Have you had your Vitamin D levels tested lately? How were they? If they were low, don’t feel bad… Most people are deficient in Vitamin D. Even people that work diligently to keep their Vitamin D levels at a normal range have a hard time achieving that. But why?

As a society, we spend more time indoors. Imagine times when people had to work the land outside all day, when we herded livestock and fished and grew our own food. Back then, people were soaking up the sunshine most of the day. Today, a lot of us work indoors and we protect ourselves from the harmful UV rays. So, it is a catch 22: protect yourself from harmful UV rays but be Vitamin D deficient. How can we be healthy on both ends of that spectrum, especially during the winter time when our days are shorter? Easy, eat healthy!

We are what we eat. We’ve mentioned this before. You can increase your Vitamin D levels by consuming foods that are higher in Vitamin D. 

Here is a handy list of foods that are rich in Vitamin D:

• Eggs: 1 large egg contains about 40 IU of vitamin D

• Yogurt: 6 oz. contains about 20% of your necessary daily intake of Vitamin D.

• Seafood: Fresh fish, caviar/roe, eel, and cod liver oil are all good sources Vitamin D.

• Meats & Fats: Beef liver, pork, pork fat, and duck fat are all good sources of Vitamin D. 

Vegan Options:

• Fortified Tofu: Check labeling to see if it is fortified. 

• Mushrooms: This one is tricky and interesting. When grown under UV lights, mushrooms can absorb that UV and that will make them high in Vitamin D. So, in order to ensure you are getting the Vitamin D benefits, you need to know how the mushrooms were grown. If grown under UV lights, 3 oz. of mushrooms can contain about 400 IU of Vitamin D.

• Orange Juice: Fortified orange juice (must check the label) can give you about 20% of your necessary daily intake of Vitamin D. One cup of fortified orange juice contains about 100 IU of vitamin D.

If you have a hard time adding these foods to your diet, modern science has also been kind enough to make Vitamin D supplements that are easy to take. 

As with any dietary or lifestyle change, you should always consult your primary physician before altering your diet or taking any supplements. They will be able to test your Vitamin D levels and recommend the appropriate path for you. And hey, maybe you are one of those few lucky people that have normal levels of Vitamin D!

This month, we have focused on men’s health, and the best way to stay healthy is to be proactive in our health! Our current world is one that is very stressful, high paced, and very unforgiving when it comes to taking time for ourselves. Slowly, people have realized that adding self care to one's routine is essential in preserving your health and sanity. That goes for you guys!

Most of us have read articles and seen videos of how women can practice self care. There are pre-made mail order boxes you can send to someone or simply buy a subscription for yourself in order to ‘pamper yourself’. But what about men? Is it different? Do they need a different set of ‘self care’ routines? 

Well…. It depends! We are not a gender but a person - not all girls like pink and dolls, not all boys love contact sports and muscle cars, so, it’s not a one size fits all for anyone. That said, we have some ideas that we think you might enjoy doing!

1. Take a hike! Yes! Take a hike! The outdoors is a wonderful way to reconnect with yourself and to take time out of a fast paced society to breathe! Pack a lunch and eat out while you’re surrounded by nature!

2. Go fishing. Whether you’re sitting on a boat enjoying the silence all around you or you’re in the middle of a river fly fishing, it is another great way to connect with nature.

3. Take a long shower or a hot bath. Most human beings can benefit from this self care ritual. Get bubbles, a bath bomb, or simply some epsom salts to help your muscles relax.

4. Go through your closet and purge. Getting rid of clothes you don’t wear is a great way to feel great. Clutter is never a good thing and the feelings that come when you have decluttered and reorganized are peaceful and fulfilling ones. 

5. Do some physical exercise. Yoga is a great way to exercise while still being mindful and experiencing your breath in a different way. Weight lifting, running, biking, or boxing is another great way to release endorphins. 

6. Read a book. Put down your phone… better yet, put it away for a whole day, take a book, and read. Devour a book in a day! Keep all screens off and just go print for a day!

Whatever you decide to do, take the time and do it. It is easy for us to put off self care, but self care and taking that time off is what keeps us healthy, in mind, spirit, and body. 

“Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.”

National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Any person, whether they know it or not, has probably come in contact with at least one woman who has had breast cancer.

 “Every year, breast cancer kills more than 500,000 women around the world.” 

World Health Organization

And, although it is not as common, some of you may even know men who have had breast cancer. As I write this, I remember a young neighbor we had a little over 10 years ago. It was the first time I had ever heard of breast cancer in men. I must confess I didn’t know what to think of it at first. How can that happen? We always seem to associate that kind of cancer with women right? This man was young, in his late 20s / early 30s. He had already been through it once before and a few months after we met, he had a recurrence, which is the term for when a cancer that has been in remission comes back. Although it had been years since we had moved from that house, I ended up ‘googling’ him last year and sadly found out he had passed away. It was so shocking that it made me really think of how important early detection and immediate treatment is. Cancer does not discriminate based on age, gender, race, socio-economic status or geographical location. 

