anti aging

anti ageing

We all know that aging is a natural process, but many people will go to great lengths to maintain a youthful appearance. We age due to genetic and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.  But you can easily keep aging signs at bay by following a healthy lifestyle.

The sooner you begin following a healthy lifestyle and caring properly for your skin, the healthier your skin will be. Plus, it will delay signs of aging like fine lines, sagging skin, wrinkles, age spots and crow’s feet.

Aging is inevitable, but this does not mean that you cannot look younger than your age. There are many beauty secrets that can cut years off your appearance, particularly your face.

Here are the top 10 anti-aging beauty secrets.

1. Follow a Good Skin Care Regimen

Irrespective of your age, you need to follow a good skin care regimen for healthy skin. When your skin is healthy, it will not show early signs of aging.

• Cleanse your face daily with a gentle cleanser, both in the morning and at night. This will keep your skin clean, soft and free of pore-clogging debris. When buying a cleanser, avoid those with high alcohol content and other drying agents.
• Apply a good quality moisturizer over your entire face, neck, hands and legs twice daily. This will help prevent dry and aging skin.
• Exfoliate your skin once a week with a gentle facial scrub. This will encourage skin cell renewal, making your skin look younger. It will also help get rid of dead skin cells and keep your skin smooth, healthy, bright and fresh.

2. Choose Skin Care Products Wisely

Many people make the mistake of using the wrong type of skin care products. This can cause tingling, itching, dryness and irritation. It’s easy to rectify or avoid this mistake.

• Determine your skin type by analyzing your T-zone area and then choose suitable products to keep it healthy and young. Also, avoid using too many cosmetic products at the same time.
• When you are past your mid-20s, use products with retinol, peptides and antioxidants. Retinol promotes an increase of collagen and elastic production. Peptides can stimulate collagen production and cell repair to help you get younger-looking skin. Antioxidants will protect your skin from the sun and speed up the natural skin repair system.

If you have any doubts, you can always consult a dermatologist for help find the right products for your skin care needs.

3. Wear Sunscreen Everyday

Sunscreen is the ultimate anti-aging tool recommended by beauty experts. Be it summer, winter, autumn or rainy days, you must not leave your home without applying a good quality sunscreen on any exposed body parts.

Too much exposure to the  sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays can damage your skin, particularly its elastin, and cause a loss of collagen. This in turn can lead to sun spots, wrinkles, an uneven tone, dryness, rough skin and sunburn.

Apply an SPF 15 (or greater) sunscreen every day, even in the winter. For maximum anti-aging benefits, make sure to apply sunscreen on your ears, neck, legs and hands along with your face.

4. Get Your Beauty Sleep Daily

To stay looking young for years, get 7 to 8 hours of beauty sleep daily without fail. In fact, sleep is considered the most powerful rejuvenating treatment to maintain youthfulness.

When you sleep, adrenaline and corticosteroid levels drop and the body starts to produce growth hormone. During this time, the repair and growth process of cells occurs. If you don’t get enough sleep, this function is impaired and leads to inflammation that causes many signs of aging like wrinkles, dull complexion and fines lines.

A good night’s sleep also has many health benefits like better memory, mood, attention and concentration as well as a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.

To improve your sleep, maintain a regular bedtime, avoid caffeinated beverages before bedtime, take a warm bath with a few drops of aromatherapy oil in the evening, and sleep on the right mattress and pillows.

5. Exercise Daily

Exercise is good for your body and mind. Regular exercise improves blood flow and keeps your skin healthy and vibrant. It also regulates your hormones and promotes proper sleep.

According to a study published in the journal Circulation, exercise has anti-inflammatory potential and decreases the risk of developing inflammatory diseases like heart disease and obesity.

Exercise also combats the loss of stamina, muscle strength, balance and bone density that increases with age.

Do some sort of physical activity for 20 to 30 minutes daily. Activities that can help slow down the aging process are running, walking, dancing, cycling, gardening and even housework. Aerobic exercise classes and yoga also help a lot.

