Health = Beauty

Mimi Kelly is the artistic director/owner of Killer Hair, Newton. She’s an award-winning hair colourist and makeup artist. Every week Mimi will be doing what she does best ... give her opinion. Drink 8 glasses of water a day as there is no denying hydration from the inside helps on the outside. But while we spend much of our beauty assigned dollars on things to apply on the outside to keep the years at bay, let's look at what can be done to help from within. For quite sometime now John from Total Health on the corner of Dominion Rd and Valley Rd, Mt Eden has been my go-to guy. I'm blown away by his knowledge on nutrition, but then he has had his store for 18 years! So I had to discuss this topic with him. While he sees the importance of supplements, in his expert opinion it's lifestyle that will make the biggest change. 'What you put in your mouth is what the body has to work with,' he says. Junk food and sugar aka. 'white death' sets off inflammation, PH acidity, loads of insulin and metabolic issues. John recommends shopping on the outside of the supermarket as that's where the 'real food' is, as the inside lanes offers highly processed foods. He suggests to try to keep your body at a slightly alkaline PH by eating lots of leafy greens. If this is too tricky, a daily dose of barley grass at only $13 per 100 gms can really help. And of course the obvious: if you drink soda, lots of alcohol or smoke, no good will come from it. Sleep is your best friend. This is when your major organs and tissues recover. You need 7 to 8 hours each night. The most important time to be resting, not dancing, is between 12 and 3am as this is the time when the liver and kidneys do their best work. Exercise because you lose what you don't use. John says to try to fit in between 3 to 5 hrs per week. It's not all about intensity, more about variation, so lots of muscle groups are worked and it stays interesting. For changing the way you feel about the world I love yoga, but for results, you can't look past a Tracey Anderson DVD, the woman is massively famous for a reason! Okay so that's living well, but what can we take to hold back the tide? John reckons there are three ways to do this... Collagen: This little wonder forms the suspensory frame work of the skin, without healthy collagen and hydration you're heading down prune alley and bad news, your on the decline from age 25 when your body stops production and just uses up your reserves. This is when you need a supplement. New on the market is Super Collagen from Neocell which gives you 120 caps for $34.90, with a recommended daily dose of 3-6 per day. We're talking 100% pure type 1 and 3 collagen so magic for the skin. What I love is it's not just the skin on your face that's gonna benefit but all over your body, your hair and your nails! Your Good Fats: EFAs not Burger King, but high quality fish oils, flaxseed oils and evening primrose. John believes that with this you get what you pay for. For a fast result to supple looking skin try Nordic Naturals Complete Omega $69.50 for 120 caps, take 2 per day. Antioxidants: They scavenge free radicals! Your bodies main free radical is oxygen. An 03 buddy is not good as this causes your fat cells to oxidize and accumulate toxic matter and dehydrates leading to shabby looking skin. Regular use of an antioxidant will reduce the damage to cells and keep you looking hydrated, stop acne and keep collagen in the skin. John recommends a green tea extract or something similar to help your liver too, $35 for 60 tabs. Its not about looking 20 at 35 but you can look amazing as you get older if you start now!Beauty at any age is looking fresh, rested, toned and healthy, so all you gotta do is do it. This is a huge topic so John is happy to answer any questions either on the phone or in person 09 6387941. X Mimi