Bloggy Health!

Let me ask you a simple question. What are the most important nutrients for healthy skin? There is no single complete food for healthy skin. Like all of the cells of your body, the skin’s cells need a variety of different vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, cofactors and enzymes.

The biggest problem that the epidermis faces (that’s the outermost of the skin’s layers) is this. It has no blood vessels. Nutrition must be supplied to it through a process called diffusion, where it is passed along from the deeper layers.

The process is pretty inefficient, but luckily, we can apply the nutrients for healthy skin directly, if we use the right nourishing creams. Unluckily, most of the lotions on the market do not provide that nourishment. So, we need to know what to shop for.

If you were trying to eat food for healthy skin, you would want it to contain the things that are needed to create one of the skin’s cells or a collagen and elastin fiber. The components necessary are the amino acids serine, proline, glycine, alanine, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A and coenzyme Q10.

There are some vitamin companies that promote collagen supplements for the purpose of improving the skin’s appearance. Collagen is a protein. When you eat protein, the digestive system breaks it down in to its component amino acids. Collagen is considered an incomplete protein, because it does not contain all of the essential amino acids. Other protein sources are actually better. Let’s take salmon, as an example.

Salmon is considered a “super-food” by health and fitness oriented individuals. Some respected dermatologists suggest it as a food for healthy skin. That’s because its nutritional content is high. It is a complete protein and a good source of the vitamins A, D, B3, B12, B6 and the minerals phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. It is also the best known source of omega-3 fatty acids, which make up the skin’s moisture content and improve its firmness.

While salmon contains many of the necessary nutrients for healthy skin, you can see that it does not contain all of them. It might be the closest thing to a complete food for healthy skin, but you would want to eat something along side it that is rich in vitamin C.

Coenzyme Q10 is one of the nutrients for healthy skin that can be difficult to get, through diet alone. Every cell of the body needs it and it is only present in trace amounts in the foods that we eat every day. So, it is an important ingredient for any skincare cream, but it must be properly formulated, so that the cells can use it.

Basically the bottom line … eating food for healthy skin is a good idea, because it is good for the rest of your body, as well. But, if you really want to improve your appearance and your skin’s health, look for creams that contain the necessary nutrients for healthy skin and use them every day. That’s the best advice.

To learn more about vitamins for healthy skin, and other incredible natural substances for natural healthy skin care, visit my website today.

1. Everyone is on a diet. Healthy dieters choose a diet that will bring them closer to their life goals.

Diet is a not dirty word. You are on a diet every day, and making it a healthy diet is not as challenging as you may think. It is not about starvation. It is not about being deprived. It is about being able to breathe in your jeans. Even more than that, it is about living your best life. It is about having integrity in your actions.

2. Healthy dieters intentionally plan their diets.

Without intention and planning, most people will eat what they’ve always eaten; whatever is convenient; whatever is marketed to them—just like the rest of society. Unless you want to look like the rest of society looks and want the body you currently have (or the one you’ll have after the next five pounds, or the next . . .), then you can’t continue to eat like the rest of society eats, and you certainly can’t continue to eat what you’ve always eaten. Instead, you must deliberately plan and pursue a healthy diet.

3. Healthy dieters don’t make excuses.

There is no one-size-fits-all diet. There are untold ways to cut calories, get more exercise, and improve the healthfulness of our diet. It is important not to argue for what you can’t do, but instead search for what you are willing to do to achieve a healthy diet that fits your life and goals.

4. Healthy dieters don’t whine about the effort it takes to eat a healthful diet and are willing to spend time planning and preparing.

Dieting is hard. Dieting is easy. Either of these could be true, depending on your attitude. The truth of the matter is, dieting just is. Ever since Eve plucked the apple from the tree, the cavewoman rubbed sticks together to roast the bear, grandma strung a string bean, the Irish boiled the potato, or the Koreans pickled a cabbage, we’ve had to put effort into having a healthy diet. Modern, successful hipsters that you are—you do not escape this reality just because you can order Chinese takeout.

5. Healthy dieters base their diets around a weekly planning routine.

Diets are not a one-time decision. Just as soon as you get comfortable in your routine, you’ll remodel your kitchen, go on vacation, sprain an ankle, hit hormone hell, or simply get bored. Part of having a healthy diet means having the flexibility to roll with life’s changes.

6. Healthy dieters embrace dieting from the top down, expressing curiosity about the whys and wherefores of eating habits.

As babies, the first comfort you received was at the breast or bottle. You are hardwired to eat for comfort. You also eat to socialize, to procrastinate, and out of pure habit. There are a myriad of reasons for eating that go far beyond nutrition. Sorting those out, exploring alternatives, and finding ways to enjoy a healthy diet for any of these reasons—without sabotaging your health and well-being—is an interesting process.

