Fade Stretch Marks: Is It Possible?
December 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Is there a method to fade stretch marks? A resounding yes! Make stretch marks disappear? Unfortunately this is still a no. Despite the many advances in skin care technology, no treatment has yet successfully made these often than not embarrassing stripes totally disappear. However, there are now many available treatments to make stretch marks appear less conspicuous and ease associated signs (such as skin dryness) that may arise with having these marks.
Basic Facts About Your Skin and Stretch Marks
Causes
Our skin is generally a very elastic organ able to spring back to its original state. However, there are instances when the skin becomes too overstretched damaging the epidermis. The epidermal layer is responsible for secreting collagen and elastic fibers, two substances that are give skin its elasticity. Below are common causes of stretch marks:
- Abrupt Changes in Weight - When one rapidly gains weight, the skin is not given adequate time to adjust to the added mass, thus, the skin becomes overstretched. These stretch marks become more evident when one then loses the weight as they now have more texture. - Pregnancy. Common sense tells us that stretch marks occur in the abdominal region as the body accommodates the growing child. - Growth spurts. Puberty may cause certain individuals to experience rapid growth in height and muscles. - Bulking of muscles. Stretch marks associated with athletes in particular bodybuilders.
Appearance
- Stretch Mark Color - Initially stretch marks are seen as red to pinkish to purple in color that eventually become a more permanent silvery-white - Shape - crooked bands or lines or stripes that vary in length and width appearing mostly as wavelike streaks - Texture - can be flat, depressed, ridged/bumpy, or glossy
Associated Symptoms
- Dryness - Itchiness - Thickening or raised skin - Pain - Tenderness
Common Location
In general, stretch marks are seen in areas of the body where weight gain is most evident namely:
- Abdomen - Thighs - Hips - Breast - Upper arms and axillary area
Treatment
Cosmetic
- Laser therapy and chemical peels - work by removing the scarred topmost layer of the skin allowing newer and healthier skin to emerge using laser or chemicals that are acidic in nature - Microdermabrasion - exfoliates the topmost layer of the skin using very small crystals - Skin removal - usually done to those people who have loss dramatic weight resulting to excess skin Nonsurgical Intervention - Topical medications - include lotions and creams that are massaged into the skin. Most of these topical creams share similar ingredients such as vitamins A and E. Tretinoin-based cream is said to be effective in fading stretch creams. Keep in mind that since topical medications are not as aggressive as surgical ones more time is required for results to show. An added perk to topical treatments is the alleviation of other symptoms (such as creams give added moisture to dry skin). - Lifestyle improvement - healthy and clean living is recommended to keep one’s weight stable and in check. A balanced diet will provide one sufficient nutrients essential for healthy skin.
Tips For Hard Gainers - Learn How To Get Bigger
December 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
If you’re unlucky enough to be a hard gainer, and you have trouble packing on quality muscle mass then you already know that it isn’t an overnight thing. Fundamentally, gaining more muscle is to do everything you’re doing now, but do it bigger.
This means you have to start eating more quality foods, and you have to start looking at how you’re training, and train harder. If you fail to do these two simple tasks you won’t put on any weight and you won’t get any stronger. You won’t grow if you don’t eat more food, and you won’t get bigger muscles if you don’t lift more in the gym.
When it comes to packing on muscle lifting weights should be at the top of your list. Your diet is next as what you eat will determine how much weight you’ll put on in the form of muscle. The amount of rest you give yourself between workouts is also important. If you don’t allow enough time for your muscles to repair themselves then your progress will go backwards.
Working out how many calories you’re consuming each day is the best place to start when you want to eat to pack on muscle. Once you have worked this out you’ll know how much more you have to eat to add a substantial amount that is going to allow you to grow. You could start at adding 500 a day.
Although this may sound like a lot of extra food it could be a meal that consists of 30 grams of protein, 40 grams of carbs and 25 grams of healthy fat. A meal this size isn’t difficult to add to your daily meals. When you start growing your body will need this extra consumption for the extra calories your muscles will be burning.
