beauty tips

15.07.2020

-

Fit for the summer: wellness tips

Federica Cuni, Personal Trainer & Kinesiologist

Never as this year our body needs particular attention in nutrition, physical activity, sleep and beauty routines to find the right shape and perfect psychophysical well-being. Here are some beauty and wellness tips to be put into practice immediately and to be included in the daily good practices to feel good:

MOVE!

Movement is life! After the long period of quarantine, our body has really suffered from inactivity. Start setting daily physical activity goals.

Walk every day, taking at least 10,000 steps. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends this movement for your health. Walking helps you lose weight, by taking 10,000 steps a day you burn about 450 calories, it helps you feel good, your heart, muscles and cholesterol benefit. To keep your muscles beautiful and toned and avoid muscle atrophy, train twice by working on strength and toning. It has also been shown that, practiced regularly, physical activity improves mental strength, mood and quality of life in general: when exercising, the body releases endorphins, which give happiness and reduce stress. Here is a simple, simple and effective training program for those who want to transform physical activity into a habit that you can also carry out at home. You can start with 3 workouts per week.

Day 1

20 minute walk / ride. The goal is, for the same amount of time, to increase the distance traveled every week. 10 minutes of exercises: 20 squats, 15 push ups, 20 abs. Repeat the circuit for 10 minutes, increasing the time each week, up to 20 minutes.

Day 2

20 minute jump of the run or stairs 20 minutes of exercises (20 lunges, 20 russian twists, 10 burpees)

Day 3

40 minutes of walking / running / biking 20 minutes of yoga and stretching exercises. You can repeat this circuit, keeping each position.

EAT HEALTHY

Nutrition is essential to better prepare for the costume test.

Whole foods, fruits and vegetables must be at the base of your diet.

A great way to gradually detoxify the body is to eliminate or at least limit the consumption of some foods harmful to the body, to introduce others that are healthier. For the first few periods, following a light diet can be difficult, if not dramatic for some, especially if you are used to the abundant consumption of foods that contain a lot of sugar or saturated fat. But you will see what benefits!

The use of food supplements in case of tiredness, exhaustion can help you recover your energy. Perfor Max could be just right for you because it contains stimulating tonic properties and promotes a physiological recovery in case of psychophysical stress. In addition, it is an important support for the daily diet, designed to give the body a general feeling of physical well-being.

HYDRATED

Water is one of the most important elements for the human being. Our body is made up of 75% of water on average, reaching a rate of about 50% of the total weight in adults and 80% in newborns. Hydrating means guaranteeing the body the correct amount of water.

A little trick to drink more is to flavor the water with some fruits such as lemon, kiwi, pineapple, oranges or red fruits: if the water has a pleasant taste it is much easier to drink in quantity.

In addition, during training we lose a lot of fluids and it is very important to replenish them for all the systems of our body, the blood circulation, the cardiovascular system and also our skin.

A recent study conducted by Virginia Tech University presented by Brenda Davy of the Department of Human Nutrition at the American Chemical Society Meeting confirmed that drinking two glasses of water before meals from a sense of satiety that makes you eat almost 100 calories in less.

Drinking more water will also help you with swelling, stimulating the kidneys.

When water is not consumed enough, a body often has poor muscle tone. Commit to drinking the right amount every day!

SLEEP

Sleeping represents a rejuvenation process with which the body heals and regenerates itself from the stress of the day, but sleep also has other benefits.

Not only does it contribute to brain function and emotional well-being, but it also promotes mental strength, improves learning skills and stimulates productivity, not to mention the effects on mood and physical strength. Rest is important because it allows us to conserve energy and provide the body with the “fuel” it needs to face the day.

In addition to performing the task of repairing the blood vessels, rest is necessary for the construction and development of the musculature.

Each individual has unique needs and preferences and the amount of sleep needed depends largely on age. The official recommendations regarding the duration of sleep are in fact divided by age groups:

elderly (65+ years): 7-8 hours
adults (18-65 years): 7-9 hours
teenagers (14-17 years): 8-10 hours
school-aged children (6-13 years): 9-11 hours
preschool children (3-5 years): 10-13 hours
small children (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
infants (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
However, some people may need more or less sleep than recommended.

BEAUTY ROUTINE

Take some time. Conquering your own spaces where the I is at the center of our thoughts and attentions is important.

