Daily Lifestyle Tips To Reduce Wrinkles

As we get older, our appearance is just one of the many things that we have to worry about declining. Fine lines and wrinkles are part of the first signs of aging skin. Anti-aging and wrinkles reducers consist of eating proper nutrition, drinking enough water, reducing stress, cleaning and moisturizing the skin and getting enough sleep. However, even if you live healthy and follow these guidelines the natural aging process causes a decline in collagen, which increases the likelihood of wrinkles. So in addition to following a healthy lifestyle includes some of these more surprising tips in your daily life to reduce wrinkles from creeping up on you.

            Basic skin care is the root of avoiding wrinkles from appearing on your skin. Good basic skin care includes appropriate diet, wearing sunscreen, staying out of excessive sun, no t smoking, and using moisturizer. A proper diet should include a ton of fruits and vegetables because they are filled with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which keep your skin healthy and beautiful. In addition protein is essential for the health of your skin. Cold-water fish such as salmon is a great source of protein and also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which nourishes the skin, making it youthful, supple and clear of wrinkles. Consuming fish that contains omega 3’s at least three times a week will greatly reduce your chance of wrinkles. Another source of skin protectors includes soy food products. Soy protects the skin against damage and keeps the skin structure firm, which eliminates the possibility for wrinkles. Additionally, all the coffee that Americans drink may be party of the problem w. Therefore to reverse the effects of coffee on the skin witch to cocoa or green tea. These products contain flavonols called catechins that improve circulation to the skin cells. This allows the skin to remain hydrated and smooth. By adding these items to your diet or making the necessary changes you can further reduce wrinkles.

            Washing, cleansing and moisturizing your skin is necessary to avoiding wrinkles. However, some people wash their face too much. Over washing can dry out the skin and strip the skin of its natural barrier oils, which protect it. Avoid soaps that don’t contain skin moisturizers rather use facial cleansers, which will protect your facial skin from damage and dryness. In addition to moisturizer using topical vitamin C and alpha-hydroxy acids can also reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and prevent them from occurring. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which protects the skin from damaging free radicals. It also increases collagen production in the skin, which is needed to keep skin firm. L-ascorbic acid is the type of vitamin c that has shown the best wrinkle relief. AHA or alpha hydroxy acids are exfoliants that are used to help remove fine lines and wrinkles already present on the skin. AHA’s remove the top lay of dead skin cells to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.  AHA can be used in a daily skin care regime and should be used when the skin has been cleaned.

            Sleeping is an integral part of keeping your skin beautiful. When you decrease the number of hours you sleep you eliminate the essential cleansing that the body goes through when you are asleep to rid itself of toxins. Additionally fatigue and overall feeling of tiredness cause wrinkles to appear on the face. Therefore it is necessary to get 6-8 hours of sleep to ensure your skin healthy recovery each night. In addition to the number of hours you get of sleep, the position you sleep in also affects your skins possibility for wrinkles. As we get older our skin becomes more impressionable.  When you sleep on your stomach your face comes into contact with your pillow. Chemicals, dirt and toxins that are present ion your pillow, pillowcase and hair can easily transfer to your skin and cause deterioration. Also as you sleep wrinkles from your pillow can imprint themselves into your face. Overtime it takes longer and longer for these wrinkles to disappear until they become permanently engrained within the skin. To avoid this from happening it’s best to sleep on your back (also a better postural sleeping position for your neck and back). Side sleeping causes chin and cheek wrinkles where as stomach sleeping can cause crows feet and a furrowed brow.
         
  Lastly our eyesight can greatly affect the appearance of wrinkles of your face. Most people wouldn’t normally relate these two things however one can greatly affect the other. When ones eyesight is impaired because of degeneration, genetics or environment it naturally causes you to squint. Squinting also causes fine lines and wrinkles to appear around the eyes. Therefore avoid squinting by getting reading glasses, contacts and wearing sunglasses when you are in the sun. Never try to read or see without the helpful tools or else you will develop wrinkles.

            By including these simple and easy tips in your daily life you can reduce the appearance of existing wrinkles and reduce the chance of wrinkles appearing as you age.

Source:
Universal Health Info
http://www.universalhealthinfo.com/

Natural Health through Lifestyle Choices

Are you living a natural health lifestyle? Do you eat well and exercise regularly? If so,good for you! You're on the right path, but healthy living is much more than just diet and exercise.

A natural health lifestyle can only result from making right choices about what you eat and drink, what activities you perform, and what you surround yourself with everyday. It can also include such things as getting appropriate exposure to the sun, getting proper rest, and balancing the mind-body-spirit connection.

