Vitalise Nutrition & Wellness

10/01/2026

It's pretty cold outside, so the perfect time to hunker down and create some Scandinavian hygge.❄️

As I am half Norwegian, I grew up being very familiar with this concept of setting out to create a cosy environment to be enjoyed with your loved ones. ♥️

I spent many childhood holidays in the mountains near Bergen, and having a 'hyggelig' time brings back many happy memories of being in my grandparents' cabin.🔥

With no television and mobile phones not yet invented, we spent many a night entertaining ourselves with card games, playing music or reading. 📚

Read more about hygge in my recent blog:

https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/news/why-mid-winter-is-the-perfect-time-to-find-hygge-59697/THERE is so much to love about the journey through winter.In the Northern Hemisphere, cold lashing rain might be the reality, but there are so many ways you can spin the next few months, so they feel like a d...

25/10/2025

Are you having your one a day?🍎

'Tis the season to honour this wonderful English fruit, and this week, Tuesday, 21 October, was Apple Day (in case this passed you by…).🍏

A time to celebrate apples, orchards, and the rich heritage of apple-growing in the countryside.🍎

I can’t remember a day when I didn’t eat one - it’s my favourite fruit. Sharp, tangy and crunchy - what’s not to love?🍏

An apple is also a powerhouse packed with nutrients and fibre that convey numerous benefits to heart, immune, gut and mental health.🍎

They contain beta-carotene (vitamin A), numerous B’s, folate (B9), C, E, K, plus minerals iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.🍏

Add quercetin and epicatechin (both beneficial phytonutrients) for good measure, and you can see why the old 19th Century proverb ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ advocating the daily consumption came about.🍎

It’s been a bumper year for English apples, and you will see an abundance in farm shops right now.🍏

Support your local grower - here on the edge of the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire, there are many places where old orchards still produce their bounty, ripe for snacking.🍎

17/10/2025

There is increasing evidence to show that being out and about in nature conveys multiple health benefits. 🍂

Spending time in green spaces reduces stress levels, boosts mood, and is beneficial for your immune system by promoting levels of natural killer (NK) cells, which attack and destroy infected and diseased cells.🍁

A 2019 UK study involving nearly 20,000 people found that those who spent at least a total of 120 minutes every week in greenery were significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological well-being. 🍂

The pattern was consistent across key groups, including older adults and those with long-term health issues. And it didn’t matter how the 120 minutes of nature contact was achieved. 🍁

So, what are you waiting for? The leaf colour is looking pretty spectacular here in Warwickshire and Worcestershire at the moment, so grab a good dose of autumnal colour before they drop.🍂

And help get your immune system ready for winter!

📸Captured Moments by Jennifer Lou

12/10/2025

Accomplished an important task this weekend! 🍂

Finally got a photo shoot in the bag thanks to the talents of Captured Moments by Jennifer Lou. Thank you, Jen!📸

These are for my nutrition and wellness website, which is currently under development. (Yep, it's taking its time, but the game is on!)

As an advocate of being out in Mother Nature, it felt like the best location for this.🌎

Hope you got to spend some time in the great outdoors this weekend.🌥

Autumn is really starting to show its beauty. 🍄‍🟫

10/10/2025

It's World Mental Health Day and so important to remember what can be done to increase mental resilience in these troubled times.

See my latest article in the Evesham Observer for some basic advice we can all follow.

There is a lot that can be done to support good mental health, and getting the basics in place is a good starting point, whatever your stage of life.

20/03/2025

It’s official. Spring has officially sprung! 🙌🙌🙌

Today is the spring equinox which marks the start of spring when day and night are equal in length.

The time has long been celebrated by ancient civilizations and is often associated with the rebirth of nature and fertility rituals.

Light is returning to our wonderful northern hemisphere after a very dreary few months - so make the most of it.

Light is such a crucial environmental factor that influences various aspects of our biology. It affects our internal time-keeping system - the circadian clock - which regulates the daily rhythms of our biochemical and physiological processes.

