Go Red: American Heart Month

February represents an extremely powerful month for us. We’re all set on our 2015 goals – health, business, personal focuses are top-of-mind and we’re focusing all our efforts to help spread awareness on American Heart Month – AKA the #1 killer among Americans and it’s growing even further around the world.

Thanks to our friends at theheartfoundation.org, they’ve highlighted some insane facts that we still can’t wrap our heads around. 

Heart Disease: Scope and Impact

  • Heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States, claiming approximately 1 million lives annually.
  • Every 33 seconds someone in the United States dies from cardiovascular disease which is roughly the equivalent of a September 11th-like tragedy repeating itself every 24 hours, 365 days a year.
  • More die of heart disease than of AIDS and all cancers combined.
  • By 2020, heart disease will be the leading cause of death throughout the world.
  • This year more than 920,000 Americans will have a heart attack; nearly half of them will occur without prior symptoms or warning signs.

CQJ_4890While many may assume that popping a few pills that your healthcare provider prescribed is enough to prevent a heart attack and stay clear of heart disease, the real preventative power lies within US with real changes to your daily lifestyle – which can reduce the risk for heart disease by as much as 80 percent. Now we’re talking. Join us in actively involving ourselves in these simple movements to bring down the statistics for us and our loved ones all around us. It’s time to set examples, not be another number to this growing disease.

Here are three, very attainable, tips to jump start your health and work towards a heart healthy life.

1. Stop Smoking. Period.

2. Get Physical: It’s been proven that just 30 minutes a day of physical activity can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, improve circulation, among other massive health benefits. Tip: Take the stairs vs. the elevator if you’re under extreme time constraints.

3. Eat Healthy: Incorporate more leafy greens into your diet and eliminate the bad saturated fats and sugars – goodbye cheeseburgers, fries, basically anything fried and those candy bars. Load up on the healthy fats including avocado, peanut butter, coconut butter and nuts.

We’ve teamed up with the American Heart Association this month by donating 10% of all sales of our Hands To Heart to help grow awareness and support those in need.

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Jump Start Your Daily Overall Health With These Simple Rules

We know how crazy the mornings can be, but in order for all of us to stay and look healthy, these are three things that we NEVER forget to do before walking out of the house. By taking 10 minutes in the morning, you can ensure that you always start your morning off right.

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#1: 25 second skincare prep 

Practicing a simple skincare morning regimen helps wake your skin up and prime it for makeup, ensuring that your features radiate and your makeup lasts throughout the day.

Cleanse: Dissolve nightly impurities and remove your nightly treatment in one step. Skin is left clean, clear, smooth, and energized.

Treat: Help protect your skin from daily free radical damaged caused by UVA/UVB rays and environmental damage by applying a potent anti-oxidant serum. Our top picks for anti-oxidants include, Organic Red Tea (50X more potent of an anti-oxidant that green tea), Pomegranate and Cherry extracts.

Moisturize: This is two-fold as we need to also de-puff our eyes (look for eye-products that contain Vitamin K + Arnica which help to reduce puffiness and dark circles) and prep our overall complexion for makeup.

#2: Don’t skimp on breakfast

According to Livestrong: While a recent human clinical trial reported that eating breakfast isn’t necessary for weight loss, there are plenty of other studies that suggest otherwise. In the largest sample of successful dieters, 78 percent reported eating breakfast every day. Still, nearly a quarter of U.S. adults skip their first meal on any given day — and that increases your risk for other chronic conditions. What’s more, a Harvard study reported that men who skipped breakfast were 27 percent more likely to develop heart disease and that female breakfast skippers had a 28 percent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Eating breakfast may also give you more energy: One study found that breakfast eaters burned 400 more calories during a day through increased daily activity.

Our favorites include: Steel Cut Oatmeal with raisins and fresh berries and egg whites mixed with spinach and a side of sliced avocado.

#3: AM Detox 

Add a slice of lemon to a warm cup of water in the morning. By adding lemon to your water, it has been shown to promote fresher breath, realigns your bodies pH balance and improves digestive function to name a few. And don’t forget to get your daily dose of recommended water intake of 8 full glasses daily.

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Jump Start Your Skin This New Year With These Simple Tips

Now that the New Year is upon us, many of us look back on the past year and take account of the good and the bad, especially when it comes to overall health, including our skincare regimen and needs. In some way or another, we all set out to set New Year’s goals centered around what we’d all like to improve upon for the New Year.

The New Year is the perfect time to make personal commitments that will help improve ourselves, especially our skin! With this in mind, we wanted to outline some of the suggested New Years resolutions that we work towards to consistently keep up with keeping our skin looking its best.

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Eat Smart: Given the excess amounts of sweet fixings and the celebratory champagne we all consumed this holiday season, our bodies (especially our skin) is feeling it! Get back on track with your diet and

Drink Water: Dehydration has been shown to cause pre-mature aging especially through the enhancement of fine lines and wrinkles (think raisins!). Make sure you are taking in the recommended amount of 8 glasses of water per day. Health Ambition shares the key health benefits to drinking your daily dosage. 

Stress Free: Stress is a leading indicator for many illnesses and we all should set out each day with a goal to reduces the amount of stress in our lives. There is no magic way of doing so, but if we keep this goal top-of-mind, we can overcome much of the stress that builds up in both our personal and work lives.

Exfoliate Regularly: Ever wonder why all the red carpet celebrities are always glowing? Well, it starts with exfoliation and Dr. Goldfaden is constantly preaching this as he truly believes that a glowing, clear and radiant complexion begins with exfoliation. Plus, there’s no better way to eliminate those unwanted dull and lackluster dead skin cells, dirt and excess makeup.

Stay Hydrated: OILS, OILS, OILS! We love oils because of their versatility since you can use by itself, mix with your favorite moisturizer and even with your foundation. Oils not only work to hydrate, but most offer that glowing and radiant completion that we all lack in the dead of Winter. Plus, given the advancements of the technology being used, many oils offer huge anti-aging benefits as well. We’re loving Goldfaden MD’s newest launch (coming out in February): Fleuressnce. 

Wash Your Makeup Brushes: Bacteria just builds and builds within the brushes bristles and reinfects our makeup which leads to skin irritations and breakouts. It is uber important to regularly clean these brushes, weekly, to keep any bacteria from building and spreading.

Stay Consistent: Topical skincare products take time. We know, you want immediate results, but trust us, be patient and younger-looking and glowing skin will come. It’s important to stay consistent with the recommended application of the products you’re using (AM + PM). Treatment products typically take anywhere between 2-5 weeks to show results.

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