Simple Beauty Tips For Keeping Your Skin Fresh And Healthy
Ever since Eve took that first bite of the apple, the human race has been obsessed with beauty.
The truth is we begin the aging process just as soon as we pop out of the womb. Every day of our lives our bodies slough off and regenerate new cells. The speed at which that process takes place when we are children is vastly different as we get older.
Every day you are bombarded daily with commercial messages and beauty tips that attempt to lure you into believing that the most recent miracle drug is just what you need to fight off the ravages of Mother Nature.
We are living longer as a whole. Singularly, that can be a curse or a blessing, depending on your perspective.
The best route to natural beauty and healthy skin is to take care of what you have. Sounds simple, doesn't it? The truth is that your skin takes a beating from the environment every single day. Here are some of our favorite beauty tips for keeping your skin fresh and healthy.
Stay hydrated and do it with plenty of water!
That does not mean soda, caffeine or any other type of liquid, even if it is low cal. Soda (even diet soda) has a high concentration of sodium. Sodium retains fluids. You need fluid that will hydrate and flush your body free of toxins. Make sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses a day!
Protect your skin from harmful ultra violet (UV) rays.
We all love the sun. We love being in it and we love having a beautiful tan. The truth is you can poison yourself with too much sunshine. UV rays cause skin cancer and if that isn't bad enough it causes your skin to age faster than it should, contributing to unsightly wrinkles. If you must play in the sun, make certain you are using an adequate sun screen. Don't leave home without it!
Keep your skin clean.
Use a soft warm cloth. Skin does not require scrubbing. You will do more harm than good if you do.
The best cure for wrinkles is to never have them in the first place!
If you are like most of us, you didn't listen to your Mom when she tried to tell you to stay in the shade, stand up straight and stop squinting!
Eat healthy.
Knowing how and what to eat, can make a huge difference in how you feel. Improper eating habits can cause depression, weight gain, illness and an overall lethargy.
Weight gain causes your skin to stretch. As you get older, it loses it's elasticity and you're left with sagging skin. The best solution to this is to maintain a proper weight.
A rule of thumb for eating habits are... don't eat more calories than you consume. Don't go one single day without doing something extra and physical for at least 30 minutes per day. This can be three ten minute walks. Or 30 minutes of vigorous aerobics, or 12 minutes of weight lifting and 18 minutes of walking.
Don't worry, be happy.
A happy outlook appears to trigger the release of endorphins. Endorphins relax the cardiovascular system and cytokines which alert the immune system to pay attention in detecting abnormalities like cancer cells. Listen carefully to yourself. If you have put yourself down since childhood, over a lifetime, negative subliminal messages can take their toll by turning you into a pessimist. Spend one week writing down the phrases you use in your self talk. Chances are you will find that you repeat a dozen or so phrases over and over again that reinforce that negative image. If you know about them, you can change them. Outer beauty and inner joy go hand in hand.
Here are a few quick tips for increasing joy, hope and optimism that will work no matter what your age:
- Make a list of at least 5 great things that happen to you every day.
- Laugh a lot. You'll heal your body and your mind.
- Discover a new challenge each month.
- Try meditating for just five minutes each day.
Sex After 50 Ha!
How many of you jumped ahead to this section?
The importance of physical intimacy actually depends on the couple. An alarming number of men used to give up on sex after 60 and many women used to feel that their sex life ended with menopause. Thankfully, that is no longer the case.
Sex at middle age can actually become better and more satisfying than ever before. Maturity gives a couple more experience in lovemaking. The children are usually grown and left home. The pressures of building a career and day to day life are usually less stressful than in younger years.
Is beauty really skin deep?
The answer is yes and no. It's a paradox, isn't it? True beauty begins from the inside out. Don't you wish there was some way to wriggle your nose and regain that soft skin you had as a child? Well, until someone comes up with the true "Fountain of Youth" we are stuck with what we have.
Just remember that getting older doesn't have to mean getting old.
Get Beautiful Skin
For most of us, part of the morning and evening routines involve a skin care regimen of applying creams, moisturizers, tonics, lotions, and the like. Why do we put ourselves through this? We do it primarily to combat the signs of aging, and to maintain youthful looks and beautiful skin! It is a safe bet, however, that most of us haven't put much thought into what is in the products that we are using.
