Take care of yourself: 5 steps to stay healthy and beautiful
Looking after yourself helps you feel healthy and beautiful on the inside and look healthy and beautiful on the outside too. From the importance of hydration, diet and exercise to at-home pampering treatments and sleep, here are five steps to take care of yourself.
- Pamper yourself at home
You can’t beat that blissed-out feeling when you leave the spa… or can you? Create your own at-home salon experience with a pampering session to leave you looking – and feeling – beautiful. You’ll help keep your skin and hair healthy, too, with moisturising treatments that add hydration from the outside in.
So, what sort of treatments are you up for? You could slather on a face mask, treat your hard-working hands to a soothing hand cream, soak in a tub with bath oils, or apply a deep conditioning treatment to your hair
. You could also keep your favourite hand cream and lip balm with you at all times, to top up whenever you like (after washing your hands!). Click here for more information on different hand creams to hydrate your hands.
- Stay hydrated
We rely on water to power our brains and bodies and keep us operating at our maximum potential. When we’re dehydrated, we’re adversely affecting our health – and our looks. Drinking enough water helps our skin look beautiful, by helping maintain its elasticity. This helps to reduce many of the signs of ageing, such as fine lines and wrinkles.
Aim to drink six to eight glasses of water throughout the course of the day, to replace the amount of water that we typically lose (this equates to about 1.2 litres). This is advice from the NHS and UK government and is specific to the UK climate. You can also get additional fluids from water-rich fruit and veg like cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach and melons.
- Eat well
You know that phrase: ‘you are what you eat’? Well, it’s oh-so true. What you put into your body has an incredible effect on your health and your appearance. Help keep your organs working well (and that includes your skin – the largest organ in the body!) by eating food rich in antioxidants, like fruit and veg, that help fight free radicals. Calcium found in dairy products and leafy green veg will help keep your bones and teeth strong.
Include healthy fats found in nuts, seeds and fish in your diet, plus fibre to help cleanse your intestines and keep you regular. Eating a nutritious breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks will keep you powered up throughout the day. For optimal gut health, consider incorporating Kfibre Gut Health fibre, a prebiotic fibre supplement, into your diet. In addition to including healthy fats found in nuts, seeds, and fish, this supplement will provide an extra boost to cleanse your intestines, promote regularity, and support a thriving gut microbiome.
- Find an exercise you enjoy
Moving your body is great not only for your physical health but also for your mental health. And getting fitter can also help you feel more confident about your appearance. But it’s even better if you find a type of exercise that you enjoy.
It could be yoga, Pilates, dancing, running, or even just starting off by going for a walk in the fresh air each day. Get your heart rate up, move your muscles, and you’ll feel and look so much better. It should also help you sleep better…
- Get enough sleep
They call it ‘beauty sleep’ for good reason! Getting enough shut-eye is so important. The cells in our bodies do a lot of their vital repair work when we’re asleep. And that helps our health as well as our looks. Forget about bags under your eyes and a gaunt appearance when you’ve had a solid eight hours’ sleep!
With these five ways to take care of yourself, you’ll be able to take steps to stay healthy and beautiful.
