Anti-Aging Skin Care Product Reviews

"Look and Feel Younger With Reviews of Popular Anti-Aging Skin Care Products"

Nutrition and the Aging Process

March 14th, 2007

It is the desire of several to live forever. You can experience the earth for centuries, watching as other progress and evolve. While they are moving and changing, you will simply stay forever young. While this hope may not be a logical way to approach the aging process, you can find several ways to slow down old age. One of the key elements to survival of a young age is by having the right nutrition in place.

If you love chocolate or vanilla, you might have to slow down the amount of intake in order to help with the nutrition you need for your age. There are specific parts of your diet that you will need to substitute for what you love in order to keep looking and feeling young. Nutritious foods are a large part of the aging process and can not be disregarded when you start to grow older.

One of the parts of nutrition to keep in mind as you grow older is the balance of foods that you eat. Every meal should have at least some nutrition that is combined with it. This will first mean combining anti-oxidants into your diet, as this helps with several of your anti-aging needs. Dark greens and fruits will give you the ability to have higher amounts of anti-oxidants, which will help to keep producing the hormones you need and to keep your body moving at a quicker rate.

“One of the parts of nutrition to keep in mind as you grow older is the balance of foods that you eat.”

If you are looking at nutrition and the aging process for what you shouldn’t do, then there are two major things you should avoid. A high amount of excessive fats can cause large problems with aging. This allows for free radicals to become imbalanced in your body, allowing them to keep too much oxygen in your body. If there are too many free radicals, they will cause cells to be destroyed instead of rejuvenated.

You will then want to balance out lower fats with higher carbohydrates and protein. These two elements will allow your body to have more energy available. This will also allow your system to continue to function at a quick pace. You will have more energy to move and keep other parts of your life intact, such as exercise.

After you have found a major balance of what to include in your nutritious diet, you will also want to make sure that you have the right amounts of vitamins in your system. For example, vitamin D and C will help to replenish cells in your body. Calcium will help to keep your bones strong in your system. Other vitamins are used to target specific areas of your body, keeping them strong and vital
as you move through your crucial activities. Keeping these different vitamins balanced in your body is a huge part to stop from aging.

One of the last considerations to take into your system for nutrition to stop the aging process is the amount of liquids that are in your system. As you grow older, you should drink more water than you did when you are younger. It is suggested to have between eight and ten glasses of water a day in order to keep your body functioning properly. By doing this, you will have the ability to keep your system hydrated and functioning properly at every level.

You may not be able to live forever, but by keeping basic nutrition, the aging process can slow down. Staying young does not mean staying twenty. It means staying healthy and keeping your nutritious needs in line. If you are just beginning to turn your nutrition around, you will want to make sure that you have all of your eating habits in order. By keeping track of what you have on your plate, you will be led to a healthier and prolonged life.

Julie Health writes about anti-aging products and reviews and anti-aging nutritional supplements at her website.

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Staying Smooth: Anti-aging Skin Care Tips

February 28th, 2007

There’s no reason why anyone in the movies and magazines should look better than you, including the way that their skin looks. Even if you don’t have millions of dollars, you can make sure that your skin continues to look young and healthy. By taking the proper steps, you can reinforce the cells in your skin for a younger and fresher look. Following are some anti-aging skin care tips that you can follow.

The easiest way to take care of aging in your skin is to make sure that it doesn’t start to wrinkle. Your skin will begin to wrinkle in one of several ways. When it is inflicted with substances that are not natural, such as UV rays, it will cause the collagen, or cells in the skin, to break, loosen and die. Over time, it will cause crow’s feet, lines around the mouth, and other wrinkles to appear over the face. Even if you don’t see the wrinkles yet, you can take steps to make sure that your skin stays in the best shape possible.

One of the most important anti-aging skin care tips that should be common knowledge is to make sure to not inflict it with substances or stress it out. If you are going out in the sun, wear a hat and put on sun screen. If your face gets dirty, find ways to scrub and clean it. If the air is dry, make sure that you enrich your skin by adding in extra moisture to the skin. Balancing out the exposure of your skin is an easy way to start when helping the anti-aging process.

If you want to take extra measures to prevent aging, then there are a variety of other things you can do. One of the most important nutrients to remember for anti-aging skin care is vitamin C. By adding this into your skin, it will help to add in additional care to the face. It not only will produce anti-oxidants in the skin, but will also help to begin reproducing cells at a faster rate. Even if you only put extra vitamin C on your skin once a week, it will help to keep your skin healthy.

“One of the most important nutrients to remember for anti-aging skin care is vitamin C.”

For several, they will choose all natural ways to help improve their skin. You can do something as simple as washing with all natural soaps that have extra vitamins in them. Anything from extra Vitamin C and E to green tea can help you to rejuvenate your skin and keep it looking young. There are several who will work with fruits and vegetables, applying them to their skin for a prolonged amount of time. Avocadoes, oranges, and other fruits and vegetables with high amounts of vitamins and antioxidants are known to be great agents to help your skin stay young.

If you are uncertain about what to do for your skin, then finding creams that are for anti-aging can provide the best skin care. There are several places that offer mixtures of the best ingredients for your skin, all which will help to rejuvenate the cells and other parts of the skin from the damage that has been done. Daily creams to weekly masques are helpful in keeping your skin healthy and happy while you are in the process of aging.

For those who want to indulge in complete skin care, they can look into things such as facials and skin peels. These will help to take away the old skin that is blocking the cells from receiving the right balance of oxygen and reproducing at the normal rate. There are strong solutions that you can add into your products in order to ensure that you are getting the best and most with special products and procedures. These can either be done by a professional or in the comfort of your own home, as long as you find the right mixture of ingredients.

If you are working at staying and looking younger, then it never hurts to try new and different anti-aging skin care tips. All of these can help and benefit you from the process that Mother Nature may not be intending for you. By taking preventative measures and finding products for your individual needs, you will have the ability to stop the aging process and stay young forever.

Julie Health writes about anti-aging skin care tips at her website.

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Shopping for the Right Anti-aging Food Supplement Products

February 22nd, 2007

The time has come to reverse the clock. This doesn’t mean making the second hand go backwards. As you may know, this may mean going and finding the best in order to keep your youthfulness alive. If this isn’t happening naturally for you, then finding anti-aging food supplement products can be a way to help you reverse time to your younger years. If you know and compare what is available, you will have the ability to find what is best for your youthful needs.

If you want to start anti-aging, then you will want to be sure to find the right products that are available to you. Not all of the products may fit your needs and what your body is telling you. Because of this, you will want to be sure to compare the products that are available to you and make sure that they are going to offer you the best for all of your needs. There are several companies that are working towards giving you the best. By finding the one that is best for you, there will be the ability for you to stop the process of aging and begin the process of staying young, healthy and balanced.

“…anti-aging food supplement products can be a way to help you reverse time to your younger years.”

The first company that is renowned for offering anti-aging food supplement products is Waiora. This is a specialty company that has found a way to combine a variety of foods in order to offer a complete pack of the food groups in one bottle. The anti-aging food supplement products that are offered from this particular company will allow you to get exactly what you need by simply taking a tablet twice a day.

A second company that offers supplements that are similar to this is Baar. This particular company has
all natural products that will provide you with the anti-aging materials that you need. They also have other options for anti-aging, such as melatonin. This is a drug that is also known to help anti-aging. By combining the new technologies of medicine with all natural food supplements, this company is able to offer the best of both worlds.

A third company that offers products of food for anti-aging is Nutri-Spa. This particular company, instead of focusing on combining the best of ingredients, finds alternative options for age loss. By taking extracts from food, collagen from whey, digestive enzymes, and other nutrients in varieties of food, they are able to make a mixture especially designed to take away wrinkles and help with metabolism. They have found ways to help collagen in the skin to reproduce quicker, as well as help other cells in the body to stop the aging process by offering supplement of food for your health.

Of course, these are only a few of the well known products that are available. There are several companies and sources that are willing to help you with your endeavors to stay young. If you aren’t sure exactly what you want, then you can look at reviews from individuals as well resources, directories and information portals that will offer you what you want. Over time, you will be able to see what the different types of products are and how they can help you to stop time.

Finding the perfect anti-aging food supplement products is a great way to make sure that you keep your appearance up to date. By looking into specialty stores and reviewing what is available you will be able to have the best of both worlds. The first is the body that is younger and still vital. The second is the ability to have the wisdom that is needed in order to find the perfect supplements.

Julie Health writes about anti-aging health supplements at her website.

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Naturally Increase Human Growth Hormones

February 15th, 2007

Many have come to believe that aging is just a natural thing that most of us go through. For those who are young, being at the age of thirty also means the end of life itself. Something has trained society into believing that by this age, the wrinkles will start to appear, metabolism will slow down, and there is no youth left. However, this particular part of life is not a necessary fact. There are several ways that you can naturally increase human growth hormones, giving you the ability to stay younger longer.

The body functions in a variety of ways in order to help you stay looking young. This will first begin with the hormones that are in your body. They act as messengers that travel throughout your body and tell your body what they need. They activate your metabolism, growth, mood and a variety of secondary body functions that are important to your body’s health. If you have noticed that your system is beginning to slow down, you may want to find a natural way to increase human growth hormones in order to keep your body functioning like it should.

There are a variety of medications, creams and even surgeries that you could use in order to help you keep human growth hormones intact. However, for those who don’t want to take the risk of the unnatural ways to solve the problem, then there is still an answer. Instead, you can look at natural ways to enhance hormones. Generally, the growth hormones will be found in the pituitary gland and can be reproduced by an individual in order to help increase the hormones and decrease age. This is done by taking a blueprint of what types of growth hormone you already have, then working towards reproducing that print and putting it back in your system.

“…natural ways to increase human growth hormones is to look for specific products that will help to stimulate the hormones.”

Another possibility to finding natural ways to increase human growth hormones is to look for specific products that will help to stimulate the hormones. Amino acids, proteins and herbs can all work together as supplements to your diet in order to help continue increasing the hormones. One of the ways to trigger the hormone is to eat fewer carbohydrates such as pasta and potatoes and to eating more beans, nuts and grains. All of these foods can be an easy way to help stimulate the hormones. Any type of substance that contains amino acids, proteins and botanical extracts are known to be healthy in helping to stimulate the pituitary gland to keep working. When combining this with a supplement, you will have the ability to keep from aging as quickly.

If you are looking for a way to keep the beauty of age, then it will be as simple as finding the right supplements in your diet. By naturally increasing human growth hormones, you can expect to stay younger longer. Everything from the wrinkles on your face to the lack of energy will begin to disappear by finding the right balance to natural enhancements.

Julie Health writes about human growth hormone (HGH) at her website.

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Exercises for Sagging Facial Muscles and Hollow Cheeks

February 9th, 2007

As years creep in, the cheeks sink in and hollows appear where once they were full and plump. This is due to the shrinking of the supporting muscles. There are four of these muscles on each side of the face. As we grow older these muscles lose their strength and elasticity. And this change produces the pendant or loose jowl characteristic of age, just as their lessened size is the cause of the hollows in the cheeks.

These are voluntary muscles and can be exercised at will. Just as exercise of the muscles of arms, legs and any other part of the body can improve them; exercise of the facial muscles will yield the same result. There have been
wide publications of these systems of facial exercises in beauty books and essays. It is termed as “facial gymnastics or making faces” and will produce remarkable results when practiced faithfully and persistently.

A far better and quicker method is a massage system, which I have devised and practiced while the cheek muscles are contracted. By this, satisfactory results can be obtained in a very short time, and with very little trouble.

