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Who would’ve thought that when Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta belted out their hit song Summer Loving all those years ago, that they were touching on an important life lesson.

 This does not refer to the fact that one shouldn’t give your heart away too quickly. 

The sun can have a devastating impact on the skin and it does “happen so fast”

It is an interesting exercise to compare the skin of someone say 30 years old living in a place such as Florida, compared to someone living in chilly Chicago. If the two individuals have both looked after themselves well, don’t smoke and don’t drink too much, their skin is likely to tell two different stories.

The Florida individual is likely to have far more skin damage than their Chicago counterpart and this is most certainly directly related to the amount of exposure they have had to the sun.

 Our skin is no match for a burning ball of gases millions of kilometers in diameter. Dry skin ages more quickly  

The sun emits harmful UV rays which have a very damaging impact on the skin. Firstly they are very warm so we perspire and consequently lose moisture in our skins, then and even more damaging, the rays burn our skin. This causes not only a nasty tomato or beet red (if you happen to be fair like me), but also causes the skin to contract as it tries to protect itself.

 As a result, wrinkles are formed very quickly and there is a far greater chance of this than for people in colder climates.  

Skin cancer becomes a major concern

Although there is a wealth of information these days about cancer, many people still take chances by going into the sun without any form of protection of their skin.

It is really important that whenever you go into the sun you use a sunscreen not suntan lotion as a basic means of protection.

 We should all in fact include as part of our beauty routine – or use products that include sunscreen in them. Many moisturizers do this. There is a far greater chance of getting skin cancer if one doesn’t use sunscreen. Often a skin blemish is altered by the sun, it is therefore very important to closely monitor skin blemishes and check that the sun does not alter them!

An altered skin tag for instance could become a malignant growth.

Children and older people are the highest risk groups for this type of disease. Although this is beginning to change

Climate change and the increased harshness of the sun increase the dangers tenfold

Now it is not the idea to avoid going into the sun altogether. It is an important source of Vitamin D for the body which is one of our essential minerals. But don’t go into the sun without sunscreen and take a hat as well.

Be sure to reapply sun screen every 40 minutes for periods of lengthy sun exposure and also immediately after swimming

Sunbeds and tanning salons are also dangerous

 Not many people are aware that there is also some danger in making regular use of a tanning bed. Check with your practitioner about the levels of UV rays emitted by the tanning bed and treat as you would a trip to the beach. Take your sunscreen! So while summer loving is great, it is getting increasingly dangerous for our health and we need to make sure that we take the necessary precautions so that we can enjoy a healthy glow without paying the price

Popularity: 11% [?]

Let’s face it… No one wants to get wrinkles.

And there’s certainly no shortage of anti aging creams, serums and lotions meant to help fight them.

The answer to those lines on your forehead and in the corners of your eyes may be a whole lot simpler (and cheaper) than those products.

A recent study in the Netherlands found that vitamin K plays a key role in protecting the skin against the effects of a disease called pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE).

Just one of the symptoms for this illness is severe wrinkling of the skin.

The researchers discovered vitamin K activates one of the enzymes responsible for protecting the skin’s elastic fibers.

Based on previous research, they also knew that people suffering from PXE are unable to metabolize vitamin K.

So, putting two and two together, they concluded that this nutrient must be involved in the elasticity of skin.

While this particular study didn’t investigate it directly, the researchers speculate vitamin K could play the same protective role in healthy subjects as well.

Of course, they also didn’t study vitamin K in terms of anti-wrinkling effects.

But preventing wrinkles from occurring in the first place is an even better approach than fighting them back.

And since vitamin K is so good for you in so many other ways, it certainly won’t hurt you to try it.

Your health

Libido and Health

Popularity: 59% [?]

Not only does cinnamon lower your blood sugar levels and helps prevent diabetes, according to research it also makes you smarter.

Cinnamon a spice most of us keep on our spice racks is a major health dynamo.

8 Reasons why adding more cinnamon to your daily diet is the smart thing to do -

*** helps prevent diabetes
*** makes you smarter
*** supports digestive function
*** constricts and tone tissue
*** relieves congestion
*** alleviates pain, inflammation, and stiffness of muscles and joints
*** eases menstrual discomfort
*** stimulates circulation

At my age which is north of forty I combat andropause and aging by starting the day with a fresh fruit smoothie to which I add a scoop of protein, oat bran and half a teaspoon of cinnamon.

I also take joy in the fact that I am responsible for my own health and barring and act of God or accident I’m in charge of my well being.

