Archive Monthly Archives: January 2018

Skincare:Take a Holiday From the Holidays

January 2, 2018

Cleanse your skin twice a day.

Sure, you look forward to the family gatherings and parties, but after the holidays, sometimes you feel like you just need a vacation.

It’s all fun and games while you’re eating to your heart’s content, but once the party ends, you look at your waistline and your skin, and you think, “I need a vacation.”You’re also probably staying out late, overindulging on sugary treats and alcohol. All of these can contribute to tired, dull looking skin. So here are three easy steps to get your skin healthy and glowing.

Use a Cleanser
Cleanse your skin in the morning and at night before going to bed. Make it a routine, just like brushing your teeth. Avoid harsh, ordinary soaps, and choose cleansers that are gentle, dermatologist tested and sulfate free. Choose something that’s appropriate for your skin type. For dryer skin, select products with ingredients like aloe vera, which help to soften and moisturize the skin. If your skin is oilier, pick ingredients like orange or citrus oil, which can leave your skin feeling refreshed. Also, make sure to use lukewarm water when removing or preparing products before they go on your skin, as hot water may irritate it.

Hydrate Your Skin
You know about the importance of drinking water for the healthy maintenance of your body, but it’s also vital for your skin. When your skin is hydrated, it looks beautiful and has a radiant glow. A daytime moisturizer is essential to maintain your skin’s moisture barrier and nourish the skin. Look for added benefits in the product like vitamins A, C and E, which are antioxidants that prevent free radical cell damage. To make it easier on yourself, you should use a protective daytime moisturizer with a broad spectrum sunscreen already in it. The sun emits harmful UV rays all year round, even on days when it’s less sunny. These rays can not only burn your skin, but also contribute to skin aging, sun spots and skin cancer.

Exfoliate
Exfoliating your face can leave your skin looking smoother and brighter in minutes. It’s important to scrub at least once a week because it helps to remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. When you’re young, your body automatically sheds skin about every two weeks, but as you get older, that process is altered and slows down. Exfoliation reveals smoother, healthier looking skin. Also, it helps to remove the barrier that prevents your skincare products from penetrating into your skin and gives you the benefits they have to offer. Look for products with blueberry seeds, grapefruit, pomegranate or jojoba beads. These types of ingredients can help you achieve soft, smooth skin.
The New Year is a great time to get started on a healthy skincare routine and it only takes minutes. Remember, the skin is delicate and it needs to be taken care of, so look for quality ingredients that’ll deliver results.

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Your New Year’s Fitness Questions Answered

Eat carbs and protein before your workout.

The start of the New Year is a great time to set new fitness goals and work towards living a healthy, active life.

There’s something about January 1st that motivates people to strive to be better versions of themselves. The start of the year is an ideal time to set new personal fitness goals , try out new exercise routines and revamp nutritional habits. But with so many options and so much health and fitness information online and in magazines, it’s not surprising that a lot of people have questions about how to get started with a new plan.

The following answers to common fitness questions can help get you on your way to achieving your New Year fitness goals.

I’m new to exercising. Where do I start?

Getting started with an exercise plan may seem daunting, but once you get going it will feel very natural. The most important thing is to listen to your body. Push yourself enough so that you feel like you’re challenging yourself, but not too hard that you risk getting injured or feeling terribly sore the next day.

Here’s a stepped approach to getting fit:

    • • Perform simple stretches to ensure you’re moving your muscles and joints through their full range of motion each day.

 

    • • Increase your daily activity level by taking the stairs, parking in the furthest space from the store, get into gardening, dancing or playing with your children. Just get moving.

 

    • • Start adding regular walks to your day. You can slowly increase your time until 30 minutes feels comfortable. Then increase your intensity level by walking faster. Start including varied terrain such as hills, and then progress to a jogging or running pace.

 

    • Perform body weight resistance exercises such as simple squats, lunges and push-ups, then progress to using weights.

How much exercise do I need?

There are several sources that recommend about 30 minutes of exercise, five times a week for weight-loss and general health. This is classified by moderate to vigorous physical activity. However, let’s say your goal is to run a marathon. In this case, you’ll need to train for a lot longer than 30 minutes at a time. If your goal simply is to lose weight or improve your overall fitness level, 30 minutes may be all you need. Striving to achieve the minimum recommended amount of activity is important for everyone.

What should I eat before I work out?

Eating a snack that contains carbs and protein before a workout can provide you with energy, keep you focused and give your body what it needs to build muscle once the workout is over.

What is the best exercise for getting a flat tummy?

There are so many great exercises that target the tummy area, but your diet is the most important factor for weight loss. One of my favorite ab exercises that I add to my weekly workouts is:

Forearm Plank (60 seconds)

    Place your forearms on your exercise mat in line with your shoulders. Plant your toes into the ground so that you’re using your core strength to hold your forearm plank. Take deep breaths and be sure not to put too much pressure on your neck or back. Your abs should be working to hold you up.

