Anti Aging Blog

I’ve just come back from The Farm – an amazing detox retreat where I did my first colon cleansing, and I must say, I am hooked! This is definitely on my annual to-do list, joining the ranks of famous celebrities like the late Princess Diana, Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Mae West, and many others who credit colonic cleansing for their radiance.

Colon cleansing involves involves repeatedly flushing the colon out with pure water or organic coffee, removing layers of accumulated toxic debris, taking physical pressure off the abdominal organs. Parasites, candida yeast and other fungal forms are cleansed out as well. This gets rid of belly fat which so often is mainly comprised of the bulk of built-up wastes rather than adipose (fat) tissue. These methods also tone and condition the bowel, getting rid of constipation. Constipation is your complexion’s worst enemy.  When your colon is clogged with waste material, your body tries to eliminate toxins through the skin.  Even if your skin is functioning properly, these waste materials end up deposited in the pores and tissues creating a sallow and mottled complexion. Besides clear skin, each session also leaves you refreshed and energised. In fact, I’ve been as buzzed as a 2-year-old since I got back – and all this without coffee (which I’ve kicked too after the detox)!

Keen to try it?

The Farm is having a special promo “7 Day RAIN CLEANSE Organic Weight Loss Retreat” reflecting 30% discount off the entire programme. This is a time limited offer valid until September 30, 2011 only! Book your spot now

For the last 2 weeks, I’ve been starting my Sundays with 108 sun salutations. The first time I did it, I nearly left the yoga studio halfway and felt wobbly and weak after (could also be due to a particularly tough yoga class the day before). Surprisingly, I sailed through the poses the second time, feeling strong and enjoying every minute of it. My yoga teacher informs (or tried to motivate) us that 70-year-old yogis in India do 108 sun salutations every day. In India, it is a method of self-improvement used to harness the full potential of the mind, body and breath for a variety of benefits, including reversing the effects of aging.

Over your lifespan, the physiology of your body begins to change. One effect of aging is decreased elasticity of the lungs, which diminishes your body’s ability to use oxygen, resulting in fatigue and poor immunity. Also, you will lose muscle tone and experience an increase in fatty tissues. Your bones will begin to lose their density, making them more fragile. The activity of your thyroid will decrease, your metabolism will slow down, and the strength of your digestive system will weaken.

Surya namaskara, or sun salutations, is a sequence of yoga poses that are said to be almost universally beneficial, with benefits that counter many of the effects of aging. Use sun salutations to maintain muscle tissue and flexibility throughout your life, to boost your metabolism by stimulating the thyroid, pancreas and pituitary glands, to alleviate indigestion and ailments of the liver and the pancreas, and to strengthen the spinal cord and cells of the nervous system. Practicing sun salutations regularly will give you more energy and more focus throughout the day.

The late Swami Vivekananda, a prominent yogi in India, had once said: “The result of this branch of Yoga is to make men live long; health is the chief idea, the one goal of the Hatha-Yogi. He is determined not to fall sick, and he never does. He lives long; a hundred years is nothing to him.”

Say ahhhh....

I’ve always wanted to go on a detox retreat. Why? I’m not exactly sure as I am already eating well and exercising regularly. Maybe being on a detox retreat kinda fulfills my superstar fantasy where personal chefs prepare healthy, wholesome meals for me daily, and I get 1-on-1 yoga classes with instructors giving me personalised attention and coaxing my limbs into submission. *daydreaming*

Mucky goodness

Anyhoo, I will be headed to The Farm in the Philippines in two weeks where I will be doing my first colonic cleansing! Can’t wait to get my ass there (no pun intended!) and intrigued about what will come out of me. Besides getting my pipes cleaned, I will also be pampering myself with a plethora of healing and beautifying treatments at this gorgeous retreat. The Farm offers Prevention and Recovery Retreat programmes that focus on medically guided detoxification as a way to jump start the body cleansing process. Psycho-emotional detoxification is an integral part of this cleansing programme – as they say, if your tummy is not right, your thoughts will be clouded too. For those with more serious health conditions, The Farm medical staff will design a Recovery Retreat programme with their licensed medical doctors tailored to your individual specific health needs.

Look ma, no food!

Look out for my review when I’m back!

Mitochondria, the cellular power plants that generate virtually all the energy your body requires, play a vital role in keeping organs youthful and healthy, too.

So what can you do to keep those mitochondria powered up? Try reaching for the green — like green pepper, green kiwifruit, and green parsley. Green-pigmented foods like these are rich in pyrroloquinoline quinone — or PQQ for short — a powerful antioxidant that shields mitochondria from oxidative damage in such vital organs as the brain and heart.

More PQQs, Please
Over time, damage to the delicate DNA inside mitochondria can accelerate aging and lead directly to degenerative disease. Dietary PQQ may not only shield these precious mitochondria from damage but also promote the formation of new mitochondria. Studies also suggest that PQQ may protect against neurological damage caused by the common environmental toxin methylmercury, which has been linked to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Where to Get More
Our digestive tracts don’t seem to be able to synthesize PQQ, so it’s best to get this vitamin-like nutrient from foods. In addition to certain greens, a number of items in the native Japanese diet contain PQQ as well, including miso, tofu, and natto (soybean paste). Coldwater fish like salmon, sardines, and tuna also contain appreciable amounts of PQQ. Just choose wild rather than farmed fish — and canned chunk-light tuna over albacore — to avoid high levels of methylmercury.

Article extracted from realage.com

I’m happy and proud to announce that Aesthetics & Beauty Guide is now available in three languages!

I have to give Dr Georgia Lee credit for the Mandarin edition. During my routine check-up with the stylish doctor, she casually mentioned that I should do a Chinese version to cater to the the predominantly Mandarin-speaking population. A light bulb went off and after a quick discussion with my publisher, we set out to do ABG in Mandarin. The inaugural issue came out in May and feedback has been encouraging.

