MILK - IT CAN DO A BODY GOOD!

Milk is the newest trend in body care these days, and it is showing up all over the place. Milk is in the media, in hair salons, wellness centers, day spas, department stores, and health food stores to name a few. There is cow milk, goat milk, soy milk, almond milk, oat milk and milk you may not even care to know it's origin. Why the sudden Popularity? Read on and find out.

Milk has been used for beauty treatments for quite some time, and there is evidence that Cleopatra soaked in baths of donkey or goat milk for hours at a time to beautify her skin. Asian cultures have relied on the benefits of rice milk for centuries to nourish and soothe skin, while cultures in tropical climates have found that coconut milk has numerous skin smoothing properties.

Milk comes from the mammary glands of female mammals, so it makes perfect sense that it would be loaded with nutrients. Milk is also abundant in many plant species and is usually derived from nuts, seeds and fruits. Today, milk of both plant and animal origin can be found in all sorts of body care products.

For some, milk brings to mind thoughts of wholesomeness, simplicity, or purity, and this easily draws people to try body treatments and products that contain any form of it. Who wouldn't want to soak in a creamy, milky-white bath of cinnamon scented oat milk or have their body covered in a warm elixir made with milk, honey and orange zest? The possibilities are endless: peaches and cream, almond milk and roses, chocolate-mint cream, or coconut milk and lime. Many spas around the world offer some type of treatment that utilizes milk, while body care product lines have introduced it into shampoos, soaps, lotion and nail care.

Milk contains lactic acid, which actually dissolves the glue that binds dead skin cells to our skin's surface. Consequently, the milk is sloughing off dead skin cells and acting as an exfoliant. When we exfoliate our skin, it automatically feels softer, but when exfoliation is combined with the skin smoothing and hydrating effects of milk, it may no longer feel like your own. Milk contains proteins, enzymes, amino acids, and antioxidants, all incredibly valuable for our skin. The milk proteins are skin-enhancing since they promote smoothness and help to strengthen skin structure. The milk enzymes and amino acids are responsible for stimulating the skin's natural moisture barrier, which makes way for intense hydration and skin cell regeneration. Finally, milk's antioxidants are great for combating environmental damage and provide future protection from further damage

Perhaps you now have an understanding of milks sudden popularity in the body care industry. Not only do the combinations of milk and other elements sound delicious, but they also provide nutrition for the skin, often times are all natural, and can be just plain fun! Next time you are near body care products, take a look, and I'm sure you'll find some milk around.

Source: http://www.searchmalta.com/ezine/spalook/milk.shtml

HEALTH BENEFITS OF WATER

 How 8 Glasses A Day Keeps Fat Away

Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possibly the single
most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off.
Although most of us take for granted, water may be the only
true "magic potion" for permanent weight loss.

Water supresses the appetite naturally and helps the body
metabolize stored fat.  Studies have shown that a decrease in
water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an
increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

Here's why:  The kidneys can't function properly without enough
water.  When they don't work to capacity, some of their load is
dumped onto the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is
to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body.  But
if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work it can't
operate at full throttle.  As a result, it metabolizes less fat
more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops.

Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention.
When the body gets less water,it perceives this as a threat to
survival and begins to hold on to every drop.  Water is stored
in extracellular spaces (outside the cell).  This shows up as
swollen feet, legs and hands.

Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best.  They force out
stored water along with some essential nutrients.  Again, the
body perceives a treat and will replace the lost water at the
first opportunity.  Thus, the condition quickly returns.

The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to
give your body what it needs -- plenty of water.  Only then will
stored water be released.

If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt
may be to blame.  Your body will tolerate sodium only in a
certain concentration.  The more salt you eat the more water
your system retains to dilute it.

But getting rid of unneeded salt is easy -- just drink more
water.  As it's forced through the kidneys it takes away excess
sodium.

The overweight person needs more water than a thin one.  Larger
people have larger metabolic loads.  Since we know that water is
the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the over weight
person needs more water.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles
their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration.
It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows
weigh loss -- shrinking cells are buoyed by water which plumps
the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.

Water helps rid the body of waste.  During weight loss, the body
has a lot more waste to get rid of -- all that metabolized fat
must be shed.  Again, adequate water helps flush out the waste.

Water can help relieve constipation.  When the body gets too
little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources.
The colon is one primary source.  Result?  Constipation.  But
when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function usually
returns.

So far, we've discovered some remarkable truths about water and
weight loss:


  * The body will not function properly without enough
    water and can't metabolize stored fat efficiently.

  * Retained water shows up as excess weight.

  * To get rid of excess water you must drink more water.

  * Drinking water is essential to weight loss.

How much water is enough?  On the average, a person should drink
8-ounce glasses every day.  That's about 2 quarts.  However, the
overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds
of excess weight.  The amount you drink also should be increased
if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry.

Water should preferably be cold.  It's absorbed into the system
more quickly than warm water.  And some evidence suggests that
drinking cold water can actually help burn calories.  To
utilize water most efficiently during weight loss, follow this
schedule:

  Morning: 1 quart consumed over a 30-minute period.

  Noon: 1 quart consumed over a 30-minute period.

  Evening: 1 quart consumed between five and six o'clock.

When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally,
it's fluids are perfectly balanced.  When this happens, you have
reached the "breakthrough point."  What does this mean?

  * Endocrine-gland function improves.

  * Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost.

  * More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to
    metabolize stored fat.

  * Natural thirst returns.

  * There is a loss of hunger almost over night.

If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be
thrown out of balance again, and you may experience fluid
retention, unexplained weight gain and loss of thirst.  To
remedy the situation you'll have to go back and force another
"breakthrough."

Source: http://www.highvibrations.org/archive3/water.htm