What is the biggest mistake people make at the gym?

Improper use of equipment. They perform exercises incorrectly and end up injuring themselves. So, don’t be afraid to ask a trainer how to use the equipment.

What would you recommend for a quick 20-minute workout?

When you only have 20 minutes to squeeze in a workout, first try to do 10 minutes of cardio. This can be a mix of jumping rope, burpees, jumping jacks and high knees running. Then spend another 10 minutes focused on functional, strength-based exercises, such as squats, lunges, push-ups and planks. If you work at a high intensity and take short, active rest periods, 20 minutes can feel like an hour.

I feel so tired after work. Should I still workout?

It’s okay to workout if you’re a little tired. Powering through exercise can actually help energize you. Exercising regularly has numerous benefits. It can improve your muscle strength, boost your endurance and deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues to help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily tasks.

Use the start of the New Year to your advantage. Set some new goals, devise a fitness plan and make this your best year ever.

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Save Time with These 8 Make-Ahead Meal Ideas

A little food prep goes a long way.

Here’s how an hour or two of food prep on the weekend can help you put together healthier meals for the entire week.

Make-ahead food ideas help me stay organized, save time and always provide something healthy and delicious for when I’m hungry. I like to spend an hour or two on the weekend preparing some staple foods that I can use all week. Take a look at my top eight make-ahead food ideas.

Salad Greens

Pre-washed salad greens are convenient, but they can be pricey. Instead, I buy a variety of lettuces and greens, break them into bite-sized pieces for salads, then wash and spin them in my salad spinner. Then (don’t laugh) I put them in a pillowcase and store them in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. The salad spinner gets the greens really dry, and the pillowcase works better than plastic bags to keep them fresh and crisp. The greens don’t get soggy this way, and they stay fresh for a full week.

Pre-cut Vegetables

I pack a salad nearly every day for lunch, and I make a salad almost every night for dinner, too. To make it easy, I prepare a lot of different veggies and store them in individual containers in the refrigerator. My standbys are thinly sliced cucumbers, red onion and bell pepper, grated carrots and chopped parsley. To prep my food ahead of time, I often blanch some broccoli or cauliflower florets or roast some zucchini slices or asparagus spears in a hot oven and chill those. These veggies quickly and easily get worked into my lunch salad and dinners throughout the week.

Pan-Seared Chicken Pieces

Cooking some chicken in advance is a real lifesaver for me. Starting with about two pounds (1kg) of chicken tenders (goujons), I sprinkle them with a little salt, pepper and paprika. Then I brown them on one side in a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I flip them over, add a few tablespoons of liquid to the skillet (white wine, broth, water, or lemon juice), cover the skillet and let them cook for 5-6 minutes until they’re done. I often add these to lunch salads, stuff some into whole grain pita pockets with veggies and hummus, or use them to make a quick soup or pasta for dinner.

Beans or Lentils

Slow cookers are great for making homemade beans or lentils. I like to slow cook black beans with onions, garlic and spices. Once they’re cooked, I keep them in the refrigerator to mix into my salad for lunch or use them as a base for a soup or chili.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

Eggs are one of the best protein sources around, and it only takes a few minutes to hard boil them. I use hard-boiled eggs as a protein source in my salads, and I often grab one for a quick snack. I like to spread a rice cake with some grainy mustard then top it with a sliced egg and some of my sliced vegetables.

Tuna Salad

When I have tuna salad in the refrigerator, it’s a lot easier for me to work more fish into my diet. I mix flaked tuna with either mashed avocado or hummus, a little mustard and a lot of chopped vegetables (again, those pre-cut vegetables). It serves as a protein source for my salad at lunch, or I’ll use a little scoop for a high-protein snack on some whole grain crackers.

Hummus

Hummus takes only a few minutes to make and will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a week. It’s also very inexpensive to make, compared with the price of store-bought versions. Start with a can of beans (garbanzos/chickpeas are traditional, but other beans work just as well). Drain the beans, rinse and drain again, then whirl in the blender with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until smooth. Hummus with raw veggies makes a great snack, but I also use it in place of mayonnaise in tuna or egg salad, or I’ll thin it down with a little vinegar and water for a delicious salad dressing or sauce on steamed vegetables.

Salad Dressing

Bottled dressings are expensive and often high in salt, sugar and preservatives. Making your own dressing is simple and allows you to control the ingredients. I mix two parts olive oil to one part acid (citrus juice, vinegar), then add salt and pepper to taste. I vary the acid and often use a blend, like lime juice and rice vinegar. You can experiment with adding dried herbs, mustard, garlic powder or onion powder.

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