7. Healthy dieters combine the top-down approach with the bottom-up approach to dieting and understand they have to impose some structure to change their deeply ingrained habits and learn new behaviors.

Calories in/calories out, keeping a food diary, making a meal plan, devising a strategy for getting to the gym, or going grocery shopping with a list are just some of the practical, bottom-up approaches that might be used for diet accountability and information gathering, all of which are necessary for healthy dieting.

8. Healthy dieters use the inside-out approach to dieting—using diet as a means for self-inquiry and as a catalyst for personal development and spiritual and emotional growth.

Life lessons are learned through difficulty. No one would choose to have a rocky marriage, credit card debt, or an illness, but savvy men and women learn valuable lessons from the curves life throws them, and that includes the need to diet. Healthy dieting is one of the easier curves through which you get an opportunity to learn life lessons—at least it is something you can control.

9. Healthy dieters spend five minutes each day setting their intentions and planning their diet direction. They commit five more minutes to reviewing their day, noting their accomplishments and opportunities to self-correct.

Demanding perfection will give you an excuse not to “diet” at all. The truth is that you’ll sometimes stray off of your ideal course, but part of healthy dieting is learning to make those detours less drastic and frequent.

10. Healthy dieters get the support and motivation they need to succeed—and understand this support goes beyond “getting to goal weight.”

Changing something so ingrained in your own personal psyche, society, families, and workplaces can be a major undertaking. Healthy dieting requires a support system to help you when the challenge seems particularly daunting.

11. Healthy Dieters learn to normalize their relationship with food and their body so they can spend their time and energy being more present in the world around them.

The healthy dieter understands that there is more to life than dieting—much more!

Avene is a product line created for individuals with sensitive skin who may have recently had a skin condition become reactive. It seems recently there have been more cases of skin issues than ever before, often leaving those affected being unable to treat themselves or use most products as they react to the products they attempt to use. Avene was created for individuals who are unable to use other products, focusing specifically on their needs in order for them to be able to care for their skin without having to sacrifice the products which could help them.

Avene skin care products can help an individual with sensitive skin by offering a wide range of available products which target multiple needs. For instance, anti-aging from Avene can help an individual remove signs of aging without the harmful chemicals which are so widely used today. Sunscreens are also important as they help protect skin from the harmful effects of the sun, which can advance signs of aging and create brown sun spots on the skin. These spots even have the ability to become much worse as you age but they can be treated or you can simply be prepared and make sure that these spots are something that you will not get or have to deal with as a part of your life and your skin.

Avene also has a great cosmetic line focusing on different needs including cleansers, make-up concealers, moisturizers, and make-up. Each of these products is aimed at sensitive skin and the needs of the body by meeting what each person needs without adding harmful chemicals. Avene cosmetics are especially important not only due to the amount of allergies and reactions which are transpiring, but also because of helping the way that you feel about yourself and your skin. Emotions are important for your health and when you skin is healthy and taken care of it can help you too become healthier and have an easier time taking care of yourself and feeling great about the way that you look at all times.

When a person feels self conscious about their skin they may also feel self conscious while around other people. This can cause a great deal of embarrassment and can make a person feel uncomfortable having company, or even worse, have them decide that they would rather give up a part of their social life. Nothing should get to stand in your way and Avene tries to make sure that nothing can not even sensitive skin. This means that when you go shopping for you skin care products, rather then roaming down the isles trying to find something you skin might be able to handle or trying product after product that you have a reaction to you can simply look for Avene. Feel the comfort of Avene and feel comfortable knowing that it will work and that you will not have to miss any social engagement due to the way that you feel about your skin or how it looks at the time.

Many are afraid to undergo surgery because of the risks or the expense that is often associated with these cosmetic procedures. Fortunately, there are now products that can be used in the privacy of your own home for a fraction of the cost, are more convenient and offer great results.

For years, those searching to get rid of fine lines and get that healthy glow went to a physician for microdermabrasion, a treatment where dead skin cells are removed with tiny silicon or aluminum-oxide crystals blown against the skin using a hand-held device and then sucked up with a small vacuum. Costing about $1,200 a visit, the procedure was not easy on the wallet. But there’s a new generation of at-home alternatives that allows you to get similar results within weeks. Creams and serums that contain Retinol (pure vitamin A) exfoliate the skin, giving a more youthful appearance. Those who want to go a step further can now buy their own high-tech beauty treatment system, a microdermabrasion machine, at a cost of $79.95 (www.sharperimage.com).