First familiarize yourself with the position of these cheek muscles. There are eight long muscles, four on each side. They are attached to the cheekbones immediately below the eyes. From there, it descends to become attached to the wide muscular band surrounding the mouth. You can contract these cheek muscles at will, this action forming a bunch on the cheekbones under the eyes.

There is another set of strong muscles that holds up these cheek-supporting muscles. It is also fastened to the cheekbones extending downwards and is attached along the jawbones. This may be termed as the chewing muscle. And while it plays an important part in supporting the cheeks and determining their contour, it cannot be contracted or exercised at will, except in the act of chewing. Its action is independent of the cheek muscles; although when they are contracted upward some tension is placed upon it.

In youth these muscles are, or should be, strong, elastic and can support the tissue and skin overlying them, giving the cheeks the full, round appearance characteristics of that period of life. As years advance, lack of exercise can shrink and lose their former size, strength and elasticity just as any muscle of the body will do under like conditions. The skin covering will lose its support, fall into the creases and create wrinkles.

These are the obvious indications of physical age, as they tell the tale of the shrunken muscles underlying. There is one cure for these wrinkles, wasted chin and hollow cheeks and that is the restoration of the supporting muscles to their former plumpness and strength. All the so-called solutions such as medicinal preparations, “skin foods”, etc. would not work especially if not accompanied by exercises.

“All the so-called solutions such as medicinal preparations, ‘skin foods’, etc. would not work especially if not accompanied by exercises.”

It is true that by a system of diet, and especially by drinking copiously of milk, an increase of fatty tissues can be obtained. The face will become more plump and the surface of the skin smoother. But if the underlying muscles are not developed the face will still present a flabby look, the jowl may sag and the appearance of a double chin be more pronounced. These facial indications of physical age are not especially the signs of advanced years, being principally due to lack of exercise of the supporting facial muscles.

The explanation of the speedy enlargement of the muscles “deeply massaged” would be that the network of blood vessels and the countless capillaries become distended when pumped by blood through the process. This is a healthy congestion and if persistently practiced, will have a permanent development thus returning the elasticity and fullness of youth.

I do not claim that large muscles produced by this method indicate great strength. But for a faster and obvious result in regaining the plumpness and filling out of the cheeks, chin and jaw, this is the most effective way.

This article is an excerpt from the e-book, The Man Who Grew Younger: Secrets to Fitness & Health for the Middle-aged and Beyond. Visit the e-books website to find unique natural fitness and health tips, all proven highly effective. Numerous other excellent fitness e-books are also available at http://www.fitness.e-mart4all.com.

Green Tea Benefits for Skin

February 6th, 2007

Any logical tea drinker will look at green tea and agree that it is good to drink, especially with the flavors that are available. However, green tea is much more than just flavored water in a cup. It has grown much faster and expanded its abilities to help you continue to be healthy. For those that aren’t convinced that green tea is good for you, why not look beyond the benefits of drinking it. Green tea also benefits the skin, helping you to maintain a healthy and younger look.

When you apply the green tea plant to your skin, you will begin to notice a difference. One of the components that it has in it is an anti-aging ingredient. Those who use this natural extract on their skin are known for looking youthful. How is this achieved? Green tea has a special antioxidant that is in it. This antioxidant is used to clear cell damage on the skin, repairing what may have turned into wrinkles, blemishes, or other impurities.

Green tea benefits for the skin are not only with the anti-aging materials in them. If you want a natural sun screen, this may be the way to go. If your skin has been exposed to UV radiation, it causes the skin to become looser with oxidation moving in between the cells. Over time, the immune system that is working for your skin will slow down causing you to wrinkle from the sun. The green tea, when used with sun block, can help reduce or completely erase this damage. The cells that are affected by the green tea will become stronger and will work together, making the UV rays become a blemish of the past.

“Green tea has a special antioxidant that is in it. This antioxidant is used to clear cell damage on the skin, repairing what may have turned into wrinkles, blemishes, or other impurities.”