Once you’ve got your diet sorted out you need to start setting goals with your weight training. This means that going to the gym is for lifting weights and not socializing. A lot of gym users go into he gym with the wrong mind set. They lift the same weight every session for the same amount of reps, talk to their friends, then they go home and try to work out why they’re not getting any bigger.
You need to keep a record of what you’re doing in the gym every week, so you need to write everything down. You need to progresses with your training , and you can only do this if you know what you did last time your trained. If your training doesn’t progress then neither will your muscle growth. Your muscles have no reason the get bigger if you don’t get stronger, and if you don’t lift more than you did the week before you won’t get stronger.
Writing everything down allows you to experiment more so you can see what is giving you the best gains. You can also find out if you’re over training, and not making any gains.
If you truly want to dramatically change your body, to learn how to build muscle mass fast, then understand that your goals need the power of all of the above working together so you can achieve them.
Exist Better, Exist Smarter
December 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
One of the benefits of living green is it can extend your lifespan. This may be surprising, but it is very true. There are many things that not only help the earth, but they help you, too! Eating fresh organic foods, cutting down on driving, and many other things will help you live greener, longer!
By eating healthy, organic foods you are not only helping your body by giving it fresh food, you are saving the earth from being contaminated by pesticides. Organic meats help by keeping the environment free of antibiotics and growth hormones. Plus you’re avoiding all those nasty things from going inside of you! By eating fresh, organic foods, you are avoiding all the processed foods that do a better job of clogging your arteries than they do of providing nutrition.
One great (and easy) way to live greener is to join your local Freecycle email list. Instead of throwing away unwanted items, you can post them on the list ? it’s more than likely that someone will have a need for them. Of course, when you need something, you can look there first before going out and buying new things. Freecycle keeps a lot of trash out of landfills and is a great money saver.
You can substitute some of your household items for more green friendly items. One such item is compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs are much more energy efficient, which means that they use a lot less energy (and save you money) while being about the same price as any other light bulbs ? they also last much longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Other things you can do will just make your home more comfortable. Larger windows can help let in more natural light so you don’t need to turn your lights on early. Using compact fluorescent bulbs can save you money and will save energy. Use energy-efficient appliances and don’t leave your air conditioner on when you’re not at home. You’ll be amazed at how much this impacts your energy usage.
Small things like recycling cans, bottles and plastic packaging helps lower your garbage bills and helps reduce your carbon footprint. Use cloth bags when you shop instead of taking their paper or plastic bags. Some stores even knock off a few cents when you use your own bags. All of this will help reduce pollution, which is healthier for you because you’ll be breathing cleaner air.
Once you get started, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to live greener. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel? both physically and mentally. Plus, you’ll feel better knowing you’re doing your part to have a healthier planet to live on. So go ahead? live greener and live longer. You’ll be happy you gave it a try.
Anti Cellulite Creams: Do They Work And Are They Worth It?
December 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
These days, there are more researches done on cellulite products and cellulite creams. The concern over unsightly cellulite has been around for a very, very long time now. So do anti cellulite creams really work and are they all worth it in the end? Let’s find out.
Availability of the product is not the problem. The problem is, how do we know which one is the best to use? To find out, we need to look into the core of anti cellulite products. For instance, we need to ask, what are the ingredients? How are they effective? What do they do? These questions will definitely help you figure out whether the information you are getting from a product makes sense or not.
It is a sad fact that consumers who have been suffering due to their cellulite for a very long time will tend to believe just about anything. First of all, you should never think there is one universal product that’s best for everyone. If a product claims to do miracles, then it’s probably too good to be true. So do cellulite creams work? In general yes, but the real question is which ones are the most effective ones. Some creams do work, but cause severe skin reactions. Other creams also do work, but only in the short-term.
The Brand - One thing you should watch out for is the reputation of a product. Many good anti cellulite creams are backed up by lots of sensible information in their website. For instance, companies that provide a FAQ, list of ingredients, and explanations on exactly how their products work are often those that are well-trusted. At least, you can do some research on your own if the complete list of ingredients are right in front of you.
