Sue Hardman

Nourish + Rejuvenate

regenerate

Vitamin C Essential For Younger Looking Skin

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If you’re spend a fair amount of money on anti-ageing skin care hoping to prevent sagging skin, fine lines or age spots, it may all be for nought if you’re not getting this essential nutrient.

What accelerates the ageing of your skin?

When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it reduces critical vitamins as well as causing damage to the skin, along with environmental pollutants and smoking. 

Dermatologist, Karen E. Burke, MD, of New York, says “Even minimal UV [ultraviolet] exposure can decrease the vitamin C levels in the skin by up to 30 percent, while exposure from the ozone of city pollution can decrease the level by 55 percent.” (It is important however, to get a limited amount of unprotected time in the sun, which is necessary for the production of vitamin D in your body.)

More About Vitamin C

Signs of this Vitamin C Deficiency might include:

  • Skin deterioration, fine lines and wrinkles
  • Rough, dry, scaly skin
  • Increased infections, frequent illness
  • Anaemia, debility, fatigue,
  • Swelling and bleeding gums and loss of teeth.
  • Depression and other mood imbalances.
  • Joint pain and inflammation
  • Dry, brittle hair and nails
  • Easy bruising and slow wound healing
  • Frequent nosebleeds

Why might you be deficient in this Vitamin?

  • You might be following the RDA guidelines which research has shown to be way, way on the low side.
  • You’re not eating enough of the right foods, your body doesn’t make this vitamin so you have to get it from the food you eat or take a supplement.
  • If you’re a smoke, drink alcohol, consume sugar or deal with a lot of stress on an ongoing basis, you should be especially vigilant about avoiding this vitamin deficiency

It’s estimated that up to 33% of people are deficient in this Vitamin and 20% very deficient.

Evidence for the importance of vitamin C has been around since the 1960’s, when Linus Pauling won the Nobel Peace prize for his research on the benefits of taking Vitamin C.

In more recent studies, Vitamin C has been proven to be an antioxidant that can help to shield the body from free radicals and hence its importance as an anti-ageing vitamin.

Why is Vitamin C Essential for Preventing and Repairing Damaged Skin

Vitamin C is essential in the development of your skin’s collagen, connective tissues and your skin’s cellular glue that gives your skin strength, firmness and elasticity. As you age your body makes less and less which is why you slowly get sagging skin, fine lines, wrinkles and age spots.

Vitamin C helps your body to increase your collagen levels and improve the firmness of your skin.

It’s also a powerful antioxidant, and it ‘fights’ the damaging effects of free radicals in your skin, repairing damage that causes ageing and wrinkles. Studies have shown that Vitamin C helps in repairing damaged skin from injuries, exposure to pollutants, toxins and natural ageing.

Research also suggests that it may lessen the severity of sunburn due UV-B sun exposure and help prevent the consequences of long-term exposure to the sun.

It’s also important for so so much more…..

Vitamin C is important for:
– ensuring a healthy heart. Epidemiological studies indicate people with the highest blood levels and intakes of vitamin C have as much as a 50% reduced risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular diseases. Men with the lowest blood levels of vitamin C have a 2.4-fold greater risk of having a stroke compared with those having the highest levels of vitamin C. (Lancet. 2001 Mar 3;357(9257):657-63, Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2011 Jul;81(4):211-7.)
– improving lung function (High intakes of vitamin C are associated with improved lung function and a delay in the deterioration that could lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.)
– a stronger & more robust immune system, you may be deficient if you’re more susceptible to colds and minor ailments.
– improving healing time of wounds
– for helping your up take of and use iron, very essential in female health.
– preventing osteoporosis (Bones require a strong matrix of collagen proteins to maintain structural integrity and proper mineralisation. poor vitamin C linked to bone loss.  vitamin C supplementation prevents post-menopausal bone loss by stimulating new bone formation.)

– Vitamin C helps with the production of Glutathione – the MASTER antioxidant!

Glutathione is the master antioxidant so you want lots of this in your body, it’s a powerful cell-protector, age-defyer and disease-preventer.

Glutathione lives in every, single, cell of your body. It repairs, protects and sends out signals to trigger a healing response wherever there is oxidative damage. Vitamin C helps your body’s produce glutathione.