Of course, because this particular plant is an all in one ingredient, it will also make sure to care for those deeper and more damaging problems. Green tea will benefit the skin by helping to reduce or eliminate problems with skin disorders, such as warts, psoriasis, and rosacea. Another skin disorder that many of us have, acne, can also be eliminated by applying on some extra green tea extract.

If you want to have youthful looking skin without the blemishes, why not go natural. Green tea is known to benefit the skin in almost every way, leaving your face and body looking healthy, young and smooth. You can find the best way to care for your skin by simply finding the natural that was meant to help you look your best.

Julie Health writes about anti-aging skin care at her website.

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Anti Aging Antioxidant – Key To Staying Young Longer?

February 2nd, 2007

A lot of people would like the idea of ‘staying forever young’. However, the process of aging is inevitable. According to findings of scientific research, cells are only permitted so many cell divisions in a human lifetime before they would have to give out. Based on their findings, scientists say that by the time you are 20 years old; most of the cells that make up your body have already used up half of their available cell divisions in their cell lifespan. What does this mean? This means that by the time you are 40, your cells may only have 30% of cell divisions left. This is actually the reason behind the physical changes that goes on not only inside but outside the body as you approach your years. The process of aging is therefore unavoidable.

Death occurs when your cells at last use up their naturally allotted cell divisions. Although this is an inevitable occurrence, there is however a way to slow down this process.

Recent research has found a way to give you new hope, a way to revitalize and extend the lifespan of cells, through anti aging antioxidants. This is awesome since most people would like to remain young, active and healthy for as long as possible.

What causes aging? There is a significant amount of scientific research these days that is focused on finding a solution to aging. The key findings of these studies point to free radicals as the main culprits for aging. Basically, the more free radicals you have in your body, the faster the aging process becomes.

Oxidation, a naturally occurring process of the body creates by-products of free radicals which are harmful, unstable substances. Free radicals are not harmful in themselves. In fact, they can be beneficial. The only problem is they do not distinguish between healthy and harmful molecules so that there is a great possibility that they would also target your other healthy cells, causing massive cellular damage, tissue damage, and eventually resulting in a chronic disease or disorder, such as aging. It is for this reason that the free radicals are considered harmful in our bodies.

Is anti aging antioxidants the answer to aging? In their focused efforts to find a solution to aging, scientists have finally made a breakthrough with the discovery of anti aging antioxidants. Anti aging antioxidants are substances whose sole purpose is to act on free radicals and keep them from damaging cell tissues. Anti aging antioxidants are natural substances but our bodies cannot produce them by themselves. For this reason, we depend on plants for our source of anti aging antioxidants.

We get most of our anti aging antioxidants from the fresh fruits and vegetables that we eat. Vegetables such as cabbages, potatoes, cauliflowers, squash, and carrots are all rich in vitamins which act as anti aging antioxidants.

“Anti aging antioxidants are substances whose sole purpose is to act on free radicals and keep them from damaging cell tissues.”

Through consumption of antioxidant food source, you can help your body provide for itself the tools necessary to neutralize harmful free radicals. The most studied antioxidant food sources are those that are rich in vitamins C and E, beta carotene and the mineral selenium. When it comes to finding more antioxidant food sources, many people turn to supplements. However, doctors still advise that you find your antioxidant food source from your diet.

Increase your consumption of anti aging antioxidants and increase your chance of staying young longer.

Staying Out of the Nursing Home: Normal Signs of Aging

January 29th, 2007

If any of you have been around grandparents that aren’t feeling at their best, then you have also probably been tricked into thinking you know what it is like to get old. All of a sudden, your body hurts, you have the inability to function the same way, and everything is simply hard. For most, they have been tricked into believing this is a normal sign of aging. Aging naturally is not this complex or painful. In fact, you can learn now what the normal signs of aging are in order to give you the ability to age gracefully or maybe not at all.