When our circadian rhythm is out of balance this ultimately impacts mood, energy levels and behaviour. To avoid this or reset (as we come out of our winter ‘indoor’ hibernation) aim for 20 minutes of exposure to sunlight within two hours of waking.

16/05/2024

The Mental Health Foundation has been leading Mental Health Awareness Week since 2001 and this campaign’s theme is movement - moving more for our mental health.

Now is it true to say the UK is a nation of couch potatoes? Well, a study back in 2000 by the Alliance and Leicester found that one fifth of Britons spend as much time watching television during the week as working.

Sadly, being glued to the box does appear to be the country’s pastime of choice with a third of UK adults of their waking hours watching TV and online video content in 2020 according to regulator Ofcom.

Regular movement and exercise are one of the most important things you can do to protect your mental health. Not only does it improve your mental health it protects against a myriad of chronic health issues such as stroke, heart disease, and certain forms of cancer.

Yet despite these benefits being well established, over a third of UK adults do not meet the recommended amount of activity.

Current NHS guidelines recommend that adults aged 19 to 64 should do 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week spread over four to five days per week or daily.

In fact, doing just 15 minutes per day can significantly reduce your risk of getting depression from 10 to 20 per cent.

In fact in some cases it can be just as effective as anti-depressants. What’s not to like?

If you sit down all day at work, then making time for a brief lunchtime stroll is really important. Or now it’s lighter in the mornings, a pre-work walk is also a possibility.

The days are getting longer too so resist the urge to slump in front of the box chop at night and instead get active.

15/05/2024

One of the most effective things you can do to support your mental health is to mind what you eat.

To put it frankly if you eat rubbish you are going to feel it.

Eating substantial amounts of processed foods will result in poor gut health resulting in an imbalance between beneficial bacteria that live there doing good stuff and pathogenic ones.

We call this imbalance dysbiosis. And it is associated with poor mental health.

Enter the gut-brain axis. The bi-directional communication system of neurons that link your gut with your brain.

Gut microbes interact with the gut-brain axis helping to create a number of neurotransmitters that are required for good mental health like serotonin and dopamine.

You can support your gut microbes and therefore production of neurotransmitters by adopting a diet consisting of unprocessed fresh foods (like fish and meat), pulses, nuts, seeds, whole grains fruits and vegetables.

To help those all-important gut bugs aim for a least five portions of fresh vegetables and two pieces of fruit per day.

The more colourful the better! 🍎🫐🥑🥕🍆

13/05/2024

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week from 13 to 19 May. 💫

Like physical health we all have mental health. It can be good, times when it is poor or most likely, periods of both during our lifetime.

Research suggests a quarter of us each year in England will experience a mental health problem of some kind.

With one in six people experiencing a common mental health problem like anxiety or depression in any given week.

Two-thirds of UK incapacity claims are for mental and behavioural disorders. We seem to be in the midst of a mental health crisis. And it’s deeply concerning.

What is important to realise, however, that just like your physical health, your mental health can be improved by working at it. By adopting certain lifestyle and eating habits, you can really improve your resilience for when tough times come your way.

So, over the next six days I will be posting my top tips to support your mental wellbeing.

And just like you do like exercise to keep yourself physically healthy, you can do exactly the same to help your emotional and cognitive self. 🩷🧡💛💚💙

07/04/2024

It’s the time of year to give your home a good spring clean but beware of the harmful chemicals that lurk in your cupboard under the kitchen sink. 🪣 🧽🧼

Persuasive advertising would make you think you need all those myriad cleaning products and air fresheners to make your household surfaces and bathrooms germ-free and smelling as fresh as a daisy.

How did our grandmothers ever cope? How did our parents survive to adulthood without all those ‘must have’ cleaning products that come in endless plastic containers.

Do not be taken in. Resist. More importantly, don’t put yourself or loved ones in the position of having to breathe these toxins that inevitably get sprayed into the air.

There is increasing evidence that the kind of household chemicals in cleaning products and others found in beauty products or kitchenware disrupt our hormones, putting women at an increased risk of developing breast cancer. They are called Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals or EDCs.

