Melanie is the Founder and CEO of Bare Biology, Mum of 3 and tennis nut! 🎾
We asked 5 questions to help gain a better understanding of how health plays a role in Melanie's lifestyle.
1) Eat, move, mind or sleep - which is most important to you?
A: 100% eat! You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. What we eat is the single most important aspect of health and has a huge impact on our mind, our sleep and therefore our ability to move. The link between the gut and the brain is now very well known. Processed food and not enough fibre, variety of plants and good quality protein and fats can cause everything from auto-immune disease, to diabetes, to depression and even violent behaviour.
2) What’s your favourite wellness ritual?
A: I have three children and run a business, so I don’t have a huge amount of time for rituals! My favourite thing I do for my health, both physical and mental, is tennis. I play three times a week (I’d play more if I could) and I couldn’t live without it. It’s the combination of being outside, socialising through play with other people and concentrating on making the shots which gives it a meditative quality. You can’t think of anything else when a ball is hurtling towards you! Plus I’m quite competitive and have an aggressive streak, so it gives me an outlet and means I’m slower to anger when my teenagers are being annoying.
3) Q: Talk us through your day before 9am.
A: I get up at 5:45am and I have a ‘kinda-keto’ coffee. It’s coffee, almond milk, flax seed, MCT, cacao and cinnamon. It’s great for detoxing, keeping my bowels moving (very important for clearing hormones and overall health) and it keeps me going until lunch. A lot of people take supplements in the morning but I take mine with dinner. I have to get three kids up and out by 7:15am so there aren’t any glamorous rituals like yoga or meditation! I listen to podcasts on the school run and my work-day starts at 8:30am. Pretty standard morning for a working mum!
4) In what place do you feel healthiest?
A: Either in my garden, which is at the foot of the South Downs in Sussex, or in Cornwall. If I had to choose, I’d say south Cornwall. It’s the light, the air, the sunsets, the sea and the wildness that engulf you and bring a sense of peace I don’t feel anywhere else in the world.
5) How did your health journey begin?
A: I suffered terribly with stress related IBS as a teenager and have had OCD since I was a young child. I’ve always been aware of my mental health and have gradually learned what I can and can’t eat. It began in earnest when I developed postnatal depression with my second child. That’s when I discovered the magic of omega-3. As I get older (I’m now 49), I focus more and more each day on my health because I want to have the energy to be a good mum, have a successful business and feel happy while doing it all.
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