četvrtak, 23. srpnja 2015.

How to look fresh after a sleepless night

How to look fresh after a sleepless night

We’re no strangers to today’s fast-paced lifestyle filled with commitments and worries, in other words, yet another sleepless night which unfortunately leaves us looking tired.
Imagine this scenario. It’s morning. Time to go to work. You’re already not your usual self, and the last thing you want to hear is your co-workers pointing that out, am I right? Here’s what you can do to look fresh and rested even if you didn’t get a wink of sleep the night before.
Peels
kako-izgledati-svjeze-1This is a beauty treatment that simply has to be a part of your beautiful complexion to-do list. You see, by doing peels regularly you get rid of dead skin cells, and stimulate new cell turnover thus allowing your skin to regenerate itself. Go for a light peel twice a week (definitely not every day), one that’ll work best for your skin type.
You can choose between mechanical, chemical and enzymatic peels. The latter include enzymes such as alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that help your skin get rid of any impurities in a non-invasive way which makes them perfect for those of you with sensitive skin.
Hydration
kako-izgledati-svjeze-2If you’re sleep deprived, water is here to the rescue. Have a glass of water in the morning, and make sure you take optimum hydration into consideration. You can also add a few lemon drops because vitamin C protects your skin from premature aging caused by free radical damage.
Try washing your face with cold water. This will make your blood vessels constrict, and your face feel soft to the touch. Don’t forget to apply a moisturizing cream to get rid of any traces of fatigue. This will also prove useful in combating dry and flaky skin, as well as wrinkles.
All in all, water is the best and most affordable way to refresh your face both inside and out.
Cool off
kako-izgledati-svjeze-3An efficient way of rejuvenating your skin is to rub ice cubes all over it. You’ll end up feeling like you just had a facelift. A mild one, that is. Your skin will be tighter, and blood flow better.
If ‘go big or go home’ is your life motto, take a towel and dip it in cold milk, put it on your face, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Finish this beauty treatment with washing your face. Voilà! Your skin is already glowing.
Let’s go back to those ice cubes for a second. If you have an uneven skin tone, this is what you should do. Take an ice cube and suck on it. I know, it sounds funny, but it works. You see, your palate contains nerves that are connected to blood vessels on your face. By sucking on an ice cube, you’re sending them signals to constrict which in turn makes your skin tone more even.
Here’s another cool trick. Put your day cream or tonic in the fridge overnight and apply it to your face in the morning. This will stimulate blood flow and soothe your tired and puffy skin.
Don’t let your eyes give you away
As you’re well aware, your eyes are the telltale sign of yet another sleepless night. So, make sure you use products that feature peptides that will help keep any skin irritation to a minimum. Moreover, go for products that revive the area around your eyes, and make you look well rested and less swollen.
You’ve probably heard about the cold cucumber myth. The truth is, there’s nothing special about this vegetable. It’s their temperature that does the trick, and allows us to say goodbye to those pesky under eye bags.

How to choose the best foods

How to choose the best foods

Can you count the number of times you ended up reading food labels at a store wondering if a product is good for you or not? Here’s a list of things you should do in order to make your shopping experience more pleasurable.
The first step is checking if a product of your choice meets your daily macronutrient and micronutrient requirements for a balanced diet. As you’re probably well aware by now, the key to a healthy diet is finding the right balance, that is choosing wisely when it comes to food quality. Bear in mind, the daily energy intake for the average adult is 1800-2100 kcal, where important dietary elements are divided into two groups – macronutrients and micronutrients.
Macronutrients refer to carbs, proteins, fats and fibers, whereas micronutrients include vitamins, minerals, enzymes, aromatic compounds and plant pigments.
Carbs should take up 55-65% of your daily energy intake which you can get from grains, fruit, vegetables and leguminous plants. You shouldn’t avoid fats, just go for the healthy ones. There goes the 30% of your daily energy intake. Moreover, choose cold pressed oils, as well as animal fats but in moderate amounts. Leave room for proteins (10-15%) found in meat, eggs and diary products.
kako-kupovati-namirnice-2
The next thing you should consider is checking if a product contains any harmful substances such as artificial colors, flavors and trans fats. Most people just check the best before date and that’s about it. But since we know how big of an impact the food we eat has, we should definitely dedicate more time to finding out just what it is we have on our menu day in, day out.
Did you know that numerous studies have shown that different sweeteners, colors and flavor enhancers are related to a number of severe diseases? Also, more often than not you’ll come across products that don’t list all the ingredients but mention a lot of different “flavors” and “colors”.
The last thing you should remember is to exclude all the foods rich in trans fats from your diet. You see, trans fatty acids can increase the so-called “bad” cholesterol, that is, LDL cholesterol, and at the same time reduce the “good” cholesterol aka HDL cholesterol, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases.
So the next time you happen to be at a store choose your foods wisely and don’t forget to read the small print on the labels.

