Self Help After Self Indulgence

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Self Help After Self Indulgence

by Lynne & Sarah Dark of ZEST health & beauty

NOW THE PARTY SEASON IS OVER your looks and vitality may be a little jaded! Maybe your New Year resolutions include steps to remedy this and, with a few additions to your routine and a few omissions in your diet, a real difference will be noticed! If you have over-indulged, these steps can also be taken to improve the situation or you can adopt these tips for every day and look and feel great all the time.
Rejuvenating skin can begin with regular physical exercise - 30-45 minutes of brisk walking, swimming, aerobic workouts, running or dancing at least 4 or 5 times a week. It suffuses the skin with increased blood supply, enhances lymphatic functioning and increases the ability of your body to carry oxygen & nutrients to the skin’s cells and removes waste products from them. It can reverse and retard the effects of ageing on skin.
Skin brushing is one of the best techniques for encouraging lymphatic drainage & spring cleaning the body. It stimulates the movement & breaks down congestion in lymph flow to speed the removal of collected toxins. This gentle yet powerful technique can, with correct application, relieve puffiness, smooth the look of the skin and stimulate skin vitality - it can be a great help for cellulite, too.

Spend 5 minutes daily, dry brushing your skin all over with a natural fibre brush. Use long smooth strokes over the shoulders, arms and trunk, then upwards over the feet, legs and hips, all towards the direction of the heart. Toxic wastes are eliminated through the skins surface all over the body with this stimulation of the lymphatic system.

Correct breathing can make an enormous difference to our whole system. We mostly only use 50% of our lung capacity to breath in vital oxygen & we therefore expel only half the waste products so the old air is sucked deeper into the sacs - oxygen level is constantly lower than it should be. From the point of view of the skin alone this can matter a lot as 7% of the inhaled oxygen is used directly by the skin. With insufficient oxygen, cell division is impaired, waste builds up and more rapid ageing occurs.

Breathe with your whole chest & abdomen so that the diaphragm is fully lowered, allowing the lungs to expand. Make sure your tummy raises when you breathe in. Concentrate on breathing correctly at least twice a day, maybe before getting out of bed and just before going to sleep to get the feel of it! Repeat the technique for at least 4 repetitions.
Drinking at least 2 litres of water every day helps flush away toxins & hydrate the body, especially the skin. It is a habit well worth acquiring. Cut out or at least minimize tea & coffee intake, which rob the body of moisture and contribute greatly to toxin build up - substitute with fruit or herb teas if possible.

Start the day with juice of half a lemon or orange in water or herb tea with squeeze of lemon. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and veg every day, especially raw. Have several fruit meals through the day - apples are very cleansing and detoxing and grapes are very effective skin cleansers. Choose wholegrain bread & cereals and unsweetened muesli, read labels & watch out for hidden sugars, include fresh fruit juices, pulses, low fat cheeses, chicken, fish, game and eggs. AVOID. White bread, pastries and pies, tins& packets, chips and crisps, fizzy drinks, sweeties etc.