Home

Exfoliation

When we think about healthy skin, we think right away to hydratation, to cleansing and to protection, but we rarely think of a primordial step that is exfoliation.

What is exfoliation?

This step results in removing the layer of dead skin that may reside on the surface of our skin. That layer that is formed of layer cells that make our skin dry. By eliminating it, our skin breathes better and, by doing so, promotes natural cell renewal.

Why do we have to exfoliate?

Whether it’s the skin of our face or of our body, this step is important. By exfoliating our skin, we allow the products we use in our daily routine to better penetrate our skin and act more effectively.

How to exfoliate our body?

The best time is to do it in the shower because our pores are dilated and the scrub will be more effective under these conditions. Once you get out of the shower, the first thing you need to do is moisturize your skin again for more efficiency.

Whether with a horsehair glove or an exfoliating product, you must massage by making circular movements on the parts to be exfoliated. I always insist on rough areas like elbows and knees. Exfoliation also eliminates ingrown hairs.

Frequency?

Once or twice a week.

How to exfoliate your face?

I always exfoliate my face once it’s clean. So you have to remove your makeup if you wear some. Otherwise, the best way to exfoliate depends on the type of skin you have, its sensitivity and the problems your skin may face. The more sensitive or acne prone your skin is, the more rigorous your choice must be.

There are two types of exfoliation: physical or chemical.

Chemical: these are mainly peels or masks that contain acids and that provide the skin with a deep exfoliation. Warning for sensitive skin: you must be very careful and preferably seek the advice of a specialist or test on a small area of your skin before proceeding on your entire face.

Physics: this is the scrubbing that we use to unclog our pores. When making your choice, I suggest you to avoid the scrubs with large particles or with too strident forms that are likely to attack your skin. My advise to you is to go with finer granules or round and massage in a gentle circular motion.

Frequency?

In my opinion, a physical exfoliant can be used on a weekly basis. However, a chemical exfoliator should be spaced or used when needed. We avoid excessive skin exfoliation not to attack the moisture barrier of our skin and of course, we always make sure to hydrate our skin very well right after exfoliation.

While visiting Yves Rocher boutique the other day, I had the idea to write this article. They had a large section of products for “exfoliation + hydration”. So I thought to offer some flagship products that they advise for this type of routine.

Apricot vegetable peeling: the main components are the powder of apricot kernels to refine the grain of skin and the agave sap of Mexico from organic farming to moisturize.
What I like: the texture of the grains is super pleasant to apply (not aggressive) and the energizing smell (it smells too good!). My skin feels softer. The price is also sweet: $ 19 and it’s often reduced (as currently at -40%).
The scrub to mix: composed of 100% natural ingredients
What I like: small bottle easy and convenient to carry, possible use for the body and face unlike the one mentioned above that I tend to use on the body only. Despite its small size, it lasts for months. The price? $ 18 (but it’s also reduced this week at -40%).

16 March 2018 0 comment

The importance of warming up

I can say that sports means so much to our family. Zak has always been part of sports teams: basketball and soccer. Otherwise, we do many other activities such as tennis, running (especially when the weather is nice) and indoor training almost every day. It is very demanding for our bodies and our muscles. Since we got married, I say that I married a little old man: pain in the back, shoulder and knee. And then, it’s not going to get any better … It’s funny because I write the article while being in a hospital room waiting for Zak to finish his knee surgery. A torn meniscus and ligament during a soccer game. My husband is a sports lover and nothing stops him. He waits a day and goes back to his training and then sometimes he forgets to warm up and that’s how these pains are triggered again.

So I thought about writing an article on the importance of warming up before training.

Why are we warming up?

We prepare our muscles but also our brain for physical exercise. Our heart rate is gradually increasing and so is our blood flow through our muscles, tendons and ligaments. We can therefore avoid certain muscle injuries and also increase the flexibility of our tendons.

Warm-up is not helpful just to avoid muscle injuries. Here are some other benefits:

Lubricate our joints to facilitate our movements,
Increase the temperature of our blood stream to allow us to hold longer,
Increase the oxygen level that goes to our muscles,
Prepare our heart for physical activity to control our blood pressure,
Allow better performance.

How long does it take to warm up?

It depends on the type of training you are about to do. Generally, 10 minutes are enough for me before my HIIT sessions.

Let’s go back to Zak story…

To relieve his muscles and help him perform (or sometimes survive), he asks me to massage him with Novarnica Pain Relief Cream. To be honest, I wonder if it’s an excuse or if it really relieves his pain. Joking aside, for a few months now, this is the only product I use to relieve back pain and it works perfectly. This is also the case for me: when I don’t want to miss a training session that I want to attend, I apply it before going to the gym. I am also reassured that it is a natural painkiller.

