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Beauty from the Inside Out
We are continually searching for ways to erase life's signs of aging: skin that has lost its youthful suppleness and glow, the expanding waistline, the receding hairline¡K the list goes on.
While many of us start becoming concerned with beauty and aging for reasons of vanity, in many instances, how you look on the outside reflects on how your body is functioning on the inside.
Our health and well-being can be improved by implementing a daily self health care system. By turning the attention inward, you will not only notice wonderful changes starting to happen on the outside, you will also start to really feel beauty and increased vitality radiate from the inside. What we do today, has an impact on our health and beauty tomorrow.
Daily self health care tips:
Water is necessary for all life processes and helps eliminate and flush out waste material. Degeneration associated with aging will occur at a quicker rate if you are dehydrated. Consuming water can slow down the aging process as well as prevent or improve many other health conditions.
When you are stressed, your body produces large amounts of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is toxic in excessive amounts and can suppress the immune system and can cause a decrease in muscle mass and thinning of the skin. Cortisol can also cause you to produce excess oil, which can clogs glands and lead to increased acne.
Exercise reduces stress and elevates mood. It promotes blood circulation ensuring a plentiful supply of oxygen and nutrients to the entire body and to the skin. It also promotes waste removal by increasing lymph drainage leaving your skin and all cells of your body revitalized.
Prolonged exposure to UV rays is harmful to the skin and also causes premature aging. With repeated exposure to the sun, the skin loses the ability to repair itself, and the damage accumulates. Skin also becomes loose, wrinkled, and leathery much earlier with unprotected exposure to sunlight. If going out into the sun for extended periods of time, cover exposed areas and protect skin using UV protection or clothing
Your body heals and regenerates as you sleep at night. To repair damage that is done on a daily bases, sufficient sleep can fight the signs of aging.
Cigarette smoking causes biochemical changes in our bodies that accelerate aging. Research shows that a person who smokes 10 or more cigarettes a day for a minimum of 10 years is statistically more likely to develop deeply wrinkled, leathery skin than a nonsmoker. Even people who have smoked for many years, or smoked heavily at a younger age, show less facial wrinkling and improved skin tone when they quit smoking.
Maintaining healthy weight helps prevent a host of potential heath conditions. Being at an unhealthy weight decreases your chances of healthy aging. Combine your weight loss efforts with good, healthy eating habits and regular exercise,
Alcohol intoxication can lead to an elevation in stress hormone levels that can result in premature and/or exaggerated aging. Furthermore, alcohol has the potential to create free radicals in your body which can result in cell damage that manifests as signs of aging.
Keep Illness at bay and prevent premature aging with ¡§colourful¡¨ foods. Phytonutrients are naturally occurring compounds found in plants that are responsible for giving them their bright colour, flavour, and natural disease resistance. Phytonutrients are loaded with antioxidants that aid the body¡¦s resistance to cancer and increase immune function. Eat one serving daily form each rainbow colour group to prevent illness and premature aging.
Foods which are highly refined and high in sugar create a sudden increase in blood sugar. This rise in blood sugar can increase inflammation and a decrease in immune function. Furthermore, high blood sugar levels can also cause an increase in sebum and cell production in the face follicles leading to clogged pores and increased acne.
Coffee contains a number of organic acids that affect blood sugar and cortisol levels leading to an increase in inflammatory factors thereby accelerating the aging process.
On the flip side, green tea is loaded with compounds which act as antioxidants and natural mood elevators. One cup of green tea may provide 10-40 mg of polyphenols (an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound) and has antioxidant effects that are greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots, or strawberries.
Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, fish oils are anti-inflammatory and therefore help reduce the signs on symptoms of aging. They also do wonders for the skin by fighting acne, and have to ability to help with inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Set aside a minimum of twenty minutes a day for meditation or prayer. It is a well-established fact that people who do this have significantly lower stress hormone levels than those who don¡¦t. Long term benefits include, clear skin, a healthier immune system, and prevention of age-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Massage the face daily to increase circulation and lymph drainage. Increasing circulation increases the amount of oxygenation and nutrients that flow to the skin and increases waste removal. Use all natural products on skin when possible. Many personal care products contain many toxic ingredients which can be absorbed through the skin.
Dr. Jane Shou B.Sc.(Hons),
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist
Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture
