Get Rid Of Cellulite In 5 Easy Steps.

Which woman out there hasn’t, at some time in her life, looked at herself in the mirror horrified at the discovery of the familiar and unsightly “orange peel” look of cellulite around hips, thighs and buttocks? Very few of us might be lucky enough to raise their hand and say “it has never happened to me!” and they are a very fortunate minority.

Apart from being a very common problem, both for the slim and the more generously rounded of us, cellulite is also a typical female complaint and it is very rare in males. This is due to the very nature of cellulite which is a consequence of fat and toxins being stored in the cells straight under the skin, causing the typical orange peel effect. Women fat cells are very different from the men fat cells. In women the chambers containing the fat cells are bigger than in the men and they are also higher in numbers. 

The normal fat percentage in a woman’s body is between 21% and 35%, whereas in a man’s body is between 8% and 25%.

As for pretty much everything else, getting rid of cellulite is the result of a holistic approach that takes into consideration what happens inside the body (causes) as well as the outside (symptoms), where the cellulite shows its dreaded presence. So, here are my 5 steps to get rid of cellulite, get healthier and improve your self esteem:

1.    Hydrate adequately

2.    Apply a combination of essential oils

3.    Promote oxygen circulation

4.    Prepare yummy healthy meals

                    5.    Yearn for a daily good long walk

     1.Hydrate adequately. Our body is made of up to 75% water which is fundamental for all the vital functions of the system including flushing out the toxins, which are part of the cellulite problem together with fat. The minimal daily intake of water that we need is, more or less, a litre of water for every 30 kilos of body weight. If you live in a hot climate, or if you are exercising or if you are unwell, your daily amount of water should increase to make up of the water you lose with perspiration, sweating and internal cleansing (when you are sick). One very important factor, which is often missed when talking about water intake, is that for our body to use the water intake in the most efficient way we need salt. In order for the water to get inside the cells and carry out excess fat and toxins, it is fundamental to have salt and start the osmosis process which promotes the exchange of water in and out of the cells and therefore the clearing of toxins. For a more in depth information about which salt to use, go to
http://earthlyenergies.blogspot.com/2011/03/is-salt-good-or-bad-for-you.html

2.            Apply a combination of essential oils. There are several essential oils that are very helpful in increasing blood circulation as well as fight fluid retention and lymphatic congestion: rosemary, black pepper, geranium, sage, grapefruit, cypress, lavender, helichrysum and patchouli. When you prepare yourself a blend of essential oils, always remember that all the oils made from citrus fruit are photosensitive, which means they can cause irritation if used up to 6 hours before exposure to the sun. Choose the essential oils that most appeal to you and add them to a carrier oil (I use apricot kernel and rosehip oil) and massage them on the skin area that show the cellulite with circular movements going upwards towards the heart. You can also use a soft brush in the same way to achieve a massage of the lymphatic vessels and to improve blood circulation on the skin surface. I make my own blend for cellulite with added DMSO for a better penetration in the skin and a teaspoon of “sole”, a solution of Himalayan crystal salt and water.

3.            Promote oxygen circulation. In other words breathe deeply, possibly while relaxing and enjoying 15 minutes all for yourself, in the morning upon waking up is the best time. Find a nice place where you are not going to be disturbed for 15 minutes. Face the sun if you have the luxury of a sunny day, close your eyes and breathe in deeply, enjoying the air going through every cell of your body. Breathe in positive thoughts and breathe out all your worries, anxiety and stress. Stress has a huge impact on the congestion of fat and toxins that cause cellulite.

    

 4.         Prepare yummy healthy meals. Increase your intake of fresh fruit, raw salads, veggies, nuts and seeds while trying to be conservative with dairy products, meat and processed sugar (like cakes, biscuits and ice-cream). A very important thing to remember is that our body has only one signal to indicate thirst as well as hunger. Many people who have a weight problem tend to respond to this “call” by eating first. A good rule of thumb is to have a couple of glasses of water when you first feel “hungry”. Wait 15-20 minutes and then have something to eat. You will find that you eat less food altogether and probably you will also feel less prone to eat junk food. 

Pay some attention also to the combination of foods you prepare.

Excellent combinations are:
- Proteins (like meat, fish and eggs) and non starchy
  vegetables (lettuce, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini,
  tomatoes, capsicum, spinach, asparagus, cabbage and
  green beans to name a few);
- Starchy vegetables (like potatoes, pumpkin, peas,
  carrots, beans and corn) with proteins and non starchy
  vegetables.
- Grains (like pasta, bread and millet) with non starchy
  vegetables

5.        Yearn for a daily good long walk. The best exercise you can do to fight cellulite is cardio-vascular which keeps the blood circulation moving and the lymphatic system active.

