1. The plank.

This is really easy, and you’ll be able to feel the burn almost immediately. Lying on your front, lean on your arms (elbows to wrists) and push yourself up on your toes. You should be level, like a plank. It may hurt, but hold it for thirty seconds, relax, and then do it again.

2. Sit ups.

Most people know about these, and they are super simple. Lie on your back with your knees drawn up. Put your hands to your head, and using your stomach muscles pull yourself to a sitting position – careful not to knock your knees! And relax. Do this thirty times.

3. Bicycle crunch.

Stay lying on your back, and pull your legs up straight in the air. Keeping your hands on your head, tilt your head to the left and simultaneously pull your left knee to your chest. Now turn the opposite way and pull the opposite leg towards you. Keep going for one minute.

4. Cross crunch.

Still lying on your back (see how easy this exercise thing is?) put your arms and legs out like a starfish. Then, keeping them completely straight, bring your left leg and right arm together above you, then the opposite ones. Again, continue for one minute.

5. Push yourself up.

This one is challenging – sitting cross-legged, put your hands down solidly either side of you. Tense your stomach muscles, and then push yourself up so you are hovering slightly.  Hold for five, and then lower yourself down. Do this ten times.

Do these twice a day, everyday for atleast 6 weeks – you’ll be happy with the results.

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Exercise is an incredible way to release stress and forget the pressures of everyday life. It can be used as a time to unwind from the day and focus completely on yourself. Scientific studies have found that exerting energy physically is actually a fairly reliable method of boosting serotonin levels in your brain, essentially keeping you happier day to day.

Staying physically active will also help prevent a number of future health issues. If you want to avoid gaining excessive amounts of weight, hypertension problems, heart disease, and more, it is a great idea to remain in good shape.

If you find yourself too tired to want to go out and exercise, that is all the more reason to get out there! It may be difficult to get into the habit of exercising, but do it often enough and you will actually find yourself with more energy and endurance from day to day.

It is not difficult to incorporate a small amount of exercise into your daily life. This can mean biking to school, stretching out a little each day, or finding fun activities to participate in with your friends.

School sports are an incredible way to stay active and meet some great new people. Not only will you be getting a good amount of physical activity, but you will also be forging relationships with teammates that can last a lifetime.

Overall, it is incredibly important for young adults to stay active in their daily lives. With a few minutes of exercise each day you can prevent many health problems down the road and continue to lead a happy and healthy life!

Article by Shelby Andrews

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While each meal is important, breakfast is the most important because we need to jump-start our metabolisms.  A low sugar, high protein morning meal does the job of awakening the metabolism and will keep you satisfied until lunch.  Also for variety, we can try adding oatmeal into our breakfast menu. Oatmeal is low in fat and sugar, high in fiber, and packed with beauty enhancing vitamins and  a revved up metabolism is essential to healthy weight management too.

Foods for Healthy Skin

Foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals are the best options to build and maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails. Most have seen people with absolutely glowing skin and a great outlook on life. If their diets were examined closely, you would find that these people eat a common diet.  Their diet includes whole food sources of vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin E, lycopene, and omega 3 fatty acids. Vitamin C and lycopene helps the body to build skin collagen which translates into fabulous skin. Vitamin E and beta carotene protect the skin from harmful free radical and sun damage. Omega 3 fatty acids nourish the skin to give it softness and smoothness.

Examples of foods containing these nutrients are listed below:

Oranges – Vitamin C
Strawberries – Vitamin C
Grapefruit – Vitamin C and Lycopene
Sweet Potato – Beta Carotene
Walnuts- Omega 3 fatty acid
Almonds – Vitamin E
Eggs – Protein and every vitamin except vitamin C

Foods and Beverages That We Need to Avoid.

There are foods and beverages that are absolute beauty busters. Foods containing processed sugar are to be avoided or severely limited if you want a lifetime of healthy looking skin. The sugar serves to break down the body’s collagen production, and it promotes unhealthy weight gain. Caffeinated, sugar laden soft drinks are the main saboteurs of healthy skin because caffeine dehydrates the entire body including the skin. Pure water with a twist of lemon is a great replacement beverage.

Making a few simple changes in our daily diets and eating habits can make us feel more energetic and keep us healty and beautiful from the inside out.

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Personal Hygiene

As we teenagers get older and our hormone levels increase, personal hygiene becomes a very important factor in having clear skin. You should wash your face at least once a day, but no more than twice. This helps remove oil that can clog pores and cause acne.  If you wash your face more than twice a day, your skin creates extra oil to help restore what is being removed. By only washing the face occasionally, the body is able to find a happy middle ground that will result in clearer skin.

Acne Treatments

Acne is the most common skin condition in the world and peaks during our teenage years thanks to our overactive glands. While it is impossible to completely eliminate acne, the problem can be treated with several over-the-counter products.

The most common treatment is to use an acne face wash. These facial cleansers should be used twice a day, both in the morning and at night. There are dozens of different products to choose from, and you should be sure to purchase the correct cleanser for your skin type. Depending on the product, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for the acne wash to start working. It’s also important to note that not all facial cleansers are the same. Since everyone’s skin is different, some brands work better for different people.

Moisturizing Skin

Once the skin has been washed, it may feel tight and dry. To fix this, a good moisturizer is needed. Just as acne cleansers should be purchased based on skin type, the same is true for moisturizer. Those who have dry skin will need a moisturizer that prevents skin from flaking off while those who have oily skin will need one that protects against the extra oil being produced.

Many moisturizers also come with additional benefits, such as protecting against aging or helping to restore elasticity. While us teenagers may not worry about either of these now, our skin will thank us later for using these products.

Protecting Skin From Sun Damage

Using sunscreen may not always be fun, but it helps prevent against several unsightly skin conditions. The most well know is sunspots, which often appear as a dark scar-like dots on our face. These spots can be hard to cover with makeup and even harder to remove. Sun damage also causes premature wrinkles, uneven skin tone, scaly patches, cancerous moles, and much more.

For those who are still against using sunscreen despite the dangers, consider switching to a brand of makeup or moisturizer that contains at least a SPF level of 15. This will help keep skin looking healthy and clear well into our adulthood.

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