Celebrating without a Wrinkle

Christmas is a joyous time when we celebrate the best in us as we become more focused on the needs of others.

And for mid life baby boomers this festive time can momentarily depress us with the sudden appearance of sagging skin at our cheeks or additional lines around our eyes and mouth- known or not known to us to be suggesting the negative occurrences in our bodies.

We put our personal needs aside to indulge our love ones. We exhaust ourselves shopping for just the right gifts and preparing to host and attending celebrations.

Then there are the late nights with too much food and drink - hopefully just - while partying.

Add in the cold dry weather and the decreasing sunshine to further challenge our bodies’ endurance.

So what can you do to minimize the affects of holiday celebrations on your looks and your health.

Here are 5 easy suggestions that will give you big results for your efforts.

Get enough sleep by napping before a late night. This “beauty sleep” will give you the energy to keep your metabolism optimal
Keep your skin moist to ensure capillary health and good circulation. A quick and simple way to do this is to wear a serum under a rich moisturizer.
Keep warm so circulation is optimal so cells are nourished. Easily done by wearing a hat and gloves anytime you are outdoors. A hat helps with hair health too.
Exfoliate and moisturize your body to keep it youthful. It also improves circulation and you will find you feel warmer than usual this time of the year. And if you make it a habit your skin will be irresistibly soft by Valentine’s Day.
Drink warm liquids. Calming herbal teas, nourishing soups and comforting hot chocolates can help keep you warm and moist inside out.

“What Should I do when I get home late and don’t have enough resolve to cleanse off make up?” is a common question from client. Cleansing facial skin nightly of make up, dirt and pollution debris is important. But if you can only manage to drop into bed, then I would highly advise applying a rich mask, heavy moisturizer or facial oil over your unwashed skin before sleeping.

This will help you reduce the negative effects of self indulgence as moist skin is healthy skin and is therefore more resistant to old make up and pollution debris. This simple act will keep skin cells moist so that your morning after skin will be more normal and less dehydrated, dull or sensitive.

Beauty + the Global Warming Beast

How Global Warming affects Your Health and Appearance and How Small Daily Acts can create a Beautiful World

Are you are paralyzed to the point of neutrality by the news on Global Warming? Are our government leaders and our world leaders frustrating you as they declare 10% reduction of CO2’s by 2050 as you learn that the Arctic is becoming downright balmy and the melting glaciers are causing island nations to become history like Atlantis?

Do you feel like the only person who understands that Nature is not being heard at the negotiations in Copenhagen, yet Her timeline and Her ratios are the only ones that really matter? Well you are not alone!

Global warming is not just being felt in the weather. This year many of our clients have noticed unusual problems with their skin. Acne and skin sensitivity has become a problem for those with a lifetime of clear even complexions. It has also become a problem for those who take good care of their health and skin.

The unexpected and unseasonable changes in our weather are affecting our skin and health. On the macro level we need to push our leaders to be wise and to be visionary in balancing our priorities of economy and environment. On the micro level we can contribute positively to the preservation of our planet with small everyday act of conservation and consideration.

It’s Win-Win as the things we can do will also make us more beautiful both physically, mentally and emotionally.

We can mitigate the effects of the weather on our health and the appearance of our skin with the help of Ayurveda. Becoming more aware of the day to day characteristics of the weather, we can balance its affects on our physical and mental health with diet, activity and herbal supplements. With a basic understanding of skin health, we can rebalance our skin daily with 3 simple vital skincare products. You neutralize the effects of the fluctuations in humidity and the temperature with the appropriate serum, face oil and a good moisturizer. Sunscreen in a foundation will make you a sure victor.

Your call for lower CO2 emission will result in better air quality, which will reward you with the lessening of the effects of pollution in prematurely aging our skin. Thereby saving us the mental anguish of “anti-aging” or doing something irrational like injecting our faces with toxins we wisely try to avoid in our foods and our cosmetics.

Repairing our ozone reduces the harsh affects of the sun’s rays on our skin. Skin cancer is not the only negative effect of over exposure to sun. Premature skin aging is a more eminent result and even the young suffer the aftermath of a sunburn with blotchy or overly sensitive skin.

Walking or cycling, even taking public transit can lessen the sedentary aspect of our lives along with lowering our personal CO2 emissions. You can save money spent at the gym and create more meaning and interest in your exercise.

Eating locally can greatly reduce your carbon foot print but it will make eating to balance your day to day health easier. George Ohsawa, the founder of the Macrobiotic diet, advocated the importance eating of naturally and locally grown foods to promote personal health and even happiness. For more on this and on George Ohsawa go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrobiotic_diet .

Finally – stop cluttering your life with the spoils of so called successful bargain hunting trip and contribute to good Fengshui. Fengshui is the art of placement or decorating your home to improve your prosperity and health in life. For more on Fengshui go to http://www.malcanarrol.com/.

Clutter is one of the biggest sins of Fengshui and a real pain if you clean your own home.

Simple rules for to incorporate low carbon footprint habits in your life are;
Feel connected to your environment
Use natural products
Buy Locally produced and grown products
Choose Re-Use before Re-Cycle
Be a Minimalist and be proud of your frugality