6 Ways To Enhance Your Beauty From The Inside Out
Beauty starts from within. When you like yourself, exude confidence and smile a lot, your attractiveness skyrockets. But it’s not only your attitude that makes you beam with beauty. How you lead your life also impacts your looks. For example, what you eat, how much you sleep and the amount of tension you carry can directly affect the radiance of your complexion. If your appearance-and health-could use a boost, consider tweaking your lifestyle. (And don’t forget to follow the right skincare regimen for your skin type!) Here are several things to adopt into your routine to improve your skin from the inside out.
1. Reduce stress. Being chronically worried, overworked and tense takes a toll on your skin. For example, stress can encourage dehydration, leaving your complexion dry and dull, says Kristen Ma, co-owner of Pure + simple spas in Toronto and author of Beauty 2.0. It can also trigger some skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis and cold sores, to flare up.
What to do: To enliven your complexion, whittle your tension with daily stress-busting techniques such as deep breathing and warm baths scented with calming lavender essential oil. Carve out time in your schedule for activities you enjoy and get physically active. “Take a walk after a meal or do some yoga. Do things that bring your focus into your body and out of your mind,” says Ma. Exercise also releases endorphins-brain chemicals that reduce pain and make you feel good.
2. Drink plenty of water. Your body is made of about 70 percent water and every cell and organ in your body needs the fluid to function optimally. Lack of H20 can lead to less elasticity in your skin and cause it to be dry and flaky. “As well, a lot of people-even those in their 20s-will start to have dehydration lines,“explains Ma. “These are very fine lines, not to be mistaken with deep wrinkles or expression lines.”
What to do: For plumper, clearer and more dewy skin, simply drink more water. For how much to have, Joy McCarthy, a certified nutritionist and health coach in Toronto, recommends following this formula: Your weight in pounds divided by 70.4 = litres of water you need daily. Keep in mind that if you’re sweating or drinking coffee or alcohol-all of which are dehydrating-you may need to consume extra water to stay hydrated.
3. Eat healthy fats. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are fats your body can’t make and, therefore, must be consumed through your diet. “Essential fats help to lubricate the skin from the inside out, and are great for giving you glowing, beautiful skin,” says McCarthy. Without enough of them in your daily diet, your skin will be dull and dry (the same applies to your hair).
What to do: Glowing skin will be yours when you consume enough of the right fats. To ensure you get plenty of omega-3- and omega-6 EFAs, McCarthy recommends that you incorporate healthy fats at every meal. For example, have a few nuts such as walnuts with breakfast, eat half an avocado with lunch and drizzle a tablespoon of flaxseed oil over your salad or steamed veggies at dinner.
4. Get beauty sleep. According to Ma, lack of sleep can make your skin dehydrated. And when your body’s dehydrated, it desperately holds onto the water it has. The result: You’re bloated and puffy. (Think of the puffiness you get under your eyes after a bad night’s rest.) Poor shut-eye may also result in dark under-eye bags and contribute to premature aging of the skin.
What to do: To look more rested and preserve the youthfulness of your skin, aim to get about eight hours of sleep a night. If you have trouble sleeping soundly, here are a few things to try: Go to bed at the same time every night, avoid caffeinated beverages in the evening and ensure your bedroom is noise- and light-free.
5. Ingest antioxidants. Free radicals are nasty little compounds (some naturally reside in your body, but levels are increased when you take in smoke and alcohol or are exposed to toxins in the air) that damage your cells and tissues, including those in your skin. Antioxidants-nutrients including vitamins C and E, selenium and flavonoids-come to the rescue, helping to thwart their harmful effects. “Antioxidants prevent premature aging and wrinkling of the skin,” says McCarthy. Therefore, the less antioxidants you have in your body, the greater the chance you’ll age before your time.
What to do: To keep wrinkles at bay, eat antioxidant-rich foods, such as dark green vegetables, berries, tomatoes and citrus fruit, every day. McCarthy recommends adding some berries to your morning yogurt, tossing kale into a pasta dish or sprinkling a handful of currants on your salad. And for a pick-me-up, have antioxidant-loaded green tea instead of dehydrating coffee.
6. Stop smoking. According to the Mayo Clinic, puffing on cigarettes causes premature aging. And the longer you smoke, the more wrinkles you’re bound to have. The Mayo Clinic also reports that, in part, smoking makes you look older faster because the chemicals in cigarettes damage the elastin and collagen (they keep your skin strong and firm) in your skin.
What to do: To stop your wrinkles from getting worse, give up cigarettes. It’s a hard habit to break, but it is possible to butt out. For cessation tips, read How to successfully quit smoking.
