10 Ways to Make a Resolution Stick

By Kristen Ball

  1. Write it down. Putting pen to paper is a great way to clarify what it is you want to accomplish. You can use a journal or just write a sentence on an index card that you tape to your mirror.
2. Manage expectations. It’s OK to break your resolution in the first week; you just have to be willing to get back on the horse. For many, January just isn’t the right time. Start fresh in March, or June.
3. Get a buddy to do it with you. Everyone knows it’s easier to do things with a partner — grab a friend or family member and work on your resolutions together.
4. Revisit it. Making a resolution is easy...keeping up with it is another story! You’re going to have to review and revise your goals as you go throughout the year.
5. Be smart. Rather than just toss off a nonspecific resolution, set a smart goal. These goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. If your goals have measurable and specific ends, you’ll meet them more easily.
6. Don’t remove, add. Replace bad habits with good ones. Framing your resolution positively will make you more likely to want to meet it!
7. Make it public. Tell people what you’re up to; you’ll be more likely to stick to it.
8.Stick to a schedule. If you plan to exercise more, for instance, build no less than three workouts into your calendar at a time when you know you’ll be able to actually do it.
9. Create a vision board. It might sound hokey, but having a visual representation of your goals can really help! Cut out images and phrases from magazines, write out your favorite inspiring quote, grab some photos. Place them on a poster or corkboard and keep them in plain view.
10. Celebrate! The joy in resolutions is in the journey. Accept that this will be an ongoing process and celebrate yourself and your unique experiences. And if you don’t quite get there, there’s always 2012...

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Why WINTER makes your eyes look 5 years OLDER!

 

As cold winds sweep across shivering Britain, scientists have a special weather warning for women — winter can be especially cruel for your looks.

It causes an array of problems such as ageing skin, increased weight, a heightened risk of osteoporosis and cancer, and even having children with birth problems.

According to a study this week, winter can make a woman’s eyes look almost five years older.

Sad eyes: Experts who studied 5,000 women throughout the seasons say circles and bags under the eyes appear significantly darker in the colder months

Experts who studied 5,000 women throughout the seasons say circles and bags under the eyes appear significantly darker in the colder months.

They concluded that this appearance of ageing is caused by a lack of sunlight, which leads to paler skin and emphasises eye bags.

This is made worse by us all feeling more tired and lethargic in winter due to a lower level of vitamin D, which is vital for bone health and is generated by the body when it is exposed to sunlight.

‘Lack of vitamin D has a negative effect on the appearance of dark circles and puffy eyes. It can age a woman by 4.7 years, putting more than 10 per cent on a woman’s age if she is 40,’ says Dr Mark Binette, a skincare expert.

The study, carried out in New York, found that 82 per cent of women had dark circles and puffy eyes in winter as opposed to 38 per cent in summer.

A number of factors can make dark circles look worse. Thinning skin and loss of fat and collagen, the skin’s supportive protein, which are common as we age, can make the reddish-blue blood vessels under the eyes more obvious.

Physical and emotional stress — as well as smoking and drinking — also have a significant effect.

It makes winter bad news as far as our looks are concerned, but the truth is that the cold months — and particularly the lack of sunlight — can wreak all sorts of havoc on our bodies.

Not least of these is the way we pile on the pounds, a condition sometimes called ‘blizzard bloat’.

Enlarge

The eyes have it: A 38-year-old woman”s eyes pictured in the winter with far more prominent dark circles (left) compared to the summer (right)

The winter weight problem stems from the fact that lack of sunlight can make us feel ravenously hungry, because the pituitary gland in our brain is less stimulated.

This sparks off a series of instinctive responses that our ancestors evolved thousands of years ago to survive long, blisteringly cold winters: we feel the urge to build up our bodies’ fat stores by eating whatever is available, in case our food stocks run out.

We are also less keen to exercise, as we feel instinctively drawn to stay inside our warm caves.

In physical terms, lack of sunlight also reduces the effectiveness of the hormone leptin — which tells the brain when the stomach is full — and so we overeat.

The results of this have been shown by an Aberdeen University study of 3,100 women living in the wintry north-east of Scotland, where one in five people is overweight.

It found that the clinically obese people in the study had been getting 10 per cent less vitamin D from sunshine than those of a healthy size.

