You’ve probably heard by now about the wonders that fermented ingredients can do for you, inside and out. Eating fermented foods is good for your gut environment and flora because they contain those pro-biotics you’ve also likely heard an earful about! Those good bacteria can improve digestion, reduce inflammation, boost immunity, and help manage a healthy weight.

Well, good news, fermented ingredients are also great for skin! The fermentation process concentrates nutrients and allows them to be more easily absorbed by the skin’s upper layers. Fermented herbs, fruits, and other plants can be found in cleansers, moisturizers, and masks to treat problems like dry skin and the effects of premature aging.

Check out some of the following wonder ingredients found in coveted skincare products.

Pitera™

Scientists of SK II, a maker of top quality, cult favourite skincare products, when touring a Japanese sake brewery discovered the soft, youthful appearance of the tochi masters’ hands that were constantly drenched in the fermentation process. Through this, they developed Pitera™, a nutrient-rich ingredient in their skincare products.

Find it in: You’ll want to try these high quality masks and skin care products in SK II’s celebrity-favourite line. The Facial Treatment Essence looks and feels like water and provides hydration and promotes cell renewal. It contains over 90% Pitera™ and is packed with vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and organic acids, for anti-aging, smoothing, brightening, and moisturizing effects.

Yerba Santa

The leaves of this herb are traditionally used in medicine. Yerba Santa is used to aid respiratory conditions, fever, dry mouth, muscle spasms, and to loosen phlegm. As a topical treatment, it can treat bruises, wounds, bites, and relieve joint pain. It is also fermented and used in skin products.

Find it in: Peter Thomas Roth Viz-1000. Along with several other natural ingredients like honey, algae, and olive oil extract, this moisturizing complex uses fermented Yerba Santa, which mimics glycoproteins to help skin retain moisture. The formula also has a super-concentrated hyaluronic acid complex to create an invisible veil of hydration, smooths fine lines, and it restores a youthful radiance.

Pear Juice

Fermentation increases the nutrient and antioxidant concentration and content of an ingredient. Like how wine has a higher antioxidant content than grapes, so too does fermented pear juice than a fresh pear. Fermented juices are therefore an excellent ingredient for skin care.

Find it in: Koh Gen Do Macro Vintage Royal Massage Milk. A serum-like massage cream that has wonderful anti-aging properties that quenches the skin. It absorbs quickly, and the pear juice nourishes the skin while boosting antioxidant protection power.

Honey

Honey is very nutritious to eat because it contains antioxidants, nutrients, and can help improve cholesterol levels. It can also do amazing things for the skin. (Thank-you, once again, for everything, bees!) One Korean beauty secret is using honey on the skin, leaving it hydrated, dewy, and plump. And fermented honey adds further nourishment to the skin, naturally.

Find it in: Origins Clear Improvement™ Charcoal Honey Mask. It gently purifies and detoxifies with the power of bamboo charcoal to deep clean and draw out impurities, and golden wildflower and fermented honey nourish all skin types.

After pregnancy, your life changes completely. You experience hormone fluctuations, changes in mood, your daily dynamic takes a sharp turn and you get no or very little sleep. Of course, all of these factors will contribute to how you look. You probably won’t be happy with it, but it doesn’t mean you will need a lot of time to go back to your old self. If you follow these 5 useful tips, you’ll manage to fight the consequences of a strenuous period you have been in and look as fresh and attractive as usual.

1. Help your hair

You have probably lost a lot of hair during pregnancy and it looks lifeless at the moment, but you can bring it back to life if you do the following:

– make sure you eat food rich with antioxidants, like apples, strawberries and prunes, which will strengthen the roots.

– use a gentle shampoo and a conditioner

– don’t tie your hair tightly, as it will make your hair fall off even more

– take vitamin supplements like Vitamin B and C to help your hair recover

– avoid chemical treatments like straightening or coloring your hair to prevent more hair loss.

– if you lose too much hair, have a short haircut, as it will look fuller.

2. Get rid of stretch marks

The best move is to prevent stretch marks the moment you find out you’re pregnant, by using moisturizer rich in olive oil on your breasts and belly. Massaging the breasts and belly while applying the oil will make sure they don’t appear. However, if they still appear, you can use a quality anti-stretch mark cream and start exercising and eating healthy to make your skin firmer. Of course, you first need to get the approval from your doctor that you can start with the exercises. It will probably be something of low or medium intensity, like yoga or brisk walking. Still, any type of exercise will help you get rid of or reduce the stretch marks faster.

3. Heal your skin

Your skin may be one of the most affected parts of your body. There are many skin problems that may appear after pregnancy. Acne is a common issue, so you need to cleanse your face twice a day. Make sure you use a mild cleanser, not an aggressive one. Also, use an oil-free moisturizer twice a day and have a soft peeling once a week. Always turn to natural ingredients like eucalyptus or Aloe Vera.

If your problem is pigmentation of the skin, there may be more than one solution, depending on how serious depigmentation is. The spots are likely to appear on your face. Some of them may disappear after a year, and some may only become lighter in time. To prevent new ones from appearing, use a sunscreen every day, even if you are in your home most of the time. Still, if you can’t simply wait and hope the spots will disappear over time while feeling low self-esteem, you can turn to professionals for help. As plastic surgeon Dr Ross Farhadieh states, even subtle procedures on your face can do wonders for your self-confidence.

