Prevent Aging and Hyperpigmentation with Elta MD

Looking to be gone with aging and hyper pigmentation? Created in Texas, EltaMD is a small but superior sun protection line, designed with maximum efficacy in mind. Best of all, EltaMD can be used on each and every skin type, and even on children! Specially formulated with zinc oxide, EltaMD provides long-lasting UVB and UVA protection. Finding a sunscreen that protects from both wavelengths is important when choosing how best to protect yourself. Most people are satisfied with picking up the typical drugstore brand of sunscreen before going away, however it’s important to know what you’re getting before you throw your money away on a product that is going to leave you looking like a lobster!

UVA Rays

Here’s what you need to know! UVB rays superficially penetrate the outer layer of your skin. This can lead to premature aging, environmentally damaged skin and the development of skin cancer whereas UVA rays penetrate deep into the dermis, the skin’s thickest layer, causing major damage over time and damage. This will lurk about the deepest layers until the aging process leads to further development of cancerous cells. UVA rays penetrate deeply into the skins layers, damaging collagen and cells which lead to wrinkling, hyperpigmentation and loss of elasticity. This is key with preventing aging and hyperpigmentation.

Blocking The Sun!

How do you know which SPF rating to choose? Firstly, you need to know that SPF stands for sun protection factor. This refers to their ability to deflect UVB rays. Without having the outer layer of your skin protected you are leaving the under layers vulnerable to attacks from the sun! Using a product with an SPF 15 or higher limits your chances of developing skin cancer. It also halts premature aging and hyperpigmentation caused by the sun.

EltaMD believes that proper sun protection is essential for every individual, which is why they make their products easy to use, with light, creamy, non-comedogenic lotions and creams.

The Pore Truth

We have unlocked the pore truth! Have you ever spent an entire morning makeup-session staring at your reflection wondering why your pores have begun to take over your face? Well, it’s not that you’ve developed a whole slew of new pores, or more have come out from their hiding places. Your skin care regime just needs a little tweaking. For those who aren’t aware a pore is a route or a channel by which the skin’s surface can be reached. Pores house a hair follicle and sebaceous gland and serves as a gateway for sebum. The sebum is our skin’s natural oil.

Myth or Truth?

While many people believe you can get rid of pores, this is simply a myth. The truth is that you cannot banish them completely, but with the right skin care, you can make pores look less noticeable. You can make pores appear smaller by removing the excess sebum, debris, and makeup that has built up within them. Oil sitting at the mouth of a pore also contributes to the problem of large pores given that the oil may reflect light which would make the openings once again appear larger than they really are.

Pores

How do we develop pores you ask? Pore size is largely determined by genetics. Although, poor hygiene and its resulting dirt and oil and the dead skin cells that lurk about underneath the surface of your skin. This can contribute to making pores look much larger. If a pore becomes clogged, it is stretched temporarily and it will in turn become more apparent. So when your esthetician tells you to make sure you’re taking care of your skin at home, listen to her, she’s trying to save you from large pores!

Other Beliefs

Aging and sun damage also contribute to pore size; the skin around a pore loses its firmness when we age and the pore may appear larger due to the lack of support from the surrounding tissue. The pore truth is getting regular facials is of key importance if you are trying to keep your pore size at bay simply because the esthetician will do extractions which will help to clear the debris that has built up over time. Another myth that tends to surround pore size involves steaming them. Contrary to popular belief, pores cannot ‘open and close’ with steaming; this is because pores do not have muscles around their openings. Steaming instead, helps to loosen underlying debris, which makes for easier extractions.

We can therefore see that although annoying, pores are an essential part of our facial structure and having a route for our natural oil to derive from is of the upmost importance. It’s all about managing them to make sure they look their best! That is the pore truth!

Relieve Pain and Heal Injuries

Relieve pain and heal injuries! Healing through touch to relieve pain can be traced back centuries to ancient times. Specifically back to 460 B.C. when the “Father of Medicine”, Hippocrates, first made mention of it. The earliest written accounts of massage therapy were discovered in Egypt and China through tomb paintings. Reflexology is also a method of the Egyptians. Reflexology is a practice that targets specific zones in the body by applying pressure to the feet in order to help relieve tension/cure ailments in those targeted zones.

The History

Massage therapy began its revival throughout the early part of the 20th Century. Massage was used to treat patients involved in World war one that suffered from nerve injury or shell shock. During the 1920’s, people saw massage as a tool. Therefore, massage was adapted by the wealthy and unfortunately for people involved in the sex trade. Therefore, in the 20th Century it became known the way that it is today. A scientific practice whose focus is on disease prevention through maintaining wellness. After experiencing resurgence in modern times, massage therapy became respected as a holistic healing method. This reliever is practiced across the world. Massage can heal injuries, relieve pain, prevent and cure illnesses, reduce stress and produce deep relaxation.

Protect Yourself

Massage incorporates stroking, pressing, squeezing and striking to manually treat physical issues. This will relieve pain and heal injuries. It consists primarily of hands-on manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. Also, the muscles, connective tissues, ligaments and joints. By receiving a massage treatment at least once a month, you can protect yourself and your body from a number of ailments. You can prevent headaches, muscle tension, and backaches. You can alleviate the symptoms associated with pregnancy and increase joint flexibility. Also, enhance immunity by stimulating lymph drainage and increase your sleeping patterns by de-stressing. Massage also reduces insomnia while lowering your blood pressure levels. With the soothing effects that massage brings and you can improve your posture.

