Welcome!
Welcome to NoPlasticSurgery.com! We hope that you enjoy our free health and beauty articles and helpful tips on looking and feeling your best! Whether you want to fight the effects of aging or just lose a few pounds, we think you'll find plenty of helpful ideas to ensure that your inner beauty always shines through! Welcome!
Yoga for Sleep?
Another great way to relax and prepare for sleep is to practice yoga or a similar exercise. When many of us think of Yoga, we picture a guru and strange rituals. But it’s not that complicated and it’s great for health, well-being and yes, even sleep.
Here are a few reasons to consider Yoga:
- Yoga helps increase your flexibility while stretching ligaments & tendons, lubricating joints and toning muscles!
- Some of the Yoga positions (particularly the Forward Bends) can help you shrink your tummy!
- Yoga helps restore elasticity of the spine and improve your posture.
- Almost all Yoga postures help to massage internal glands and organs, which helps keep the body’s systems functioning properly. This includes the endocrine system, the digestive system and the cardiovascular system!
- Regular meditation after your yoga session can help to calm your mind, decreasing anxiety and leaving you in a better mood.
- Yoga’s breathing exercises will help expand your lung capacity.
Here are a couple web sites that will help learn more about this interesting form of exercising both your mind and body!
Simple Tips to Eat Healthier
Here are some simple tips to help you make smarter eating decisions! Eating right can make the difference between aging gracefully and not aging gracefully!
- Eat less
- Eat more fruits and veggies
- Eat whole grains
- Eat less sugar
- Eat less fat
- Eat less sodium
- Be careful with the sports drinks – they contain quite a bit of sugar
Playing it Safe in the Sun: Skin Cancer Alert
As summer nears, we all want to spend more and more time in the sun. Keep in mind that the sun can do more than just prematurely age your skin!
Did you know that skin cancer is the most common of all cancers? In the United States, it accounts for almost half of all cancer cases. According to the American Cancer Society, more than one million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are found in the United States each year.
Here is some advice from the American Cancer Society. You can learn more about skin cancer at: http://www.cancer.org
If you have any concerns, you should contact your physician immediately – it’s always better to be proactive!
What are the risk factors for skin cancer? According to the American Cancer Society, risk factors for non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers include:
- Unprotected or excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation
- Fair complexion
- Occupational exposure to coal tar, pitch, creosote, arsenic compounds or radium
- Family history of skin cancer
- Multiple or abnormal moles
- Severe sunburns as a child
What are the signs and symptoms of skin cancer? Skin cancer can be found early, and both doctors and patients play important roles in finding skin cancer. If you have any of the following symptoms, tell your doctor.
- Any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth
- Scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule on the skin
- The spread of pigmentation beyond its border such as dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark
- A change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness, or pain
Can skin cancer be prevented? According to the American Cancer Society, the best ways to lower the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer are to avoid intense sunlight for long periods of time and to practice sun safety. You can continue to exercise and enjoy the outdoors while practicing sun safety at the same time. Here are some ways you can do this: (Note, many of these are also excellent tips for helping prevent premature aging of the skin!)
- Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Seek shade: Look for shade, especially in the middle of the day when the sun's rays are strongest. Practice the shadow rule and teach it to children: If your shadow is shorter than you, the sun’s rays are at their strongest.
- Wear a shirt: Cover up with protective clothing to guard as much skin as possible when you are out in the sun. Choose comfortable clothing made of tightly woven fabrics that you cannot see through when held up to a light.
- Wear sunscreen: Use sunscreen and lip balm with an SPF of 15 or higher. Apply a generous amount of sunscreen (about a palmful) and always reapply after swimming, toweling dry, or perspiring. Use sunscreen even on hazy or overcast days.
- Wear a hat: Cover your head with a wide-brimmed hat, shading your face, ears, and neck. If you choose a baseball cap, remember to protect your ears and neck with sunscreen.
- Wear sunglasses: Wear sunglasses with 99% to 100% UV absorption to provide optimal protection for the eyes and the surrounding skin.
- Follow these practices to protect your skin even on cloudy or overcast days. Remember, UV rays travel through clouds.
- Avoid other sources of UV light. Tanning beds and sun lamps are dangerous because they can damage your skin.
- Learn more at http://www.cancer.org
What is Stress?
If you were to ask ten people what stress is, you’d probably get ten different answers! Stress is different to different people… What causes “stress” for one person, may not cause stress for another person. And, of course, everyone reacts differently to stress.
