As a part of our content "Feeling Fabulous over 40s', this week our guest speaker is the lovely Kate Black, BA(hons), dipION, mBANT, CNHC and the founder of Bespoke Nutritional Therapy. You can reach Kate via her website:
www.bespokenutritionaltherapy.co.uk / contact her on her social media accounts: |
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bespokent/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BespokeNT |
How important is your skin as you age?
Did you know that your skin is your body’s largest organ, covering nearly 2 square meters and 16% of your total body weight, and we shed one layer of dead skin cells in 24 hours?
The skin is responsible for many different bodily functions including supporting electrolyte balance, regulating temperature and synthesising vitamin D. It also acts as a first line of defence against different environmental factors. Skin is also a detoxifier- eliminating destructive toxins through sweat. Overall, it does a lot to protect us, and this is something that continues as we grow older.
So, what exactly is the ageing process and why does it happen?
The ageing process is something that occurs as a result of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic or internal ageing is an inevitable physiological process that results in thin, dry, fine wrinkles. Cell renewal and turnover declines as we age, which is genetically predetermined resulting in a 10% drop in epidermal cells per decade. Less collagen is produced and elastin fibres wear out creating loose or slack skin.
Extrinsic ageing is engendered by external factors like air pollution, smoking, UV rays, stress and poor nutrition – things that we are all impartial to as the world continues to urbanise. In fact, the top reason people do not have enough collagen is due to poor diet. However, smoking cannot be underestimated as it reduces circulation in the body limiting blood flow to the capillaries. This in turn reduces oxygen and nutrition to elastin and collagen fibres causing hardening or sagging of the skin, loss of elasticity, course wrinkles and a rough texture.
Signs of ageing skin…
· Thinning of the epidermis causing a grey or transparent skin tone
· Rough, dry and itchy skin
· Hyperpigmentation
· Fragile skin caused by flattening of the epidermis and dermis
· Loss of elastin and collagen resulting in wrinkles and slack skin
· Bruising easily caused by thinner blood vessel walls
· Skin tags and lesions (meaning benign tumours)
If you want to feel fabulous at forty what can you do about your ageing skin?
How can Nutrition help?
An overall healthy lifestyle change can work wonders for your skin.
Diet can play an important part and switching to whole foods that are as close to nature as possible and organic reduces exposure to damaging toxins.
Choosing foods rich in antioxidants (vitamin C, E, selenium and zinc) to limit destructive radioactive species, these includes bright orange and yellow fruit and vegetables as well as nuts and seeds, while increasing protective phytonutrients like flavonoids found in most fruit and vegetables.
Green tea has also been seen to increase microcirculation and it offers mild protection from UV light. It contains a powerful antioxidant called EGCG that fights DNA damage from UV rays. That means it's a potent anti-ageing ingredient combatting signs of ageing. Furthermore, the catechins in green tea reduce irritation, redness, and swelling.
Eating healthy fats like nuts and seeds, oily fish, olive oil and avocados increase cellular membrane health and reduce inflammatory molecules, protecting the skin further. Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial to help keep skin thick, supple and moisturised
Hydration is important when it comes to skin health as the Hyaluronic acid binds water molecules and holds onto it to maintain the moisture levels. Water also assists with detoxification through sweat glands. Having a daily filtered water intake goal of at least 1.5 litres is likely to improve skin health.
Improving and maintaining collagen levels as you age is vital for skin and epithelial barrier health throughout the body. Eating collagen rich foods and those rich in an amino acid called l-glutamine like fish, eggs and chicken, bone broth, lentils and cabbage, and those that increase collagen production high in vitamin C like berries, green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits – will all go some way to improve the health of your skin.
But one of the most important things you can do is reduce environmental factors that extrinsically effect skin health. Staying out of the midday sun, getting outside in fresh air which is less polluted, refraining from smoking and drinking, and most importantly de-stressing by practicing mindfulness, medication and cold water therapy – and generally finding things that make you happy.
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Fashion Feng Shui is an innovative approach to styling with a focus on wardrobe wellness. Its driving force is harmony between our spiritual, mental and physical essence, which can be facilitated by dressing with intention.
Conscious dressing requires some questions:
How do I want to feel in what I am wearing?
Does my outfit make me feel happy?
What is my intention?
In summary, there are five elements: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. Typically, we are influenced by two, each one having a specific archetype persona, characteristics and traits.
The Water intention is to be; it is reflective. Water people are creative and unorthodox. Water people tend to be academics, artists, healers, musicians, scientists and writers. Water element clothing incorporates dark colours, abstract patterns and flowing lines.