6. Give Yourself a Break from Stress

Several studies have shown that stress causes physical changes in the body that can accelerate aging. When you are under stress, hormonal changes occur that can cause blood pressure to rise and the heart to beat faster.

Stress can even cause anxiety, depression, insomnia, weight gain, fatigue and many other conditions that will surely make you look older than your age.

First, you must try to control the level of stress in your life. If you are under stress, take steps to manage it with deep breathing, walking outside amid nature, practicing yoga, meditating or indulging in any other activity that can divert your thoughts from the stressful situation and help calm your mind.

If you have difficulty controlling or managing stress, consult a specialist or seek out a support group.

7. Eat Right

Healthy skin starts with healthy eating, so you need to think seriously about what you are eating on a daily basis. To slow down the aging process, follow these key tips.

• Include more antioxidant-rich foods in your diet. Antioxidants help increase cellular regeneration and protect collagen, thus keeping your skin firm and wrinkle-free.
• Ensure adequate intake of essential fatty acids, such as those found in flaxseed and fatty fish. These healthy fats help your skin function properly and aid in tissue repair. Plus, they help reduce inflammation in the body and improve mental health.
• Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and 3 servings of whole grains daily. This will provide protein, calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc and other essential minerals that your body needs to function properly.

8. Stay Hydrated

Water is the foundation of young-looking skin, hence you need to drink an ample amount of water throughout the day. It helps keep your skin hydrated and moisturized, making it look younger and healthier.

Plus, water also will aid digestion, improve your energy and concentration, and flush toxins from your body.
When you don’t drink enough water, your skin can become dry, dull and dehydrated, leading to issues like fine lines and wrinkles, and chapped lips.

To stay hydrated, drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day. Along with water, you can drink green tea, fruit juices and vegetables juices, or eat fruits and vegetables rich in water content.

9. Limit Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol is one drink that you must avoid or drink less as it accelerates the aging process and affects mineral absorption in the body.

Plus, it makes your liver work harder to eliminate harmful toxins, which in turn makes your skin look dry and lifeless. Alcohol may even increase your risk for non-melanoma skin cancer, cause flare-ups of rosacea and skin irritation.

For younger-looking skin, drink alcohol in moderation or, for maximum benefits, stop drinking entirely.

10. Stop Smoking

Smoking tarnishes your skin and makes you look older than your actual age. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 harmful toxins.

Some of these toxins cause the blood vessels in the top layers of the skin to constrict, in turn reducing the amount of oxygen in the blood. Plus, smoking reduces the production of collagen.

All these factors can lead to dull skin, sagging skin, dark lips, wrinkles around the mouth and eyes, deep lines in the cheeks, dull hair and discolored nails.

Also, smoking as well as second-hand smoke has adverse effects on your overall health. It can cause respiratory problems, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, earlier menopause, and lung and other types of cancer.

Considering the ill effects of smoking on your skin and general health, it is essential to quit smoking as soon as possible.

Additional Tips

• Minimize chlorine exposure when swimming.
• Do not pop, pick or scratch pimples.
• Do not skip meals.
• Avoid going to bed with your make-up on.
• Do not take long, hot showers as it can cause dry and itchy skin.
• Avoid staying in an air-conditioned room throughout the day.
• Avoid pressing a phone against your cheek as it can cause breakouts.
• Clean your makeup brushes and tools on a regular basis.
• Get a body massage at least once a month.
• Add laughter to your life to stay and feel young.
• Have a fun, carefree attitude.
• Dress according to your age and body shape and choose bright colors.
• Get the right haircut to look younger.

benefits of facials

We know that a diamond is often referred to as a ‘girl’s best friend’. But do you know that a diamond is not there just to sparkle on your finger as a ring! It could even make your skin shine like never before. Why don’t you try out the diamond facial to be sure about its beauty effects? It is one of the luxurious facial treatments that many high-end beauty salons offer.