The word “stress”, as it is used these days was coined by Hans Selye in 1936. Selye defined it as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change”. Selye was a scientist who subjected laboratory animals to annoying physical and emotional experiences – such as bright light, deafening noise and extreme cold. His experiments showed that the animals all suffered from similar problems after being subjected to the annoying experiences. They developed stomach ulcers, their adrenal glands became enlarged and their lymphoid tissue shrunk.
In later experiments, he showed that persistent stress could cause these animals to develop many diseases similar to those seen in humans, including heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and even arthritis.
Years ago, most “stress” was caused by physical threats – finding shelter, finding food and fending off enemies. Today, stress tends to be caused primarily from psychological rather than physical threats. Stress can cause our bodies to go haywire. It is associated with many reactions over which we have no control that were originally designed to be beneficial such as:
- Causing heart rate and blood pressure soar to increase the flow of blood to the brain to improve decision making,
- Making blood sugar rise to give more fuel for energy as the result of the breakdown of glycogen, fat and protein stores,
- Shunt blood away from the gut, where it is not immediately needed for purposes of digestion, to the large muscles of the arms and legs to provide more strength in combat, or greater speed in getting away from a scene of potential peril,
- Making clotting occur more quickly to prevent blood loss from lacerations or internal hemorrhage.
In battle mode, these things would all be very important. But when you’re worrying about paying your bills, these instincts are much less important and cause undue wear and tear on your body.
Today, stress affects nearly everyone in the United States in one way or another. The most common cause for stress these days is probably work. In fact, a Gallup Poll commissioned in 2000 found that 80% of workers felt stress on the job!
Time magazine has called stress the #1 health problem in America. However, knowing what stress is, what causes it and how to handle it can make a huge difference!
So, back to what the definition of stress is… If I ask you what stress is, what comes to mind?
I’ll bet that your answers were about negative things. Am I right?
Was anything on your list about something positive? For example, starting a new job can be stressful. And, believe it or not, so can winning the lottery.
What does stress do to your life?
Stress Relief Tips – Part Two
Stress takes a toll on us -- here is the second part of our series of stress relief tips!
Fix the source of the stress!
Deal with your anger. If your stress is caused by anger, find a non-destructive way of dealing with it. Don’t let it boil under the surface – deal with it now. Talk to – or write a letter to – the person who caused the anger. Sometimes writing a letter can be relaxing in itself, even if you never send it.
Set boundaries. Is your stress caused by trying to do too much for too many people? Learn to set boundaries – understand that you don’t have to do so much…that you need to have time for yourself! Draw a line in the sand and stick to it!
Change things. Did you lose a job? Are you in a bad relationship? Find a way to change your situation – stop stewing over it, stop worrying about it – find a way to do something about it. Did you realize that Bill Gates founded Microsoft during a recession? And he’s not the only one who’s done something amazing when times were tough. Put your mind to it and we bet you’ll be able to do something amazing too.
Consider Yoga or a Spiritual Approach
Another great way to relax and prepare for sleep is to practice yoga or something similar. When many of us think of Yoga, we picture a guru and strange ritual. But it’s not that complicated and it’s great for health, well-being and yes, even beauty!
Here are a few reasons to consider Yoga:
- Yoga helps increase your flexibility while stretching ligaments & tendons, lubricating joints and toning muscles!
- Some of the Yoga positions (particularly the Forward Bends) can help you shrink your tummy!
- Yoga helps restore elasticity of the spine and improve your posture.
- Almost all Yoga postures help to massage internal glands and organs, which helps keep the body’s systems functioning properly. This includes the endocrine system, the digestive system and the cardiovascular system!
- Regular meditation after your yoga session can help to calm your mind, decreasing anxiety and leaving you in a better mood.
- Yoga’s breathing exercises will help expand your lung capacity.
Welcome!
Sponsors
Popular tags
Hot tips
- Shower Beauty Tips: Pamper Yourself in Just 7 Minutes
- Add Zest to Your Summer Style
- Trapeze Tops
- Spiff Up Summer Accessories
Celeb style news
- Look of the Day: Angelina Jolie
- 8 New Ways to Rock a Braid
- See bday girl Sandra Bullock go from cheerleader to Oscar-winner
- Shop 20 travel must-haves under $20
Hot topics in plastic surgery
- Breast Reconstruction
- Beauty for Life
- Body Contouring After Major Weight Loss
- Breast Augmentation
- Male Breast Reduction