The first myth that should be broken about aging is that you can’t age at a particular pace. Many have divided age into categories of young, middle age, and old. This is not true. In fact, everyone’s genes are divided to make them age at a particular rate. For some, this may mean that they stay a child more than at heart, overcoming the effects of age until they are over 100. The differences in aging will simply be related to how well you take care of your body as well as what the genetic factors of aging are.

The second part that is considered a normal sign of aging is known as the one percent rule. This means that your cells will slowly begin to slow done. On average, this will begin by the time someone is thirty. However, it should not happen all at once. It should only happen one percent at a time. For example, your metabolism may gradually become slower and you won’t find yourself being as hungry. With the one percent rule, you should not see dramatic signs of aging by the time you are fifty. Your cells will not be slowing down enough in order to affect your body too much, but only as needed, especially since you are no longer growing.

One sign that most are familiar with when thinking about aging, is problems related to wrinkles on the skin. This may be related to aging, but can also be attributed to other factors. Having too many UV rays on your skin for prolonged amounts of times may eventually cause cells on your skin to die too early. There may also be an alternate medical condition related to wrinkle skin or even extra stress that you have had throughout your life. If you are certain that it is from aging, it is most likely related to genetic factors from aging.

One of the things to keep in mind when considering what the normal signs of aging are is to know what the signs are not. Most say that becoming tired, fatigue, and having the inability to focus and have cognitive abilities begin to become apparent. None of these signs are normal for aging. They should never be a part of your aging and are exclusive to not being able to take care of other parts of your body properly. For example, being tired is often related to an under active thyroid. Any of the problems that you experience that you think are related to aging will usually be from an alternative problem from changes in your body.

“One of the things to keep in mind when considering what the normal signs of aging are is to know what the signs are not.”

If you want to make sure that you are aging gracefully, you will also want to make sure that you are aging in a healthy way. Most of the signs that one considers to be a part of aging are other symptoms that aren’t taken care of at a younger age. If you are worried about aging, you can be certain that the only thing coming with your age is wisdom. The rest of the attributes of aging will be knowledge that then simply becomes history.

Julie Health writes about anti-aging products & reviews at her website.

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its entirety provided the resource box and its links remain.

A Non-Surgical Anti-Aging Solution for Baby Boomers

January 25th, 2007

Baby Boomers everywhere are searching for the Fountain of Youth and they have been looking in all the wrong places!

Men and women born between 1946 and 1964 are facing the most arduous and difficult challenge of their existence- the challenge of growing older while maintaining their youthful essence that stems from the Flower Power era.

The fitness craze that began with Jack LaLanne in the 60′s has mushroomed to encompass many avenues and modalities of boomers seeking better biceps and rock hard abs. After years of working out, running, lifting, bicycling, tennis and more, these die-hard seekers of youth are still seeking something greater that will keep them looking younger than their years because their faces have not enjoyed the benefit of exercise. A toned, healthy looking body does not produce a toned, healthy looking face.

The crusade to look young has been lead by women; they embraced skin care products early on and they have continued to act as guinea pigs for the drug companies and plastic surgeons by allowing new products and procedures to be practiced and tested on them. Whether the procedure is strings embedded in the face, paralyzing injections or fillers; long term affects are unknown. The media’s fascination with looking young has fueled women’s desires making surgery and injections glamorized, sensationalized and well publicized.

The men have been slowly lured to join women into actively using skin care, hair dye and even plastic surgery. The metro-sexual males now frequent salons and spas on a regular basis for facials, hair removal techniques, massage and dermabrasion. Why? Who wants to look old and used-up? No one raised their hand.

This full-court push for youthfulness has no end in sight. More than ever we read statistics that demonstrate how millions and millions of dollars are spent each year trying to catch the elusive “young” gene. Some ads even suggest paying for these expensive, risky and temporary procedures with a second mortgage and maxed out credit cards; after all, with the average procedure
nearing $25,000, not everyone has the kind of disposable income available that can buy a new face.

