Natural Luxury Skincare line for Dry, Mature and Sensitive Skin: Ayr Skin Care

I am so excited to have discovered Ayr Skin Care, a new clean line for dry, mature and sensitive skin with proven results for deep hydration and wrinkle reduction. These effective products were specially formulated in Southern California by a mother-daughter team who use the highest quality products that are non-toxic, cruelty-free and sourced from small family and woman owned co-ops from around the world. All of the products are made in small batches and housed in beautiful eco-friendly packaging.

Use my special glow girl promotion code Glow20 for 20% off all purchases. Click here to buy now!

These products have been game-changing for me, especially the Pure Moisture Nourishing Face Cream in terms of achieving a flawless, youthful glow. I have super dry skin and after using this cream for the past month, my skin feels deeply hydrated and looks and feels its best! I’ve noticed a brighter, more luminous appearance in my complexion. Rich in allantoin, primrose extract, Vitamin C, phenylalanine, argan oil, and honeysuckle hydrosol, this day cream is luxury to the max. The ingredients contain powerful peptides that combat wrinkles and probiotics that feed the skin. You only need to use a small amount of product and the cream absorbs easily leaving skin with a gorgeous matte finish.

Special Glow Girl promotion Glow20 for 20% off all purchases. Click here to buy now!

Another favorite of mine from the line is the Calm Facial Bar. This unique and beautifully swirled facial bar clarifies and illuminates the skin. It also revitalizes the skins elasticity, increases circulation, and stimulates collagen production. Ingredients include organic avocado butter, castor oil and ginger grass—all incredibly soothing.

Special Glow Girl promotion code Glow20 for 20% off all purchases. Click here to buy now!

All of Ayr Skin Care’s creams are formulated with a patent pending plant-based silicone-free technology that I can stand behind! Their luxury skin care formulas are free of toxic ingredients, parabens, silicones, paraffin, gluten, soy, dairy, synthetic dyes and artificial perfumes. Taking care of your skin by using the safest and most effective products should be a priority, especially if you want to look and feel your best.

My goal is to always give you tips to look and feel 10 years younger and I highly recommend trying the Ayr Skin Care line! To order products, go to www.ayrskincare.com and use my special glow girl promotion code Glow20 for 20% off all purchases.

xxMelissa

*This blog post is sponsored by Ayr Skin Care but all opinions are my own.

8 Simple Ways to Boost Your Metabolism by Celeb Nutritionist Elissa Goodman

I was one of those girls who could always eat whatever I wanted, and my bodyweight basically stayed the same, give or take 5 lbs. But… I found that as I entered my 50s, my metabolism started to noticeably slow down. Even though I was regularly exercising and eating a healthy diet, a layer of “fluff” seemed to appear overnight. This change prompted me to take a closer look at and focus on my metabolism.

 In this article, guest contributor and celeb nutritionist Elissa Goodman shares her tips on how to re-boost your metabolism. Read on for some amazing tips and takeaways that have helped me and can help you achieve best results!

8 Simple Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Elissa Goodman is a nutritionist whose mission is to educate and encourage healthy, mindful living while helping others embrace the concept that we are a product of what we eat and how we treat ourselves.

When you think of someone with a “fast metabolism,” you might immediately envision a naturally thin person. However, metabolism is actually the chemical process in which your body turns calories into energy, and everyone has the ability to implement practices that can shift your levels of metabolism. A strong metabolism has seemingly endless benefits. It is related to lower rates of disease, healthy sex drive, longevity, and more.

Those with autoimmune conditions typically suffer from a sluggish metabolism. It is almost as if their body’s energy-producing mitochondria and thyroid (AKA the “gas pedal gland”) have both gone on strike and, as a consequence, everything has slowed down. As a result of the change in metabolic function, someone with an autoimmune disease might feel tired and cold a lot. They could also have a hard time losing weight. A slow metabolism will decrease the robustness of the immune system, so it is essential to keep track of any big shifts in metabolic function. If you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease or just think that your metabolism needs a boost, I recommend trying some of these strategies:

Conscious Breathing

This is one of the most deceptively simple ways to raise your metabolism and relax your body and mind – at the same time. Studies have shown that practices, like yoga, that incorporate conscious breathing result in greater metabolic efficiency likely due to reduced sympathetic activity and/or stabilized nervous system function. If you are new to conscious breath work, do not be intimidated; anyone can do it! You can start by simply inhaling for eight seconds, holding your breath for eight seconds and then exhaling for eight seconds. Do three rounds of 10 breaths in the morning when you wake up and before going to sleep at night.

The Plant Based Ketogenic Diet

You have probably heard that the ketogenic diet has helped some people lose weight; but did you know that it has also been shown to improve overall metabolism in some cases? For those who are unfamiliar with keto, it is a style of eating that is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates (roughly 70 percent fat, 25 percent protein and five percent carbs). The ketogenic diet can help to lower inflammation, reverse insulin resistance, improve brain function, increase energy levels, and even helps you detoxify from heavy metals. Keto doesn’t have to mean high animal protein and I wouldn’t recommend that version of it. There is a mostly plant-based keto program I would recommend. You can start by looking into Ketotarian by Dr. Will Cole.

