Get Summer Ready

The seasons are changing, it is getting warmer and the sun is coming out, yay!

What is the first thing you think of when this happens? Holidays? The beach? A tan?

BUT if you are anything like me you may also be thinking OMG it’s nearly time to bare some flesh…

If that thought makes you want to run and hide (staying under all your winter layers…), you are not alone.

As a nutritionist, April to June is my busiest time. Not only do my clients contact me about health issues and symptoms that they want to get on top of but they also want to look and feel their best too.

Clients refer their friends and family because they get results and achieve their goals

What does it take to look and feel your best?

First of all, let’s get this the right way round… Feeling your best leads to looking your best

When you feel your best you have confidence, you have energy, your moods are balanced, you sleep well, you feel good in your own skin and this is reflected in how you look.

What it is not is trying the latest fad diet or starting a new unsustainable exercise regime…

I help women feel that they can make midlife feel like their best life and this requires a whole-body approach

The 5 key foundations

These 5 key foundations can be the basis for optimising your health, to getting back to feeling your best again.  And this is why I work on these with all my clients

  1. What, when and how you eat and drink

    The types of foods that you eat, the way that you eat them and the timing can all make a difference to your health. Taking time to eat and chew your food properly, making sure that you eat a balance of protein, healthy fat and fibre and fasting overnight and not eating within 3 hours of bedtime are just some examples of this

  2. Gut Health 

    If your gut health is compromised due to medications, stress, poor diet, and food sensitivities… you may not be absorbing all your essential nutrients. If your stomach acid and digestive enzymes are low you may not be digesting your foods properly which can lead to bloating, diarrhoea or constipation, indigestion or acid reflux… any of these issues could also have a knock-on effect on your moods, your memory and your mental clarity

  3. Sleep

    Sleep is how your body restores itself. It is when most of the repairs take place and when detoxification primarily takes place and when your brain can rest, memories are consolidated and debris can be cleared. Many of your hormones work on a sleep/wake cycle (circadian rhythm) too including your hunger hormones so disrupted sleep can affect your moods, your mental clarity, your ageing process, your hormones and increase your appetite.

  4. Movement & Exercise 

    Your body is designed to move. Movement and exercise can improve your mood, help you manage your weight, keep your muscles strong (including your heart), support detoxification processes, and increase energy levels. Many people move less as they get older but optimum health requires movement and exercise to be part of your daily lifestyle.

  5. Rest and relaxation

    These days we seem to pride ourselves on being busy but what your body actually needs is regular rest and relaxation. You need to activate your body’s system (parasympathetic) which helps you to re-energise and feel refreshed. By doing the things that bring you joy and make you feel good, the things that slow your body down and you can get absorbed in and not think about anything else… reading, gardening, meditation, yoga, journaling, painting, walking in nature…

 

I am going to be sharing some more advice and tips for getting summer-ready in a 5-day challenge which will be starting on Monday 9th May. You can join me by signing up here