Some women are unhappy with the size or shape of their bust. They might have always wished they were a cup size larger so that their clothes fit them better, or they may have noticed changes in their shape after childbirth. Regardless of the reason, many of these women are afraid or unwilling to undergo the pain associated with implants. Others are simply not willing to fork over the average $5,000 cost for surgery. Now there is another option available, a system that is clinically proven to grow a woman’s own natural breasts about a cup size without surgery, pills or creams.

These are just a few of the do-it-yourself at home beauty treatments that are easier on your wallet, provide you with more control of your looks and can be done on your own time. To find out more about these treatments, log on to their Web sites or try the procedures yourself for the ultimate proof. – NU

How did Bruce Lee die? The mystery of Bruce Lee’s death has never been solved! It is not a question of who killed him, as in the case of Brandon Lee, his son, but what killed him? With Brandon Lee’s death, a real bullet killed him. Brandon Lee was killed on a movie set. Evidently, there was a real bullet in one of the “fake” guns being used on the movie set – what is not known is where did the real bullet come from that killed Brandon Lee?

(It has been suggested that both Brandon Lee’s death and Bruce Lee’s death were in no way coincidental, nor were they accidental deaths, nor even unexplainable. The Chinese have referred to their strange and sudden deaths as the “Lee Family Curse”!)

With Bruce Lee’s death, it is still a mystery as to how he died, or rather why he died? I remember reading that Bruce Lee was on medication while experimenting with something that involved stimulating his muscles with electricity. Whatever he was experimenting with, was, I think about increasing the speed of his blows? Bruce Lee was into something called “kinesiology” – the study of how the muscles work in the human body! It has been suggested that the combination of his taking prescribed medications and his experiments with electricity lay behind the true cause of his death!

Linda Lee, Bruce Lee’s wife, was one of Bruce Lee’s early students – before they were married. They met in Washington while Bruce Lee was studying at the University of Washington. Linda (then Linda Emery) was attending Garfield High School in Washington, and met Bruce Lee while he was giving a Kung Fu demonstration there. Linda later became one of Bruce Lee’s students, and the two were married August 17, 1964. They remained married up until the time of Bruce Lee’s death on July 20, 1973.

I also read a book once about the life of Bruce and Linda Lee. The book was written by Linda Lee in 1975 and was entitled, “Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew”. The book was all about Linda’s life with Bruce Lee, and their children Shannon and Brandon, and offered a real close look at Bruce Lee’s personal life and film career!

I myself have read a number of Bruce Lee’s books, but amongst my favorites are “Tao of Jeet Kune Do” and “Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method: Volumes One through Four”.

(This article concludes with a suggested diet, workout plan, and even gives you tips on preparing to become a great martial artist yourself; all based upon my own training in the martial arts and my own personal study of Bruce Lee’s training and martial arts techniques! Even if you are just looking for weight loss programs, exercise programs, or healthy diets and healthy lifestyle information, this article has some great information on the true secrets of health, maintaining a healthy body and a toned figure, maintaining a healthy diet, and exercising properly for strength, endurance, and overall fitness! READ ON…)

Most martial artists at one time or another have become fascinated with Bruce Lee’s own approach to the martial arts and hand to hand combat! A lot of martial artists study and practice according to Bruce Lee’s own regimen of fitness training, dieting methods, workout techniques, supplements, etc. A lot of people look to find an easy answer to weight loss, including the use of diet pills, and/or free diet programs, and/or “speed dieting methods”. The best way that I have found to lose weight and get fit is to eat mostly in accordance with the “South Beach Diet” Program, and maintain an exercise program that involves more muscle building and strength training exercises instead of cardiovascular exercises. Do your routine every several days only so as to allow your muscles time to heal and build themselves. This sort of exercise routine burns more fat that running, jogging, biking, walking, swimming, etc…You do not have to work out hard; you just have to work out consistently over a short but considerable period of time!

Continue reading and check out my specific tips for eating to lose weight, eating a healthy diet, exercising, and practicing the martial arts. You should be striving to live a healthy lifestyle on many different planes of existence: emotional, mental, and especially physical? To just go out and find a list of the best diet pills or free and easy diet programs is not always (if ever) the best approach to realistically maintaining a low fat healthy diet and exercise program. You need to be specific about what it is you want to accomplish, and seek out the best methods for accomplishing those goals…that is, in essence, most of what Bruce Lee did!

For those of you interested in losing weight, exercising, dieting, and training, even sleep and stress patterns must all be taken into consideration. Personal experience, reading, and talks with weight-lifters, trainers, and people who have lost a lot of weight by themselves suggests to me that as far as exercise goes, muscle building is far more effective, in terms of losing weight, than cardiovascular exercise. Exercise is an integral part of the process of losing weight, and weightlifting exercises are better than cardiovascular exercise in terms of losing weight because in weightlifting, fat is translated to muscle, where as in cardiovascular exercise, fat is melted away, so to speak! So, plan on squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and strengthening exercises.

