For many folks like me who live in the Northern part of the world, fall and winter months seem to bring uncomfortable dryness to the skin.  For some people the problem is worse, for instance when the skin gets so dry it results in flaking, cracking and can even turn to eczema and irritation.

When the humidity inside drops, the skin begins to lose moisture which causes you to feel the dryness and itching.  For maintaining a healthy skin, one must alter their daily skin regimen to address the humidity change.

Below are 10 tips provided by Dr. Mary McKenzie, a dermatologist from Canada to prevent and relieve healthy skin:

1.  Soak your skin with moisturizers

Using a non-irritating, hypoallergenic moisturizer, can make a significant difference in your skin. this treatment works differently than mainstream moisturizers. Not only does it reduce water loss, it helps build the skin, as well as calm the burning and itching sensation.

2. Avoid Superhot Showers and Baths

Taking a hot bath may feel great on those cold days, but the intense heat of the shower or bath actually breaks down the lipid barriers in the skin, which can lead to moisture loss.

3. Avoid using heavily fragranced soaps

It’s best to use fragrance-free, non detergent, neutral-pH products to cleanse your skin.

4. Hook up the Humidifier

Help restore moisture indoors by placing a humidifier in your home to prevent your skin from drying out

5. Wear skin-loving fabrics

Natural fibers, such as cotton and silk feel wonderful and allow your skin to breathe.

6. Avoid fragranced detergents and fabric softeners

Use fragrance-free detergents that won’t irritate your skin and try skipping frabic softeners. 

7. Hydrate your Skin

Drinking water helps your skin stay young looking and is good for your overall health.

8.  Keep wrapped up

Try to limit your skin’s exposure to harsh temperatures and damaging winds, which are the main culprit to dry skin problems.

9. Protect your hands

Chapped and irritated dry skin on the hands is common for many with dry skin. Try rubber gloves to protect them from hot water and harsh detergents. Wearing cotton gloves underneath may also be a good idea, especially if you are latex allergy-prone.

10. Seek Medical Treatment

If your skin condition does not improve, or if it worsens, it is important to see your physician for an appropriate course of treatment.

The Rose: Written by Jim Rohn

Lifestyle is style over amount. And style is an art -the art of living. You can’t buy style with money. You can’t buy good taste with money. You can only buy more with money. Lifestyle is culture - the appreciation of good music, dance, art, sculpture, literature, plays and the art of living well. It’s a taste for the fine, the unique, the beautiful.

Lifestyle also means rewarding excellence wherever you find it by not taking the small things of life for granted. With Valentine’s Day approaching I wanted to illustrate this with a personal anecdote:

Many years ago my lady friend and I were on a trip to Carmel, California, for some shopping and exploring. On the way we stopped at a service station. As soon as we parked our car in front of the pumps, a young man, about eighteen or nineteen, came bouncing out to the car and with a big smile said, “Can I help you?”

“Yes,” I answered. “A full tank of gas, please.” I wasn’t prepared for what followed. In this day and age of self-service and deteriorating customer treatment, this young man checked every tire, washed every window - even the sunroof - singing and whistling the whole time. We couldn’t believe both the quality of service and his upbeat attitude about his work.

When he brought the bill, I said to the young man, “Hey, you really have taken good care of us. I appreciate it.”

He replied, “I really enjoy working. It’s fun for me and I get to meet nice people like you.”

This kid was really something!

I said, “We’re on our way to Carmeland we want to get some milkshakes. Can you tell us where we can find the nearest Baskin-Robbins?”

“Baskin-Robbins is just a few blocks away,” he said as he gave us exact directions. Then he added, “Don’t park out front - park around to the side so your car won’t get sideswiped.”

What a kid!

As we got to the ice cream store we ordered milkshakes, except that instead of two, we ordered three. Then we drove back to the station. Our young friend dashed out to greet us. “Hey, I see you got your milkshakes.”

“Yes, and this one is for you!”

His mouth fell open. “For me?”

“Sure. With all the fantastic service you gave us, I couldn’t leave you out of the milkshake deal.”

“Wow!” was his astonished reply.

As we drove off I could see him in my rear-view mirror just standing there, grinning from ear to ear.

Now, what did this little act of generosity cost me? Only about two dollars - you see, it’s not the money, it’s the style.

Well, I must have been feeling especially creative that day, so upon our arrival in Carmel I drove directly to a flower shop. As we walked inside I said to the florist, “I need a long-stemmed rose for my lady to carry while we go shopping in Carmel.”

The florist, a rather unromantic type, replied, “We sell them by the dozen.”

“I don’t need a dozen,” I said, “just one.”

“Well,” he replied haughtily, “it will cost you two dollars.”

“Wonderful,” I exclaimed. “There’s nothing worse than a cheap rose.”

Selecting the rose with some deliberation, I handed it to my friend. She was so impressed! And the cost? Two dollars. Just two dollars. A bit later she looked up and said, “Jim, I must be the only woman in Carmel today carrying a rose.” And I believe she probably was.

Can you imagine the opportunity to create magic with those around you, and all for the cost of a few dollars, some imagination and care. Remember, it is not the amount that matters but the thought and care that often has the greatest impact upon those you love.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Check out the Special Jim Rohn Event Package all for under $200—including Jim’s Weekend Leadership Event on 24 CDs. Go to jimrohn.com/eventpackage or call  800-929-0434 .

So you’ve finally decided that it’s time you make a conscious effort to get back in shape.
Tired of feeling tired?  Unhappy with the way your clothes fit? Or maybe you just want to
get back some control over you physical well being.  Well whatever the reason here are
some tips that can help you get started!