In short, it means continually surrounding yourself with the right environment for optimum health and well being.

Health is about feeling good, but robust health exists only when disease, injury, and pain simply cannot enter our lives. A natural lifestyle will promote both the body and the mind's ability to resist such attacks and remain in a healthy state.

Your body is created to be naturally healthy, and healthy living will promote the body's own ability to regulate its functions, prevent illnesses, and heal itself when necessary. Don’t be fooled into thinking that every illness or malady must be dealt with by using expensive drugs and surgery. It’s just not true.

Source: 
Natural Health Lifestyles
http://www.naturalhealthlifestyles.com/

The Green Life

Pinoy Global Store

There are varying degrees of green lifestyle choices you can make. It depends on your level of comfort, concern, and personal preference. More “advanced” green lifestyles differ from those who are just getting started, or who prefer to do just a few basic things. Here are some of the differences.

The Basics

For a beginner or someone who simply prefers to do a few simple things, the basics usually cover it. This includes some or all of the following:

* Eating whole, natural foods grown organically and, if possible, locally
* Recycling household waste such as cardboard, paper, glass, and plastic
* Conserving water in the home by cutting back wherever possible
* Choosing eco-friendly paints when it’s time to redecorate
* Saving energy by turning out lights, installing CFLs, and using daylight whenever possible
* Saving energy by using electric appliances sparingly and in a strategic way (such as baking foods at the same time, using the microwave to reheat foods, etc.)
* Using solar lighting outdoors
* Cleaning the home with natural, eco-friendly cleaners, homemade and/or commercial
* Investing in more eco-friendly toys for children, such as wooden toys
* Cutting back on fuel use by walking, carpooling, or biking
* Using cloth bags for shopping

“Advanced” Green

In addition to the above, a more advanced green lifestyle might include some or all of these lifestyle choices.

* Setting up a recycling program in the office, school, or community
* Organizing and/or participating in a community clean-up day
* Engaging in eco-friendly travel, such as driving a hybrid vehicle
* Installing solar panels, personal wind turbines, or other alternative means of generating electricity for the household
* Composting kitchen scraps in a worm bin or compost pile
* Growing your own food using organic methods
* Wearing only natural fibers and sustainable footwear
* Using only sustainable woods and materials in the home, such as natural linoleum or bamboo flooring, mango-wood furniture, and natural countertops
* Using only recycled materials in the home such as paper and cardboard
* Doing business as an eco-consultant
* Installing a low-flow toilet or composting toilet
* Building an entirely eco-friendly house out of natural materials

As you can see, there are varying degrees of going and being green. You may well begin with the basics and then add more and more of the more advanced options. And remember, you don’t have to be super-advanced to be effective in your greening efforts. The important thing is to take steps in the right direction and do what you are able to do. 

Source:

Eco-Friendly Blog

http://www.ecofriendlyblog.net

Eco Friendly Quotes

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth… ~Genesis 1:1

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. ~Genesis 1:31

You shall not pollute the land in which you live… you shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell. ~Numbers 35:33-34

A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. ~Theodore Roosevelt

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. ~Mahatma Gandhi

The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard. ~Gaylord Nelso

The supreme reality of our time is…the vulnerability of our planet. ~John F. Kennedy

Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations. ~ Jean Paul Richter

Your descendants shall gather your fruits. ~Virgil

Don’t blow it – good planets are hard to find. ~Quoted in Time

I’m not an environmentalist. I’m an Earth warrior. ~Darryl Cherney, quoted in Smithsonian, April 1990

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew. ~Marshall McLuhan, 1964

I have no doubt that we will be successful in harnessing the sun’s energy…. If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago. ~Sir George Porter, quoted in The Observer, 26 August 1973

And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: “Look at this Godawful mess.” ~Art Buchwald, 1970

The problem is no longer that with every pair of hands that comes into the world there comes a hungry stomach. Rather it is that, attached to those hands are sharp elbows. ~Paul A. Samuelson, Newsweek, 12 June 1967

I think that all good, right thinking people in this country are sick and tired of being told that all good, right thinking people in this country are fed up with being told that all good, right thinking people in this country are fed up with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am. ~Monty Python

It’s important for celebrities, environmentalists and world leaders to continue to increase education and eco-awareness through the forums provided to them naturally by virtue of being famous. Take inspiration from these words of wisdom from a Nazi-era teenager and concentration camp victim: “how wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ~Anne Frank

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it. ~Psalms 24:1 

The earth and its fullness are the Lord’s. ~1 Corinthians 10:26

But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being. ~Job 12:7-10

Source:
Eco- Friendly Blog

http://www.ecofriendlyblog.net/

The Philippine Eco-Label: Our Green Choice

You're convinced that green products are best for your family. You want to buy a green product. You go to the mall to search for them. You're surprised to find that there, actually, are many. The fact is: there is an increasing number of products in the market claiming that they are "green", "earth-friendly'", "eco-friendly", "sustainable", or some other  interest-attracting adjectives.  Great? Problem solved? Ever heard of green washing?

