Nutrition – The Fascial Effect

Twinge and Whinge

Despite the unseasonably warm November, the weather is getting colder and wetter. That’s British weather – the days get shorter and the temperature drops.

If you suffer from arthritis – whether rheumatoid (where your joints get inflamed) or osteo (also known as ‘wear and tear’) – you probably get more painful twinges and aches when it gets colder and dampness also affects them. Cold weather is uncomfortable and many people report feeling stiffer, moving more slowly and every move causes twinges and aches in their joints.

But why?

Cold muscles don’t stretch as well as warm ones, which is why your personal trainer will strongly recommend you warm up before a workout to ensure you don’t get any injuries. This tension reduces mobility and flexibility in your joints.

There are even studies that have linked changes in the barometric pressure to changes in the way joints move.

What you can do

A good diet will help; eating seasonally fresh and nourishing foods should be your first step. But what about supplements to support your body’s functioning?

Here are a few supplements that support bone health:

Curcumin is the principal active component of Turmeric and gives the spice its bright yellow colour. In South Asia, turmeric is considered to be a warming spice; I feel warm just looking at the vibrant yellow powder! Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties, making it a potential treatment for a number of health conditions, including reduced joint pain and increased ease of movement. Some studies have shown that the reduction in joint inflammation can act in an almost self-healing fashion, allowing regeneration of cartilage leading to true joint healing – rather than simply managing the condition so get out your recipe books and see how you can add Turmeric to your recipes.

We can’t talk about joints without mentioning the often recommended Glucosamine Sulphate, which helps to lubricate the joints and support the formation of cartilage, reducing wear and tear i.e. osteoarthritis.

Winter months are not good for sunbathing in the UK, but sunlight generates Vitamin D, which contributes to strong bones. That means that for around 6 months of the year a Vitamin D3 supplement is advisable. Vitamin D facilitates Calcium absorption in the body, which promotes bone and joint health.

It is essential to take Vitamin D3 with Vitamin K2 which will make sure that the calcium ends up in the bones and not become deposits where it shouldn’t be, like in your arteries.

Add safe doses of curcumin, glucosamine, Vitamins D3 and K2 to Black Cumin Seed Oil to reduce inflammation, Pumpkin Seed Oil – packed full of essential fatty acids, which act as lubricants for joints, and Milled Flaxseed – also high in Omega Fats, Vitamins and Minerals. If that sounds too complicated to put together every day then you might find that a sachet of BEND, daily, will give you all the concentrated, natural ingredients designed to support healthy bones and joints that you need.

This doesn’t mean that a daily sachet of BEND will replace gentle exercise to keep your joints moving. You still need to move around as much as possible – the combination of a sachet of BEND and moderate exercise is better than either option alone. Protect and preserve your bones and joints to stay mobile and independent.

For more information call Jas on 07775633798

Nutrition

You are what you eat

Your nutritional status plays a pivotal role in strength and healing. So, what do you know about yours?

You know that you need a nutritious diet for your well-being and good health. When your body receives all the nutrients in appropriate amounts to meet its needs, you are in the state of good nutrition. However, when the nutrients provided in the diet are inadequate, either too little or too much of what is required, it results in a state of imbalance in the body. This means you are suffering from malnutrition!

If you become seriously ill or need an operation, the odds are against you if you are malnourished. If your nutritional status is good, you are likely to recover quickly.

There are times when you need more of a certain nutrient. Vitamin C and zinc strengthen our immunity and protect against respiratory infections. Vitamin D gives our bones support in the winter months when there’s not much sunshine. And sometimes you need to take additional protein to help your body to be strong.

The word protein literally means ‘of primary importance’. This could not be truer if you need surgery because one of the primary roles of protein is to repair and renew body tissues and muscles.

Protein helps your body growth and development, particularly for children, and in the fitness industry taking additional protein for muscle building is common.

