I woke up and did what I do every morning: I drank a glass of water with a heaped teaspoon of magnesium.
It got me wondering where I would be without my daily dose of magnesium, which inspired this blog “Why Don’t You”, a short list of healthy habits that, although small, will boost the health of your skin, body and mind.
So if you’re not doing these healthy habits, then why don’t you?
Magnesium
Getting adequate of the mineral magnesium will change your life. You may not realise how much you need magnesium. But when you do, you’ll know. It was a benign but annoying/scary *irregular heartbeat. Naturally, I saw my local doctor to get it checked out. Everything seemed fine, but it persisted, and if you’ve ever had the feeling, you know it’s unsettling, to say the least.
Coincidentally, I resumed taking a powdered magnesium formulation, and it wasn’t long before I noticed my heartbeat regain its normal rhythm.
Of course, if you have an irregular heartbeat, you should always go first to see your doctor, as I did, to rule out any other more sinister reason for the irregularity.
Magnesium is involved in hundreds of cellular activities. It supports mood, sleep, and brain health, and you’ll have better heart and muscle contractions; the list is endless.
Unfortunately, most Western diets are deficient in magnesium, so while a healthy diet is always your first and best option, you may not get enough magnesium from your food. Once you hit mid-life, you’re probably not metabolising what you do get from your diet as you once did. And, if you’re a woman and peri-menopausal, you may be deficient.
In your diet, magnesium is abundant in spinach, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts and dark chocolate, oats and leafy greens.
Walking every day.
Get up from whatever you’re doing and go for a 30-minute walk. If you can fit in a longer walk, all the better. But make it a habit and do it every day. Of course, walking is great exercise, but what’s also important is that you’re moving, which means you’re detoxifying.
Your lymphatic system is responsible for moving toxins out of your body (yep, not the green juice, although you could drink one while walking). Anyway, back to your lymph, it runs alongside your circulatory system. However, unlike the blood in your body pumped around by your heart, your lymph moves toward your lymph nodes, where toxins are gathered and eliminated.
For all this to happen successfully and efficiently, your lymphatic system depends on bodily movement such as walking. So get moving; you don’t have to do much, but you do have to do it. Okay, you don’t have to, but it’s a pretty good idea, and you’ll feel better knowing your heart is pumping, your lymph is moving, and your mood has improved.
Topical vitamin A
Add vitamin A to your skincare routine because all skin needs vitamin A to be healthy. This doesn’t mean jumping on the next big thing in retinol. Ease your way into it with an ester, such as retinyl palmitate.
A daily dose of vitamin A is important because the environment constantly diminishes the vitamin A found in your skin, so topping up daily with a low-concentration ester such as retinyl palmitate will maintain the nutrition your skin needs to remain healthy.
I know you’ll hear otherwise, and sure, jumping in the deep end, sink or swim, can be a good idea in some aspects of life, just not when you first include vitamin A in your skincare routine. If you jump in too soon, you might develop a retinoid reaction.
So, start slowly and give your skin a little of what it needs daily. Think of it like eating an apple, having your first coffee, or going for that daily work; make it a habit and do it every day.
You can graduate to the big guns of retinol later when your skin can handle it, but you may find your skin doesn’t need anything stronger than an ester.
Environ Skincare does vitamin A brilliantly, which is why I love the brand so much.
Ageing honestly.
Get honest about ageing. This one, I know, it’s hard; we live in an ageist society; we’re all ageist. I’m 63, and I’m also an ageist. We’re hardwired to admire youth, and in the fight for inclusivity for all, I fear ageing will be the last hurdle to jump if we ever do. So, do the things that make you feel hopeful. That’s important, but while doing it, make the necessary mental adjustments and work towards a healthy perspective of the inevitability of ageing.
We all age differently, and focusing on ageing in a healthy, happy, and true way for you, rather than conforming to societal expectations, is something to aim for.
You may find ageing actively and honestly, on your terms, is the healthiest habit.
Skincare Minimalism.
Buy less skincare. Yep, buy less. Stick with me, and I’ll keep giving you advice, but know this: no matter which brand you’re switching over to in your quest for better skin, it’s probably another elaborate version of what you’re doing already.
I know you have specific needs. Write to me, and I’ll be only too happy to give advice, and then you can settle on something that makes you happy, save a ton of money, and you’ll be doing your bit for the environment by buying less.
Investing in RED LED Light is one way to buy less skincare; it’s great. If you visiting a skin clinic regularly is in your financial budget, then do that. Or, if you prefer the convenience of doing it at home, invest in a portable LED Mask.
It will re-energise your skin at a cellular level to perform better, and if you’ve got facial redness with regular use, it will minimise it significantly, and the soothing red LED light will make you feel calmer. Or is that just me? Put your LED Light Mask on before bed and see what happens.
Finally, take an active approach to your health and how you age by adopting healthy habits; for your skin, always start with great skincare. And, for what’s happening inside and out, be mindful of these Four Big Ass Agers: Smoking, Alcohol, Ultra Violet Radiation and Sugar.
Eliminate or at least moderate the big agers, and you might become a Super Ager.
Let me know if you’ve decided to adopt any of these healthy habits. If you’d like to stay in the loop and never miss an issue, click the button below.
Or, if you’re wondering whether you should DO something, BUY something or STOP doing something, drop me a line, and I’ll investigate or give you the advice I know to be true.
See you next time,
*Please remember I’m not a medical professional, and my advice is anecdotal. If you have any worrying health symptoms, always seek the advice of a medical professional.