Maybe, not. How can we know if the sellers and manufacturers are telling the truth? How can we be assured that the claims are true? What is a green product, in the first place? Are there any metrics or standards to measure up to? Is there somebody out there watching over thegreen industry?

I was happy to have met Mr. June Alvarez in the last Philippine Building Green Forum. He is the president of PCEPSDI, The Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc., the third-party, non-government, non-stock, and non-profit organization that administers the Philippine's ecolabelling program---GREEN CHOICE. He talked about their organization, their goals, and their current undertakings. He directed me to their website, which as he said, is rich in information about their programs(http://www.pcepsdi.org.ph). The website also hosts the guidelines and application forms for those interested in making and selling Green Choice-certified products. Do visit the site to learn more. Apparently, each product has a different set of standards and metrics to follow. All, by the way, are based on ISO 14024.

The GREEN CHOICE certification helps the market in making the responsible purchasing decisions. It protects them from false and deceiving claims. They set standards that elevate the quality of the green products. They are  "third party" and thus, independent and unbiased. They are non-government, thus, more free and democratic -- the market choices, the market demands and tastes eventually dictate what are to be sold and produced.

The GREEN CHOICE helps protect the environment and our well-being, health and safety.

The GREEN CHOICE helps promote, calls attention to the need for green products.

The organization, PCEPSDI, helps us in many other ways. Read : Purposes of PCEPSDI.

Watch this video by Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc.  

LEARN GREEN. LIVE GREEN. BUILD GREEN. MANUFACTURE GREEN. SELL GREEN. BUY GREEN.

Source:
Pinoy Green Academy
pinoygreenacademy.typepad.com/

ORGANIC FOOD BENEFITS

TEN GOOD REASONS TO BUY ORGANIC

1. Organic products meet stringent standards.

Organic certification is the public’s assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without persistent toxic chemical inputs. When you see that a product has been Certified Organic by QAI (Quality Assurance International), you can rest assured that the product, its ingredients and the manufacturer have gone through a thorough investigation.

2. Organic food tastes great!

It’s common sense — well balanced soils grow strong healthy plants that taste great. Try an organic orange or vine-ripened tomato for a sweet and juicy flavor treat.

In a study done by Washington State University in Pullman, published in the April 19, 2001 issue of the journal of Nature, researchers measured the effects of an organic, a conventional and an integrated apple production system on the sustainability indicators of horticultural performance, soil quality, orchard profitability, environmental quality and energy efficiency. Taste was measured three ways. Mechanical analysis on fruit firmness at harvest and after six months storage was higher for organic than its two competitors. The ratio of sugar content to acidity, an indication of sweetness, was higher among organic apples as well. These results were then confirmed by consumer taste tests. To find out more you can go to http://www.nature.com, the title of the article is called The Sustainability of Three Apple Production Systems. (Natural Foods Merchandiser, June 2001)

3. Organic production reduces health risks.

Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Now, the EPA considers 60% of all herbicides (weed killers), 90% of all fungicides (mold killers), and 30% of all insecticides (insect killers) as potentially cancer causing. Organic farming keeps harmful chemicals and pesticides out of the food we eat and beverages we drink. It also prohibits the use of antibiotics in animal feed, which are routinely used in conventional farming and is known to create dangerous antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Organic farms also benefit the farm workers who have high exposure to chemicals and synthetic pesticides.

4. Organic farms respect our water sources.

The elimination of polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching, done in combination with soil building, protects and conserves water resources. Organic farming reduces toxic farming runoff and pollutants that contaminate our water, soil and air.

5. Organic farmers build soil.

Soil is the foundation of the food chain and the primary focus of organic farming. We’re facing the worst topsoil erosion in history due to our current agricultural practice of chemical intensive, mono-crop farming.

6. Organic farmers work in harmony with nature.

Organic agriculture respects the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem: wildlife is an essential part of a total farm and is encouraged by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fence rows, wetlands, and other natural areas.

7. Organic producers are leaders in innovative research.

Organic farmers have led the way, largely at their own expense, with innovative on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticide use and minimizing agriculture’s impact on the environment.

