It is stressful when cold sores set in, not forgetting the pain too. The most obvious areas for them to appear is your lip or mouth areas. You will feel very humiliating if the sore becomes very visible on your wedding day. So why don’t you pick them you the moment they surface, and get them out of your life with some remedies as illustrated below.…
Category: Vitamins
Natural Healthy Skin Care – How to Take Care of Your Skin Naturally
Taking care of your skin is the most important part of any beauty routine, but we often don’t do it. We just tend to wash our face with whatever soap is handy. We normally don’t use sunscreen as often as we should and then we notice our skin is getting darker. We may try to use products that have harsh ingredients in them in an attempt to eliminate dark and problem areas. Some of these products can actually make your skin worse. If you want to improve the appearance of your skin, you can try doing things that will help you maintain a natural healthy skin care routine.
The first thing that you should do is protect your skin from the sun at all times. This means not only using sunscreen but using a hat and light scarf or umbrella when you are in direct sunlight for long periods of time. You may think that this sounds extreme, but if you do not protect your skin from the sun, you will have patches of dark pigmentation on your face and other areas in a few years. If you already have dark areas or dark freckles on your body and face, you should be diligent about avoiding any other sun exposure. If you are trying to establish some natural healthy skin care habits, try leaving post-it notes in your car to remind you that you need to use sunscreen.
You can find some inexpensive natural healthy skin care products at your drugstore or local discount retail store. You should look at the label on the products to make sure that the ingredients are natural. You may find a cheap bar of natural soap at a drugstore that can help you get started on a way to having naturally beautiful skin. If you are looking for cosmetics that contain natural ingredients, you can try looking for them online before you go to a store. Many companies are starting to offer powders and foundations that are made from natural ingredients.
You want to avoid any products that contain ingredients that may irritate your skin and make it more sensitive to the sun. Using natural healthy skin care products can help you look your best without causing your skin to have a bad reaction. If you are looking for a natural cosmetic, you will want to use a powder that is made from mineral powder. Mineral powder is a natural ingredient that will adhere to your skin and provide a long-lasting smooth look. Some skin care products contain vitamins and anti-oxidants to help your skin maintain a healthy appearance.…
Nutrition Tip – An Egg a Day is Okay!
One of the most common debate bodybuilders have among themselves is the issue about egg. How much egg do you eat or can you eat in a day? Some say they only eat one while others say they eat as much as a dozen per day!
On the other hand, there are extremists who say that they don’t want to eat egg everyday fearing that it will raise their cholesterol levels. Here are a couple of facts you should know about the almighty egg and why it is safe to eat it everyday.
Egg is the best source of quality protein in the world. It has more than 90% of quality amino acids you need to make your muscles grow, other meat and protein supplement set the egg as their standard or benchmark for protein quality.
Egg contains good cholesterol components that is necessary for your body functioning. Some prefer to eat only egg whites fearing that the yolk contains too much cholesterol. It isn’t too much my friend, if you’ll eat 2-3 whole eggs per day and coupled with exercise, nothing will happen to your cholesterol levels.
Egg is a great source of choline (one whole egg contains 112mg) similar to b-complex vitamin this helps brain development, prevents brain deterioration and cardiovascular diseases. Our body only produce a little Choline and thus we need to get it from external source.
Egg is common and can be bought cheaply at your local stores and grocery shops. You may not find a top sirloin in your local meat shop but for sure there are eggs waiting in line.
Look at the good stuff eating an egg everyday could potentially do to your body. Instead of getting heart disease, the egg has components to prevent it! Don’t readily believe what you hear, instead try to research for facts and prove if it the rumors are true or not.…
Skin Care Routine For All Skin Types
While the products you use are very dependent on your skin type (dry, oily, combination) your actual basic routine will be consistent. If you start skipping steps, you are not doing yourself or your products justice. Here’s the steps and why each is important.
1. Cleanse
Yes, we’ve all done it. Even me. We’ve had that long night and slipped into bed sans washing our face. Once or twice a month won’t ruin you, but more often than that and you are doing yourself an injustice. Why? We accumulate dirt and oil though out the day. Even if you have dry skin, your skin still needs cleansing. It’s especially important for those of us with oily skin, acne or who wear foundation. Bare Escentuals and other mineral makeups like to brag that it is safe to sleep in their makeup. I agree with them, it is safe to sleep in their makeup. While it’s safe, it really doesn’t mean that you should. First, there’s the obvious. You’re leaving the grime of the day on your face overnight. Would you take pollution, dust, pollen, etc and make a mask out of it? I didn’t think so. Secondly, you’re getting your pillow case dirty. Since you slept with an unclean face the night before, even if you wash your face the next night you’re rubbing your face all over that same dirt you left behind before.