Facials

Benefits Of Diamond Facial:

Diamond facial suits best the dull and dry skin. It also offers effective results on the aging skin. Therefore, it is best known for its anti-aging benefits. Listed below are the benefits you will yield of going for a diamond facial beauty treatment:

1. Exfoliation:

Diamonds are widely used as exfoliating agents. The reason is simple ─ diamonds offer longer exfoliation effect to the skin in comparison to other ingredients. Offering amazing exfoliation effect to the skin, diamond facial removes dead cells. It also offers youthful radiance and glow to your skin.

2. Treats Aging Skin Issues:

Diamond facial is known for its anti-aging properties. Diamonds help to remove toxin, which in turn purifies the skin and helps in oxygenation. Activating the dormant skin cells, it boosts the metabolic functions of the skin. It promotes regeneration of cellular life. So, in this process it controls the effects of age on the skin.

3. Treats Skin Flaws:

Diamond facial works effectively to treat dry and tanned skin. It also works to make the skin tone even. Apart from that, you would need something as effective as the diamond facial treatment to eliminate the abundance of blackheads.

4. Luxury Factor:

Of course, there is a luxury factor involved in diamond facials. It has a feel-good factor attached. Also, there is a mental satisfaction that you have treated your skin with one of the best facial treatments possible!

How Costly Is Diamond Facial Treatment?

It is a fact that diamond facial is a high-end treatment with which you can pamper your skin. You can reap the best benefits of diamond facial when you get it done by an expert. Be prepared to shell out at least INR 2000 to get this facial done. The cost could go up to INR 4500 for a diamond facial session. However, if you are willing to invest in a diamond facial DIY kit and want to do it at home, it will cost you far less. Reputed brands like VLCC and Nature’s Essence and beauticians like Shahnaz Husain have formulated diamond facial kits, which you can try at home.

What Does A Diamond Facial Kit Contain?

Well known brands use skin-friendly ingredients that does not pose any threat to your skin. Even sensitive skin can reap the benefits of diamond facial. Ideally, a diamond facial kit contains diamond scrub, diamond detoxifying lotion, diamond massage gel and diamond face mask.

1.  Diamond Scrub:It is known to contain diamond ash in combination with natural components, such as flower extracts, essential oils and walnuts. Scrub your face with the diamond scrub to remove dead cells.
2.   Diamond Detoxifying Lotion: It soothes, cleanses and softens the skin.
3.   Diamond Massage Gel: It has anti-aging properties. It tightens the facial skin, reduces fine lines and prevents skin aging.
4.  Diamond Face Mask: It effectively treats discolored and tanned facial skin. It instantly treats blemishes and adds glow to your skin.

Going for diamond facial could be a wonderful way of providing an anti-aging dose to your facial skin. Do not forget to share your feedback on diamond facial you got it done in the last time. Or are you planning to get it done now? Share with us in the comments section.

Makeup

Princess Masako of Japan is a royal beauty who epitomizes ageless beauty, charm, and grace. This 50 year old princess has always been in the list of the world’s most beautiful princesses. Fluent in six languages (English, French, Russian, Spanish, German and Japanese) and educated at Harvard and Oxford universities, she suffered from depression-related health problems for over a decade after her marriage. Despite her health condition, she has emerged as a true winner, with an exquisiteness that the whole world is in awe of So, how does the princess manage to look so amazing? We have searched far and wide and discovered the secret behind her ageless look!

make up

Her makeup is not at all made-up, but is very natural. The princess refrains from the use of dark shades of makeup. She is mostly seen in natural pastel shades. Let’s have a look at the makeup secrets of this royal beauty:

