Good food + good exercise = great looks
Ruwini JAYAWARDANA
HAVE you ever wondered what the most important part of looking good
is ? It is you: your face, your figure and your personality which form
the basis of your own individual outlook. Healthy living and eating make
you look and feel good. So diet and exercise play a vital role in your
health and looks.
Diet
A healthy, well balanced diet is important for your figure, skin,
hair, teeth and for the whole body. Do you eat whatever takes your fancy
so long as it is quick, convenient and filling ?
Try to make a list of everything you eat and drink over the next
seven days.
Then you will be able to get an idea on how well, or how badly, you
are treating your body.
Your body requires a supply of proteins, carbohydrates, fats,
vitamins, minerals and water to stay healthy every day. Proteins (milk,
eggs, cheese, peas, beans, and lentils) are essential for the continual
process of building and repairing body tissues.
Both carbohydrates (starch and sugar sources such as flour, potatoes,
jam, sweets, and fruits) and fats (butter, cheese, and vegetable oils)
provide heat and energy.
Vitamins and minerals are needed for many different bodily functions.
Vitamin A (oily fish, liver, carrots, spinach and many green vegetables)
is needed for growth, good eyesight and healthy skin.
Vitamin B (yeast, cereals, nuts, and eggs) is essential for the
nervous system, energy and skin. For resistance to infections, healing,
healthy gums and good circulation, it is important to take in vitamin C
(citrus fruits and vegetables of every kind).
Healthy bones and teeth are the result of essential amounts of
Vitamin D (oily fish and fish liver oils) while vitamin E (milk, eggs,
green vegetable and wholemeal bread) is necessary for the functioning of
nerves and muscles. Your body needs at least three litres of water per
day, some of which will be in the food that you eat.
Workout
If you want a healthy body, you need regular exercise to tone your
muscles and keep your figure trim; to improve your circulation and make
your skin and hair look great.
It is an important aid for slimmers and above all it makes you feel
fit, alert and full of life. When you are feeling tired and tense, a few
minutes' exercise can do wonders for you.
To be effective, exercise must be regular. One or two chosen
exercises performed night and morning will give definite results. Work
up for six repeats to a maximum of 15.
A workout should leave you panting and short of breath. The best
place to exercise is near an open window and on a carpeted floor. Wear a
leotard if you have one. If not a T-shirt and pants will be just as
suitable.
Exercise to music if you can. This makes the exercise fun and helps
you to keep up to a rhythm. Always start with an easy stretching
exercise, and always end by gently shaking your limbs to relax muscles
and reduce the possibility of cramps.
Besides sports such as swimming, athletics, gymnastics, hockey,
netball, tennis and volleyball, there are many other ways of keeping
fit. Yoga is one such way which is becoming popular as an easy and
enjoyable way of keeping fit.
Unlike conventional exercise, with its energetic and repetitive
movements, yoga involves stretching the body very gently into a series
of positions which help to extend and exercise it from within.
Dancing is another good way of keeping fit which also lets you
express your emotions as you exercise. It is a form of toning and
stretching muscles and helps to keep you supple, slim and trim.
Dancing classes are now widely available, at gyms, health clubs, day
and evening institutes, and dancing centres. There are many different
types of dancing: Kandyan, low country, Barthanatyam, Kathak, Latin,
Jazz, Tango, ballet, tap and ballroom to name a few.
Jogging costs nothing and easy to do since it requires no special
skills.
The only essential equipment is a pair of good shoes, which need good
padding and thick soles to protect against the repeated impact. Regular
jogging uses up lots of calories as it makes your body burn them up
faster.
Jogging
Jogging is good for firming upper thighs and to keep you fit and
healthy. If you like to exercise on your own, rather than in a team or a
group of people, then jogging may be the sport for you.
Radiant skin without acne
Anushka NANAYAKKARA
PIMPLES is a frightening word for most of women, specially to those
stepping into adolescence. Today's health column throws a glance at the
pimples/acne problem.
Q: What is acne or pimples?
Dr. Asoka Kamaladasa - Specialist in Dermatology
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A: Acne is the medical term for pimples. The belief was that pimples
were not a desease and it is part of the natural growth process. But now
medical science has found that pimples are a skin desease.
Acne is a disorder resulting from the action of hormones on the
skin's oil glands, (sebaceous glands), which leads to plugged pores and
outbreaks of lesions commonly called pimples. Acne or pimple lesions
usually occur on the face, neck, back, chest, shoulders and thighs.
Although pimples are not a serious health threat, severe acne can
lead to disfiguring, permanent scarring, which can upset the people
affected. Pimples also definitely have a genetic background.
Q: What causes pimples?
A: Medical science does not believe that pimples are a result of
having oily food. The exact cause of pimples is unknown, but doctors
believe that it results from several related factors.
Pimples are also caused by external factors such as cosmetics, oily
lotions and industrial chemicals. Certain drugs can also cause pimples.
But some reports say that in some way chocolates can change sex hormonal
balance and may aggravate pimples in an affected person.
Q: Who are prone to pimples?
A: People of all races and ages can be affected. It is most common in
adolescents and young adults. Nearly 90 percent of people between 12 and
25 years develop the disorder. For most people, pimples tend to go away
by the time they reach their thirties. However, some people even in
their forties continue to have this problem.
Q: How is pimples treated?
A: The goal of treatment is to heal existing lesions and stop forming
new lesions, prevent scarring, and minimise the psychological stress and
embarrassment caused by this disease. Drug treatment is aimed at
reducing several problems that play a part in causing acne.
Depending on the extent of a person's acne, the doctor will recommend
medicines. There are topical (applied to the skin) or systemic (oral).
Doctor may suggest using more than one topical medicine or combining
oral and topical medicines.
Pictures by Saman Sri Wedage
Mexican Style - Off shoulder tops
Anushka NANAYAKKARA
YOUNG girls and women of today have a passion for fashionable and
charming blouses and T-shirts. The Mexican or off shoulder tops which
come in a variety of colours and designs are very popular among them. It
can be worn either with jeans, skirts or pants.
Off shoulder tops are more suitable for girls with a slim figure and
when choosing colours one should be aware of their complexion,because
that adds extra elegancy.
Mexican style-off shoulder tops gives a charming fashionable look for
women of any height. Off shoulder tops also look stunning with most of
the stylish hair cuts.
Comfortable, smart T-shirts or blouses with off shoulder certainly
add glamour to a woman's closet today.
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