Never Skip Breakfast

Live is so hectic these days that I'm sure many people, just like I used to be, skip breakfast. Or their breakfast is a cup of coffee and a donut, maybe a slice of toast, which doesn't provide enough nutrients for the body to tackle the tasks that lies ahead.

Like many others, I would rather spend a few more minutes in bed than got up a bid early to have something in my stomach. I would go all the way until noon time to have a bite to eat. Didn't feel much different when I was younger. But by the time I was in the mid 30s, I started to feel the effect. By about 11 in the morning, I start feeling a little dizzy, and by noon, my feet would start shaking. One day I came across an article somewhere reporting the most important meal of the day is breakfast.

I follow the rule. With a family of 4, I'm responsible for their well being too. So I make sure every body has a nice, nutritious breakfast every morning.

Quick and easy but nutritious breakfast in less than 5 minutes:
In a blender:
1 cup of low fat or skim milk
1 hard boiled egg
1 medium apple, cut up into small pieces
1 scoop of protein powder
2 tablets of vitamin B complex
2 tablets of vitamin C
2 tablets of calcium & magnesium
1 tablet of vitamin E
Blend everything for about 3 minutes, done! Everything our bodies need.

If you prefer a smoothier, creamer, fuller treat, add a banana, some strawberries. Or if you like the nutty taste, add some roasted walnut, peanut, almond, pecan, or any kind of nut your heart desire.

As for the vitamin and minerals, I use Nutrilite brand. Since they are natural, it doesn't taste like medicine. I have tried using other brands, they all have a slight medicine taste.
You can find them here at http://engo.qhealthzone.com

Drinking Purified Water

Why do we need to drink purified water?

We all know that water is essential. It does more than sustain life; it can actually improve our health, our fitness and our appearance. Human body contains about 75% water. What kind of water is good for the body? It has to be clean, clear, odor less, contaminants free, fresh and has trace of minerals. It has to be pure!

Water is good for you only if it’s good, pure water.

Potable water has become a major concern for many people today. The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) maintains that the number of Americans exposed to water contaminant above EPA standard is growing.

Do you know what is in your tap water before it is in you?

We often take the purity of our tap water for granted – and we shouldn’t. There are endless reports of contaminants in our tap water. Aging pipes can break, leach contaminants into the water they carry and breed bacteria – all potential prescription for illness. Old-fashion water treatment -built to filter out particles in the water and kill some parasites and bacteria, generally fails to remove 21^st century contaminants like pesticides, industrial chemicals and arsenic.

First, there is chlorine in tap water. Chlorination process at the Municipal Water Supplies can form chemical compounds called trihalomethanes (THMs) which are carcinogens resulting from the combination of chlorine with organic compounds in water. These chemicals do not degrade very well and are generally stored in the fatty tissues of the body (breast, other fatty areas, mothers' milk, blood and semen). It can cause mutations by altering DNA, suppress immune system function and interfere with the natural controls of cell growth. Chlorinated water can destroy polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E in the body while generating toxins capable of free radical damage (oxidation); Chlorinated water destroy much of the intestinal flora, the friendly bacteria that help in the digestion of food and protect the body from harmful pathogens

Tap water may contain:

• Lead from soldered pipes. Lead can result in anemia, low birth weight in children, increase blood pressure in adults
• Microbiological growth inside pipeline or tank
• Particulates from corrosion and rusting inside pipes or holding tanks
• Pesticides from leeching industrial runoff
• Mercury, which may cause kidney damage
• Radon from land decade can increase the risk of stomach cancer
• MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether), a cancer causing chemical
• Bacteria and viruses

EPA estimates that 2-10% of bladder cancer may be from contaminated drinking water. The use of at source water purification devices is strongly recommended to protect you and your family’s health.

There are a wide range of water filter or purification systems on the market. Most pitcher filter or the faucet mounted filter will eliminate some of the chlorine in the water, thus improving the taste, but are not effective in removing contaminants and bacteria. Some like the reverse osmosis filtering or distillation systems are removing everything in the water, including the minerals, which are beneficial to our health. These systems need high water pressure and waste as much as 75% of it. The best in home filtration system to date is the combination of carbon block filtration and ultraviolet light. A multi-stage carbon block filter can trap particulates 300 times smaller than a human hair and reduce lead, mercury, organic and inorganic contaminants, but it will leave in all the beneficial minerals. Ultraviolet light can destroy 99% of waterborne disease causing bacteria and viruses.

To maintain good health, purify your water before drinking, when cooking and even when washing food, fruit and vegetables. Watch a video demonstration or you can experiment it yourself.