1. The light tint on her lips accentuates her beauty in a subtle manner.
2. Her eyebrows are well shaped and are always carved with a dark colored eyebrow pencil.
3. She does not make use of color palette when it comes to her eyes and prefers mellow skin colors.
4. The princess does not experiment much with the use of eyeliner and avoids using too much mascara.
5. Her cheeks are mostly in baby pink color that you would otherwise adore on a rose.
6. She does not have a keen interest in huge chunks of jewelry and is often spotted flaunting really cute yet stylish pearl and diamond earrings and necklaces.
7. For few years princess Masako sported a plain bob cut. Lately, she has been gracefully leaving her shoulder length silky straight hair open. Mostly, she pulls her hair back to flaunt her perfectly shaped face.
8. Her signature couture consists of a suit paired with a pill-box hat. She is completely covered, with full sleeves on all of her suits, which are mostly in white, pink and turquoise shades.
9. Apart from this, she follows a strict regime of taking care of her skin, hair and overall health. The Japanese believe in a concept called ‘mie-nai osharé’. It translates to hidden beauty, a phenomena that goes well with this Japanese royal beauty too. The natural beauty of this royal princess is indescribable and something that if followed by any one of us, will definitely make us stand out as a royal entity.

Fitness Secrets Of This Timeless Beauty:

Princess Masako has worked hard over the years to maintain a slim body structure. She looks way younger than her real age due to her strict diet regime, which consists of the following:

1. Her Japanese diet includes huge amounts of rice that is cooked and eaten with no oil or butter. As this is a low-fat, complex carbohydrate, and a filling dish, it leaves less room for other cravings.

2. The Japanese princess’ diet contains a huge amount of ‘brassica’ vegetables that include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, radishes and bok choy (chinese cabbage). These brassicas are packed with antioxidants and fiber.
3. Mushrooms are an excellent source for revitalizing the immune system and fighting diseases. They also help to lower the cholesterol level. Mushrooms also contain powerful anti-aging antioxidants. They are full of Vitamin B3, B5, B6 and B2.
4. The princess loves raw fish, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, low-fat protein and vitamins. She also makes use of different varieties of seaweed for various health benefits.
5. The Japanese people have a healthy cultural association with green tea and so does the princess of the country. It has been proven beneficial to increase her metabolism and regulate the glucose levels. It also acts against aging symptoms and wrinkles.

Favorites:

The princess loves personalized Mexican menu. Shark fin soup and roast duck amongst the Chinese delicacies and French meal featuring black truffles are the dishes that she loves to hog on.
Don’t you think the Princess of Japan looks ethereal? There is something timeless about her and now you know how she manages to look the way she does!
Was this article interesting? Share your feedback with us in the comments section below.

how to increase height

Height is an essential factor which determines the overall personality of an individual. Though being short does not in any way undermine an individual’s capabilities, it’s a fact that tall people often become the centre of attention.

how to increase height naturally

Short statured people not only suffer from a lack of confidence, but also face certain difficulties in some aspects of their lives.Various professions (such as modelling, acting etc) demand that you have good height. Typically, a child who is short, often becomes the victim of bullying at his/her school, loses a place in the basketball team or even misses being nominated as the monitor of the class. It is rather unfortunate that even a fairly good looking or talented individual is likely to get ignored if he or she does not possess the normal height.What can we do to get better and ahead if height isn’t in our favour? Let’s check out the factors affecting height first and then look at the tips to increase the height naturally.

Factors Affecting Height:

Being tall isn’t in our control, is it? Only partly true!

Genetic and non-genetic factors have a major role in determining our height. Our body height is regulated by the hormone called “Human Growth Hormone [HGH)”. HGH is secreted in our body by the pituitary gland and is required for the growth of long bones and cartilages.

a. Genetic Factors:

Height is influenced by various genes in our body. Our height is determined by several genes, it is polygenic. If both our parents are short, it does not mean we won’t be tall. However, if most of the members in our family from both sides are of short stature, then the next generations are most likely to have short height. Genetic factors are entirely beyond our control.

