Beauty is definitely not skin-deep. The health of every cell in your body (including your brain) contributes to your good looks – so if you’re serious about them, take a holistic approach. This simple five-step plan will see you with clearer skin, brighter eyes, and a smile on your face in weeks.
1. Eat the rainbow
A clean, lean diet really does get you glowing. Roughly speaking, the foods that are thought to make you put on weight (sugar, trans fats, processed foods, white flour) will also give you wrinkles and spots, while all the food we’re told is good for you (fruit and veg, oily fish, chicken, eggs, nuts, wholegrains) helps build collagen, hydrates skin and infuses it with cell-protecting antioxidants.
So the greater the variety of antioxidants you eat, the better. A simple way to do that? Eat fruit and veg in as many different colours as possible.
2. Shield your skin
Skin is adept at regenerating, but the daily onslaught from UV rays and free radicals (from pollution, stress and smoking) brings its repair function to a screeching halt as your cells go into defense mode.
The best thing you can do for your skin is to shield it from attack, with a minimum SPF of 15 and serums and creams packed with antioxidants such as vitamin C and E.
3. Get moving
Exercise flushes out toxins and gets your blood racing, delivering vitamins, minerals, oxygen and other essentials for radiant, strong, healthy skin. And it’s the perfect stress reliever.
One recent study found that just three hours of moderate activity a week for three months made older test subjects’ skin look over 20 years younger. Need we say more?
4. Take time out
With stress being proven as a skin saboteur, giving your mind a break is in itself a beauty treatment. Try to incorporate meditation or yoga into your life, or easier still, supercharge your soak.
The Body Shop Detox & Cleanse Bath Tea, £12, is infused with antioxidant-rich green tea from Japan’s Mount Fuji region for a body detox that unwinds the mind.
5. Optimise your sleep
Sleep is a precious skin saviour, so make the most of it. A warm milky drink before bed, lowering the thermostat to 16ºC and opening a window all help the body cool down gradually and induce sleep. And shut out the world: invest in blackout blinds and try BioEars, £4.59, silicone earplugs that mould to your ear to form a soundproof seal.
The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea range, available in-store at The Body Shop and from thebodyshop.co.uk, has green tea-infused bubbles, scrubs, bath infusions and more for a bath time ritual that’ll revive your skin, body, mind and soul. And breathe…
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