Six Steps For Younger, Healthier Skin

Getting that youthful, healthy glow doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Below are 6 simple ways to maintain gorgeous skin, protect it from damage, and possibly even reverse damage already done.

 

Stay Out of the Sun

The sun speeds up the aging process in the skin, damaging the elastin our skin needs to remain flexible. After all those hours in the sun, we end up with sagging skin, age spots, and wrinkles. Avoid the sun during it’s highest intensity (10am-4pm), wear a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher, and wear protective clothing.

 

 

Don’t Smoke

Besides wreaking havoc on your lungs, smoking causes the skin to lose collagen. Collagen is the protein responsible for keeping the skin firm and supple. It also constricts blood vessels in the skin which depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients it needs to stay elastic. Repetitive actions of smoking, such as pursing the lips, also leads to fine wrinkles around the mouth.

 

 

Eat Healthy

Blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries are high in the antioxidants needed to prevent or delay damage to skin cells. Turkey, tuna, and brazil nuts contain the mineral selenium which is vital to healthy skin cells. Salmon, walnuts, and flax seed give the skin essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are important for healthy cell membranes that act as a passageway for nutrients to get in and waste to get out. Products such as Xango Ageless (found at xalo.xango.com), containing Lychee Prophenol from the lychee fruit, also aid in healthy skin appearance.

 

 

Don’t Skimp on the Beauty Sleep

Not getting enough rest makes you look worn out and old, not to mention the hideous dark bags under your eyes. Keep a regular sleep routine, avoid caffeine and heavy meals before bedtime, and keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cool.

 

 

Exercise

Regular exercise promotes healthy circulation that keeps your skin healthy and glowing. When you move around, you increase blood flow. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to cells all over the body, including the skin.

 

 

Cleanse and Moisturize

Gently wash your face morning and night to remove dirt and bacteria. Moisturize to protect the skin from the drying effects of weather and pollution and to help maintain the skin’s natural moisture levels.

 

Follow those 6 easy steps and say goodbye to dry, dull, lifeless skin and hello to a radiant, youthful appearance. You’ll look better, feel better, and I guarantee everyone will notice.

Categories: anti-ageing, diet and health, essential fatty, fatty acids, Healthy, healthy skin, nbsp, nbsp don, nbsp nbsp, Recommended Levels of Sleep, skin, skin cells, skincare, Smoking

Bed Time: How Early Should You Send Your Kids to Bed?

Different parents have different approaches to family wellness, because, if families are all different, surely that makes things like setting a bedtime subjective, right? Not according to Suzanne Morgan, who, as the Head teacher of a primary school in Sussex, has written an open letter to parents, urging them to put their children to bed earlier. In her letter, Morgan wrote, ‘Obviously we can only talk to children about good habits and about the need for a definitive amount of sleep at their age,’ but what did she mean by “definitive”? Did she mean that this was serious stuff she was dealing with or is there a one-size-fits-all wellness-boosting approach to bedtime?

Until kids are two, it is recommended that they sleep 14 hours a day, albeit not continuously. If you’re honest, it’s hard to see why a two-hour post-lunch nap and a 7pm to 7am bedtime aren’t advisable for your wellbeing too! Up to the age of six, your children are meant to drop that nap and just stick to a solid 12 hours a night (you’ll know it’s about that time when they start screaming ‘I’m not tired!’)

From the ages of seven to 12, children should shave an hour or two off what they currently have, but even if you decide that they still need the full 12 hours, don’t worry, they’ll probably outwit you and play videogames in the dark. In her letter, Morgan warned parents that she frequently witnesses pupils acting out Call of Duty in the playground, but she’s probably forgetting when she read scary stories under the duvet with a torch and acted them out. Come on, we all did it.

At the age of 12, right up until you kick them out the house and make them get a job, children are meant to get eight or nine hours of sleep every night. Seeing as we adults are supposed to be in the seven to nine-hour region ourselves, this means that, at least in one respect, your little one is all grown up. However, as teenagers are growing more rapidly, and probably spending more time out and about with friends, it’s probably wise to get them sleeping as much as possible, to make them as pleasant as possible. However, that’s if they’ll listen to you!

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Bed Time: How Early Should You Send Your Kids to Bed?

Categories: Advice, Bed Time, Recommended Levels of Sleep