Banish the Blemish!

Recently my acne problems have practically tripled, and I’m not really sure why, I stopped using facial cleansers because I figured I was removing the natural layer of skin or something, but that only made the problem worse, the types of spots I was getting were red/inflamed ones, and some of the ones that you can feel coming, the painful ones that you can’t squeeze and have to let grow out. I tried so many things people had given me advice on, including particular vitamins, workout regimes, things to eat, but nothing really worked. But then I thought to myself “Hey! There’s a world of knowledge out there called the internet!” so, knowing that (from my previous blogpost) iVillage was an awesome place to try looking for things in this nature, I set my browser to 5th gear and I was off to a world of skin tips and was blinded by the amount of information I found on spots and acne.

The particular link that I thought was really helpful (I even bookmarked it) was Banish the Blemish! It gave information on any common type of spot, and what you should do for it, when to seek advice from a dermatologist, and when not to, when to use exfoliators, cleansers, toners, face masks and such, and when not to use them. I think that if anyone has spot problems, and they’re pretty much as a confused standstill, this would be a pretty good place to start.

But base knowledge is that you should never squeeze spots, this just builds up the amount of bacteria on your face, from your hands, and it may not seem that bigger deal at the time, but just think where your hands have actually been. You should also cleanse morning and night, and then tone and moisturize. I found out also that by “cleanse” this doesn’t mean use a “deep pore cleanser” and these should only be used once a week (why are we not told these things?) and that it means a gentle, non-exfoliating daily wash. Toners should be generic ones, and you should use them after cleansing to restore the natural pH balance of your skin, and to remove anything left by the cleanser. If you have particularly oily skin, they recommend that you use a “drying toner or lotion” to combat this. Finally, you should use a daily moisturizer, this helps to keep the correct balance of moisture to your skin, and keeps you looking fresh throughout the day.

I thought this was pretty good advice, after starting to speculate whether or not every spot-cream company is actually secretly evil, and trying to give everyone even more spots. I hope it helped you too.

Links: Banish the Blemish

Sources: iVillage

Say goodbye to unwanted belly fat!

As I’m sure a few of you are, I suffer from the occasional ring of belly fat, which is least flattering, and I pray to god at nights that it’ll be gone by the morning, but as we know, that’s not even a remotely logical method of burning off that extra skin. I’ve found a way to get rid of the belly fat, in 6 easy steps! I know how infomercial-esque this sounds, but I think it’s an awesome method, and well, it’s working for me!

I stumbled across the recipe for a flatter stomach earlier today on iVillage (links will be provided). The article suggests that as women (I know..but it’s working for me!) get older, their body fat starts to be redistributed, usually to around the belly area. By fat being in this part of the body, you’re opening up your chances to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. But enough about that, let’s get started!

I’ll be using the stock images from iVillage in this walkthrough because I cannot be bothered to get into them and wait for a self timer!

Warming Up

This is a really important part of the exercise, so make sure you do it! Firstly, you need to up your heart-rate, and to do this, you can use one of the three two minute exercises:

1. Jumping Jacks – Do a continuous cycle for two minutes.

2. Jumping Rope – Do a continuous cycle of jump rope jumps for two minutes.

3. Stair Climbing – Walk up and down on a step for 2 minutes, switching the lead-leg every 30 seconds.

Alternatively, you can just jog on the spot doing a jump rope action with your arms, like I did!

The “Strengh-Cardio Circuit”

Here’s where the real exercise comes into the equation. You need to do the circuit 3 times a week, and it goes as follows:

• Exercise 1,
• Exercise 2,
• Two minute warm up,
• Exercise 3,
• Exercise 4,
• Two minute warm-up,
• Exercise 5,
• and Exercise 6

And here are the exercises:

Exercise One

Start by lying on the floor facedown, resting on your forearms and toes. Slowly lift until your body is parallel with the floor. Pull your shoulder blades together, keeping your neck straight and your eyes on the mat. Hold for one minute, then lower yourself to the floor and repeat.

 

Exercise Two

Position yourself on your hands and knees. Extend your right arm straight out and your left leg straight back. Hold for five counts, then return arm and leg. Perform 10 reps; repeat with opposite arm and leg.

 

INSERT TWO-MINUTE WARM-UP EXERCISE

 

Exercise Three

Lie on your left side with your upper arm perpendicular to the floor. Slowly raise yourself on your arm until your body is at a five-degree angle from the floor. Hold for one minute. Repeat on opposite side.

 

Exercise Four

Position yourself on the floor on your stomach with your arms and legs extended. Lift arms and legs, reaching hands forward and pointing toes back. Hold for 10 counts. Lower to floor. Perform 10 reps.

 

INSERT TWO-MINUTE WARM-UP EXERCISE

 

Exercise Five

Lie on your right side with your head resting on your extended right arm, left hand on the floor, in front of you. Place your left foot on top of your right, with all toes flexed. Slowly lift legs about three inches. Hold for 10 counts. Perform 10 reps. Repeat on opposite side.

Exercise Six

Balance yourself on your right leg with knee slightly bent — use a chair back for balance if necessary. Slowly lean forward, arms out, keeping your back straight as you extend your left leg. Aim to keep your body parallel to the floor. Hold for one minute. Repeat, balancing yourself on your left leg.

 

 

 

 

And that’s it!

 

For me I found that I could actually feel and see the difference after the first circuit, so that’s why I found this to be incredibly useful! I hope it helps you too!

Source: iVillage