2. Tone
Note that I said tone. Not use astringent. Astringent has a purpose, which I will reveal later, but it is never to be used all over your face. Let me say that again as it’s such an important point. Astringent is never to be used over your entire face. You should choose an alcohol free toner. The purpose of toner is generally a mystery to most. It seems like such a non-essential step when it is highly critical. Toner is specifically designed to bring your skin back to the proper pH after cleansing and using water on your skin. I could write pages on why pH is important but in short your skin is naturally slightly acidic to fight bacteria. It’s called the ‘acid mantle’ and is a protective barrier. This rebalances your pH and makes your skin receptive to the hydrating treatment you will apply next.
Yes, it’s very tempting to use your toner as a cleanser and I will confess to doing it myself in a pinch. However, it is not made to be a cleanser and will not be very effective. Better than nothing but don’t make a habit of it. Don’t skip the toner either.
3. Hydrate
All skin needs hydration. From really oily to super dry, you need to end your routine with hydration. You have just stripped all moisture from your skin and you really need to replace it. Why? For dry skin, you’re already lacking moisture. For oily skin, your skin will react quickly to a lack of oil by producing more oil, causing you to become even more oily at a rapid pace. For those in the middle, well, both points apply.
To get the most benefit from hydration, you really should consider a day and a night cream. Your day cream will generally be lighter and should always contain a minimum of spf 15. Your night cream will be a heavier formulation to give your skin a boost of nutrients at night when it is eager to absorb the ingredients and is working on regenerating itself. Avoid anything occlusive, also known as comdogenic, especially at night when your skin needs to breathe to regenerate. Things such as mineral oil and other petroleum products will keep your skin from being able to breathe.
Wash, rinse, repeat
Repeat these steps twice, once upon arising and once before going to bed. In the morning you are washing to rid yourself of any oil or skin build up overnight and to prepare your skin for your morning products. In the evening it’s to clean the impurities from the day and prep your skin for your intensive night products. That’s it. Do not be tempted to wash your skin any more than that or you will be over stripping your skin and irritating it.
Bonus points
Exfoliation
All skin needs exfoliation. The type and the frequency will depend on skin type. However, helping your skin by removing the top layer of cells will not only refreshes and brighten tired skin, it will help acne by unclogging pores, give dry skin a boost by removing the flaking layer and will allow your products to have greater penetration into the skins layers. I will be writing a whole article on exfoliation, so keep an eye out.
Masks, serums, specialized treatments
These are very much dependent on skin type and issue. You can …
Do You Get Enough Omega 3 Through Your Diet Alone?
Did you know approximately 70% of the fats in our brain are omega 3? So it wouldn’t be any surprise to you that omega 3s improve various brain functions such as your learning capacity, mood and focus. So if we’re going off of the age old saying “You are what you eat” (or thousands of medical literature) than would it be safe to say that it could be a good idea to consume an optimal amount omega 3s from your diet? Omega 3s are not just important for brain function, memory and focus. They are also important for almost every function in your body, from skin quality to heart health – to your overall sense of wellbeing and libido. Just make sure you’re getting in enough omega 3 fats, okay?
Right, so we’ve talked about the difference between Pharmaceutical Grade GMP’s and Food Grade GMP’s. Now this goes for ALL products – Not just multivitamins. Omega 3s are found in abundance in Wild Salmon, Shrimp, Walnuts and Chia Seeds; however getting enough from your diet can sometimes be difficult. For example, to get an optimal dose of omega 3 you would be looking at consuming 100g of Wild Atlantic Salmon or 18grams of Walnuts daily. So if you can’t see yourself consuming those quantities on a regular basis then it could be wise to look for a quality fish oil supplement.
Again, do your research and make sure you’re picking one that is molecular distilled and free of any PCB’s or toxic contaminants such as mercury.
Find this information useful? For more check out…
Comfort Eating And Why We Do It
The average woman has tried to lose weight at least 5 times in her life, usually with a different diet each time, and obviously without success. Either the diet didn’t work, or it did work but was too hard to stick to and so abandoned. Whatever the reason the end result is the regaining of any lost weight, often with a little extra, and probably a feeling of failure, hopelessness, and resignation to never having the body they desire.
But why is this?
