Clean Kiss Lifestyle
How To Really Love Your Skin in Your 40's and Beyond
This may be a major newsflash for you ladies, but everything changes in your forties, if you don't already know it. It really does change your life and there is good reason for it. But wait! I am not talking about all gloom and doom here. This isn't the cup is half empty "oh woe is me" type of story. Oh not at all! I think your 40's is a time to celebrate! Ladies, if this is a mid-life "crisis" then BRING. IT. ON. There are many, many amazing changes that comes with being a womxn in her forties in the 21st century such as increased confidence and self-assuredness. Many women report feeling more balanced mentally and spiritually as they have found their passions and hobbies that bring more light to their lives. Many women also state they no longer give any "F's" about the stuff that used to bother them tremendously. That feels great doesn't it?!
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The Best Natural Skincare Ritual for Yogis
Another hot sweaty yoga class. Perhaps another day of having to quickly run straight from class to a meeting or to run errands. You know you should be taking better care of your skin, as you do your mind through your yoga practice, but are not sure quite what steps to be taking. If you don't take the proper steps you can develop acne, rashes, ingrown hairs, and more. But a few simple steps before, during and after your practice can help to keep your skin looking gorgeous and glowing! As a yogi or yogini, you know your skin can take a hard toll especially if you are doing a lot of hot yoga and daily yoga practice. Your skin needs to be given the same amount of conscious effort as your mind, muscles and nutritional needs both pre and post yoga practice. Find out simple ways to use natural skincare to create a ritual you can find time for!
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Three Simple Things to Detox and Cleanse Your Skin, Mind and Gut
This is not your typical blog post suggesting you drink lemon water everyday, eat cabbage soup, and take fibre supplements to make you poop. And it's not about dry January where you ditch alcohol and purify your liver after the holiday binge you went on. While I think those are all helpful to cleanse and detox for optimal health at certain times of the year, this post is more about detoxing in a broader, more holistic, longer lasting, natural sense ~ detoxing three areas of your body that affect Every. Single. Thing. You. Do. Everyday. Your skin. Your mind. Your gut.
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Tips for Coping with Back Pain through Movement and Positivity
Life doesn't always go as planned. 2018 threw me a major curveball. I started January 2018 with fulfilling a passion of mine to complete my certified Yoga Teacher Training. I couldn't have been more excited! Given that I am a natural skincare formulator and an avid wellness geek taking up my yoga certification was a perfect next step for me on my wellness journey. That excitement turned into a daily yoga practice and sometimes combined with a gym workout sesh in the same day. My body started to give me some pretty strong signals that I was pushing myself too hard. I had been suffering for the past decade with on and off back pain that would throw me out for a couple weeks at a time.
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The Ultimate Natural Skincare Routine for Athletes and Yogis
As a sporty gal or guy, you know your skin can take a beating (along with your muscles!) with chafing and rashes, dryness, cuts and bruises, sun overexposure and more. Your skin needs to be given the same amount of conscious effort as your muscles and nutritional needs both pre and post-workout. Here is a play-by-play on how to treat your skin before, during and after a sweat sesh at the gym or yoga: Pre workout Don't go to the gym all made up pretty with makeup on like a superstar. You need to arrive clean-faced to allow your pores to breathe properly when you exercise and sweat. Makeup will block your pores and you can get a breakout of acne and blackheads. Leave your face clean and natural which is at it's prettiest anyway! And of course it goes without saying to wear natural deodorant for your sweat sesh that you have applied on clean skin and with clean clothing to look and smell your best. I often shower before my workout that morning or the night before to start the workout fresh and clean. If you are sweaty person you may want to do the same to clean your sweaty armpits before you head out to workout. It also goes without saying that the key to great skin is hydration!!! So bring that water bottle with you to every workout and be sure you are drinking lots before your workout to replenish what you will lose through sweat. During Your Workout Do not touch your face! Ever! The bacteria on your hands from touching gym equipment and weights or a yoga mat is off the charts and will definitely contribute to a breakout not to mention you have other people's DNA all over you. Yuck what a thought. When you touch your sweaty face and skin with open pores from being hot and sweaty, you are depositing that DNA right onto your own skin and potentially into your bloodstream. This may also lead to you getting sick with a virus you pick up unknowingly onto your hands. Instead use a fresh towel that you bring from home to lay down on the benches, or to wipe your own sweat off your face, and to clean your hands. Use the sanitizer and wipes the gym or yoga studio provides to you to clean down the equipment both before and after use. Finally bring your own yoga mat and yoga mat disinfecting spray with you to yoga practice to be sure it is clean and free of germs and other people's DNA! After workout Ever get butt acne?! It happens. That's from sitting in sweaty gym clothes or yoga pants after you are done. Shower and change your clothes as soon as possible to prevent getting body acne and rashes. 1. In the shower, use a mild soap for your body and face that gently cleanses; do not scrub as it may cause additional irritation after your clothes have been rubbing against you. If you don't have time to shower right away at least change your clothes and use natural wipes to clean away the sweat. 2. Pat your skin dry - do not harshly rub it - and apply a natural body moisturizer as soon as possible while still a bit damp. Try one with natural plant based butters and oils and essential oils that have anti-bacterial properties like lavender or lemon. 3. For your face, neck and décolleté be sure to tone and moisturize to restore your pH levels and keep your pores in check before you apply sunscreen and/or makeup. You may also wish to apply a plant based serum to help protect and prevent aging from the elements if you have just done an outdoor workout especially. Our serum has rosehip seed oil in it to help eliminate dark sun spots and wrinkles and is a nice addition to the simple routine of cleanser, toner, serum and moisturizer. Having a good skincare routine will help to keep wrinkles, dryness and dark spots at bay. And speaking of sunscreen, be sure to look for one with natural mineral-based ingredients with at least an SPF30. Apply liberally to your face, neck and décolletage. So folks stay active and do so with great skincare in mind, not just thinking about your toned muscles and your namaste. About Clean Kiss We create natural and organic products for active, healthy people like you! We proudly make Canadian, artisan-handcrafted wellness products that are simple and pure for your body, face, hair and home. Our specialties are plant based premium skincare, all natural deodorant (that really does work!), and products to tame and manage naturally curly hair. We are 100% Vegan, GMO free, Gluten Free (and free of all unnecessary garbage!) and Leaping Bunny Certified (meaning we never test on animals and neither do our suppliers).