4. Dark circles and swollen eyes

Dark circles are annoying because they make you look older but it’s hard to get rid of them because new mothers don’t get much sleep. The issue with water retention also makes your eyes look swollen. Still, there are ways to deal with these problems. Try to sleep when the baby sleeps even if it’s just for 20 minutes. While sleeping, make sure you have a thick pillow. Try to drink less fluid before going to bed, but drink at least 8 glasses of water throughout the day. When your eyes get swollen, use cucumber slices or potato to reduce the swelling. Use a concealer for dark circles and use a quality eye cream designed specifically for dark circles.

5. Pamper yourself with a spa day

As a new mother, you really deserve some time off. Get one day free and experience a full body massage and a spa treatment. You need to pamper yourself from time to time, as it will relax you both physically and mentally. You can find a couple of hours one day of the week to be completely alone and enjoy. This will definitely reflect on how you look.

All in all

Nobody says you should look awful just because you have given birth recently. You have every right to look amazing and to take care of yourself. If you are the best version of yourself, then it will reflect on how you take care of your baby.

Keeping fit is not just about physical fitness, but also about being happy in yourself. A healthy body, so they say, means a healthy mind, and that’s something that many people who enjoy a workout routine can testify to. Keeping fit doesn’t necessarily mean working out strenuously; you might simply want to stay healthy, and keep your body in trim.

There is, of course, more to it than simply getting into a workout routine at the gym (or perhaps in your home gym). We’re talking about a healthy diet, which goes hand in hand with the fitness routine. Eating well is a good part of every fitness regime, but what does ‘eating well’ really mean?

It’s a good question, but what we can say is that it doesn’t mean only eating food you don’t enjoy. There are many delicious and nutritious meals that you can employ within your diet to help you keep your weight and fitness at the right level, and it pays to as the right people for help.

Who Should I Hire?

This is a good question; we recommend that you hire both a fitness coach and diet coach, or one who can help you with both disciplines. The problem is – as with all such things – finding the right one, and it’s not always easy. This is because the person you choose will be integral to your health and fitness for the near future at least, so you need to ensure they are trustworthy and that they can provide the goods.

You should, in the first instance, ask around friends and family who have used such services, and see if they can recommend a fitness and diet coach who they have used with success. Or, you could check out some of the online services available – Medifast is a good example of weight control advice service that we have found – and see how they can help.

Once you have an idea of who you might want to help you with your fitness and diet routine, you should be able to work towards starting on your regime with their help, and building up towards the level of health and fitness you want to achieve.

What Is Involved?

What will be involved when using a fitness and diet coach? The benefit of using an experienced coach – or coaches – lies in the fact they know what they are doing. Each of us is different in terms of build and fitness, and we have different ideals in life. You may be a man who wants to work out to quite a high level, or you might be a woman who simply wants to keep in trim; the coach will be able to advise you as to the relevant exercise regime for you, and the appropriate diet that you should be indulging in.

You will find things difficult at first, but rest assured your coach will ensure that your fitness routine begins slowly and builds up to an intensity that is right for you. This is a further benefit of using a professional coach; they can help you do things at the right speed, as going too hard, to quickly can take its toll on you.

As for the diet side of things, an experienced dietician will be able to advise you as to what you can eat, and how much, but will also be able to ensure that the meals you have are not just nutritious, but also enjoyable.

The benefits to hiring a fitness and diet coach really cannot be overlooked, so why not check them out now and see how they can help you reach your ideal level of fitness?

 

So you’ve decided it’s time to create a tiny human. Good for you! You start doing all the necessary research on how to prep your body for conception – fertility diets, exercise regimes, supplements, detox etc. You’ve even research various assisted reproductive techniques (ART) just in case – IVF, egg donation, IVF with egg donation. Armed to the teeth with all these plans, research and knowledge you think you’ve upped your chances of getting that bun in the oven. But have you considered the following things that could affect your fertility? Read on to find out four surprising things that can affect your chances of getting pregnant.

Working Nights

A recent Harvard University study found that women who worked the night shift had more potential for infertility issues than women who worked non-antisocial hours. The study claimed that women who worked nights had a 28% reduction in eggs compared to those who work during the day. This may be due to the disruption of a woman’s circadian rhythm, which is the result of irregular work shift schedules.

Artificial Nighttime Light

We’ve all heard how the blue light from our phone or tablet screens can disrupt our sleep cycles because it suppresses our melatonin levels. However, did you also know that a study published in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility found that exposure to this artificial nighttime light can also harm your ability to conceive and the development of a fetus? Melatonin helps eggs block damaging free radicals while lowered melatonin levels can affect the internal clock of a developing fetus, which can lead to future long-term problems. It’s something to think about the next time you’re lying in bed with your nose glued to your phone’s screen.

Oral Health

Having a perfect, sparkly white smile has more than just aesthetic benefits. A study in the Journal of Peridontology found that women who sought fertility assisted treatments had higher levels of bleeding gums and inflammation in comparison with women who successfully conceived naturally. Other studies have also backed this hypothesis on women’s oral health being linked to their reproductive chances so if you’re looking to conceive, don’t forget to brush and floss twice a day!

Heavy Lifting

A Harvard University study found that women whose jobs frequently involved heavy lifting had increased chances of fertility issues. Harvard researchers implied that women whose job required heavy lifting produced 14% fewer eggs than women who did not and that the eggs that they did produce were of a lower quality. Researchers think the reason for this is because the lifting of heavy objects puts a strain on a female’s body and affects its ability to reproduce.

In conclusion, if you’re thinking about conceiving or are trying to conceive, you might want to factor in how your daily and common habits at home and at work can affect your fertility and adjust accordingly. Also, if you’re thinking of seeking fertility treatments abroad, why not Czech out IVF in Prague or egg donation in the Czech Republic? You can find more information on the Medical Travel Czech’s website.