All Natural Lip Exfoliator

All Natural Lip Exfoliator 

Here’s an all natural – yet simple and effective – way to treat your lips after a long Winter.

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Tags: all natural, Beauty, DIY

High Heels: Fashion vs. Health

High heels can turn a simple outfit into a freakin’ cute one. My question is, are high heels really worth the discomfort when you consider the health risks involved?

The Stiletto Effect

Here’s what Stilettos are doing for your overall health:

Stilettos not only can cause aching feet, but they can also cause long-term ankle, knee, and back damage.

Dr. Conin, a biochemist at the University of Finland, says that women who wear heels actually walk differently, and more dangerously, compared to women who wear flats – even after they’ve taken off their stilettos!

Women who wear heels have an increased amount of bone-on-bone force in the knee, damaging the muscles and tissue around the knee joint which can lead to osteoarthritis.

If you wear high heels every day, your calf muscles can shorten by up to 13%. This means that your heels will cause your lower leg to be stiff and will limit your ankle’s range of motion.

The higher the heel, the more out of alignment your hips and spine are going to be. The heels push your body’s center mass forward, which adds pressure to your forefoot and your back has to compensate to stay balanced.

The Switch

When you are ready to make the switch from stilettos to flats, you shouldn’t make the switch all at once. When women wear heels on a regular basis, their feet come accustomed to the position their feet need to be in while wearing stilettos. Any sudden changes could result in a painful injury, so you need to start “weaning” yourself off of the high heels! Start by taking your high heels off when you are sitting down (such as your desk at work) and then slowly start incorporating more comfortable shoes throughout the week. You can go from wearing flats just one day a week, then go to two days a week, etc.

Heels in Moderation

I’ll be one of the first ones to tell you how much I love high heels. Well, the look of them anyways!

I used to wear heels every day to work, until I hurt my back and was forced to wear flats every single day. I am “allowed” to wear heels now, but I choose to limit how often I wear them since I am much more aware of how high heels affect my back and overall health.

I only wear heels about once every two weeks! I will usually wear my heels for special occasions or short durations, and I have learned to shop for – and appreciate – cute flats. I have found that overall, I feel that I look better when my feet are comfortable – and no, I do not wear ugly flat shoes. Puh-lease! ;)

Image Credit: Tooga/The Image Bank/Getty

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Tags: fashion, Health

Healthy Lifestyle = “Hot Body”!

Check out what a healthy lifestyle can do for your body!

Pippa Middleton

The world watched the Royal Wedding, and we couldn’t help but notice Kate’s younger sister, Pippa Middleton. The big question that everyone wanted to know was, “How did she get that picture perfect body?!” Pippa has an active lifestyle, which includes running in marathons.

Gisele Bündchen

Think models are just born with the bodies they have? Just like everyone else, they have to work for their sleek figure. See those sweat stains on her shirt? That’s what I am talking about! She may have been born beautiful, but that body being in shape came from eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis.

Hugh Jackman

Not only does Hugh Jackman workout to prepare for movie roles, but he also does a great job of exercising with young daughter Ava. Too many kids are stuck in front of the TV all day, and Hugh is a great example by going outside with his daughter.

Hugh is also a great example to all of us, as he is seen running outside – even with a bunch of snow!- showing that running doesn’t have to be a seasonal sport.

Kim Kardashian

We all know that Kim lost some weight this year, going from “really curvy” to “curvy”, and a lot of that came because of her healthier lifestyle which involved eating healthier and more exercise in her life. The picture below is of Kim Kardashian headed to The International Dance Academy in Hollywood. Who said you had to hit the treadmill to call it a workout?

Shia LaBeouf

We’ve seen him go from the geeky little brother on Even Stevens to a much more grown up guy on The Transformers. How does he do it? Well, he hits the gym regularly, of course.

January Jones

How come stars get back into shape so quickly after giving birth? They continue to eat healthy and workout during their pregnancy! Crazy concept, right? Nope! It’s healthy for the Mom and the growing baby to eat healthy and to be engaged in prenatal exercise. Looks like January Jones is involved with Prenatal Yoga, which has many health benefits. All expecting mothers should consider a reasonable prenatal exercise program, with the blessing of their doctor (since high risk pregnancies may have their exceptions).

Want to get a Picture Perfect Body?

If you want to have a fantastic body worth talking about, you must create a healthy lifestyle for yourself. You must work for it and I promise you that it’s worth it. Not only will you look your best, but you will reap the health benefits of exercising and feeding your body with proper nutrition!

No crazy fad diets, please!

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Image Credits: Chris Brunskill/Getty (Pippa), AKM Images (Gisele), Freddie Baez/Startraks (Hugh), Juan Sharma/Miguel Aguilar/Pacific Coast News (Kim), Ramey (Shia), INF (January),

Tags: exercise, Fitness, Gisele Bündchen, Health, healthy lifestyle, Hugh Jackman, January Jones, Kim Kardashian, Nutrition, Pippa Middleton, prenatal exercise, Shia LaBeouf, Weight Loss

Prevent Premature Wrinkles

Wrinkles are going to come to us eventually, right?  Why not live as long as possible without them? If you are concerned about future wrinkles, it’s important to know that there are some things you can do to prevent premature wrinkles, and there are some things that you might be doing that could cause premature wrinkles!

Causes of Premature Wrinkles

To first understand how to prevent premature wrinkles, you need to know what causes them. Here are some of the most common reasons why men and women are starting to see wrinkles at an earlier age:

Smoking - Whether you smoke yourself or just exposed to it, you are exposing your skin to free radicals that accelerate the aging process. The cigarette smoke damages the microcapillaries in the skin, which limits the skin’s ability to absorb nutrients. When the skin doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, the aging process is accelerated, thus causing premature wrinkles. As you age you will get wrinkles regardless, but if you smoke, your wrinkles will come earlier and be worse, or more pronounced.

