Liz Earle MBE On How To Feel Fabulous At Any Age

Global beauty brand pioneer, Liz Earle MBE is a trusted voice of wellbeing wisdom in print and on broadcast and social media. James Matthews caught up with her at her happy place on the Kenyan coast for some advice on feeling fabulous in your later years.

What helpful hints can you share for a healthier second season of life?

It’s never too late to start. Small changes can lead to genuinely big differences in the way we look and feel, at any age. I am fitter, stronger, slimmer and more ‘sorted’ in my fifties than in my forties – an upward curve I intend to continue. It’s easy to feel powerless, out of control or beyond change as we grow older, but this truly need not be the case. Little by little, we can build ‘life hacks’ into our day to help dial-back our biological age to feel better than ever before. For example, start each day with two glasses of water to rehydrate after the night before you do anything else. Use a tongue scraper to remove the build-up of bad bacteria (instead of just reabsorbing). Get outside first thing and look towards the rising sun early in the day - the sun’s rays at this time help set our Circadian rhythm for better sleep and improved mood. Do ten minutes of simple weight-bearing exercises – I do 100 squats and 60 push-ups while still in my PJs – no equipment needed, so no excuse. And go to bed an hour earlier than you usually do, moving ‘better sleep’ much higher up your priority list. Easy, quick, free wins.

How can exercise and nutrition help with symptoms of perimenopause and menopause?

Both can help with symptoms up to a point, they but won’t give the health protective benefits of topping up lowering oestrogen levels. The many debilitating clinical symptoms of the menopause – from brain fog, depression, aching joints, headaches, tinnitus, night sweats, heart palpitations, osteoporosis, midriff weight gain, recurrent UTIs etc can all be fully resolved by replacing lost oestrogen in the body’s oestrogen cell receptors, the actual cause of so many of these issues. HRT should be the first port of call for all midlife, peri-menopausal women starting to experience symptoms related to lowering oestrogen levels. Body identical, regulated hormones (such as those found in gels, sprays and patches) are very safe and should be widely available on the NHS. Private clinics offering expensive and unregulated hormones are to be avoided as there is no clinical evidence for their safety, especially around progesterone absorption for uterine cancer prevention.

What’s your top beauty hint for menopausal skin?

My own daily must-haves include a mild retinol cream every night to help soften fine lines and improve skin cell turnover. I also look for serums and creams containing hyaluronic acid (to plump up drier skins), azelaic acid and vitamin C (to minimise pigmentation and keep skin youthfully bright). I also take collagen capsules daily to help replace the collagen we lose as we age. Encapsulated forms of collagen have been clinically proven to reach the small intestine (where they are needed for absorption), unlike powders or liquids which are largely broken down into their amino acid component parts by our stomach acids.

What advice can you share to help with sleep deprivation?

Insomnia was my main menopausal symptom and the one that saw me seeking help from my GP. From the first evening I applied oestrogen gel I slept through the night without a problem, so I will now never be without my natural hormones. I also use my daughter Lily’s Cellreturn LED and NIR (near infra-red) face mask for 20 minutes at bedtime (while listening to an audio book or podcast). Studies show these light frequencies help reduce cortisol and encourage the production of melatonin, so are helpful in encouraging sounder, deeper sleep. I have found this to be the case – as well as plumper, smoother skin. You’ll find the science and clinical evidence on www.cellreturn

How has HRT medication evolved?

Modern, transdermal, body identical oestrogen (gels, patches, sprays – all delivered through the skin) is both exceptionally safe and powerfully health protective, dramatically reducing the risks of colon cancer, Type 2 diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease, osteoporosis and more – all major killers of women. The micronized form of progesterone (Utrogesten) is also body identical and very safe, as is the tiny dose found in the Mirena coil. Testosterone is also very safe and can help with brain fog and mental clarity, although harder to get hold of, despite it being a naturally occurring female hormone that drops off a cliff as we age.

Box Out – Liz’s Menopause Guides

The Truth about Menopause is a comprehensive beginner’s guide and reveals what you need to know about your hormonal health, packed with top tips for living, looking and feeling well during the menopause and beyond, from HRT, to getting active and boosting gut health.

The Menopause Charity have a brilliantly informative website www.themenopausecharity.org

Balance Menopause is a free App with a handy symptom tracker which is very helpful when going to see your GP for the first time to discuss any menopause symptoms.