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 As the temperatures drop and the air becomes drier, our skin is more susceptible to dehydration, irritation, and even cracking. To combat the harsh effects of winter weather, it's essential to adjust our skincare routines to provide our skin with the extra nourishment and hydration it needs to stay healthy and radiant. 

1. Cleanse - Making sure you cleanse your skin daily is a vital part of skincare. Washing your face removes dirt, oil, and other unwanted debris.

2. Exfoliate -  Exfoliating in the winter helps replenish your skin. In order for your dehydrated skin to breathe and to improve the effectiveness of moisturizers, you need to buff away those dead cells so new cells can come in healthier without obstruction. 

3. Tone - Using toner rebalances your skin’s pH in order to properly absorb all the other skincare products in your routine. Bringing your skin back to balance promotes healthy skin hydration, effectively reducing the appearance of rough, dry skin for a softer, smoother complexion. 

4. Treat -  The UV index is low and your beach days are limited. This is a great time to help correct and treat your skin to help you reach your skin goals! 

5. Moisturize -  Due to weather conditions, hot showers, and dry indoor heating, it is now a great time to use more intensive hydrating treatments and thicker moisturizers under your daily SPF. This will create a barrier and protect our skin.  

You can take a custom quiz by clicking here for more information on your unique skin and products to help you feel and look your best.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We have all heard this, but do we understand why? Breakfast impacts our mood, focus, and cravings. It is particularly important for children to have a nutritious breakfast to help build brighter brains, it can help all of us to have a more positive attitude, and those who skip breakfast, or eat a junky breakfast tend to be overweight. Starting your day with a balanced breakfast that includes protein, whole grain and fiber can make a big difference.

Be cautious with cereal as these are often marketed as healthy, but the labels tell a different story. Read the label and ensure you are getting whole grain, high fiber and protein and low sugar. Study the ingredients and make sure you are not getting cereal with food dyes and watch the serving size.

Let’s talk about the importance of dietary fiber, this is fiber that is naturally found in foods. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate, but unlike other carbohydrates, the body does not break it down into digestible sugar molecules. Fiber passes through the body providing many benefits, such as slowing digestion taking longer for the body to absorb sugars from food. It also makes you feel full faster and longer. Fiber keeps things moving along, and kind of cleans as it moves through your system gathering some of the junk and taking it with it out of your body. 

• Investigation: Breakfast Is a Marker for Cardiovascular Risk Prediction∗
• Book: The Psychobiotic Revolution by Scott Anderson
• Book: The Microbiome Diet by Raphael Kellmam
• E-book: Gut Matters by Dr. Karen Wolfe
• Dietary, Functional and Total Fiber. www.nap.edu/read/10490/chapter/9#340