You need to look closer into a product. Not only that, you need to find a connection between the information about a product with scientific findings. For instance, research has just discovered that caffeine is the newest anti cellulite agent. There are now anti cellulite products that do contain caffeine. So in this case you might want to place those products in your priority list. Don’t just stop there though. Find out exactly what caffeine does and how it could actually help get rid of cellulite!
How It Works - The observation is that caffeine improves fat metabolism and minimizes swelling, and therefore makes skin look smoother than it really is. The conclusion is, cellulite creams can indeed minimize the appearance of cellulite, even though they may not be able to eliminate all cellulite (that would be sort of miraculous). Good creams can plump up the skin so that the surface appears smoother. Also, good creams have other added natural ingredients that improve skin in general, such as retinol A, AHA, and coffeeberry. We’re talking about boosting your skin’s health with antioxidants (that get rid of toxins) and soothing it at the same time.
Minimizes Visibility - Although scientists have found there’s still no proven method that totally eliminates cellulite, these scientists do observe that there are products that can minimize the visibility and sensation of cellulite. This is pretty outstanding in itself, because people are generally more concerned over the appearance of cellulite, and not really on the fact that fat cells exist.
Why Creams Are Better Alternative - So are anti cellulite creams worth it? Think about other methods such as surgery (liposuction, etc) and supplements that you have to take orally. Creams can be applied directly and do not have to go through your system like supplements do-creams can work locally on affected areas only. Surgery is extremely invasive to many, and not to mention quite risky, expensive and not 100% fail-proof. So at the end of the day, really think about these considerations and you make the call!
Best Anti Gout Diet Tips
December 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
If you want to prevent gout for life, start with your diet. This is not such an impossible task. Diet does play a large role in controlling and preventing gout, so depending on your daily intake, you can either increase or reduce your risk of gout.
A gout may be acquired since birth, from family history or caused by obesity and other health factors. It is also more prevalent among men and those who are 40 to 60 years of age. If you can relate to any of these then you may want to focus on preventive measures.
An anti gout diet primarily consists of low-purine foods.
Purines are mostly found in foods which are high in protein and fat content. Vegetable oils, greasy burgers and fatty fish are all high in purines, so you should avoid fried foods and naturally fatty produce. Basically, high purine content is found in almost all kinds of food: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, oysters, scallops, creams, eggs, peas and beans. But there are ways to have a low-purine diet and are illustrated below:
Take more fruits and vegetables.
A lot of vegetables and fruits are rich in potassium. Potassium regulates electrolytes in the body and has the ability to get rid of uric acid crystals from the blood. Potassium-rich fruits are bananas, avocados, apricots and cantaloupe. High-potassium vegetables include spinach, potatoes, asparagus, beets and pumpkin.
Begin your anti gout diet now.
For breakfast, take low-fat protein foods. For example, drink low-fat milk and utilize only egg whites when cooking. Add onions and garlic for taste and use low-fat butter or margarine. High-protein foods that are low in fat have been found to be safe. Quench your thirst with vegetable juice or concentrated blackberry juice.
Include lemon juice at lunch for cleansing. Lemon juice is filled with vitamin C and antioxidants to help flush your body from unwanted uric acids. Couple the drink with a hearty salad and meal using tofu to replace red meat or chicken, finely chopped fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil.
Grilled or baked lean meat, wrapped foil to retain moisture, is ideal for dinner. Pair with potatoes and steamed spinach. After dinners make sure to have a bowl of cherries, berries or grapes on the side.
Other tips for your anti gout diet:
Carefully watch your weight. Gout has been linked with health problems such as diabetes and obesity. Slowly restrict calories by introducing more of the gout preventing foods mentioned earlier. Avoid crash diets as these can actually trigger gout flare-ups. A good anti gout diet is always a balanced diet.
Drinking several glasses of water, from 8-10 a day, would also be good to prevent gout. Water dilutes uric acid (a cause of gout) and rids them from the body. Cloudy urine means you have high acid content in your body and this is not a healthy sign. Clear urine suggests that you are properly hydrated and well on your way to good health.