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Are you looking for that perfect skin? Want more summer sun, but at the same time, you don’t want to face the consequences of accelerated damage to your skin? There are many remedies for natural skin that you can do that the majority of people just plain ignore.   While many of these may actually be common sense, if you actually do them, in just a short time you will start to see the benefits (likely in just 2-3 weeks).

Apply more Sunscreen – while this may seem like a no brainer but I do have a few friends in the dermatology field that say, “its the best way to protect your skin that almost all people avoid doing on a regular basis! Most people only use sunscreen when they go to the beach but rather, it should be a frequent occurrence in order to protect their skin.” Protecting yourself from ultraviolet rays, you will decrease the damage to your skin. Ultraviolet radiation is a type of radiation that comes from the sun. Ultraviolet A and B rays are the two types that can cause sever skin damage (especially UB-A). It damages skin cells by increasing the damage to your collagen. Collagen is the main and most abundant protein within your skin and connective tissues. Additionally, enough radiation can and will burn your skin (redness), cause cell death, and can lead to DNA changes and even cancer.

Eat more Foods – collagen production pretty much cannot happen without adequate vitamin C. Other complications like Scurvy can also occur without Vitamin C as well.   You should each foods like broccoli , spinach, kale, grapefruit, lemons, tomatoes, kiwi, etc. Additionally, in order to have strong collagen and skin, you want to incorporate bone broth soups but make sure it’s the real thing!

Drink More water – A day at the beach isn’t complete without a beer and a burger right? Well, with all that sun exposure, activity and a drink that literally dehydrates you, it is easy to fall victim to this situation and is a recipe for disaster. This is a deadly combination and your skin will suffer. Water, is the best for your skin. Each cell craves water and it is vital for life!

Supplement with – Collagen supplements. Looking to really have vibrant skin again? Having high quality collagen products and quality proteins such as proline and glycine can really help rejuvenate the skin and bring it back to life. As we age our collagen production decreases and becomes less elastic. Having a good backbone to provide structural support is pivotal in skin care. Skin has approximately a 45 day lifecycle so supplementation for 2 cycles or a total of 3 months will show major differences in your skin. http//www.jusuru.com/drjosh/default

I am a huge fan of smoothies and sometimes they are just too good to keep to themselves.  Here is a healthy and refreshing smoothie.  You may be asking, “What the heck is an avocado doing in a smoothie?”  Trust me, you won’t regret it.  Check out this article here about making better and healthier smoothies.

Super Green Smoothie: 

• Needs Water or other substitute
• If you’d like it a bit sweeter, add raw honey, or more fruit

1 Cup Kale

1 Granny Smith Apple

1/2 Cucumber

1 Stick Celery

1/2 Cup Spinach

1/4 Cup Parsley

1/4 Cup Mint

3-4 Ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with 2 1/4 cups of water into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Enjoy! If you are interested in more smoothies or food recipes, I have plenty so just leave a comment on what interests you!

We all love smoothies and if you don’t well then you’re just weird. Smoothies are a great way to add a whole bunch of raw food together and a great way to accumulate large quantities of nutrients in a single setting. They are great on the go for breakfast, a quick filler, post workout drink, meal replacement or even just to keep you cool in the hot sun.

So how can you make your smoothie better and healthier at the same time? What are you leaving out? You probably didn’t guess it but the missing link is AVOCADO. Yes you heard right, add ¼ to ½ of a raw avocado to your smoothie. This will not only increase the fiber content but also give you a dose of healthy fats (something you usually don’t get in smoothies), provide you with tons of nutrients and best of all, it will make your smoothie a “smooth” and creamy.

A full avocado contains approximately 250 calories, 760 g of potassium, 3 g of protein, 13 g carbohydrates, and 15 g of amazingly healthy monounsaturated fats. No wonder avocado is a superfood. Check this link below for more information about avocado nutrient facts. http://www.avocadocentral.com/nutrition/avocado-nutrition-health-facts-label

I would normally provide a recipe but I throw avocado in every smoothie I make so the possibilities are endless! Go ahead and give it a blend.

If you are like most out there, you are likely in search of high quality food at a reasonable price. The food industry has recently flooded the market with marketing tactics that you likely come across everyday, however, are these just marketing strategies, and is the food being marketed to you actually healthy or just a clever cover up? One of the hottest buzzwords within the health nutrition and food industry is “natural” or “all natural”, but what does that even mean?

USDA Definition
The USDA defines a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed. Minimal processing means that the product was processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product. The label must include a statement explaining the meaning of the term natural (such as “no artificial ingredients; minimally processed”).

FDA Definition
The FDA states this, “From a food science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is ‘natural’ because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth. That said, FDA has not developed a definition for use of the term natural or its derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.” Don’t believe this definition? Check it out here!

Two different government organizations having two different definitions. That being said, can you trust what you are being sold? First of all, most “natural” foods governed by the USDA are in reference to meat, poultry, eggs, etc. The largest problem to “natural” foods is that they give no information about how the animal was raised, fed or even treated. Since the quality of the meat highly depends on the diet, mobility, drugs, hormones and steroids of the animal, you may actually be eating food that is no better than you expected.

In this article, it is evident that the marketing tactics for “natural foods” is scheme and that it just another witty sales tactic. Don’t want to read the article? Just know that $40 Billion dollars of sales went to foods that were marketed as “all natural.”

Bottom line: All natural is a term given for marketing and no longer, if ever has any value for high quality food. Look for other labels that ensure better quality food! If there is one benefit from this label, for what its worth, at least some of your food doesn’t have artificial ingredients and color enhancements after it was slaughtered.

Have more questions? Need more answers on food labeling? Let us know and we will be sure to give you more information!

Here is a tutorial on how to stretch your neck properly.

Check out this demo on how to get a stronger chest using semi-advanced push-up variations.

Here we touch on the components of fitness and what you may be missing.  Here I discuss the most often overlooked component. Take a look at the video below!