healths

At mile 21 with the Cheer Squad <3 Photograph by James Measom In the days leading up to the race day, a good few people told me that "only 1% of the global population will run a marathon in their lifetime". One percent. Assuming that this is true, that means 99% of the world won't ever run a marathon. And you know what, I really don't blame them - 26.2 miles is a long way to go. A few years ago just the word marathon sounded like something H-U-G-E, something undertaken by "serious" runners, professional runners, something I certainly was not. It just never entered my head as a possible challenge I could ever undertake. However, a few years back I only ever ran alone. I did enjoy running, which is why I continued to do so, but I wouldn't say it was exciting for me at that stage. Running was so faded into my routine, my routes never changed and my pace had plateaued. I wondered if I could take it further and so it seemed like the next logical step for m...

When deciding to take the leap into healing your skin naturally it's difficult to know where to start. There's a wealth of vitamins and supplements available, which is amazing as there is choice and you can tailor something specifically to you. Everybody is different and you need to find something that works for your unique amazing self <3 However, all the options can be overwhelming and each one has slightly different benefits. So where to start?  I've put together a list of good, strong overall supplements that you can use as a starting point. Additionally, I've also included a list of supplements that you should think that little bit more carefully about before you try them. None of the supplements on this list are harmful as such. It's just that my experience on them wasn't very positive, so I stopped in quick succession. So, without further ado: Strong Players Zinc Zinc is an amazing supplement for your overall health. It strengthens your immune system (...

So far I've spoken a little bit about my external skincare routine, which does a great job in contributing to my overall skin health. But what you put on your face is only a small part of getting - and staying - clear. If you really want to get fully clear, you need to look at a number of contributing factors, such as diet, intolerances, and hormonal imbalances, and understand what's going on inside your body. It took a long time for me to understand this. For years I was convinced that there would be a "cure", a medication that I could take once and I'd stay clear forever. This is ultimately how Roaccutane was presented to me, as "the cure". It wasn't. After a lot of research and a lot of trial and error, I found out about Agnus Castus. This was a huge turning point for me. After a few months I started to see some big results, not just on my face, but for the rest of my body too.  What is it? It's a herb that comes from the Chaste tree, which is...

I love this time of year - it's Christmas! It's family and friends, it's time off work, and most of all - it's party season! It's also prime time to get a cold. I've manage to dodge all sneezes and sniffles up to now until BAM, the eve of New Years Eve I get a full blown classic cold. I'm determined not to let this stand in my way of having a good time on one of the biggest nights of the year - so here are a few things that I do when I get a cold to stave off the symptoms and get back to my old self. Hot Lemon and Ginger I drink this a lot of the time anyway as I love the taste and I also see a huge difference in my overall complexion when I've been drinking it. Lemon is full of vitamin C, and it also acts as a natural antibiotic so it really soothes your throat. Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory and helps with clearing your nose! It can also help fight off colds (I've been drinking hot ginger on it's own all month and it's done a pretty ...

When I first went on Roaccutane, I was under the care of a Dermatologist who was adamant on this piece of skincare advice: "Don't use anything on your face but water". This was big news to me. Seriously, just water? Not even a Simple Face wash? Not even cleanser? Toner? Nope, just warm water and cotton pads and that's it. I was 19 then and up until that point had always had an extensive skin care routine at night which was forever changing. My thought process behind this was that the more products I used on my face, the better my skin would become. I never thought about whether it was actually doing anything to help, nor had I ever considered simplifying my routine until that point. What the Dermatologist was unknowingly recommending to me is what some people refer to as the Caveman routine . A really strict Caveman routine doesn't even involve water. It is literally nothing. The theory behind this is that due to all of the chemicals used in the vast majority of s...

My skincare routine is very simple. Usually I use a make-up wipe to take my eye make up off, use a cotton pad with a warm water to cleanse, and that is it. Over the years I found that honestly this is what worked best for me, and I've stuck loyally to it fearing any addition would cause disruption. However, recently I've been feeling brave and after hearing a lot of hype from the internet about Manuka honey I took the plunge and bought a pot.    Manuka honey has strong antibacterial properties as well as being anti-inflammatory. If you've been considering buying this then you'll know it's not cheap. I paid �16 for a small jar at my local organic supermarket, but you only need to use a small amount at a time so a little goes a long way. If you go to some health stores it can be a little over-whelming as there's a huge selection of  different "strengths" which are shown by little plus signs ranging from +5 up to 16+. Most Manuka honey users advise on b...

When it comes to making a decision about your health and how to effectively treat a problem, you always want to make the right choice for you and your body. More importantly, you want to find something that works long-term and therefore gives you long-term results. We are extremely fortunate to live in a part of the world where various medications are available to us. That gives us choice, and the more choice you have, the better chance you have of finding something that works for you. With skin conditions like acne, I found that all of the medications prescribed to me targeted one 'cause' only - bacteria and oil production. This doesn't get to the root of the problem, the root cause of your body producing all of this excess oil, so treating acne this way to me is like trying to stick a plaster over a leaky pipe. Additionally to this, once I finished a course of medication, my acne always returned. It could take a while (after roaccutane it took around a year after each cou...