When you have a healthy and radiant-looking skin, people instantly assume that you are taking real good care of your body, particularly your skin. The skin is actually regarded by many as a mirror of oneself, in which it is a reflection of how one takes care of his body.
Of course, to keep our skin looking beautiful and young, proper skin care is really necessary. See, there are a lot of skin care regimens that people can adapt and practice everyday, and there are also a number of skin care products available in markets today that are formulated to maintain the natural suppleness of the skin.
Meanwhile, skin care does not necessarily have to cost you a lot of money. As for skin care products, learn how to choose products that are not too expensive yet provide excellent skin maintenance results. Treatments, on the other hand, do not really need to be high-end and costly. Simple treatments like facial are usually the ones needed by the skin.
What is a facial treatment?
A facial is a form of serious skin care treatment that nourishes, exfoliates, and cleanses the skin, thus, promoting a well-hydrated, smooth, and clear complexion. This type of skin care is in fact regarded as one of the most popular and in-demand spa and salon treatments today.
There are a lot of tools and equipment used in facial treatments. Among them are the following:
1. Facial chair or bed 2. Magnifying lamp 3. Facial steamer 4. Small trolley 5. Cotton and cotton pads 6. Gauze 7. Towels 8. Head covering 9. Facial massager 10. Cleansers, astringents, sanitizers, moisturizers, creams, 11. Facial masks
What are the basic procedures in a facial treatment?
The following are the basic steps in a facial treatment:
1. Facial cleansing 2. Skin analysis 3. Exfoliation using steaming 4. Extraction of blackheads 5. Facial massage to relax the body and stimulate the skin 6. Application of facial mask 7. Application of protective creams and toners
How often should you get a facial treatment?
According to dermatologists and skin care specialists, people should get a serious skin care facial treatment every four to six weeks. The ideal number of times to have facial treatments is four to five times a year. Those who have skin complications like acne may need to get a facial more often than the usual recommended times to get it.
As for the cost of the treatment, it varies depending on the price offerings of spa and salon establishments. The packages and add-ons on the procedure make the cost of the treatment higher.
Furthermore, those who cannot afford to get a facial treatment at spas and salons can opt for a home-made facial treatment. A quick facial regimen that can be practiced at home includes that following easy-to-do steps:
1. Splash your face with warm water. 2. Massage your face using olive oil. 3. Thoroughly scrub your face with a half-teaspoon of sugar. 4. Wipe your face with a warm wet cloth.
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Am I Healthy?: The Ten Best Ways to Measure Your Health and Fitness
How does one measure health? It depends on who you ask. A physician may measure health in terms of lab values – cholesterol, blood sugar and so on. A personal trainer might tell you that your body fat percentage is the best indicator of good health. You might base it on what the scale tells you or how your clothes fit.
I’m a big believer in monitoring all of these things and then some. Seems like a big job, but really it only takes a few minutes to do each one, involves inexpensive equipment or can be a regular part of a visit to your physician. I call them "The Big Ten Health and Fitness Measures."
Weight
BMI (Body Mass Index)
Body composition
Measurements
Resting and target heart rates
Cardiorespiratory fitness
Energy level
Blood pressure
Glucose & cholesterol
Pain
Why keep track of all these things? First, because there isn't one single good way to define what makes a person healthy or fit. For instance, just because you are at a healthy weight, does not mean that you don't have high cholesterol. Also, it can be discouraging to use just one method. You may find yourself in a situation where even though you did not lose any weight in a given week, you may have lost inches.
Monitoring several indicators of health and fitness helps you to get a well-rounded picture of your entire self. We do not judge our children in just one subject at school right? And just because the child does poorly in math does not mean he won't excel at other subjects. And just because you have not lost any weight on the scale does not mean that your waist isn't getting smaller.
Secondly, we have all heard the adage, "a problem defined is 95% solved." Knowing your target ranges for health indicators like weight, body fat and BMI can help you to define what you need to work on. You avoid unnecessary changes and difficulties by having the correct information. For instance, someone with good cholesterol levels has no need for an ultra-low fat diet.
Third, it serves as a point of inspiration to see how far you have come. Since the changes you are making will be small and incremental, it may be discouraging at times not to see overt progress. However, by keeping track of a variety of fitness indicators, it is easier to see, in black and white, all of the progress you are making.