TIP #1 Once you’ve made up your mind that this is what you want to
do, I would suggest that you start out very slowly.  If you are
training at a gym I would set up an initial consultation with a
trainer.  They will probably do a fitness test on you which you can
use as a starting point.  This usually is at no expense to you.  Bring
a note pad and ask the trainer to walk you through the gym and ask
them to demonstrate some of the key machines used for legs, arms,
chest, back, etc.  As you go along make notes for when you revisit the
machines by yourself.

Tip #2 Now that you have an idea of how to use some of the machines.
I would plan your workout the night before.  This way you are
visualizing your time at the gym which is motivating and by doing so
will also save you time while your there because you know what your
going to do.  On day one I would suggest to train your whole upper
body starting with exercises for the bigger muscle groups such as back
and chest, then work your way to the smaller muscle groups like
shoulders and arms.

TIP #3 If time is an issue I suggest that you do a circuit style of
training which means you do one set of each exercise for your upper
body back to back with no rest in between.  This equals one circuit.
Complete the circuit 1 more time then your done.  For now keep the rep
range from around 8 to 10 reps so choose weights that will allow you
to do so.  As you get more comfortable with the equipment and the
amount of reps you can add another circuit to the workout totaling 3.
Do remember to warm up first by doing 10 minutes of cardio work to get the
blood flowing and also loosen up your joints.

TIP #4 The following day after you work out your going to take off to
allow your body to recover so make sure you get lots of rest and you
eat lots of whole grains,protein, low glycemic carbohydates, moderate
fruits, lots of green vegetables, essential fats and a minimum of 2-3
litres of water.  This should become a regular habit to help the body
recover quickly from exercise as well as stay strong and healthy.
After your day off you can head back to the gym and now train your
lower body following the same previous guidelines.  Continue to
alternate upper and lower body training with a day of rest in between.

TIP #5 To help motivate yourself try placing a picture of either what
you want to look like or what you don’t want to look like around the
house.  Some Perfect places would be the refrigerator or the cupboards
with all the treats.  When you go for something not so healthy you
will see your pictures and hopefully they will keep you committed to
your goals.  Secondly get rid of all the treats in the house, in the
car and at work.  Surround yourself with better options and you won’t
find yourself cheating.

Written by Doug H.
Personal Trainer

Nail biting is a common habit and therefore not that looked down upon. But as a nail biter myself, I know that is an awful and sometimes painful habit to have. Here are some tips to help you stop now.

1. Try the nasty tasting stuff from the pharmacy. This clear liquid makes your nails taste like crap! It will stop you biting for a while at least.

2. Ask a partner to remind you. My girlfriend is on bite alert. If she sees me attempting to do it she gives me a harsh stare, sometimes I even get a little slap on the wrists.

3. Carrying gum or something to chew. Chewing gum can keep your mouth occupied. At home you can keep a cinnamon stick or something similar on your desk. Just a bite and chew here and there could cut the craving to destroy your precious nails.

4. Keep reminding yourself. Don’t let yourself slip. Nail biting should be treated by yourself as a nasty habit. This way you can make sure that every time the craving comes you can fight it.

5. Keep calm. I tend to want to bite when I feel stressed. Keeping stress down will help you to stop biting nails and the side effects of less stress will affect all aspects of your life. If something bothers you just take deep breaths and shrug it off.

Tips For Your Hair & Skin

Most people often go to beauty shops or drug stores to buy beauty and health care products and some even resort to cosmetic surgery. These are okay if you have the money. But actually, the most important thing is to change your lifestyle and habits. Below are beauty skin care and hair care tips that are very simple yet very effective.

Tips For Skincare:

• Avoid too much sun exposure. Especially when you can already the heat of the sun pricking uncomfortably on your skin. You should apply sunscreen lotion on your skin with SPF 15 minimum.
• People know that smoking is bad for the skin. It was found out that women who smoke a pack of cigarettes daily will be more likely to grow facial hairs!
• Exercising is another tip on improving skin. Even if you are using the most effective skin care product, it will be useless if you don’t quit stop being a couch potato and being lazy.
• Even if you have a very busy schedule, take time to rest. Resting is the time for your body to recharge itself and do its very own self-maintenance.

Tips For Hair Care:

• Treat your hair very gently especially when wet. This applies for all kinds of hair. Try not to use blow-dryer because it could make your hair brittle and more prone to breakage.
• If you have the habit of washing your hair more than once, at least use a very mild shampoo. Frequency of washing and shampoo depend on what kind of hair you have—curly, straight, frizzy, dry, or oily.
• If you really need to iron or curl your hair, at least do it when you’re hair is already dry. And if possible, style your hair only once a week.
• Have a regular haircut or trimming to prevent split ends.

If you are happy with your weight then the next battle starts. You have to keep yourself in check and make sure that weight does not start creeping back on. This can be pretty easy if you keep a few useful tips at the front of your mind.

1. Read food labels.
Knowing what you are eating will keep you more inclined from over eating or binging. and keeping the calories limited.

2. Walk when possible.
Walking is pretty easy, so we often forget how many calories we burn doing it. One mile can burn 100 calories for most people. Get off the bus a stop early, walk up stairs instead of using the lift. Just use your legs for what they are there for.

3. Drink Water
You have surely heard this before and it’s well worth saying again. Often you think you are hungry and you are actually thirsty. Always keep some water nearby.

4. Ask for healthy choices in the reaturant
If you are eating out, ask the chef or waiter for the healthy choices. Keep the portions reasonable and don’t opt for super sized meals.

5. Give others health advice.
If you put yourself out there as a health and weight conscious person you will feel more of a burden to make sure you really follow your own advice. You will feel more confident too!

6. Treat yourself
Don’t starve yourself of your favorite things. Make sure you reach your goals first but always allow some slips in the plan. Sometimes that Kit Kat is needed!