Category Archives: Skincare

Home Remedies to Fight Cellulite

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Anti-Aging, Diet, Skincare

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week70When I am out and about, I am sometimes stopped by other women complementing me on my legs and asking me how I ward off cellulite. Typically, I smile and tell them it’s a combination of diet, exercise, an anti-cellulite regimen on addition to genetics.

People might be surprised to learn that the genetics is not on my side when it comes to cellulite. My mother, who is 88 years young, still covers up her cellulite by wearing long skirts, long shorts, or slacks. She has had cellulite as long as I can remember and never shows her legs. I have asked her about it, if it bothers her, or  if she has tried to prevent it.  Cellulite is a sensitive subject to many with my mom being no different.

If you have cellulite, you are not alone. Ninety percent of all women have some level of cellulite caused by heredity, inactivity and diet. Your genes are your genes but when your food intake becomes greater than energy output, then body fat levels rise, especially as you age.

I suppose I was never truly worried about getting cellulite, since I’m also 50 percent of my dad’s good genes and I live a different health and fitness lifestyle then Mom. But still, over the years I keep a watchful eye out for that dimple appearance, due to her, and with the first slight showing of any, I hit my anti-cellulite program even harder.

So what is my anti-cellulite program? What do I recommend that works for me? It is a treatment plan and daily regimen that I have developed over the years from trial and error. Just like any exercise and diet program, you’re anti-cellulite regimen should be customized for your body type, lifestyle and genetics. This of course takes time, patience and commitment to discover what works best for you.

For me, it starts with an anti-cellulite diet. This includes a glass of cold cran-water (1 oz. 100% unsweetened, organic cranberry juice, 7 oz water and 1 teaspoon psyllium fiber) when I first wake up and before going to bed. a cup of hot water with fresh lemon before each meal, and staying hydrated with lots of fresh water throughout the day – all to help flush out unwelcomed fats and unhealthy toxins in the body.

Next up? Food! Who doesn’t like to eat? For me, I love doughy food and sweets especially which all the wrong foods to ingest when it comes to preventing cellulite. Yes, I love my pizza as well as creamy ice cream and warm chocolate brownies, none of which I eat today unless it’s a rare special treat or a revamped recipe that replaces the unhealthy ingredients with healthier choices. Hence, my daily intake is comprised of the eating clean diet which helps me to ward off cellulite in addition to other great benefits.

You need a good exercise plan as well; one that includes a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio daily to achieve fat burn. Running will burn the most, but additional great cardio exercises to help in the prevention of cellulite include: spinning, swimming, tennis, step aerobics, hiking and cross-country-skiing.

Behind closed doors, I have also developed a regimen that I do daily, every morning after showering and every evening before going to bed. It includes deep massaging my potential troubled areas with either a massage roller or a rolling pin, as suggested by a personal trainer over 15 years ago.  This was actually her mother’s trick. The more time you allow for the messaging of each area, the better. The trainer also suggested to walk (scoot) across a floor using your butt. Simply sit on the floor when your legs bent in front of you and your feet slightly touching the floor. Move forward by pushing off with one butt cheek at a time to move you across the room, continuing for 15-30 minutes. Afterward, I deep massage in anti-cellulite lotion with my hands and fingers. There are countless on the market, but I use Nivea Skin Firming Cellulite Gel-Cream Q10 Plus.

Preventing cellulite should be a part of your everyday ritual to reduce and prevent. Try any or all of my suggestions above and discover what works best for you and your genetic makeup. Staying youthful does take an extra effort, but is worth all the work in the long run for you and loved ones.

Be Fit. Be Strong. Be Well. Adriana

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Top 10 Ways to Prevent Unsightly Cellulite

28 Monday Mar 2011

Posted by in Diet, Exercising, Skincare, Top 10 Lists

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Orange peel thighs. Cottage cheese arms. Pin cushion butts. Sounds attractive, right? It’s all jesting jargon for the unflattering look of cellulite that can unfortunately appear on one’s body. It can be a person’s worst nightmares, especially for women. Unsightly, not-so-cute dimples that can emerge out of nowhere on one’s upper arms, legs, butt or even the stomach area. And with no magic wand or secret remedy to diminish (Diminish? I meant to say annihilate!), there is unfortunately a limited of tactics that can be taken to reduce and ideally eliminate.

Cellulite does not favor a race or recognize age once one enters puberty, but it does prefer women over men (90% of all women have some level of cellulite) and, like it or not, heredity plays a role. Another cause is inactivity; when our food intake becomes greater than energy output, then body fat levels rise, especially with age. Women who experienced pregnancy and lactation may also see more cellulite on their bodies since the body uses the fatty tissue as insulation, structural support and cushioning. Impaired blood flow and lymph circulation are other causes in developing cellulite as are female hormones (estrogen and progesterone).

If and when cellulite will appear on your body also depends on the strength and flexibility of your fat cells and the thickness of your underlying fat layer in your skin. Cellulite develops in the topmost layers of the skin, resting on top of a layer of firm collagen connective tissue. But cellulite can be avoided altogether. Below are preventative steps to take to help manage and prevent cellulite from making an appearance.

Ways to Prevent:

1.       Lose the extra unnecessary body fat through safe and permanent weight loss methods and exercise programs.

2.       Avoid all commercial baked goods, processed food, and fried foods which are loaded with unhealthy hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils.

