Fall is upon us and so is cold and flu season. One of the top ways to prevent getting sick is exercise. Exercise improves your overall fitness, which can help boost your immune system, the body’s defense against infections.  This can be problematic however, because the gym is a breeding ground for germs. The odds of you getting sick are stacked against you, from equipment not being properly wiped down, dirty door handles/drinking fountains and a lot of possibly sick people in close proximity.The Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine found that 63 percent of all gym equipment is contaminated with rhinovirus, which causes the common cold. The cold virus can live on hard surfaces for up to seven days. We have to work out, so what do we do? Below are 5simple steps to protect yourself at the gym this cold and flu season. Stay fit and Healthy. Here’s how.

1 – Bring your own sanitizing wipes to wipe down equipment

Most gyms offer towels and some type of cleaning spray. They may list what the ingredients are, but more often than they use unmarked bottles, which are presumably bleach and water. You can’t be sure what your using and what it is even doing to protect you. Bring your own portable, pre-moistened hand wipes. They are easy and convenient and they kill 99.99 percent of germs that cause sickness. Wipe down the equipment before you begin. Let’s face it, our gym bags are way bigger than they need to be already. We can all fit a pack of these in it. It will keep you protected from germs and from second guessing if the person before you cleaned the machine (probably not). Also wipe down the free weights and mats you use (just make sure all equipment is properly dried before you use it).

2- Bring your own washcloth to turn sink/shower handles and curtains.

You can use it to turn the shower handle, move the shower curtain and use the faucet. You may think you are in a safe zone being in a place where people clean themselves but showers are great, moist areas for germs to hang out.  Shower curtain, tiles and the shower floor can have mildew, a fungus that feeds on body oils. With public showers there is no guarantee how often or how properly they are washed. Many gyms offer their own towels or paper towels at your disposal, but they are in bins and dispensers that are touched by hundreds. Bring your own and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

3 – Consider wearing workout gloves.

They not only will keep your hands protected from picking up sneaky germs, they will also keep your skin protected from possible cuts and brush burns from pull-up bars and iron weights. Open cuts, even as small as a papercut, makes you susceptible to picking up an infection by giving the germs another place to go. Wash them, like you would wash your workout clothes. Remember to becareful to not touch your face. Your hands are being kept clean, the outside of your gloves are not. Your nose, eyes and mouth  are the easiest place for germs to ebter. So keep your hands away from your face.

4 – Wear shoes at all times

This includes when you are in the shower and walking across the locker room floor. Aside from possibly picking up cold germs, you could contract athlete’s foot and other viruses. Floors are generally warm and wet from people walking out of the showers, pool or sauna. A gross combination that leads to the development of viruses and fungi. If you use a gym pool invest in some water shoes. For walking around the shower and locker room get an easy slip-on shoe, like a flip flop. This way your feet are protected on the bottom but open on the top so you can get your feet completely clean.

5) Shower Immediately

This is something we are all guilty of. Whether we’re chatting or going for a post-workout smoothie, we still want to show off our cute workout clothes, right? Problem is washing our hands and wiping down the equipment doesn’t always wipe away all the germs you encounter. It is hard to avoid touching things or using the floor and mats for our routines. A hot shower will wash away all sweat, dirt and germs.

 

“If you keep making that face, it will stay that way.”

Once meaningless words from our mothers during childhood now turns out to be true. Facial expressions can lead to fine lines and wrinkles, even as a young adult. That is why we see the earliest wrinkles on someone around their eyes and lips.  Every time a person uses a facial muscle, a groove forms under the surface of the skin, according to the Mayo Clinic.  The older we get, the less flexible our skin becomes, making it easier for these fine lines to stick. Think about this next time you’re making duck face.

We all know what causes wrinkles (sun exposure, smoking, facial movements and pollutants) and have been told what we can do to help prevent them. That leaves us with what to do when you already have them? There are hundreds of over-the-counter products and tools that are geared to making us look younger. It can be hard to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Also, the law doesn’t require cosmetic companies to submit their products to the FDA before they market them, making it easy to get tricked by celebrities and fancy containers.

What does work? Professional help. Great advances have been made in the medical field to help with rejuvenation. Clinical facials, laser treatments and injections have made great strides for reducing wrinkles and giving timely results. Essentials offers a vast array of options to make your skin look healthier and younger. Including injectables, laser treatments, specialized facials, microneedling, ultherapy and more. Want your skin to look more youthful? Figure out what is the best option for you. Below are some of the most popular and effective treatments available.

