Health, Beauty And Weight Loss: sun

Healthy, beautiful skin starts from within. Here are some timeless secrets to younger looking skin, no matter what your age.

Ever since Eve took that first bite of the apple, the human race has been obessed with beauty.

The truth is we begin the aging process just as soon as we pop out of the womb. Every day of our lives our bodies slough off and regenerate new cells. The speed at which that process takes place when we are children is vastly different as we get older.

Every day you are bombarded daily with commercial messages and beauty tips that attempt to lure you into believing that the most recent miracle drug is just what you need to fight off the ravages of Mother Nature.

We are living longer as a whole. Singularly, that can be a curse or a blessing, depending on your perspective.

The best route to natural beauty and healthy skin is to take care of what you have. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? The truth is that your skin takes a beating from the environment every single day.

Here are some of our favorite beauty tips for keeping your skin fresh and healthy:

1. Stay hydrated and do it with plenty of water!
That does not mean soda, caffeine or any other type of liquid, even if it is low cal. Soda (even diet soda) has a high concentration of sodium. Sodium retains fluids. You need fluid that will hydrate and flush your body free of toxins. Make sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses a day!

2. Protect your skin from harmful ultra violet (UV) rays.
We all love the sun. We love being in it and we love having a beautiful tan. The truth is you can poison yourself with too much sunshine. UV rays cause skin cancer and if that isn’t bad enough it causes your skin to age faster than it should, contributing to unsightly wrinkles. If you must play in the sun, make certain you are using an adequate sun screen. Don’t leave home without it!

3. Keep your skin clean.
Use a soft warm cloth. Skin does not require scrubbing. You will do more harm than good if you do.

4. The best cure for wrinkles is to never have them in the first place!
If you are like most of us, you didn’t listen to your Mom when she tried to tell you to stay in the shade, stand up straight and stop squinting!

5. Eat healthy.
Knowing how and what to eat, can make a huge difference in how you feel. Improper eating habits can cause depression, weight gain, illness and an overall lethargy.

Weight gain causes your skin to stretch. As you get older, it loses it's elasticity and you're left with sagging skin.

The best solution to this is to maintain a proper weight.

A rule of thumb for eating habits are...don't eat more calories than you consume. Don't go one single day without doing something extra and physical for at least 30 minutes per day. This can be three ten minute walks. Or 30 minutes of vigorous aerobics, or 12 minutes of weight lifting and 18 minutes of walking.

6. Don't worry, be happy.
A happy outlook appears to trigger the release of endorphins. Endorphins relax the cardiovascular system and cytokines which alert the immune system to pay attention in detecting abnormalities like cancer cells. Listen carefully to yourself. If you have put yourself down since childhood, over a lifetime, negative subliminal messages can take their toll by turning you into a pessimist. Spend one week writing down the phrases you use in your “self talk.” Chances are you will find that you repeat a dozen or so phrases over and over again that reinforce that negative image. If you know about them, you can change them. Outer beauty and inner joy go hand in hand.

Here are a few quick tips for increasing joy, hope and optimism that will work no matter what your age:

Make a list of at least 50 great things that happen to you every day.
Laugh a lot. You’ll heal your body and your mind.
Discover a new challenge each month.
Try meditating for just five minutes each day.

7. Sex After 50 – Ha!
How many of you jumped ahead to this section?

The importance of physical intimacy actually depends on the couple. An alarming number of men used to give up on sex after 60 and many women used to feel that their sex life ended with menopause. Thankfully, that is no longer the case.

Sex at middle age can actually become better and more satisfying than ever before. Maturity gives a couple more experience in lovemaking. The children are usually grown and left home. The pressures of building a career and day to day life are usually less stressful than in younger years.

Is beauty really skin deep?

The answer is yes and no. It’s a paradox, isn’t it? True beauty begins from the inside out. Don’t you wish there was some way to “wriggle your nose” and regain that soft skin you had as a child? Well, until someone comes up with the true “Fountain of Youth” we are stuck with what we have.
Just remember that getting older doesn't have to mean getting old.

Photo by Tom Merton

3 Benefits Of Home Tanning Beds

Some people love the idea of owning tanning beds. A bed in your home will allow you to tan whenever you want, day or night. You won’t have to drive across town or rush to get to the salon before they close. Although they can be expensive, if you tan regularly, the investment may be well worth the money in the long run.

3 Things to Look for in Tanning Beds

The Style of the Bed
You basically have two choices in the style of your bed: a traditional horizontal bed and a standing booth. Unless you have a room or large space to devote to a horizontal bed, you may want to consider a standing booth. These take up less space in your home and can be placed in a corner. Basically, your preference and the amount of space you have available will dictate this choice.

The Bulbs Used in the Bed
The type of tanning bed bulbs used in a bed are the most important feature. Beds use either UVA and UVB rays or UVA only. There is controversy over which bulbs are safer for your skin. There really is no safe way to tan, and you should take precautions to protect yourself from damage to your skin, regardless of the bulbs used.

You need to know exactly which kinds of bulbs are used in your bed when it is time to replace them. Bulbs aren’t interchangeable and you need to be sure to buy the right ones. Also, look at the placement of the bulbs. How easy will they be to replace? You will most likely be performing this task yourself and you want to be sure it will be easy to do.

Extra Features

The best extra features to look for include a face tanner and a cooling system. The face tanner will help you get the ultimate tan all over your body. These have specially placed bulbs in the facial area that direct light to this area, which is difficult to tan for some people.

A cooling system is important if you get easily over heated inside a bed. The cooling fan will keep your skin from getting too hot. Make sure you don’t overdo it in the bed with this feature. Just because you don’t feel the heat, doesn’t mean you aren’t tanning. Staying in the bed too long contributes to over exposure and can be dangerous for your skin.

Choices in Home Tanning Beds

Most home beds are traditional tan beds. These use typical bulbs that resemble fluorescent tubes. Another choice in beds are known as High Pressure Beds. These use high pressure quartz bulbs, rather than the traditional lamps. They are called high pressure because the gas in the bulb is slightly higher than the pressure in the atmosphere.

These beds allow you to tan on only one side at a time. You will need to turn over half way through your session. Many people find these to be more comfortable than traditional beds. These are normally found in salons, but you may come across one if you shop for used equipment.

Purchasing Used Tanning Beds

A used bed can be an affordable option to an expensive new home bed. In many cases, you can find a high quality bed at the price of a cheap bed. There are some things you should consider before purchasing a new bed:

o Make sure the bed you are considering meets the current federal and state safety regulations. These change often and you want to make sure the bed you buy is safe. A tanning salon owner is a good source of information regarding safety regulations. The internet is another good source of information, as most states post regulations for salon owners.

o Find out how often the bed was used. If it was originally used in a salon, it has probably gotten quite a bit of use. Sometimes beds that have been purchased for home use end up getting very little use. These can be great, giving you a little used bed at a substantially reduced price.

o Compare the price difference of the used bed with a brand new bed. The bigger the difference, the better for you.

o Ask about the working condition and any repairs that have been done. Also ask when the bulbs were last replaced and about the maintenance that has been done. You want a bed that has been properly maintained.

o Ask if there is any time left on the warranty.

Photo by Travel Salem