As far as dieting goes, I have found the “South Beach Diet” to be quite effective for me. It is mostly a “low carb” diet where your focus is to also eat certain kinds of “carbs” versus others. It is also a very healthy way of eating, and as you can pretty much eat as much as you want, anytime, it is not a difficult diet to maintain in the long run. I do not actually cook any or all of the recipes listed in the book called “The South Beach Diet”, but I do eat the main ingredients of that diet regularly, and I stay away from potatoes, breads, pasta’s, and I use only low fat butters, sauces, etc. I have lost a considerable amount of weight in a very short amount of time, and I now maintain a regular, healthy, low fat diet. I also exercise minimally, and I will probably never be faced with having to lose a considerable amount of weight again. If so, I know how to lose it very quickly!

In the practice of martial arts, and integral to a Bruce Lee workout, cardiovascular exercise, endurance training, weight training, and stretching are all integral parts of training. I studied and practiced the martial arts when I was very young, and I was heavily influenced by Bruce Lee’s works. Later, I competed in Tae Kwon Do. My fitness training was then based a lot on the same ideas that Bruce Lee had. I will outline a simple and yet effective exercise towards the end of this article.

For weight loss, start with a “low-carb” diet, eating boneless/skinless chicken breasts, London broil, fish and shellfish, and very lean hamburger, for meats. For vegetables, only eat green and white vegetables…broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, and brussel sprouts are good choices. Do not eat fruits or desserts, etc…use only low fat butter or butter substitutes, egg substitutes, fat free cheeses and salad dressings, and next to no salt and pepper…if you are creative, you can make excellent dishes all the time, and eat as much as you want, whenever you want, and lose weight very, very fast! Make sure to also stay away from breads and pastas, and sweets period…at least for a time. You can gradually implement fruits, pastas, breads, and other things back into your diet after you have reached your target weight. Moderation with these things is then the key! Oh…no beer! Best to enjoy “low-cal” alcoholic beverages in moderation.

To drink? Lots of water is best!

For an exercise program, plan to spend no more than thirty minutes once every several days. Your muscles need time to heal, and to build muscle (thereby translating fat into muscle), and you will not experience soreness. Exercising for short periods of time every several days, even in front of the television, is an easy enough program to maintain. To lose weight, and to tone or build muscle, exercise should be both fat burning and muscle building at the same time. Do many repetitions of each exercise, and as many sets as you can…you want to work your muscles and develop a “sweat”. Do your repetitions as close together as possible…work SLOWLY towards that goal! True fitness, and mastery in the martial arts, requires long term and repetitive workouts.

Weight loss with a diet as suggested above, and a thirty minute exercise routine two to three times a week; a workout including squats, push-ups, and crunches, and/or any number of replacement exercises and routines will produce weight loss in anywhere from two weeks to thirty days – anywhere from seven to fifteen pounds of weight loss, honestly!

My own personal regimen for exercise, unless I am practicing the martial arts, is simply several sets of leg squats, several sets of push-ups, and several sets of some stomach exercises such as sit-ups, or tummy crunchers…the list of available exercises for martial arts training, even Bruce Lee’s own collection of exercises, is exhaustive! I do this thirty minute workout in front of the television every seventy-two hours or so…plenty, as I am no longer trying to execute an axe kick!

A Bruce Lee workout? A Bruce Lee workout includes stretching, bending, running, dipping, kicking, jumping, traditional muscle building exercises, weight-lifting, rope skipping, medicine ball handling, etc. You would do well to read “Tao of Jeet Kune Do”, by Bruce Lee, as Bruce Lee studied almost all arts of combat, and their exercise programs, and included his suggestions in the above mentioned masterpiece.

What about losing weight with diet pills? It is really just speed, or caffeine, and suppresses the appetite. So, just do some cocaine, and watch the pounds melt away! (Pun intended!) Diet pills, and especially cocaine, are not healthy for you, and they interfere with your sleep patterns. Cocaine use has even more drastic side effects! Also, once the pill or drug is abstained from, the weight usually returns as the appetite is no longer suppressed.

In closing, if you want to lose weight, feel good, look tone or even muscular, adopt my version of the South Beach Diet, as a regular way of eating. Begin with an exercise routine such as mine, and perhaps increase the length and severity of your workouts over time. Get plenty of sleep, vitamins and aspirin are helpful, and set about to work chiseling the body you have always wanted for yourself…maybe we will see you in an upcoming Jackie Chan movie!

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