Some experts (and, indeed, the whole of the vitamin supplement industry) claim we can make up for lack of sunlight simply by taking vitamin D pills.

But there are two problems with this. The first is that having excess vitamin D in your blood may be as dangerous as having too little. American research published last month showed that people with too much of the vitamin are 2 times more likely than those with normal levels to develop atrial fibrillation, a type of heart flutter that can lead to stroke.

SIX WAYS TO REDUCE BAGS UNDER THE EYES

There is no way of curing dark circles, but a few things can help reduce them…

Take a power nap – even if it is just for 15 minutes it can trick your body into thinking you have slept for much longer
Use a cooling compress (or some wet cotton wool) to help temporarily shrink the blood vessels, reducing puffiness
Eye creams that contain vitamin K and retinol can also help
Somedermatologists recommend a hydroquinone solution often mixed in an oil free moisturizer that acts like a skin bleach – slices of raw potato canalso serve the same purpose
Eat less salt, as it encourages fluid retention and may lead to puffy eyes.
If all else fails, make-up can also be used to change the coloration of skin

And a raft of new research points to the fact that, in order to stay healthy, we need proper, full- spectrum sunlight, rather than just vitamin D.

There seem to be specific wavelengths in natural sunshine that our bodies need, says Hector DeLuca, a biochemistry professor at Wisconsin-Madison University. Likewise, vitamin D may not help much towards a range of other diseases where exposure to sunlight is believed to play a preventative role.

Among men, rates of kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and prostate cancer are all lower in those whose jobs keep them out of doors in proper, full- spectrum sun.

Sunshine also appears to protect women from endometrial cancer, which affects the lining of the womb. It affects 6,400 British women a year and kills an estimated 1,000. Studies show that in the winter, women in northern countries have a significantly higher risk of developing the disease.

But Swedish university scientists, who studied nearly 30,000 women, reported in the British Journal of Cancer that those who had higher levels of sunlight exposure reduced their risk of developing it in winter by 40 per cent.

The same seems true with that scourge of postmenopausal women, osteoporosis. The bone-thinning condition is also linked to lack of vitamin D.

In September, investigators at Aberdeen University found that the further north a woman lives in Britain, the greater her risk of osteoporosis due to lack of exposure to sunlight during dark winter days.

Worryingly, winter health problems also affect expectant mothers. Scandinavian experts who followed 480,000 women over five years found that in the darker months of winter, pregnant women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from pre-eclampsia, a potentially fatal high-blood pressure condition, than in summer.

And once again, lack of sunlight is believed to be the culprit. The investigators believe insufficient levels of naturally derived vitamin D may increase your risk.

Problems can be passed on to newborn children, too. Studies have found that those born in late winter or early spring have a significantly higher chance of developing schizophrenia.

This seasonal effect may account for one in ten of all cases of the mental disorder, according to U.S. psychiatrist Dr Paul Schwartz, of Wright State University in Ohio.

Vitamin D deficiency: Problems can be passed on to newborn children, too. Studies have found that those born in late winter or early spring have a significantly higher chance of developing schizophrenia

He suggests that lack of sunlight can disrupt the levels of the brain chemical called melatonin, which is important to the growth of healthy neurons in the womb.

Laboratory experiments show that shortage of melatonin can harm the development of the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is vital for mood control and memory formation.

Similar links have been found with increased levels of food allergies and epilepsy in children born at the end of winter or in early spring.

Scientists are unsure why winter births may increase the incidence of food allergy in children.

But where epilepsy is concerned, experts believe that lack of sunlight results in low levels of the important brain-messenger chemicals serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in the baby’s developing brain.

Shortage of these can make people more prone to suffering from fits.

The clear answer to all these problems is to get out into the open air as often as we can right through the year. But unfortunately, many of us have lost the habit — even when the weather is not inclement.

A recent Government survey showed that one in five office workers never takes a break from their desk at lunchtimes.

For the sakes of our health and our looks, as well as our children, it seems crucial that we grab rare winter sunshine whenever it makes a glorious appearance.

DoeS yOuR hAir mAkE U lOOk Old???????

DoeS yOuR hAir mAkE U lOOk Old??

