Howard Murad's Blog, page 5

9 hacks to get moving this summer

With summer around the corner, it’s easy to spend afternoons at the office daydreaming of the longer, warmer days and the endless rotation of activities that will soon be at our fingertips, weather finally permitting. After all, these upcoming months will be the ultimate time to rejuvenate our energy, reconnect with our priorities and awaken our bodies.

As we shift into a more active mindset, it’s important to remember that exercise is not meant to be a trying chore, but rather, a way to get our bodies moving while getting ‘un-plugged’ from technology and social media, cultivating our best health and having fun outside. In fact, studies have found that just 15 minutes of exercise a week is enough to reduce mortality and increase life expectancy. With this in mind, here are some of our favorite outdoor exercise hacks to help get your blood and endorphins flowing this spring.

1. Must Love Dog (Parks)

We may not all love working out, but most of us love dogs. Not feeling the gym or a run? Walk over to the closest dog park with a friend and a canine companion. Pack a bag with water, some fresh fruit in case you get hungry, a few dog treats and most importantly, a ball or a frisbee. It won’t feel like a work out, but your body (and mind) will reap the rewards of some quality time outside in the sun, surrounded by man’s best friend.

2. Workout Buddy? There’s an App for That…

In need of a workout buddy? Check out an app like Whistle that matches you with workout buddies in your area, based on your location and preferences. Choose the time you want to get moving, the activity you prefer (walking, a run, an outdoor bootcamp class etc.) and get moving with a new friend.

3. Reward System

For every active choice you make (walking or biking instead of taking an Uber, going for a run or a swim, doing 10 push ups, visiting the park etc.) throw some spare change into a “Reward Jar”.

This could be $1 a time, or the amount you saved by not taking that Uber, but at the end of the month, add up your earnings and treat yourself to a new workout accessory or clothing item. Alliteratively, if you don’t have cash handy, toss in a note or popsicle stick with the desired amount written on it, and tally it up later.

4. Playgrounds Aren’t Just for Kids

Who needs a gym membership, when you’ve got a playground around the corner from your apartment? Take a stroll over to the closest park and try out a quick interval, body weight work out using the playground.

This could mean laps on the monkey bars, chin ups, split lunges off the swing or tricep dips off the bench… just get creative, listen to your body and have fun with it!

5. Mobile Meetings

Have a conference call or an evening meeting? Consider taking it on the road! Either throw in some headphones for a phone call, or see if your meeting companion is open to walking and talking.

6. Podcast Productivity

Feel like you don’t have time to read or study and work out? Download a podcast or audiobook to listen to while going for a walk, run or outdoor work out.

7. Always Be Prepared

Make a habit of storing a gym bag in your car stocked with a change of clothes, make-up remover wipes, a hair brush, deodorant and Murad’s MattEffect Blotting Perfector. This way, post workout plans will never be an excuse for a skip day.

8. Make It a Game

Challenge a friend to get active with you and set the stakes. For example, if you skip out on an outing, activity or fitness challenge etc. that you agreed to that week, you could be responsible for buying the first round of patio drinks or grilling up a summer’s eve dinner for you both, that weekend.

9. Weekend Warriors

Whether it’s a cottage, a beach weekend or camping, try to plan outdoor activities beyond the city occasionally. Treat yourself to some active, outdoor fun, un-plugged from the hustle of the city, with people you love.

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Blending Internal and External Hydration for Healthier Skin

Post by Jen Harmatz,, Murad Director of Retail Education

I f I told you that you could solve most of your aging concerns with hydration, would you believe me or give me the side eye?

Here is a little-known secret that we at Murad have known for years: the most important step to keeping skin youthful is hydration, and hydrating from the inside is just as important as hydrating from the outside.

