Health

The kind folks at Pukka sent me over a wonderful hamper filled with immunity boosting Elderberry goodies!! I had never even heard of elderberry but aparently they are tipped as the new superfood.

So I decided to give them a go, every morning for the last 30 days I have added a teaspoonful of Pukka’s Elderberry Syrup to my herbal tea.  It tastes really yummy! I am going to continue taking it over the festive period and will update you with my results but so far so good!!!

Below is some of Sebastian Pole’s top tips for keeping well this winter. Sebastian is Pukka Herb’s co-founder and master herb smith. He formulates all the company’s teas and supplements, and is a registered member of the Ayurvedic Practitioners Association, Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine and the Unified Register of Herbal Practitioners.

Many recent studies have shown that elderberries can neutralise 10 strains of the ‘flu virus. Packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants, elderberries can ease symptoms like fever, headache, sore throat, fatigue, cough, and body aches.

To make the most of the protective properties elderberries have to offer, and introduce some of their natural goodness into your diet, take one teaspoon of Pukka’s Elderberry Syrup up to three times a day. If you’re starting to feel rundown, try three teaspoons a day and you may be able to beat that cold or flu – or if you are already suffering you may be able to shorten your flu duration by half. The syrup also tastes great meaning it’s perfect for the little ones in the family too, give them just half a teaspoon up to three times a day.

As the months get colder, many forget it is important to drink lots of warm water and stay hydrated in winter. It is paramount to maintaining tiptop health because when hydrated, your body is better able to flush out toxins and fight bacteria. You’ll also benefit from boosted energy levels and improved concentration. If you do catch a cold or a nasty flu bug, dehydration can make your symptoms worse so keep your fluid levels up.

One way to drink lots of water and simultaneously help you stay warm in winter is to enjoy herbal tea.

Late nights and early starts can take their toll on your body if you don’t get enough hours each night. The body is said to repair and rejuvenate itself when it rests, so it’s imperative you give your body the chance to do so. Try to get at least seven to eight hours sleep a day to let your body’s cells, tissues and organs repair themselves and keep your immune system strong.

4. Keep exercising

When it’s cold and wet outside it’s tempting to stay indoors and sit in the warmth, but do try to fit your usual gym session or weekly run in. It’s not just to keep fit, but to build your army of antioxidants that will help you fight the viruses that are everywhere in the season.

The cold weather often brings with it aching joints and ‘frozen shoulder’. To offset this seasonal tendency, massage yourself with warm oil. When you’re finished have a hot shower and rub the oil off your skin with a towel. 

What do you do to keep colds at bay over winter? 

Love Ashly xxx

Pictures of celebrities with IV drips attached to their arms have been appearing everywhere. For years, I've heard rumours of celebrities receiving their vitamin top ups via injections. Of course why wouldnt you want to make sure your body has all the nutrients and vitamins it needs?  The only problem was where did I go to receive such a treatment?  So I was pretty excited when I was offered the chance to try the famous REVIV ME Mega boost vitamin wellness infusion drip treatment.

I did have a couple of questions though...

Why would you choose IV rather than just taking a vitamin supplement? When drinking water, sports drinks, energy drinks or taking oral vitamins, they all pass through your digestive tract and you only absorb about 50% of their benefits.  Delivering hydration & nutrients via IV means you get 100% absorption. Well that answers that then!

How long does it take? Our IV Treatments can take as little as 29 minutes for a single IV bag of Hydromax, Ultraviv, Megaboost and Vitaglow.  Our Royal Flush total body purification IV typically takes about 45 minutes. 

When can I start feeling the benefits? You begin to feel the effects immediately and they full develop over the next few hours.  

Great, off I went.  The spa I visited is in Knightsbridge, central London and was really nice.  Clean and relaxing without looking too clinical.  The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming,  I was running behind and they stayed to wait for me.

My vital stats and blood preasure were taken to make sure I was suitable to have the treatment, I was.  Then the drip was administered.  I am not going to say it didn't hurt at all, there was a little prick but nothing too bad.  I'm pretty sure the thought of it makes it worse.  Once it was in I was taken to a room where I lay on a very modern comfortable bed and was given a blanket, I could have fallen asleep if it weren't for chatting to the staff.

About 30 seconds after the iv drip was attached I had a funny taste in my mouth an was told that was the vitamins so it does work VERY quickly!!

34 minutes later and I was done.

Directly afterwards I felt quite tired. Bearing in mind I'd hardly slept for 2 days and had been up since 5.30am, it was now 4.30pm.  I began walking to the tube thinking about how I was going to fall asleep on the train.  By the time I got to the tube, 10 minutes walk, I felt so awake I no longer wanted to go home and headed to Harrods to do some shopping!!  When I got home, I even made the dinner (now that is a rarity).  I stayed up that night until about midnight and had one of the best sleeps I have ever had.  The next day I definitely felt more alert and I even woke up early without an alarm.

Would I have it done again? Yes definitely.  If my body is getting everything it needs to work optimally why wouldn't I.

For more info head to www.revivme.com

What do you think? would you give IV vitamins a try?

Ashly x