5 Essential Lifestyle habits for better skin (and a Better YOU!)

Are you still tackling your skin issues only from the outside?

There's only so much that a cleanser or a mask can do if you are not taking care of your body as a whole, 

And if there's something I've learned is that whatever is going on inside your body, is going to show up, one way or another, on the outside,

So let's make sure that what's showing up is a healthy, rested and happy you with this 5 simple tips! 

1. A Good Night's sleep,

Pretty obvious right?

but maybe you are not completely aware of just how much sleep can affect the health of your skin (and you!). There is a proven correlation between lack of sleep and depression. Also when your body is stressed, it releases cortisol(a stress hormone), and that's something you don't want, because cortisol can break down skin collagen, which will lead to a sad you and saggy skin. Not only that but who has time to do a proper skin care routine when you are moody and cranky from lack of sleep? Not only does it affect the way your skin looks but not resting will also leave you with zero motivation to do that self care your body needs.

2. Healthy eating: 

Im pretty sure the first thing you think when that pimple comes up is:"oh, I should have had more spinach yesterday!"

No? Is that just me?

Ok, but checking our diet is the first thing you should be doing when that unexpected guest shows up,

Are you eating extra sugar? Fried or Processed food? A lot of unhealthy take out ? Can't remember the last time you had veggies? You should ask yourself these questions and if you say yes to any of those, then let's start there, you should be eating foods rich in minerals like zinc, vitamin A and E, and  antioxidants and just in case  you need a little help remembering this,just Eat the Rainbow!

 Yellow and orange fruits like peppers and peaches, Dark leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale, red tomatoes, blueberries (which are super antioxidant rich) and whole wheat bread, barley, fatty fish like salmon and nuts. A diet that is full of (natural) colors and whole foods, will ultimately reflect on your skin!

3. Water intake: 

Hydration is the key, after all up to 60% of our body is  made up of  water, and there can be no beautiful complexion with dehydration! If you find yourself with peeling or cracked lips, and a flaky cheek, nose or forehead, and with an itchy and tight feeling, you might be dehydrated! But luckily for us, water is readily available, generally inexpensive and so easy to drink up! 

You can try making a refreshing infused water by adding your favorite berries, lemon or mint to your bottle of water, you could also increase fruits and veggies that have a higher water content, like watermelons and cucumbers, and if you are a fan of tea, a nice cup of hot (or cool) tea also counts in our hydration mission! 

There should be no excuses when it comes to your liquid intake, make it a priority and your skin will thank you!

4. Prayer/Meditation/Gratitude:

This could have been the first tip, but since we are not going by order of importance, let's talk about how the way we feel directly affects our mood, and if you haven't noticed this by now, then you are just not paying enough attention!

The way we feel about ourselves and what happens around us can make us either walk around with a frown (fine lines and wrinkles gallore!) or with a feeling of contentment, and I don't mean you will walk around with a grin on your face, but there is a remarkable difference in our energy when we remind ourselves to be grateful with what we have, patient with the things we can't control and with a constant desire to try to please our Creator, who knows the things that are best for us, a sense of gratitude can reduce our stress and in turn not only will our skin benefit, but our whole selves!  

5. Gentle and natural skin care routine

Now we are finally looking to the outside, for I am a firm believer that improving ourselves needs to start from the inside before anything else can be tried,

So let's look at our skin care, shall we?

Im sure you know by now how many toxic chemicals are lurking in a lot of skin products, so taking  a closer look at what we are putting on the largest organ of our body will have effects far beyond our skin, our health in general will be improved if we cut out all the substances that are know to cause issues in our bodies. 

A great starting point is to go through your own products and see how many of the ingredients you can (and cannot) recognize,I am certain that you can have beautiful skin with products that are 100% natural, and you should expect no less.