Habits That May be Aging You

Has this been happening to anyone else lately? You’re scrolling through Facebook and suddenly one of those “Facebook Memories” from three or four years ago pops up….and your first thought: “Wow, I look SO young.” You’re wondering what happened. It’s only been a few years, but when you look in the mirror you feel like you’ve aged more like ten? You look tired, you feel tired and that glow you seemed to have in that memory photo is nowhere to be found. What were you doing differently back then? How did age creep up so fast? Believe it or not, you probably don’t look that different. But your self-critical habits can’t help but sneak up on you – and if you think about it, maybe you have been a little stressed, spending less time with friends and feeling generally overworked. If any of those things feel like issues you’ve been dealing with, you just may be creating a few bad habits that may be aging you. Let’s take a closer look and see.

1 – You’re working around the clock. This happens to so many of us at one point or another in our careers. You feel like you can’t get it all done and just when you think you’re catching up, more projects appears. It becomes a vicious cycle. And, when you’re trying to get ahead, advance your career and make moves – it’s very tough to walk away. But, here’s the thing. No one performs their best when they are stretch beyond capacity…no one. And, what you really need is to deliver your best for the duration of the working day – not around the clock and into the wee hours of the night. So stick to a schedule. Get done what you can during your set hours and at the end of that day, pack up and go relax. You’ll be more rejuvenated and on point in the morning. You’ll also give your body that much needed time to unwind and keep you looking (and feeling) young and fresh.

2 – You aren’t getting enough sleep. This is one of the worst things you can do for your poor body. Sleep is the thing that keeps us going – all living beings need sleep to let their whole body take a break and recharge in order to operate at peak performance. No matter if you’re working too much, partying too much or your kiddos are keeping you up all night, you have to find a way to get on a regular sleep schedule. Not only will that keep you looking and feeling younger, but you’ll stay nice and healthy too. Pretty much a win win.

3 – You aren’t drinking enough water. Guilty as charged on this one! (It’s so hard sometimes) You have to make hydration a priority in your life – it’s essential for keeping your body functioning at top performing levels and keeping your skin and complexion looking renewed, young and glow-y. Try investing in a fun water bottle you really like or use an app to track your water consumption each day if you have trouble remembering. You’ll have more energy, you’ll look amazing and your body will thank you for it.

4 – You aren’t getting enough exercise. This is a tough one when you’re super busy and trying to juggle and balance it all. You want to exercise, but sometimes finding that motivation is a real challenge – you just have to get out there. Once you make exercise a regular habit in your life, you’ll find yourself craving that awesome high that comes from working your body and working up a sweat. Next time you want to exercise, don’t just think about it – make a move.

What do you think? Can you break these bad habits by exchanging them for good ones and get your youthful glow back?

Keep doing

Angelika

(credit: L.R.)

Drink Water

It often seems that our solution to everything when it comes to health and beauty is to drink more water – and you know why? Because believe it or not, it actually works. Your body is made up of nearly 80% water and when it comes to taking care of that body, helping to replace that water content is essential. No matter if you’re exercising more than the average person or even not exercising at all, adding a routine of drinking a ½ an ounce of water for each pound of your body weight (example: if you weigh 150lbs, drink 75 ounces of water) every day is essential for keeping your body in tip top shape and your skin looking bright and clear. So how about it? Have you ever tried drinking that much water in a day?

If you’re not sure about all this, how about thinking of it in the form of a challenge? Sort of a resolution where the prize at the end is clearer skin and other great bonuses like more energy. Here’s what to do… Take a look at your body weight (like we did above) and drink a ½ ounce of water for every pound. Challenge yourself to take on this task every day for 10 whole days. Here’s what you can probably expect:

• First of all, you’re going to be in the bathroom, a lot. More than you’d expect because the water is flowing. It may be tough to get used to that at first – but you can do it!
• You’ll probably want to eat less snacky stuff. Drinking all this water will help keep you full throughout the day and will be an excellent meter for knowing when you actually are hungry.
• You may experience some initial bloating and headaches because you’re body isn’t used to all this water – don’t worry, you aren’t drinking too much, it will go away.
• Your skin will start to look clear and glowy.
• More than likely you’ll lose a few pounds – some people even lose up to 10!
• And, as an added bonus, you’ll probably lose a couple of inches off your waist.
• You may notice you have less joint pain and you aren’t sweating as much as you normally do – incredible, right?
• You’ll have increased energy and start to feel pretty great from the inside out
•  

So, what do you think? Are these incredible after effects enough to help you jumpstart your own water challenge? Take before and after photos to get the full effect – look at your skin, your weight, your waist size – anything you’re interested in changing to track your water challenge results and go for it for 10 days. Can you do it?

