routine Archives - Womens Post

Health & Fitness November 16, 2017

5 things you can do to keep your skin healthy

The secret to healthy and youthful skin can seem like a mystery . There are countless beauty products and companies that claim to know the secret. While our skin can benefit from extra hydration, moisture, and certain mineral boosts that beauty products offer, there are a few things you can do as a base that will help you achieve your best natural glow. Follow these five tips for healthy and beautiful skin, no matter your age.

Let your skin breathe.

Starting this off simple, you should know your skin is an organ. In fact, it it the largest organ of the human body. It protects us from microbes, it regulates internal temperature, and permits various sensations. When you get in the habit of wearing heavy makeup daily, you are suffocating your face! Essentially, the key is to let your skin breathe. By all means wear your make-up ( especially if you are a makeup addict like me ), but keep it minimal and save the extra glow highlighter for special occasions.

Sunscreen is your friend

UV rays and sun damage are your enemies! While it feels good to have the warm sunshine caress our faces, it is also essential to have some sort of barrier or protection. Having a good moisturizer, or even a bb cream with included SPF can do wonders. Try looking for a moisturizer with a broad spectrum SPF of 30 or higher.

Go get that facial !

We all know a little bit of self-care and love goes a long way. With our day to day lives, we can experience lack of sleep, stress, imbalanced hormones, and pollution. All of these thing (and more) have a negative impact on our skin. It is recommended that you get a deep cleansing/moisturizing facial done by a professional about once a month. While our budgets may not allow this luxury, you can also take matters into your own hands by doing an exfoliating treatment at least once a week, or trying out a ready to use sheet-mask to target your problem areas. Remember to keep your skin type in mind so you don’t harm yourself.

Develop a proper cleansing routine

Repeat after me: cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer…

At the end of a long day, the best thing you can do is wash off your makeup and baby your skin. Once you get into this habit, it will become a routine for you, It is essential you find products that are wholesome and alcohol-free to take care of your face.

Hydrate Hydrate

Water is my best-friend ( not actually ). I always have a large bottle of water by my side to ensure that I am hydrated during the day. Water is the ultimate hydrator to your skin and can instantly make your skin looked refreshed, starting from the inside out. Our bodies are already about 55 per cent water, so when we re-hydrate what we lose, we are maintaining the balance. Water flushes the toxins out of your body and can also be used to help symptoms of acne.

Are you thirsty for better skin ? Comment below and let us know what your skincare routine is like!

Health & Fitness August 6, 2016

How to get out of that fitness slump

Two months ago, I participated in the Color Run – my first real 5k race. I wrote about the experience on Women’s Post and included some tips for first time runners.

What I didn’t talk about was how to keep yourself motivated once that initial race was over.

I originally signed up for the Color Run because I needed a change. My life was at a bit of a standstill and I needed to do something that would encourage a more positive outlook on

So without much planning and preparation, I signed up for the Color Run — and it proved to be exactly what I needed. I was running four times a week, eating better than usual, and I was much happier at work and at home. It was a struggle, but my friends and family supported me through it. On race day, I was incredibly excited and proud of my progress.

And then I took a week off to celebrate. And then another week to deal with medical issues. And then another week … well just because I didn’t want to get up at 5:30 a.m. to run. After about month of delays, I went from being able to run 15-20 minutes to being able to kind of jog/walk 10 minutes.

This is what inevitably happens during any health-related journey. You start off with the best intentions. You plan all your meals and you get up early to work out. You go on the Internet and print out as many inspirational memes as you can find. You do more activities with your friends instead of just heading to the pub for a drink.

But after a while, it becomes harder. You start to crave chocolate and a good sleep-in. You give yourself a weekend to celebrate your friend’s birthday and because you’ve been so diligent, you don’t bother thinking about the week ahead. Then, you become busy and tired, decide to order pizza three days in a row and end up eating a bag of marshmallows because you had a rough meeting at work and you deserve it.

Next thing you know, two months have gone by and your bad habits are back.

Or, is that just me?

So, what do you do? Do you try a new diet or a new fad? Do you give up entirely? I’m here to say: don’t do it!