Go to your local hardware or pool supply store, buy a small OTO water test kit and test your tap water for yourself.

To protect my family from harmful contaminants in tap water, I use this water purification system. Water is clean, fresh and pure tasting that I have no problem having the kids drinking water. We don't have sodas at our house, not even bottled water. Beside protecting our health, imagine the money I saved! Check out their product here.

Here is a video showing how dirty some tap water may be. This guy has been away for 3 days and return to find that his water is....what do you think? It is pretty scary when you can see how dirty it is. But it's even scarier with things we can't see with our eyes then we take it for granted that it is clean when it is actually not. A good water purifier will at least save you from having unnecessary contaminants intake though water.

Benefits of Drinking Water

What is the real benefits of drinking water? And what kind of water is good for us?


Through out our lives, we heard the phrase: "to maintain your health, drink 6-8 cups of water".

But many people can't seem to stick with the advice because they don't know exactly what and how water can affect our well beings.


Water plays an important role in our body. There are 92% of water in the blood, 22% in the bones, 75% of the brain and the muscles are water. So there is an average of 65-75% of our body's weight is water! Water makes up the majority of every cell in our bodies. It helps flush out the toxic substances in the kidneys. It helps control the blood pressure by balance the electrolytes. It helps moisten the eyes, mouth and nasal passages. It helps keep the body cool when it is hot and insulates the body when it is cold. It also acts as a shock absorber t cushion the body's organs, and it helps lubricate joints and is part of sweat, tears, and saliva.



Now can you see why drinking enough water has major benefits to maintain a healthy body?

*Water helps maintain blood volume, which maintains your energy

*Proper hydration improves your concentration and reaction time, especially during exercise

*Water increases the number of calories you burn during regular daily activities, helps body reduce fat deposits

*Water can help prevent the stomach distress concentrated medicines can cause

*Water helps rid the body of excess sodium that can cause fluid retention

Water also help protect against a variety of ailments. There may be links between high water consumption and a reduced risk of : cold, constipation, urinary track infections, kidney stones, and bladder cancer.


Did you know that drinking enough good quality water may improve your appearance?

Because water reaches the skin last; if your body doesn't get enough water, your skin will feel the effects more than any other organ. Water can help hydrate the skin, leaving it:

*smoother
*softer
*more supple
*less wrinkles

Ah....! It may even help you lose weight. People often mistake thirst for hunger pangs, so we tend to eat snacks, when in reality, our bodies just need some water to drink. Drinking water can also help you feeling full, thus lessening your desire to eat.

How much water do you drink a day? It really depends on several things: the size of your body, how physically active you are, under what condition do you work, and even the climate you are in because your body works hard to keep you warm or cool. As a general guideline, the average person should drink between 1.5 to 2.5 liter (about 1.5 - 2.5 quarts) or 6 to 10 8 oz. cups. For example, if you weight 120 pounds, and exercise 20 minutes a day, then you need to drink at least 8 cups of clean water to replace the bodily fluids normally lost throughout the day.

Do not get dehydrated. Dehydration occurs when your body has less water than it needs, and it is a very serious condition. When your body is just 1% below normal, you feel extremely thirsty, when you are 5% below, you will have a mild fever, and if you are 10% low on water, you will turn blue and not able to walk!

Water is the best way to keep hydrated. Caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and colas actually dehydrate the body, using more water to process than they provide; alcoholic beverage do the same. Drinking purified water is the best way to stay hydrated. Choose the best water purifier is critical to the quality of the water you are feeding your body.

DNA and Your Skin

Deep in the very center of every cell, in every living thing, is one of life's most amazing wonders -- DNA.

Scientists discovered Deoxyribonucleic Acid, DNA, in the 1940s. It was an amazing discovery that allowed us to start researching and understanding our genetic makeup. DNA has been called the "thread of life" because it plays such an important role in heredity and cell growth.

And even though DNA is what makes each of us unique, it's a fact that 99.99% of all DNA is exactly the same -- in plants, animals, and humans. It's that little 0.01% that makes each and every one of us different.

Different species. Different races. Different people.

What is DNA?
DNA is like a fingerprint or a snowflake of your genetic makeup. Your DNA is different from everyone else's. There are no two DNA makeups that are exactly alike.

So whether you take a cell sample from your hair or your blood, your DNA is the same throughout your whole body.

It's truly amazing when you think about the fact that there are 10 trillion cells in our bodies, and while they come in all shapes and sizes, the DNA is exactly the same in each one of them. And because the information it stores is so very complex, it's almost impossible to comprehend how DNA does what it does!

But just as our laptop computers can store huge amounts of complicated information, so can our DNA.