Graymatters Feature from "Good Housekeeping" Magazine

By Alyssa Kolsky Hertzig

We’re accustomed to fussing over our faces, trying to turn back the clock on sunspots and lines. But there’s another age giveaway that could use more attention. "A woman in her 40s doesn’t have the hair she had at 20 — it’s not just her imagination," says British hair expert Philip Kingsley, author of The Hair Bible. As we age, our locks and scalp are affected by a trio of tribulations — namely dryness, dullness, and thinning. But our accumulating birthdays are not all to blame; dyeing, blow-drying, and styling all contribute to the damage. "Women need to think about their hair the same way they think about their skin," says Gretchen Monahan, a Boston hairstylist and style expert for the Rachael Ray Show. "We’re used to moisturizing and protecting our faces, but we don’t apply the same care basics to hair." So, while there may not be a time machine for your tresses, here’s how a little extra TLC (plus the right products and styling tips) can make your mane look years younger.

When Thin Isn't In: Advice for Women with Thinning Hair

If your part is expanding or the thickness of your ponytail is shrinking, you’re likely thinking (okay, panicking) that your hair is falling out, but that’s not always the case; thinning may be the culprit. "The diameter of the hair shaft diminishes as we get older," explains Zoe Draelos, M.D., clinical associate professor of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. That means you may have the same number of follicles, but thinner individual strands will make it look like there’s less volume. (They’re also more prone to break, and since hair growth slows as you age, the damage becomes more obvious.)

Even if you do see extra hairs in your brush or in the shower drain, you don’t necessarily need to worry. Although 40 percent of women experience some hair loss by menopause, shedding around 100 strands a day is normal, reports Paul M. Friedman, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. If you seem to be losing more, see your doctor — the problem could be related to declining estrogen levels, an iron deficiency, or stress. Once these problems have been ruled out, a 2 percent minoxidil solution (available over the counter as Rogaine) is an option. "It’s the only clinically proven, FDA-approved treatment for female pattern baldness," says Dr. Draelos. In the meantime, although you can’t permanently restore heft to the individual strands, there are plenty of ways to boost overall volume.

Start with a volumizing shampoo; look for ingredients like rice or wheat proteins, which thicken strands. Try Sally Hershberger Supreme Head Shampoo for Normal to Thin Hair ($9.50, Walgreens) or Pureology PureVolume Shampoo ($26, pureology.com).

Ditch the stiff, maximum-hold hairsprays — they can fracture the hair shaft when you brush them out. "The new ‘flexible’ versions are less likely to cause breakage," says Dr. Draelos. We like Pantene Pro-V Classic Hairspray Flexible Hold ($4, drugstores) and Jonathan Finish Control High Shine Flexible Hairspray ($30, Sephora).

Avoid too-tight ponytails, teasing, or other styles that put excess tension on hair — you’ll just promote breakage, says Dr. Friedman. Disguise sparse areas with CRC Concealing Color ($28.50, qvc.com). For a fast, temporary fix, stipple the cream on with a brush to "blend" your scalp into your hair.

Keep in mind that dye or perming solutions penetrate thinner hair more rapidly, says Dr. Draelos. To avoid excess damage when touching up color at home, she recommends applying the dye just to the roots, and combing it through to the ends for only the last five minutes.

 

Antiaging Products for Your Hair

Like the ideal bathing suit or pair of jeans, the perfect shampoo gets tougher to find as you age. Volumizing formulas often skimp on the conditioning that drier hair desperately needs, while heavier, more moisturizing shampoos can leave fine locks limp. But new products targeted specifically at more mature hair claim to nourish without sacrificing volume, thanks to a mix of mild cleansers and lightweight moisturizers.

To find out if they work any better than the regular stuff, the Good Housekeeping Research Institute put five of the newest ones to the test with women between ages 40 and 60. The results: Our volunteers were impressed with the category as a whole, but L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Age Densiforce Shampoo ($20, us.lorealprofessionnel.com) and Masque ($30) earned top honors. Testers reported that the duo left their hair soft and delivered on the moisture-plus-body promise. "My hair looked great — shiny, manageable, and better than usual," said one woman. "The price is high, but this combo is worth the money." A budget-friendlier option, which ranked a close second: Dove Pro-Age Shampoo and Conditioner ($6 each, drugstores).

