Ok let's face it, nothing belies our age more than how we look and the first thing that people notice about us is our skin. The skin serves several purposes , actually. Besides being the largest organ in the body it serves multiple physiologic roles. First, it respires and helps us cool off by sweating during hot days and during exercise. It also serves to warm us via the amount or layer of fat underneath. It also absorbs a key vitamin from the sun for us, Vitamin D. This vitamin is essential for a whole list of physiologic processes in our body including how we metabolize calcium. The skin also acts as our first layer of defense against harmful pathogens and toxic substances. It also serves as a medium by which we feel the world via touch. So the skin serves a myriad of purposes for us. It is therefore important that when wounded or cut proper wound cleaning and dressing must be implemented to facilitate optimal healing.
But enough of the medical stuff, here's the good part. Younger looking skin can be had NATURALLY. That's right, you read that correctly-naturally. Here are the 7 steps to beautiful and younger looking skin.
#1. Get enough sleep
#2. Exercise
#3. What you eat matters
#4. Drink a lot of water
#5. Grow your own moisturizers
#6. Stay away from the sun
#7. Don't smoke and don't drink alcohol
SLEEP
Sleep is an important part of our daily cycle. A full 8 hour sleep gives our bodies a chance to replenish energy, rid of harmful wastes and toxins, and rejuvinate key enzymes in our cells. Sleep also allows our bodies to produce hormones which controls the way we metabolize our food, the way we react to daily stresses, and replenish cellular nutrients. Our skin benefits from all these processes.
EXERCISE
Exercise increases our metabolic rate and thus it also increases how me utilize nutrients and essential vitamins and minerals. By sweating we remove harmful waste products from our bodies that cause oxidative damage to our cells. Exercise also increases cardiovascular performance allowing key nutrients to reach our cells quickly and efficiently.
DIET
Ok, remember the old adage, "You are what you eat"? well, let's change that to," You look what you eat". This one factor alone is perhaps the most important of the 7 steps to younger-looking skin. Eating foods high in the anti-oxidant vitamins, Vitamins C, A, E, will help our skin looking younger. Aging, you see is brought about be damage to the millions of cells in our bodies via oxidative damage. Some cells we replenish, others we can't. Fruits and vegetables high in iron, beta-carotene, B-complex vitamins, and trace elements help with the turn-over rate of our skin cells, allowing the old dead layer of cells to be sloughed off replaced by new ones. Dark green leafy vegetables are good for your skin. The rule of thumb is anything that you can grow in your garden is good for the skin. Of the fruits, the ones to take note of are apples, bananas, papayas, avocados, watermelon, pineapple, peaches, and lemons. Remember that fruits that appear yellow or orange in color are high in beta-carotene, a powerful anti-oxidant.
WATER
Did you know that our bodies are made up of over 70% water? Our cells, too. Water is a key element and medium for cellular processes and we simply can't function optimally, or have optimal health for that matter, without water. The recommended 8-10 glasses of water a day should be adhered to. Drink more if you are the outdoorsy type.
ALOE AND YOU
Just this; buy an aloe vera plant, grow it at home in your kitchen, use it as a moisturizer, use it for minor scrapes and cuts, use it for minor burns, use it for insect bites. Period.
THE SHADE IS BETTER
Our skin color is dictated by how much of the pigment melanin we have in our skin cells. The darker we are in color the lesser risk we have for skin cancer. Lighter skinned people should stay away from the sun as they are at higher risk for skin cancer (Basal Cell Carcinoma).
NO SMOKING
There is a direct correlation between lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes with smoking, drinking, and excessive intake of fatty foods. So don't smoke, drink, and don't help yourself too much to those barbecued baby back ribs.
So there you have it folks, the 7 steps to beautiful, younger-looking skin. By the way, there is an 8th step but I will tackle this in a different post- ELIMINATE STRESS. Nothing makes you look and feel older than too much stress but enough of that. We will cover stress on a separate topic. Thank you and you guys take care.
Tip of the day: Don't dry yourself off first with a towel after a hot shower. Moisturize your skin first with lotion or a moisturizer before stepping out.
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