Injectable Treatments

Injectable treatments are used to reduce deep lines. Essentials only uses hyaluronic acid fillers. They’re safe and gentle. Essentials uses a special technique to administer all their fillers. As opposed to small cutting needles that can be painful and cause bruising, they use catheters which will leave little to no bruising. The fillers that essentials offers are Botox, Xeomin, Dysport, Radiesse, Juvederm, Belotero, Restylane, Juvederm Voluma and Sculptra. 

Laser Skin Treatments

Laser skin resurfacing helps your skin look younger and healthier. Laser skin resurfacing removes skin layer by layer with precision. The new skin cells that form during the healing give your skin a tighter, younger looking surface.

Clinical Skin Treatments

DermaSweep™ Epi-Infusion treatment

A crystal-free, skin exfoliation treatment that leaves skin smoother looking and also infuses a custom blended cocktail of AHA’s, vitamins and nutrients to give skin a healthy glow.

Celebrity skin treatment

A skin refining facial using physician grade skin care products in conjunction with Dermasweep and Growth Factor Serum, penetrated with ultrasound technology that improves the overall appearance, texture and vitality of the skin.

ZO Anti-aging Treatment

A luxurious treatment using clinical grade ingredients where specialized enzymes accelerate the reduction and appearance of discoloration, rough texture and dehydrated skin. Leaves skin glowing and radiant without peeling or flaking.

Lightening & Brightening Facial

This mega-lightening treatment gently blends lactic acid and a cocktail of lightening and brightening agents to reduce sun spots, brown spots and the redness caused by rosacea.

Microneedling

Microneedling uses a sterile pen-like device, to vertically penetrate the skin with micro-needles. These microneedles penetrate both the dermis and epidermis layers of the skin to create micro wounds and pinpoint bleeding at specific depths. This procedure stimulates the natural healing process of the body, leading to the growth of collagen and elastin which restores the appearance of healthy skin.

Ultherapy
Ultherapy relies on ultrasound therapy to deliver its collagen-boosting treatment. It also incorporates traditional ultrasound imaging, which allows practitioners to see the layers of tissue they are treating, ensuring the treatment energy is delivered to where it will be most beneficial.

Facials

Hydrating C Facial

This revolutionary 4-layer facial treatment will change the image of your skin in just one application. Vitamin C and glycolic acid is gentle but highly active enzymes that speed up cellular turnover and brighten, tighten and lighten your skin in just one treatment.

O2 Lift

A luxurious novel treatment infuses oxygen, plant-derived stem cells, peptides and high concentration of enzymatic botanicals into the skin to leave skin luminous, refreshed and rejuvenated in just one application.

Phytoactive Facial

A facial using organic and natural products that regenerate using clinical grade herbal enzymes and AHA’s to gently exfoliate dead skin cells, reduce fine lines and deeply hydrate, leaving skin polished and healthy.

Natural Facelift

Organic products and micro-current technology infuse plant stem cell serum that gently firms, tones, improves health and vitality of the skin and is also referred to as the natural facelift.

I used to always say that laugh lines were a good thing because it meant you’ve smiled a lot. However, now that I have started to get them, I’m thinking twice about my thoughts. Fine lines and wrinkles are a normal part of aging. There is little we can do to prevent them but there are a lot of options when it comes to correcting them. Essentials has a large selection of fillers, laser treatments and clinical facials. Find what treatment works best for you and your skin. Contact Essentials today to talk with one of our professionals to learn more or set up a consultation and get on the path to more youthful and radiant skin.

 

Exfoliating your skin is an important part of our beauty regime that easily gets overlooked. It’s great for your skin, when done properly. When you exfoliate, you remove the dead skin cells from the outer layer of your skin. There are several products available out there and devices that are marketed directly for skin exfoliation. An at-home all natural body scrub is all one needs. Use it once a week, depending on your skin type. It is always important you test it on a small area of your skin first, since everyone’s skin is different. After exfoliating apply your favorite body lotion to seal in the moisture. Exfoliation is important all year but with the dryer months ahead it is vital for your skins health.

The body scrub recipes below are all natural and you are going to apply them with your hands, massaging the mixture into your skin. They’re very gentle and no tools are required. After mixed, you can store it in a Tupperware container, Ziplock bag or I prefer mason jars (because they’re cute). It will last up to a month, remix it before you apply each week to blend everything together again.  These two are my favorites.

