Love your skin pt.2

So you've been seeking ways to keep your skin looking young and fresh and you've tried some of the tips that we talked about in part 1.of love your skin. If you are wanting to grow old gracefully (or even disgracefully) all you have to do is Exercise on a regular basis, eat well and sleep well.Simple right? Well if was so simple why are so many people suffering with different types of degenerative diseases? I'm not going to attempt to answer that question in this particular article, however am going to give some more top tips how you can have fantastic looking skin.


1.Stay away from alcohol. Now i know we all like to have a drink from time to time and i even mentioned in part 1 how I've been partial to the odd cigar, but drinking on a regular basis is not the way forward if you're looking to have youthful radiant skin.Your liver and your kidneys are responsible for filtering out rubbish in your body, but if you are continually giving them lots of work , i.e filtering out alcohol, they will become over worked which will inevitably lead to skin problems.
Alcohol is quite literally a poison to the body (one which i admit makes us feel great!), but your body doesn't want or need it. So it is important to remember that we should only drink in moderation. When you do drink, try having water along with your drink. This will help stop becoming dehydrated. Also think about having protein and fats which will help the rate at which you metabolise the alcohol.

2. Drink Plenty of water.
I know you know this, but the truth is many of us spend the majority of the day dehydrated. Tea & coffee do not count as they have the opposite effect and help to dehydrate your system. We as humans are 75% percent water and when we are correctly hydrated  the body will function optimally; this includes having lovely skin! You should be drink between 2-4 liters of water daily! It may sound like allot but you need it! Now i am aware there are a number of debates about the best source of water; should it be tap, bottled, filtered, spring or mineral water. I'll save that debate for another time, but in my opinion bottled water is best, ideally organic spring water. This does have a negative environmental impact, but for the sake of this post I'm going to suggest this as a better source of water. Tap water contains chemical additives such chlorine which when digested regularly, will impact on the your health negatively.

3. Reduce your drug usage.
You may think I'm referring to recreational drugs, and i am, but I'm also talking about prescribe drugs. Over reliance on drugs will have a long term negative effect on your body. Now i recognise that use of prescribe drugs for many people is not an option. Because of certain conditions, they have to take medication. But for many of us the best and easiest form of medication is physical exercise and a good diet! We have been brain washed into thinking that we should reach for the pills or tablets if we have slight head cold, but often these minor ailments can be dealt with by eating certain foods. Having good clear skin will be much easier if you reduce the amount of drugs you use.

4.Get Outdoors.
You ever wondered why you feel so much better when the sun is out? Well its a number of factors; but  the simple fact is the sun helps you feel better on so many different levels; and if you want to have lovely skin getting good exposure to sunlight is vital! Ultra violet rays such as A & B are important to the body and the best ways to get these are from the sun. For a number of us, when we refer to sun exposure it often means sunbathing or sitting on a beach and relaxing. Now, I've never been one for sunbathing (yes really!!)  but OVER exposure to UVAs is detrimental to your health. Getting outdoors in the sun will not only help your tan, but also give you a great source of vitamin D which is important for healthy skin production.
Exercising outdoors is a super way to keep fit,enjoy the fresh air and feel free from overcrowded  gyms. If you want to join a fantastic outdoor exercise group where you can have great fun, a real good workout with really cool like minded people click here!

5. Eat well & have beautiful skin

I've saved arguably the most important point till last. It's not rocket science that having a well balanced diet is the foundation to maintain good health. So it goes without saying that if you are going to have wonderful smooth and sexy skin, you have to eat well. Eating well though is not easy to do, there is so much information out there when it comes to diet and nutrition its very difficult to make the right choices for you and your family. But her are some quick food choice tips to remember in your pursuit of healthy beautiful skin.

a.Citrus Fruit

Vitamin C found in citrus fruit will help your body produce natural collagen. Collagen is a protein that  helps build skin. The Vitamin C will help keep your skin tight and firm.
b.Nuts
If you want to fight against 'skin-ageing' free radicals, consume nuts that are rich in Vitamin E such as almond nuts. They help promote antioxidants activity which assist and support your skins ability to retain moisture.
c.Red and Green Vegetables



Now these are just a few ideas of  how you can have lovely skin and by following these tips, they will offer many more benefits than just great looking skin! We want you to have a better understanding of food and how you can enjoy it whilst trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle; start to see food as your friend and medicine and not the enemy. We have an exclusive 'Nutritional seminar evening' organised just for you and a friend or partner. This is a fantastic night to come and enjoy some great healthy food, to start to learn and understand the real truth about food and  how it effects your health and your skin and socialize with some great people with a drink in the lovely Gusto Bar.