To calculate your projected height, follow these steps:

• First add both your parents’ heights together, either counting in inches or centimetres
• If you are a male, add 5 inches, that is, 13 cm to this. However, if you are a female, deduct 5 inches from the total of your parents’ height
• Now divide this number by 2
• What you get is your estimated height. This can be plus or minus 4 inches. This is an approximate way to predict what your height will be.

b. Non Genetic Factors:

There are several non-genetic factors that influence our height to an extent. Being tall is associated with growth and therefore, short height can be attributed to inadequate nutrition, lack of physical activity, incorrect posture, etc.

Certain other non-genetic factors which may affect height include:

• Smoking during pregnancy
• Prenatal and Post natal care
• Ill health during childhood and adolescence
• Weight during birth
• Mental conditions during childhood and adolescence
• Non-genetic factors can be controlled to an extent by following a healthy lifestyle from childhood.

• Tips to Increase Height Naturally

  About 20% or more of our body height depends upon our environment, activities and diet. Thus, we can increase our height in a natural way by following certain basic rules in our daily lives.

  1. Proper Sleep:

  It’s a well-known fact that our body grows and regenerates tissues while we rest. Proper sleep and rest are absolutely essential for a growing body. It’s believed that the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is produced naturally in our bodies during sound, deep and slow wave sleep. Growing children and teenagers should have at least 8 to 11 hours of proper sleep every night in order to reach their maximum height. It is extremely important to ensure that you have a proper sleeping environment. It should be serene, minus disturbing noises or strong lights. Here are some tips to ensure sound sleep:
  • Taking a warm water bath before going to bed can greatly enhance the quality of sleep.
  • You can drink one cup of chamomile tea before hitting the bed. This is really useful to induce sleep.
  Proper sleeping habit is definitely the top answer when it comes to growing one’s height naturally.

• 2. Regular Exercise and Sports:

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  mages: Shutterstock

  • One of the best tips to grow height naturally is by being physically fit and active as a child. Regular exercise and sports enhances one’s height. When you are physically active, your body demands more healthy nutrients and consequently, an increase in nutrient intake results in growth.

  • Indulging in sports like swimming, aerobics, tennis, cricket, football, basketball or a number of stretching exercises are a good way to keep our body growing. Our muscles improve our growth prospects besides cleansing and detoxifying our body through sweating. Regular exercise or sports should definitely form a part of our daily activities.

  • Swimming is one of the best ways to increase your height. If one starts this at an early age, surely his/her height will be adequate. 2 hours of daily swimming for 4-5 days a week can be highly effective in increasing your height. The breast stroke is specially recommended for those who wish to increase their height. Swimming is a full body, intense exercise which will help to lengthen your muscles and build muscle strength.

  • Some of the stretches you can try out to begin with are the car stretch, super stretch, cobra stretch, the bridge, bow down, twists, the table and basic leg stretches. It is recommended to do simple stretching exercises on a regular basis, for a minimum of 15 minutes for these to be effective for you. Stretches serves a great warm up before a workout.

  • Hanging exercises can be useful to grow one’s height through exercise. Though these may seem a bit tough to try out in the beginning, you will get the hang of them slowly. All you need is a bar for this. Hang from it with your arms and spine stretched for 10 seconds. Repeat 12 sets one after the other or continue to do this for 2 minutes every day.

  3. Yoga:

  Yoga is a great and comparatively less strenuous way to increase your height naturally. Yoga brings about overall fitness which is useful to give a boost to your height. Certain yoga poses facilitate the release of growth-inducing hormones in the body. The stretching and balancing exercises involved in yoga strengthen the muscles and improve the posture of the body as well. Try yoga poses such as triangle pose (trikonasana), cobra pose (bhujangaasana), mountain pose (tadasana), pleasant pose (sukhasana), tree pose (Vriksasana). You can addSuryanamaskar to your fitness regime too.