Before an operation, nutritional intake may be limited simply because when you’re unwell you feel less like eating. Then on the day of the operation and several days thereafter normal eating habits are often interrupted partly because of the pre-operative ‘Nil by Mouth’ requirement and several post-operative days of feeling unwell with loss of appetite, it’s not surprising that deficiencies in protein often occur. This is serious, especially in older patients because although some post-surgical muscle loss is inevitable, inadequate protein intake can lead to slow wound healing and significant muscle wastage. In serious cases, this can lead to a loss of independence.

The goal of pre-operative nutrition is to prepare yourself for a procedure that creates some stress on your body. Consider pre-surgery nutrition as the equivalent of preparing for a marathon or a big game. This is where supplements are essential to give your body the support it needs and choosing the right ones for you can be challenging, there are so many options.

I’ve looked into many different types of supplement and I found these seed-based natural supplements a few years ago. I use them myself and can totally recommend them.

Soul is an excellent source of all round nutrition with naturally anti-inflammatory and antioxidant fuel to help you prepare your body for surgery.

An adequate amount of protein is particularly essential because it helps to:

According to the NCBI website a good nutritional status is a strong predictor of post-operative recovery time without complications. Form is good quality vegan protein supplementation which is low in sugar, with added vitamin C, Calcium and Magnesium.

Reduce the stress and inflammation caused by the surgery
Repair, renew and regenerate the tissues in and around the wound
Lessen muscle wastage and maintain muscle strength
Repair fractures and any damage to organs

Although your body may not be quite the same again, maintaining a good nutritional status before and after surgery with supplements if necessary is essential for a speedy recovery and helps you return to doing the things you love as soon as possible.

To shop for healthy seed oil supplements Click here or if you have any questions on any of these issues – please drop me an email at jas@thefascialeffect.co.uk.

Nutrition

Tune up your body

Most patients are a product of the lifestyle they lead – or sometimes even a lifestyle they led in the past, which comes back to haunt them!

The body is a highly sophisticated machine that depends on all the systems working together in harmony. For this to happen there needs to be balance.

Your internal systems all affect each other, your temperature, blood pressure, hormones, digestive system all have an impact. And don’t leave out your emotional wellbeing; it’s a proven fact that your state of mind can affect you physically. If you’re stressed or under pressure it can manifest physically in headaches, raised blood pressure, aches and pains, etc.

Exercise and nutrition also play a part. It’s a bit like a car – a high performance machine needs the right fuel – and an occasional ‘thrash’ to keep it top nick! That applies as much to your body as to a F1 racing car.

Balance is the key

We talk about work-life balance, about nutritional balance, about the importance of exercise and mental wellbeing. The challenge for most of us is that we live such busy lives. We’re running from home to work to the school pick up, then to the gym and when do we have time to pay close attention to everything? Just trying to manage it all will throw your mental wellbeing out of balance.

Even if you think that you eat healthily you’re almost certainly missing some essential nutrients. But who has the time to work out exactly what every carrot or piece of fruit contributes in nutritional value?

Back to basics

In the world of personal development there is a model, developed by Abraham Maslow, known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This is based on the theory that we need to have our basic needs met – air, water, food – first, before we can move to the next most important needs. In other words you start at the bottom of this diagram and work upwards.

There is an ironic addition to the model in today’s world, where some of the younger generation claim that Wi-Fi and a fully-charged battery are more important than air and water!

Basically, it means that you need to tick all the boxes to arrive at the top.

So we have plenty of food, but not enough time to ensure we’re getting the right nutrition – I’m not sure Maslow was looking at that, he was more focused on the essentials to survive. But if your body isn’t getting the nutrition it needs, that can manifest as a whole range of symptoms:

Headaches
Aches and pains
Tiredness
Lethargy
Brain fog

Sound familiar?

Everything starts with a seed

Life exists from seeds. So that means that seeds contain everything you need. That’s why a seed-based supplement makes perfect sense.