 

Make the (Right) Cut: Tips for Younger-Looking Hairstyles

The Magic Length
You don’t have to automatically resign yourself to a supershort crop. Instead, consider a length anywhere between your collarbone and chin. "Hair that hits within those three inches is most flattering," says hairstylist Gretchen Monahan.


Layering 101
Avoid a choppy, overly layered cut if hair is thinning — you’ll just play up the problem. "Often women get lots of layers because they hear this adds volume, but layers won’t help if the hair is simply not there," she says. Instead, opt for a cut with long layers and subtle graduation, rather than shorter layers throughout.
Styling Do’s
If your face seems more angular these days, soften the edges by wearing gentle waves or curls around your face. If a fuller, round face is the issue, do the opposite — a sleek, straight look is an easy way to instantly counteract heaviness.
Fringe Benefits
"Side-swept bangs give you a fun, youthful vibe," Monahan says. "Plus, they instantly create fullness toward the front of your head, where women tend to lose hair." Go for thicker bangs (wispy is aging — it just looks like hair is thinning), but keep the ends soft and fringy; blunt’s too harsh.

Fullness Fake-It: How to Fake Fuller Hair

Mousse is unbeatable for building body — but tough to apply. Plopping it on deposits too much in one section; rubbing it in your palms first deflates its airiness. So we loved this trick from celebrity stylist Nathaniel Hawkins: Squirt a dollop onto a vent brush and stroke it through your hair. The product will slowly leak through the brush’s openings, distributing it from root to end. Our pick: Tresemmé Tres Mousse Extra Hold ($4, drugstores).

 

7 Shine Boosters: Tricks for Shinier Hair

 

Get in Condition:
"Use conditioner every time you wash," says New York City stylist David Evangelista. Worried that it’ll leave your hair looking lifeless? Preserve volume by applying it only from midway up the hair to the ends and avoiding the healthier roots. (Extra benefit: Conditioner cuts down on friction — and, in turn, breakage — as you brush.) In addition, do an at-home deep treatment once a week. Try Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Instant Repair Treatment ($7, drugstores) or Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Hair Masque with Seasilk ($40, 888-425-8376).
Be Cool:
"Do a cold rinse at the end of your shower, or blast your hair with cool air once you’re through blow-drying," says Evangelista. "Both help seal the cuticle so it lies flat and stays shiny."
Protect Yourself:
Whenever you use a blow-dryer, curling iron, or straightener, be sure to apply leave-in heat protection, says Gretchen Monahan. These lotions or sprays go on before styling to form a barrier between your hair and the hot appliance, cutting down on damage. Try VO5 Extreme Style Heat Defense ($3.49, drugstores) or GHD Thermal Protector ($25, Sephora).
Brush Right:
"Choose a brush with lots of tightly packed bristles to really smooth hair," says Monahan. "Boar bristles are great for fine strands; a boar-plastic mix is best for medium to thick."
Mist It:
Give heavy serums a time-out, and switch to a lightweight shine spray instead. "It’ll give you sparkle and reflection without weighing hair down," says colorist Louis Viél of the Miano Viél Salon in New York City. Our picks: Umberto Beverly Hills Shimmer ($9, Target) and Privé Flash Brilliance ($19.50, priveproducts.com).
Hit the Salon:
Consider a gloss treatment, which coats hair in a shine-amplifying glaze for a few weeks. Viél suggests having one right after a color service, when hair is extra porous: "You’ll get the most benefit, and your color will last longer."
Color Correctly:
Ashy, mousy, or gray shades don’t reflect light well, says Viél. "Brighten and add brilliance with warm tones, either with allover color or highlights." Bonus: Because dye swells the hair shaft, your hair will look thicker, too.

Originally published on February 20, 2008

anti-wrinkle eye-patch that can make you look younger

Banish the bags in just 15 minutes: Miracle anti-wrinkle eye patch that can “make you look eight years younger”

A miracle anti-wrinkle eye patch which claims to banish bags under the eyes in just 15 minutes have just gone on sale in the UK.

The collagen-based Eye Secrets patch works by instantly reducing fine lines, dark circles and puffiness by 92 per cent.

Its makers claim it reverses ageing by one year every two minutes and can knock up to eight years off the eyes.