Jennifer D. Wetmore, DPT has been involved in health and fitness for over a decade working with a range of clients and patients from health clubs to hospitals. Dr. Wetmore is the author of "Small Changes, Big Results: The Health and Fitness Manual with the Secrets to Working Smarter, Not Harder." Please visit [http://www.LifeHealthPT.com] for more information about the Big 10 Health and Fitness Measures.
I’m a big believer in monitoring all of these things and then some. Seems like a big job, but really it only takes a few minutes to do each one, involves inexpensive equipment or can be a regular part of a visit to your physician. I call them "The Big Ten Health and Fitness Measures."
Weight
BMI (Body Mass Index)
Body composition
Measurements
Resting and target heart rates
Cardiorespiratory fitness
Energy level
Blood pressure
Glucose & cholesterol
Pain
Why keep track of all these things? First, because there isn't one single good way to define what makes a person healthy or fit. For instance, just because you are at a healthy weight, does not mean that you don't have high cholesterol. Also, it can be discouraging to use just one method. You may find yourself in a situation where even though you did not lose any weight in a given week, you may have lost inches.
Monitoring several indicators of health and fitness helps you to get a well-rounded picture of your entire self. We do not judge our children in just one subject at school right? And just because the child does poorly in math does not mean he won't excel at other subjects. And just because you have not lost any weight on the scale does not mean that your waist isn't getting smaller.
Secondly, we have all heard the adage, "a problem defined is 95% solved." Knowing your target ranges for health indicators like weight, body fat and BMI can help you to define what you need to work on. You avoid unnecessary changes and difficulties by having the correct information. For instance, someone with good cholesterol levels has no need for an ultra-low fat diet.
Third, it serves as a point of inspiration to see how far you have come. Since the changes you are making will be small and incremental, it may be discouraging at times not to see overt progress. However, by keeping track of a variety of fitness indicators, it is easier to see, in black and white, all of the progress you are making.
Jennifer D. Wetmore, DPT has been involved in health and fitness for over a decade working with a range of clients and patients from health clubs to hospitals. Dr. Wetmore is the author of "Small Changes, Big Results: The Health and Fitness Manual with the Secrets to Working Smarter, Not Harder." Please visit [http://www.LifeHealthPT.com] for more information about the Big 10 Health and Fitness Measures.
Creating Health and Fitness Goals Year Round
You don't have to wait until New Year's Day to implement resolutions to improve your health and fitness. Regardless of the month or day, you can take action now to achieve your health and fitness goals. Here are some tips to get you started: * Select one area to work on: Many people make the mistake of trying to make himself or herself into a new person overnight. It's unreasonable to expect yourself to, at the snap of a finger, change habits that you have spent years cultivating. Instead, select one health and fitness area to work on.
* Select a specific goal: Saying that you "want to lose weight" or "get in shape" is too vague. You need to come up with a concrete goal in order to measure your progress and celebrate your success.
* Select a realistic goal: If you've been a sugar junkie for 20 years, you can't expect to go cold turkey overnight. You may be able to cut sugar out for a few days or even a few weeks, but you won't be able to keep it up for the rest of your life.
* Opt for incremental change: In the sugar scenario, outline a series of steps you can take over time to achieve your goal. The first step might be to switch from regular soda to sugar-free soda. After successfully doing that for a month, tackle the next step - maybe a switch from regular to sugar-free ice cream, or restricting desserts to weekends only. Incorporating small changes over time dramatically increases the chance that you'll make it a permanent lifestyle change.
* Get some support: In a society that supersizes everything, it's never easy to stick with your health and fitness goals. Enlist the help of a friend, family member, or co-worker - someone who will help you stay with the program. If your goal is to go to the gym three times a week, for example, knowing that your friend is waiting there for you might be just the incentive you need to make sure you follow through. For extra motivation, put a dollar in a jar every time you go to the gym, then treat yourself to something special at the end of each month.
* Celebrate your success: We're quick to beat ourselves up when we don't reach our health and fitness goals, but we rarely celebrate our successes. When you've achieved one of your goals, give yourself a pat on the back. Treat yourself to a massage, a new pair of shoes, or a night out with your friends.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Visit this Health and Beauty Website and Majon's Health and Beauty directory
* Select a specific goal: Saying that you "want to lose weight" or "get in shape" is too vague. You need to come up with a concrete goal in order to measure your progress and celebrate your success.
* Select a realistic goal: If you've been a sugar junkie for 20 years, you can't expect to go cold turkey overnight. You may be able to cut sugar out for a few days or even a few weeks, but you won't be able to keep it up for the rest of your life.
