Transformation

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“You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire Universe, deserve your love & affection”.                                                                                                                                                                   ~ Buddha

Thin to Win?

There seems to be a paradigm shift upon us, one that Up Beauty is all about. Thin used to be the measurement for sex appeal; HEALTHY, STRONG and FIT are now the new sexy!

How many times have you seen “too thin” models portrayed as role models for the fashion trendy? The hidden message is “this is what we should look like”. And most recently, the winner of this year’s ‘Biggest Loser’ show. We, quite frankly, were taken aback by the extent of her weight loss and her frail appearance in her final weigh-in clothes. For us, too thin is now sickly, not sexy. 

How does Self-Love tie in?

It’s time for some tough love on self-love. If we’re honest with ourselves, our need to be perceived in any particular way (skinny, affluent, happy, etc.) by others comes from uncertainty, fear, and a lack of self-love. This drives many things, with bodily image being very high on the list.

Self-love comes from acceptance. This means accepting what is, but certainly with the option of making positive changes where appropriate. The issue becomes where the need for change is coming from.

If we choose to become better in any way while feeling already worthy and loved, while exuding quiet confidence and stability, then thumbs up to self-expansion. But when the change process burn stems from an internal self- loathing, from lack and low self-esteem, a positive movement towards improvement becomes tainted as it’s driven by self-disdain. It’s paramount to figure out the source of our self-enhancement needs and adjust accordingly.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

When we have the courage to let our walls down, to know and embrace ourselves despite our imperfections, we become vulnerable. And while human brains are wired for survival, leading to competition, they’re also conditioned for empathy. We can relate when we see other people's pain.

Two things happen when we allow vulnerability into our lives: others actually can relate to us in more loving ways, and we break down the personal walls that limit us. By becoming more mindful of our thoughts and feelings while knowing and accepting our vulnerabilities, we, as well as others, learn to love us for us.

I got some sage advice many, many years ago and it goes something like this: We need to learn to love ourselves (and others) both for who we are, but more importantly for who we aren’t. When this metamorphosis takes hold, the result is that we lose our need to be accepted as we understand that we already are. That awesome feeling of being one in the world, as opposed to an alien in a foreign land, is priceless.

From this fantastic feeling of self-love, needing to appear thin (or wealthy, or perfect) will appear silly, at best. When we truly embrace ourselves as good enough, how we see things changes. Healthy, strong and fit will be the only thing good enough for the one you love – YOU!
 

PS: Has this “skinny” obsession ever taken hold of you? Do you have a friend or two that you see this trend in? Any diet yo-yo stories? Remember, vulnerability is a great place for beginning a positive transformation. Open up friends, we’re all about empathy, love and support...

Exercising When Sick?

You’ve been so good, regularly getting to the gym for your various cross training classes and exercise routines. Now, as luck would have it, you’re feeling under the weather – do you continue to push on or sit it out for a bit? Will taking a few days off hurt more than it will help?

Exercise and Sickness

The first thing to note here is that exercise, along with eating well and taking core nutritional supplements can boost your immune system to the point where you shouldn’t get sick very often. But nothing makes us completely impervious to the world of floating virus/germ galaxies out there waiting to inhabit our world.

If illness strikes, there are a couple of questions to ask before deciding to venture out to the fitness club or Crossfit gym, or even to go for a jog. Are your symptoms above the neck in the head area? If so, that usually signals a green light assuming you feel like it, for doing what you can in your exercise routine.

If you are experiencing stomach or muscle aches, bronchial tightness and/or a high fever the answer should be pretty obvious - stay home and rest. Medically speaking, exercise can raise your internal temperature, and logic would dictate that with a high fever already, this is not advisable. Plus, you’re intuition will most likely kick in and keep you on the couch as long as necessary.

If you decide to give it a go, keeping solo (jogging/walking or working out at home) and out of the masses is wise so as not to spread what you have. Also if you are working out by yourself and/or at home, you can dial it down in your compromised state. In addition, you can rest if and when you need without the pressure and competition of a class dynamic.

Will it be Hard to Resume Where I Left Off?

Whether ill or not, resting the body for a couple of days in a row can be good for you, especially if you regularly push hard for several days in a row. Fitness experts agree that taking time off for sickness should not greatly hamper your overall fitness level.

Just as you need to adjust your exertion levels when exercising while less than 100%, so do we need to gently ease back into our previous routine. The number of days we actually are down and out (based sickness severity) will correlate directly to how fast we get back to “normal”, both at work and in the gym. Common sense needs to be your guide here.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

When it comes to exercising while under the weather, only you and your intuition know for sure if it’s appropriate or not. Trust your gut, but with using our simple guidelines as a road map. As noted above, resting can be good for you as long as you don’t milk your couch time unnecessarily. As with everything in life, balance is your friend.

           “If we could give every individual the right amount of nutrition and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”

                                                                      Hippocrates

 

PS: Have you ever judged or gossiped about someone at the gym who was obviously sick, but was working out anyway? Did they give it to you? Have you ever been the ill workout addict who should have stayed home? Give it to us... (no, not your germs, silly)

Skincare At Any Age (Part 2!)

In our last blog, we set the stage, as well as laid out a progression from basic skin care for the 20 something’s into some small changes we could make for our 30’s. Now we are going to present some ideas for turning up the volume for the 40’s and beyond, so as to age with health, wisdom and grace well into our golden years.