Arnica is a plant used for centuries for healing purposes and several scientific studies prove its many positive effects on certain sores such as muscle and joint pains.

Novarnica Anti-Pain Cream is not only practical for back pain but also for sprains, sprains, cramps, arthritis and bruises.

The brand also offers a Pain Spray for a faster application and a cream (or spray) for the feet that I applied after having spent a day standing in the hospital. On the other hand, don’t forget that no cream or medicine can prevent you from being injured. You must listen to your body and know your limits. It is true that this article is sponsored by Novarnica, but I assure you that it is a product that was used before this collaboration and that we will continue to use. I also want to tell you that if you have persistent pain, I strongly advise you to consult a doctor for proper follow-up.

You can visit this link to find Novarnica products: http://www.novarnica.com/fr-ca/ou-acheter-novarnica/

13 March 2018 0 comment

Giant cookies

Craving cookies? No problem.

I have the recipe you need: simple, fast and good! As usual…

To make two huge cookies, you will need:

4 tsp ground flaxseed + 2 Tbsp of water (let the mixture sit for 3 minutes)
4 tbsp coconut sugar,
2 tbsp walnut butter (no matter which one you have),
2 tbsp of oil (coconut, avocado, tournersol) I used coconut,
½ tsp vanilla,
½ cup of oatmeal,
5 tbsp of flour (I used whole flour, you can use flour without gluten),
¼ tsp baking soda,
Pinch of salt,
2 tbsp of dark chocolate chips (I use 85% cocoa).

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Mix the flax seeds meal with water and let stand for 3 minutes.
In a bowl, mix the coconut sugar, nut butter of choice, oil of choice and vanilla extract until the mixture is homogeneous. Add the flax seeds and mix again.
Add the oatmeal, flour, baking soda and a pinch of salt until the mixture is homogeneous. Add the chocolate and mix again.
Form your cookie directly on the baking plate.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the outline of the biscuit turns golden.
Once you remove the biscuit from the oven, wait at least 10 minutes before serving.

8 March 2018 0 comment

How to gain weight and look your best

WORKOUT

You may think that working out is not a good idea since you don’t want to lose weight, but many types of workouts such as strength training will help you gain healthy weights and build sexy curves. If your main goal is to gain weight you should limit the amount of cardio you do in a day simply because it burns a lot of calories and that’s not what you want right?

So, it’s important to be consistent and workout out at least 4-5 times a week in order to see results. By working out, I mean lifting heavy weights! The heavier you lift, the bigger muscles you will build. When training with weights, do 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps for each exercises. This will help you gain weight but still look sexy and fit.

NUTRITION

When it comes to gaining weight, what and how often you eat is what will make the biggest difference. If you want to gain weight naturally, you need to change your diet in order to consume more calories.

Try to eat about 5-6 meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner + snacks in-between each meal). I’m not saying that you should indulge yourself with fast food and chocolate. You should focus on eating the healthiest food that will nourish your body with essential macronutrients (healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates).

Healthy fats: The best options include avocados, olive oil, almonds, nuts, eggs, ghee, coconut oil, chia seeds and flaxseeds. I’m obsessed with guacamole on my toasts in the morning or with chia seed on my smoothie bowls.

Clean protein: If your goal is to gain weight and build more muscle, you should eat a lot of protein. To know how much protein you need to gain weight, take your weight and multiply it by 1. For example, if you weight 140 pounds, you should aim for 140 grams of protein a day.

Best options are lean beef, wild salmon, chicken breast or turkey, and eggs. I also recommend taking a supplement of whey or vegan protein to help you meet your daily protein goals.

I usually eat eggs in the morning, 1-2 portion of meat during the day and I’ll have a whey protein shake after my workouts. If I’m hungry in-between meals, I’ll make a vegan protein shake which keeps me full until my next meal.

Carbohydrates: Adding this nutrient to your diet will help you gain weight. My philosophy is that my meals should always be balanced: fats, protein and carbohydrates. I avoid simple carbohydrates and always aim for complex ones such as quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, bananas, apples, and berries.

CONCLUSION

Remember, it takes time and consistency to start seeing results. Start slow by setting small goals and adapting some of the tips and tricks I gave you above and then you can start setting bigger goals. Always remind yourself that you are doing this for yourself so you can feel healthy and be the best version of yourself.

By Sofya Iden

6 March 2018 0 comment