As we age, our bodies lose the ability to stay hydrated on a cellular level. Think of a farm-fresh egg you’ve just cracked open: the yolk looks full and strong, holding in all that yellowy goodness. This is equivalent to a young, healthy cell holding in all its water. Now, imagine that yolk getting pricked by a bit of shell – chances are you would start to see some of that yellow leak out. This is what happens to our skin as we age: our cells withstand prick after prick, causing what was once supple and full to become dry and deflated. Since everything in our bodies is connected, this internal loss of cellular water manifest itself as dryness, lines, dull and rough skin. (Who has time for that!)

Our skin is the body’s largest organ and the first line of protection against all manner of things including environmental aggressors, disease, water loss, and toxins.  With such a powerful role, it’s important that we do everything we can to keep it strong, and hydration is one of the most important factors for strengthening the lipid barrier. Like a crumbling brick wall, a weak lipid barrier compromises the skin’s ability to protect itself. Keeping the cells hydrated helps to patch these gaps before they have the chance to crumble.

External Care

So, let’s talk about what we can do externally to help repair and hydrate the skin. The first thing you want to do is exfoliate the layer of dead skin cells blocking hydration from penetrating deeper into the surface layer of healthy skin cells. In doing so, the moisturizing agents you put on will deliver the results you want in the time they promise. Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel will do both for you in 2 easy steps.

Step 1: Run the pre-soaked swab across your face to gently exfoliate with both Lactic and Glycolic Acids.

Step 2: Apply the sheet mask and leave on for 15-20 minutes. The Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel mask is loaded with Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe Extract and Vitamin B3, which all work together to visibly minimize lines and wrinkles, seal in moisture, and give you plump skin.

Internal Care

Topical treatment is undoubtedly important, but just as you would water the roots to keep a plant healthy and alive, so should you also hydrate your cells from the ground up (or in this case, the outside in).

Known as the father of Internal Skincare®, Dr. Murad has always taken a whole-person approach to health and beauty.  Hydro-Glow Dietary Supplements internally boost cellular hydration, giving you radiant skin from the inside out! It contains ingredients like Glucosmaine that helps support increased hydration and improve skin texture and Osmolytes that helps cells keep the right amount of intracellular water levels.

I like to think of it as a daily, nightly and weekly solution.

Take your Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel daily, use Hydro-Dynamic® Ultimate Moisture nightly and Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel weekly for the softest, plumpest, youngest skin you have even seen.

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Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel



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Hydro-Glow Dietary Supplements



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Seeing Blue: This is How Your Smartphone is Aging You

When most people think about the health and aging of their skin, the obvious and avoidable aggressors – like spending too much time in the sun, putting pressure on your face while sleeping, using tanning beds, sleeping in your makeup, or smoking cigarettes – usually come to mind. While these all are very important contributing factors to the aging process, they only tell part of the story.

Every day, your skin is damaged by sneaky environmental aggressors, including pollution and blue light from electronic devices. As it turns out, the hours we spend scrolling on Instagram are standing between us and that “#NoFilter I woke up like this” caption.

What is Blue Light?

Blue light is all around us, from the sun’s rays to man-made devices like our laptops, flat-screen TVs, tablets, cell phones, and even fluorescent and LED lighting. The sun emits significantly more blue light than our favorite technology, but the amount of time we spend in close range to electronic devices is taking this exposure (and its associated risks) to new heights.

Why is it harmful?

At 380-500 nm, blue light is one of the shortest and highest-energy wavelengths. Visible Light penetrates skin more deeply than UVA and UVB, and has been shown to generate more ROS (reactive oxygen species) than UVB and UVA combined. This increases the production of free radicals which, as you’ve probably heard, are bad for your skin and your health.

Here’s a fun fact: did you know that four 8-hour workdays in front of a computer is just as damaging to your skin as 20 minutes in the mid-afternoon sun? Putting this in perspective, 7 minutes of sun exposure at 1pm is powerful enough to induce immediate tanning!

Excessive blue light accelerates the oxidation process, stimulates the keratinocytes, and acts on melatonin. Its oxidative effects also elicit inflammation and cause damage to our natural barrier, making your skin less capable of holding onto cellular water and more susceptible to the dangers of environmental aggressors. The result? Skin that shows visible signs of aging, including hyperpigmentation, dullness, and fine lines and wrinkles.