– Essential in the production of the hormone progesterone, if you have any hormonal issues, infertility, sleep issues, tender breast and imbalances, your progesterone levels may be low.

– when you’re in a stressful situation or have adrenal fatigue your Vitamin C is used up rapidly by the adrenal glands to make stress hormones ( e.g cortisol) and the stores are depleted rapidly. 

Where do you get Vitamin C (and citrus is not the only way!)

So, what is Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid?  It’s a water-soluble vitamin, it can easily dissolve in water and is excreted from your body through urine, it can’t be stored, so you need to top it up every day.

Vitamin C rich foods

Your bodies can’t produce vitamin C so it has to be obtained from the food you. Although citrus is usually associated with Vitamin C – strawberries actually have far more vitamin C than citrus. Blueberries score even higher for vitamin C content but winning outright are acai berries. Be sure to eat lots of these colourful vegetables – peppers, guava, kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli, strawberries, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, spinach, cabbage, watercress and rocket.

Even though you may love fresh leafy vegetables and fruit – you may have trouble getting the levels you need simply from food alone.

Adding a supplement can help you maintain the correct levels.

Supplementing with Vitamin C:
– It’s absorption is improved when taken in conjunction with flavonoids. Either choose a supplement with added flavonoids or eat plenty of highly colored fruit and vegetables.

– the official recommended daily amount (60mg in the US) is well under the minimum amount of vitamin C that is now known to be beneficial. Research shows us that much larger doses of vitamin C are safe and have added health benefits. I recommend a daily vitamin C intake from to 1-2gm’s daily, and higher doses when ill.

– you can’t take too much, because it’s water soluble and your body will eliminate the excess. 

– Take a good quality supplement that is in one of these forms: – calcium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate, ascorbyl palmitate, which are non- acidic.

When using a superior delivery format called Liposomal Vitamin C it can be more easily absorbed by your body,

Liposomal Vitamin C encapsulates the C molecules in liposomes made from Essential Phospholipids, which protect the vitamin C from destruction in the digestive system. Within minutes of taking Liposomal Vitamin C, liposomes filled with vitamin C are transported directly into your bloodstream, and into your cells.

This liposome-encapsulated form of vitamin C is the first choice of people who really understand bioavailability and the importance of high-dose vitamin C. Other forms of vitamin C succumb to absorption barriers that vastly limit the level of vitamin C that can enter the bloodstream. Nordens Liposomal Vitamin C crashes through these barriers to get high potency vitamin C where you need it most, your cells.

liposomal vitamin C is encapsulated and easier on the stomach, with none of the harsh acidity that regular high dose vitamin C supplements exhibit.

If you’d like to order you can purchase them directly from me – send me am email sue@suehardman.com

Ultimate Liposomal Vitamin C 380ml – R380.00 ( excludes shipping)

So, if you want optimum health, age well, look younger and feel fantastic and have great looking skin do add a high level vitamin C supplement to your daily anti-ageing regimen.

We may not be able to completely stop the process of ageing – however we can definitely age as gracefully as possible.

 

I’d Like to invite you to make use of my offer of a FREE mini CONSULT, please click HERE and to book your appointment. please feel free to share if you have friends or family who might need help.

I’d love to chat on the phone/skype if you’re looking for more support managing your fatigue, low energy, hormonal imbalances and skin issues.

I so enjoy talking to women and helping them with their health.

12 Strategies To Improve Sleep Naturally

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Sleep Glorious Sleep Nothing Quite Like It

Sleep deprivation – it’s a little like Chinese water torture as far as I’m concerned.

I simply can’t function when I haven’t had enough sleep. So that’s the truth.

What works for me in order to have a good night’s sleep, is to include certain foods, avoid others, exercise, manage my stress levels, avoid screen time at night and follow a few essentials in my night time routine – altogether these ensure (most nights) that I get the refreshing sleep my body craves.

What about you? 

Once we were warriors. Now we’re worriers – anxious and stressed we can’t sleep.

You’re BUSY. This leads to stress and anxious feelings. A small amount of stress can be beneficial in limited quantities, but we’re talking about too much stress, which can have some detrimental effects on your health and well-being.