Instead, take a weekend to re-evaluate your lifestyle. Take a look through some cookbooks and find some new recipes to try. Make a spreadsheet on your computer to help plan meals and then go grocery shopping. Don’t go overboard — just get what you need for the week. Then, add at least three workouts to that schedule. Reach out to your old support network and let them know that you will be back to your old routine.

On Monday, get up early for that run. That will be your new start. It’s okay if you aren’t as fast or as strong as you were a couple of months ago. Remember, there was a reason why you were so successful, and you can absolutely do it again. Take your time and start a new challenge. Then, you can work your way back up to where you are and surpass it! Also, don’t forget that it’s okay to allow yourself to eat a piece of chocolate cake — it’s all about balance, okay?

At the end of the day, it’s about making sure that you are feeling good about yourself. Everyone deserves to be happy and confident. In this day and age, where both work life and home life can get a bit hectic and stressful, it’s important to take time for yourself. For me, that means getting back in the game and going on morning runs. Who knows, maybe I’ll also get into yoga! What I do know for sure is that I’m not going to let this slump get me down. Are you?

What are you going to do to get out of that slump? Let us know in the comments below!

Fashion July 6, 2016

Morning makeup routine for moms on the go

Between errands and the kids, life can get a bit hectic— but your makeup routine shouldn’t have to be. Whether you’re stuck with morning eye circles or a pale complexion, you can learn a simple beauty-boosting routine which takes less than 10 minutes. So, even if time isn’t on your side, you can still feel fresh-faced and confident before heading out the door. Want to know the secret? Here’s a quick and easy morning makeup routine for moms on the go.

Fake Awake

First thing in the morning, we’re often groggy and grumpy—boo! In order to melt away the morning blues, there are great ways to perk up your complexion and get the juices flowing. If you’re a mom on a budget, you can try some DIY methods to boost the colour in your cheeks. First, you can apply caffeinated tea bags to the under eye area, which stimulates blood flow to brighten dark circles. Wakey, wakey!

Another fantastic trick is to mix cinnamon and honey together and apply it to dark circles. The cinnamon contains powerful antioxidants, which promote healthy skin and fight against wrinkles. The honey acts as a natural moisturizer. When combined, these ingredients form the ultimate perk-up potion. You’re welcome.

Face Primer Before Foundation

These days, applying makeup without a primer is like leaving your house without a bra. Without it, you just don’t have the same boom-factor. Currently, primers stand as one of the hottest beauty must-haves in the industry, so of course, there are dozens of different versions available on the market. When choosing the best ones, it’s best to look for two factors: wrinkle-smoothing and softening. This means you’re looking for a product that will reduce the appearance of lines, while also prepping your skin for a smooth makeup application.

You can create a sensational DIY primer by blending a tiny drop of Rosehip oil into water and massaging the mixture onto your face. The effects are lovely, working to soften fine lines and hydrate your skin. Once you’ve applied your primer, you can layer on makeup more seamlessly.

BB Cream over Powder

Powder is quickly becoming an age-old artifact — something to forget along with other fazed-out trends like jelly sandals and poodle perms. Goodbye to you all and thank goodness. Right now, it’s all about dewy, healthy-looking makeup. Since powder is quite drying and cakey, it lacks that flawless finish that can be found with today’s leading beauty balms. What is beauty balm, you ask? Known as BB cream, it acts as a high-coverage moisturizer that also smooths out fine lines and hydrates the skin. Most mainstream cosmetic companies are replacing their powders with BB creams, catering to the huge demand for this effortless light-weight coverage. It’s an absolute godsend because it provides that beautiful high-maintenance look without all the fuss and time—perfect for busy yummy mummies.

Finish with Blush and Mascara

The last steps are relatively quick and simple. Once you’ve applied your bb cream, you can dust on some blush to the apples of your cheeks to pump-up your complexion. Blush is important because it’s often the difference between looking like a pale zombie and a living, breathing human. So, don’t underestimate the life-infusing powers of blush— it’s CPR for your complexion.

Finally, add a couple coats of mascara to your lashes to open up your eyes. Ideally, you’ll want to use a mascara that specializes in creating a lengthening effect. Not only will your eyes look brighter and more attractive, you’ll actually look younger as well.

With this quick and easy morning makeup routine, every mom can easily get her groove on and hustle out the door. Ultimately, we all deserve to feel happy and healthy-looking — so use this regimen to get that extra boost of confidence to take you through the day!