What’s the Solution?

With Murad’s efficacious and technologically advanced formulas, you can now care for your skin around the clock with the complete City Skin® collection that protects and repairs skin day and night.

Shield skin during the day with City Skin® Age Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 PA++++. This ultra-lightweight formula goes beyond UVA/UVB protection to shield skin from blue light, pollution, and infrared radiation. Lutein and Iron Oxides enhance broad spectrum protection, adding defense against blue light, and infrared radiation while a polymer matrix acts like a “second skin” and blocks the adhesion and penetration of toxic environmental aggressors. A peach tint helps color correct and immediately boost radiance, and the formula works on all skin tones, absorbing quickly with no ashy residue.

Revitalize skin overnight for a radiant glow by morning with City Skin® Overnight Detox Moisturizer. This breakthrough formula, with super-charged antioxidants from Marrubium Plant Stem Cells, neutralizes pollutants and strengthens skin’s barrier while you sleep. Next Generation Vitamin C helps brighten and even tone, while nourishing botanicals plump skin to help visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

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Sources: Unilever Skincare Research, American Association for the Advancement of Science, PLoS ONE

 

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Nature’s High-Performance Moisturizer: Hyaluronic Acid

Regardless of your skin type, once you reach adulthood, your skin becomes a little drier every day. How you respond to that loss of moisture may be the single most important factor in determining how old you look. For people with skin that is naturally less oily, dry-skin-related issues are often apparent at an early age. They can begin to experience symptoms such as dullness, rough texture, flaking, cracking and tightness as early as their 20s. People with more oily skin tend to see different symptoms of water loss and see them a bit later, typically in their 30s or 40s. Common symptoms include fine lines, wrinkles and loss of volume. But no matter when you begin to see signs of persistent dehydration, restoring lost water is a central component in any anti-aging skincare program. Fortunately, there are some amazing super-hydrators available to help you to replenish your skin.

Moisturizers help to renew skin with 3 classes of ingredients: water, hydrophobic agents that seal water into the skin’s surface, and hydrophilic agents (also known as humectants) that attract water and create a reservoir within the skin to help keep moisture at an optimal level. One of the most important humectants in high-performance skincare is Hyaluronic Acid, a long, elastic molecule that is naturally abundant in young skin. Hyaluronic Acid is a component of the natural moisturizing factor (NMF), the water-soluble compounds responsible for the water-holding and absorbing powers of the skin’s surface. It also plays an important role deep within the skin and throughout the body where it binds with water to form a slippery gel that provides cushioning and lubrication. It is part of the synovial fluid that keeps our joints comfortable, and it also forms part of the intercellular matrix—the watery medium between cells through which nutrients and cellular waste products flow. Because each molecule of Hyaluronic Acid can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, it allows topical moisturizers to provide the sustained supply of water needed to keep skin plump, smooth and well hydrated.

In addition to the ability to enhance the moisturizing power of topical skincare, the natural plumping properties of Hyaluronic Acid have also made it a popular ingredient for injectable wrinkle fillers. New Hyaluronic filling sphere technologies, however, now give topical anti-aging moisture formulas the power to deliver results comparable to injections.

Beyond its remarkable power as a topical hydrator, Hyaluronic Acid is also used to give skin an exceptionally beautiful finish—what skincare chemists call the “after feel.” If you are looking to take your anti-aging hydration strategy to the next level, be sure that the moisturizer you select includes this remarkable substance.

Many of Murad’s treatments and moisturizers make use of the unique properties that Hyaluronic Acid offers. Our newest innovation utilizes this moisture infusing power of Hyaluronic Acid to deliver an astounding 400% boost in hydration to the skin. Hydro-Glow Aqua Peel uses an exclusive dual-phase system to give skin a gentle peel before the moisture infusion mask delivers intense hydration to replenish skin and help visibly minimize lines and wrinkles.