Wood intention is to “do, thus action, ambition and motivation are their driving force. Wood people tend to be athletes, coaches, lawyers, brokers, salesmen or trainers. Wood element clothing includes blues and greens, vertical patterns and natural fabrics.
Fire intention is excitement and joy. Fire people are bubbly and charismatic. Fire people tend to be into acting, PR, modelling and dancing professions. Fire element clothing incorporates reds and purples, eye-catching details and body-conscious fabrics from lace, leather, denim to feathers and costume jewellery.
Earth intention is to nurture; being practical and caring for others is the priority. Earth people tend to be into caring professions such as mothers, nurses, therapists and teachers. They are committed caregivers (often prioritise others over themselves). Earth element clothing includes yellows, browns and earthy tones, square patterns and woven textures.
Metal element’s intention is to refine, organisation and elegance are their driving force. Metal people tend to be analysts, curators, editors, statesmen and organisers. They are cultivated. Metal element clothing includes whites, pastels and metallic colours, rounded patterns and shimmering textures.
This approach to styling has allowed me to understand who I am at the core, to evolve my style accordingly, to let my inner rebel shine bright with the ability to alter my clothing to attract other energies.
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The combination of diet, lifestyle and exercise needs to be addressed to accommodate the hormonal shifts in your body. Cardio, although hugely beneficial for heart health and still necessary, isn’t going to produce the weight loss results that it once used to. For the 40+ body, you need to look at strength and resistance training instead for shifting weight. By building muscle, you will burn more calories and increase your metabolism helping with the dreaded “meno-belly.”
Bone density is an important issue that women need to consider seriously as we get older. You are probably picturing an 80-year-old woman hunched over and wondering how this is relevant to you right now. Unfortunately, bone density begins to deteriorate from the age of 30 and is significantly accelerated by menopause. The good news is that you can slow this process by incorporating weight-bearing exercise into your routine.
Stress is another factor that needs our attention as we enter this next phase. Many women find this time of our lives particularly stressful. There can often be a feeling of overwhelm as we juggle the demands of family, including our own children as well as our ageing parents, hormonal changes and associated symptoms that affect sleep like hot flushes and anxiety, career transitions and many more stressors. Establishing ways to de-stress has never been so important.
Making time for yourself needs to become a priority. Incorporating mindful exercise has been proven to help reduce stress and anxiety, improve attention and memory, and promote overall well-being.
So what does any of this have to do with Pilates?
Pilates is defined as “a system of exercises designed to improve physical strength, flexibility, and posture, and enhance mental awareness.”
These exercises promote strength and balanced muscle development as well as flexibility and increased range of motion. All things that women of any age will benefit from but especially as we get older. They are low impact and gentle for the body and can also be adapted for each individual. This makes Pilates suitable for everyone from elite athletes to couch potatoes - all body shapes, sizes and fitness levels welcomed.
Pilates works on strengthening your body as a whole and uses gravity and your own bodyweight to provide resistance. This is exactly what your body needs for increasing bone density and maintaining healthy bones. In addition, the strength training component, especially when combined with additional resistance like hand weights or bands, is an ideal form of exercise to help with weight loss.
Pilates focuses on the deep stabilising muscles in your body so requires attention and focus to coordinate your movement with your breath. This inward focus will boost your mindfulness, allowing you to become more aware of what you're sensing and feeling. This mindfulness allows your body and mind to relax, which in turn helps to reduce stress.
Pilates, by increasing your energy and body confidence, will contribute to an overall increase in your sense of well-being. By committing to a daily or weekly session, you are creating valuable time for yourself, which is also supporting your body and mind. All these benefits combined make Pilates an ideal “one-stop-shop” solution for the 40+ body.
If you are interested in learning more about Pilates and the benefits, contact me at joanna@justpilates.uk for a free 30-minute assessment.
Go to my website www.justpilates.uk for further class details.
I also provide information specifically relating to Menopause in my Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/positivechangepilates
]]>One of my clients, Sadie, came to me because she had really had enough of her habits of holding herself back. She was sick of talking herself out of doing things, saying things and not having the relationships she wanted. She wanted the best life for herself. Sadie said she was ready to get the confidence she wanted. She wanted to feel good about herself and her life. I was excited for her! I knew this was possible and that she was capable of this. It was time for her to learn how to embrace and love herself fully, just like I had myself and was now working with others to do the same.
We both started the coaching sessions full of optimism and dedication to the process of change. Sadie was committed to our sessions; she was punctual, she was willing to openly chat about her life, willing to consider making changes and set herself useful actions. As our sessions passed, I raised with Sadie how some of the actions she set, she didn't achieve. There were reasons why of course; Sadie was a busy woman; Sadie wasn't sure if they really were what she wanted to work on right now.
