I’ve seen her hundreds of times – but I’m not actually sure what she looks like.

I live near the ocean and so does she.  I see her walking along the beach a few times a week.  It doesn’t matter if it’s hot outside, she always wears a hat with a white scarf around her face peering through big dark sunglasses.  She’s always in long white pants and long white sleeves – and even white gloves!  Not only do I NOT know what she looks like, I’m not actually sure of the color of her skin!

It’s possible that she has a skin condition and her doctor has advised this protection.  But her appearance reminds me that we have become fearful of exposure to direct sunlight!

Yes, getting a sunburn is a bad thing.  No, there is no healthy reason to attempt to drastically change the color of our skin by excessive tanning.  But somewhere along the way, we’ve gotten the idea that exposure to sunlight causes skin cancer and creates wrinkles!  Not only is it good for our spirits to get a little sunshine every day, it’s actually VERY good for our health.  There are lots of reasons why, but I’m only going to talk about one (for now).

Most multi-vitamin formulas have the USD (daily value) of vitamin D which is 400 international units (IU).  And yet adults will use 3,000 to 5,000 units of vitamin D per day (if it is available in our bodies).  Vitamin D provides powerful protection against cancer, heart disease, and diabetes – not to mention dozens of other conditions. It also improves energy metabolism, builds immunity, increases muscle strength and coordination, and boosts brain function.  It is one of the most potent health-promoting substances in the world – but obviously, 400 units is not enough.  So where do we get more?  We make it.

As you may already know, our bodies will produce Vitamin D from sunlight.  Vitamin D supplements are available, but the best form is the stuff we make for free in our own bodies! 

So go for a walk in the sun every day.  A couple of 15 minute walks per day is ideal – and not just for our bodies.  It’s also good for the soul.  Lean more what’s good for your health here http://www.womens-health-wellness.cup-of-life.com/Emotional-Wellness.html . When at work, take a quick walk at lunchtime.  And maybe go for a brisk walk during a break.  With a little planning, it’s possible to get out a couple of times a day.  A little “Sun Worship” is good for your health and your happiness.

Need a good anti aging skin care guide? Here’s the start. 3 things you shouldn’t do to your skin, and a guide to how good anti aging skin care treatments will improve the look and health of our skin.

Whilst you might expect a lot of voodoo and hype about anti aging skin care, it’s not as difficult as you would think. There are some simple steps you can take to improve the chances of your skin looking good and being healthy right into old age. Combine some basic steps with a good quality anti aging skin care treatment and you’re on your way to slowing the visible effects of aging on your body.

A few simple steps each day should be a good foundation to good anti aging skin care, and there’s also some things you shouldn’t do too. A basic anti aging skin care guide should be easy to follow. It isn’t necessary to spend hours every day, just follow some simple rules and you’re well on your way to healthy good looking skin, and good health in general. Because the 2 go together.

3 Things You Should Never Do To Your Skin.

1. Avoid sunburn, or even overexposure to the sun.

Whilst a suntan might look good it’s one of the worst things you can do to your skin. Sunlight has damaging UV rays that burn your skin if you’re out in strong sunlight for too long, and this ages your skin and damages it severely. Sunburn is one of the worst things you can ever do to your skin.

When we get too much exposure to the sun our skin starts to experience damage to the cells that make up the skin, or dermis, as the scientists call it. This results in the loss of a substance known as hyaluronan. Hyaluronan is a key component of our skin and is responsible for helping our skin repair itself, so we don’t want to burn ourselves, thereby reducing the amount of hyaluronan that is there to repair damage.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go out in the sun, please don’t misunderstand. And any good anti aging skin care guide shouldn’t advocate staying indoors all day. Our bodies need sunlight. Exposure to sunlight helps our body produce vitamin D, and important vitamin. It’s not exposure to sunlight that is dangerous to our skin, it’s over exposure.

So avoid direct exposure to the sun from around 1pm to about 4pm, the most dangerous time, especially in summer. Use a good hat and long sleeved shirt. Use sunscreens sparingly, as they can contain chemicals which themselves can be nasty to our skin and in some cases are suspected of being dangerous.

2. Don’t eat to ruin your skin.

Or your health for that matter. The American diet is one almost designed to age us as fast as possible. Any good anti aging skin care guide should stress the importance of good diet to our skin and overall health. Because remember, the 2 go together.

So when you’re tucking into that next burger or pizza, remember that your diet affects your skin’s health, and your overall health. Focus on a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and in particular leafy green vegetables. Spinach and broccoli are particularly good. Take care of your body with good diet (and exercise) and it will function better and look better.