Muscles vs. fat

Muscles vs. fat

How many times have you found yourself standing on a weighing scale feeling dismayed by the number it was showing? But before this recollection puts you in a bad mood, it would be a good idea to really get in touch with your body and understand exactly what happens inside. When we say we want to lose weight, we actually mean to lose the excess fat. Take, for instance, two persons of the approximately same height weighing 65 kilos. The first person looks fit and has well developed muscles, while the other looks entirely different, somewhat puffy and with evident excess fat around waistline. And you wonder how this is possible? The answer is simple, and it lies in the volume. Namely, one kilo of fat occupies more space (volume) than one kilo of muscles. Figuratively speaking, if muscle is an energy factory, then fat would be nothing more but an auxiliary fuel tank. This means our body requires a certain amount of fat which protects out bones and organs, but ensures a proper function of the metabolism as well. However, excess fat is not only unappealing in terms of esthetics, but it’s may even be dangerous.

Have you ever been discouraged upon seeing you gain weight when starting exercising? This disappointment might have even made you give up on exercising. But, that would be a wrong thing to do, because exercising builds muscles. The thing is that muscles are being developed as the number of cell organelles, mitochondria, increases. Mitochondria represent the source of energy which is produced as the result of biochemical processes, namely, degradation of fatty acids. Fatty acids pass through membrane of the mitochondria with a help of acylcarnitine transporter into the matrix where degradation takes place. Therefore, the more acylcarnitine units, the more fatty acids can be transported to the mitochondria where they’ll be broken apart. This is why it’s good to take carnitine before exercising. It is also important to note that the number and the size of the mitochondria depends on the cell’s level of metabolic activity. Intense muscle work results in mitochondrial division, but also their enlargement. So, the more you work out, the more muscles you are likely to build, meaning that the number of mitochondria will gradually increase as the excess fat reduces.

Overall, exercising is something that should become an integral part of everyone’s life. Not only you’ll feel better in the inside, but you’ll look better on the outside too.

Don’t forget to take your makeup off!


Don’t forget to take your makeup off!

That habit of yours of not taking your makeup off can lead to numerous skin problems, such as dryness and dehydration, brittle lashes, and other more serious skin disorders. You can also experience such things when you try the “remove your makeup instantly” approach. So, if you care at least a lil’ bit about your health and skin, washing your face properly should be on your to do list every single day.
You see, by washing your face thoroughly you’re not only getting rid of your makeup, but you’re also getting rid of everything that has accumulated on your skin throughout the day. If you decide to ignore this, you might as well say hello to premature aging.
If, on the other hand, you’re curious to see what you can do to prevent this from happening, then by all means keep on readin’! Use products that suit your skin type. For combination skin, cleanse your face with a soft cleansing milk followed by lukewarm water. As for dry skin, you’re gonna need more patience here. Try a more thick cleansing milk. If you have oily skin, go for cleansing gels or lotions that will restore your skin’s natural balance. But if you’re not sure which skin type you have, the best thing would be to use micellar water because it gets rid of your makeup but at the same time doesn’t hurt your skin.
As for the areas around your eyes, use cotton pads with cleansing milk, and slowly and gently remove your mascara. Make sure you don’t rub too hard because you’ll end up irritating your skin.
By using the right makeup removal techniques, you won’t have to go through certain things some women do, and your skin will look beautiful and healthy. Bear in mind, this is just the first step. There’s still toning to do which should definitely be a part of your beauty routine as well.
In the end, your skin will have that special glow, and you’re feel more confident to go about your daily life.