Some of us probably do not realize that what we are putting on our skin may actually be undermining what we are trying to prevent to begin with. In fact the average woman puts twelve products on her skin daily, most of which contain harmful chemical preservatives.
Dr. Myron Wentz, founder and former CEO of USANA Health Sciences, has this to say about beauty in the one of the magazine: "Some say that beauty is only skin deep. Nonsense! I believe that true beauty is a reflection of true health, and true health begins deep inside each and every cell in the body. But true health and true beauty have an outer component, which is why we require protection from environmental insults such as solar radiation, pollutants in our environment and the drying effects of air. The fact is you simply cannot contain a healthy body if your skin isn't healthy. And your skin can't be healthy if your are subjecting it to toxic substances that are ultimately absorbed into your body."
So, what can we do? How can we combat environmental pollutants, the affect of solar radiation, and the drying effects of air? How can we be sure we are using the very best products on our skin so we can be healthy inside and out?
Here are 10 tips to assist in this process:
Lower your stress level through prayer and meditation.
Stress creates hormones that actually age us as they destroy cells and create toxic byproducts and free radicals. Studies have shown that prayer and meditation can reduce our stress levels. Prayer and meditation have been proven to even alleviate some of the symptoms of cancer and other life threatening diseases.
Drink plenty of water.
It is a fact that 90% of us do not drink enough water. For your skin cells to function properly and heal properly from cuts, etc... we need to drink 8-12 glasses of water every day. Our skin is one of our most important organs as it protects us from disease, cushions our falls, etc... It needs plenty of water.
Get proper sleep.
Not getting the proper 8-10 hours of sleep per day will first show in your skin. Broken capillaries, puffiness, circles under the eyes.
Eat well.
Get proper nutrition. Too many junk foods can cause or worsen skin problems like pimples and acne. A well balanced meal 3 times per day has been proven to help alleviate spikes in skin problems and help to average out the outbreaks in acne vulgaris.
Take vitamins to supplement your skin and body.
We can't always make sure we get 100% of each vitamin and mineral with the foods we eat, but we can take a multivitamin once a day. They are cheap at Walmart and there is no excuse. People that take multivitamins once a day live longer. Its a proven fact just like persons that smoke take years off their lives.
Properly clean your skin.
Harsh soaps can dry out your skin and even stimulate further sebum (oil) production which can worsen acne. Use a mild cleanser with 2% salicylic acid. This has been proven very effective in ridding excess oils while maintaining proper hydration and pH. The slight acidity will keep bacteria at bay.
Don't smoke.
Smoking puts years on you. Literally, smoking can add 10 years to the aged look of your skin. Why would you want to do that? If you must have nicotine then get nicotine gum or the patch - they will cure your cravings and there is no evidence or statistics of anyone developing cancer, lung disease, etc... from these.
Wear sunscreen.
The skin does have keratonin to protect against the suns rays, but it is no match for UV rays, etc... that we expose ourselves to. Melanoma has several forms and all are deadly. If you don't think you will get skin cancer or think you are invulnerable, just go to your local dermatologist and ask to see pictures of clients with skin cancer, better yet go to the oncology center at your local hospital. You won't think that way ever again. Wear sunscreen. Try COUI's Moisturizing SPF 30 Sunscreen Facial Lotion.
Treat yourself to a spa treatment at least once a year.
Skin peels, TCA peels, deep tissue massage, complete relaxation, aromatherapy, etc... will all energize and heal your skin. TCA peels will actual improve your skins ability to regenerate itself and improve collagen levels.
Be very aware of what is in skin care products.
Use products that are all natural as much as possible. If possible, use products that are paraben-free. Parabens are synthetic chemical preservatives that are widely used in personal care products such as shampoos, conditioners, hair styling products, make-up, facial masks, skin lotions and creams, and deodorants. They also are typically ingredients in baby lotions, shampoos, and other personal care products for infants and children.
In addition, parabens are in many foods and pharmaceutical products. Researchers are beginning to find parabens in benign and malignant human breast tumors. While some studies have challenged their toxicity in many products and question their long term affect on humans, using products that are paraben-free can eliminate the risk of exposure to this harmful chemical.
All of COUI's products are paraben-free as we take great care into loving your skin. We are also cruelty-free and are part of the Leaping Bunny program.
Let us help you in achieving the best you can be!
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