Antioxidant-rich Foods for Skin

Caring for your skin is so important. Not only do you look better and healthier, good skin habits can produce positive rewards in making you feel better about yourself. It doesn’t hurt that others will also take notice too!

Eating well is essential for your overall health and for your complexion.

If you stay clear of greasy foods like french fries, potato chips, eating excess amounts of starchy foods as well as sugary foods like cakes, cookies, and candies, you’re well on your way to having great skin. Of course, you can eat these types of foods occasionally, but it’s important to keep them to a minimum.

Invest in Yourself | Healthy Kitchen Tools

Now we also have healthier choices for the above foods. For example, instead of greasy fries from your local fast food joint, why not invest in an air fryer and make your own at home! Not only will your food be less greasy, but you’ll also be able to eat your most desired craving, but do so without all of the excess calories!

Remember, everything in moderation and balance. As long as you don’t go overboard, you should be fine. But eating healthier fruits and vegetables along with drinking plenty of water can help in the process.

Your Skin & Aging

Did you know that for those who age gracefully, it can be a very emotional experience?

Why you ask?

Well, what happens is that they look so amazing and are constantly reminded and told how young they look, these comments can be emotionally uplifting!

Imagine people coming up to you and asking you what it is you do because you look so fabulous! Well, here's their secret… They eat antioxidant-rich foods!

What are antioxidant-rich foods you ask?

Well, these are foods packed with minerals, phytonutrients (disease-fighting chemicals), vitamins, fiber, fruits, and vegetables.

These foods actually counteract the effects of cellular damage, making the skin look brighter and younger.

Want to know more?!

Here are the 10 Most Potent Antioxidant-Rich Foods:

• These foods were tested by the Department of Agriculture recently. Actually, they tested over 100 different foods and identified these ten as having the highest antioxidant content.

  1. Raspberries

  2. Blackberries

  3. Cranberries

  4. Pinto beans

  5. Wild Blueberries

  6. Prunes

  7. Artichokes

  8. Farm blueberries

  9. Red kidney beans

  10. Adzuki beans

  Do you notice the pattern here?

  Eight out of the ten most powerful natural antioxidants are beans or berries!

  Remember, you don’t have to only eat these foods by themselves. You can freeze them and mix and match them with each other or with vegetables for a more balanced meal or as a healthy snack!

  Indulging in a wide variety of food blends, shakes and smoothies can be not only a healthy treat but can also be satisfying and tasty too!

  So, why not add some servings of these antioxidant-rich foods today.

  Your body will love you for it and so will your skin!

Essential Oils for Health and Wellness

Essential Oils & Health | A true gift passed on from ancient times.

Essential Oils and Health

Essential oils are an ancient gift that has been passed on for future generations.

It is amazing how such a natural herb can produce so many positive health benefits. It works with our emotions giving us positive relaxing vibes when we smell these aromatic gems.

It's truly remarkable how such a simple natural herb can also benefit those with various health conditions and discomforts.

Relaxation can also be derived from aromatherapy essential oils.

Many may not be knowledgeable about the natural therapeutic gift behind these oils because we are so busy working endlessly in our hurried lives - often gravitating towards easy pharmaceutical fixes, that we often ignore the natural treasures that exist around us.

Did you know that stress is the leading cause of illness in most people today?

The effects of stress are cumulative and can lead to several health problems.

Without taking the time to relax and recharge, the body can become overwhelmed and breakdown, leading to headaches, eye and neck strain, backaches, poor concentration, anxiety, injuries and essentially - burnout.

Take a look at these statistics! Did you know …

• Over 50% of lost work days are stress related which keeps about 1 million people per day from attending work. (Occupational Health and Safety News and the National Council on Compensation Insurance. (U.S.A))

• Up to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints. (Occupational Health and Safety news and the National Council on Compensation Insurance (U.S.A.)

• Health care expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

• 40% of job turnover is due to stress. (American Institute of Stress).

But what is most astounding is that by taking a little time out to relax, we can see a huge decrease in our stress levels.

• Actually, research indicates that a 15-minute chair massage results in decreased job stress, increased speed, accuracy and alertness… (Field, Ironson, Pickens et. al. (1996).

  Massage therapy reduces anxiety and enhances EEG pattern of alertness… (International Journal of Neuroscience 86, 197-205).

  Are You a Caregiver?

  Many individuals that stay at home with kids can also feel overwhelmed. It is very important to set up a schedule of events for each day breaking down each task so that they are more manageable..

  Here are some tips to help you relax your daily routines:

• Cleaning the house? Tackle one room at a time. Let your kids understand the schedule of events and that certain times of the day is your time. Take this time out to get the work done that you need to get done. If you explain the importance of this mommy or daddy

  time, your kids will surely understand.

• If you’re a parent, co-op with other moms and dads in your area and swap babysitting, meals or shopping trips. This can be mutually beneficial and very rewarding.

• Take some time out to exercise.

• Take the kids out for some activities.

• Go for a walk.

• Exercise not only stimulates the release of endorphins (the body's natural stress-fighters), it is also an excellent aid in lowering stress hormone levels. It's also great as a stress release making you think less about the mental demands around you.

• Take time out for a relaxing bath or pamper yourself. Give yourself a facial steam or do your nails.

• Use essential oil scents to help you relax and unwind from the daily grind. Essential oil candles and diffusers make this easy!

  Essential Oil Relaxers

  Lavender and bergamot are great relaxers.

• Add a few drops of either of these essential oils to a diffuser or simply add some drops to a tissue or some pot pourri so the aromas can spread throughout the room. This will make for a more relaxing experience while giving your rooms a delightful scent.

• Remember, in order to release the stress from within, breathe and exhale and focus on pure calm to make this experience more beneficial.

  Make quite time for yourself daily for a more rewarding experience..

  Take out at least 15 minutes a day.

  Your body will love it!

Journaling Tips for Beginners

Journaling is one of the most therapeutic activities that you can do. Taking the time to journal or note-take your day can help you not only release all of the thoughts you’re experiencing for any given day, but it can also help give you better perspective on your life.

Journaling can be a one year log of the events, feelings and happenings in your life. But it also allows you to record the plans for your future.

You should try to start a new journal each year. But if that overwhelms you, you can begin with 3-6 months at a time and then continue on from there. It's a good way to set targets and goals for yourself. But I'd recommend yearly so that you can see your overall progress at the end of the year.

Choosing to take a moment out of your day to write down your thoughts is a great way to reflect, organize your thoughts as well as release your feelings on paper so that you can review them at a later day. It allows you to see your journey first-hand, while allowing you to re-evaluate the changes you’d like to make in your life.

Tips and Techniques for Journaling

• Get a book that allows you to journal comfortably. Whether you want one that’s lined or prefer one without lines because you love drawing pretty pictures to coincide with your journal entry, it’s up to you. They also have dot journals (called bullet journals) that kind of give the illusion of lines and blank pages, but allow you to keep your entries neatly aligned throughout your pages.

  This ensures you won’t have any lines slowly going down the page diagonally because you’re challenged when it comes to journaling on blank pages (without any structured lines).

• Also be sure to choose a quite place to sit where you can relax and empty your thoughts on pager.

• Be sure to use a marker or pen that doesn’t bleed through your pages. You should test your journal book beforehand to ensure it’s all good!

• Consider using journaling prompts if you have no idea what you want to write about. These prompts can guide you along as you write, while allowing you to truthfully release your thoughts without the extra stress of coming up with something to write about. Lots of gratitude journals do this, but you have to know your purpose for journaling first before you know what type of journal you want to choose. There are so many types, from fitness journals, to gratitude journals to dotted bullet journals that are free-range allowing you to create your own prompts and release whatever thoughts come to your mind.

• Schedule time for daily journaling to ensure you do it.

• Be consistent - don’t stop! Continuing your journey of journaling will give you insight into how you’re feeling, which will in turn help you to make positive changes with your routines and overall lifestyle.

Benefits of Journaling

1. Stress Relief - By writing things down it can be like a brain dump that allows you to get your thoughts out on paper. It frees you from keeping it inside. Writing your thoughts down allows you to release the stress of having to hold in that information. One it's released, you can now feel a sense of relief, allowing you now to use that "empty space" in your brain for newer things.

2. Frees the Mind - Creative flow of writing things down (whether on paper or on a writing device like an ipad - notetaking app, you're able to write and doodle anywhere on the page. Creativity has been proven to relieve stress and boost those happy endorphins! It gives your mind the freedom to breathe and explore without any restrictions to your creative flow.

3. Stengthens the Mind - Journaling, writing and creating is like a mental workout. Since it's relaxing, it's a way to keep your mind sharp and it helps to strengthen the brain.

4. Notetaking adds to retention of information. This is proven when students take notes for tests. They retain more once it is written down. The same is true for our journal. Once we write things down, those goals, thoughts and expectations for ourselves are front-and-center. Even if in our subconscious mind, it is more actively at the forefront, allowing us to take action and prioritize the positive changes we choose to make in our lives.

Focus on taking time out each day to journal. You may be surprised with how much you learn about yourself and your relationship with others as well as become more in tune with your dreams and goals for your life.