And last, but not least, be HAPPY, smile more often, be nice to yourself and to others, think positively, make sure that you always have the sun in front of you so that shadows, worries, doubts, anxiety and fear are behind you. Stress is a big factor, not only for cellulite, but also for heart disease and many other ailments. Positive living, on the other hand, makes the immune system stronger and ready to fight disease. I’m not trying to say that you shouldn’t feel angry, sad or worried. All these feelings are important and need to be expressed. However, staying angry, sad and worried long after the causes of those feeling are gone, only hurt the people who dwell on them, weakening the immune system and causing nothing but grief. Smile often, appreciate the little beautiful things that make your day and let your loved ones know that you love them and treasure their presence around you...

Lastly, share this information with the man in your life. Even if they don’t get as much cellulite as we do, the five steps we have just outlined, being part of an holistic approach, will benefit everyone. Moreover, it will be easier for you to improve your diet and exercise program if you have someone that does it with you, and it will be great for both of you!

The sunscreen double paradox: it doesn’t protect you from skin cancer and blocks your body absorption of vitamin D!

In many ancient cultures and religions, from the Egyptians to the Aztecs, Hindus, Romans and many African cultures the sun was worshipped as a deity. In the Roman Empire there was a huge festival called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (the birth of the unconquered sun) which was celebrated on winter solstice at the end of December and that was later adopted by the Christians as the celebration of the birth of Christ.

However in our modern western society the sun is blamed for the increase of skin cancer cases in the world and above all in Australia, and nothing could be further from the truth.

A daily exposure to the sun allows our bodies to produce vitamin D which is well known to have a prominent role in bone health, and it is less known to have quite an important role in protecting us from cancer.

Professor Rebecca Mason, a physiologist at the University of Sydney and an expert in vitamin D deficiency, has found that there is a direct link between inadequate amount of vitamin D in our body and our likelihood to suffer from several types of cancer, among which colon cancer and skin cancer are the most common.

Exposure to the sun has to be done sensibly and roasting yourself to achieve a good looking tan will not help the vitamin D absorption at all. Professor Mason has actually found that the absorption of vitamin D is much more efficient with a short exposure time than with a longer one. How fair or dark your skin is also plays an important role as people with a darker skin need a longer exposure to the sun to be able to efficiently produce vitamin D. If you have a very fair skin in winter you should aim to 15 minutes of sun exposure every day, as close as possible to midday, to about 15% of your body, which means face, hands and the lower part of the legs without sunscreen (I’ll explain this a bit later). In summer the exposure to the sun should be before 11am and after 3pm for 15 minutes a day. People with darker skin will need from two to six times these amounts (depending on how dark your skin is).

Another important finding of Prof. Mason’s is that an adequate level of vitamin D actually protects us from the damaging effects of the UV rays on our skin.

The great majority of sunscreen products use chemicals which completely block the ability of our body to absorb vitamin D from the sun exposure, increasing therefore our chances of getting some form of cancer, skin cancer being one of them.

Moreover, many sunscreen products actually contain chemicals, such as avobenzone, benzophenone, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnimate, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl methoxycinnamate, oxybenzone just to quote a few, which are powerful free radicals generators, and free radicals are known to be involved in the onset of cancer and other diseases. For a more comprehensive list of dangerous chemicals in sunscreen and cosmetics, please go to http://www.health-report.co.uk/ingredients-directory.htm

The cosmetic industry is now also very fond of nano particles, which is a way to make chemical substances so tiny that they can be absorbed by our skin much easier and faster.

Since everything we put on our skin gets absorbed by our body and goes into the blood stream and to our organs, by using sunscreen products we actually introduce in our bodies substances which make us more likely to get some form of cancer and that also block the vitamin D which, on the contrary, is paramount to help our body fight cancer.

Another very damaging addition to many sunscreens on the market is vitamin A. Although it is true that vitamin A is excellent to keep our skin young and supple, it is also unfortunately true that vitamin A has photocarcinogenic properties, which means that it can cause cells to become cancerous when exposed to the sunlight. Vitamin A, like other natural substances which are good for our skin but which are photosensitive, should be restricted to be used when we are not planning to go in the sun, so, doesn’t it sound like another paradox that they use vitamin A in a sunscreen?