It only takes ten minutes to get better, creating small wellness beauty routines. Pamper yourself and relax before starting your working day and, once at home, after having faced a long day of work or after an intense workout.

In the morning and in the evening you could gently apply Silulite body cream, a rich cream based on organic Jojoba and Sweet Almond oils, formulated to combat cellulite’s imperfections that makes the skin hydrated and shiny.

On the face with circular movements and pegs to activate the circulation at best you can use LucE‘: moisturizing and nourishing. Daily use helps keep skin elastic and hydrated. In addition, it is formulated with vegetable products with natural sun filters, hyaluronic acid, mallow and aloe.

Post workout is very important to relax and decontract the muscles.

Massages are not a physical therapy aimed only at athletes for cool-down after exertion, but also for those who want to alleviate tiredness, muscle stiffness or local pain.

What are the benefits of massages?

The essential oils and phytoextracts contained within BeC natura products take care of your joints and the well-being of your muscles, increasing the elasticity of muscle tissues by reducing inflammation.

STEP 1

Apply Olio Strongful® to the entire area to be treated, which facilitates recovery after exertion and acts on muscle stiffness.

STEP 2

Massage the affected area with Balsamo BeC which relieves painful localized conditions, including those of a traumatic nature.

PREPARE YOUR SKIN TO THE SUN

The skin needs to prepare before being exposed to the sun. Despite the strong desire for heat and days in the open air, after long months of covering clothing, the body and face are not ready to receive the sun’s rays directly without careful preparation that protects against sunburn and makes the skin last longer. ‘tanning.

Eliminating impurities and dead cells is the first step towards obtaining a shiny tan. Good cleansing must be carried out on the face but also on the body with a natural scrub with based on organic extra-virgin olive oil, it exerts a light and delicate scrub thanks to the presence of natural granules obtained from the organic olive kernel. 98.8% of the total ingredients are of natural origin.

The dryness of the epidermis is not a friend of the sun so nourish and deeply moisturize the skin of the body with a good fluid moisturizer.

To prepare the skin in the sun it is better to prefer foods rich in vitamins, minerals and water. Doors open then to a greater quantity of fresh and seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Salads and fruit salads at will, many yellow-orange foods rich in beta-carotene, raw extra virgin olive oil for seasoning (increases the absorption of beta-carotene) and berries, watermelon, peppers, tomatoes and celery to better protect the skin from aging caused by sunlight.

Take a specific supplement such as Radical Stop® for at least 30 days, rich in vitamins and minerals with plant extracts, an important ally to counteract the cellular aging processes induced by free radicals.

Use a good sunscreen, you can find the one that best suits your skin in the BeC Sun Care line.

What are you waiting for?

Start now to put into practice all these little tricks for your psychophysical well-being. In no time you will see great results!

Cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase and the inflammatory process

Cyclooxygenase and lipooxygenase are the two families of enzymes that are commonly involved in the inflammatory process, through a complex of reactions which is called arachidonic acid cascade. This complex of reactions develops as follows: a first enzyme, a phospholipase cleaves the phospholipids of biological membranes, releasing arachidonic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid with 20 carbon atoms (eicosa-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z-tetraenoic acid ; C20:4; ω-6). The arachidonic acid is then transformed by two parallel enzymatic pathways, that is, by two families of enzymes: the cyclooxygenase which transforms it into prostaglandins and thromboxanes and the lipooxygenase which transforms it into hydroperoxides which in turn transform into leukotrienes .
There are two cyclooxygenase isoforms indicated with type 1 and type 2, briefly COX-1 and COX-2. COX-1 is the enzyme present in most cells (except red blood cells), and is constitutive, that is, it is always present. COX-2 is an inducible cyclooxygenase isoform: it is constitutively present in some organs such as brain, liver, kidney, stomach, heart and vascular system, while it can be induced (i.e. developed if necessary) following inflammatory stimuli on the skin, white blood cells and muscles.
There are various types of lipooxygenase that lead to different products, the most important in the inflammatory process is 5-lipooxygenase, 5-LOX.