The evening is an exclusive night with limited places available. Click here to reserve your place.
Thanks for reading the  post and I'll see you at the Gusto Restaurant for a super evening of food!

Book your place NOW

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Love your skin pt.1

It's been a harsh winter, and we still have a few more months to go before we can even begin to think about spring. The cold winter months can take its toll on your body in many ways leaving you  feeling far from your best. We spoke about how you can keep warm over the winter months in my previous blog. Here are some facts and tips about how you can keep a nice warm healthy look and feel by loving your skin!

1.Did you know that the skin is the largest organ of the human body! In the average adult it covers about 3000 square inches and weighs around six pounds, which is nearly twice the weight of the human brain or liver. The skin receives about one third of the blood that circulates through the body. It’s rugged, flexible and practically waterproof. The skin can regenerate and repair itself under most conditions. The skin also helps in the dissipation of sweat. as you can see it does a lot of jobs so its key to treat it right.  
2. Wash & Clean.
Its very important to clean your skin. The skin can appear clean even when not.But as you go about your day, dirt particles can block the pores of the skin. Also proper cleansing will remove make up sweat and allow the skin to breath and function correctly. When washing don't scrub too hard, scrubbing your skin too hard will remove natural oils that help  the skin to regenerate and keep a good Ph.
3. Get regular good night sleep
Sleeping is the time body goes to work to repair the daily damage that has be caused from your every day activities. Having a regular good night's sleep will help the body replenish and restore the skin, helping you to feel and look more energized and fresh.

4. Exercise often
I'm obviuosly going to endorse exercise, because, a). i'm a Personal Trainer and b). exercise has so many benefits it's insane for anyone not to exercise! However regular exercise will help keep your skin young with a good level of elasticity which is vital to slow down the aging process and who doesn't want that! AND you don't have to exercise all the time and go for it like a mad hatter too! Simple activities such as walking, cycling, Yoga & Pilates classes are all great simple forms of exercise to keep you look and feeling young and fresh faced. So if you're not an exerciser, you need to get involved in exercise Today!

5. Don't smoke.

OK, for those of you that know me well, you will know i enjoy  a good Cuban (cigar) on special occasions (the last time was my youngest sons first birthday) so what i'm not going to do is to take the "Hollier than thou" attitude and preach to those who choose to smoke. But for those of you who do like to smoke on the regular, be aware of the dangers and why it will be hard to keep young looking skin when being a smoker. Smoking causes premature aging and yellowing of the teeth and skin. The tobacco that is released into the air dries out your skin while the smoke you inhale contricts the blow flow to the blood vessels, therefore preventing your skin from essential nutrients that your body supplies. I could go on but you get the picture. Trying to maintain healthy skin and smoking reguarly is hard if not impossible, so don't smoke! 

6. Moisturize

We all have different types of skin, dry skin, thin skin, oily skin, and depending on your type of skin, will determine the best type of moisturizer for you. There are many types of moisturizer claiming to do  different things, weather it's to firm the skin, reduce wrinkles or remove cellulite. If you are unsure its best to speak with an expert beauty therapist. This also includes you too fellas! moisturizing is not exclusively for women. Males too will benefit from using the right type of moisturizer. So if your looking to keep your lady or even impress a new one, keep your skin looking fresh to death and apply a moisturizer!


Now for the most part, these tips and hint's to promote and keep good skin, have focussed mainly on external factors. However, please don't kid yourself and think that by looking at these areas alone will help you to develop and keep fresh and young looking skin. Your skin and its complection and quite simply a reflection of what is generally going on inside. If your are healthy and well on the inside, it will show on the outside. Some of us do have certain skin conditions that will make us exception from this, but generally your skin will respond well to a healthy balance diet with good variety included. 


IN part 2, we'll be giving you some more simple tips and pointers to help promote a balanced diet and keep your skin looking and feeling great! We'll also have details of our first Optimum Health pts Nutritional seminar of 2011 at Gusto's Restaurant  where you can come get top nutritional advice and try out some new healthy options which you can then try at home!


Talk soon!


Mike.