Organic farming is better for the environment, better for business, more energy efficient and makes better tasting fruit than conventional methods and most integrated production systems, according to the research conducted at Washington State University. (Natural Foods Merchandiser, June 2001)

8. Organic producers strive to preserve diversity.

The loss of a large variety of species (biodiversity) is one of our most pressing environmental concerns. The good news is that many organic farmers and gardeners have been collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties for decades.

9. Organic farming helps keep rural communities healthy.

The USDA predicts that by the year 2000, half of U.S. farm production will come from 1% of farms. Organic farming may be one of the few survival tactics left for the family farm and the rural community.

10. Organic abundance – Foods and non-foods alike!

Now every food category has an organic alternative. And non-food agricultural products are being grown organically – even cotton, which most experts felt could not be grown organically.

SOURCE:
Organic Food Benefits
http://www.nutiva.com

The Philippines: Agriculture Going Greener

BY CHARLES COLON

Oxford Business Group

The Philippines is looking to encourage the development of organic farming, seen as a niche agriculture sector ripe with opportunity for the country. With the proper support, organic farming could work to boost high-value agricultural exports as well as incomes in the agriculture sector, which currently employs more than 30% of the nation’s labor force.

On Nov. 8, President Benigno S. C. Aquino III announced that he had instructed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to direct 2% of its annual funding allocation to support programs and policies covering organic agriculture. With the department in line to receive $1.2 billion in the 2012 budget, organic food production is set to benefit to the tune of $24 million next year, local media has reported.

 “I expect the DA to exert double efforts to craft and implement policies and programs to hasten the development of organic farming in the country under its National Organic Agriculture Program,” he said.

 A deeper commitment to organic farming would help improve food security in the Philippines, as well as answer concerns over environmental damage and climate mitigation, Mr. Aquino said during an address at a conference on organic agriculture in Tarlac.
Government agencies and local government units are also expected to back organic production ventures so that the country can meet its domestic food requirements, as well as tap into the growing international market for chemical-free food commodities, the President told a local newspaper.

 According to the secretary of agriculture, Proceso Alcala, while organic products currently cost more than their non-organic rivals, the current spread is in part due to economies of scale. Once a larger volume of organic foods comes onto the market, prices will fall to a more competitive level, he told a press briefing on Nov. 8.
“This is the future of Philippine agriculture,” Mr. Alcala said.
Although organic production may be seen as having significant developmental potential in the Philippines, efforts have thus far been moving somewhat slowly. While the Philippines already has legislation setting out the terms and conditions to assist organic farming, signed into law by Mr. Aquino’s predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in April last year, the final steps required to activate the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 have yet to be taken.
However, President Aquino has recently stated that the final rules needed to implement the legislation have been drafted, and that the law, along with the incentives it provides to stimulate organic farm production, would soon come into force.
The stated objective of the new law is to promote, commercialize and cultivate organic farming methods through the education of farmers and consumers, and to provide assistance to local government units, community bodies, nongovernmental organizations, and other parties involved in the agriculture sector.

 The legislation also provides for incentives to be given to organic producers, including a seven-year income tax holiday for organic farmers. Additionally, the law allows for subsidies for certification fees and other support services to facilitate organic accreditation, as well as duty-free importation of agricultural equipment, machinery and implements, and support from the Land Bank of the Philippines.
The DA’s Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards will be charged with giving accreditation to organic-certifying bodies in various regions, and will also be responsible for employing them with the necessary accreditation rules and procedures. The department has already been active in supporting organic agriculture, though the new program should feature a more coordinated and focused effort than before.

 The DA has also been funding training schemes for farmers in a number of regions, with four-week courses focusing on organic fertilizer production, as well as the planting and nurturing of organic rice. Additionally, informational seminars across the country are being held to raise awareness of the benefits of organic farming.
Among the issues that the DA is currently tackling are the potential cost savings associated with organic production. Climbing hydrocarbon prices have pushed up the cost of most chemical-based fertilizers, most of which are imported, as are many of the pesticides used by Filipino farmers.

 While organic farming methods have traditionally been associated with higher prices, if hydrocarbons continue their ascent, producers could in fact reduce overhead by employing organic methods, especially as the sector begins to benefit from economies of scale.
The aim of achieving self-sufficiency in many agricultural products, particularly rice, may mean the industry’s focus will remain on cheaper methods intended for higher yields, if not higher quality, at least for the time being. However, by supporting efforts to develop both the production and demand side of organic agriculture, the Philippines may, in time, be able to have both quality and quantity.

 Charles Colon is the Oxford Business Group’s editorial manager in the Philippines.

SOURCE:
Business World Online
http://www.bworldonline.com/