3.       Reduce your foods and beverages that are high in sugar or are highly processed carbohydrates as they stimulate excess insulin in your blood causing your body to make and store extra fat.

4.       Incorporate the best anti-cellulite foods into your diet, such as beans, legumes, fresh fish, white meats, fruits and vegetables.

5.       Drink lots of water which will help flush toxins out your body and diminish cellulite.

6.       Supplement your diet with a good, balanced blend of the healthy essential fatty acids (Omega 3s, 6s, 9s), including seafood, fish, cantaloupes, papayas, walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds.

7.       Get out there and exercise! Lack of exercise hardens the connective tissue in the skin.

8.       Stop smoking which fast forwards the development of cellulite by constricting your blood vessels and damaging the connective tissue and avoid alcohol which has toxins and calories that get stored in your body as fat, contributing to the cellulite problem.

9.       Avoid diet pills, sleeping pills and diuretics which all lead to cellulite. So do most birth control pills due to high levels of estrogen.

10.    Stop crash dieting which causes your body to think it’s starving and begins to consume saturated fats which builds cellulite.

Cellulite is the result of several factors, but while it is perceived as unsightly, it can be reduced and all together eliminated. The best way to manage cellulite is through exercise and watching your diet . Keep in mind that your daily diet is most crucial in the development and avoidance of cellulite as what you eat can cause toxic build-up and poor circulation. Just follow the methods above and you will be on your way to having smooth skin once again.

Be Fit. Be Strong. Be Well.
Adriana

My Secrets to Aging Young – Part 3

28 Monday Feb 2011

Posted by in Anti-Aging, Diet, Skincare, Sleep

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While aging is a natural process and cannot be stopped, there are preventative measures one can take to slow down the development. To look younger and vibrant, not only is it important to take proper care of your body physically, but internally with your diet and sleep and externally with your skin. In this final installment of “My Secrets to Aging Young,” I will reveal what I do for my daily diet, shuteye and daily skincare.

Daily Diet. Like most of us, I love to eat. Fortunately, I can afford to consume more than the recommend daily allowance since I have maintained my high metabolism through my exercising and genes. But  even though I could get away with eating almost anything, I do make the effort to eat a daily balanced diet that is about 95% healthy. My diet is full of at least 50% fruit and vegetables daily, protein with almost every meal eaten and very healthy snacks in between, such as yogurt, nuts, seeds, fruit and raw veggies.

A typical day’s menu for me will include a whole wheat item, eggs or oatmeal cereal for breakfast plus fresh fruit. Lunch is usually a fresh green salad with chicken, tuna or shrimp tossed in. Dinner varies, but a favorite is a white fish and hot green veggies. My daily sweet treat  is an ounce or two of dark chocolate, usually after breakfast. From time-to-time, I eat what I refer to as my “cheat-cheat” foods; an occasional dessert after dinner, a hot dog at a ball game or a slice of cheese pizza during a party. I try to keep processed foods to a bare minimum, very little whites, rarely any red meat, and no caffeine, lunchmeats or saturated fats.

Sleep. Like regular workouts and a healthy diet, a good night’s sleep is just as important. It improves your concentration, sharpens your reflexes, regulates your hormones and reduces stress. Not getting enough shuteye can cause you to age quicker as well as cause forgetfulness, moodiness, slower reaction times and even weight gain. I know my body needs the average eight to nine hours of sleep every night, and I make an effort to get it. Lights out is by ten if I need to be up by six, and sooner if I need to rise earlier. If I go a few nights without getting my eight hours, not only do I see it in the dark circles that appear under my eyes, but my face lacks a healthy glow, my body becomes a bit sluggish and my cadio workouts are not nearly at full capacity.

 

Skincare. The sooner one takes close care of their skin, the better. Your face, neck, hands and other parts of your body will reflect  your age as accurate, older or younger. Most of us wake up and splash on some cold water or perhaps apply a facial cleanser in the morning. Many roll into bed at night without washing the undetected collect grime, letting it sit overnight on our aging skin.

I take my skincare very seriously and have done so only for last 10-15 years as I was late to seeing the importance. I was one of the ones who took my skin for granted. Now I cleanse my face twice a day with glycolic-based skin products and exfoliate regularly with products that I originally purchased from a physician. I swear by their results and could never part with them.

When cleansing, I pay particular attention to zones that can age quicker, such as the neck, hands and knees and also use my facial products on these areas as well. I apply a daily moisturizer to my entire body, cocoa butter on certain areas and, for about the past 20 years, massage castor oil into my face and neck to keep muscles firm and enhance my skin tone, a skin secret my mother shared with me many years ago. Once or twice a week, I apply a mud pack masque to my face and the aging zones in addition to my belly which tightens and smoothes your skin. I also apply prescription-strength Retina-A to my face and aging zones almost daily, sometimes twice, which aids in the exfoliating.

When in the sun, I skip the Retina-A and apply sunscreen throughout the day to help shield my body from the harmful rays that pre-age your delicate skin. I use lip balm with a SPF for added protection on my lips and wear sunglass and a hat to protect my smooth face. Additionally, I drink water throughout the day to hydrate my skin and keep my healthy glow.

I hope you found my tips to looking young helpful and useful. Remember, anti-aging is not just about exercising, diet and taking care of your body, but also about having a positive outlook on life. Avoid stress, laugh every day and appreciate all that life has to offer.

Be Fit. Be Strong. Be Well.
Adriana