So, what is a possible solution? Nutrition is definitively one way. Carrots and berries are well known to help build up our body defences against sun burn, and coconut oil is a precious aid for keeping our skin moist and supple, as well as being a great nutrient against free radicals. Get your daily dose of sun exposure and cover up at any other times if you have to be in the sun (hat, shirt and sunglasses).

If you really want to put something on your skin, make your own sun lotion using aloe vera gel and coconut oil in equal amounts, and add some drops of peppermint oil which has been found to have the highest SPF among all the essential oils. Remember however that the best Sun Protection Factor of all is a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruit which contain anti-oxidants, a good hat, a shirt, sunglasses and stay away from the direct rays of the sun from 11am to 3pm, but do get a 15 minutes exposure to the sun every day.

A Completely Natural Homemade moisturizer

For the last 5 or 6 years I've been making my own moisturizer. I never liked the commercial ones which always contain some ingredients with names too difficult to read, too long to pronounce and definitively not familiar enough for me to feel safe putting them on my skin.

For my moisturizer I use only simple, natural and mostly organic ingredients such as Aloe Vera Gel, Apricot Kernel Oil, Rosehip Oil and a few essential oils (lavender, bergamot, lemon myrtle and calendula). Until a few months ago I was making this moisturizer just for myself, but after a few friends tried it and loved it, I decided to make it available to anybody who, like me, feels disillusioned with commercial products and wants to put on their skin (and ultimately inside their bodies!!) a natural moisturizer...



Laura's Homemade Escentials Face Moisturizer

50 gr. costs AUD14 ($14)  plus postage expenses ($4.50 to most destinations in Australia)
To order send an email to earthlyenergies@hotmail.com

Five secrets to a gorgeous and healthy skin

1. Never ever put on your skin anything that you wouldn't put in your mouth!

Our skin is one of the main ways into our bodies. Everything you put on your skin will get absorbed fairly quickly and reach all the other organs and cells of your body.
So the question now is: why would you use on your skin something that you wouldn't dare to swallow?
Have a look in your bathroom cabinet and take notice of how many products you have in there that carry the warning: "For external use only"... Problem is that whatever you use "externally" will travel "internally" within a few hours and in some cases within a few minutes!

2. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day.

Just like the rest of our body, water makes up a huge amount of our skin cells, so it is very important to have an adequate amount of water within our system to keep those cells plumped up and working beautifully to give us a healthy, glowing skin!

3. Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Just as it is true that everything we put on our skin will be absorbed within our body, it is also true the opposite: everything we eat will show on our skin. Our skin is one of the organs, like the liver and the kidneys, that help get rid of toxins and keep our body system clean and healthy.
Fruits and vegetables are an incredible source of anti-oxidants that help fighting toxins so that the skin has to work less and we look younger and healthier!
Seeds and nuts contain good fats and oils that help moisturise the skin from inside out!

4. Exercise at least 20 minutes every day.

Exercise is not just going to the gym and sweat for half an hour on the treadmill or doing weights. You can just as well exercise by taking your dog for a brisk walk, take the stairs instead of the lift at work, get off the bus two stops earlier and walk the rest of the way. Exercise is of primary importance to the skin (as well as to the rest of the body!) for many reasons: first of all it gets your blood circulation going which provides all your cells with fresh oxygen, secondly it gets the lymph (another important player in the cleaning of the body) circulating as well and last but not least, exercise relaxes you and will make you sleep better which are two other important factors for a beautiful and healthy skin.

5. Become conscious of your breathing.

Find a time every day to sit in a place which relaxes you, in the garden, on the beach or in your favourite chair at home. Make sure that, for at least 15 minutes, your not going to be disturbed and focus on your breathing. Breathe in slowly, visualising the air getting into every little corner of your body, feeding every cell with precious oxygen, pumping breathing life into every layer of your system. Now breathe out slowly, visualising the air taking out of your body your tiredness, your stress, your anxiety and all your problems. Breathe in again, and this time, be the air and flow throughout your body carrying into it peace, health, love and nice smells. When breathing out, think again of carrying out everything that bothers you, both physically and emotionally. This is the simplest way of meditating and it's very relaxing.

If you follow these 5 simple steps you will see your skin, and all your body, becoming healthier and healthier. It won't happen in one day or even in one week, but surely in a couple of months you will start noticing the change and you will feel much more energetic and happy... Talking about being happy... Don't forget to smile!! It makes wonders for your body, for your mind and for your spirit!!