proper facial cleansing

Here's an article on the right and wrong ways to wash your face.  See if you're guilty of any of the wrong ways!  I confess that I rarely wash my face at night.  I often sleep in makeup.  Oops!  Guess I need to "clean up my act."  Truthfully, I know I need to remove makeup before bed, even if I don't do a full-on wash.  Do you have any bad skin care habits?

foods for healthy hair

Nutritious foods not only improve our health and our skin, they are also good for our hair.  Joy Bauer gives a list of top-notch foods for optimum hair health.  Check it out here.

another health benefit of exercise

Of course we all know that adequate exercise is very important for our health and well-being.  It has been proven to lower the risk of many diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's.  However, I recently learned of an advantage to exercise of which I was not previously aware. 

Someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer probably doesn't feel much like busting a move or breaking a sweat.  Once treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation have begun, that is probably even more true.  However, exercise boosts mental and emotional health, combats fatigue and nausea, maintains appetite, and even reduces the risk of dying or of the cancer recurring.  This last tidbit really intrigued me.  Apparently just two and a half hours of exercise per week helped breast cancer patients cut their risk of dying or of the disease recurring by 40 percent.  For colon cancer patients, that number jumps up to 50 percent.  For prostate cancer patients, it's still a respectable 30 percent. 

I think I had an image in my head of cancer patients being weak and ailing.  However, my research disproved that.  Obviously safety precautions should be taken, but most are more than capable of the 150 minutes of exercise per week to take charge of their own health.  With statistics like those quoted above, it is well worth it. 

Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Now is the time to start exercising and improving one's health.  However, if disease does strike, continue those healthy habits to improve the odds of overcoming the disease. 

staying hydrated

We all know that we need to drink water.  We know that adequate hydration keeps us looking and feel our best.  For me, it is easy to drink plenty of water during the warmer summer months--it's hot, and I'm thirsty!  Right now, however, the weather is cold and drinking a cold (or even cool) beverage isn't really appealing.  I lean more toward hot coffee or tea.  Certainly there is nothing wrong with either of these drinks; both a full of antioxidants.  Green tea even made Lisa Drayer's list of beauty foods.  However, with winter's dry air, we still need some water.  I never drank enough water during the cold months until this year.  A ridiculously easy, why-didn't-I-think-of-that tip from a friend came to my rescue.  I now several cups of plain hot water each day.  I laughed off the suggestion when she first made it, but it's surprisingly tasty.  You could add lemon or lime if you desire (I like those flavors in my cold water), but I prefer the hot water plain.  This winter I can proudly say that I am consuming enough water (although I still drink hot coffee and tea!). 

styles for medium-length hair

Many people love long hair.  I happen to think long hair is beautiful...on other people.  On myself, I definitely prefer shorter styles.  Right now, though. my hair is more medium-length, and I found this article useful.  Check out some of the styles and see which one is your favorite!

beauty shortcuts

Running low on time?  This article from Fitness magazine gives some time-saving shortcuts on everything from skin care, makeup, and hair styling.  Check it out and see if you can pick up a few good tips. 

homemade body wash

Now this post is interesting.  Due to my highly sensitive skin, I have a hard time finding body washes that I can use without irritation.  Awhile back, I did buy a bar of Kirk's Castile soap.  It is very gentle and caused me no problems at all.  However, I confess that I just prefer liquid body wash to a bar of soap.  It lathers up better on my shower pouf, I guess.  So seeing this post on how to turn the bar of Kirk's Castile soap into liquid body wash is definitely intriguing to me.  I'll let you know if I try it.  For now, here's the link if you want to try it!