Conversations Archives - elénzia Medical

From building a brand alongside her mother, elénzia’s co-founder Elizabeth found her passion in holistic wellness, specifically looking at health from a 360-degree perspective. In admiration of all powerful women, we catch a glimpse inside her life while balancing business, motherhood and health.

Your journey into skincare and wellness started with the loving care from your mother. Can you share a cherished memory or lesson about self-care that your mom passed down to you?

Growing up, and still to this day, my Mum has looked immaculate every single day. I can’t remember a day when I was younger when she didn’t spend the time to look after herself in the morning, even with 4 children! This has been my key lesson from her, to take the time to take care of yourself and do what makes you feel good. She also has amazing skin and spends a good half an hour each night on her skincare routine.

Reflecting on your journey with a melanoma diagnosis at a young age, what has shaped the approach you take towards healthy living?

Being a mum and prioritising what matters to me. You never know what is going to happen in life and finding out I had a cancerous mole at the age of 24, despite never having been on a sunbed in my life, proves that. Therefore, you can’t live your life from the point of view of “what could happen to my health in the future”, but you must determine what is important in life for you and your family, and understand what health and wellness changes you might need to make. For example, for me at this moment, immunity is a top priority. Not only am I pregnant, but I have a two-year-old son, so this winter I made sure to prioritise all my family’s immune health to protect each other and make sure our daily routines aren’t impacted by illness.

As a woman in your 30s, expecting a new addition to your family, has your perspective on nutrition and skincare evolved, and what practices do you find most essential for your wellbeing during this time?

I think it’s evolved to finding what fits in with my daily routine, as opposed to having to change my daily routine to fit around a health or wellness goal. Skincare has remained an important element within my day-to-day and something that I value as part of my overall wellness. However, it can easily be one of the first things to fall by the wayside when you just want to take your make-up off and crawl into bed at the end of a long day. So, I try to keep my skincare routine as minimal but impactful as possible, as that’s what works for me. I combine key ingredients that I know work for my skin concerns and will make a difference – I’m currently using Endor Technologies® Pure Cleansing Milk, P-Biotic Toner, Eye Cream and Anti-Aging Cream, combined with The Ordinary’s Niacinamide and Zinc Serum (and of course an SPF for the day!).

Short and long-term cognitive health is also something that is important. My Granny had Alzheimer’s for quite a while in her later life, therefore I know that it is something that could be genetic, so being aware of my long-term brain health and performance is something I’m conscious of… From a daily perspective, it’s not easy being a working mum – especially when functioning on 3 hours of sleep – that’s why I need to try and be as focused and productive as possible during the working day. The combination of these elements for cognitive health is actually the key reason elénzia ENHANCE™ was born!

How has your experience shaped the values and mission of elénzia, catering to the needs of women with similar challenges?

Being a full-time working mum has definitely shaped the vision of elénzia. Ultimately, it’s about products that work. No one wants to waste their time and money on trying a multitude of different skincare and nutrition products when they have a health need today that needs solving. That’s why we make sure that we spend that time ensuring that clinical trial data for our products and ingredients is truly going to maximise efficacy for our customers.

We make sure that we put the thought, care and time into creating our products so that they are tailored to our customers’ everyday needs and long-term goals. It’s from both my own and my family’s experiences, that we have focused on the importance of health longevity and vitality with our brand and products. Having the multi-generational element to elénzia allows us to empathise with our customers and provide products that we know will make a real impact on their lives.

Juggling motherhood and business can often lead to stress. Have you found a way to navigate stress and ensure that it doesn’t cast a shadow over your work and home life?

It’s probably best to ask my husband this question… unfortunately, there are always going to be ebbs and flows within life that make certain times very difficult and lead to stress. During these periods I try to talk about how I’m feeling with my family and friends so that it doesn’t impact me mentally. In the past, I tended to bottle things up, so taking this approach has helped me during those challenging times.

To fellow women, juggling various roles, what advice can you offer for integrating a holistic approach to health and wellness into their routines?

Understand your health and wellness priorities. Find solutions that you can work into your existing routines so that you can stay on top of them.

This Mother’s Day, what three affirmations can you leave for women who may be seeking that delicate balance between caring for their families, running a business, and nurturing themselves?