Stress causes hormones to be released, signalling to the body that you’re in immediate danger. It kick-starts a fight-or-flight response and boosts blood flow to your extremities to get you moving away from the ‘danger’.

Long-term stress causes an overload of stress hormones on your system. This can lower your immunity, lead to anxiety, cause digestive issues, increase your risk of heart disease, and of course contribute to sleep problems.

The body is simply not equipped to deal with prolonged periods of stress, so helping yourself to find the calm may be the missing piece to your health and wellness puzzle.

Even something as simple as taking deep, cleansing breaths from the diaphragm several times a day can help the body to recognize it is no longer in danger.

Research by the British Sleep Council found that 47 per cent of people find it difficult to get to sleep because of stress – and women are bigger worriers than men.

A third of American “undersleep,” according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report. That probably means millions are walking around (and driving) tired, it’s a wonder we are not all asleep at our desks.

Why is this a problem?

According to the 2014 CDC report:
Sleeping less than 7 hours per night is associated with increased risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, frequent mental distress, and all-cause mortality…Insufficient sleep impairs cognitive performance, which can increase the likelihood of motor vehicle and other transportation accidents, industrial accidents, medical errors, and loss of work productivity that could affect the wider community.

Stress. Overwhelm. Feeling frazzled. Do any of these words describe how you feel?

Sleep Better – Live Better

Adequate sleep depends on certain lifestyle choices, as well as having the correct levels of these hormones – cortisol, melatonin, oestrogen, progesterone, thyroid, and insulin.

The importance of a good nights sleep

Getting enough sleep is as important for your body as eating right, exercising, and practicing good dental hygiene.

If you are having trouble sleeping, you aren’t alone – about one-third of adults experience insomnia occasionally. If you suffer with any sort of sleep deprivation or broken sleep it can have quite serious effects on your health for example:

  • It’s the body’s time to recuperate – lack of sleep prematurely ages you, as your body produces less growth hormone that helps you look and feel younger.
  • It can really weaken your immune system
  • With poor sleep you’re body produces less melatonin which has cancer fighting abilities, research has shown in laboratory animals with severe sleep problems tumours grow much faster
  • It affects your metabolism making you feel hungry even if you’ve already eaten, which leads to weight gain.  higher production of ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”), and too little leptin (the hormone that suppresses appetite, making you feel full), and you’re more likely to make poorer food choices, and eat more calories.
  • Seriously impairs your memory and concentration, sleeping only 4 to 6 hours—can impact your ability to think clearly the next day
  • Impair your performance on physical or mental tasks, and decrease your problem solving ability
  • It is also linked to heart disease, stomach ulcers, constipation, depression

Six to eight hours per night seems to be the optimal amount of sleep for most adults, the most rejuvenating sleep is obtained in the hours before midnight – try going to bed at 10pm

 

The natural way to better sleep

Sleep Hygiene

In summary here are some very effective tools you can use to help you manage your sleep issues:-

1. Try to go to bed at the same time every night. ‘Create a night-time routine with a few rituals to help your body, mind and nervous system relax.

2. Start with a relaxing Epsom salt bath with a few drops of real-lavender essential oil and spray your pillow with the lavender oil.

3. When you get into bed, try a few drops of Bach Rescue Remedy and take a good magnesium/calcium supplement combination. When you lie down and close your eyes have a calming place you take yourself to – visualise this and relax into this setting.

4. Get plenty of exercise during the day. The more energy you expend during the day, the sleepier you will feel at bedtime

5. Avoid large meals late in the evening.

6. Learn and practice a relaxation technique regularly: Breathing exercises, meditation and yoga are good examples.

7. Don’t obsess about not sleeping.

9. Foods – Tryptophan is an amino acid that helps to produce the hormones serotonin and melatonin, important for regulating sleep.. Foods rich in tryptophan: sesame seeds, fish, oats, turkey, lentils, eggs, bananas, gras-fed before lamb and beans.

10. There are also a number of herbs – Ashwaganda, Hops, Valerian, Passiflora, Verbena and Wild Lettuce – that have been used very successfully for sleep disorders Valerian sleepand to help improve your quality of sleep. Try them individually first and then perhaps in combinations; they’re available in most supermarkets or pharmacies. Try sleep pillows made of equal parts of hops, lavender, and chamomile and bath salts containing relaxing essential oils both help promote sleep.

