Skin Care | Keepin' the Pace

Dry Brushing – Day One

Hello! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays! I spent mine in Connecticut with the in-laws and had a lovely time. Tomorrow we’ll be heading down to Philly for a New Year’s/Xmas event with mi familia.

I’ll post soon about some of the great stuff I got, and also a few little resolutions I’m planning for 2010. In the meantime, I just embarked on one of my little resolutions today: dry brushing.

I’ve been thinking about dry brushing for a few months now, and when I asked for a brush for Christmas (and got it) I figured now was a good time to start. I first heard (read) about it in this Fitnessista post a few months back. I was intrigued. I completely believe that everything in our bodies is connected. Case in point: my extremely dry skin (which never used to be so) is not just going to change with different moisturizer. The dry skin is a symptom of something else perhaps… I digress. At any rate, dry brushing seemed right up my alley. And the benefits seemed to far outweigh any drawbacks. I figured, worst-case scenario, it would soften my skin. Dry brushing is supposed to be really good for the body inside and out. This vigorous brushing is said to stimulate the lymphatic system and clear out toxins. Check this site out for all the details and benefits of dry brushing.

The advice is to dry brush every day for about 30 days to really see the benefits. It suggests dry brushing in the morning before jumping in the shower. The site above also tells you specific ways to dry brush. I read them a few times and then just did what I remembered.

So far… it really didn’t take as long as I’d expected. It was just under about 10 minutes, I suppose, then I hopped into the shower. Even though I used a brush with soft-ish natural bristles, it still seemed a little harsh at first. I did adjust though, and it was really invigorating. Once I toweled off after the shower, I did notice that my skin felt a bit softer.

I will continue to dry brush daily for the next 30 days and let you know how it goes!

Anyone else out there have some experience dry brushing? What changes have you noticed?

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In other news, enter to win some Coconut Bliss ice cream from Lilveggiepatch! The chocolate hazelnut fudge is calling my name…

Skin Deep Nutrition

Things were looking up today after I hit proverbial rock bottom yesterday. I took about 4 extra minutes out of my life this morning to blow dry my hair nicely and make sure I looked polished. It made a world of difference.

My next focus will be on repairing my skin. I want my complexion to have an even, healthy, clear, freshness to it (that’s a pretty extensive list, ha). I do believe that at the root of calm, healthy skin is what you put into your body, so I’ll start there.

According to the Mayo Clinic, certain foods promote healthy skin: fruits and veggies (natch), fish, nuts, olive oil, and legumes. Dr. Perricone, skin guru, gets a bit more specific including high-quality proteins (fish, tofu), high-antioxidant beverages (green tea), and lots of water (8-10 glasses).

The idea is that theses healthy fats (in fish, nuts, and olive oil), fruits, veggies, and tea (high in antioxidants), and legumes (high fiber) work as anti-inflammatories. Whether you’re trying to improve your health and skin, like me, or not – a diet rich in these foods will be otherwise beneficial.

The next few weeks, I’m going to focus on making sure that my appearance is a more accurate reflection of my healthful lifestyle. I’m starting with the inside first.

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Lunch was same ole pb&j. Snack time after school was delishy goldfishies, apple (on Apple, ha).

I’ll leave you with some lovely pics from the walk I took this afternoon in the park across the street. I bet this isn’t what you picture when you think of Manhattan!

Dry Brushing – Day One

Skin Deep Nutrition

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