* Opt for incremental change: In the sugar scenario, outline a series of steps you can take over time to achieve your goal. The first step might be to switch from regular soda to sugar-free soda. After successfully doing that for a month, tackle the next step - maybe a switch from regular to sugar-free ice cream, or restricting desserts to weekends only. Incorporating small changes over time dramatically increases the chance that you'll make it a permanent lifestyle change.
* Get some support: In a society that supersizes everything, it's never easy to stick with your health and fitness goals. Enlist the help of a friend, family member, or co-worker - someone who will help you stay with the program. If your goal is to go to the gym three times a week, for example, knowing that your friend is waiting there for you might be just the incentive you need to make sure you follow through. For extra motivation, put a dollar in a jar every time you go to the gym, then treat yourself to something special at the end of each month.
* Celebrate your success: We're quick to beat ourselves up when we don't reach our health and fitness goals, but we rarely celebrate our successes. When you've achieved one of your goals, give yourself a pat on the back. Treat yourself to a massage, a new pair of shoes, or a night out with your friends.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Visit this Health and Beauty Website and Majon's Health and Beauty directory
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Women's Health Solutions to Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Are you tired of those days of the months where you can not zip up your jeans without having to lay down on the bed, breathing in, or jumping up and down to get into one leg? Then you get irritable to top it off? You are not alone. Ninety percent of all women suffer from different degrees of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Marilyn Glenville, PhD, wrote in her book Natural Solutions to PMS that there exists up to 150 possible symptoms that can make you feel terrible and that there are ways to treat some of the most common premenstrual problems.
Mood Swings The idea here is to gain control of your blood sugar by eating small meals regularly. Failure to heed this advice allows your blood-sugar level to decrease and adrenalin levels to increase. The hormone, adrenalin, screws up your normal hormone balance resulting in mood swings. Eliminating caffeine and sugar from your diet will also help prevent irritability. After three menstrual cycles, you will notice a real difference. Keep a stash of health snacks such as nuts, oatcakes, and fresh fruit to minimize your craving for foods that will make you feel worse. Definitely, cut out potato chips and chocolate from your diet. To combat a mood swing, take a multivitamin containing large amounts of B vitamins. This helps to reduce stress and give you more energy.
Bloating You need to stay hydrated. Not taking in enough fluids makes your body retain any existing fluid you have. This results in swelling, which makes it difficult to fit into your clothes. Minimize or eliminate your salt intake in the weeks prior to your menstruation to help reduce PMS bloating. Eat lots of watery foods, and cut down on your caffeine intake because it can dehydrate you thus worsening your problem. To deal with bloating, drink herbal teas containing natural diuretics like dandelion, watercress, and celery to minimize your body's water retention.
Fatigue Maintain your blood sugar. This is tantamount to ensuring there is enough gasoline in your car to keep it going. Eat snacks often so that you do not "crash" in the late afternoon. If you consistently feel fatigue, check with your health care provider to eliminate the possibility of anemia or thyroid disorders. To help eliminate fatigue, consider taking coenzyme Q10 (coQ10). Coenzyme Q10 helps to release energy by burning fat. It is a great vitaminomimetic (vitamin-like substance) in case PMS causes you to feel excessively sleepy or tired late in the day.
Headaches and breakouts The liver is responsible for detoxifying all hormones your body makes when you are in the premenstrual mode. When the liver does not function as it should, symptoms manifest themselves in the form of skin breakouts or PMS-related migraines and/or headaches. Do not overwork your liver by drinking alcoholic beverages since alcohol will take priority in the liver's metabolic functions over the hormones. To minimize headaches and skin breakouts, consider taking milk thistle which enhances liver function. Zinc supplements are optimal for the skin and general menstrual hormonal imbalances.
Breast tenderness Water retention is primarily the cause of breast tenderness. In addition, there is a molecule found in coffee and chocolate called methyl-xanthines that can make the breasts feel very tender and uncomfortable to the touch. Get rid of these from your diet and concentrate on being properly hydrated. To help get rid of breast tenderness, vitamin E has been shown to be beneficial for premenstrual breast pain and swelling.
Cramps Get regular exercise to relieve cramps. The endorphins released are naturally occurring opiates. You do not have to engage in strenuous exercise, but consider doing something mild like yoga or cycling to help increase blood flow to the pelvic area and relieve cramps in the abdomino-pelvic region. Exercise also helps with any vomiting, diarrhea, and/or constipation that are many times associated with menstrual cramps.
