There are fundamentals on health, beauty and wellness that we overlook. It’s time to review the basics of good health and true beauty, so here are  answers to often asked questions.

 

Help me regain the skin radiance I have lost. My complexion looks dull and tired in the morning.

 

When I think of tired complexion, my first thought is dehydration. Skin is 75 percent water.

 

You may think there is no link between skin and a water-deprived kidney. Well, you’re wrong. For one, you could be dehydrated, and second, you may not be getting enough sleep.

 

Also, how are you managing your stress? Do you find time for relaxation and recreation? If you are all work and no play, then chances are your stress levels are high.

 

Stress can cause all sorts of imbalance in the body and affect your hormones, immune system and the vital organ functions of the heart, liver, nervous system.

 

Rescue remedies:

 

1. Drink 10-15 glasses of water daily.

 

2. Sleep seven to eight hours nightly (if you work in a call center, find a way to get the minimum seven hours).

 

3. Before bedtime, take one evening primrose oil capsule and one cod liver oil capsule.

 

4. Increase vitamin C supplements to 2,000 mg daily.

 

5. Facial scrub: Combine 1 tbsp sugar (preferably muscovado, although coconut sugar is tolerable) and 1 tsp virgin coconut oil. Rub concoction on the face using circular strokes. Avoid the eye area.

 

6. Drink 1 tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil before breakfast.

 

My 50-year-old body is slowing down. And it is more evident at the gym when I go through my weekly routine. I tire easily and have difficulty losing weight. How can I be as strong as I used to be in my 30s?

 

There are many approaches to recapturing one’s youthful and energetic body. Can we actually be 30 again? Biologically, yes—meaning, you can restore your body’s health profile to that of your 30-year-old version.

 

Chronologically speaking, you cannot. You have earned the title of 50-year-old—older but wiser.

 

Accept the 50, but challenge yourself to reverse to 30. This is possible.

 

You need to realize that at the heart of any regimen is the body’s ability to assimilate nutrients from the food and beverages you consume.

 

At 50, your body produces less stomach acids. (Hydrochloric acid is a clear, colorless, highly pungent solution of hydrogen chloride in water that is highly corrosive and used for industrial purposes. It is found naturally in your stomach.)

 

To do:

 

1. Consume digestive enzyme capsules during every meal.

 

2. Take probiotic capsules like acidophilus with bifidus in order to maintain digestive health balance.

 

3. Eat healthy (50 percent vegetables, 30 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent protein).

 

4. Exercise daily—20 minutes cardiovascular exercises, 45 minutes weight training, alternating with a dance like Zumba and mind-body regimen like yoga every other day.

 

5. Increase supplementation of vitamins C and B complex as well as calcium, magnesium and zinc. Or take a multivitamin, multimineral supplement.

 

6. Sleep before 11 p.m. every day. Be a morning person from now on. Start the day early.

 

7. Avoid midnight snacking. Whatever you eat after 9 p.m. turns into fat the very next day.

 

8. Avoid any form of sugar intake after 6 p.m. if you intend to control your weight.

 

9. Consult your ob-gyn and endocrinologist who can prescribe bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

 

These are plant-based, natural, nonsynthetic hormones that can bring your hormone levels back to how they were in your 30s (if you wish) or simply restore hormonal balance in your body.

 

If your testosterone levels are down, both your body’s metabolism and heart are affected.

 

Dr. Chris Enriquez, a cardiologist and endocrinologist (Rapha Health Institute and Anti-aging Center, tel. 7573335), said that the lower the testosterone, the slower you lose weight and the faster you gain weight.

 

Meanwhile, unexplained pimple breakouts, emotional lows, mood swings, tempers and hot flushes could be addressed by maintaining hormonal balance of estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, progesterone.

 

My husband’s stomach is enlarging at an alarming rate. How can I help him?

 

Ask him first if he wants to take control of his life. If the answer is yes, then he will welcome your intervention.

 

1. Consult your doctor. Bring him for an executive checkup.

 

2. Enroll him in a gym. Consult a wellness coach to design his wellness regimen.

 

Let me share the story of Andres, a husband in his 60s who had the habit of eating a pack of chocolate bars before sleeping for the last 10 years. He never exercised and ate voraciously.

 

One day, after his executive checkup, the hospital ordered him to stay behind for further tests.

 

He was a walking time bomb and could be a victim of a heart attack anytime.

 

Scared out of his wits, he took his prescribed wellness regimen seriously. Today he is 50 lbs lighter and is a semi-vegetarian.

 

Today’s affirmation: “I can and I will.”

 

Love and  light!

 

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