Your DNA takes your unique, stored information and makes up your genes. Genes are what carry family traits from one generation to the next. You are a combination of your parents' DNA, and your genetic code is what makes you you -- how tall you are, what color your hair is, why your skin is soft like your mother's or why you are tall like your father.

One of the key roles DNA plays in life is cell reproduction or cell growth. Cells grow by dividing in two. But before cell division can start, a process called replication must take place. That's where DNA copies itself so that when the cell does divide, it will be an exact replica of itself.

During this copying stage, two strands of DNA separate. The separated pieces break off and form new DNA strands. They do this by pairing up with other pieces that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Once replication takes place, a cell is ready to divide, which it may do thousands of times in its lifetime as our bodies grow and change.

When cells are healthy and growing properly, the DNA is replicated time and time again, exactly the same way in each cell. But when cells are not healthy or damaged, our DNA may replicate incorrectly. That can have an impact on your skin.

DNA & Healthy Skin
Let's talk more about what DNA has to do with skin beauty. DNA provides the building instructions or "blueprint" for our skin, determining surface texture, color, flexibility/resilience, and smoothness/softness.

When skin cells are healthy and thriving on the inside, it shows on the outside -- your face, for example, is glowing, soft, and beautiful -- the way it should be.

But as scientists have discovered, your skin is very vulnerable to damage, from all kinds of things such as smoking and pollution, but especially from the sun. Its UV light can often penetrate through the cell membrane and right into the DNA, causing great harm inside our cells. And when the environment damages our cells, our DNA directs the "repair" process per the original "blueprint."

Sometimes that causes our DNA to replicate itself incorrectly. Sometimes the damage is so great it can't replicate itself at all. In that case, the cells can't divide and grow like they're supposed to, resulting in wrinkles and dry skin.

But our cells are strong. They want to live and they want to grow, so they are always fighting back.

They can quickly detect changes and then respond immediately in a way that will best ensure their survival. However, as we age, our defense mechanisms diminish.

The good news is that as scientists understand more about how DNA functions within our cells, research is leading to new and better ways to protect this life-giving element so it can perform its incredibly complex job. In fact, in the last 20 years scientists have discovered a mechanism that protects DNA. This mechanism is an enzyme that actually restores DNA to its original state.

You benefit from this advanced science with new, innovative ways that protect your DNA and help you maintain a youthful, healthy appearance.

It's important for each of us to learn more about what we can do to protect our cells and our DNA. After all, it's what makes you a you!

Because Inner Health Brings Outer Beauty

Clear Answers to the Acne Myths

Myth: Only teens get acne.
Reality: Acne knows no age. Not just a teenage problem, acne actually affects one out of
every four people between the age of 25 and 44, especially adult women.

Myth: Washing your face frequently helps clear up acne.
Reality: Dirt doesn't cause acne. Washing your face frequently my keep your skin free from dirton the surface, but pores aren't just clogged by dirt. In fact, washing you face too often
can actually irritate your skin, and skin irritation can make acne worse. Another thing
to avoid - don't wash your face with washcloth. The fabric is too rough and can
aggravate acne problems even more. Instead, use your bare hands when washing your
face, and only wash twice a day.

Myth: There's a "cure" for acne.
Reality: Unfortunately there is no "cure". The good news is that using clear.now Skin Care
System daily can help you prevent and control acne. Its pure formulas utilize a
patent-pending ingredient or active levels of salicylic acid to deeply clean skin while
keeping pores open so oil and dirt particles aren't trapped

Myth: In term of acne, you are what you eat.
Reality: There is no evidence that diet and acne are related. You may choose to stop eating things like chocolate, sugar, oil, milk and seafood, but you shouldn't expect it to
dramatically change your skin.

Myth: The sun is good for clearing up acne.
Reality: The sun isn't good for your skin.
Spending time in the sun tans your skin, which may make your acne blend in with
your skin tone, but a suntan is never good. Sun exposure causes skin irritation that
can actually make acne worse. So sun may be a short-term surface solution, but it
will often have a reverse effect, causing more acne in the following weeks

Myth: Popping a blemish will clear it up quickly.
Reality: Leaving your blemishes alone works best. Picking at blemishes can actually make
matter worse. In fact, popping, squeezing, and picking at blemishes can result in
scarring. No matter how tempting, you're better off continuing your acne therapy
and letting your blemishes heal on their own.

Vitamin C Wrinkles Treatment

Studies have shown that a diet rich in Vitamin C can keep illnesses at bay. Now, research reveals that this antioxidant may also save your skin. If you cut an apple in half, apply some lemon juice to one half and leave the other half unprotected. In half an hour, the unprotected side starts to turn brown and the other half is still white. This is proof positive that vitamin C helps protect against free radical damage and premature aging.

