My beauty regimen from the inside out

In January I will be 45. It a great feeling to be told I look 30 any younger. Most people say it's just genetic but if you don't take care of yourself, it will certainly show. This is a great article to help educate on the importance of how to take care of the largest organ! Erika

by CAMILLE FLETCHER

You know how sometimes you think bad things only happen to other people and you are somehow super-human and won’t be affected? I thought that about the sun.

I have always loved being outdoors, I “fake baked” when I was younger, and in 2008, I took up distance running and was outside for hours. Most of this activity happened without much sunscreen on, despite the warnings about how UV damage could make my skin look older. It totally wasn’t going to happen to me!

Uh … well … please consider me a cautionary tale.

I am now the proud owner of some serious sun damage on my face. This has made me keenly interested not only in sunscreen and specialized skin care products like Sensé Serum Intensive, but also in nutritional approaches to protecting my skin and keeping it looking as youthful as possible.

In a previous blog post, I noted that beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin D are all helpful for protecting your skin. Vitamin C and grape-seed extract make Proflavanol® C100 another great product to help keep your skin healthy and youthful looking in two ways.

Proflavanol C100 Defends Against Damage

Exposure to UV can lead to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress in the skin can lead to visible wrinkles, sagging, and pigmentation. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and the grape-seed extract in Proflavanol C enhances that antioxidant activity. By helping your skin protect itself from UV exposure, taking Proflavanol C100 and using daily sunscreen could help protect against visible signs of premature aging. Double up on photoprotection by using topical vitamin C, like Proteo-C®, along with the SPF 15 in Sensé Daytime Protective Emulsion. This high-performance moisturizer helps decrease the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging.

Proflavanol C100 Supports Collagen Production

Collagen is the stuff that gives your skin elasticity. And collagen tends to start breaking down as we age (UV exposure along with the pull of gravity when running can actually speed up the facial sagging … sigh). Vitamin C, which must be obtained from the diet, stimulates collagen production. This essential nutrient has been linked to better appearance of aging skin because it helps support skin elasticity and firmness.

Totally not related, but I found one study that showed grape-seed extract even helps with leg swelling after you’ve been sitting at your desk all day!

A Tip for Taking Proflavanol C100 and Other Supplements

The body can only absorb a limited amount of vitamin C at one time. So, if you are taking the Essentials,Procosa, Booster C 600, or Visionex, consider taking Proflavanol C100 at a different time to help keep your vitamin C levels at a consistently higher level throughout the day.

Proflavanol C100 Also Supports Heart Health and Immune Function

Skin health is only one of the many benefits of Proflavanol C100. Watch this short video to learn more.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Learn what USANA is doing to make the world a better place.

The future of personalized health and nutrition is now available with USANA’s True Health Assessment.

USANA’s Inside Beauty: I Got it From My Mama!

I get asked often, how I am able to look so young at 44? Well, my creator play the most important role. Other factors are personal responsibility and taking care of what He gave me...lol! But my beautiful friend Jessica Reimer has great advice that I wanted to pass along!



Actress Kate Hudson once said of mom Goldie Hawn: “If I look anything like she does when I’m 60, I’m going to be a very happy, happy lady.”

With Mother’s Day just a month away (May 12), I started to wonder — will I end up looking just like my mom? What will I inherit from her? I know for sure I inherited many of her traits, like stubbornness, work ethic, and sense of humor, but will I have the luck of inheriting her great skin? Shiny hair? Strong nails? So I did some digging and here are three takeaways I think every woman should know about aging and what to expect from your mom.

Lesson No. 1 — It’s not all about the genes… but good ones help!

 

There are two ways we age — intrinsically and extrinsically. Intrinsic aging refers to your genes — what you were born with. Do you have a dark complexion? Freckles? Almond eyes? These characteristics are the result of your genetic make up. Or in other words, what you got from your momma (or father).

Some people are born with great skin. For them, the path to beauty might be an easy road. But for some of us, we’ll need to shift our to focus to the more influential process of aging — extrinsic.