Keep doing

Angelika

www.styleupbyangel.com 

(credit: L.R.)

February is Heart Month: How to Support

If heart health hits close to home in your family or with your friends, you’ll be excited to know February is “Heart Month,” and there’s a whole bunch of great ways you can support the cause and help bring heart health awareness to the table. If you’re ready to get started and learn a little bit more, here’s some info on this year’s “Heart Month..

 

Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure often shows no signs or symptoms, which is why having your blood pressure checked regularly is important. It’s easy to get your blood pressure checked. You can get screened at your doctor’s office and drugstores or even check it yourself at home, using a home blood pressure monitor.

Once you’re sure you’ve got your blood pressure under control, it’s time to help spread the word to family and friends. Think about offering a ride to older relatives and neighbors to visit their doc or a local pharmacy for an annual blood pressure screening.

  Wear red on National Wear Red Day (February 6th) to help remember and raise awareness for all those who have been affected by heart disease. Share your Wear Red efforts on social media with selfies, pet picks and anything else you’re doing to raise awareness. Join thousands of others who will use #HeartHealth to raise awareness.

There are so many ways you can support Heart Health and help raise awareness during Heart Month. For more information about all of the ways you can help, check out The American Heart Association @ heart.org.

  Keep doing

Angelika

(credit: L.R.) 

Morning Tips to Start in 2016

The New Year is just around the corner. Let’s ring in 2016 with a “bring it on,” attitude. Don’t be afraid to try new things this year. Be open to change. Changing can bring you happiness in ways you never would have expected otherwise. One thing you can change is your morning ritual. Starting your day right is important, which is why I wanted to bring you some daily rituals that’ll help jumpstart your New Year. Start your day right this 2016, and watch the world open up to you! Read on and let me know what you think in the comments section. 

Start With The Inside- Start your day by drinking some hot water with lemon. Doing this, activates your intestines. It’s lubricates your internal system. It helps to jumpstart your body in a natural and healthy way. Water keeps your intestines flowing while the lemon engages your digestive system. Try it and see what happens.

Practice A Stretching Routine- Find a stretching routine that’s right for you. I love doing a sun salutation when I wake up in the morning. It’s a time for myself to breathe and relax. At the same time, it helps to activate my muscles for the day ahead. It’s a time where I listen to what my body wants.

Move!- Start your day by fitting in a cardio exercise. I love a quick jog in the morning. Get your blood flowing by doing the same. Not only will you feel just a bit more energized during your day, but you’ll also get that workout out of the way. Keep moving, people!

Eat Breakfast- Take some time for your breakfast. Enjoy a tasty and nutritious meal. It’s the most important meal of the day and deserves its rightful place.

Keep healthy 

Angelika

www.styleupbyangel.com 

(credit: L.R.)

How to stay fit over the Holidays

With the holiday season upon us, the parties and festivities have likely already started. And, you know what that means? If you aren’t careful, you could start packing on the pounds. From baking cookies with the kids to the loads of treats floating around the office, having a strategy for navigating all these extra calories is essential. While staying on track with your health during the holidays may sound daunting, you’ll feel better about yourself, be in a better mood and look great at all of those parties if you stick to some simple rules. Already overwhelmed? Don’t be. Here are a few tips for staying fit and healthy over the holidays.

Have a plan. Take a look at the calendar and evaluate the holiday season. How many parties do you have on the schedule? Which days will you need to ramp up your exercise and which days can you scale back a bit? When you know what’s coming, you know how to plan – both from a nutritional and exercise perspective.

Pack healthy snacks and lunches for the office. Despite all the temptations at the office, if you come prepared it’s one of the easiest places to avoid and resist all the snacks and unhealthy items. Pack a lunch every day loaded with leafy greens, lean meats and healthy crunchies – like apple slices and carrot and celery sticks. When you feel the urge, break out your healthy snacks and have a huge glass of water – you’ll be full in an instant.

Before you head to a party, eat a healthy snack. Heading to a party when you’re super hungry is the easiest way to pack on unwanted pounds because your tendency is to head straight to the cheese plate. Rather than mindlessly eating loads of calories, fill up on something healthy first – like almond butter on a slice of sprouted bread or a couple of turkey roll ups. The protein will help keep you feeling full and will help you avoid mindless snacking.