• 4. Maintaining the Correct Posture:

  Due attention should be given towards maintaining a correct posture from childhood. Simple things like sitting straight on a chair, keeping your shoulders straight, chin high, and hips over your feet while walking or standing can actually have favourable effects on your height. Do not slouch while walking.
  A straight spine and a strong back are very vital in increasing your height. Align your neck and head without bending or slouching. Having a good pillow and a body-friendly mattress are equally important in keeping your spine comfortable.
  It should be noted that your shoulders should not stoop while walking or standing. Hunching should be avoided by all means. A good posture makes you look tall, smart and confident.

  5. Balanced Diet:A balanced diet is absolutely essential to get proper nutrition. Stay away from junk food at any cost. Avoid saturated fats, carbonated drinks and excessive sugar-loaded foods as these can cause a negative impact on your height. It should be ensured that you get all the vitamins and minerals that your body needs, to grow to your full height.

  • Vitamin D and proteins help in triggering the growth hormones, and are required for proper growth of teeth and bones. Hence, the foods which are rich in these nutrients such as cheese, legumes, tofu, lean meat, egg white should be included in your diet.
  • Intake of zinc is also very important as its deficiency can lead to stunted growth in children. Foods such as asparagus, chocolate, eggs, oysters and peanuts are rich in zinc.
  • Calcium found in dairy products and green vegetables is required for the growth and development of bones.
  • Apart from this, other nutrients like minerals like magnesium and phosphorus, carbohydrates and vitamins should not be ignored as they also contribute towards proper growth of the body. The nutritional requirements can also be fulfilled by taking supplements in limited quantities.
  • It is important to have good metabolism. Hence, you can have six balanced meals throughout the day. Smaller but well-spanned portions can be helpful to boost your metabolic rate. This will lead to lesser fat storage in your body, thus allowing you to grow taller.

  • 6. Avoid Growth Stunting factors:

    You can ensure that your height doesn’t get affected by external or internal factors. Hence, keep in mind a few things:
    Taking drugs and alcohol at a young age can be extremely harmful. Consuming these can lead to stunted growth and malnutrition, thus preventing you from reaching your full height. The intake of caffeine should be restricted, particularly among children as it keeps you from sleeping soundly and regularly. As kids and adolescents require a good eight to eleven hours of sound sleep, caffeine can restrict that to a great extent, thus indirectly contributing to short stature.
    Apart from this, steroids have also been found to inhibit bone growth in young children, adversely affecting their height. Research has shown that asthma-affected children and teenagers who use inhalers tend to grow up to about ½an inch shorter than others. This is because these inhalers dispense relatively small amounts of the steroid called budesonide.

    7. Strong Immune System:

    Certain childhood illnesses can also cause stunted growth. These can be avoided by regular immunization and taking plenty of Vitamin C which is found in citrus fruits like orange, grapefruit and lemon. The immune system can be kept strong by eating whole and fresh foods, and avoiding processed and hydrogenated foods such as the very popular margarine.
    A healthy diet will lead to a healthy immune system. Incorporate lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and foods rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids in your diet to maintain a healthy immune system.

    8. Ask For Medical Aid:

    If you have reached your mid-teens and hail from a family where all members are tall, but find that your height isn’t developing, it is judicious to visit a doctor. Certain medical conditions can be detected at an early stage. Hence, if you are doing everything all the above but still not growing, seek medical advice.

    9. Build Your Confidence:

    If a person is tall but lacks confidence, it’s of no use. Hence, it is very important to build confidence from childhood and cultivate it as you grow older. You can take part in school activities, join a club and spend time pursuing your interests and hobbies. All of these act towards boosting your mood and sense of well-being, thus affecting your confidence levels. If you have a positive mindset and are brimming with confidence, even a shorter stature won’t seem to be a hindrance for you. Hence, cultivate your confidence!
    Don’t wait any longer; start right away to keep your body growing! Follow these tips to gain height naturally!
    Leave a suggestion below if you have one to help me add a couple of inches more to my height!