I tried this myself and was surprised at the results – and the changes are subtle, for instance, I noticed I walked up the steep hill into town without puffing and blowing, my energy levels are enhanced and I just feel better.

Other benefits include:

Reduction in inflammation
Less water retention
Ridding the body of toxins
Fewer general aches and pains
Hormonal balance as a result of the Omega fats

And best of all

Slows down the ageing process

That’s because the combination of seeds fights free radical damage; renews and rejuvenates cells and energises at a cellular level.

If you’re one of those busy women who packs 26 hours into every 24, give your body a boost. Find out more here or give me a call on 07775 633798 and lets find out what your body needs.

Nutrition

How often should you detox?

Do you think detoxing is a once-in-a-while dieting aid, or an important tool used to reset after a long string of poor eating choices and excessive alcohol consumption? While this sort of detoxing works for some, many I’ve spoken to consider it necessary but a struggle. Almost constant cravings, low energy, insomnia, mood fluctuations and anxiety being a few of the symptoms experienced during the detoxification program.

If you’re exposed to thousands of chemicals daily it makes sense to do something to combat their effects. Detoxing helps your body to clear out the stuff that does more harm than good. Your body is performing a constant balancing act, trying to combat environmental threats while helping you function. Excessive amounts of toxins in the body puts it into a fight/flight response. If this continues over a long period of time you get something called chronic inflammation.

Look at it like this; you go out and buy food to consume for a week. Some of it, peelings etc. you put in the food recycling bin. You repeat this again and again, but you never put the bin out for collection. The waste pile builds up and rots and becomes an environmental health hazard over time. To put the bins out for collection and disposal on a regular basis would have been much easier, but now it has become a huge and messy task.

Compare that to our body. The periodic detox program has most likely worked. but what your body has been storing away because it can’t be used as fuel or nutrition is now released and floating around in your blood stream. The liver and kidneys are overwhelmed and not able to get rid of these toxins quickly enough. This impacts on heart health and brain health and the hormone balance is completely off the scale!

If you struggle with blood sugar imbalances, mood swings, anxiety, oestrogen dominance, histamine intolerance, unpleasant menopause symptoms or any hormonal health condition, reducing your toxic load is going to be extremely helpful for you.

There is an alternative. Take it one day at a time and assist your body to detox daily.

While other organs participate, ground zero for detoxification is your liver. While you’re detoxifying, you want to show this organ some major love. To give your liver love:

Focus on reducing anything that potentially stresses it out – exposure to or incoming chemicals, toxicants and other environmental compounds.
Take control of your vices – alcohol, sugar, caffeine, take-away meals, smoking – if it’s too much to give them all up for a day, plan your day without at least one of them.
Give it the right nutrients to work efficiently. Take a sachet of Core – a nutritiously rich seed supplement, which acts as a detoxifier, cleaning and improving organ function. See attached PDF for more information.

To sum up, your body is a miracle! Give it what it needs to function at its best.

For more information contact me at jas@thefascialeffect.co.uk or visit my website.

Ageing

Is ‘The Change’ disrupting your life?

Menopause is often referred to as ‘The Change’, implying that your life will change to be different afterwards – but in reality it’s the actual process of menopause that is the biggest change. And it can disrupt not only the life of the woman who is experiencing it, but also those who live and work with her.

Menopause is a change in hormone balance that stops ovulation and the symptoms can include hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog, mood swings and depression to name few. In addition body fat accumulates mainly in the abdominal area as a result of oestrogen deficiency and blood pressure begins to rise adding to a greater risk of cardiovascular disorders later in life.

Some people can manage relatively mild symptoms, but the severity of the symptoms can almost be unbearable for others. Everyone is different.

A balanced diet high in plant foods alongside action taken to reduce stress and take moderate exercise can help cope with physical health and mental wellbeing during this time.