For supplemental solutions to cramps, try magnesium to help relax the blood vessels and muscles. Magnesium helps to open up blood vessels and promote blood flow to the pelvic region. A lack of magnesium in the diet can cause blood vessels to become spastic allowing PMS symptoms to get worse.
Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS SuperStore. This virtual store sells not only personal defense items but also nutrition products such as women's multivitamin supplements, marine coral calcium, energy supplements, vitamin E supplements, heart health supplements, and weight and fat loss supplements.
Mood Swings The idea here is to gain control of your blood sugar by eating small meals regularly. Failure to heed this advice allows your blood-sugar level to decrease and adrenalin levels to increase. The hormone, adrenalin, screws up your normal hormone balance resulting in mood swings. Eliminating caffeine and sugar from your diet will also help prevent irritability. After three menstrual cycles, you will notice a real difference. Keep a stash of health snacks such as nuts, oatcakes, and fresh fruit to minimize your craving for foods that will make you feel worse. Definitely, cut out potato chips and chocolate from your diet. To combat a mood swing, take a multivitamin containing large amounts of B vitamins. This helps to reduce stress and give you more energy.
Bloating You need to stay hydrated. Not taking in enough fluids makes your body retain any existing fluid you have. This results in swelling, which makes it difficult to fit into your clothes. Minimize or eliminate your salt intake in the weeks prior to your menstruation to help reduce PMS bloating. Eat lots of watery foods, and cut down on your caffeine intake because it can dehydrate you thus worsening your problem. To deal with bloating, drink herbal teas containing natural diuretics like dandelion, watercress, and celery to minimize your body's water retention.
Fatigue Maintain your blood sugar. This is tantamount to ensuring there is enough gasoline in your car to keep it going. Eat snacks often so that you do not "crash" in the late afternoon. If you consistently feel fatigue, check with your health care provider to eliminate the possibility of anemia or thyroid disorders. To help eliminate fatigue, consider taking coenzyme Q10 (coQ10). Coenzyme Q10 helps to release energy by burning fat. It is a great vitaminomimetic (vitamin-like substance) in case PMS causes you to feel excessively sleepy or tired late in the day.
Headaches and breakouts The liver is responsible for detoxifying all hormones your body makes when you are in the premenstrual mode. When the liver does not function as it should, symptoms manifest themselves in the form of skin breakouts or PMS-related migraines and/or headaches. Do not overwork your liver by drinking alcoholic beverages since alcohol will take priority in the liver's metabolic functions over the hormones. To minimize headaches and skin breakouts, consider taking milk thistle which enhances liver function. Zinc supplements are optimal for the skin and general menstrual hormonal imbalances.
Breast tenderness Water retention is primarily the cause of breast tenderness. In addition, there is a molecule found in coffee and chocolate called methyl-xanthines that can make the breasts feel very tender and uncomfortable to the touch. Get rid of these from your diet and concentrate on being properly hydrated. To help get rid of breast tenderness, vitamin E has been shown to be beneficial for premenstrual breast pain and swelling.
Cramps Get regular exercise to relieve cramps. The endorphins released are naturally occurring opiates. You do not have to engage in strenuous exercise, but consider doing something mild like yoga or cycling to help increase blood flow to the pelvic area and relieve cramps in the abdomino-pelvic region. Exercise also helps with any vomiting, diarrhea, and/or constipation that are many times associated with menstrual cramps.
For supplemental solutions to cramps, try magnesium to help relax the blood vessels and muscles. Magnesium helps to open up blood vessels and promote blood flow to the pelvic region. A lack of magnesium in the diet can cause blood vessels to become spastic allowing PMS symptoms to get worse.
Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS SuperStore. This virtual store sells not only personal defense items but also nutrition products such as women's multivitamin supplements, marine coral calcium, energy supplements, vitamin E supplements, heart health supplements, and weight and fat loss supplements.
Maintaining a Healthy Diet - A Healthy Choice to a Healthier You
Maintaining a healthy diet is essential in every man's daily living. If you are dieting to lose weight, or you just want to stay healthy and free from illnesses and diseases, maintaining a healthy diet is one good way in living a healthy and happy life.
With the busy lifestyle we have today and with our demanding jobs, we tend to go for foods that are instantly prepared or something that we can munch or chew while on the go. We also tend to take in a lot of processed foods because we find them convenient and easy. And of course, the price we pay for convenience and 'fast' food is depriving our bodies with the proper nutrition it needs.