Alcohol – Alcohol contains toxins that not only damage your liver, but it also has some negative effects on your skin. Drinking alcohol will decrease your levels of vitamin A, which causes your skin to replace old dead skin cells with new ones. Without this vitamin A, your skin is left in a world of mess, leaving dry sagging looking skin.

Drinking alcohol also increases the risk of leaks in the capillaries, which allows for more water in the skin, causing puffiness and sagging. A caution to those who drink  alcohol right before you go to bed, capillary leakage is increased even more when you drink alcohol before you lie down.

Lack of sleep – After a couple of days of missing your much needed shut eye, it’s getting hard to try and hide those dark circles, isn’t it? If you continue to miss out on the sleep that you need, it’s been shown to cause premature wrinkles. They call is “Beauty Sleep” for a reason!

Excessive sun exposure – We know that the sun is great for your skin and helping you get the necessary amounts of vitamin D. We also know that too much of a good thing can be bad, and this definitely runs true when it comes to sun exposure. Excessive sun exposure, though, causes wrinkles. Avoid getting a sun burn and your wrinkle-less face will thank you ; )

Lifestyle factors - Studies have shown that stress ages you. A lot. If you are under a lot of stress for long periods of time, it can have a negative effect on a number of things, including your skin.

Over/Under weight - It’s important to maintain a healthy weight. There was a study that showed that with  identical twins, the twin who was underweight or overweight looked significantly older than their sibling. If you want to look good at any age, make sure that you maintain a healthy body weight.

How to Prevent Premature Wrinkles

In addition to avoiding all of the things that cause wrinkles, here are some additional steps you can take to prevent premature wrinkles and enjoy young skin for as long as nature will allow.

Healthy eating - Eating a diet full of fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats (unsaturated fats, like Omega-3′s) will boost the skin’s natural defenses against sun damage, which may help prevent premature wrinkles.

Find healthy food that is full of antioxidants since they inhibit the breakdown of collagen fibers in the skin, keeping your skin young for a longer time. Bee pollen has been shown to prevent premature aging of the cells by stimulating the growth of new skin tissue, which smooths out wrinkles.

Sleep – When you get your rest, you will not only feel better, but you will actually look better than if you were sleep deprived. Get your rest every day, because sleeping well just once a week doesn’t cut it.

Take care of your skin - In the prevention of premature wrinkles, nourishing your skin is an important way to take care of your skin.

I could list all of the ultra expensive and popular lotions that you can try, but why not go raw and natural? You can put Organic Coconut Oil on your skin. Yes, you read that right. You can put Coconut Oil on your face without having to worry that it will cause a break out.

Coconut Oil aids in healing and repairing skin, and it removes the layer of dead skin cells, which helps to keep the skin smooth. Coconut oil also goes down into the deep layers of the skin which strengthens the underlying tissues.

Here’s what you do: Wash your face at night and put some raw coconut oil on your skin and sleep through the night with it on. In the morning, rinse your face and apply your daily moisturizer.

For all of you guys reading this…skin care doesn’t apply just to women!

Exercise - Exercise definitely makes you feel younger and stronger, so how can it help your face? When you have a great workout, you sweat and detoxify. This is great for your skin, and helps keep your skin looking young! You can also do “workouts” for your face, called Facial Yoga. These simple movements are a new trendy way to keep your face youthful.

Release negative energy/stress - Remember what I said about how stress effects how you age? You need to find an outlet! I can understand that you can’t always just quit a stressful job since it pays the bills. One thing you can’t lose is your health, so I urge you to find something (healthy!) that will help you relieve some of that stress! Take a vacation, get a massage, or get a good workout in every day – something that will release any negative energy or stress that you might be feeling. This will help all aspects of your life – not just your skin!

Wear Sun Protection - I know that some fun in the sun is good for you, but all in moderation. If you are going to be outside for long periods at a time, then you should wear sun protection – literally! Wear a hat with a big rim to cover your face, big sunglasses to cover your eyes  (and prevents you from squinting!), and even a light long sleeved top to cover your arms.

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Tags: Beauty, Health, lifestyle, preventive

Pedicure, anyone?

With Spring in full bloom and Summer on it’s way, I think it is about time women take out the nail polish and rock a beautiful pedicure. You deserve it.

Nail Polish 

Women seem to spend more time picking out the color they want rather than a brand of nail polish that will be safest for them to use. I know I have been guilty of this!

Ideally, you should choose an all natural nail polish  is water or mineral based rather than chemical based. This means  you would be buying nail polishes that don’t contain ingredients like dibutyl phthalates (DBP), which is an unhealthy chemical you will want to avoid.

Check out the nail polish from Go Natural®, a company that sells chemical free nail polish that is durable and chip-free. If you are looking for a nail polish that is geared towards girls, check out Piggy Paint®. They sell high quality nail polish that is non-toxic and provides plenty of colors to choose from.

Nail Polish Remover

Now that you use a non-toxic nail polish, it’s time to remove it once you are ready for a new color.

Try avoiding nail polish removes that that contain ingredients such as acetone, since it is a harsh chemical that dries out your nails and any skin that’s exposed to it.

You can try a natural nail polish remover such as the one from Honeybee Garden, which is enriched with horsetail extract to strengthen nails and fortified with vitamin E and aloe to soothe and protect cuticles. Another nail polish remover you can try is “Almost Natural” Nail Polish Remover by Miss, since it doesn’t have any acetone, ethyl acetate, or harsh odors. Also, it’s made with all organic ingredients.

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Tags: all natural, Beauty, chemical, Health, nail, nail polish, nail polish remover, non-toxic, Organic, Vitamin E