘A probiotic supplement can help re-balance the good bacteria in your gut, support digestion and reduce symptoms of intolerance’

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6. Nature’s Tranquiliser “Magnesium has been known as ‘natures tranquiliser’ as it helps to relax our muscles and nerves, which can help combat against cramping and constipation. Magnesium increases the water in your intestines, helping to initiate a wave like motion to move fecal matter through the intestines, therefore aiding digestion. Try to include dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, fish, whole grains and bananas in your diet, which are all rich in magnesium.

7. Switch your coffee for a turmeric latte Black coffee can trigger bloating problems because of its high acidity, so it can be an irritant for the gut. Try swapping your coffee for a turmeric latte. Research has suggested that turmeric aids in improving digestion by increasing the activity of digestive enzymes.

Not a fan of the turmeric flavour? Turmeric can attribute its health benefits to curcumin, as it is the primary active component.

THE AYURVEDA WAY TO A HEALTHY GUT - Keep things regular: Skipping meals is easily done, but sticking to regular meals as much as possible will help to keep your digestive fire well balanced so that you can feel your best.

- Avoid excess: One question to ask yourself before indulging is whether or not you are really hungry? Overburdening your digestive system when you don’t really need to leads to toxins build up in the body as it is overloaded, trying to digest excess food. Wait between 3-5 hours between meals to keep your body working in tip top condition.

- Broaden your taste horizons: Ayurveda recognises six tastes; sweet, sour, salty, astringent, pungent and bitter, and recommends having each taste in every meal. This keeps you satisfied for longer and provides your body with a wide range of nutrients leading to fewer cravings between meals.

- Eat your main meal at midday: Eating your meal at midday when your digestive fire is at its strongest will ensure you have it all digested and have a great nights sleep!

INSIDE OUT DIGESTIVE HEALTH NEWS

BACK ON TRACT

Being honest about bloating is something Irish-born blogger Maeve Madden has never shied away from.

In fact, her social media channels depict her real-life battle with IBS and PCOS, as well as adult acne. Her transparent, ‘no filter’ approach is a proven hit and she has gained her more than 140k Instagram followers as a result. Beat Your Bloat covers Maeve’s personal journey to achieving a healthy lifestyle and shows how you too can transform your digestive health and fitness.

TIME TO DEBLOAT “We know that the gut is our second brain, so we try to keep her happy,” explains wellness brand The Nue Co. Perfect for adding to milk or smoothies, this ‘Debloat Food’ powder is packed with a unique blend of organic Ginger, Cinnamon, Turmeric and Brown Rice Protein to soothe the stomach. It’s fortified with Prebiotic Inulin to aid digestion, stabilize blood sugar levels and feed friendly bacteria - nourishing you from the inside-out.

SOMETHING’S BREWING...

Bottlebrush Ferments specialise in fermented foods which are live, raw, unpasteurised and contain huge numbers of beneficial bacteria, which can help with the breakdown, assimilation and absorption of food. They can also stimulate digestion and help combat bloating, gas and other digestive issues.

Their range features three flavours - The Purple One, a red cabbage, beetroot and caraway kraut, The Yellow One, white cabbage, pineapple, ginger and turmeric kraut and The Red One, our take Kimchi, minus the shrimp sauce and fish paste, so it's perfect for our Vegan customers. www.bottlebrushferments.com

- Finish before you are full: Even though it’s quite hard to do so, leaving at least 25% of your stomach empty at the end of a meal will allow digestive enzymes and acids to do their thing.

Eat slowly, take smaller portions and avoid seconds! http://www.maharishi.co.uk

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“

I think there is still a huge gap in the market for vegan restaurants in England that don’t have the stigma of just serving raw salads and juices

“

Made in Chelsea star and vegan advocate

TIFFANY WATSON

discusses her passion for growing the vegan food and product industry and making it more accessible to the masses What an amazing start to the year it has been! 2018 for me started on a boat on Sydney harbour with some of my best friends….it doesn’t get much better!

For those of you who haven’t been to Sydney it is a vegan haven!

Every restaurant you go to caters for vegan, vegetarian and dairy free diets, and it’s not just the one option of risotto like a lot of places in England do. The food in Sydney is amazingly fresh and there is definitely something about being outdoors and in the sunshine that makes you want to reach for a salad instead of a comforting bowl of pasta. That being said I did go to Shift Eatery in Surrey Hills which is a completely vegan café that does the most amazing toasties. ‘Ham’, ‘Cheese’ and mustard hellllo. I had to stop myself from going there everyday and was rather grateful I discovered it towards the end of my month in Australia, rather then at the beginning! Another favourite was a place called Bodhi, an amazing dim sum restaurant where they do dishes such as peking duck, sweet and sour chicken and tempura 36

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prawns….all completely vegan!

Overall Sydney was such an amazing city and one I can’t wait to go back to. Travelling when you’re plant based isn’t always the easiest but it was no struggle in Australia and a complete norm.

Since being back in London, it’s been pretty non stop! I am excited to say I am the 2018 ambassador for POM Wonderful again which is really exciting. I love working with brands that I feel passionate about and really believe in so for me it’s a great one to be working with again.

