Women’s Health – the middle years

Me time takes many forms, depending on each person. Here are some ideas:  meditation, breathing exercises, laughter, having a relaxing bath, take a walk, do yoga, get a massage or have your hair or nails done, garden, dance! The important thing is to be alone with your thoughts and being mindful.

• Keeping your skin radiant and healthy
  There are myriad skin care offers on the market – so much so that it can be utterly overwhelming! And then there are people like me who are in too much of a hurry to spend time on cosmetic skin care! My mother did her best to take me in hand but alas, I ‘knew better than she did’ and my skin has suffered as a result. But as luck would have it, about 3 years ago I was introduced to a new, simple but effective range that even I could love and use daily. And fortunately my skin has improved, and I have arrested any further unnecessary deterioration.

  You might find this interesting if the certified organic, vegan skin care range that I have fallen in love with interests you:

http://neolifeblog.com/2019/10/08/dr-beck-clean-skin-care/

But remember, good, healthy skin is not just about surface care – you need support and protection from the inside as well. This comes from your diet to a lesser or greater extent, depending on how well you eat. But it also is greatly boosted by supplements to fill any of the nutrient gaps that you might not even be aware of. This is looked at further below.

• Eat a balanced diet
  I’m sure you are saying yes, of course, I know that, and our family’s diet is great. I did that, only to discover in my early forties that it wasn’t good enough! When we lead stressed lives we actually need more nutrients than ever, and a normal plate of food might not supply all our needs. When I received a late-stage cancer diagnosis at the age of 42 I knew some things had to change, and that I did not have the capacity to improve our diet much as I was already paying attention to what we ate and didn’t eat. So I went on a search for nutritional supplements that I could trust – and they became part of our lives from then on until now. When I say I believe that I owe my current good health to them I am being completely serious. In addition to supplementing our food I pay attention to the following:
  • Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Fibre rich foods such as legumes and pulses and leafy greens
  • Lean meat and poultry, and fish
  • Wholesome fats and oils
  • Whole grains
  • Minimal processed and packaged and junk foods. A tip here: make a shopping list and stick to it, don’t shop when hungry and note that the wholesome stuff is usually on the outer aisles of the supermarket

• Supplements really worth considering
  • Cal-Mag with Vitamin D
    About 1% of a woman’s body mass is made up of calcium, especially in bones and teeth. But it also plays a critical role in heart and muscle contraction and relaxation, transmission of nerve signals, proper blood clotting and normal cell functioning.

    Young women and teens need calcium and magnesium as those are the years when bone density build to its maximum, peaking in the late twenties. Thereafter there is a tendency to lose bone mass and strength if the supplies of the nutrients are low, and exercise is limited, and the loss accelerates in menopausal and post-menopausal women. Vitamin D supports the whole process – and is a crucially important nutrient in its own right.

  • Omega 3 oils
    Most people do not get enough of these oils simply because oily fish are not a regular part of our diets. And on top of that we are cautioned about eating fish and taking supplements because of contamination with heavy metals, pesticides, hormones and so on. Omega-3s support heart and blood vessel health and lower circulating triglycerides, so reducing the risk of heart disease. They also support healthy joints, are natural anti-inflammatory agents and optimize brain function. They also help lift moodiness and depression!
  • Vitamin B complex
    The B vitamins are essential for producing the energy demanded by busy active lives. They also lower the risk of heart disease, may reduce PMS symptoms, support healthy hair, and keep the brain functioning better.
  • Carotenoid complex
    Carotenoids are antioxidants that play a wide range of roles is protecting our cells against the ravages of time and toxins. For example, one of the family is called lutein which accumulates in breast and cervical tissue, the skin and the eyes in particular. It supports the general health of those tissues, protects against cancer, and in the eyes in particular protects against age-related macular degeneration.
    Any women who are exposed to sunlight and pollutants regularly would do well to supplement with carotenoids. That, of course, means all of us!

Actually, singling out particular nutrients is a dangerous exercise as the whole battery is necessary for optimal health. So starting with a good all-round supplement is probably the best foundation – fine tuning can then follow.

And the added benefits of a good diet with added supplements: better weight management and overall excellent health.

If you want to have a chat about nutrition and supplements, and those that I personally use and recommend, please do get in touch with me.

Contact me if you would like to talk about some supplementation to help boost your health during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

084 506 3643

andre.positiveoptions@gmail.com