Instead, arm yourself with a bottle of white vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, citric acid and a bag of lemons. Your new best friends when it comes to an eco-friendly home.

✨Gleaming windows
I’ve been using one part white wine vinegar to two parts water to clean windows for over two decades. Simply add to a spray bottle and use either a soft cloth or newspaper to wipe down. (Yes, newspaper is surprisingly effective!) You can add 10 drops of your favour essential oil for natural fragrance.

✨Shiny sinks
A tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda sprinkled around the kitchen sink worked around with a soft cloth will quickly tackle any stains.

✨Kettle descale
Boil half a kettle of water and stand in the sink (unplugged). Add 80g of citric acid and leave for 30 minutes. By this time the limescale should have dissolved and you can tip the solution down the sink knowing you are not polluting our waterways.

✨Neutralise niffs with lemon
Clean and deodorise your microwave by popping half a used lemon in a small glass bowl and cover with hot water. Put on full power for 90 to 120 seconds or until you see it bubble. Remove and use a clean cloth dipped in the water (careful, it will be hot) and use to wipe inside. Steam will have softened any old food gunk and the lemon (which has natural antibacterial properties) will also leave it smelling fresh.

For more information on EDCs I thoroughly recommend you take a look at the excellent Breast Cancer UK website:

https://www.breastcanceruk.org.uk/reduce-your-risk/chemicals-and-our-environment/

17/03/2024

🌹 Need a bit of ‘me’ time? Why not relax, unwind and revitalise with a deeply relaxing aromatherapy massage. I’ve been a qualified aromatherapist for over 30 years and have treated a variety of people like you for a wide range of issues. During this time, I have seen first-hand how massage therapy is not just a luxury, but a way to improve physical and mental wellbeing.

🌹 Aromatherapy combines the healing touch of massage with the use of aromatic plant essences known as essential oils. These highly fragrant oils have many therapeutic properties and can be used to treat a number of complaints from anxiety and sleep issues to painful knotted shoulder muscles.

🌹 You don't need to be unwell or feeling low to enjoy the benefits, as even the fittest folk are relaxed and energised by a full body massage. Massage can also create a sense of caring, comfort, and connection, boosting your mood and well-being.

🌹 I am registered with the International Federation of Aromatherapists, the oldest governing body for therapists. The IFA has the highest standard of training in the UK and pioneered aromatherapy in the NHS, hospices and care professions, which is why it is as accepted by the UK medical profession as it is today.

🌹 I invite you to experience the healing touch of massage to help you relax and revitalise. Get in touch with me today to discover how I can help you embark on a journey of wellness. I am based in Alcester, Warwickshire. Gift cards available.

16/03/2024

TIP 9 - HAVE A DIGITAL DETOX

⚡️From work emails to ebooks and social media, screens have become a central part of our routines. Any idea of how many hours each day you spend looking at digital devices?

⚡️If you are thinking you’re wasting too many hours mindlessly scrolling and looking at cats falling off things, then it’s time to claim some of your life back with a digital detox!

⚡️It can pose a real threat to our general wellness not least exhausting when we forget to disconnect. Our brain is energy-hungry and consumes about 20 to 25 percent of the energy despite representing only two percent of body mass.

⚡️Most of this energy, (around 80 to 90 percent) is spent in a resting state, that is, without any specific task demands. Thinking and processing demands more…

⚡️So, spending hours a day googling at screens can literally be mentally exhausting. However, it’s easy to reverse this ingrained habit if you consciously decide to turn off the box and lay down your smartphone.

⚡️First though, check your screen time to see how much time you’re spending on the phone each day…

Here are six detox tips as a starting point to recalibrate and find balance:

✅Use your phone purposefully – don’t automatically begin and end your day checking it

✅Set internet-free times and spaces – particularly before going to bed

✅Mute notifications

✅Delete unnecessary apps

✅Read a book during downtime

✅Spend more time in nature - now the days are getting lighter opt for a quick stroll before or after work