Unfortunately, humans do not have the ability to make their own vitamin C, an essential nutrient, which is also required for the synthesis of collagen, therefore, we must obtain vitamin C through our diet and topical application to maintain good health and beautiful skin.

Vitamin C is an Anti-oxidants that protect the body from free radicals and help slow down aging. Vitamin C in topical form also stimulates collagen and elastin production in the skin thus reduce the appearance of wrinkles and helps replenish the natural vitamin C found in cells of skin that gets reduced due to sun damage. Vitamin C topical creams are very popular for many facial problems such as fine lines, wrinkles etc.. Unfortunately, the practical use of vitamin C in skin care presents some difficulties due to its lack of stability. When exposed to air for a period of time, it can undergo oxidation and become ineffective. So you have to carefully select the preparation.

For the most stable, ultimate potency form of Vitamin C in skin care, you can check out this pure wrinkles fighting power on the market today:

* Intensive spot treatment developed to minimize and repair the appearance of mature and or sun-damaged skin.
* Extremely potent, fresh version of vitamin C, composed of pure L-ascorbic acid and acerola cherry, which has one of the highest concentrations of natural vitamin C. It is the only product on the market that allows you to control when the Vitamin C is activated.
*Helps correct environmental damage to skin.
*Wild yam, a botanical, selected for its benefits on aged skin.

Yikes! What To Do With Oily Skin?

What to do and not to do when you have oily facial skin. Understanding what causes excessive oil and how to take care of it.

Oily skin is shiny, thick and often dull colored, has coarse pores and pimples and other embarrassing blemishes. It is prone to blackheads. With this type of skin, the oil producing sebaceous glands are overactive and produce more oil than is needed. The oil oozes and gives the skin a greasy shine. The pores are enlarged and the skin has a coarse look. The great advantage of oily skin is that it ages at a slower rate than other skin type and has less wrinkles.

OK...Ok... So what's causes oily skin? There could be a single or a combination of the following:

Internal causes:

• Heredity: determines the size and activity of the sebaceous glands.
• The hormonal system:Because of the hormonal shifts of adolescence, oily skin is common in teenagers, but it can occur at any age. In general, skin tends to become dryer with age. Sebum production starts to rise from the age of 10 and stabilizes around the age of 25, although it remains higher in men than in women. The menstrual cycle tends to increase sebaceous secretions whereas menopause diminishes it. During pregnancy and menopause, hormonal imbalances can also upset the oil balance and increase the activity of sebaceous glands. Many people have skin that is oily only in certain areas and dry or normal in others, a condition known as combination skin.
• Stress: the stress of daily life significantly increases sebum production.
• An unbalanced diet: spices and alcohol stimulate the production of sebum, as do meals taken at irregular intervals. A healthy, balanced diet is also an important factor for maintaining healthy-looking skin. Contrary to popular belief, eating chocolate (in a reasonable amount) does not promote oily skin.

External Causes:

• Daily aggressions (pollution, sun, air-conditioning, etc): pollution clings to the skin, damaging the hydrolipidic film and so worsening the condition of oily skin. Air-conditioning and sunshine also have a negative effect because by drying the skin, they temporarily conceal excess sebum, which reappears later in an excessive "rebound" reaction.
• The climate: when the outside temperature rises, sebum secretion also rises. That is why oily skin is more common in a hot, humid climate.
• The wrong cosmetics can easily aggravate an otherwise mild case of oily skin. The use of harsh products that scour and dry the skin and also provoke an excessive reaction.

Alright...What to do with my oily skin?

You should avoid skin care products that leave your skin feeling taut and dehydrated. They cause the upper layers of the skin to shrink. This restricts oil flow through the pores leading to blockages and breakouts.

Skin care routine

• Step 1: Wash your face two or three times a day with a mild cleanser that does not include perfumes or additives. Keep your skin very clean, but do not scrub too hard.
  

• Step 2 : Use an oil-free moisturizer and cosmetics
  

• Step 3: Use a clay-based face mask two or three times a week.
  

• Step 4: Choose products containing alpha-hydroxy acids, which remove dead cells and give skin a smoother appearance.
  

• Step 5: Keep your skin hydrated by drinking at least eight glasses of water a day.
  

• Step 6: Reduce fats and oils in your diet. Increase your intake of fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
  

• Step 7: Watch your sun exposure. Although the sun may seem to dry your skin, too much heat actually stimulates the production of more oil.
  

• Step 8: Supplement your diet with B-complex vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc and vitamin E. You can also take a high-potency multivitamin.