Health and Beauty Tips for a Happy 2013

Since a lot of my friends and followers of the blog have asked me for some health and beauty tips, The Spoiled Mummy tried her best to come up with a list compiling both based on her own experiences…

It’s the new year so what better way to start the year right than by trying a few, new things? Or perhaps some of these things in my list are things you already know (or have been doing or have tried doing before), and you just needed a little reminder from someone to do it again.

So let me be that someone to remind you that you have been given a new year and you are in your new beginning, and NOW is the BEST TIME to start anew!

Here are my top 10 Health and Beauty tips for a Happy 2013 :

1. Always start the day in silence. Whether that silence be in a form of prayer, meditation or some alone, quiet time, it is always good to start the day first and foremost by focusing on our God or our Higher Being. This is the time to just be silent and yet grateful and hopeful for what is ahead. Thinking positive as soon as you open your eyes will pave the way for a positive day ahead. This can take as little as 5 minutes of your time to a good 30 minutes or even to an hour…it really depends on how much time you have in your hands and how much you are willing to devote to this very first and important part of your day.

2. Have a good breakfast. Never skip breakfast is one rule I live by. Of course, we all know that a good breakfast should be nutritionally balanced. During this time of the day, I prefer my meal to be higher in protein than in carbohydrates and sugar. Carbs too early in the day just make me feel heavy, sluggish and affect my mood for the rest of the day. My favorite breakfast is usually a cup of low fat yogurt with some fruits like bananas, strawberries or mango and then topped with granola and a good cup of coffee on the side.

3. Get moving. Whether that means you exercise in the gym or in your own home or somewhere else, find a morning activity after breakfast (and before you go to work) that will get you moving! I find that exercise in the morning is more beneficial to the mind and body rather than in the late afternoon or evening, when you’re mentally and physically exhausted and all you want to do is just go home, eat, relax or be with the family. (Of course, if you add this part in your daily routine, this means you will have to wake up earlier than usual so it can fit your schedule before work.)

4. Wear sunscreen. Yes, this is another hard and fast rule I live by. Whether I am just at home blogging in my computer or I am going out for the day, I always make sure I wear my sunscreen. Sun damage is one thing we don’t really want on our skin, and I’m sure by now, we already know the harmful, damaging and aging effects of the sun! Who wants to look old anyway? 🙂

5. For the ladies – Wear light makeup. Again whether you are just a stay-at-home mom or a busy, career-oriented woman, a good light makeup is always good to have. It just makes any woman look more approachable and lovelier, if I may so. Your job or your office environment is not an excuse not to wear makeup. Here are some of the excuses I’ve heard :  “I am a teacher, the kids won’t notice if I’m wearing makeup or not”; “I don’t really see / meet a lot of people at work since Im just behind the computer, why will I bother putting on makeup?” ; “No one in our office really puts on makeup, why should I?” ; “I want my skin to look fresh, I will not pollute it with makeup!” Well ladies, know that a little makeup won’t hurt you! A good concealer to hide your eye bags or a mattifying powder to take away the shine on your face and a light blush to give you that healthy glow, plus some dab of lip balm to moisturize your lips will definitely work wonders on your face and on your aura as well! Admit it or not, a good makeup gives any woman that extra boost on self-esteem too! So know that if you are 18 and above, there’s no more excuse not to wear makeup!

6. Have a good skin care regimen. It’s true what they say : there are only 3 basic steps to good looking skin. Wash, tone and moisturize. If you can do these things easily (or are doing it already), then you’re on your way to a more beautiful you. Anything else, is just additional or bonus. In my case, I also make sure that I don’t sleep with my make up on. No matter how tired or late in the night it is already, I make sure to remove my makeup with a good cleanser, wash my face with a facial scrub, apply toner or astringent afterwards, then put on my night moisturizer (and if it’s day, I apply a moisturizer with sunscreen before my makeup). For the body, I make sure that after I take a shower, I slather myself with body oil and / or body lotion to lock in the moisture. And once a month, I go see my dermatologist for that thorough facial cleaning that only an expert (or another person) can do!

7. Live. Laugh. Love. Praise and compliment. Say please and thank you. No matter what goes on during the rest of the day – in and out of your home – these 6 things will surely keep you sane and looking beautiful all day! When you smile, you invite more people to come closer and be friendlier to you. When you laugh, you lighten your load and relieve your mind and body of stress. When you praise other people’s work or compliment another person from as simple as what they’re wearing to something bigger as what they’re doing, you shift your focus from your self to another person and this just makes you a joy to be with. When you say please and thank you, you remind people around you that these 2 often neglected words are actually crucial to living a happy life.

8. Learn to relax and let go. Now, this is one tip I still need a lot of help on! 🙂 I am the type to worry about the smallest of things and I sometimes find it hard to relax and just let it go.  I need to learn how to take it easy. Deep inside me, I know that I should…but my human nature just finds it hard to do so! I guess with this new year, this is the time to train myself that I don’t need to stress about everything — that I can actually relax and just let it go — and whether it turns out the way I want it to or not, I should believe that everything will still be alright.

9. Spend quality time with your children, husband, wife and friends. We are all created to be social beings, which means that we are made to spend most of our time with other people and not just with ourselves. (Who wants to be associated with a loner anyway?)  Try to spend most of your quality time with the people you love most (and not with your cranky boss), and then you will know that everything else seems secondary. Problems tend to fade away into the background, tough job scenarios become easier to handle and things in general just turn out to be lighter and better and then you realize, you are actually happier that way.

10. Last but not the least, end the day in silence. Just like the way you began your day (see tip no.1), this can take any form of prayer, meditation or quiet time. The only important thing is you know how to center yourself back to your God once again. No matter what happened during the day – good or bad – it’s always good to be grateful. Be thankful for the day that has passed, the day that is about to end and be positive and hopeful for the next day coming.

I hope somehow in some way, I was able to remind you of a few basic and useful things that we sometimes overlook for their simplicity or we forget through time. Maybe some of these may actually not hold true for all of you, but know that these are just tips that I have found practical for myself and I am sharing them with you in the hope that you may find them good and useful as well. Writing them down in this list actually reminded me too of some things I have forgotten as well.

Honestly, I can go on and on and probably have another 101 more random tips in my head…but I guess this will suffice for now. 🙂

Here’s wishing everyone a healthier, more beautiful and a happy 2013!