Before and after: The collagen-based Eye Secrets patch works by instantly reducing fine lines, dark circles and puffiness by 92 per cent

The collagen and Q10 eye patches are favourites of celebrities Jennifer Aniston and Christine Bleakley.

They cost 24.99 for five applications and are available from the company”s website eye-secrets.com.

Demand for the patches is so high there is already a waiting list of over 12,000 orders.

In demand: Eye Secrets has a waiting list of over 12,000 orders

A spokeswoman said: “The skin around your eyes is about considerably thinner than anywhere else on your face which is why wrinkles will hit this area first.

“The product can be used in the comfort of your own home and has no downtime unlike cosmetic treatments which can not only be extremely painful but can leave you with a recovery time of up to seven days.”

The Collagen and Q10 Technology optimises the skin”s natural repair process, locking in vital nutrients lost through environmental damage, poor diets and lack of sleep.

Fans: The eye patches are favourites of celebrities Jennifer Aniston and Christine Bleakley

The revolutionary formula continues to work throughout the day protecting the skin against further dehydration with high levels of soothing anti-irritants preventing dark circles reappearing.

Beauty files: Michelle Collins claims the product is her secret weapon

As the skin around your eyes is about 4 times thinner than anywhere else on your face, it”s more vulnerable to environmental damage and premature ageing.

During trials Eye Secrets Collagen and Q10 Technology provided the optimal environment to immediately create the effects of nine hours sleep.

Actress Michelle Collins revealed the product was one of her beauty secrets.

She said: “I think there are many lifestyle factors which can mean looking well, for me it’s getting lots of sleep and going to the gym.

“My secret to looking good has to be my hero beauty product – Eye Secrets. It’s very quick and it’s not visible.

“They are these little strips that you can put on your eyes to firm and brighten them.

“It just makes you feel brighter and I think you can carry on those extra hours and feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as they say.”

L-Oreal's New anti-wrinkle cream will trick human cells into regenerating themselves.

New anti-wrinkle cream will trick human cells into regenerating themselves.

A new range of anti-ageing creams which ‘trick’ human skin cells into regenerating themselves is expected this year.

The products, designed to smooth out wrinkles and repair damaged skin, have been designed by experts in ‘glycobiology’, the science of using naturally occurring sugars to improve health.

L’Oreal hopes its attempt to harness the technology, registered as Glycanactif, will prove a popular addition to the 2billion British cosmetics market.

Ruling out the wrinkles: Scientists claim they have found a cream that can help skin cells regenerate

Artificial chemicals have been developed to mimic the behaviour of natural chemicals which penetrate the surface and stimulate the regeneration of skin cells.

These natural chemicals become less active with age, so it is hoped the cream would cause a manufactured stimulus to the skin to hopefully improve its condition and appearance as if the body was much younger.

Researchers are reported to have found improvements in skin’s elasticity, thickness and smoothness.

Bruno Bernard, research director at L’Oreal, said: ‘There is still much more to cell signalling and the ageing process, but all the cosmetics we had before were acting on the surface.

‘Now we are able to create a rejuvenating effect on the deeper levels of the skin.’

Fountain of youth Researchers are reported to have found improvements in skins elasticity, thickness and smoothness after testing the chemicals

Similar technology in glycobiology has led to the medical advances such as a vaccine against fatal infant flu. It is also expected to be a key element in the fight against cancer.

Peter Seeberger, a director at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, has been working with L’Oreal on the project, said: ‘The research has shown clear beneficial biochemical changes [to skin quality], both in the laboratory and in human studies.’

He added: ‘I’m interested in health, not face paint, but I was very surprised to find out how much real scientific experimentation was going on in a cosmetics company.

‘I could see a value for our work in collaborating with them.’

L’Oreal could not be contacted yesterday to discuss the price of any new cosmetics due for release in 2012.

But Richard Gallo, a professor of dermatology at the University of California in San Diego, says there is still room for more research into the creams.

He told the Sunday Times: ‘The study results are surprisingly good, but we don’t know if these molecules are really getting into the skin or how the beneficial effect works.’

He added: ‘There are a number of companies looking into this area. The optimistic side of me says it does have the potential… but the pessimist in me says it might be just another piece of hype.’