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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Skin Care and Anti-Aging Methods

Today, it seems people spend a lot of time, energy and money trying to maintain a youthful look. the store shelves are lines with miracle products claiming they will keep you looking young and beautiful, despite your current condition or age. Do any of products actually deliver? No. There is no miracle product that will keep you looking young forever, however, taking good care of your skin will keep you looking and feeling fresh and healthy no matter your age.

Wrinkle Prevention

As you age, facial wrinkles will appear. Skin cells begin to die at a rate faster than your body can create new ones. Skin loses elasticity and fine lines appear. There are several factors that can increase the appearance of lines and wrinkles, including sun, diet and anxiety. These factors increase free radical damage which, in turn, causes premature aging. To prevent wrinkles, it is important that you understand what causes them.

Sun Protection

The sun is a major factor in premature aging. the best defense against aging is to protect your skin from the sun. Although a little sun exposure is good for us, it is best to apply a moisturizer with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 or higher to reduce premature wrinkles. An SPF should be applied year-round since UVA/UVB rays are present during the winter months as well. If possible, avoid the sun during the middle of the day during the summer, and wear a hat when you are outside.

Diet

Certain foods are particularly beneficial in warding off premature wrinkles. These include omega 3 fatty acids (found in food such as salmon and flax seeds), vitamin C (found in blueberries, strawberries and citrus fruits), vitamin E (found in many seeds), and anything containing antioxidants (such as green tea).

Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety have been shown to advance the aging process. Most of us arent in a situation where we could quit our stressful jobs, but there are ways to reduce your stress level. Try activities that you enjoy, such as walking, swimming, dance classes, karate, yoga, etc.

Natural Skin Care

Be wary of those that recommend treating skin conditions with medications with potentially irritating side effects, such as cortisone. Instead, first try natural alternatives when treating your skin for burns, eczema, acne, sunburn, or other conditions. Following are natural alternatives to use for treating skin conditions:

  • Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera is a natural plant used to heal skin conditions without side effects. In particular, it is used to treat skin conditions such as cuts, burns and eczema to ease pain and reduce inflammation. Aloe Vera can found in a gel form or purchased as a plant where you can break a leaf off the plant as needed. It should be applied liberally for as long as needed.
  • Emu oil. Emu oil is used topically to soften skin and is frequently found in ointments for dry cracked heels. Studies have shown it is effective in reducing scar formation in healed burned wounds. Since Emu oil contains traces of three of the essential fatty acids Omega 3, Omega 6, and Omega 9 the oil is used to treat many skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, shingles, rosacea, skin irritations and dry skin.
  • Red clover. Red clover is effective in treating skin conditions caused by heat and dryness, such as allergic dermatitis and eczema.
  • Neem. Neem is a plant that is similar to Aloe Vera and just as beneficial in treating various skin disorders. In particular, Neem oil is useful for skin care such as acne, and keeping skin elasticity.

Before investing money in so-called miracle products, try some natural alternatives for treating skin conditions.

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com. At MyGuidesUSA.com (http://www.myguidesusa.com), you will find valuable tips and resources for handling lifes major events. Whether youre planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, youll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com. Find tips and resources on nutrition, childrens nutrition, diets and weight loss, weight management and more at http://www.myguidesusa.com/dietandnutrition

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Discover How To Lose 100 Pounds And Keep It Off Without Going On A Diet

You are staring at your umpteenth bland plate of salad or bowl of cabbage soup, while hubby and the kids tuck greedily into mouth-watering dinners. Does this sound familiar? How about the frustration of seeing the pounds you have just lost, reappearing out of the blue and bringing along a bunch of uninvited friends? What if you could discover how to lose 100 pounds in one year and keep it off permanently, without once taking a peek at a diet book or popping a weight loss pill? These 9 tips are all you need for a running start.

1. Stop The Couch Potato Syndrome

Every extra bit of activity helps you to lose weight and revs up your metabolism. Get going now! You don't necessarily need an expensive gym membership, an elliptical cross trainer or a stair climber. Why not try a dancing, yoga or pilates class? Or what about a swimming session, a brisk walk or a fun bicycle ride? Any activity is acceptable. Just choose something you will enjoy doing, otherwise you will soon be coming up with excuses to skip it. Exercise for half an hour five times a week and you will be burning roughly 98,800 calories extra every year (around 380 calories per day). The calories burned will vary according to your body weight, the workout you opt for, and the level of intensity. This vital step will make up to 28 pounds disappear over a period of a year.

