As we mentioned on previous blogs pores on men’s skin are considerably larger than women’s. Due to this, they are more likely to clog. That’s why daily cleansing and weekly exfoliation are just as important for men as they are for women. This is especially true during summer, when men’s skin tends to be more active and produces a lot more oil.
As we all know, stress has a direct impact on our health. For a number of reasons, we tend to overreact to certain everyday situations. This leads to a true human paradox that makes stress harmful. Our body can easily deal with the typical stress signs – increased heartbeat, general muscular contraction, hyperventilation and sweating – on a relatively frequent basis. But what happens when the stress response is triggered too often?
Cutting stress is key for the preservation of our health and to help our skin look young and luminous.
One of the skin’s most amazing attributes is its ability to absorb nutrients from the blood stream and from the surface. The latter has historically been the target of the skin care industry with the developments of creams, lotions and serums. On the other hand, taking supplements for healthier skin became a revolutionary trend about a decade ago.
As you may know, we are big fans of facial exfoliation. The process of exfoliating helps remove debris and dead skin cells, leaves pores unclogged and does wonders for your skin. Exfoliating once a week with a good scrub cream, mud mask or other exfoliate will help your skin look and feel smoother, tighter, firmer and illuminated.
In the same way vitamins A, C, E and Beta Carotene help improve your skin through lotions and creams; they also have the same effect when you eat foods enriched with them. Foods like plums, berries, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe and green will help you battle free radicals that cause wrinkles, age spots and saggy skin.
Working out isn’t only great for your keeping your muscles lean and your heart healthy, it also plays a big role in how your skin battles the signs of aging.
Stronger and firmer muscles give the skin a better supportive surface, not to mention helping the skin detox itself. Detoxing is important because it keeps free radicals at the lowest possible levels. The lower the free radicals, the healthier your skin is.
So you may be wondering, “Lifting weights? I don’t want to be a bodybuilder!” And the truth is, you don’t have to be. Using very moderate weights and having good form is all you need to tone up.
Consistently working out your muscles (while making sure you give your body enough time to rest) will help boost the anti oxidative mechanisms and structural tissues in your body. The firmer your muscles are, the better your skin will look.
Hitting the gym is a great start, but remember to incorporate cardio into your routine. Activities like running, swimming, jogging or cycling will complement your workout, help burn fat and keep your heart healthy. With the weather heating up, it’s a great time to go run or cycle at your favorite park or around the block.
Breaking up your weight training workouts with cardio sessions is a great way to keep your muscles active and you won’t get bored!
Staying lean won’t just help the muscles in your body, it will also help the muscles in your face as well. You’ll start to notice more tone and firmness, which will help counteract winkles. Just make sure to continue sticking to your daily skin care routine.
What are some of your favorite workouts? Have you already started your new spring routine or do you have any questions on getting started? Let us know! Don’t forget you can always contact us on Twitter or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you.
Image: Lululemon Athletica, "Run:Swiftly Tech SS & Run:Speed Shorts", via Flickr Creative Commons Attribution
Hopefully the weather is warming up wherever you are and you’re starting to plan some awesome outdoor activities with your friends and family. We hope you’ll be putting on some sunscreen or sunblock to keep your skin protected from the sun. However, with such a large range of SPF’s out there, which SPF should you be using?
For everyday use you should be using at least an SPF 15 on your face. No matter how cold, hot or cloudy it is outside, UV rays will still affect your skin. Remember: these can lead to sunburns, wrinkles and eventually saggy skin.
If you plan on spending a 2-3 hours outside at a barbecue or gardening, you need to protect your entire body, not just your face. Since your skin will be exposed to direct sunlight for a longer amount of time you should use at least an SPF 20.
If you’re planning on spending the entire day at the beach or by the pool, reach for an SPF of at least 30 and apply it to your whole body. As the weather heats up, the harmful effects of UV rays intensify so don’t forget to reapply! This is especially true if you spend a lot of time in the water or if you’re sweating.
With little league baseball and summer soccer leagues starting up it’s very important to slab on sun protection on the kiddos! Kids below 10 are particularly susceptible to sun damage since the outer layer of their skin is thinner. Because of this use at least an SPF 30 on your kids’ skin and reapply every hour and a half to keep them safe from those painful sunburns.
Putting on sunscreen can be particularly difficult on your kids (no matter what age). What tricks do you have to keep them still? Please share them! If you have questions or comments about SPF or other skin care issues, please leave them below. You can also send us a Tweet or write on our Facebook wall.
Image: Catherine, "Family Playing on Beach", via Flickr Creative Commons Attribution
Taking care of your skin is similar to working out. Just like it takes time to tone up your arms, tummy and legs, your skin needs time to get in shape. As many see, dedication leads to fantastic results.
However, this doesn’t mean your skin care routine should be exactly the same all year round. Just like you don’t work out just your arms for months at a time, you need to switch things around.
We are all familiar with stress. Whether it comes from the office, family or simply driving through rush-hour traffic, stress has a definite impact on our health and skin.