RHEAL Sugar Tips

Did you know that the enemy of youthful looking skin stares back at you and your children from your sugar coated cereals, sodas and processed food? You might be surprised to learn that your body engages in a sugar coating of its own, through a process called glycation. Glycation occurs when the sugar molecules absorbed into your blood stream during the digestion coat protein molecules in your body. Glycation causes tough, wrinkled connective tissue. This is most visible on the skin as wrinkles. However, it occurs all through the body. Tough, inelastic connective tissue is very damaging to organs where flexibility is vital. This is especially important in the heart, kidneys, brain, eyes and pancreas.

The newly sweetened protein molecules have been given the name "Advanced Glycation End Products" which morphs very neatly into the anagram AGEs, and could not be better named. Why?

Some of the most important protein molecules in your body are those which make up your collagen and elastin. These two substances are found in the lower layers of your skin, and are what give your skin’s surface its firmness and resiliency. The more sugar you consume, the more AGEs your body will produce. By the time you reach thirty-five or so, your skin will begin to dull and early, advanced wrinkling will occur. Glycation will continue to accelerate skin aging as you continue to consume sugar in all of its forms.

You can slow the process by following these Rheal steps:

• Replace processed sugars in your diet with the natural ones found in vegetables and fruits; if you can’t live without refined sugar, limit your consumption to no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake.

• Supplement your diet with 1 mg each of Vitamins B1 and B6 every day. New York dermatologist, Dr. David Goldberg, cites a number of studies that indicate that these two vitamins are very effective in reducing the effects of glycation.

• Limit your exposure to sunlight;

• Use a moisturizer rated SPF 30;

• Wear a hat with a brim wide enough to shade your entire face and neck during peak sunlight season and hours;

• Use an antioxidant enriched cream that will feed your skin directly, such as Rheal Skin Care’s cream for normal to dry skin which is rich in jojoba and apricot kernel oil.

Healthy is beautiful and it turns out that eliminating or minimizing sugar to no more that 10% of your daily caloric intake is both healthy and beautiful.

Reflection & Action

October was Breast Care Awareness Month. People of all ages and products from paper plates to spatulas were sold in the pink of the campaign to raise funds and awareness. Some are blessed to be untouched by cancer. Even if one has escaped personal experience it is a word that resonates with everyone.

In my role as a spa professional people of all ages and experience seek services at Rheal Day Spa. Spa treatments can be very intimate. Treatment rooms are calming and serene to help ease stress and create a safe environment. Even relatively new clients find it a comfortable place to share their life stories in confidence. The first time a female client told me she was a cancer survivor it humbled me to treat and serve someone who had been through so much.

In subsequent years I’ve met people in various stages of the battle with cancer. And then a month ago a client told me she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and was scheduled for a double mastectomy within two weeks. In the same time frame another friend’s husband a seemingly healthy, humorous and vital man has been diagnosed with stage three esophageal cancer. Both pieces of news felt like a kick from a mule. A swirl of feelings arise when cancer becomes personal. A slurry of hope and dread mixes to create unease and a sense of impotency.

But we don’t have to be impotent. We can contribute to cancer research, participate in annual cancer walks to raise awareness and be creative in our communities to create our own drives to support services for cancer patients and survivors. We can also be sure that we and our families have a better chance to avoid cancer by living healthy, thoughtful lives.

You know what to do; you’ve heard it a thousand times. Eat more greens, exercise, even if it is only ten minutes a day; don’t smoke, if you drink, do so in moderation and most importantly educate your self about the optimum time frames for physicals. Early detection is your best weapon to fight a cancer diagnoses. Though we have yet to find a cure we have improved treatments and survival rates have risen significantly. This is a war please join the battle.

CELLULITE: You can do something about it!

Regardless of your age or weight do you remember the first time you took a backward glance in a mirror and saw a dimple or heaven forbid dimples on the back of your arm or thigh or sprinkled across your bottom? The first day cellulite becomes a personal issue is memorable. Up to 90% of women and a small population of men have had this experience. Some shrug and try to forget about it and some try to attack it with vigorous spot exercise.

The term was first used in France in the 1920s and began appearing in English language publications in the late 1960s, the earliest reference in Vogue magazine, "Like a swift migrating fish the word cellulite has suddenly crossed the Atlantic."

Hormones play a dominant role in the formation of cellulite. Estrogen may be the most important hormone to initiate and aggravate cellulite. Other possible culprits are insulin, catecholamines, adrenaline, thyroid hormones and prolactin. All are believed to accelerated cellulite.

An Ally McBeel episode shows an exchange between Ally and her current lover about a nude portrait he has done of her. At first glance she is thrilled and flattered by his effort. Cue music. She notices that he has enhanced her posterior with texture. Her facial expression goes from delight to horror as she says, “Is that cellulite?” He naively replies, “Yes, it adds character.” While character is an excellent thing to strive for the presence of cellulite is not the step to achieve it.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a dimple-free butt and thighs? As we pass puberty our bodies tend to develop cellulite. Cellulite is fat that gets trapped between fibers that connect your muscles to your skin. The fibers are like stitching on a down quilt - cellulite puffs out between them; the more fat you have between fibers, the more visible your cellulite becomes. Cellulite stores in the hips, thighs, and butt in preparation for childbearing and it causes fat cells to stick together to create the dimply effect of cellulite.

Because you have cellulite it doesn't mean that you're fat. Regardless of your weight the presence of cellulite is an indication of toxicity. You can minimize toxicity with some simple lifestyle changes:

•Drink lots of water with lemon juice throughout the day to prevent water retention and flush the liver - a culprit in cellulite formation.
•Minimize intake of fried and processed foods; pass on the Big Macs. Processed foods interfere with digestion, blood circulation and lymph drainage. Sluggish circulation and drainage prevent sufficient waste and toxin elimination. Lymph builds up and makes cellulite appear worse.
•Eat greens; fill up on cellulite busting vegetables: asparagus, a great diuretic, celery, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, parsley, green peppers, and root veggies like turnips and parsnips. These foods nourish the liver and have a detoxifying effect on the body.
•Eat apples; an apple a day can keep cellulite away. The pectin found in apples (and carrots) is an important phytochemical that strengthens the immune and detoxification systems of the body.
•Exercise; it helps by increasing lymph flow. In addition, weight lifting builds more muscle, making the skin overlying your hips and thighs more taut. The tighter your skin, the less obvious the cellulite is.
• See you Spa Professional; your spa professional has massage treatments to minimize the appearance of cellulite and to further your commitment to a healthier lifestyle. Stay current with your spa’s news and stay current with the many ways they can improve your health and appearance.