Keep your skin looking and feeling great
With the change in season, many people will begin to notice a difference in the way their skin looks and feels. Many people find that as we move closer to winter, their skin becomes more dried out and flaky. The good news is there are things you can do to keep your skin looking good as the seasons change.
“Winter approaching doesn’t mean your skin has to look dull and dry,” says Katherine Goldman, celebrity esthetician/waxologist and owner of the Stript Wax Bar. “It also doesn’t mean you have to turn to chemicals in an effort to maintain some of your tan throughout the fall and winter. There are much better options available to everyone who wants to take advantage of them.”
Here are some tips that can help keep skin looking and feeling great as the seasons change:
– Dull skin can be countered by having regular facials. Facials remove dead and flaky skin and help restore a natural glow. They give skin an overall healthier appearance.
– When winter approaches, it is important to moisturize the skin so it doesn’t become dried out. After cleansing, follow with an anti-aging serum and apply a good quality moisturizer.
– Bypass the chemical tans that come in take-home spray bottles and lotions. They usually contain chemicals you should avoid putting on the skin and will most likely not provide the natural tan look most people seek. Tanning booths also have risks, so opt for an organic spray tan instead
– Go to a waxologist for hair removal, so skin irritation and problems can be avoided. Having hair professionally waxed will keep the skin smooth and unblemished.
– Drink plenty of water to maintain youthful cells. If the skin doesn’t get enough water, it will look aged and dehydrated.
– Eat foods like strawberries, tomatoes, salmon, edamame, tea, carrots, broccoli, and avocado, which have nutrients that help protect the skin and keep it looking great.
Author Archives: Monica
Stop nagging me
I know, I know. I say this to every client that ends a session with me. Drink water. Drink a lot of water. Oh and by the way here is a bottle for you to take. Here are the top 10 reasons why.
1. If you don’t drink water, you will die. It’s that important. Depending on our environment, we can live only a few days without water – maybe a week. We can live much longer without food. For most of us, we should prioritize the consumption of water far more than we currently do.
2. Prevent cancer. Yes, that’s right – various research says staying hydrated can reduce risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50%, and possibly reduce breast cancer risk as well.
3. Be less cranky. Research says dehydration can affect your mood and make you grumpy and confused. Think clearer and be happier by drinking more water.
4. Perform better. Proper hydration contributes to increased athletic performance. Water composes 75% of our muscle tissue! Dehydration can lead to weakness, fatigue, dizziness, and electrolyte imbalance.
5. Lose weight. Sometimes we think we are hungry, when actually we are thirsty. Our body just starts turning on all the alarms when we ignore it. For those of you trying to drop some pounds, staying hydrated can serve as an appetite suppressant and help with weight loss.
6. Have less joint pain. Drinking water can reduce pain in your joints by keeping the cartilage soft and hydrated. This is actually how glucosamine helps reduce joint pain, by aiding in cartilage’s absorption of water.
7. Flush out waste and bacteria. Our digestive system needs water to function properly. Waste is flushed out in the form of urine and sweat. If we don’t drink water, we don’t flush out waste and it collects in our body causing a myriad of problems. Also combined with fiber, water can cure constipation.
8. Prevent headaches. Sometimes headaches can be caused by dehydration, so drinking water can prevent or alleviate that nasty head pain. Next time your head hurts, try drinking water.
9. Make your skin glow. Our skin is the largest organ in our body. Regular and plentiful water consumption can improve the color and texture of your skin by keeping it building new cells properly. Drinking water also helps the skin do it’s job of regulating the body’s temperature through sweating.
10. Feed your body. Water is essential for the proper circulation of nutrients in the body. Water serves at the body’s transportation system and when we are dehydrated things just can’t get around as well.
Happy Halloween!
From my family to yours, have a safe and happy Halloween!
Time to break it out!
A humidifier can be an important part of sinusitis treatment — if you use it correctly.
When the air you breathe is too dry, the mucus in your nose and sinuses won’t flow properly and your sinuses won’t drain as well as they should. Congestion can then lead to sinus pain and sinusitis. Sinusitis experts agree that adding humidity to the air with a humidifier is generally good for sinus health.
Humidifiers can help nasal congestion in that they provide for more moisture and humidity within the nose. The nose is supposed to provide humidity and warmth and and clean the air that passes through it. Forced heating systems in homes and workplaces often over-dry the nasal passages, aggravating allergies and sinusitis. Humidified air is good for sinusitis, especially in the winter. Think of the mucus in your nose and sinuses as being like tears. If your tears were thick and sticky, they would not be able to flow from your eyes.