So, what can you do? You can remember to listen to your body! Remember to have a yearly physical and have your breast checked for abnormalities. Sometimes it’s easy for you to detect it because you know your body best. Other times we’re not quite sure what we’re looking for. Here are a couple of resources to help out: 

This site has several sections for breast cancer education including a free E-book: Breast Problems That Aren’t Breast Cancer. https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/educational-guides/

In this section of the Susan G. Komen website, you can read about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. 

https://komencolorado.org/about-breast-cancer/screening/signs-symptoms/

This page in the Susan G. Komen website has some information about breast cancer risks for men.

https://komencolorado.org/about-breast-cancer/screening/risk-for-men/

Remember: Stay active, stay healthy, be proactive about your care!

Who likes tension? It depends. What kind of tension are we talking about? Lately there’s a lot of tension, meaning stress, due to the ongoing state of health in the world, this pandemic, global warming, etc. That kind of tension is the one that negatively affects our body, inside and out. But, did you know there is a good kind of tension? Yosep’s Enchanted 15 Day Treatment has a Tension Ampoule, used on days 6 and 12 of the treatment, that helps your skin combat the bad kind of tension.

This ampoule has two active ingredients:

• Oat Grain Extract: Generates a film with an immediate lifting effect and long-lasting anti-wrinkle effect. It is recommended for all makeup and skin care products for its immediate aesthetic benefits.

• Orange Extract: Antioxidant.

These two ingredients help your skin become tighter - which is the good kind of tension. When you have a lot of stress, your body responds by producing cortisol and destroying collagen. The first, cortisol, produced in excess can result in oily skin, extra weight, and several other unpleasant body changes. The second, collagen, is needed by your skin to stay healthy and beautiful, so when it is depleted due to stress, your skin will not look as young, radiant, or wrinkle-free.

We believe our skin products are amazing, otherwise we wouldn’t use them ourselves! We know that your skin will see a complete transformation after using Yosep’s line of carefully crafted skincare products. That said, we also believe that a sound body and sound mind, are crucial in maintaining the health of your entire body, skin included. This is why we love Mindfulness exercises. Tension, the bad kind, can be reduced through Mindfulness exercises. Try the exercise below once a day and see if you feel less stressed!

Source: https://www.waterford.org/resources/mindfulness-activities-for-kids/

Hydration is the key to staying healthy. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day helps maintain your body well hydrated and improves your overall health. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to drink enough water. A good way to make sure you get enough H2O is to carry a bottle of water. We love the environment so we suggest a reusable bottle. You can get a fancy one for very little that will keep your water nice and cool for hours!

Our face, like the rest of our body, needs moisture. One of the ampoules in Yosep’s Enchanted 15 Day Treatment is a Hydrating Ampoule used on days 1 and 7 of the 15 day treatment. The four active ingredients in this ampoule are:

• Witch Hazel Extract: Contains antioxidant properties and helps with the treatment of aging and wrinkles.

• Hydrating Plants Extract: Combination of English Ivy, Arnica Montana, Elderberry, Mallow, Largeleaf Linden, Cucumber, and Lichwort. Helps regulate transepidermal water loss. Hydrates, decongests and has anti-aging properties.

• Desensitizing Plants Extract: Combination of St. John’s Wort, Chamomile, Calendula, Largeleaf Linden, and Cornflower. It improves the comfort of the skin and regulates the hydric balance of the skin.

• Amniotic Fluid: Contains moisturizing and emollient properties due to its high protein and amino acid content. It has a biostimulant and trophic effect. Helps to repair the stratum corneum.

Starting the Enchanted 15 Day Treatment with the Hydrating Ampoule allows your skin to get some great moisture to begin its transformation. The plants used in both the Hydrating Plants Extract and the Desensitizing Plants Extract are known for their amazing healing properties.

To practice mindfulness this week, find a good water bottle and try to hydrate daily. It is a simple thing we can do to improve our health. If you need to keep track of your daily water consumption, here’s a nice chart.  

Tracker Source: https://www.101planners.com/water-intake-tracker/#page-part-3

What a year… incredibly unexpected and full of challenges for sure. Our world has been faced with a disaster that has affected so many people and lives for quite some time now. The rise in stress, anxiety, and depression is a direct result of the pandemic we are living through right now. As we socially distance, something that is very hard for a lot of people, we should take some time to do some self care. It is by focusing on being mindful and kind to ourselves that we will come out of this more resilient and more at ease. 

Meditation is a way to be mindful. These are so many amazing benefits of meditation! Meditation can reduce stress and/or pain, it can help with sleep problems, it is good for your heart and mind, and is said to help you stay younger. Regardless of what your reasons are to meditate, the most important thing is that you take time for yourself to do something to heal your mind and body.  

The skinny on what it does for your skin though, because we are concerned with skin care:

According to Stacy Conlon from Beauty Heroes, “ Meditating for just a few minutes every day brings energy (also known as prana) into your body and creates a feeling of calm and relaxation. During meditation, prana helps repair your body's tissues and cells…” The physical action of meditating also allows your breath to heal your body providing more oxygen to your skin. 

Here is a free 9-minute meditation to help through these uncertain times. Find a calm and quiet place where you can focus on your breathing and allow your mind to relax.

https://soundcloud.com/thezengirl/meditation-to-reduce-your-anxiety-in-anxious-times