Meet Henna - our in-house Nutrition + Women’s Health expert

Henna is one of our outstanding nutritionists on staff. She is so kind, gentle, has an easy laugh, and is full of incredible knowledge. As we continue to introduce the anatome team of in-house experts, Henna was the next person we wanted to highlight, since we love her so much! So here goes…

Henna was born in London, but spent much of her childhood in Mombasa, Kenya, which formed a lot of who she is now. That time spent in Africa was her favourite part of childhood, with hours spent on the beach, swimming in the ocean, the fun safaris, and so much more. These safaris showed her the importance of nature and the interactions we have with one another, since the interactions between animals and between humans and animals were so interesting. She told us about a time when she was on one of these safaris two monkeys jumped into the 4x4 and stole a few sandwiches they had made since the lunch bag was out in the open. She told us, laughing, that it wasn’t scary at all, it was just very funny.

After living in Mombasa, her family moved back to London where she started to realise her passion for cooking. As she learned more about cooking, she decided to pursue nutrition to find out what foods are best for your body and how to cook healthy food that is exciting and delicious. As a boxer, this focus on healthy and delicious nutrition was key to maintaining her fitness levels and ensuring that she got the right food to build muscle. Once she’d gotten her BSc in Nutrition, anatome was a natural next step due to our focus on natural solutions to health and wellness. She began working at antome as one of our in-house nutritionists and the rest, as they say, is history.

We asked her a few questions to learn more about her life now:

What have been the most common questions/areas you have been asked to support people in during the past 12 months?
During the pandemic, a lot of people have been struggling to sleep well, especially when dealing with anxiety.

What have you learnt the most/ what will you take away from the past 12 months?
Sleeping well and making sure to ALWAYS have time to yourself regardless of your work schedule and how busy you are. You should always set time aside for yourself and isolate yourself from everything for 30 mins - an hour each day. Training your mind to relax and unwinding yourself before you sleep is the key to achieve a great night of quality sleep.

How often do you exercise? Tell us some more about your exercise routine
I exercise 3-4 times a week! Now that gyms have finally opened up again, I can pursue my boxing too. I mainly do weight training to tone up and build muscle. My cardio is done through boxing as it’s a great way to release stress and at the end, you get a great endorphin rush.I use the energy + strength oil blend to help me gear up for the session!

What is your morning routine?
I like to wake up in the morning refreshed! I start by meditating for 15 minutes so I can be in a good calm headspace. Then I hop into the shower and use the nourishing bar with Manuka honey which is absolutely splendid as the scent is so calming! I then make sure I have breakfast, either porridge or weetabix with honey, strawberries, blueberries and oat milk!

What do you do to motivate yourself each day?
I always write down daily targets for what I want to achieve in my journal. I also write 5 things which I’m truly grateful for and it truly does uplift my spirits! It helps me kickstart my day and keeps me motivated.

Tell us about your sleep routine:
An hour before I sleep, I massage the frankincense recovery + sleep onto my temples, wrist and back of the ears to feel at ease and my mind knows to relax and get ready for a good night of sleep. I make sure to put my phone out of reach so I do not get distracted and let it disturb me whilst I sleep.

What is your go-to meal to cook for friends?
Veggie Mexican tacos! So delicious, especially with guacamole, sour cream and cheese! For dessert, apple crumble with vanilla ice cream or custard!

If you have any more questions for Henna about your health, her life, or anything else, please reach out! She would love to hear from you at henna@anatome.co. You can also book an appointment with her to discuss your wellbeing needs here.