Humidifiers and vaporizers are commonly used in people’s homes to get more moisture into the air and to counteract dryness in the nose and sinuses. Both humidifiers and vaporizers run on electricity, and portable humidifiers and vaporizers can easily be moved from room to room.
Central humidifiers are built into a home or office air-conditioning system. Here are some of the choices available:
Ultrasonic humidifiers send a cool mist into the air using ultrasonic vibrations.
Impeller humidifiers disperse a cool mist through a rapidly rotating disc.
Evaporative humidifiers blow cool air into the atmosphere by using a fan to force air through a moist filter.
The term “vaporizer” generally refers to units that use heat to create boiling water. The steam then vaporizes directly into the surrounding air. A warm-mist humidifier is a type of vaporizer that cools the hot steam before it goes into the room air.
Humidifiers and Vaporizers: Pros and Cons
Some experts are concerned that room humidifiers and vaporizers may create too much moisture in the air if they are not used cautiously. Too much moisture may breed certain mold and fungi inside the house, which may further aggravate sinusitis or asthma conditions. Here are some precautions to take when using a vaporizer or a humidifier:
Vaporizers that use steam may be dangerous for young children, who can accidentally burn themselves. Keep steam vaporizers out of children’s reach.
Excess moisture can encourage an increase in the number of dust mites in your home, which are a common cause of allergies. Don’t let indoor humidity get above 50 percent.
Tap water contains minerals that can be dispersed into the air by a humidifier. Government agencies have not concluded that these minerals pose a serious health risk, but they do recommend using distilled water in your humidifier.
Only use a humidifier or vaporizer when you need it, and use the correct moisture settings.
For portable humidifier units, empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and refill the water tank daily, so that bacteria and mold are less likely to grow in the water. If the water used in a cool mist humidifier contains bacteria or mold, these can be breathed in when the water is dispersed into the atmosphere.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning your unit. Humidifiers and vaporizers should be cleaned every third day.
Check to make sure that carpets, drapes, bedding, and walls are not becoming damp from too much moisture.
The bottom line: The benefits of using a humidifier or vaporizer outweigh the risks if you use them correctly. Cool mist humidifiers may be better if you have small children because of the risk from accidental steam burns. Both will help wash away allergens, irritants, viruses, and bacteria.”
The ideal level of humidity in a home is 35 to 40 percent — and you can measure humidity with a humidity gauge, which can be purchased at a hardware store or pharmacy. Used correctly, vaporizers and humidifiers are equally effectives.
Both humidifiers and vaporizers can get moisture into your nose and sinuses when they get dried out. The key to using humidity as part of your sinus treatment is to use your equipment properly and keep it safe and clean.
Coconut Water, Is it really all that?
Is coconut water capable of delivering on all the promises or is it the latest craze?
First, coconut water is a clear liquid in the fruit’s center that is tapped from young, green coconuts. It has fewer calories, less sodium, and more potassium than a sports drink. Ounce per ounce, most unflavored coconut water contains 5.45 calories, 1.3 grams sugar, 61 milligrams (mg) of potassium, and 5.45 mg of sodium compared to Gatorade, which has 6.25 calories, 1.75 grams of sugar, 3.75 mg of potassium, and 13.75 mg of sodium. Plain coconut water could be a better choice for adults and kids looking for a beverage that is less sweet. But don’t overdo it. One 11-ounce container has 60 calories and if you drink several in one day, the calories can add up quickly.
But is it all that? There are some health benefits to consuming coconut water. It’s an all-natural way to hydrate, reduce sodium, and add potassium to diets. Most Americans don’t get enough potassium in their diets because they don’t eat enough fruits, vegetables, or dairy, so coconut water can help fill in the nutritional gaps.
Beyond that, the scientific literature does not support the hype that it will help with a laundry list of diseases. If you enjoy the taste and your budget allows it, coconut water is a nutritious and relatively low-calorie way to add potassium to your diet and keep you well-hydrated.
Is it Safe?
When in Doubt, Throw it Out!
You cannot see or smell bacterial contamination. Mold that appears to be growing only on the surface may grow invisible roots into softer foods. Do not rely on a visual inspection or “smell test” to tell you whether or not a food is safe.
The Danger Zone
Potentially hazardous food that stays in the temperature “danger zone”, 40-140 °F (4-60 °C), for more than 2 hours should be discarded. (Note: this is the FDA’s rule. Other agencies may have variations on it. Additionally, government agencies generally make very conservative recommendations—they’re trying to make sure that no one who follows the rules gets sick. Breaking the rules means maybe taking on some risk. That’s up to you—just remember, eventually someone gets unlucky, and food poisoning is not fun.)