Article by Howard Murad, M.D., FAAD, a world renowned skincare expert and founder of the Inclusive Health movement. Click here to learn more about Dr. Murad.

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Eat Your Sunscreen Recipes

Now that summer is appoaching, we hope you have your sunscreen ready to go. But another way to protect yourself is by “eating your sunscreen.”  Dr. Murad says eating certain foods can improve your body’s natural environmental defenses and increase your cellular health. Although daily SPF is essential, it’s helpful to double up on your sun protection through foods that help from the inside out.

eating certain foods can improve your body’s natural environmental defenses and increase your cellular health.

Here are 3 recipes to help you eat your sunscreen:

Spinach Pomegranate Salad with Pears and Hazelnuts

Pomegranates are rich in polyphenols, which provide anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative protection to fight free radicals. Spinach contains coenzyme Q10, which helps neutralize free radicals and minimize the damage they cause from penetrating your cells.

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons roasted hazelnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 ounces spinach leaves

3/4 cup finely shredded radicchio

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts

1 large Bartlett pear

Preparation

In a small saucepan, boil pomegranate juice until reduced to 1/4 cup, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool. Whisk in lemon juice, oil, salt, thyme and pepper.
In a salad bowl, gently mix spinach, radicchio, pomegranate seeds, and hazelnuts with dressing. Divide among 6 plates.
Quarter pear and core. Thinly slice crosswise, and then stack slices and cut into matchsticks. Arrange pear slices on salads.Recipe from Myrecipes.com

HERB-PARMESAN ROASTED TOMATOES

Tomatoes contain carotenoids, which help protect cells from the danger of free radicals that may be produced by the body, pollution, cigarette smoke, and more.

Ingredients

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

12 1/2-inch-thick tomato slices, from 6 medium-sized tomatoes

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add olive oil and stir to form a moist mixture.
Arrange tomato slices on baking sheet and spoon a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of the Parmesan mixture on top of each slice, dividing evenly. Use your fingertips to press into an even layer. Bake until tomatoes are soft and topping begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot or warm. Recipe from Health.com

Mango-Pineapple Salsa

Mangoes are rich in Vitamin C, which is responsible for producing collagen to help skin look plumper and younger.

Ingredients

1 ripe mango, peeled, cored and diced small (about 2 cups)

1 cup diced pineapple

½ cup minced red onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Directions

Mix together all of the ingredients and season with salt to taste. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips. The salsa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Recipe from Browneyedbaker.com

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Keeping Your Mind Sharp With Cognitive Fitness Exercises

We all know it’s important to exercise our bodies, but studies are finding it’s as important to exercise our minds!

A study led by Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, found that “healthy adults who participated in cognitive training demonstrated positive changes in executive brain function as well as a 7.9 percent increase in global brain flow compared to study counterparts who participated in an aerobic exercise program.”

Furthermore, Dr. Bond confirmed that adults can lose “1-2 percent in global brain blood flow every decade, starting in our 20s” and that the study resulting in an “almost an 8 percent increase in brain blood flow in the cognitive training group may be seen as regaining decades of brain health since blood flow is linked to neural health.”

Being kind to your mind is one cornerstone of our belief in a whole-person approach to beauty and clearly science agrees. Keeping your mind active through cognitive training, or brain games, such as memory exercises, optical illusions, language and logic puzzles and pattern recognition and thinking, improves the lifelong health of one of the most important organs in your body.

These cognitive fitness exercises are especially beneficial to your brain health, which can play a role in how well your brain’s cells maintain their hydration (known as cellular water). Preventing dehydration in all the cells of your body, including your brain, is the key to feeling younger and healthier.

Just remember to keep your competitive nature at bay as these exercises are meant to be a form of stress relief and shouldn’t be a source of frustration. At Murad we love a good sudoku but the type of puzzle isn’t as important as long as it stretches your brain and forces you to think.