However, I wondered if the inner voice that we had worked on in previous sessions was still quietly nagging at Sadie that she wasn't good enough, that she really wasn't deserving of a better life. Sadie wasn't giving herself her full permission to change. Why? While Sadie had embraced many positive additional habits into her daily life and while she acknowledged that her inner critic had been a loud dominant voice for years and she was listening to her inner cheerleader more than ever before, Sadie was still listening to the inner critic too often. Sadie had yet to fully tame the inner critic.
This is when our sessions together started to become what I call “sticky” but where the real personal work begins. Sadie knew she'd made great progress because of her coaching experience and she recognised that things were much better since working with me. However, Sadie didn't 100% believe she was worthy of her dreams. We spent a couple of sessions discussing what Sadie really was thinking about what was possible for her. Sadie was willing to stay on track though but as usual she said phrases, I hear all the time; “you're going to think I'm crazy” “Oh I feel really embarrassed to say this”. “I can't believe I'm saying this out loud I must be a really bad person”. As always, I reassured Sadie that she was not alone. These feelings and thoughts are common in many of us. And some people never learn how to handle the inner critic. But I know from personal experience that the critic can be at least tamed if not silenced.
Tip 1 – Recognise the inner talk & forgive yourself for having an inner critic (we all do)
The inner critic is something we have as a survival mechanism if we didn't have it as a species, we wouldn't have survived on the planet along as we have. However in our modern living arrangements, we have an experience of threat, just by sitting comfortably at home and watching the news so we then listen too often to the negative voice and stop doing the very things that are good for us, for example, taking risks, doing things when the outcome isn’t fully known.
When Sadie realised that this was a primitive natural part of being human that every human had she began to forgive herself for criticising herself for being a warrior for being afraid over things that other people didn't fear. This was the start of the taming the inner critic, Sadie continued to blossom in our sessions every time we met; she was becoming the fuller version of Sadie. I loved seeing Sadie become the full version of Sadie.
Tip 2 – Add in your very own cheerleader voice
We discussed how an inner cheerleader is our true best friend and how we all deserve to have an inner cheerleader voice. But sometimes it's not enough to turn on the big light to rid the room of darkness so to speak. Sometimes we need to knock down the wall and put a window into the dark room. Then the natural light will just be there. This is a great metaphor for your mind and how much positive, optimism and compassion are habitually allowed in and to be heard. Think whose voice do you hear when you are encouraging yourself, is it a loved one like a parent, grand-parent or a best friend? It may be someone else, it could be your true wise self? Name your inner cheerleader and now listen for their words of kindness and support.
Tip 3 – Turn the volume down on the Critic!
Once she started to have more gentle and compassionate chat with herself, we then worked on the 2nd way of keeping that inner critic tame, we learned to turn the volume down on the inner critic literally but through visualisation. Sadie would visualise a knob on a radio and she'd hear the inner critics say one of its classic lines of you're not good enough and we would literally turn the volume down if Sadie said it was at about 6 out of 10 we turn the volume down to 1 so it was barely whisper and we do this in a visualisation exercise together then when it was at one and it was barely a whisper. We then worked on it again and Sadie would visualise her hand still on the knob twisting it down a little bit more making the voice mute. This exercise was so powerful for her in her day to day living she could do it practically anywhere and after a few tries and a queue before she had to do a job at work even while driving the car she learned very quickly to see an image and watch her hand turn the volume knob down so that it became mute the power Sadie felt was amazing!
Tip 4 – Turn up the volume on the Cheerleader!
Equally we then worked on turning the volume up on her inner cheerleader so that this was an easy to hear voice. Also to tune in to when the inner cheerleader is there with you – all the time! When in the day will you listen? Sadie decided that she would tune in every morning for the two minutes she brushed her teeth and really gave the cheerleader space to remind her of her worth, her strengths and to have a pep talk if something challenging was happening that day. Sadie adapted this exercise from that day on, and saw a noticeable shift in her confidence and outlook.
Another action for Sadie was to embed true compassion talk and kindness into every day. And I suggest the action for happiness website as an amazing resource for boosting our mindset and wellbeing. Have a look yourself: https://www.actionforhappiness.org/
Right from the outset I was confident that Sadie could have all she wanted, and she did get it! She tamed her inner critic and she truly believed she was worthy of a great life!
If you’re ready to feel the joy of self-acceptance and love, follow my Facebook page: Helen Neary Coaching – coach with many niches, go to my website: https://www.helennearycoaching.com/ and contact me on helen@helennearycoaching.com for a free 30 minute session to get you focused on being the best version of you.