Follow the 2:4 Rule to Store and Enjoy Leftovers Safely
Cooking a large meal and then saving the leftovers is a great way to save time and hassle cooking…
Potentially hazardous foods are those foods that spoil most easily, such as unshelled eggs, raw meats, fish, shell fish, dairy products, almost all cooked foods. This time is cumulative, so it includes time bringing the food home from the grocery store, time before cooking, time after cooking, and so on. The reason is that while cooking may destroy bacteria or other pathogens, it doesn’t always destroy the toxins that they have produced.
So in general, regarding perishable foods like meat, most dairy, unshelled eggs and shell eggs in the US, cooked casseroles, and so on: If the food (or its perishable components) have been at room temperature for more than two hours, you should discard that food. To avoid the danger zone, keep cooked food hot until ready to eat, then refrigerate immediately. Separate large items into smaller containers to help them to cool more quickly. If you’re defrosting something, do it in the fridge or under cold running water.
10 Reasons Tea is Healthy
But before loading up on Red Zinger, make sure that your “tea” is actually tea. Real tea is derived from a particular plant (Camellia sinensis) and includes only four varieties: green, black, white, and oolong. Anything else (like herbal “tea”) is an infusion of a different plant and isn’t technically tea.
1. Tea can boost exercise endurance. Scientists have found that the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract increase the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved muscle endurance.
2. Drinking tea could help reduce the risk of heart attack. Tea might also help protect against cardiovascular and degenerative diseases.
3. The antioxidants in tea might help protect against a boatload of cancers, including breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers. But don’t rely solely on tea to keep a healthy body — tea is not a miracle cure, after all. While more studies than not suggest that tea has cancer-fighting benefits, the current research is mixed.
4. Tea helps fight free radicals. Tea is high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity (“ORAC” to its friends), which is a fancy way of saying that it helps destroy free radicals (which can damage DNA) in the body. While our bodies are designed to fight free radicals on their own, they’re not 100 percent effective — and since damage from these radical oxygen ninjas has been linked to cancer, heart disease and neurological degeneration, we’ll take all the help we can get.
5. Tea is hydrating to the body (even despite the caffeine!).
6. Drinking tea is linked with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. When considered with other factors like smoking, physical activity, age and body mass index, regular tea drinking was associated with a lowered risk of Parkinson’s disease in both men and women.
7. Tea might provide protection from ultraviolet rays. We know it’s important to limit exposure to UV rays, and we all know what it’s like to feel the burn. The good news is that green tea may act as a back-up sunscreen.
8. Tea could keep waist circumference in check. In one study, participants who regularly consumed hot tea had lower waist circumference and lower BMI than non-consuming participants. Scientists speculate that regular tea drinking lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome (which increases the risk of diabetes, artery disease and stroke), although it’s important to remember that correlation does not equal causation.
9. Regular tea drinking might also counteract some of the negative effects of smoking and might even lessen the risk of lung cancer (good news, obviously, but not a justification for cigs).
10. Tea could be beneficial to people with Type 2 diabetes. Studies suggest that compounds in green tea could help diabetics better process sugars.
Though most research on tea is highly positive, it’s not all definitive — so keep these caveats in mind before stocking up on gallons of the stuff:
1. Keep it cool. Repeatedly drinking hot beverages may boost the risk of esophageal cancer. Give tea several minutes to cool off before sipping.
2. The studies seem convincing, but a rat does not a human make. Chemicals in tea may react differently in the lab than they do in the human body. Tannins (and the other good stuff in green tea) may not be bioavailable for humans, meaning tea might not always benefit human health to the same degree as in lab studies suggest.
3. All tea drinks are not created equal. The body’s access to the good stuff in tea might be determined by the tea variety, canning and processing, and the way it was brewed.
The takeaway: at the very least, tea should be safe to consume — just not in excessive amounts. So brew up a batch of the good stuff — hot or cold — and enjoy.
A Walking Workout
Have Fun While Burning More Calories
Imagine the lone hiker, backpack laden with sleeping bag and bedroll, wielding a well-worn walking stick as she climbs the side of a snow-covered mountain. For centuries, trekkers have used walking sticks, partly as a defense against attacking wildlife, partly to aid in balance, and partly as support on long, arduous climbs. But in recent years, many hikers have replaced the single wooden walking stick with hiking poles.
Held in both hands and used to distribute weight more evenly through the four limbs, wilderness hikers have found poles invaluable for safety, efficiency, and comfort on long hikes. What wilderness hikers have known for some time now is that walking poles are a great way to relieve pressure on knees, ankles, and the back. They encourage better posture and provide a total body workout by engaging the upper body.
