Your skin is your largest organ and has many important jobs to do. One of the main functions of your skin is to create a protective barrier, separating your insides from your outside environment. On the daily your skin protects you from chemicals, destructive pathogens, UV light and dehydration. Interestingly, the skin can also provide you with a window into your internal health. In a nutshell, how well you take care of yourself will eventually show up on your skin.
The long term effects of a poor diet, too much caffeine, smoking, continual stress and lack of sleep will manifest on your skin. To protect the integrity of the skin, there are a few things we can do to improve our insides and create that glowing, youthful skin we all aspire to maintain.
Use a high potency, full spectrum vitamin C source like Amla (aka Phyllanthus emblica, Indian Gooseberry) on the daily. Amla is an ancient fruit that has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine and is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C. Vitamin C acts as a cofactor for collagen formation. It is also a magnificent antioxidant found in abundance in the skin and can help repair free radicals and slow down the aging process.
Drink more water. Increasing the amount of pure spring water you drink will help hydrate your insides as well as help your digestive system to flush out toxins. Drinking more water also improves your skin’s elasticity, helping to prevent wrinkles.
Eat more plants. When you eat more plants, you will naturally give yourself a boost of vitamins, minerals and other healthy nutrients needed for skin integrity like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E - all nutrients that your skin needs to be healthy.
Stop stressing so much and take up meditation. There is a growing body of evidence that shows there is a strong brain-skin connection. Too much stress has been shown to raise cortisol levels and inflammation which can manifest as hives, dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema and red or bumpy skin. You can’t eliminate all stress, but you can take steps to help manage stress in a healthy and constructive way. There are some interesting new studies that suggest that a regular meditation practice could help turn on genes that are anti-inflammatory.
Get more sleep. Turns out there may be something to the term “beauty sleep.” When you sleep your body repairs and replenishes organs and tissues with fluids but also removes excess fluids from other areas. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night so your body can go to work for you.
You deserve to look, feel and be your best and the above are some simple but effective ways to help in the anti-aging process. Best thing is you could start on some of these practices today and before you know it, people will be asking what your secret is too looking so healthy.