Have you ever looked back at pictures of your early teenage years and wondered how you could have possibly looked so utterly radiant? Your cheeks are rosy. Your lips are plump, pink, and look very soft. Now, take a critical look at most women around you. Almost all of them are missing that “glow,” the glow that screams of good health and vitality and and abundant blood supply to the dermis.
There are many reasons for this, and some of them are unavoidable simply because we are growing older (and be thankful for older age; it beats the alternative). Collagen fibers are damaged with age, and we accumulate discoloration from hormone fluctuations and sun exposure. And, in my opinion, much more than this, we stop moving. We become sedentary, and forget that sweat, hard breathing, and endorphins are blessings, and we grumble around going to the gym and sit in front of our TVs or computers and comfort eat and clog our stomachs and digestive systems with too much and harmful foods. This halts a healthy blood supply to our skin, which robs it of nutrients.
Solution? Eat clean, whole foods, and eat mindfully, present in enjoying your nourishment, and stopping before you are full. Eat until the hunger is satisfied. Also, make sure that you are getting enough exercise. It can be cardio, resistance training, or yoga. Whatever you choose to do, if you’re wanting a boost to your complexion, make sure that you are exerting yourself hard enough to break a decent sweat (sweating cleans out the skin and helps the body purge more of its excretory matter). I also judge my exertion based on the color of my face when I’m done working out. I tend to show color easily, though, and will turn a deep red without too much effort, but some people can be drenched in sweat yet their face will not flush. Either way, your goal is to get large quantities of fresh oxygen flowing through your lungs and veins, get a good, honest sweat, and wake up stagnant blood and get it going throughout your entire body.
p.s. If anyone needs motivation and anecdotal evidence, do a quick search for Adriana Lima’s Instagram account. This is a woman who, while born with obviously good looks, has maintained them in pristine quality with consistently clean lifestyle habits and daily sweat.
Radiant Nutrition 