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10 Life Changing Lessons Learned from India that Can Change your Life Too
In 2017, I went away for a two week adventure in Northern India on a Yoga retreat and I had sincerely hoped to make some personal discoveries while I was there. I did that and so much more. Read on to hear about my discoveries and adventures in laughing, yoga, and making memories to last a lifetime. 1. Laugh, and laugh more and then when it really hurts, laugh some more. We really do not laugh as much as we need to for the goodness of our soul, mental health and how about those deep abs :) On the second morning of our trip we did a Laughing Yoga class with a Yogi guru in the beautiful Lodhi Gardens in Delhi. Aside from a little bit of pollution smog we had to contend with, we laughed harder and deeper than I have in a very long time. That laughing continued all day, every day, from breakfast until bedtime. We even cried from laughter some days. My laugh changed. It was real, deep and genuine. It felt liberating. I promised myself that when I returned to my normal life that I would be more playful, lighthearted and make sure to be silly enough to make myself and others around me laugh every day. Keep reading for more!
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Steps to the Ultimate Clean Belly, Clean Skin, Clean Mind
When we look at our skin health we can't look at it as one singular area of health. We need to approach our outer beauty, our skin, as one leg of a three legged stool that will topple over if not in harmony. The other two legs being a clean gut or diet and a clean mind that is free of clutter, stress and all things that don't serve us in the present moment. Sounds easy right? Not so much. Most of us would agree it is a constant struggle to balance and achieve these three areas of health and wellness.
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It's All About the Trip, Not the Destination: My Life Motto
These last forty-eight hours the universe has been sending me a strong message about the "trip". This is how it all started twenty-six years ago. I was sitting in an undergrad psychology class in my first year of university, at The University of Western Ontario, when a girl that I had only randomly smiled at in class who sat behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and said "I have this poem that I think you may enjoy", and she handed me a copy of it. Just like that and very randomly. The poem is titled "The Station" by Robert J. Hastings.
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Make Yourself More Mindful for Better Mental Health
Paralleling the climb of mental health awareness is the concept of ‘mindfulness’, where you work on self-improvement simply by being more conscious of your daily actions – eating, drinking, walking, breathing, colouring. Mindful Colouring Colouring! Books filled with mindful colouring exercises line the shelves of every major book shop, encouraging adults to enter the creative zen of childhood activities. There are even colouring apps for your iPhone and android devices too! But if colouring isn’t for you, there are all sorts of ways to get your fix of mindfulness. Mindful Based Stress Reduction MBSR is another online program that was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The MBSR program, which stands for Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, is self-paced, accessible for life, and downloadable to your phone or tablet. Speaking of phones and tablets, there are even better ways to get your mindfulness practice on the go. Head on over to the App Store to download Headspace or Calm, an app that gives you daily meditation and mind exercises. Mindful Eating Practicing mindful eating in which you eat without any distractions and really take notice of each sensation such as: How does this taste? How does the texture feel? Is this salty or sweet? How does this smell? What does this look like? Mindful Skincare Rituals You may never have thought of this one before. But it is something I encourage all the time with my skincare clients to be very mindful and present while applying their skincare each morning and night to turn it into a beautiful ritual. Not just a slap-dash exercise in getting in done. Make a point of getting up 5 minutes earlier in order to start your day off with a slow and intentional skincare ritual. And do the same at the end of the day by going to your bathroom to start your bedtime ritual 5 minutes earlier than usual. Use this time to be calm, intentional and to really pamper your skin. Mindful Movement As a registered yoga and barre teacher, I encourage my students to stay mindful and present in their body while on their mat during class. They can do this through their breath and returning their focus back to their breath each time they notice their mind racing to other thoughts. Which it will! But the truth of the matter is, this practice of mindful movement is what yoga really is all about ~ Off the Mat. Being able to take that mindful practice with you throughout your day. How do you stay mindful and present throughout your day? Does colouring work for you, or do you have other techniques and brain games to toughen up those mind muscles? Diffusing essential oils? Music? Share your ideas with us.
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