Facial plastic surgery is a temporary and very risky procedure. Plastic surgery requires frequent updating and even when the surgery goes well, the patient may not like what they see. Considering these surgical procedures are voluntary, it is frightening that people consent to them knowing that scarring and nerve damage occurs with every procedure. Blood clots, infection and irregular bleeding are also common side effects associated with surgery.

“Facial plastic surgery is a temporary and very risky procedure.”

Injections, too, are temporary and made from chemicals that have no long-term test results. How many injections are too many? It is reported that patients sometime have more than one doctor injecting substances on a regular basis resulting in double the prescribed amounts recommended.

Facials do make the skin look cleaner and healthier but are you under the misconception that facials and chemical peels can correct a sagging double chin or heavy eyelids?

Plastic surgeries, facials, peels, or injections will not stop the root cause of aging.

The root cause of facial aging begins with sagging facial muscles. Yes, there is aging due to sun exposure; it typically begins to show up about the same time that your muscles are affected by the downward pull of gravity. This means that over time, your skin and facial features will be adversely affected resulting in the look of old.

That’s right…as we mature we begin to resemble our mothers, fathers, grandparents, Aunt Hilda and Uncle Bernard. The facial muscles lose their tone and resiliency; in fact, by age 55, the muscles in your face may have already elongated by one-half inch. This means your face is sagging, pooling downward, making you look old and tired.

There is a solution. Sagging facial muscles can be remedied using specialized isometric contractions that work to plump up those small, wayward muscles. Muscles thrive when blood flow is increased – think of curling your arm using a dumbbell – after 5 to 8 reps, you feel the muscles respond. Couple the resistance with contraction and your face responds by lifting. In just minutes a day, you can pro-actively give yourself a youthful face just by exercising it.

The great part about using this type of exercise, rather than contortions, scrunches and puckers, is that these unique moves work for everyone. That’s right, when the exercises are performed regularly, you will see a visible difference that is better looking than a surgical facelift.. Your face will tighten and your skin will thicken.

It just makes sense. When you tone and sculpt your body with Pilates, weight and resistance training, you are proud of your new look. The same goes for your face. When you see and feel the lifting, your confidence soars!
http://www.rejenuve.com/FacialMagicSL.htm

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all natural facial fitness with over thirty years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, NBC 4, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their childrens inheritance.

Cynthia Rowland “I Save Faces”.

Common Cures for Lower Back Pain

January 21st, 2007

In the gym, it is not uncommon to hear the wails and grunting of lifters hunched over machines and free weights jerking out reps– attempting to exercise away their nagging back, neck and shoulder pain. Exercise can be the perfect cure for pain. But even stretching, followed by ab crunches usually lead to the massage table. And while the traditional workout routine may fill the pockets of your masseur, it is unlikely to bring you lasting relief. Lower back pain is the second most common cause of missed work days in the United States, yet 85% of cases remain unexplained.

“There is no such thing as generic pain” said Stuart McGill M.D., a professor of Spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo. “Somewhere a weak link has been created and this link will eventually breakdown”

Over the last century, Americans have seen a marked rise in chronic lower back pain as heavy labor jobs have been replaced by occupations which require workers to remain sitting for long periods. McGill says that daily habits which lead to poor posture are often the source of chronic back pain (think leaning forward at the computer or twisting your torso while bending over). Some tell tale signs of bad posture are slouched shoulders and a rounded lower back.

“Leaning forward continually shifts pressure on to the back. Pulling back the shoulders back, and tucking in the chin can often bring immediate relief by taking significant load off the back” said McGill.

Do you take short steps and lean forward when you walk? Walking is one of many activities which can help or hurt the lower back. Common walking posture mistakes are leaning forward, leaning back, and failing to keep the head up and eyes forward. Simple corrections to your posture can help to relieve low back pain.