Intermittent Fasting

Studies confirm that going without food for certain lengths of time has numerous health benefits like improving insulin sensitivity, increasing energy levels, and boosting metabolism. To ease into it, allow 15 hours between dinner and breakfast a few times per week. If you are more of a morning eater, try skipping dinner multiple times a week and only eat during the mornings and afternoons. Intermittent fasting is not intended to be calorie depriving. In fact, you should not be reducing your caloric intake at all when practicing this form of fasting. You are simply giving your body more time in between meals to reset because digestion is a lot of work on your system.

Stop Calorie Restriction

Give your body the calories it needs to function properly! If you are dieting too intensely, you can wind up entering “starvation mode.” This causes hormonal and cellular changes that drive up your hunger and thirst, while slowing down your fat-burning abilities and muscle growth. Your body slows down all of its essential processes as a means of conserving energy since it is not consuming enough fuel in the form of food.

Exercise

Various forms of exercise have been shown to have both short and long-term effects on metabolic function. I often tell my clients that mild intermittent fasting paired with moderate exercise can be a great combination for combatting poor metabolism. Moderate cardio in a fasted state first thing in the morning, for example, has been shown to offer superior metabolic effects than exercising after eating.

Cold Showers

You may be thinking that this one sounds like an old wives’ tale, but it actually works! Not only does cold water force your body to work harder to keep you warm, thereby burning more calories, it also activates healthy brown fat that helps to eliminate harmful adipose (white) fat. For optimal results, alternate 20 seconds of hot water and 20 seconds of cold water in the shower for a few minutes.

Get Plenty of Sleep

There is a proven link between a properly functioning metabolism and getting adequate sleep and rest. Therefore, a lack of sleep can literally mean a lack of weight loss. “Running on fumes” can seriously slow down your metabolism, so it is absolutely imperative for you to get around eight hours of sleep every night. Just because your brain may feel like it is able to function on limited sleep, that does not mean that your body is operating optimally on it.

Eat the Right Foods

There are various foods that can help to boost your metabolism in different ways. Some of them include healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, and wild fatty fish. Foods rich in iron, zinc and selenium promote proper thyroid function, which helps to maintain a healthy metabolism. Spicy foods like chili and cayenne peppers contain a compound called capsaicin, which may help to slightly increase metabolism and fat oxidation. Similarly, garlic can have a thermogenic effect in the body, which enhances the metabolism. The caffeine found in coffee may also help to boost the number of calories and fat that your body burns. If you are not a coffee drinker, do not worry, you are still in luck. The combination of caffeine and catechins found in green tea may help your body burn slightly more calories and fat if consumed regularly.

Ginger has also been found to increase calorie burning processes. Cacao may have certain metabolism-boosting properties as well, especially for those consuming high-calorie, high-fat diets. Almonds have numerous benefits and among them is metabolism improvement and weight loss. Coconut Oil and MCT Oil have shown similar promise for their metabolism-enhancing properties. I often recommend that my clients add a spoonful of MCT oil to their morning coffee or smoothie to kickstart their metabolism for the day ahead. Finally, experts agree that eating a variety of colorful, antioxidant-rich plant foods is essential for mitochondrial health. It is important to stay away from high-glycemic and high-carb foods like sugar and white flour because they can put a lot of stress on your mitochondria, inhibiting your metabolic function.

If you are experiencing an extreme and uncharacteristic shift in metabolic rate, I recommend consulting a doctor before testing any of these strategies.

Shop some metabolism-boosting essentials by clicking links in the carousel.

I hope you found this article helpful and let me know what works to help you boost your metabolism in the comments below!
xxMelissa

Live Unstoppable with Source Naturals

As most of you know, I’ve been on a wellness journey over the past few years and have been doing my best to implement all the steps to be as healthy as I can be for my age. Not only do I want to incorporate clean and natural products in my beauty routine, but it’s super important for me to treat my body well from the inside out. So, I’m always on the hunt to find and try new products that benefit both. Say hello to the Wellness Formula supplements and CBD Cream from Source Naturals.

Since I seem to always burn the candle at both ends, I need to be diligent about taking my supplements like the Wellness Formula by Source Naturals to help me maintain a strong immune system! It’s an award-winning blend of over 25 vitamins and herbs that help support not only the immune system, but the respiratory and antioxidant defense systems as well. Source Naturals’ formulation strategy, called Bio-Alignment, was used to create the Wellness Formula, among other amazing supplements, by choosing optimal nutrient forms that work at the cellular level to provide balance to the body’s interdependent systems. The company’s signature formulas help manage internal imbalances that come up as a result of stress, poor nutrition, and environmental pollutions – which so many of us are far too familiar with. When I take the Wellness Formula, I feel confident that I’m doing everything I can to help my body and immune system stay strong!

With CBD being such a buzz-worthy topic, I’ve been intrigued by all of the ways it’s been incorporated into different products - from body creams to coffees. I couldn’t be happier with Source Pure CBD Cream as I spend a good part of my day sitting in front of the computer. This product is uniquely derived from orange peels rather than hemp and contains traditional herbs and organic botanicals. The plant-based cream is 100% THC-free, non-psychoactive, and is one of the purest forms on the market, so it is super high-quality. I like to apply at the beginning and end of each day to feel my best.

If you’re interested in stocking up on some key wellness products for the coming fall and winter months, Source Naturals has your back. They’ve been around for nearly 40 years and have a proven deep understanding of the body and its functions. Incorporating products that help benefit inner and outer strength is something I take seriously, and Source Naturals has helped me find solutions that make me feel and live unstoppable.

This post is sponsored by Source Naturals but all opinions remain my own.