Habits That Keep Your Skin Healthy and Beautiful Part 3
In this our third article on how to keep you skin looking its best from the inside out, we conclude with some very helpful suggestions that are sure to improve your skin as well as your general health from head to toe.
Exercise is still your very best tool for staying young. A mere 45 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobics three times a week and 20 minutes of moderate-intensity weight training, also three times weekly, are sure to keep your skin supple and your weight under control.
Increase your vitamin D intake. If there’s one vitamin supplement you should take, this is the one. Vitamin D is made in the skin when exposed to sunlight. However, as people get older, the D production center doesn’t work as well. About half of Americans fall short. Research suggests that a lack of D raises the risk of osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, and various cancers.
Add some spice to your diet. Turmeric, the spice that makes curry yellow, is loaded with curcumin, a chemical with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In India, it’s used as an antiseptic directly on wounds.
Donate blood regularly. Not only is it an important altruistic gesture, but it turns out that it might be keeping you and your skin healthier and younger looking. There seems to be an excess of iron in our diet that comes mainly from eating red meat. Excess iron is thought to create free radicals in the body, speeding aging and raising risk of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. If you dislike the prospect of needles, just go easy on red meat: no more than a daily serving the size of a pack of cards.
What’s good for your skin is also good for your vision. Getting plenty of omega-3s in food or supplements may help ward off age-related macular degeneration. Plant antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin are also great eye protectors and are found in large quantities in green, leafy vegetables.
The plants have it. Recent studies suggest that the antioxidant-rich extract of the South American fern Polypodium leucotomos help protect your skin against free radicals. In combination with topical Extrapone Nutgrass, this type of fern can avert the very harmful effects of excessive sun exposure. As always, begin by eating a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, raspberries, grapefruit, broccoli and spinach. It is also recommended to drink green tea and nibble flavonoid-rich dark chocolate.
Strive for relaxation. Problems creep up everywhere and in all forms. It seems to be how we live our lives, but stress increases the concentration of the hormones cortisol and norepinephrine in our bloodstream, kicking up blood pressure and suppressing the immune system. Chronic stress effectively delays wound healing and promotes atherosclerosis. As an additional daunting prospect, it shrinks parts of the brain involved in learning, memory, and mood.
In order to reduce the effects of stress, you can practice any number of relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, writing, chanting or guided imagery. Find the one that best fits your lifestyle.
Last but not least, improve the quality and the quantity of your sleep. Severe sleep problems raise the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. All these conditions have dreadful effects on the appearance of your skin. It is especially important that you check for sleep apnea, which causes you to stop breathing at least five times in the course of an hour. An estimated 18 million Americans have the disorder, but many don’t know it. In the absence of problems, make sure that you get a minimum of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
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Topics: Holistic Skin Care, Natural Skin Care, Organic Skin Care, Skin Care Routine, Skin Health | 2 Comments »
2 Responses to “Habits That Keep Your Skin Healthy and Beautiful Part 3”
Comments
April 11th, 2010 at 11:08 am
I enjoyed reading this post. I have just turned to 35 and now start feeling ‘I need to take care of myself’. I love this natural approach to anti aging. Thanks.
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:50 am
It was very interesting for me to read the post. Thank you for it. I would like to read a bit more on your blog soon.