Skin Care for our 40’s and Beyond

As we age, our skin tends to thin and therefore becomes drier. This can usually be recognized on some level by the time we enter our 40’s. With this assumption in mind, the majority of us will be using a creamy cleanser after 40. Sun protection containing SPF 30 or more is still paramount for preventing aging as well as the very real threat of skin cancer.

In general, moisturizers should become thicker and more protective to compensate for our aging skin and the changes taking place. Using a specific day and night cream, often with different areas of skin benefits (example – day cream to protect and hydrate, night cream to feed and restore skin) is also suggested.

Serums with such buzz word ingredients like antioxidants, peptides, Retinol, Vitamin C, and phyto-nutrients are among the favorite treatment products that should be utilized from this point forward. Using serums allows the layering of products, while providing the skin with more treatment options.

When it comes to eye creams, the same ingredients listed above highlight the more treatment-oriented solutions. Skin Care in this age range hopefully becomes an investment rather than a cost. All products, possibly with the exception of cleansers, should generally cost more as our age/need/benefit increases. Be mindful to make the proper investment for your advancing age needs if you expect to defy Father Time.

Other Treatment Options

Let’s run over some more serious treatment options that we can couple with our day-to-day home skin care for more dramatic results. Getting facials at a Day Spa, with or without such advanced add-ons like peels or machine-based treatments, can be a wise investment choice. This way we also can solicit the professional recommendation of our Skin Care provider (Esthetician) for a custom home skin care regimen.

Medical Spa treatments, including Botox, tend to ratchet up the risk/reward quotient. Injections, more powerful machine-based and acid peeling procedures all have bigger impacts on the skin, but come with their own set of possible side effects and invasiveness. Only you know what your own philosophical and financial limits are in regards to these options.

As a last resort are Plastic Surgeons, offering the most intense and invasive of treatment choices in our quest for age defying results. From minor to major surgery, we can have our faces manipulated for the better. Or at least usually, as too much of a good thing is, w e l l...take a peek at Joan Rivers for your answer!

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

To us, aging gracefully combines the wisdom of picking your battles, living healthy from the inside-out including eating well, taking nutritional supplements and exercise, staying mentally and relationally engaged, and of course treating your skin with reverence. Only you know your limits in the pursuit of youth, but to us, humbly accepting and surrendering to that which is inevitable is also part of the process.

      “To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living.”

                                                                                  Henri Frederic Amiel
 

PS: Where do you draw the line on the Fountain of Youth game? Do you have any juicy stories to share? What wisdom could you share with us? We’re all ears (since we haven’t had plastic surgery to make them smaller!)

Skin Care At Any Age

How can we change our skin care routine to fit age related needs? This question may raise some debate as many of the experts say we should adjust our skin care as we get older, but others disagree. As in most things, the truth probably sits near the middle as there are valid arguments for each side. We land on the ‘change is good side’ of the debate.

Skin Care for 20 Something’s

Always use a sunscreen with at least a 30 SPF even if you use a makeup base with sun protection.  Stay out of tanning booths and unprotected sun because it will not only age your skin, but there’s irrefutable evidence that UV ray damage increases your chance of skin cancer multi-fold.  

In your 20’s, prevention and basic care are the keys. Our cell turnover is fast and oil is usually free flowing, so dry skin shouldn’t be an issue. Therefore, removing dead cells by using a gentle scrub product a couple times per week is suggested. The caveat here is that if overly oily and/or acne skin is present, using an acid-based solution to exfoliate makes some sense.

Cleanse morning and night, being especially conscious of getting all make up off in the evening (double cleanse may be necessary). Use creamy or milky cleanser’s for dry to normal and gels for combination to oily/acne skin. Follow by applying a day moisturizer that will protect and hydrate your valuable, youthful skin.

An eye cream, albeit an inexpensive one, can be lightly tapped on the under eye and lid both morning and night, gearing towards prevention of wrinkles and wear in the tender eye area.

Skin Care in Your 30’s

In our thirties, skin changes leading to aging can begin to show up. Skin regeneration may begin to falter as cell turnover rates begin to slow down. Now is the time to take your care up a notch, building on the basics.

Cleansing remains the same as your 20’s, as does dead cell removal based on skin type and challenges. To compliment the basics covered earlier, age appropriately upgrading moisturizers and eye creams makes sense here.

Also adding in serums, containing either Retinol or Vitamin C (or both) can go a long way toward paving the way to graceful aging. Retinol can only be used at night, most likely twice a week or so. Vitamin C can be used daily and applied either morning or night. Again, sun protection is paramount if you add in Retinol, as it reduces your skin’s natural resistance to the damaging rays.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

Skin care is but one facet of our overall health, but from an appearance standpoint, a crucial one at that. If you’re 40 plus reading this, be patient as our next blog installment will address skin care in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and beyond. In the meantime, anything from the 20’s and 30’s section is appropriate as a base of care.

       “Think how lucky you are that the skin you live in so

             beautifully holds the ‘You’ who's within.”
 

                                           Michael Tyler, The Skin You Live In  

PS: Does anyone out there have any practical skin care tips? Please, do share with us. Do you have any questions we might answer? As always, your input and questions are welcomed! Take good care (pun intended!).