But regardless of posture, the source of back pain remains different for everyone. Factors such as the genetic, neurological factors and aging process play a key roles in determining your pain. And the cycle of injury can begin early in the morning. During sleep, the disks in your back act as packets which fill with water. But while this may make you feel taller, it also makes the back up to three times more likely to sustain injury in the morning.

“Factors such as the genetic, neurological factors and aging process play a key roles in determining your pain.”

Stretching in the morning is an example of something which most would assume would help to relieve pain. But bending over at a time when your disks are filled with fluid places extreme stress disks When it comes time to exercise, stretching can actually decrease performance by stiffening the muscle. As an alternative warm-up, McGill suggests exercises such as birddogs, side planks, wall squats, and dragon walks– keep the spine in a neutral position while mobilizing the hips through a range of motion. The idea is to keep the muscle under load and motion during the mobilizing warm-up.

In the gym, effective lower back rehabilitation focuses on free weight exercises which work multiple joints to create stability such as squatting and dead lifts. But before progressing to strength training, it is important to address the underlying cause of back pain– by correcting the source of your imbalance.

This process begins by strengthening weak gluteual (rear) muscles which provide stability to the pelvis and trunk. This can be done without weights, using exercises such as front, and side bridges which keep the spine in a neutral position. The next step is to create stability in the muscles around the back with exercises for the abdominal, oblique and back extensor muscles.

Once proper posture has been established, training with light weights can be safely resumed to build up muscular endurance. McGill says those experiencing common lower back pain should engage in weightless exercises for at least the first 3 weeks before weight training is resumed. Significant pain relief can be noticed in as little as 3 months, but whatever exercise you choose, it is best to stay away from lower body machines.

Lower body machines like leg press, and the roman chair shift additional load on to the back. Sitting down and pressing against the spine against the back pad of a machine a is a great way to re-aggravate your pain.

The jury is still out on the best workout program for lower back pain, but here are a few guidelines and exercises guaranteed to bring relief:

* Birddog: This exercise works the lower back. Start on all fours with hands under the shoulders and the knees directly under the hip. For the patient with the a stiff lower back, the first step is simply lifting a hand or knee off the floor. After you are able to raise your hand or knee without pain, progress to raising the opposite hand and knee together. The objective is to hold the limbs parallel off the floor for six to eight seconds. Good form includes a neutral spine and sucking in your gut.

* Bridges: This exercise is for the glutes and abdominals. Lie on the floor with your knees bent. Squeeze your glutes and then push your hips up until there is a straight line through knee and hip to upper body. Shoulders remain on the floor. Beware of raising too high or of flaring the ribs, which pushes the back into hyperextension. Hold this position for an increasing length of time up to a maximum of one minute. Perform two to three sets.

* Side bridges: This exercise strengthens the side obliques glutes, quads, and lats. Lie on side, support yourself on one elbow and stacked ankles. Lift midsection from the surface of the table. Maintain neutral to hold this position as long as possible, until you begin to lose neutral or note discomfort. Repeat this on the other side.

* Cat/Camel: This is an exercise for the neck. Kneeling down on all fours begin with your head looking down at the floor. Now, nod your head up and down in a continuous, rhythmic motion for 15-30 seconds at a time. Note that this exercise is performed with continuous motion.

* Abdominal bracing: Abdominal bracing is the act of “stiffening” or tightening the muscles of the midsection. An abdominal brace protects the spine by forming a brace of muscles around the spine. This stiffening of the core muscles should be done during all activities to protect the low back.

Exercise program progression:

1. Start with bridges and side bridges to strengthen the glutes. 2. Proceed to birddogs, and bridges for back stability. 3. Hold out repetitions in each exercise for no longer than 8 seconds. The goal is to build muscular endurance, by gradually increasing your repetitions.

Chris Kelly is a NASM Certified Fitness Trainer, nutritionist, and editor of the Spotter, a webzine devoted to becoming your personal trainer outside of the gym. For more easy to read articles on fitness, diet, health, and nutrition, visit http://www.thespotter.net
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