06 August 2015
Many deflating and uninspiring hours standing at supplement sections due to an overwhelming array of information and ingredients too difficult to pronounce, left Nikki Cooper ready to take the Vitamins and Minerals industry by storm. With a glow too radiant to ignore and a genuine passion for helping others achieve their optimum state of health, we speak to this lovely lady to discover the full story behind all things Inner Me (and her day on a plate, of course!).
NIKKI’S DAY ON A PLATE
PRE BREAKFAST
I always start my day with a lemon. Before I eat or drink anything I like to enjoy a cup of warm water with a good squeeze and a slice of lemon – a perfect pre-food cleanse. This aids my digestive system, balances my PH levels, boost my immune system and being a diuretic, helps my body to eliminate toxins never mind rehydrate my body for the day ahead.
BREAKFAST AND SUPPLEMENTS
During the week I usually have a tummy friendly breakfast smoothie, keeping cooked breakfasts such as eggs or gluten free pancakes for the weekends. In my smoothies I always include a banana as they are rich in pectin and fibre aiding my digestion and gently removing toxins and heavy metals from the body. They are also a prebiotic, stimulating the growth of friendly bacteria in the bowel and produce digestive enzymes to assist in absorbing nutrients. With my breakfast I take my digestive capsule which contains a 15 billion strain probiotic and my multivitamin from my Daily4 Strip to ensure I reap the benefits of both throughout the day, in particular the energy converting B Vitamins!
LUNCH & SUPPLEMENTS
I usually eat at my desk or when at home at the kitchen side whilst preparing the kids lunches hence I love a quick fix lunch. My favourites are avocado with chilli and lemon on rye with hummus and chopped peppers or soup such as butternut squash or spinach with seeds on top. With my lunch I take my co-enzyme Q10 capsule to give me that much needed energy boost for the afternoon ahead.
SNACKS
I love a snack bar…it has to be raw and nutritious of course. Sassy’s flapjack is to die for!
DINNER
When it comes to my diet I try to keep as close to the Paleo principles as I can – so lots of grass fed meat (I love Field and Flower) and tons of organic vegetables (Able & Cole). I love to flavour my dishes with spices and herbs and must serve cauliflower rice or courgetti at least 4 times a week. As I do eat quite a bit of meat I like to balance out the Omega 6 in my diet with Omega 3 so at supper time I take my high strength omega 3 capsule and if I have been eating red meat I tend to take my DigeZyme® blend to help my digestive system along.
NIKKI, IT’S A PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME TIME TO HEAR MORE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR FABULOUS BRAND, SO PLEASE TELL US, WHEN WAS THE DEFINING MOMENT FOR YOU, WHEN YOU REALISED THAT SOMETHING NEEDED TO CHANGE?
On a quest to optimise my wellbeing I walked out of a health store empty handed and bewildered by the walls of dreary, monotonous and obscure supplements with unpronounceable names. In a major Eureka moment, the idea for Inner Me was born…
HAS STARTING A FAMILY MADE YOU MORE CONSCIOUS OF WHAT YOU PUT INTO YOUR BODY, AND WHY?
So much so. As well as wanting to teach my children about healthy eating from a young age and leading by example, I have also come to appreciate that I need an unbelievable amount of energy to keep up with them and everything else going on in my life. I can’t afford or want to be sluggish so natural and energy boosting foods have become essential. I have discovered a whole new love for protein and of course Sassy’s flapjack to give me that energy hit when I need it most!
WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU APPEARED ON DRAGON’S DEN (THAT MUST HAVE BEEN PRETTY NERVE-RACKING?!), AND ALTHOUGH THEY INITIALLY DIDN’T TAKE YOU FORWARD, HOW DID IT FEEL TO HAVE WELL-REGARDED BUSINESS MEN AND WOMEN LOVING YOUR BRAND, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE?
Dragon’s Den was such an amazing experience…although I must admit I lost about 7lbs through anxiety in the days leading up to it and they had to stop me after my initial pitch to move my microphone as all they could pick up was the sound of my heartbeat! The Dragon’s were all surprisingly friendly and encouraging and taught me to trust in myself and my vision and not to compromise on my integrity to please larger companies.
EQUALLY, HOW DOES SEEING YOUR PRODUCTS APPEAR IN PLACES LIKE SELFRIDGES, HOLLAND AND BARRETT, AND WHOLEFOODS FEEL?
It is so surreal. I remember going down to Selfridges with my husband and son when we were being featured in a window display and staring at it for about half an hour before posing like a lunatic in front of it so my husband could take photos so I could show my parents up in Yorkshire.
AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED WITH MS, HOW DID THAT CHANGE YOU VIEW ON NOT ONLY HEALTH, BUT YOUR WHOLE OUTLOOK ON LIFE?
In a way being diagnosed with MS opened my eyes to life and treasuring the small things. I love to dance…no where nearly as good as Sassy but I love to throw a few shapes to Beyonce and I love to run. Knowing that one day I may not be able to do these things makes me do them every day and as such has made me a healthier and happier person. I always try to look at the positives and what I do have rather than what I don’t have. I am also a lot wiser as to how nutrition has such an impact on your health. I was fairly healthy before but would indulge daily on dairy, gluten and did not get all of the vital nutrients and fish oils my body needed. I now follow a paleo diet 95% of the time and of course supplement to fill in any gaps in my diet and it is amazing how energised I now am and how much better my skin and digestion is.
WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT YOU HAVE A ‘WOMAN OF THE WEEK’ SECTION IN YOUR MAGAZINE, AND WE THINK IT’S ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC THAT THERE ARE SO MANY WOMEN HEADING SO MANY WONDERFUL COMPANIES, HOWEVER HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANY STRUGGLES DUE TO BEING A WOMAN IN BUSINESS, FOR EXAMPLE HAVING CHILDREN ETC? AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
Ha I am not sure if I have yet overcome them. Running a business with 2 small children is the hardest thing I have ever done and I used to be a lawyer working 16 hour days with high maintenance clients! My passion for both of course make it worth while but living life to a strict timetable of limited childcare, nursery pick ups, working into the night when the babies are in bed and having to be flexible and cancel meetings last minute if one of them falls sick can be a huge struggle. My daughter Etta starts nursery for 3 days a week in September and my son William starts school so I am hoping that come October once we are all settled into our new routines, things will get a little easier.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR FAVOURITE INNER ME SUPPLEMENT, AND WHY?
It has to be our Daily 4 30+ pack. To start with the tear and go daily strips containing my 4 key supplements that are tailored for this hectic time of my life makes the process of taking supplements so easy – I just pop it in my bag first thing in the morning and off I go. This particular strip contains a multivitamin tailored for menstruating women and is packed with B vitamins for energy and other key nutrients such as magnesium and vitamin D. It also contains a high strength omega 3 capsule which I find is great for my skin as well as my health, a digestive capsule with a 15 billion strength probiotic and then the piece de resistance – 100mg of Co-Enzyme Q10 which gives me a great energy boost.
ONE FOR THE NEWBIES – WHY AND HOW WILL TAKING THESE SUPPLEMENTS ENHANCE A PERSON’S OVERALL WELLBEING, AND WHERE’S A GOOD PLACE TO START?
Nutrition experts worldwide agree that there are 3 essential daily supplements we should all consider taking no matter our age, sex or even how amazing our diets are. Even kings and queens of the Paleo diet are recommended to supplement their fabulous plant based diets with these daily essential three being Vitamin D, live cultures (a.k.a. probiotics) and omega 3. We have recently launched a product called Essential Three, which contain daily strips of these 3 incredible nutrients.
AT INNER ME, YOU ADVOCATE AN OVERALL HEALTHY LIFESTYLE TO COMPLIMENT YOUR PRODUCTS, SO WE WERE WONDERING IF YOU WOULDN’T MIND SHARING WITH US YOUR FAVOURITE WAYS TO STAY FIT AND HEALTHY, WHILST BALANCING A HECTIC WORK SCHEDULE AND A FAMILY?
Since having children my free time to exercise has dropped dramatically but I do try and workout 3 times a week and on the days I don’t I try to go on a long walk with the kids to get them out and active or have us all dance in the kitchen to the radio for at least 15 minutes! My advice for those who struggle to find time to fit in fitness is to build it into a weekly routine…a bit militant I know but knowing that Saturday morning is when you go to your Body Pump class and Wednesday night is the night you go for a run it soon fits into part of your weekly routine and seems less of an indulgence that you may opt out of for fear of guilt or just pure exhaustion. ‘Me’ time is so important for your wellbeing and of those around you too. I am much more fun mummy and happier wife when I have exercised and taken that little bit of ‘ME’ time.
SO, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE NEXT FROM INNER ME?
We are super excited to announce that we are soon to launch a range of Super Foods and other wellbeing products! We have a Chia, Flax and Hemp powder launching mid-August with more products arriving in September to boost smoothies and juices and our own Epsom Bath Salts to Soak Soothe and Absorb magnesium!