A diet high in vegetables improves your levels of anti oxidants that combat the effect of free radicals in your body, and skin.

3. Don’t dehydrate your skin.

So many of us don’t have enough fluids in our life. Specifically water.

In any good skin care routine drinking enough water should play a big part. Our body is made up of more water than anything else, and it needs water taken in every day. Our skin is our largest organ and it too needs plenty of water, and doesn’t respond well to dehydration. Drink plenty of water every day. Make sure it’s filtered water, tap water isn’t so great.

There’s 3 simple things you can do to help reduce the effects of aging on your skin, but those 3 on their own aren’t sufficient. A good anti aging skin care guide should also focus on skin care products that work.

Make sure you use a good anti aging skin care treatment.

Unfortunately you’re probably using skin care products now that don’t work. If you’re using mainstream household name products there’s a good chance they won’t do anything. And they probably contain ingredients that could be dangerous as well.

The best skin care treatments are organic skin care products that contain ingredients that come from sources such as plants, rather than the lab.

For example products that contain Phytessence Wakame and CoenzymeQ10 are effective and natural skin care treatments that work, and don’t contain nasty chemicals. Both these ingredients are naturally occurring.

Phytessence Wakame, for example, is extracted from seaweed, and is packed with vitamins and minerals essential to the health of our skin. And it can help our body retain hyraluronic acid, which is very important for skin health.

But don’t be fooled, not all products containing those ingredients are effective, many big companies put very small amounts into their skin care products just so they can list them on the label.

So if you’re looking for a good anti aging skin care guide there’s a good place to start. Eat well, drink plenty of filtered water, avoid too much exposure to the sun, and use a high quality organic anti aging skin care treatment that contains some of the best naturally occurring anti aging and skin health ingredients .

And you won’t find these in your mainstream big name skin care brands sitting on the shelf of your drugstore.

Women are very interested in the science of skin care, particularly as they age. As those wrinkles and lines form, as they notice their skin starting to sag and look less youthful, they begin to consider the use of good skin care products. But what about skin care for men?

For men, skin care can be something that they never consider. The closest they may come will often be the use of an aftershave so that they smell better. However there are good reasons why they ought to consider high quality skin care for men.

You see skin care isn’t just about looking good, although more and more men are also becoming interested in their looks. But skincare for men is also about health. Because our skin is the biggest organ in our bodies, and just like other organs our skin is affected by age, and can become unhealthy.

Often if our skin is unhealthy that’s a reflection of our general state of health. Unhealthy skin, unhealthy inside. So serious skin care for men, or for that matter women, doesn’t just involve the use of high quality skin care products, though of course that’s essential.

Good mens skin care involves a total approach. If unhealthy inside equals unhealthy skin, then healthy inside equals healthy skin. And this is equally true for women. So good diet, including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a good exercise regime both contribute to overall health, and good skin health.

And there’s 2 things that men should never do if they want to maintain overall skin health. The first is to smoke and the second is to avoid sunburn. Both are extremely damaging to the skin, and both can lead to serious skin problem.

Smoking, for example causes vascular problems, and poor blood circulation is not good for the skin. And sunburn can lead to serious skin problems, including skin cancer.

So men, like women, should take care of their overall health as a part of a good skin care routine. Good skin care for men starts exactly where it starts for women.

And for men, skin care should also involve the use of high quality skin care products and anti aging products. Men also should be able to maintain healthy skin that keeps adequate levels of moisture, for example. And which has good levels of collagen and elastin, 2 essential skin proteins that help maintain skin complexion, suppleness, youthfulness and skin elasticity.

As men age their skin loses skin collagen and skin elastin, and it’s essential to replace these. Using a skin care product that has collagen and elastin in it won’t replace the lost collagen and elastin as the molecules of these 2 skin proteins are too large to penetrate the skin, so remain on the surface.

But modern science has found a way to stimulate the skin to produce more of it’s own collagen and elastin, and the best skin care products in the world contain ingredients that will replace lost collagen and elastin like that. Way more effective than trying to replace them by adding them to the bottle and hoping they go in, which they won’t.

So for men, as for women, a total approach is needed to skin care. Serious skin care for men requires a healthy lifestyle, avoiding smoking and sunburn, and the use of the worlds best skin care products.

The worlds best mens skin care products aren’t found on the shelves of your local department store, just as the worlds best womens skin care products aren’t found there either. You have to track them down, they’re made by a small niche skin care company.

So men, skin care is important. Be serious about skin care for men, and you, and your skin, will be healthy and look great, and serve you well into old age.

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