The Bahasa Indonesian version was the result of another chance meeting. When I was a freelance editor of The Republic last year, I interviewed Mr Soetikno Soedarjo of MRA Group, a media and luxury tycoon in Indonesia who not only bestowed me with a free stay at his beautiful Bvlgari Bali, but also asked me to send him a copy of Aesthetics & Beauty Guide, after I mentioned to him about it. He contacted my publisher  who made a trip down to Jakarta and the deal was done. ABG Indonesia will be published in October, together with one of his many publications, Harpers Bazaar!

Lesson learnt: opportunities are all around, you just have to listen, stay open and ACT!

You’ve heard about the Mediterranean diet. Now try the Viking diet. Recent research suggests that it, too, could help you live a much longer life.

So what’s a Viking diet, exactly? It’s one that emphasizes the staples of Nordic cuisine, typically rich in cabbage, rye bread, root vegetables, and other healthful, hearty fare. In a study, diets that emphasized these Scandinavian staples reduced 12-year mortality risk by as much as one-third!

Rye bread contains vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that keep blood sugar and insulin levels in check. Cabbage is rich in isothiocyanate, which helps rid the body of toxins and carcinogens. And carrots win first place among root veggies as a source of beta carotene. Taken together, all of these nutrients can translate into lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

I’m going grocery shopping nowwwwww!

After toiling for two months and subjecting my face and body to countless treatments in the name of work, the 3rd issue of Aesthetics & Beauty Guide (July) is done and will be out end of this month!

From in-depth reviews of the latest body slimming procedures to amazing new facial treatments that rejuvenate without any downtime, ABG July will serve to be your beauty bible to the world of advanced aesthetic technology.

Look out for it at all news-stands, petrol kiosks and the back of Mercedes Premier cabs soon!

The phrase, “age is but a number”, really applies to these women, who although over 50-years-old, are still looking as beautiful as ever:

1. Kelly Lynch

2. Jerry Hall

3. Cheryl Tiegs

4.  Julianne Moore

5. Jane Seymour

6.  Bo Derek

7.  Jaclyn Smith

8. Christie Brinkley

9. Michelle Pfeiffer

10.  Sharon Stone

I’ll have whatever they’re having!

For the full list of 50 most beautiful celebrities over 50, go here: http://www.stylebistro.com/The+50+Most+Beautiful+Women+Over+50/articles

I’ve been busy wrapping up July’s edition of Aesthetics & Beauty Guide – and I am thrilled! Not because I am looking more rejuvenated thanks to all the latest treatments I’ve been trying for work, but because we are doing a beauty queens special and shooting our cover for the first time with 2 beauty queens (did I just mention beauty queens 3 times in a row? – that’s how excited I am!).

For this issue, we got beauty queens to spill the beans on what they do to look good and feel great, and while good genes play a part, you’ll be relieved to know that hard work, grooming and using the right products are integral too. Read and learn from these beauty experts!

You will be happy to know that the latest trend now is all about treatments with little or no downtime. With technology advancing at a rapid speed, more super machines are being developed that promises to erase all your problems with no interruption to your hectic social life. Who can afford to stay home for a week these days to recuperate from treatments? We want to zip into the clinic and out to our limousine ready to be whisked to our next soiree!

ABG is still first and foremost an educational guide to the complicated world of laser machines and aesthetic treatments, and with this issue, readers can once again look forward to our in-depth treatment reviews and further explanations of even more industry jargon. Look out for Aesthetics & Beauty Guide when it hits news stands in July!

A few weeks ago, I attended a Power Of Scent essential oils workshop by Spa Esprit. I’ve always been a proponent of natural therapies – you’ll never see me at the doctor and once I had to be practically dragged to the pharmacy by my mum to get medicine for my food poisoning. I’ve always believed that my body has the power to heal itself and it has proven me right many times. So, I was more than eager to find our how essential oils can not only enhance my beauty products but also help me with ailments.

The workshop was interesting to say the least, with the trainer of doTERRA essential oils giving us an in-depth overview, highlighting the difference between mainstream ones and her pure versions. They definitely do smell different – doTERRA oils have a very rounded scent and with an inhale, seems to envelop my entire olfactory system. In fact, they are so pure that the trainer even ingests some of them for health reasons.

How essential oils work:

Applied to the skin – Our skin is somewhat permeable. The active chemicals in essential oils are absorbed just like the ingredients in common pharmaceuticals such as hormone replacement therapy cream and nicotine patches.

Inhaled – The olfactory system includes all physical organs or cells relating to, or contributing to, the sense of smell. When we inhale through the nose, airborne molecules interact with the olfactory organs and, almost immediately, the brain. Molecules inhaled through the nose or mouth are also carried to the lungs and interact with the respiratory system.

Ahhh…now I get it.

It can also be used for anti-aging properties (my pet topic!):

Hair loss - Dilute 5 to 20 drops of Thyme, Rosemary or Lavender into a carrier oil and massage onto scalp every night.

Impotence – Diffuse Ylang ylang, Clary Sage or Sandalwood into the air and inhale or apply topically to temples, wrist and back of the necks.

Stretch marks – apply Cypress, Gyranium or Lavender topically several times a day.

Cellulite – massage Rosemary, Grapefruit or Lemon vigorously on areas before exercising or add to water and drink throughout the day.

Awesome! The hypochondriac in me bought a blend called OnGuard ($67) to boost my immune system and I’ve been diligently applying two drops on my pillow, my husband’s pillow and my puppy every night. At the rate my work is going, looks like I might be heading back soon to get a bottle of Serenity very soon…