We are often bombarded by the media about what lotions and potions we should be putting on our skin to look flawless and beautiful.
What everyone really needs to know is that there are other ways beside beauty products to get that beautiful looking skin.
Here are my 5 top tips on how to achieve beautiful skin from the inside out:
Get enough sleep
So many people underrate the importance of sleep. It should be a priority. Seven to nine hours sleep per night is optimal for adults, some will need more and some will need less. It is the most effective strategy for keeping your skin rejuvenated. Sleep deprivation decreases blood flow to the skin surrounding your face and your skin becomes dull and lifeless.
As we sleep skin makes new collagen preventing wrinkles and sagging. You will see when you are tired your facial expressions change and you don't smile as much, you frown more and you have visible signs of tiredness on your face. Sleep is your body’s repair mechanism and needed to restore us daily.
Sleep hygiene is important to maintain to get the appropriate amount of snooze time. Sleep hygiene is having the right conditions and practices to get you into the sack without the stresses of the day following you. Only use your bedroom for sleeping or being intimate with your partner.
As enticing as it is too have your laptop in bed, the tv on and your phone so you can be connected. If you use your phone as an alarm, have it on flight mode. Some people are sensitive to Electromagnetic Radiation which is emitted from your phone and can affect your sleep.
Have a bedtime ritual. Have a bath, do meditation, say prayers, brush your teeth, read a book or have a favourite cup of tea. These all give signals to our body that you are getting ready for sleep. Turn off all screens a minimum of an hour before bed.
Make sure the bedroom is the right temperature, has little to no light coming in once your light is out. Wake up at the same time even on weekends. This helps keep your circadian rhythm in check and helps you stay in routine.
Diet
Eat loads of vegetables, lots of colours and variety. They are loaded with soluble and insoluble fibres to keep your gut bugs fed and in balance.
Research shows us that pigments in vegetables have been found to impart a warm glow over the body making you appear healthier and more attractive. Aim for around 5 handfuls of vegetables per day.
Good fats like olive oil, coconut oil, oily fish, nuts and seeds are valuable here as well. They help plump up the skin cells, strengthen the immune system and help to build healthy bones.
Bone Broth is a great way to increase the amino acids in your diet which are responsible for collagen repair. These amino acids prevent wrinkles and they make you hair shiny and your nails hard.
Your hydration level is also another consideration for beautiful skin. Skin cells are made up of water, the more hydrated the cells are the less prone to wrinkles you are.
When cooking try using lots of different spices, turmeric is one that springs to mind as it has lots of anti-inflammatory properties.
Fermented foods like Kim chi, sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha are also terrific to add to the diet. They are easier to digest because they have been pre-digested by the bacteria.
Avoid refined carbohydrates, processed foods and sugar as they are depleting to the body and actually cause stress to our body.
When it comes to diet diversity is the key, try and eat forty different fresh foods every week.
Gut Health
We are more bacteria than human so it pays to keep our bacteria healthy. The best way to do this is feed them plenty of prebiotic foods.
They absolutely love fermentable fibres found in fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. They love red and black foods loaded with polyphenols.
Polyphenols are antioxidants which help us prevent aging and the good news is they can be found in red wine and dark chocolate (74% cocoa or higher).
Stress
We are surrounded by constant stress in this modern world. It is important to remember that stress is a driver of all disease.
Stress can be physical, emotional, mental, environmental and we are under constant bombardment. Things we can do to combat this are make self care a priority in your life.
Diarise some time every day to do something for yourself. You can choose to exercise, sit in meditation or pamper yourself even if that means sitting for 10 minutes in silence.
When you do this your body goes from the ‘fight and flight’ state to more a balanced ‘rest and digest’ state where the body performs optimally. Find the time you are worth it!
Fun
We need to incorporate fun into our lives daily after all we are lucky to be alive. If you are not having fun think about changes you can make. Look at incorporating something fun into everyday.
Try and laugh and don't take things to seriously. Laughter is really the best medicine.
These five simple things can help you achieve beautiful skin. They are not always easy but they are worth it!
About the author:
Ange Sinclair is the Digestive Detective. She is a Naturopath, Nutritionist and Herbalist, helping you purge the pain, beat the bloat and get to the root cause of digestive issues. If you want to improve your digestive health, contact Ange for a FREE 15 minute consultation.