Alongside that my family and I have been really busy with the lead up to our vegan restaurant opening. It has been so fun working alongside my family and bouncing ideas off one another. I think there is still a huge gap in the market for vegan restaurants in England that don’t have the stigma of just serving raw salads and juices and we are excited to introduce a place that we feel anyone would want to come vegan or non vegan!

As well as that I have been working

hard on bringing out some new products for my vegan stationery brand ThreeSixFive. I was so happy with the reaction my first product the diaries received and the fact we sold out which I really wasn’t expecting that it made me want to bring out further products that are similar.

Although it may sound like I have a lot going on, for me my work doesn’t feel like work because I am so passionate about growing the vegan food and product industry and making it more accessible for people everywhere. Of course I have days where I feel completely overwhelmed, stressed out and worried but who doesn’t?!

Whenever I am feeling this way I always try to make sure I take the time to do some yoga, or get a few hours of extra sleep…work is important but if your body is telling you it needs to rest then it isn’t lying and you should always listen to it.

That being said I am off to Mexico next week for 5 days….nothing like a little bit of sunshine and relaxtion, plus exploring a new country!

Exciting times. www.health-magazine.co.uk

BREAKFAST NEWS Smooth operator

We’ve all heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day...but what should we be choosing when it comes to the morning munchies?

New research recently published in the Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences[ found that smoothies could help plug worrying vitamin, mineral and fibre gaps in the British diet.

The research review, by leading public health nutritionist Dr Emma Derbyshire, analysed survey data from more than 800 adults and found that inadequate levels of several key nutrients were found in their diets, particularly in people in their 20s and 30s.

www.health-magazine.co.uk

Commenting on the research, Dr Emma Derbyshire said: “too many adults are eating too little fruit and vegetables, with average intakes in younger adults hovering around three portions daily compared with the five recommended. Boosting smoothie consumption to 1-a-day could be a way to tackle many of these issues as a 150ml serving of smoothie counts as one of your five portions a day and, depending on the ingredients, smoothies can contribute to intakes of vitamin A, folate, vitamin C and potassium”.

COFFEE FIX Vitamin Coffee: the revolutionary way to get your vitamin intake?

What if you could get all the vitamins and minerals you need by drinking your daily cup of coffee, without compromising on flavour?

Well, with Vitamin Coffee you can! Every cup is enriched with essential vitamins and minerals, adding a nutritious kick to your coffee whilst still tasting delicious. www,vitamincoffee.co.uk

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WIN 1 NIGHT STAY FOR TWO PEOPLE AT CHAMPNEYS

A midweek overnight stay at Champneys provides the perfect break for both your body and your mind. With more time for relaxation, check in at 2pm and then let our experts take care of the rest.

Choose from Tring in Hertfordshire, Forest Mere in Hampshire, Henlow in Bedfordshire, Springs in Leicestershire or Eastwell Manor Spa Hotel in Kent. Each offers sumptuous accommodation in elegant surroundings, delicious cuisines, blissful treatments and all of the latest fitness trends.

Whatever you decide to do, it’s all about inner health and outer beauty.

Slip on our famous white robe and flip-flops and explore everything we have to offer. With full access to our wide range of classes such as HIIT, Pilates, Aqua Circuit, Zumba and Hula Hooping and access to our spa facilities – think swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and gym – there really is something for everyone.

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COMPETITION

WIN A BREAK FROM REALITY...

From pampering and fitness to our delicious choice of food, you’ll also get a healthy buffet lunch, three-course evening meal and tasty buffet breakfast the following morning.

With a world of relaxation at arm’s length, you’ll leave feeling refreshed, and rejuvenated.

What's included? · Arrival 2pm, Tour of Champneys and a nutritious welcome drink Full access to Champneys range of fitness classes, Spa facilities and Relaxation experiences · Access to up to 20 different exercise classes per day · One night’s accommodation in a standard room · A healthy buffet breakfast, three course buffet lunch and evening meal · Complimentary robe hire and flip flops · Departure 4pm (room 11.00am) To enter email your name and contact details to info@lifestylemagazines.co.uk by 31/05/18.

Health Magazine Spring 2018

CLICK TO ENTER

Terms and conditions apply. Prize must be booked and taken within 6 months from the date of issue and is subject to availability. Prize value dependent on location.

Not valid Friday or Saturday nights. Standard room accommodation. Guests must be 16 years or over, non-refundable and non-transferable. Travel to the spa is not included. Prize cannot be used in conjunction with any offers. Prize value worth up to £330.00

www.health-magazine.co.uk

Food that loves your tummy back

At Bottlebrush Ferments we're big on health and big on great tasting food.

We're not averse to supplements, but where possible, we try and get our nutrients in the form of good old fashion, real food.

Fermented foods have been around forever and there's a good reason they've stood the test of time - they're versatile, resilient, highly nutritious and very tasty.

We want to help people improve their gut health and believe by incorporating our foods into your diet, you're doing it in a quick, convenient and tasty way.

Our foods are live, raw and unpasteurised and contain high numbers of beneficial bacteria, which can help with the breakdown, assimilation and absorption of food, can stimulate digestion and can help combat bloating, gas and other digestive issues.

Check us out at www.bottlebrushferments.com www.health-magazine.co.uk

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the lure t or lean m for

ceed diary

www.health-magazine.co.uk

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