How Your Sleep Habits Are Causing Wrinkles

When people talk about needing their "beauty sleep," it connotes the idea that getting plenty of shut-eye each night helps to ward off or eliminate wrinkles before they happen. But what do you do when your resting hours start sabotaging your skin? There are a few bad bedtime habits that can actually increase the amount of wrinkles and fine lines you find on your face. What are these bad habits, and what can you do to avoid them so you can wake up fresh-faced each and every morning?

Bad Habit #1: Not washing your face before bed. 
It doesn't seem like such a big deal - you'll just wash up in the morning! But during the daytime, your skin accumulates dirt, bacteria and free radicals. Cleansing your skin and removing your makeup removes these particles as well, so you don't have to worry about them settling into your skin. Plus, if you're not washing your face, then you're definitely not applying a wrinkle reducing cream or any other natural anti aging products before bed, so your skin is at a double disadvantage. Natural anti aging creams help your skin to stay hydrated so it can better protect itself against free radicals.

Bad Habit #2: Sleeping on your stomach. 
If you have a cotton pillowcase, you know the fabric is prone to getting wrinkled. Well, when you sleep with your cheek pressed against those creases, you may find you wake up with the imprint of the crease across your face! While the imprint fades after a few minutes, regularly sleeping face-down increases the chances of wrinkles becoming permanent. Sleeping on your side or back - where you can keep your face tilted skyward - is a better bet for your skin, but if you can't sleep in any position except on your belly, try getting pillowcases in softer fabrics. Either a higher thread-count or a silkier material such as satin, sateen or tencel will do the trick. Continue to apply an anti aging cream for women before bed to protect your skin, regardless of your sleeping position.

Bad Habit #3: Not getting the proper amount of sleep. 
They say that you need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, but some people need more than that, and some need less. If you're not getting the proper amount, your skin will look tired, and you may find yourself rubbing your eyes more often. This can cause crow's feet, and a tired face can cause your brow to furrow. Getting the proper amount of sleep - and utilizing a wrinkle reducing cream before bed - can help eliminate wrinkles and reduce the chances of you developing wrinkles in the future.

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Drive Your Own Bus Or Someone Else Will

In the world of business, the most effective bosses are those who know and understand the difference between being 'in-charge' and being 'in-control'. While the Celebrity-CEOs seem to get most of the attention, the goodies are those bosses that remain in charge and give control to others. The boss is the boss and is prepared to accept ultimate responsibility for what happens on her watch. And, by giving control to others, she empowers them to act-always in the best interests of the organisation, of course.

As you would expect, this practice of being in charge and giving control can be applied to a wide variety of areas other than business. Take, for example, personal health care. A fellow I know (let's call him Bill) has been in hospital for some time. Bill has opted to let others be in charge and in control. In so doing, he has abrogated all responsibility for his well-being to others. Bill expects that someone else will fix him up and make him well again. Bill has also given the health-care providers control over every aspect of his care. They tell him what drugs he takes, the quantity, how often, and so on. And, because he is not in charge, he just goes along with what someone else has decided for him. It will come as no surprise to learn that, as long as he continues this practice, his chances of complete recovery are zit. We must always remain in charge.

There's an American saying that urges us to 'Drive your own bus'. The phrase is meant to emphasize the importance of staying in the driver's seat (remaining in charge, if your like) of our own lives. If we don't, or choose not to, there are plenty of others eager to do it for us. Many people are reluctant to drive their own bus. Perhaps this reluctance helps to explain why the number of leaders are so 'thin on the ground', and why many people are reluctant to take-on leadership positions. Those same people would prefer to just do as they're asked or instructed.

So, what are the implications for ageing? The key message is the importance of staying in charge-in the driver's seat. It's your life. There are lots of others who are only too eager to jump into the driver's seat, if you allow or invite them to. You can give control to others-the media to keep you informed, the police to protect you, the club to entertain you, and so on. Ultimately, however, you remain in charge and give control to those you choose. It's that easy. And, if you choose not to be in charge, don't be surprised if someone is quick to do that for you.

The importance of staying in charge and giving control to others can not be over-emphasized. Here's a challenge for you. See if you can identify incidences of this behaviour; relating to remaining in charge and giving control. Here's one that I observed recently. The observed behaviour was in an episode (a repeat of a repeat of a repeat) of Seinfeld. In the episode, the main characters volunteered to spend time with seniors-provide companionship, take them for a coffee, and so on. One of the characters, the glass-half-empty George Costanza, was sacked by the person allocated to him. The fellow claimed that life was too short to waste it with a loser like George. Despite being prepared to give control to others, the organisation arranging contact and support etc., the person concerned remained in charge-ultimately the decision remained his about who (or what) he was prepared to be exposed to. After you've identified this behaviour in others...

The challenge is yours: it's your life. Remain in the driver's seat. In the words of Somerset Maughan, 'It's a funny thing about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you'll very often get it'.

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5 Keys to Ageless Living

Recently I watched a video of 91-year-old Sy Perlis of Surprise, Arizona set a world record bench press for his age group. The previous record of 135 pounds was set in 2005. Sy grabbed hold of the bar and with spotters around, people cheering, as well as his trainer; he pressed 187.2 pounds into the record books. That smashed the previous record by over 50 pounds! Perlis stated, "I got a lot of satisfaction out of it, and it made me feel good, and it was good for me." He started training at 60 years old and started competing at 86.

