How to Get on the Healthy Skin Lifestyle Train

It’s no surprise that we turn to top products to handle skin problems—after all, acne blemishes or wrinkles do not go away on their own, most of the time. But in applying these solutions, we can often skip over the habits that ensure healthy skin over the long haul. So what does a healthy skin lifestyle entail? It’s simple. Read on.

How to Get on the Healthy Skin Lifestyle Train

Cover the basics

The two biggest causes of wrinkles, lines and of course cancer would be sun damage and smoking. As such, you really can’t hope for a lasting effect from even the best products if you can’t snuff the smokes and protect your skin from the sun with a high-SPF lotion or a moisturizer that offers a strong SPF year-round, throughout your entire life. This will help stave off discoloration on your face and body too.

Zonk out

A 2016 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates more than one-third of adults don’t get enough sleep. Forget the havoc it can wreak on your skin (dark circles, sallow skin and more), lack of sleep is also associated with a greater risk of heart disease, diabetes and mental illness.

So make sure you make time for curling up and nodding off at least 8 hours a day or more – it’s part of an essential healthy skin lifestyle to help keep your entire body running optimally.

Go whole

A nourishing diet is key for great skin. Favor whole grains (that means brown rice over white, and try less popular grains like quinoa and buckwheat too), beans, and lots of fresh vegetables (dark leafy greens like kale and spinach especially) and fruits every day. Eat collagen-boosting foods and those rich in beta carotene too, like members of the citrus family, papaya, carrots, beets, tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, squashes, and all sorts of berries.

Stay away from fried foods, cookies, chips, and candy, and go easy on alcohol or even better, stop drinking (maybe ironically, it’s a huge dehydrator and collagen killer). Besides affecting blood sugar, these so-called foods can trigger the growth of pore-clogging cells and oil production, not to mention they wreck your health physically and mentally.

Be fishy

Definitely get your skin some omega-3 fatty acids through sardines, mackerel, salmon, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts. For fish, choose wild over farmed every time when possible.

Clean and remove

People still overdo the washing thing: twice is day is just what you need, with a gentle cleanser. Exfoliating with a gentle scrub a few times a week will help get rid of dead skin cells. Some articles recommend exfoliation as a daily ritual, but you’re better off keeping it at about two or three times a week to avoid reactions if your skin is sensitive.

Get that body movin’

This is the funnest part of the healthy skin lifestyle. Because you can be lean and eat well, but if you aren’t exercising and getting your heart pumping at least a few times per week for 30 minutes, your circulatory and other systems aren’t healthy and you’re taking years out of your lifespan. Exercise improves longevity and helps you get toxins out through sweat, leading to clearer skin. Plus, the endorphins will make for a happier you (that’s the very best part, if you ask us!). Just shower ASAP following your workouts and change into clean clothes to avoid sweat-induced breakouts, especially on the chest and back.

Not sure how to get started? Check out a website like Yoga Today to work out at your pace in your own space, or get to the gym – even join an exercise Meetup near you to make friends and explore your area while you’re at it! It’s a win-win-win-win-win x infinity.

That’s it! The healthy skin lifestyle is simple and will transform your life for the better. It just takes some getting used to. Give it a shot!