Best vitamins for healthy skin

How vitamins can help with skin aging

When we talk about health it’s important to consider how you treat your skin because your skin is the largest organ of your body. Although it is impossible to 100% prevent the effects of aging, you can add a variety of vitamins for healthy skin to your diet. From fighting fine lines and wrinkles to reducing the appearance of acne, vitamins offer a variety of benefits for skin health. Some vitamins even act as antioxidants preventing free radicals from damaging cells in the body and skin.

What vitamins are good for your skin

Vitamin A

Vitamin A plays several roles in improving and protecting your skin’s health. First, it protects the skin against the effects of ultraviolet radiation damage. It boosts skin cell turnover, improves skin texture, and refreshes collagen production.

Vitamin A has been shown to improve the effects of photoaging on the skin. These effects include wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, freckles, and roughness.

You can obtain more vitamin A either by taking it orally through fish oil or from foods like milk, eggs, dark leafy greens and mango.

B-complex vitamins

The eight B vitamins are vital for the health of our entire bodies. However, they can be considered the best skin vitamins because they offer so many different benefits for skin health. For example, B vitamins help improve the signs of aging, acne, and skin tone.

Vitamin B-3, niacinamide, has been shown to reduce the appearance of age spots and discoloration. Vitamin B-5 has been shown to reduce acne and skin inflammation. Both B-3 and B-5 can help improve skin tone and texture. And according to a 2018 study, vitamin B can help the body produce new skin cells.

The best source of vitamin B complex includes seafood, poultry, eggs, meat, dairy products and fortified foods like cereal.

Vitamin C

vitamin c foods
 

Vitamin C is vital for skin health. Both dietary and topical vitamin C are beneficial for skin cells. Vitamin C has strong antioxidant properties and plays a vital role in collagen production. Some studies have shown that vitamin C as a skin vitamin may be effective against ultraviolet-induced photodamage.

The antioxidant properties of vitamin C protect skin cells from UV-induced damage caused by free radicals. Beyond its antioxidant properties, vitamin C regulates the synthesis of collagen. In addition, it has been shown to stabilize collagen production, which increases its ability to repair damaged skin.

An observational study found that higher levels of dietary vitamin C were associated with better skin appearance, with notable decreases in visible wrinkles.

You can obtain vitamin C from fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes, bell peppers and cruciferous vegetables.

Vitamin D

While Vitamin D is typically linked to bone health, it has also been shown to greatly benefit your skin health and help treat skin conditions like dry skin and eczema.

According to an Archives of Internal Medicine report, 77% of Americans “have a deficiency in vitamin D levels, affecting their overall health.” So it’s essential to get a healthy amount of it, but you must get this vital skin vitamin without also getting a sunburn. Healthy levels of vitamin D have been linked to the prevention of skin aging, but too much sun will accelerate skin aging. Because of this, it’s a good idea to take an oral supplement. Don’t let a lack of vitamin D make you less than mindful about how much sun you’re getting. Always wear sunscreen.

Vitamin D can be found in cod liver oil, salmon, swordfish, tuna fish, orange juice fortified with vitamin D and dairy fortified with vitamin D.

Other health benefits of vitamins

Just as there are vitamins for healthy skin these vitamins are equally important for your physical, mental, and emotional health. Due to depleted soil, industrial farming, and the increase in processed food production our food supply has fewer nutrients than it once did. Vitamins are a great way to supply the body with the nutrients our bodies are lacking.

For example, Vitamin D helps with our body’s absorption of calcium from our diet which can help prevent osteoporosis and bone density loss. Low vitamin D can also lead to anxiety and depression. Vitamin A also helps to promote bone health. Both vitamin B6 and vitamin C helps boost your immune system to guard your body against the risk of infection and help fight free radicals in the body.

Choosing the best vitamin supplement for you

When deciding which vitamins you need it’s best to have your doctor run a blood test to test for any deficiencies. You should also tell your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms of vitamin deficiencies: extreme hair loss, bone or joint pain, excessive fatigue, sudden vision changes, wounds that heal slowly, or an irregular heartbeat.

Also watch out for skin issues possibly related to vitamin deficiencies. Hyperpigmentation could be a symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency and red, dry or itchy skin could be a sign of vitamin D deficiency.

For more skincare tips and figuring out for you the best vitamins for healthy skin check out Skin Spa New York.They are a skincare concierge service we’ve partnered with here in New York City who offer all types of skin treatments to improve fine lines, skin laxity, and more. You can reach out on their site to book a consultation with one of their specialists. 