If you want to have dessert, just go for a few small bites. You don’t have to avoid it all entirely, but rather let yourself taste a few of the delicious holiday treats. Just have a bite or two – and then walk away from the desserts. You can do it!

Make exercise a priority. Especially on the days when you’re party bound, finding time to get your daily steps in is essential to staying fit throughout the holiday season. Making that extra bit of effort to get up early will make all the difference when it comes to feeling great no matter how many parties you attend in a week. If you can’t make it to the gym, throw on your sneakers and hit the pavement each morning with a brisk walk or a light run. Just 30-60 minutes of getting that heart pumping each day will leave you feeling great.

Don’t beat yourself up if you get off track – it’s OK, it’s the holiday season after all! If you eat a few extra calories or have a bit too much to drink, get up the next morning and lace up those running shoes – it’s time to head to the gym or head outside to get moving.

Do you have a plan for making health and fitness a priority during the holidays?

Stay healthy

Angelika

(credit: L.R.)

Ways To Waste Less Food

If you’re on a budget, saving food is imperative. Even if you’re not on a budget, wasting less food is great for the environment. Check out how you can waste less food.

Start Storing Smarter- Doing small things like separating bananas rather than keeping them in a bunch, keeps them fresher longer. You could also reconsider the organization of your fridge to have everything in the right places so they last longer. Don’t put fruits and veggies in the same drawer because they spoil together. All it takes is some research.

Only Buy What You Need- Make a list before you go to the store and be sure to only add what you need. Don’t get distracted by adding extra apples or tomatoes. You could even download an app for keeping your grocery list.

Freeze Your Veggies- Get into the habit of freezing your veggies. It doesn’t take much time and it saves you a whole lot of rotten vegetables.

Make More Trips- Making more trips to the store to get what you need on a biweekly or triweekly basis is better for saving food than going for weekly trips.

Don’t Buy In Bulk- Buying in bulk is a trap. How many people are there in your family? Do you really need that many crates of produce? Things like toilet paper or foods that have long expiration dates can be bought at discount when it comes to buying in bulk. Aside from that, stay away.

Use All Your Food- Use all of your food, like all of it. Cook with every part of your food, use veggie scraps to make broth, and leftover veggies for a frittata. Using all your food will definitely keep you from wasting food.

Keep doing

Angelika

www.styleupbyangel.com

(credit: L.R.)

Perfect Eyeliner

If you have ever found yourself standing in front of the mirror battling shaky hand as you try to apply eyeliner, you aren’t alone. There’s nothing worse than rushing around to get ready, only make mistakes with eyeliner or have it come out looking nothing like what you envisioned. Whether you typically go for more of a natural look or you’re after a dramatic cat eye, knowing a few eyeliner hacks will help you get the job done as planned. Want to be the envy of all your friends when you’re eye makeup is stunning? Keep reading for a few secrets to perfect eyeliner.

If shaky hands are your issue, use a lightly toned eyeliner pencil to create that perfect line you’re after. Once you have it just the way you like it, trace over that light line with a darker, more dramatic liquid liner. The light line will help guide your hand to get the perfect look. 

If a soft and somewhat mushy eyeliner pencil is giving you troubles with smudging, put it in the freezer for ten minutes or so. The tip of the pencil will stiffen up just enough to make gliding it along your lid smooth as silk. 

Are your eyeliner troubles rooted in creating the actual line? Rather than starting with a line, create a series of dots – and then, connect them. This will making creating that soft line much easier. 

For a brightening and wide-eyed effect, invest in a pale pink eyeliner (it works wonders!). Use it along your waterline, in the corners of your eyes and even along the brow. It will perk up and brighten up your whole face.

 If you want more of a natural and subtle look, add a bit of eyeliner to your waterline, in between the lashes. It will help define your eyes without appearing overdone. 

If you’re really after a dramatic cat eye, opt for a gel liner and a brush. This will give you the most control and will allow you to get the perfect look. 

Use a business card of a small piece of scotch tape to create and trace a stencil right by your lid. This is another great trick for anyone who struggles with shaky hands. 

Dab a bit of concealer on both your bottom and top lids to keep eyeliner in place all day. 

Keep doing

Angelika

www.styleupbyangel.com

(credit.L.R.)