But what if you are not able to step off the treadmill of life just yet and want to keep living life to the full without the constant challenges of coping with the menopause? What if the small changes you make to your lifestyle are helping, but they are not improving the quality of your life as much as you would like? There are pharmaceutical treatments like HRT, but not everyone wants to commit to taking that for an unspecified number of years. However, there are natural alternatives.

I came across the Rain seed nutritional products at precisely this time and have never looked back. It’s all about getting back to basics – if a diet high in plant foods is good for you, the seed-based product is three times more nutritious, because it contains the fuel and genetic material to grow the plant in the first place i.e. everything is in the seed; vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and plentiful Omega 3, 6 and 9.

The seeds used in these supplements cannot, as a rule, be added to your muesli! That’s why these products are brilliant, no chewing is required as the seed coat is ground and the oils are extracted in a cold press process so as not to damage any precious nutrition. This densely nutritious product is added to a solution to make it palatable and convenient to take.

SOUL is the product I started taking and most certainly the one I would recommend for symptoms caused by hormonal issues.

Menopause, peri-menopause and pre-menstrual tension are all hormonal imbalances and the symptoms are amplified by inflammation. Any anti-inflammatory agent can lessen the associated discomforts and optimize healthy endocrine function. All of the seeds in SOUL are known for their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.

For information on the ingredients view the PDF SOUL

If you would like to know how SOUL can help you then email me on jas@thefascialeffect.co.uk to arrange a consultation.

Ageing

Post-menopausal problem solving

Menopause is an important milestone in a woman’s life, but for many who struggle with their symptoms and identity, it doesn’t feel like something to celebrate. Falling levels of oestrogen are not the only trigger of menopausal symptoms; other lifestyle habits play a part.

A diet lacking essential nutrients, unhealthy levels of physical and mental stress and exposure to toxins eventually take their toll. The symptoms of menopause are likely to be more severe while the body is in a weaker nutritional and physiological state. Although menopause is anatural part of getting older, it may also speed up the aging process.

Throughout my career I’ve seen the impact of ageing on women, both the skin texture changes as hormones alter and also physically as their bodies are more subject to stiffness and reduced mobility due to aches and pains. While there isn’t a magic wand there are many things that you can do to reduce the post-menopausal symptoms.

Keep your skin supple

After ‘the change’ one of the visible changes is often a more noticeable lack of what is referred to as ‘volume’. This is what give your face that smooth, youthful ‘plumpness’ and as your collagen production drops off, the result is more wrinkles, lines and sagging. Not what you want when your confidence is probably not at an all-time high.

For those that can afford it, this is when they go off to an aesthetician to get Botox or fillers – but this is a radical approach and not for everyone.

As part of my research for my dissertation I developed a product-free facial massage, using myo-fascial techniques, that noticeably improved the skin tone and reduced the appearance of those ageing wrinkles.

That’s now been further developed into a 90 minute online training session so you can learn a simple massage that you can do for yourself. To book a Zoom Facial Workshop Click here

Look after your body

As you get older aches and pains seem to appear out of nowhere. The problem is not just the reduction in movement, but pain tends to reflect in your face – and that encourages more of those frown lines!

If you’ve over-stretched or strained something or are stiff or in pain when moving, get help sooner rather than later. More often than not it’s a situation that can be made better by myo-fascial release. This works with the soft tissues restoring flexibility and pliability.

Nutrition counts

In a perfect world we would all eat a perfect diet and be a perfect size with perfect fitness. But life isn’t perfect (and wouldn’t it be boring if it was?)

Of course, I’d advise eating a sensible diet with plenty of nutritional value – but who can resist the occasional takeaway or comfort food? A nutritional deficit often results in tiredness, lethargy or a general feeling of being ‘under par’. I know this because I’ve been there!

I’m always a little hesitant to recommend specific products, but when I discovered the Rain International range, I tried them and noticed a significant difference. Since then I’ve recommended them to friends and clients and the feedback has been hugely positive. They’re a natural cold pressed seed-oil based supplement and have literally transformed some people’s lives.