I can say this because it has been proven without a shadow of a doubt that most of our dreaded diseases associated with aging are in fact a result of a bad lifestyle, diabetes, heart disease can be prevented by you!

Have you taken charge, yet?

Your health

Libido and Health

P.S. Try Best Cinnamon Extract for great results!

Popularity: 44% [?]

I recently read Dan Buettner, whose latest book, The Blue Zones, is a veritable treasure trove of tips for longevity and anti aging.

Buettner is an explorer whose work for National Geographic led to the book.

He investigated four parts of the world where there are more healthy centenarians than anywhere else - Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, CA; Okinawa, Japan; and Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula.

The following 5 tips comes from the people who’ve achieved “anti aging” better than anyone else alive.

1. MOVE. Longevity’s living legends engage in regular, low-intensity physical activity, whether it be hiking, shepherding, gardening, walking, yoga, or something else.

The data suggest that moderate, even easy, activity done on a daily basis will extend your life.

2. “Hara hachi bu.” This Okinawan saying means “Stop eating when your stomach is 80% full.” Clear enough?

Reducing calories by a mere 20% will extend your life and ensure a better quality of life..

3. Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. While readers of ETR know that higher-protein diets can be really healthy, that doesn’t rule out a diet that’s also loaded with vegetables.

All of the long-lived peoples investigated by Buettner ate a plant-based diet with almost no processed foods.

4. Drink some alcohol. In Sardinia, it’s wine. In Okinawa, it’s sake. Whatever you prefer, alcohol in moderation seems to reduce both stress and inflammation.

5. Have a purpose, a reason for living. Okinawans call it ikigai. Nicoyans call it plan de vida.

In both cultures, the phrase translates to “why I wake up in the morning.” Develop a strong sense of purpose, connection to others, and community.

It’s the best anti aging and longevity advice you can find anywhere.

These people are living it!

Live the dream!

Your health

Libido and Health

P.S. In the Western World we waste millions of dollars seeking the answer to longevity, whilst we are blinded by this search the answer is simple and many people else where in the world are living it daily.

P.P.S. The more I research and learn the more I realize the answer is simple and lies with our lifestyles.

Popularity: 52% [?]

There’s a new anti-aging discovery you’ll want to know about…

Research - published in Nature - has uncovered a gene that can increase lifespan in laboratory animals by as much as 100%.

Why should you care about genes in fruit flies, worms, and rats?

Well, for starters, we humans carry the same gene. And we are discovering that natural substances found in certain foods have the power to activate it.

Scientists found evidence of this “longevity gene” about 20 years ago. Turns out that if you starve mice, giving them a diet with one-third fewer calories than they would like to eat, their lifespan increases by about 30 percent.

Later studies revealed that this effect wasn’t limited to mice: Calorie-restricted diets produced similar results in many life forms, from single-celled organisms to plants and mammals.

Very recently, scientists found an explanation for this mysterious phenomenon: A family of genes called sirtuins (”silent information regulator proteins”).

Sirtuins kick in under conditions of severe stress, bringing about an evolutionarily advantageous transformation.

They transmit signals to every cell in your body, and the processes that lead to cell death slow to a crawl, buying your body more time to wait out the famine until things improve.

Most people think of genetics as written in stone. You have the genes you inherited, and that’s it.

The discovery of sirtuins pointed to another amazing fact: Certain genes can be awakened and called upon to change your body in the course of your lifetime.

You’re probably saying to yourself, “Do I have to starve myself to live longer?” Good point.

The problem of how to “wake up” sleeping sirtuin genes had scientists stumped for years. They had to find some other way to flip the aging “off switch.”
That’s where certain foods come in… because the natural compound resveratrol has been found to unleash the anti-aging power of sirtuins.

Grapes, plums, blueberries, and cranberries contain resveratrol in the highest concentrations. Many other plants produce smaller amounts.

Resveratrol’s power to enhance your life goes beyond anti-aging.

Years of research have shown that it combats cancer, ramps up energy levels, limits the inflammation that causes arthritis, and benefits a number of major organs, including the heart, liver, and pancreas.

It also has the remarkable capacity to halt cell “malfunctions” that can be lethal, like tumor generation.

As if that weren’t enough, resveratrol acts as a potent antioxidant, binding with “free radicals,” the molecules that cause cell damage and lead to death over time.

The list of resveratrol’s many health benefits is long indeed.

Your health

Libido and Health

P.S. Get your anti aging - resveratrol here - where to buy!

Popularity: 21% [?]