New Years Skin Resolutions

Well Christmas is finally over, and Im still full from all the baked goodies Ive been vegging on all week long while home with my youngins! Time to gear up for the new year! People across the world will be starting to ponder their NYE resolutions once again. While there may be a few things you want to work on in your life, I always suggest putting personal health, and your skin as top priorities. Unfortunately, more often than not, the determination to shape up lasts about as long as it takes the ball in Times Square to drop!

The key my friends is to think of something feasible! Think good resolutions you can make without major stress or strife. I figure as long as it helps me to make strides in the right direction, it’s worth it. There are plenty of easy, affordable ways to stick to your new years resolutions. Real skin care is much more than just skin deep. Your skin is a living, breathing organ of your body. As such, just like every other organ in our body, it needs to be fed from the inside – it requires nutrients.

Check out the 5 basic ingredients that you need to feed your skin. These could be some great suggestions for your 2012 resolutions and inspire you both mentally and psychically!

Good nutrition: Keep it simple, fresh and unprocessed. The cells that make up your skin need the right nutrients for proper development, and growth. Try starting to eat more organic, locally grown fruits, and veggies instead of meat. You could start with one meatless day a week and work up towards more days as you progress. Eggs also make a great substitute. They are full of essential vitamins and minerals, and provide a high-quality source of protein that has been shown to keep hunger satisfied throughout the day. Eggs are also a great part of a balanced diet for people trying to manage their weight for the new year. Attaining some of these healthy eating habits can even help reduce big world problems too like drought, soil depletion, and hypoxia.

Exercise: Okay, so this might coincide with a lot of people’s New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, but it is worth saying again. Many place the cliche label on “working out” as a new years resolution. Little do they know how easy it can be to place it in your schedule, or how beneficial that 15min a day can be to keep blood circulating to all of the skin on your body, creating new glowing cell regeneration. Hop on that treadmill!

Sufficient water intake: that’s a biggie. Most people (irrespective of were they live) will utilize around 3 liters of water per day. If you do not drink at least this amount, your body will either not function well (on some level) or it will take it from where ever it can. That is called dehydration. You know, dry lips, dry flaky skin, parched mouth, cracks on you tongue, premature wrinkles… the list goes on. So, drink up (water, mind you) or shrivel up – it’s up to you. Watch this video for extra inspiration and more facts about water and skin: http://youtu.be/CvxMV2DJPl0.

Sleep & Relaxation: Adequate rest and relaxation: don’t work yourself to an early grave – it’s not worth it. Make sure you get the sleep you need. Did you know that a study in England showed that your IQ (intelligence) drops if you do not have 8 hours sleep per night? Think about it, do you get more work done if you feel well rested? Can you concentrate better if you’re not tired? – I bet you can. Some people might scoff at the idea of making a New Year’s resolution to sleep for at least 8 hours a day, but it is a very valid resolution, especially for your skin. Not only can sleep help you keep those dark circles under your eyes at bay, but it also reduces stress, which can cause allot of skin problems you will read more about below.

Stop Stressin: Did you know that stress can cause wrinkles, and acne? Sorry to say, but its true! Stress not only affects acne flare-up, in general it worsens the overall skin condition. It induces the adrenal glands into overproduction of cortisol, a steroid, which in turn makes sebaceous glands produce more oil and make skin extra oily. This the reason why in stressful periods, people experiencing an increase in acne get more inflamed, pus-filled papules than simple whiteheads or blackheads. Stress can also decrease the wound healing capacity of immune systems up to 40%. This factor doubles the impact of stress on acne, and the possibility of acne scaring (especially if you are picking your face). Wrinkles: A small but significant study in 2004 showed the first link between chronic stress and aging. This study showed that telomeres (structures at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with aging) also shorten prematurely in persons experiencing long-term psychological stress, in effect, prematurely "aging" the cells. Stay Positive: Everything happening in your life, you have attracted. Its true. We are like magnets. Like attract like, you become and attract what you think. If you think about what you dont want, you will attract more of that. How can we tackle our negative thoughts? By watching our “feelings”, and shifting your awareness. Start feeling GOOD this year, and the universe will react accordingly. For more info on positive thinking, you might enjoy this movie/book-> http://thesecret.tv/.

I really hope 2012 brings you beauty, confidence, and prosperity. Take advantage of the momentum that the new year brings. A chance to have a fresh start! Progress = happiness, and the new year can mean a new life. Make 2012 your best year yet. 

Oh, and as always, choose organic beauty products & skincare!

Love and Encouragement,
-BeautyCritic Ashley!