11. While breaking bad habits are difficult, making lifestyle changes such as not having any caffeine after 1pm and avoiding back-lit technology (ipad, iphone, PC) after 8pm can have long term benefits for your health and your sleep. This blue light inhibits your production of melatonin, the hormone that tells your body and brain to feel sleepy and go to bed.

12. Bringing stillness to your mind – Meditation, stretching, Pilates and yoga all have their benefits in helping our bodies and minds relax, and can help prepare us for a better night’s sleep. Taking time out to relax helps to still the mind.

Most of us are over-stimulated and spend more time in fight or flight response than we should. Balancing the nervous system helps counter the stresses of our lives and environment.

Why see a qualified Herbalist? They can help you identify and address any underlying issues that could be causing your lack of sleep, and they are also able to use a wider spectrum of supplements and herbs (not available over-the-counter) to help you get that very essential sleep you are missing.

Sleep & Your Liver

You’re sleep, liver and detoxification pathways are also connected. What is the connection between sleep and the liver? Waking up at the same time every night between 1am and 3am, is your body’s way of communicating and is known as “liver time” in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine).

Each organ has a time of the day/night where it does it’s thing. Your liver is one of the hardest working organs in the body and it works during this time of the night. For the liver to function optimally, remove any congestion and detoxify you’re going to have to ensure it gets the essential nutrients for both phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification paths.

As we become more aware that the subtle hints from our bodies actually mean something, our body’s clues can be very helpful and insightful to us.

Your liver is always working to detoxify the body, if you’re eating food with the essential nutrients you can optimise your liver function.

There are many ways you can support the liver and your sleep habits. Detoxing occurs naturally, every night when you sleep.

The 14 Day Easy Detox program incorporates some of these tips so that your liver can detoxify while giving your body the support it needs for a good night’s rest:

  • Drinking lemon water in the morning
  • Reducing toxins that overload your system
  • Choose foods from the brassica family (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts) for their liver supporting properties
  • Eat enough protein to support detoxification
  • Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, sugar and alcohol.
  • Make time for you, and what you enjoy doing.

Getting enough sleep is the single best thing you can do to stay younger!

Like anything we usually know what we ‘should’ do however it’s often harder to put these changes or new habits into practice without some kind of support. 

If you’re looking for a gentle and effective way, that you can start to reset your health, make better food choices, improve your sleep, ditch your sugar addiction, eat clean and create a life where you’re flourishing.

I’d like to invite you to join us on the 14 day Easy Detox program all the details...HERE 

You’ll get 30+ recipes, shopping lists and so much more. There will be daily support all to help you get the most out of this program.

I want to support you so that you feel less bloated and tired. Lose weight, focus on removing refined sugar and junk food.

So if you want to do your body good – boost your immune system, look after your digestion, support your metabolism, lose weight then this EASY DETOX is the place to start.

And once you’re healthy on the inside then, your ‘outside’ starts to shift too 🙂

You can join us and get access to my 14 Day Love Your Body EASY DETOX Program PLUS I have an early bird special offer, meaning you save 60% from the usual price and get the tools you need to change your health for a lifetime.

Early bird offer ends on 6TH OCTOBER, and SAVE 60%.
 
So are you ready to FLOURISH? We start 16th October 2017.
 
Click here to find out more!

You can join us and get access to my 14 Day Love Your Body EASY DETOX Program PLUS I have an early bird special offer, meaning you save 60% from the usual price and get the tools you need to change your health for a lifetime.

Early bird offer ends on 6TH OCTOBER.
 
So are you ready to FLOURISH? We start 16th October.

Lack of sleep can ruin a lot of things, in addition to the long term effect it can have on your health.

If you’re tired of feeling groggy, exhausted and not having enough energy to do those things you love, then please make use of may FREE call to chat about your options – please get in touch at sue@suehardman.com

 

 If you’d like more Vitality, Energy and Get Up and Go then this is a good place to start.  This FREE EBOOK will get you started with 10 Ways to Live A MORE Dynamic Life – Click HERE and to get your copy now!