Lemongrass Sugar Body Scrub

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup coconut oil in solid form

1 tablespoon of salt

Couple drops of lemongrass essential oil (amazon.com or your local health store)

Chocolate Body Scrub

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil (in solid form)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon of jojoba oil

 

Hair loss can be a symptom of something else that’s going on with your body. Sometimes, simple styling tricks or stress-relieving meditation, isn’t enough. Problems like hormone irregularities, thyroid abnormalities, scalp diseases, or other serious diseases can all lead to hair loss. If you are facing any of these issues and are experiencing hair loss, it is time to talk to a doctor.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

According to the Women in Balance Institute, hormonal balance is vital to a healthy, cancer-free mind and body, but can be disrupted in many ways. Hormone fluctuations occur naturally, such as in puberty, menopause and perimenopause. Hormone imbalance may also be caused by toxins or an unbalanced lifestyle.

How do you know if you’re a candidate for Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. Common symptoms are fatigue, weight gain, low energy, memory loss, mood swings, low libido, poor concentration, hair loss, sleeplessness, depression, acne and headaches.

The process to get tested to see if you have a hormonal imbalance begins with a review of your current symptoms and medical history, as well as your family history. Next you will do a simple saliva test. Essentials has a great hormone replacement therapy program led by Dr. Michael F. Lesser, who holds 4 separate Board Certifications, including Anti-aging and Bio-identical Hormone replacement. Essentials has a BHRT Classic Monthly Membership for only $150 a month, for 12 months. It includes your initial Doctor visit with your saliva test, four follow-up Doctor visits, prescription for personalized hormone creams, supplement recommendations, four nutrition/diet meal plan sessions with a wellness coach and a referral to a fitness expert.

Laser Therapy

Laser hair replacement is a painless hair restoration procedure. During low level laser therapy hair follicle cells absorb laser light, which stimulates growth and repair. Typically, a patient visits the doctor weekly or biweekly to get the treatment and requires no downtime or recovery time. According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. It works best for patients at an early stage of hair loss.

There is also the option of at-home laser treatment combs that you can do in the comfort of your own home. It is considerably more affordable than professional treatment, but still not cheap.  These tools can usually be purchased at a Doctor’s office or on Amazon.com.

Medications

According to NYU Lagone Health, several medications can be used to help stimulate hair growth. There are different options depending on the person and what is causing the hair loss.

Topical minoxidil stops hair from thinning and stimulates new hair growth. This medication can help people with: male and female pattern hair loss, autoimmune disease related hair loss, and rapid hair loss resulting from medical treatment.

Antiandrogens

Medications that inhibit sex hormones that damage or destroy hair follicles, which may stop hair loss in female pattern baldness. Antiandrogen medications are available by prescription only and include spironolactone and oral contraceptives, or birth control pills.

Corticosteroids

Some types of hair loss are caused by an autoimmune disease and are treated differently than hormonal induced hair loss. With an autoimmune condition, the body’s immune system focuses on healthy organs and tissues, including the skin. Sometimes the body destroys good hair follicles. These immune system suppressors can offset the effects of an autoimmune disease, letting hair grow.

 

Breakfast, it’s the most important meal of the day, but when you’re trying to avoid carbs, there isn’t a lot to choose from. They might as well call It, Carbfast. Aside from egg dishes, your more traditional breakfast items like, French toast and pancakes, are overloaded with refined sugars. Although delicious, these items are terrible for you. As someone who has done the Ketogenic Diet and several other “low-carb diets” in my lifetime, I understand the struggle of getting your carb fix without actually eating carbs. These scrumptious coconut flour pancakes do just that. They are satisfying, sweet and guilt free. They are also incredibly easy to make. You can add a variety of toppings and fillings to spruce them up. Fruit is a great-tasting, healthy addition if you aren’t monitoring your carbs too closely. I usually am, so I opt for low-carb peanut butter and Truvia nectar. Below is the pancake recipe and other topping ideas, it makes about a dozen hotcakes.

• 4 eggs, room temperature.
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract.
• 1 tsp. of stevia.
• 1/2 cup coconut flour.
• 1 tsp. baking soda.
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt.
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Grease your frying pan with butter. Mix everything together and you got tasty, low carb pancake batter.

Topping Ideas:

Sugar free chocolate chips or shavings, whipped cream made with heavy cream and truvia, low-carb peanut butter, truvia nectar, organic (unsweetened) coconut shavings, cinnamon and truvia sugar, chopped nuts, fruit