After seeing what Sy Perlis is able to do and how youthful he is, it disheartens me when I start hearing much younger people complain of how old they are. They say they can't do this or that anymore. Many times that mindset starts in a person's late 20s. Even among my friends I hear things like, I'm now 30 and getting old. I'm thinking to myself, "30 is old?" Back when I was younger, the motto was "don't trust anyone over 30." We thought that 30 was old back then. Today, I see many of my fellow Baby Boomers acting and feeling old. They seemed to have succumbed to it. That doesn't have to be you.

Today, I am challenging everyone to take a page from Sy Perlis and start living an ageless life. Live one of youthfulness. Here are five keys that will help get onto that path:

1. Focus on living a life of purpose. Ask yourself, "What is my reason for being?" "What is it that I can focus on that gives me purpose?" Henry David Thoreau once said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." I would add women to that mix too. The majority of people will go through life with no purpose to it. Don't you be one and if you are, change. Have passion your whole life for life.
2. Stop the negative stereotypes of aging and start acting more youthful. That includes getting into exercising more. In a January 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that walking speed is an accurate predictor in how long a person is going to live as well as the quality of life. I would add that stride length is a part of that too. In my case, and as a Baby Boomer, I also engage in Parkour/Free Running, Natural Movement and the martial arts as a part of my overall fitness training. Heck, playing like a kid is okay too.
3. Challenge yourself mentally. Learning something new is important for optimal aging and youthfulness. Going back to school, offline and online, will go a long way to keeping your brain healthy.
4. Eliminate emotional/mental stress from your life. Realize that a certain amount of stress will be there. You can do things that help to eliminate it. Mindfulness meditation, tai chi, and other mind-body practices are great at reducing distress. Learn to stay more in the present.
5. Know that change is part of living and life. Don't get hooked in wanting to live in the past. Growth only occurs when you accept change. A part of that change can even be with the people in your life. Dick Van Dyke once said that he doesn't like hanging around people his own age because they act old. By associating with younger people in both mind and body, you'll go a long way to creating and maintaining youth. By the way, feeling youthful is not the same as acting like an adolescent.

You can live a fully functional and optimal life at any age. It starts with your attitude. If you really want to, then you will. Believe it and do it. And keep doing it until you can't anymore.

Learning and growing in all aspects of living an optimal life is important. Finding the right experts is important for you to get to where you want to get to in life. Whether it's in health, confidence, a purposeful life or more... Build up your own ability in life from the kind of learning that will help you in different areas... They can be in work, personal, relationships, leadership, fitness, nutrition, health or any area that will get you to a life of happiness and purpose.

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How To Reduce Wrinkles Around The Mouth And Wrinkles Around Your Eyes?

Whenever you meet someone, your face is the very first thing they see. In fact, most people pay no attention at all to other areas of your body when they first meet you. As such, it is not really surprising that most people are so concerned about their facial appearance.

Acne sufferers have a never ending battle because once they manage to get rid of one unsightly pimple, the next one appears. Fortunately for them, acne can be totally eliminated by a few basic lifestyle changes. If a healthy diet is adopted, and chemical based skin care products are avoided, most people can rid themselves of acne.

The bad news for us older folk is that lines and wrinkles are far more difficult to get rid of. This is especially true when it comes to wrinkles around the mouth or eyes. Most of the products which can supposedly reduce fine lines and wrinkles end up failing miserably when you actually put them to the test.

All those celebrities you see who have such perfect complexions do not look that way because of one or other big name anti wrinkle cream. Their perfect complexions are a result of highly skilled makeup artists or highly skilled cosmetic surgeons.

Most brand name wrinkle creams contain an alarming number of chemicals, many of which have been linked to serious health risks. Several of them can certainly reduce wrinkles around the mouth and eyes, but the results are always short lived. Once the effects of the chemicals wear off, the lines and wrinkles return.

If you don't favor cosmetic procedures like laser treatments, and would rather rely on creams or lotions, then you definitely want to find and use products that contain only 100% natural ingredients. Below is a very short list of some ingredients which have been shown to be effective at reducing fine lines and wrinkles:

* Natural Vitamin E - Scientifically recognized as a powerful antioxidant, and studies have shown it can help to prevent age spots and can also help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

* Nano-Lipobelle H EQ10 - This is a modified version of the much spoken about EQ10. With this newer "nano-emulsion" formula, the active ingredients are able to penetrate the skin a lot deeper than before, and in so doing, they are able to help stimulate natural collagen and elastin production.

* Avocado Oil - Avocado oil has been scientifically proven to stimulate collagen production, and what makes it a good choice is its excellent compatibility with oils that occur naturally in human skin.

* Grape Seed Oil - This is another natural ingredient which has shown extremely promising results in terms of reducing facial lines, and particularly those which are present on thin delicate skin, such as the skin around a person's eyes.

* Shea Butter - The benefits of Shea Butter are well documented, and it is considered by many to be the world's greatest natural skin moisturizer. It is readily absorbed by the skin, and as a result, you are not left with a greasy or oily film on your skin after applying it.

As is to be expected, there are many other natural ingredients which can help you to keep you skin looking vibrant and youthful. Everyone has their own personal favorites, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The most important thing of all is that you keep chemical based creams away from your skin.

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