2. Kick The Tea and Coffee Sugar Habit

Are you dumping teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar into your beverages without thinking? By reducing your sugar intake by one teaspoon in three cups of tea or coffee per day, you will save 75 calories daily. This adds up to 27,375 calories every year, or around 8 pounds of body weight. Your taste buds will soon adjust. In fact, within a week or two, you will begin to detest overly sweet tea and coffee.

3. Skip The Whole Milk, Take The Skim Milk

While on the subject of tea and coffee: Did you know that whole milk has a fat content of 4%, whereas skim milk comes with less than 0.5% fat? This reduces one cup of skim milk's calorie count to 86, compared to whole milk's 149 calories. Switching to a cup of skim milk a day will reduce your calorie intake with 60 per day. In one year, this is a further 22,000 unnecessary calories. This translates into 6 pounds weight-wise.

4. From Full-Fat Yogurt To Fat-Free Tubs

Why not exchange the 6 ounces of full-fat yogurt for 6 ounces of the fat-free variation? This will take away another 100 calories every single day, without a noticeable change in taste. Taken over a year, the count is a whopping 36,500 calories. There goes yet another 10 pounds of flab.

5. Hold The Mayonnaise

You don't have to cut this delicacy out completely. Just be somewhat less generous with it. If you can reduce your daily intake by 1 tablespoon, you will bank another 90 calories a day, or an astonishing 32,800 calories per year. Who's game for dropping another 9 pounds of body weight? All this while you still indulge in your regular, healthy recipes.

6. Way Less Wining

Say no to 4 fluid ounces or roughly 120 milliliters of wine a day, and you will reduce your diet and nutrition plan's calories by 100 a day. Tot these up and you reach 36,500 calories per year. That is another fairly easy to maintain 10 pounds in one year.

7. Stop The Soda Streams

While on the subject of beverages, you may want to take a look at those cans of sweetened soda guzzled down without a thought. A single 12 ounce (355ml) serving daily comes at a yearly calorie cost of 65,700! Breaking this habit will take care of 18 pounds of flab and fat. In fact, these numbers are likely to be even better, as many servings these days are more in the 20 ounce or 42 ounce region. Measure out 250 cups of sugar, and you will see what you or your kids gulp down in a year. Is that a scary thought, or what?

In addition to the weight you will lose, your digestive system is likely to function more efficiently. You will also have a less acidic body, making your insides less of a breeding ground for ailments. Your wellbeing will improve drastically once your body's PH gets into a more normal range. You will also support your dentist less regularly. Don't worry, you won't die of thirst. How about drinking some ordinary water, fresh veggie juice, or one of the refreshing, unsweetened iced teas on the market? You body will see this as much needed health news.

8. Preserving Your Health

Another simple to implement change is to swop your twice-a-day two teaspoons of sweetened jam or preserves for one of the tasty low-sugar alternatives. This trims another 64 calories a day, or 23,360 calories yearly. Do you choose a jam jar body, or 7 pounds less in the flab department?

9. Potato Chip Pounds Or Popcorn?

Every time you crunch through one small bag (1 ounce or 28 grams) of potato chips, you add 150 calories, with loads of fat and no fibre. In contrast, 1 cup of air popped Sour Cream & Chives popcorn is fibre-rich and fat-free and weighs in at only 50 calories. This is another massive saving of 100 calories. If this swop happens just 3 times a week, you have taken off 15,600 calories in a year, or 4,5 pounds.

None of these changes are huge, but the results can be life-changing. Best of all, they can be sustained without hardship. By taking a look at what you eat, you should be able to dream up at least another 10 tips to cut calories. By doing so, you will be creating your own easy-to-manage weight loss diet plan. You will also be setting a sensible example for your kids, demonstrating that the diet-treadmill isn't the one they should be trying out.

So, stop doing the diet. Just do the math. Implement a few smart, sensible choices and you will have a workable, long-term weight loss plan.

Best-Juicing.com: Get the FREE Fat-Burning Secrets Series, and read the Juicing For Weight Loss article at Best-Juicing.com - by Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com, where she shows you how your day job can become something of the past. Copyright of this article: 2007 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.

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