Now, hiking poles are showing up in urban areas as fitness walkers discover the benefits they provide. Nordic walking–similar in technique to cross- country skiing–is a great way to get a whole body workout, increase oxygen consumption, and burn more calories than regular walking or even speed walking. This total body workout burns 40 percent more calories and consumes 25 percent more oxygen. Poles can be purchased at most outdoor sporting stores, along with rubber tips for use on paved paths.
Technique Adjust your poles to approximately 70 percent of your height and loosely secure the straps around your wrists. Hold the poles at an angle behind you so they propel you forward with a slight bend at the elbow. Use an opposite hand-and-heel motion as you walk–right heel strikes as left pole tip contacts the ground. And you’re on your way! Don’t be shy with your poles. Remember: You’re burning 40 percent more calories.
For more information, visit www.walking.about.com/od/nordicwalking/index.htm.
So Yummy!!!!
Vegan Date Bars
1/2 Cup Natural Chunky Peanut Butter
1 Cup Toasted Coconut Shreds
1 Cup Quick Oats
1/2 Cup Natural Cane Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour
Flax eggs (2.5 tbls flax flour and 1/2 Cup warm water. Let set for at least 10 minutes
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Chopped Dates for filling
Combine all ingredients accept dates in food processor and blend or mix with spoon.
Separate batter into equal halves. Press one half into bottom of 9×9 brownie pan. Spread dates evenly across top then spread second half of batter over the top. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
As a variation, sprinkle granola over the top and press into batter and/or replace dates with a natural fruit filling.
Lower Back Pain?
Pain may be felt in the lower back but the root cause may be located in the most unsuspecting location. If you are experiencing lower back pain and have started the tedious task on your own to determine the cause. If you are experiencing the following symptoms, consider Adult Hip Dysplasia.
Hip/hips with a popping sound
Knees pop when straining
Server stabbing pain across the crest of the hip
Pain alleviating on movement
Increase pain when sedentary
Hip Alignment Test:
1. Stand straight with knees a foot apart. Bend knees and place a throw pillow, swimming noodle or the thin side of a foam block between your knees.
2. Squeeze the pillow with your knees. Slowly stand up. If you feel a click, your hips were misaligned. This will not permanently fix them, but rather identify it as a problem to work on. If there wasn’t a click, then your hips were rotating properly when you stood up.
What to do now?
Stretch! First thing to do is stretch. Repeat the stretch on the tighter hip and repeat daily to improve alignment. First, stretch both sides to gauge tension and then repeat on the tightest side.
1. Lie on your back on an exercise mat or carpeted floor. Bend your knees, placing your feet flat on the floor at hip-distance apart.
2. Cross your leg and rest the left side of your ankle on the top of your right knee. Raise your right knee.
3. Pull your left ankle toward your chest with your right hand. Push your left knee away from you with your left hand. Hold for 10 seconds. You should feel tension in you piriformis muscle that runs from your lower back down your hips and buttocks. This is sometimes called the “4” stretch because if you raise your right leg, your legs form a number 4.
4. Repeat on the other side. Pay attention to the side that carries the most tension and is harder to stretch. This tight muscle is weaker than the other side and is likely causing misalignment.
Hip Stabilization Exercises
Stretching will alliterate the pain but won’t stop your hip from being displaced again. Strengthening is how to correct and prevent pain. Repeat the exercise twice a day.
1. Lie on your right side with your knees bent and hips and legs stacked on top of each other. Place your left hand on your left hip to gauge movement. You want to avoid your hips from shifting during this exercise.
2. Flex your stomach muscles and draw your belly button in to your spine to engage your abdominal and transverse abdominis muscle that wraps around your hips from your stomach to your lower back.
3. Lift your left knee, while turning your foot up but keeping your feet touching. Lift the knee as high as you can without moving your pelvis. You may have to try this once to find that point. Slowly lower your knee back down to touch your other knee.
4. Repeat 15 to 25 times. Switch sides and exercise your right hip. Repeat once to twice per day. This is sometimes referred to as the “clam exercise.”
5. Return to the original position on your right side with your knees stacked on top of each other. Straighten your left leg. Move your right knee forward slightly so it supports you during the exercise. Place your left hand on your left hip to avoid movement in your hips.
6. Raise your left leg to hip level and rotate it so that the left toes are facing the ceiling. Rotate back and lower your left leg down to the floor. Repeat 15 to 25 times.
7. 7
Repeat the exercise on the opposite side.
#hippain #lowbackpain