6 Steps to Healthy Skin
- Just Drink the Damn Water– This step is #1 because it is probably one of the most important in maintaining healthy skin. Your skin needs water to glow and to be healthy. If your skin is not getting enough water, the lack of hydration will make your skin flaky, tight and dry. Your complexion might also appear uneven and fine lines very noticeable. Proper hydration helps the skin to become plump and improves its elasticity. Hydrated skin will be less likely to have irritations and blemishes. You have probably heard over and over again to drink 8 glasses of water a day, which can seem overwhelming. This is not the best advice on water intake, as every person’s body is different in size and activity. If you are not regularly active and do not exercise daily, it is recommended to be drinking a minimum of ½ your weight in ounces of water. For example, if you are 160 pounds then you want to drink at least 80 ounces of water a day. If you are active and work out daily, you want to drink at least 140-160 ounces of water a day. The more active you are, the more you sweat and lose water, so you will need to constantly be replenishing that. You also want to avoid caffeine and alcohol as it can increase the amount of water you lose from your body. Consuming too much caffeine or alcohol can dehydrate your skin, make your skin look dull and it decreases the toxins your body can flush out.
- Healthy Diet- We all know our skin reflects what we put in our body. If you are like me, it is hard to pass on the pizza and French fries which are not the best foods for your skin. However, if you minimize the greasy foods and add in a few of these extra foods into your diet you could eliminate some of the guilt when you eat poorly. Citrus is one food to add into your diet to help your skin, it is enriched with vitamin C and helps your skin to appear renewed. Avocados are also a skin glowing food, they are enriched with nutrients like vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin and healthy fatty acids which all promote healthy skin. You want to also make sure you are taking your daily vitamins to get in all the nutrients and vitamins your body needs. So, enjoy that extra side of guacamole with no guilt and minimize the greasy food intake!
- Sleep- It is called “Beauty Sleep” for a reason! Your body needs sleep to feel energized, refreshed and to allow that skin to glow. Make it a point to go to bed early to avoid any needed caffeine to function. Your body needs adequate time to recover and sleep can do a body and skin good!
- Exercise- As if eating right and avoiding greasy foods isn’t enough right? Well, to maintain a healthy body and glowing skin you have to exercise daily. Move your body every day for a minimum of 30 minutes. That can include running, walking, yoga, dancing, gym session, etc. Whatever gets your body moving daily, do it consistently every day. On rest days, just walk or do yoga stretches, but stay consistent! Exercise is a natural remedy to help turn dull, tired skin to appear healthier and brighter. Exercise helps to increase blood flow to the surface of the skin, which helps skin appear healthier and give it that natural glow.
- Add Collagen to your diet- Collagen in a protein that serves as one of the main building blocks for your skin, hair, bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. It helps to keep your skin from sagging giving it that young youthful look. Your body naturally makes collagen, unfortunately this production slows down with age. It is said that women can lose up to 30% collagen production in the first 5 years of menopause. Since we can lose so much as we age, adding a collagen supplement to your diet would be a great way to increase your collagen, all while taking advantage of the benefits of beautiful skin as it aids your bones, ligaments and muscles. Personally, I started taking collagen after my morning runs to help eliminate soreness in my muscles, bones and ligaments and I quickly started to see the benefits to my skin in addition. My face started to have that “glowing” look and I was impressed with the results! Here is a link to the collagen powder I use (Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Powder Supplement) and I also included listed my Yummy Collagen Smoothie Recipe for you to try below!
- A Consistent Morning and Evening Skin Care Routine- It truly all comes down to creating healthy habits. Wiping off the make-up, washing your face, using a toner and night cream are all part of a healthy skin regimen. One important product to make sure to have as part of your regimen is a day moisturizer with SPF. Protect your skin and avoid direct sun for long periods of time. When out in the sun make sure to add that extra layer of SPF protection and wear a hat if possible, to help keep the skin glowing and avoid the wrinkles. For some of my favorite skin care products, click the link to my Body Shop at Home Store and shop some quality skin care products that are vegan friendly, great for the skin and affordable!
Please note, I am not a doctor, or beauty expert by all means! I simply love sharing what works for me in hopes that it can help someone else. It truly all comes down to creating daily disciplines in your life to maintain overall healthy skin and lifestyle and following these 6 steps can really help. I recall a season in my life when my skin and hair just looked horrible. It was dry, flaky, brittle, and felt like sandpaper. I went to the Doctor and she immediately wanted to put me on a prescription, which I was not ok with. So, I did my research and started doing all the above steps to help change the challenges I was having with my skin. It took a few months of consistently doing it all to really begin to see a change in my skin. The dry patches went away, hair growth came back, and my skin started to look refreshed and feel soft. I hope that these tips can do the same for you!