Prostaglandins, Thromboxanes, and Leukotrienes

Prostaglandins, Thromboxanes, and Leukotrienes are chemical messengers or mediators, that is, molecules that bring a message to specific cells and activate or deactivate metabolic responses in these cells. They, therefore, have a function similar to hormones, only that, unlike what hormones do, the chemical message is carried only at a short distance, that is, only to the cells that are in the vicinity of the place where the mediators were produced. There are different prostaglandins, different thromboxanes and different leukotrienes that carry specific messages. In many cases these act as mediators of the inflammatory process , therefore they trigger all the events that are involved in inflammation:
– vasodilation with consequent blood supply (redness),
– increased capillary permeability with consequent fluid exudation (swelling or edema),
– stimulation of nociceptive nerve signals (pain),
– on-site recall of immune system cells that attack a possible invader (chemotactic action)
– activation of the biosynthesis of fibrous tissue to strengthen or repair the affected part (even if there is no need)
– generations of free radicals that can chemically destroy an invader (but also damage our tissues, i.e. they just “shoot in the middle”).
Prostaglandins and thromboxanes, however, also play important physiological roles in normal conditions, i.e. in the absence of inflammation. For example, they regulate the secretion of mucus that protects the walls of the stomach, they regulate the biosynthesis of cartilages and synovial fluid in the joints, they regulate vasodilation, hence the correct flow of blood in the various local districts, and more.

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are the main components of most oils and fats. These are heavy, non-volatile and little polar molecules, insoluble in water, made up of glycerol (or glycerin) esterified with three molecules of fatty acids: therefore, it is a tri-ester of glycerin, from which the name derives. Each fatty acid contains 8 to 22 carbon atoms (commonly 16 to 18) and can be saturated, mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated. The size of the fatty acids and their saturation determines the physical and sensorial properties of the triglycerides, which can appear as oils (liquids at room temperature) or fats (solid or semi-solid) and can have greater or less greasiness and smoothness on the skin. Unsaturated triglycerides or with shorter fatty acids are more fluid and have greater flowability.

Fatty acids (saturated, mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated)

The name fatty acids is commonly used to indicate those organic acids that are found in the composition of lipids, that is, in animal and vegetable oils and fats, both in the free form and in the form of esters with glycerol (e.g. in triglycerides), or they are esterified with “fatty” alcohols, that is, long chain alcohols, to form waxes. Fatty acids are carboxylic acids (formula R-COOH) which have a long carbon chain (R), unlike common organic acids such as acetic acid and propionic acid, which have 2 or 3 carbon atoms in total, respectively. Fatty acids are defined as saturatedif they do not have double carbon-carbon bonds, (called “unsaturations”), they are defined mono-unsaturated if they have only one, they are defined mono-unsaturatedpoly-unsaturated if they have two or more double bonds (see figure). The term omega-3 (ω-3) or omega-6 (ω-3), refers to the position of the first double bond starting from the bottom of the chain of carbon atoms: if the first double bond is encountered after 3 carbon atoms the fatty acid is classified as omega-3 , if after six carbon atoms omega-6 , as shown in the figure. The most common saturated fatty acids are palmitic acid (16 carbon atoms and no double bond, C16: 0) and stearic acid (18 carbon atoms, 18: 0), the most common mono-unsaturated is the oleic acid, typical of olive oil (18 carbon atoms and 1 double bond in position 9, C18: 1; ω-9), while the most common poly-unsaturated are linoleic acid and linolenic acid, progenitors respectively omega-6 and omega-3 (see figure).

Terpenes and terpenoids

Terpenes or terpenoids are a large family of natural molecules, typically containing 10 to 30 carbon atoms, which are biosynthesized from a common “brick”, isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), containing 5 carbon atoms (see figure). The discovery that the repetitive brick consists of 5 carbon atoms is relatively recent, while it was once assumed that the entire family was created by repeating a brick of 10 carbon atoms, which was called “terpene”. Therefore, the molecules with 10 carbon atoms (such as limonene, see figure) were called mono-terpenes, i.e. composed of a single brick, diterpenes those with 20 carbon atoms (e.g. the cafestol that gives the aroma to the coffee), triterpenes those with 30 carbon atoms (e.g. beta-carotene). Since molecules made from 15 carbon atoms were also found (such as bisabolol), it was thought they contained a terpene and a half, and were called sesquiterpenes (from the Latin semis = half + atque = and). Today it is known that the repetitive unit is composed of 5 carbon atoms, therefore it is easy to understand how mono-terpenes contain two (see figure), sesquiterpenes three, diterpenes four, triterpenes six.