Whether you go the do-it-yourself route or find a supplement that gives your body what it needs – remember what you put in is the fuel that keeps your body running. Better to give it premium fuel, than low quality stuff.

To shop for healthy seed oil supplements Click here or if you have any questions on any of these issues – please drop me an email at jas@thefascialeffect.co.uk.

Ageing

Beauty from within

There comes a time when the visible signs of ageing really start to show and we reach out for anti-ageing skin care products. We hope that the ingredients will slow down or even reverse the signs of ageing. However, the concentrations of these ingredients are so small that they barely skim the surface of the skin let alone penetrate deeper layers of fascial tissue where the new cells, collagen and elastin are formed.

Your creams will only do some of the work. So what else can you do, to keep your skin youthful for as long as possible? A healthy diet packed with nutritional ingredients is essential. But, if you’re anything like me, life is too busy to watch every mouthful and try to integrate all the nutrients your skin needs – even supposing you could work out exactly what foods to include, how much, how often and the exact quantities of each food you need to eat.

Seeds are a great place to start and they add an array of benefits for skin hair and overall health. The good news is that you don’t need to start a research project to benefit from them.

I always hesitate to recommend products – there are so many and many claim to do all kinds of amazing things and I wouldn’t recommend anything I don’t use myself. I’ve not only tried the Rain seed-based supplements, but noticed a significant difference. I’ve been using them a long time now and this is just to give you an introduction to one of their daily supplements.

Soul Red is a blend of pure oils from 3 types of seed of which work well together; black cumin seed, red raspberry seed and chardonnay grape seed oils. Scientifically tested and approved, Soul Red slows the ageing of our cells by almost 80%, it reduces inflammation, increases energy levels and improves the condition and function of your cells.

As you might imagine, less ageing on the inside means a more youthful appearance on the outside. Beauty does really come from within.

To shop click here or if you would like to talk to me, just call 07775 633798.

Ageing

How soundly do you sleep?

How often do you wake feeling you could have had a few more hours of sleep? Feeling tired and groggy in the morning is not always due to lack of sleep, but often because of the poor quality of sleep.

Sufficient sleep is necessary for the body to repair the damage it’s suffered during the day. While you rest your body will flush out all the toxins that naturally accumulate and re-charge for another day of living.

If you don’t sleep well your body is unable to do this properly. If this continues over a long period of time it can cause all sorts of health problems.

The problem is that it’s difficult to solve the problem of poor quality sleep – and the effects reach every aspect of your life. Being tired or lacking in energy doesn’t make you a great companion or the employee of the year. You feel every one of your years – and if you’ve had this problem a while, you probably feel older than the calendar says!

So how can you fix this problem?

People will tell you to reduce stress as that’s probably causing a disturbed night’s sleep. Easy to say, but almost impossible to do.

Asking your doctor to prescribe sleeping pills may make you sleep better, but often results in a groggy awakening and a chemically induced sleep isn’t great for your long-term health.

Some people resort to buying new beds or mattresses. Some try spraying lavender oil on their pillows. But what if there was a simpler and more natural solution.

It is important to give the body the right nutrition to cleanse, repair and recharge itself. This wards off morning grogginess and helps you wake up feeling refreshed and able to live your life to the full, instead of struggling to exist.

Soul Red can help. It is a blend of 3 seed oils + ribose, which together are high in antioxidants and excellent for anti-ageing. If you take a sachet of Soul Red last thing at night, the anti-inflammatory effects of the black cumin, chardonnay grape and red raspberry seed oils soothe your body and the antioxidant effects counteract free radical damage in the body while you sleep. Ribose energises the cells which is the equivalent to charging a flat battery in your mobile phone. And the body is ready to go again for another 16 hours or so. As an added bonus it also has an anti-ageing effect on your cells.

To shop click here or if you would like to talk to me, just call 07775 633798.