Extrinsic aging is essentially your body’s response to your lifestyle and environment. Do you smoke? Drink alcohol? Eat poorly? Sun worship? These are all the things that can speed up the visible aging and eventually override your genetic blessings.

So the bottom line here is yes, you can inherit excellent skin — but more importantly, you’d better take care of it!

Lesson No. 2 — Follow her advice. Duh!

 

“Because I said so.”… oh the dreaded phrase. My mom used this saying like it was going out of style! I should have listened, too. Like when she said “don’t spend so much time by the pool,” or “try drinking more water.”

As an adult, I’ve learned to do these things as a result of trial and error. If only I had taken her advice, I probably could have saved myself a few wrinkles. Look, your mom has lived longer than you, and in most cases, knows better than you. Listen to her advice. Ask her for tips. One of the best beauty tips my mother gave me was “always moisturize.” She says, “even if you are all out of beauty cream, find the olive oil.”

Lesson No. 3 — Wear Sunscreen.

 

If you want to age gracefully there is one rule above all that must be followed — wear sunscreen.

The visible damage that comes from UV rays can progressively age your delicate skin, not to mention put you in dangerous health territory. Lathering on your SPF daily will keep wrinkles at bay and will help those pesky sun spots stay where they belong — on the sun! No matter how lucky you were in the genetic lottery, protecting your skin from visible sun damage is your best bet for staying young.

My mother is my best friend, a beautiful woman, and whatever that is good in me came from her. She is truly an inspiration and I could only hope to one day be just like her.

A Special Offer

Celebrate and honor your mom this Mother’s Day with a special offer from Sensé. For a limited time, purchase the Sensé Basic Pack and receive a complimentary Eye Nourisher (US/Canada only). Give back to the woman that has given so much to you!

Well there’s the scoop!

Wishing you all beauty and health.
 


Jessica Reimer is a senior marketing manager at USANA Health Sciences. If you have any stories, comments, or questions that you would like to see addressed in this feature, please send them to whatsupusana@usana.com.
To learn more about Sensé skin-care products, please visit www.beautifulscience.com and like us on Facebook! Previous Inside Beauty posts can be found here. Some USANA products are available only in select markets.

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Learn what USANA is doing to make the world a better place.

The future of personalized health and nutrition is now available with USANA’s True Health Assessment.

Choosing the Right Company

by Pete Zdanis

Evaluating network marketing companies can be a daunting task. However, it is well worth the effort to insure that your time, money and reputation are not wasted on trying to build a business with an inferior company.

We know you will find the following guidelines to be valuable in helping you select a company that you will be proud of and that will provide you with the level of lifetime residual income that you aspire to.

There are four main areas to evaluate. First, you'll want to look at the company. Who are the leadership of the company? The management? What are their credentials? Is there a vision for the future? Do they function with integrity, and can you prove it? Is this the company...are these the people that I want to align myself with?

Second, you'll want to look at the products. Does the company do the research and development of the products? Does the company own their formulas? Does the company do their own manufacturing? Are they in control of quality control procedures? Are the products highly consumable...that people use and reorder on a monthly basis, and become loyal to? Do the products have a positive impact on people's lives?

The third issue is timing and trends...timing in the industry, as well as timing in the company. Is the industry just now emerging as a growth industry? Does the company have a history of solid growth...not one that is declining, or flattened out in terms of growth?

And, the 4th is the compensation plan. How do you make money? And, is it fair for the individual who is working on a part-time basis...someone who wants to make an extra few hundred dollars per month, and beyond that... will it pay an individual $10,000, $20,000, or more per month...for the people who really want to go out and create wealth and financial freedom?

Don't short-cut this process! And, trust your answers! Because we know that if any one of these areas is lacking, your chance for success is cut in half. Which means you'll have to work twice as hard to be successful. If two of these areas are lacking, you'll have no chance.

The time to do your homework is before you make the decision to partner with a specific company...not by jumping from one company to another.