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Get Your Goji Glow On

Hydration isn’t just about the water you drink, it’s about how much water your cells can hold. Goji berries are rich in amino acids and antioxidants that help strengthen the cell membrane and give you an extra boost of hydration.

This refreshing goji berry lime smoothie is full of nutrients that will boost your glow and keep your body hydrated from the inside out. Cheers!

 

Recipe:

Makes one serving of smoothie

Ingredients:

¼ cup dried goji berries

¼ cup frozen pineapple

¼ cup frozen strawberries

1 peeled lime

1 teaspoon Camu Camu Berry Powder

Enough coconut water to cover all ingredients in blender

Directions:

Throw all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

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Building Water-Rich Muscles

Not only does exercise release stress and make you feel your best inside and out, it also helps keep your body hydrated. Muscle holds 70% water vs. fat only holds 10% water, so building muscle through strength-training exercises is a great way to keep your body hydrated from within.

Watch this video for a total-body strength-training guide by Arielle McFadden, yoga and fitness expert and Murad Brand Ambassador, to help you build stronger, water-rich muscles.

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Take A Deep Breath To Hydrate Your Brain

Cultural Stress – the stress that you experience from your daily life – is directly linked to cellular dehydration. Stress releases cortisol, a hormone that damages cellular membrane and compromises the cell’s ability to hold water. Combat the effects on your mind, body and skin with mindful breathing to stay calm, hydrated and glowing.

Watch this video for an easy breathing exercise by Arielle McFadden, yoga and fitness expert and Murad Brand Ambassador, to help you relax and manage stress anytime and anywhere.

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Switch to Daylight Savings Time (Without Losing Sleep)

Daylight Saving Time means a lot of great things – more sunshine, warmer weather, and longer days. But “Spring Forward” also means losing an hour of sleep too. It can be a hard transition on our bodies, so here are few great tips to help make it a little bit easier:

Understand Your Sleep Schedule: If you know how much sleep you need to function at your best self, you can slowly adjust your schedule to make sure you don’t feel the hour loss. If you need eight hours of sleep at night, slowly start going to bed earlier – and waking up earlier – the week before Daylight Saving Time takes place. Starting with 15 minutes and going up to an hour before you typically go to sleep and wake up. This will help your circadian rhythm reset without such an abrupt change.

Start A Winding Down Routine: A few hours before you need to be asleep, start winding down from the day with some calming activities. Reading a book, drinking some decaf herbal tea (a detoxifying tea works great at night http://www.murad.com/blog/lemon-ginge...), or using a soothing face mask like City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer (https://www.murad.com/product/city-sk...) are all examples of gentle ways to slow down. Also, try to avoid technology – the blue light exposure from screens like cell phones, computers, or televisions is interpreted by the brain as daylight and hinders the release of the sleep hormone melatonin.

Prepare For The Next Day The Night Before: One of the quickest ways to make mornings easier is to prepare the night before. Preparing your meals, laying out your outfit, and packing up purses, briefcase, and backpacks, are simple tasks that can be taken care of before you go to sleep and help relieve some of the stress of your morning routine.

Create A Sleep-Friendly Environment: Making sure that your bedroom promotes healthy sleep is important. Does your mattress support you in the way you need? Do your curtains block out or let in as much light as you desire? Is the temperature too hot or too cold? Do your pets, spouse, or children hog the bed? All of these things can add up to whether you sleep well at night, or wake up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning. Make the necessary adjustments to ensure a proper and healthy night’s sleep, every day of the year.

It’s not just sleep that can be a hard transition during the Daylight Saving Time change, but the mornings as well. To make waking up easier, have a routine that you look forward to. Taking some “you” time to eat a healthy breakfast, write in a journal, or do some light exercise like meditation (which can be done in just ten minutes http://www.murad.com/blog/mallika-cho...) are fantastic wellness rituals to begin the morning with. Having motivating reasons to get out of bed, instead of hitting the snooze button, can help start your day out on the right foot.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars – Daylight Saving Time takes effect on Sunday, March 12th.

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