Broccoli and Potatoe Soup

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Broccoli Soup

 

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock

400g/14oz potatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped

450g/1lb broccoli, cut into florets

2-3 handfuls of baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup light sour cream (optional)

1 tablespoon store bought basil pesto / homemade

 

METHOD

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with the olive oil.

Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned.

Add stock and potato to the saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add broccoli and simmer for 6-7 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat, add spinach and stir until wilted. Leave to cool slightly so you can blend. This might take up to 15 minutes.

In a blender add basil leaves and half of the soup mixture and blend until smooth. Pour into a clean saucepan and repeat until all the soup mixture has been blended into a smooth consistency.

Heat soup over medium heat for 2 minutes or until just before boiling point.

Combine sour cream and pesto in a bowl. Divide soup among bowls. Top with pesto cream and serve.  For vegan option, simply top with a half teaspoon of the basil pesto and omit the sour cream.

Brain Health – Use These Steps To Regenerate It

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You can regenerate you brain

We were always told once a brain cell dies, it’s gone forever. However, scientists are now proving that brain cells can be regenerated. Just like your muscles the brain needs regular use.

While many diseases and conditions have genetic predispositions to them. The truth is, you do have the power to control these genes by living healthily. All your brain wants is a little attention.

The same basic rules apply for both your brain and body when it comes to health. A well-balanced healthy diet, with a rainbow of colourful food, lots of good oil, exercise for oxygenation, and time out.

Free radicals break down the neurons in your brain causing damage. Colourful fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants – the dark purples ofAntioxidants for brain health blueberries, the deep reds of pomegranates, the rich green of kale and collards, the bright orange of sweet potatoes.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who ate more dietary antioxidants had 70% less Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Food is a powerful ways to control or neutralise the major causes of all disease in your body – aim to eat 8 – 10 servings (1/2 cup = 1 serving) of fruit and vegetables everyday.

Oil and more oil, everyone of your brain cells is insulated by a layer of fat, and your brain is made up of 60 percent fat cells. So it needs oil for nourishment. Among the best nutrients are omega 3 fatty acids – the kind of fats found in salmon, tuna, mackerel, nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and green leafy vegetables.

In fact Omega 3’s have been shown to boost intelligence. Walnuts are considered a super brain food in Ayurvedic medicine and if you look at a walnut shape it looks a lot like the cerebral cortex.

Exercise is one of THE most important anti-aging medicines known. It’s a natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and stress buster. It will also help you sleep better, lower your cholesterol, lower your blood sugar and insulin levels. Aim to exercise 4 times a week –whether it’s walking, running, swimming or dancing, your brain will thank you.

Some supplements to consider if you’re under a lot of stress – take a good all round combination that contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. B-Vitamins are essential for normal brain function.

Super anti-ageing herbs:

  • Rosemary, sage, rose and mint – research has shown that inhaling these essential oils when learning a new task or studying enhances your recall. Put them in an oil burner when studying or rub into your temples.
  • Gingko bilobo – very commonly used supplement to enhance cognition and memory as it helps to increase blood flow to the brain. A word of caution for those people on blood thinning medication, consult a qualified professional.
  • Gotu kola – traditionally used and renowned for it’s intellectual-promoting, nervous system soothing and general mind enhancing properties. This is one of my favourite herbs Herbs for the brainbecause it has so many benefits, to name a few – anti-ageing & wonderful skin healing benefits.
  • Rhodiola – can greatly improve concentration and memory. In Siberia where they drink Rhodiola tea regularly, many people live well past 100. It also has the ability to reduce stress hormones.

As renowned women’s health expert Dr Christine Northrup says ‘Be a life long learner’, she believes this could be one of the most important factors in maintaining and enhancing your brain function, be actively engaged in some pleasurable activity that involves growth, development and learning. Do crossword puzzles or suduko.

So why wait? Start protecting your brain now because mental decline is not inevitable, you can boost your memory and mental alertness at any age. Research shows clearly that healthy, well-nourished and well-educated people show no signs of declining mental function with age. Feed your brain, both with the right nutrients and the right information.

 

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