-By A  Staff Reporter

Kathmandu- Skin does really talk. It reflects your inner state of  body and mind. Wishing for a glowing complexion, firm and smooth skin is the first step. Wanting it hard enough and cultivating enough determination to take necessary steps is the second. First, you have to eliminate any health problems. Good health is the basic ground that you have to prepare, only then can the rest follow.

The second round involves taking stock of your life style, how active you are, what you eat and how you care for your skin. Even half an hour of exercise daily will make a difference to your all round health, boost up your circulation and bring a glow to your face. Depending on what you like to do, you can choose  yoga, aerobics, karate, dancing and there are many more; or just settle for plain brisk walking.

Defusing any stress that you may be harboring consciously or unconsciously is another important step. No matter how much you take care of yourself, if you are stressed out, nothing can help you. Nothing ages faster than stress. To start with, even ten minutes of quiet time by yourself, letting go of  worries and concentrating on keeping your mind free helps a lot. Meditation in any form makes a difference to your composure, to your state of mind.

You are what you eat. If you continue to stuff yourself with junk food all the time, it is bound to show up on you sooner or later. The fact remains that you cannot remain 18 forever. Once you hit 18, the decline begins however unnoticed it may remain till you are 25. Learning to like healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, salads, cereals, beans, Tofu etc. will score more points for you health wise and skin wise. So will cutting down on salt, sugar, fat and preservatives laden foods.

Smoking adds to your wrinkles besides inviting the obvious health hazards. Drinking a glass of wine every now  and then is good nutritionally but anything more than that could be habit forming. Hard drinks means more diseases, bags under your eyes and a soggy complexion. You sure can drink plenty of water. Fruit juices, green or herbal tea are good drinks too.

Now comes the skin care ritual. Cleaning, toning, moisturising twice daily (morning and night) helps keep your skin free of unsightly blemishes. Protecting it from sun is very important. The more you expose yourself to the sun the higher number of Sun Protection Factor (SPF) you need. Sun is the worst enemy of skin. Avoid it as much as you can if you care for your skin. Never settle for cheap  creams, cosmetics when it comes to your face. It matters and it shows in the long run.

Exfoliating skin once a week with grains or good quality ready made scrubs helps skin get rid of dead cells. Applying a mask in accordance to your skin type once a week soothes and nourishes your skin and keep it youthful. Again, go for quality brands. Natural products are great if you have the time to indulge in it.

A sensible combination of all these steps in keeping with your type, age and life style will go a long way in keeping you vibrant, attractive, confident and strong.

(If you have any questions regarding fitness, skin care and fashion, do write in to us. Our experts will try to help you).