1- Have confidence in yourself.

2- Seek help when you need it.

3- Take time to look after yourself.

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Meet Alexa Mullane, a nutritional therapist with a wealth of experience dealing with hormonal health and gut issues. We sat down to discuss the benefits of a healthy diet, wellness and eating with intention.

What role does a well-balanced diet play in promoting overall health and vitality as we age?

A well-balanced diet is one of the most important things (but not the only thing!) you can do for overall health and vitality. Every cell in our body needs nutrients to function, and without essential nutrients in our diet, our health would be affected, and the aging process would be sped up. Nutrition can be used to help heal us and to prevent illnesses. Other things we can do to promote health and vitality are stay active, get out in nature, keep our brains active and maintain healthy personal relationships.

Having said that, are there certain superfoods or nutritional powerhouses you recommend for those of us looking to prioritise our health?

It’s important to get a wide range of nutrients from a variety of sources to ensure we have optimal health – and we shouldn’t focus on one food or nutrient to the detriment of others; if we ate the same foods every day then this would limit our nutrient status. A good way to ensure we get a wide range of nutrients in our diet is to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, ensure we eat a range of pulses, grains, nuts and seeds, and make sure we don’t miss out any food groups – restricting foods can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Having said that, a few foods are cheap to buy and can easily be incorporated into meals – brassicas like broccoli are full of nutrients like vitamin C and help the liver detoxify hormones. Garlic is an incredible food which has antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral properties. And turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory food, we should be looking to include these foods in our diets most days.

Can you share insights into the role of protein in maintaining muscle mass and strength throughout the years – and how it contributes to our overall wellbeing?

Protein has many functions in the body. It’s a vital component of muscle and bone which means that as we age we need to ensure we consume good levels of protein to maintain strength and stability. Not only that but protein is also used to make some hormones (like insulin, cortisol, oxytocin and follicle-stimulating hormone), it is the building block of all enzymes in our body (which we couldn’t live without – they enable processes like liver detoxification or converting vitamin D into its useable form). Protein also contributes to immunity and is a source of energy – the list goes on. So you can see why it’s important for us to get enough protein in our diets from a variety of sources (I prefer a mixture of both plant and animal sources).

What advice do you have for someone looking to balance protein intake with other dietary requirements, especially if they have specific health concerns or conditions?

The rule of thumb I use is to have a portion of protein with every meal which is roughly the size of the palm of your hand, or a quarter of the dinner plate. This ensures you get a steady intake of protein throughout the day. If you have specific health concerns or extra protein requirements, or if you sometimes need a super quick snack or post-workout boost, then a protein supplement like the elénzia PROTEIN™ is a great idea to have in the cupboard to ensure you always hit your protein target.

How does the concept of mindful eating tie into healthy aging, and what are some practical steps for incorporating mindful eating habits into daily life?

Eating mindfully is great for digestion. If we practice mindful eating we will chew more, we will be relaxed while eating and we are less likely to overeat. All of this means that our food will be better digested and better absorbed (because the digestive juices and peristalsis will be doing an efficient job) – meaning that we will get more nutrients into our system to nourish our cells and support healthy aging. Mindful eating also means that we will be more aware of what we are putting into our bodies and will be more likely to make healthy choices and less likely to grab junk food on the go. My main advice for mindful eating is to sit down while eating (no eating a sandwich while running to your next meeting!) and have no other distractions – no phone and no TV. Eat slowly, chew each mouthful 30 times, and visualise how much your delicious food is nourishing your body. Think about the texture, temperature and flavour and you’ll appreciate food in ways you never have before.

As we strive for wellness in our later years, what’s the most rewarding nutritional change you’ve witnessed making a difference in individuals’ lives?

I believe it’s not about making one big sweeping change but instead about understanding the individual and making small, incremental changes which will improve their overall wellbeing. For me and my clients, there is no ‘one size fits all’ change. If someone loves their coffee or glass of red with dinner then I’m not going to take that away from them. I will give them small swaps or help them cut down if necessary so that they feel like good health is achievable. I will work with them over time to slowly introduce new habits and slowly phase out any bad habits. Good health and nutrition is for life and I want people to enjoy their food so that the good habits last a lifetime.

Where to find Alexa:

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