In this busy world, we ought to pause for a while and check on our diet. We may have realized about that many times, but like losing weight, we keep putting it off or we could not really find a motivation in maintaining a healthy diet.
What is Healthy
A healthy diet is one which helps you maintain good health and keeps your body away from diseases. It is a balanced diet that will help you get active in your daily life and that is something that will help your body perform at its best. Although different people may require different levels of what is a good diet for them, maintaining a healthy diet and a balanced one would mean eating a wide variety of foods that will give you the right combination of nutrients. It would mean lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet and lesser saturated fats.
Aside from giving your body the nutrients required to make it work and function well, good taste of course is also a factor. You do not have to sacrifice to a bland diet to make it healthy. In fact, fruits and vegetables have their own distinct and delicious taste. We just have to give time to prepare such natural sources of vitamins and minerals needed by our body, but in this busy world today, we seem to forget about it and switch to the most convenient and easy to prepare food.
How to maintain a healthy and good diet
Maintaining a healthy diet may indeed be a little difficult especially if we are constantly in a rush. One way of making a healthy and balanced diet is to choose healthier foods and do away with those fancy and fast foods. It is not hard to find a piece of apple for a snack or a have some vegetables for dinner. You just have to choose healthy foods while shopping or you can store them frozen.
Because certain foods give particular nutrients and benefits to the body, it is important that you maintain a healthy and balanced diet by taking in a variety of nutritious food. This way, you will be able to get a lot of different nutrients for your body. You may also change your diet depending on your existing health conditions.
Also think about just the right amount of food that your body needs. Obesity is a very common problem, and do not feed yourself more than what your body can take in. If you are obese, help take care of yourself by shedding those extra fats that your body does not need. When you trim down to your ideal weight, stay healthy by having a healthy and balanced diet.
Carolyn Anderson is a fan of healthy dieting without the added calories and fats. For recipes that will allow you to maintain your weight while having delicious recipes, check out Dieter Gourmet Cookbook. Also check out Day Off Diet, where you can learn losing weight without counting calories in your diet.
With the busy lifestyle we have today and with our demanding jobs, we tend to go for foods that are instantly prepared or something that we can munch or chew while on the go. We also tend to take in a lot of processed foods because we find them convenient and easy. And of course, the price we pay for convenience and 'fast' food is depriving our bodies with the proper nutrition it needs.
In this busy world, we ought to pause for a while and check on our diet. We may have realized about that many times, but like losing weight, we keep putting it off or we could not really find a motivation in maintaining a healthy diet.
What is Healthy
A healthy diet is one which helps you maintain good health and keeps your body away from diseases. It is a balanced diet that will help you get active in your daily life and that is something that will help your body perform at its best. Although different people may require different levels of what is a good diet for them, maintaining a healthy diet and a balanced one would mean eating a wide variety of foods that will give you the right combination of nutrients. It would mean lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet and lesser saturated fats.
Aside from giving your body the nutrients required to make it work and function well, good taste of course is also a factor. You do not have to sacrifice to a bland diet to make it healthy. In fact, fruits and vegetables have their own distinct and delicious taste. We just have to give time to prepare such natural sources of vitamins and minerals needed by our body, but in this busy world today, we seem to forget about it and switch to the most convenient and easy to prepare food.
How to maintain a healthy and good diet
Maintaining a healthy diet may indeed be a little difficult especially if we are constantly in a rush. One way of making a healthy and balanced diet is to choose healthier foods and do away with those fancy and fast foods. It is not hard to find a piece of apple for a snack or a have some vegetables for dinner. You just have to choose healthy foods while shopping or you can store them frozen.
Because certain foods give particular nutrients and benefits to the body, it is important that you maintain a healthy and balanced diet by taking in a variety of nutritious food. This way, you will be able to get a lot of different nutrients for your body. You may also change your diet depending on your existing health conditions.
Also think about just the right amount of food that your body needs. Obesity is a very common problem, and do not feed yourself more than what your body can take in. If you are obese, help take care of yourself by shedding those extra fats that your body does not need. When you trim down to your ideal weight, stay healthy by having a healthy and balanced diet.
Carolyn Anderson is a fan of healthy dieting without the added calories and fats. For recipes that will allow you to maintain your weight while having delicious recipes, check out Dieter Gourmet Cookbook. Also check out Day Off Diet, where you can learn losing weight without counting calories in your diet.
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