Surrey Homes | SH23 | September 2016 | Education supplement inside

September’s set
Wealden Times talks to Hilary Totah...
Health & Beauty
do you have a beauty regime?
Radiating health and vitality
is an important part of any
beauty regime. I do plenty of
exercise, gardening and walking
and practise yoga almost daily.
I eat organic food as much as
possible. I mostly eat either fish
or chicken, plenty of fruit and
green vegetables and I grow my
own in the summer. There’s
nothing like eating straight
from the garden. I avoid sugar,
caffeine, refined carbohydrates
and processed food. Since
turning 70, I’ve started taking
fish, olive, flax seed and coconut
oil, plus a multi vitamin and
probiotics and I drink at least
2 ½ litres of water per day. I
wash my face with cold water,
use a moisturiser morning
and night, and try to get at
least seven hours of sleep.
Is there a particular product
you couldn’t live without? I
couldn’t live without Liz Earle’s
Superskin moisturiser for my
face, and despite the slightly
cringey name, their Bust & Neck
treatment is a miracle plumper
for a wrinkly décolletage.
What’s your ultimate
pampering treat? I love touch
therapies like Japanese facial
massage or a shiatsu treatment.
I used to practise both myself
when I was a practitioner, so I’m
always looking for the perfect
shiatsu. I like having reflexology
or a pedicure to make my feet
feel all soft and revitalised.
do you have a style icon?
My style icon has to be Helen
Mirren. She is my age and is
super sexy and beautiful. She
shows that older women don’t
have to fade into dowdiness
and invisibility. Women can
have great bodies, be beautiful
and feel amazing at any age.
Hilary runs yoga classes
for varying abilities at the
Wellington Centre, Hastings.
With over 35 years of
experience, her classes are
unhurried, giving students
the opportunity to explore
postures and the breath,
and develop mobility,
strength and relaxation.
For more information
visit hilarytotah.co.uk
Golden healer...
Native to Southern Asia,
turmeric is in the ginger
family. If not used fresh, its
rhizomes (stems below the
soil) are boiled, dried in hot
ovens and ground into a
fine, vibrantly hued powder.
The main active compound
in turmeric, that makes it
so wonderfully versatile, is
curcumin. It’s this that gives
it that bitter, slightly hot and
peppery flavour. Chronic,
low-level inflammation is the
leading cause of a long list of
Western diseases. So being a
strong antioxidant, turmeric
plays a major role in reducing
inflammation in the digestive
system when introduced
regularly into the diet. This
magical stuff has been used
for thousands of years in
ancient Siddha medicine to
cure coughs, colds, throat
infections and liver ailments,
and it’s been known to have
a great positive effect on skin
complaints and arthritis. Try
this liquid gold recipe for an
unusually sweet treat: 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup water, 1
tbsp ghee, 1 tbsp honey and
1 tsp turmeric. Blend, enjoy.
Just like mAgic...
The ancient Greeks used
silver vessels to keep water
fresh, and it was the silver
dinnerware that supposedly
kept wealthy families
plague-free in the Middle
Ages. Before the discovery
of penicillin, silver was used
to keep disease-causing
pathogens at bay, and silver
leaf was used to combat
wound infections during
World War I. Having been
side-lined by synthetically
manufactured drugs in the
1930s, it’s now experiencing
a resurgence in popularity,
as beauty products and
supplements are appearing
on the market. This month,
Helen got to test out the
Antimicrobial Silver Cream
Bodywash from Colloidal
Silver Plus. A lot of soap
products are strong and
drying, but this is delicately
scented, luxuriously creamy
and leaves skin feeling
conditioned and nourished.
The hand cream
is lovely to use as
well. It’s so light and
sinks into the skin
beautifully, leaving
no greasy residue. It
also works wonders
on dry knuckles and
cuticles. Get yours at
colloidalsilverplus.co.uk
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