Is strength training enough for fat loss

Strength training effects on fat loss

Strength training as we know helps us build muscle and get stronger, but that’s not all. Through this process, we are also reshaping our metabolism enabling our bodies to burn more calories at rest. The more muscle we have on our body the more energy output we have, which allows our body to break-down our fat stores in order to meet this new demand. Also having a higher muscle mass percentage improves our body composition. This is our lean mass to fatty mass ratio. Having a lower body fat percentage helps us better manage our weight in the long run. Strength training can often lead to a higher after-burn effect. This means that the body continues burning calories even after the workout is over. 

Calorie consumption is equally important for fat loss

While you will gain benefits in fat loss from strength training alone, it will only get you so far. Diet and calorie consumption are equally as important. Being in a calorie deficit will help you lose some weight because it means you’re burning more calories than you are consuming. However, working to heal your metabolism by slowly increasing your calories until you’ve reached a slight surplus before then going into a calorie deficit will help you not only lose fat, but improve your body composition. It’s much easier to manage your weight in the long run when you have a body composition comprised of more lean mass vs fatty mass and thus a higher basil metabolic rate.

Here’s how it works. When you are in a slight calorie surplus you’re able to focus on building more muscle since muscle requires a more substantial calorie supply. Then when you put yourself in a calorie deficit you’re able to lean out burning more fat, but also while carrying a higher percentage of muscle mass. This is how you achieve a lean strong physique without becoming “skinny fat.”

Why protein is so important for fat loss

Another important factor to consider when it comes to diet is protein intake. Consuming a diet that is higher in protein will help improve your fat loss and here’s why:

  • Protein keeps you more satiated thus keeping you from overeating. A recent study found that “increasing protein from 15% to 30% of calories made overweight women consume 441 fewer calories each day without intentionally restricting anything.”
  • Protein is the building block of muscle so more consumption promotes new muscle growth while also maintaining your current mass. The more muscle you have on your body the more efficient your body is at burning fat.
  • Protein has a higher thermic effect than fat and carbs so it boosts your metabolism and increases your calorie burn. A higher metabolism and calorie burn allows you to burn fat more efficiently.

Strength training alone is not enough

If you want to focus on losing fat while maintaining a healthy metabolism and most importantly keeping the weight off then you want to couple strength training with a high protein calorie deficit diet.

Tracking your calorie consumption and your weight is very beneficial so you can see if you’re already in a calorie deficit. If you are then you may want to take the extra time to reverse diet out of the deficit to pack on more muscle before going into a calorie cut. If you’re already in a calorie surplus you can spend some time here strength training first to build more muscle before going into a cut. Bottom line, if you have the time it’s always useful to delay going into a calorie deficit to improve your metabolism and body composition first. Do this while maintaining a high protein diet with at least 30% of your calories coming from protein. 

Fat loss isn’t the only thing you should be concerned about. This process is how you can guarantee lasting fat loss results while also maintaining a healthy optimal metabolism and healthy body composition.

Spot Training for Fat Loss: Why it’s a myth

Spot Training For Fat Loss Isn’t A Thing

What is spot training

Spot training seems to be on everyone’s mind lately. As nice as the idea of spot reducing your fat stores in certain parts of your body sounds, it is not how the body works. If it were that easy, we should all have six-pack abs by now.

Our bodies are predisposed to store fat in certain areas. The only way to target fat loss in certain areas is to target the whole body. When you lower your overall body fat percentage you’ll lean out your total body including those problem areas. This is why spot training is a myth. As we know lowering your body fat requires proper diet and exercise.

Reduce muscle imbalances with spot training

Spot training can work if you are looking at correcting muscle imbalances or improving strength in certain parts of your body. For example, runners are able to build up strong quad and hamstring muscles in their legs by running consistently. However, by not training arms their upper body tends to be weaker, which can hinder their running form. By focusing on training upper body they can ensure their upper body has the strength to propel their legs forward.

This type of spot training is helpful if you are training for something specific that requires it. The optimal body composition is one that is in balance because we are designed to use our whole bodies. When you have muscular imbalances it can lead to health issues such as poor posture, joint pain, and muscle compensation. These muscle imbalances can be caused by over-training certain parts of the body as mentioned above. We can also unknowingly cause these imbalances through poor posture, remaining in a sedentary seated position for an extended period of time or wearing shoes with an elevated heel.

Perfection doesn't exist

The way most people view spot training is with the idea that there are problem areas on your body. The reality is all of our bodies have imperfections. We all have stretch marks, flab somewhere, cellulite, you name it. Rather than zeroing in on these areas we want to change we should broaden our focus to building overall body strength and improving our health. When we put our health first, our bodies will respond. It takes time and consistency, which is why it’s important to form new healthy habits and adopt an effective fitness routine.

Leave your comments below if you need any further clarity on spot fat reduction or how you can achieve your fitness goals.