Well as I said, in many cases the diet is just too hard to stick too, whether it’s because the food it permits you to eat are so restrictive you get bored with it, or because it’s just plain weird and drains you of emotional and physical energy.
But I have something to ask you…
Why are you overweight?
Your answer will probably be because you eat too much, or because you eat too much junk.
So my next, and more revealing question, is…
Why do you eat too much?
Have you ever asked yourself that question? Have you ever asked yourself why you eat what you eat?
“I eat because I’m hungry,” you’re probably now thinking. Or maybe you’re even saying it out loud because it was such a stupid question. But I’m willing to bet that you often eat when you’re not hungry. I’m willing to bet that food isn’t just something you eat to provide your body with fuel, because if that was the case you wouldn’t be overweight.
Like many, if not most people, your relationship with food has as much to do with providing positive emotions and limiting negative ones as it does with fuelling your body.
If not more.
For example, when you eat, do you always (or ever) choose the healthiest meal that will provide you with the most nutrients and give your body exactly what it needs to function at its best? Or do you go for what sounds (in other words, tastes) nicest, with little or no consideration for what it will do for your body besides maybe a passing thought as to how many calories are in it?
If you’re overweight, chances are you don’t choose the healthiest option, you go for what tastes the best. And generally, the food that tastes the best is the food that contains the most fat, sugar, or salt. Or all three. Which is why most pre-prepared food is full of them and why it’s so bad for you.
You might already know all this, but I’m feeling lucky today so I’m willing to bet again, this time that your favourite food is something that’s full of fat, sugar, salt, or all three.
Why is this? You know it’s bad for you and contributing to, if not solely responsible for, you being overweight. So why do you do it?
Well for hundreds of thousands of years up until very recently, fat, sugar, and salt were hard to come by. This is no longer the case, but because it has only happened to a small percentage of the population in the last few decades, our bodies still haven’t adapted to the fact that they aren’t scarce resources anymore. That will take at least another ten thousand years (by which point they may well be scarce again, but that’s another matter).
So if our bodies still think those three things are scarce and values them because fat and sugar are full of calories, while salt is an essential nutrient, how can it reward you for eating them over say, a stick of celery or some broccoli?
Easy – your brain tells you they taste nicer.
And it does this by releasing chemicals that cause you to feel pleasure when you eat them.
If you doubt this, imagine how you feel when you see some raw broccoli, which contains very little fat, sugar, or salt. Does it make your mouth water? Does the thought of how it will taste when you put it in your mouth and crunch down on it cause you to feel pleasure or pain? Would you enjoy the experience or hate it?
Now I know people who do actually eat raw broccoli, but they don’t enjoy it and they definitely don’t like the taste. They do it because it’s so full of nutrients that it’s known as a super-food. Even after many years however, they still hate the taste.
Now let’s compare that with chocolate.
Your average bar of chocolate is roughly 33% fat and 50% sugar, and although not high in salt, it’s there. How do you feel when you imagine seeing a bar of chocolate? Is it a lot more pleasurable than when you imagined some broccoli? Is the thought of how you’ll feel the instant the chocolate …
Healthy and Delicious Nutrition Tips
To a lot of people, going on a diet or simply consuming a healthy nutrition signifies a world of dry toast and water. However, healthy nutrition is not comprised of such unsatisfying foods. These days, we have the privilege of consuming some of the finest foods in their reduced-calorie format. For instance, instead of whole milk we have low fat dairy products and instead of refined grains we have whole grains. We have the opportunity to eat all of the foods which we love with only minor alternations. In this article I will provide the reader with several healthy and delicious diet alternations.
Switch to low fat dairy. It tastes the same and provides your body with the same amount of calcium
Make the change to whole grains. Refined grains are obsolete.
Attain more calories from the foods you eat rather than the beverages you drink. For instance, instead of drinking sugar infused fruit juice, eat a piece of fruit along with a glass of water.
Be sure to increase your daily intake of fruits and veggies. These low calorie foods are laden with beneficial and sustaining fiber.
Switch to low fat condiments. Believe it or not, low fat ranch dressing tastes exactly like regular ranch. So go ahead and make the switch, you will be amazed at how many calories you will be eliminating.
Remember that meat is not the main source of protein. You should also consume plenty of fish and beans.
These are just a few healthy and delicious nutrition tips. Consuming a diet which is low in calories and high in beneficial nutrients can help you attain the weight you have always wanted. If you want to lose weight fast, you can also seek help from all natural diet pills and whey nutrimelt shakes. …