Heal Yourself

Massage is a great way to show someone that you care about them! Send them for a Valentine’s Day treat of a 60 minute registered massage, and help them de-stress today!

Our pricing- Massages at Pino’s

Diet Tips Part 2

Welcome to part two of our two-part blog on diet tips that will help you stay on track this New Year!

  1. Be goal-oriented. Having a goal written out will hold you accountable to what you are trying to achieve. If you have a vague goal, you are less likely to stick to it. If it helps, make smaller goals that will eventually help you to achieve the one main goal.
  2. Be uncomfortable. Expect some discomfort; you’re leaving your comfort zone of all old habits and the change is likely to be uncomfortable. Making peace with that will make it easier when you experience the discomfort.
  3. Schedule a cheat day then turn it around. Have your cheat day set for some time in the future; whether it is the last Friday of the month or every Friday. Having the day set aside will help you to avoid temptations by knowing that you can soon eat something delicious! It takes a significant amount of calories eaten to gain a pound of body fat so it’s about what you do the day after your cheat day, and the day after that. So be sure to whittle away at those extra calories over the next day or two, preferably by boosting exercise rather than eating too little; starvation is not the healthy answer!
  4. Take notes. Keeping a journal of when you’re working out and what exercises your doing can help you stay on track. Laying out your workout plan week by week not only keeps your routine the same but it prepares your mind for what your body has next.
  5. Use your arms. When you are working out make sure that you are getting your arms moving instead of just your legs. It will not only help tone up your arms but it will increase your calorie burning as well.
  6. Never shop hungry. Going to the grocery store when you’re hungry not only adds dollars to your bill but will also add pounds to your waistline. Limit your grocery shopping to after you’ve eaten and bring a list with you to ensure you are only getting what you need.
  7. Fill up on fibre and protein. In addition to filling up on vegetables, add some fibre and protein to your diet to ensure that you are staying full throughout the day.
  8. Skip the salt. Salt is your enemy when you’re on a diet; skip adding extra to meals and you will begin losing weight in no time.
  9. Use the apple test. If you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you aren’t hungry.
  10. Have a carb free afternoon. Not having carbs after lunch tends to be the hardest rule to follow; however, if you can make it so your afternoons are carb-free, you’ll notice the weight coming off in no time.
  11. Walk it off. Take a quick 15-minute walk after lunch to burn a fast 100 calories. Don’t want to go alone? See if someone from the office wants to come with you!
  12. Find a fitness friend. Having a work out buddy is huge for staying motivated; if you are being held accountable for working out, you are less likely to put it off, especially if you have someone who knows what your goals are.

Stock up on nuts. Nuts provide fibre and protein and are an easy snack that will help to keep you full between meals. Pack them in your lunch in 100 calorie bags to ensure you don’t indulge.

Diet Tips Part 1

Have you made it your New Year’s Resolution to lose a few pounds that you may have put on over the holidays? Here are some easy diet tips to help you stay on track!

  1. Don’t skip breakfast. Making sure that you eat breakfast is the number one place to start with your diet as it energizes you and will guarantee that you are full enough to make it to lunch without snacking.
  2. Eat small portions throughout the day. Eating smaller portions multiple times throughout the day increases the amount of calorie burned, and it also ensures that you remain full between your main meals. Eating healthy snacks throughout the day helps you to resist temptations.
  3. Keep the burn going. When you are working out, make sure that you don’t rest for more than thirty seconds between exercises. Keeping the burn going will actually increase the amount that you burn throughout your workout.
  4. Avoid late night snacks. Always try to avoid eating three hours before bedtime; your metabolism slows down when you sleep so you shift from fat-burning to fat-storage.
  5. Don’t forget the dumbbells. Increase the strength component of your workout; adding lean muscle to your body not only tones, but also increases your metabolism.
  6. Don’t give into cravings. Make sure that you ask yourself whether or not you are actually hungry before giving into cravings. There is no point in eating if you aren’t actually hungry; this tends to lead to over-eating because you are eating out of boredom.
  7. Get enough sleep. Get six to eight hours of sleep a night; without it, the appetite hormone ghrelin increases, which could result in weight gain.
  8. Make your own lunch. Research has found that if you make and bring your own lunch to work, you will look 5 pounds more on average than those who eat out once a week.
  9. Start with your greens. One of the very first things you should do when beginning to lose weight is load up on greens. Always begin your meals with your vegetables in order to ensure that you eat the most of them and ultimately eat fewer calories throughout your meal.
  10. Use methods that are proven to work. If you stick with diet tips that have been proven to work in the past it will be shown that you are more likely to reach your goals. Looking at statistics from people who have lost 60+ pounds and kept it off it was found that 75% weigh themselves once a week, 78% are breakfast eaters and 62% watch less than 20 hours a week of television.
  11. Say hello to H20. Drinking cold water not only increases your metabolism but it also helps to flush your body of toxins. Drink up to eight glasses a day for maximum results.
  12. Police your portions. Instead of adding another spoonful here, or one extra piece of meat there, make sure you are sticking to portion guides laid out by Canada’s Food Guide.
  13. Weigh at the same time every day. Given that your weight can fluctuate depending on what time of the day you weigh yourself, it’s best to stick to one time, whether you are weighing daily or weekly.

Pick the perfect tunes. Having the perfect playlist can help you enjoy your workout more; so make one with lots of upbeat tempos and catchy lyrics to aid you with your workout goals!