They say beauty is only skin deep, but to be beautiful on the surface, you really have to take care of your body from within. Any issues inside the body are reflected on the outside when it comes to things like our skin, hair, eyes, and teeth, and so it’s important to realize the link between health and beauty. Plus when you feel great, it gives you confidence, and you will most likely show it on the outside too.
Strong is the New Beautiful Workout Tank
Eat Well and Nourish From Within
To maintain your beauty on the outside, you absolutely have to nourish from within. When your body has all of the vitamins and minerals it needs to thrive, you will notice better skin, hair, and nails as well as improved mood. And a smile makes anyone look more beautiful! Focus your diet on healthy, fresh produce: lots of fruits and vegetables will provide you with a huge boost of nutrients. Lean protein and dairy, whole grains and legumes are all important additions. If you’re meat or dairy free, it can be worth tracking the foods you eat using a food tracker to ensure you’re getting enough of everything you need from other sources. Cut back on saturated fats, salt and sugar and drink plenty of water. Your body will thank you for it, everything will function better, you will feel and look better.
Quit Your Dangerous Vices
Smoking, illicit drugs, drinking too much alcohol, lying out in the sun or using sunbeds- these are all things that will damage your health as well as your looks. All of these things will dry the skin, leaving it prone to premature aging giving you lines and wrinkles far earlier in life. On top of this, you put yourself at risk for dangerous health conditions such as cancers. Make a conscious effort to quit your vices, if you’re addicted there’s help and advice out there which can make the process easier and give you support. You’ll feel far better for it and could add years onto your life. Many of us do irresponsible things when we’re younger, we drink until we pass out, smoke too much and generally don’t think carefully about the decisions we make when it comes to our body. But as you get older and are more aware of the risks, it makes no sense to keep killing yourself with these things. Replace these with productive and healthy habits and hobbies. Classes at the gym, healthy brunches with friends, hikes with the dog- whatever it is you enjoy.
Exercise and Work on Your Physique
Exercise benefits just about every cell in your body. It improves your cardiovascular system meaning your heart can pump blood around your body more efficiently, and you can move around without getting out of breath. Exercise helps to keep the arteries free of plaque reducing stroke and heart disease strengthens muscles and bones and helps to get rid of toxins through sweat. Because exercise increases blood flow, it helps to oxygenate the skin keeping it elastic and youthful looking. Plus it can use up excess calories helping you to maintain a healthy and attractive physique. Work on including cardio, resistance and stretching exercises in your routine, you will feel fantastic and reap the rewards of a more beautiful appearance too.
Take Care of Your Hair
Your hair is your crowning glory and is something that can massively change the look of your appearance. There’s a reason bad hair days really are bad when you’re not confident in the way your hair looks it can take a hit of your self-esteem! Stopping with the bleaches and dyes which are full of chemicals will allow your hair to recover, as will stopping over processing it with heat. The trick is to work with your natural hair texture, come up with styles which protect your hair and look great without having to use damaging heat to achieve. Other ways you can maintain healthy hair is to eat foods that are good sources of biotin, protein and folic acid since these are needed to produce and grow healthy locks. Almonds, salmon, lentils, avocados, spinach and greek yogurt are all good choices. If you eat a healthy diet in general, you should get all of the vitamins and minerals you need, but it won’t hurt to incorporate a few additional ingredients which you know are good for hair growth. You can use natural oils on your hair such as olive, coconut and argan oil which will lock in moisture and help keep your locks shiny and beautiful. If you have fine hair, apply oil as a pre-wash treatment. Otherwise you could be able to get away with running some through the ends and leaving it in between washes to nourish and protect.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
We buy products to clean and protect our skin in the hopes of making it better, but actually, some products can make it worse. Certain scrubs, toners, face washes and other treatments can be drying or damaging to the skin. Unless you have a skin condition and need special skin products prescribed by the doctor, your best bet is to keep it as gentle as possible. Use products that are organic, and proven to be gentle. You can even make a variety of skin products yourself using all natural ingredients. Face masks containing things like bananas, avocados, oats, and eggs for example provide wonderful benefits to the skin. Sites like The Nourished Life have recipes for salt body scrubs, which are a gentle and effective way to remove dead skin. Your skin is the body’s largest organ and can absorb all kinds of chemicals and toxins from the products we use. So keeping them as natural as possible is good from both a health and a beauty perspective. The same applies to makeup, a touch of foundation to even out the skin, some mascara to lengthen the lashes and a swipe of lipstick can make all the difference and boost your confidence. But where possible, choose brands which don’t use harmful chemicals. Mineral foundation for example is all natural so free of toxins and especially great for anyone with sensitive or acne-prone skin.
Look After Your Pearly Whites
What is considered beautiful can often change with time and place? For example, in some cultures very thin women are considered attractive whereas, in others, larger or curvier are considered the ideal. The perfect size, shape, skin color and different features are dependent on time and place. However, there’s one feature that’s consistently considered attractive, and that’s nice teeth. Maintaining a good oral hygiene routine will keep your mouth healthy, but if there are things you want to change cosmetic dentistry can do wonders these days. Whether your teeth are crooked, discolored, even if you have missing teeth (like me!) your dentist will be able to put these things right. No joke- my dentist is invited to my wedding. Eating a healthy diet and being careful of things like sugars, fizzy drinks, fruit juices and acids in foods such as citrus fruits can help you to maintain a beautiful smile. Be wary of things like coffee, tea and red wine which can stain the teeth.
Be Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed
As they say, eyes are the windows to the soul- they’re also a good indication of what’s going on inside the body. When you’re exhausted, your eyes will look puffy, and you will develop dark circles. Liver problems can show in the eyes by causing yellowing, cloudy eyes can indicate diabetes. Having a fully functioning body that is well nourished, with any health conditions being kept under control will mean your eyes stay clear and beautiful. Visit the optician twice a year to check that everything is in order, and generally take care of your body. If you do notice issues with the eyes, they could reflect a deeper underlying problem so have this checked out. Cold tea bags or slices of cucumber placed on the eyes can help bring down puffiness, or you could buy special soaked eye masks. Rose water is another natural solution which helps to rejuvenate the skin.
Focus on the health of your body and your beauty will follow. Not only will you look your best, but you will feel strong, fit and confident too. When your body is working to it’s maximum potential you can reap the rewards of a more beautiful appearance too.
What steps do you take to maintain both your health and your beauty?
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