Skin care refresher course

When it comes to skin care, we have a wealth of information, products, and procedures at our fingertips. All of the options we are given can be overwhelming when it's time to select the right methods for our skin.

Whether you are in the market for anti aging, acne control, or just plain skin care, the best things you can do for your skin begin right in your own bathroom.

There are four basic rules you should always remember when it comes to good skin care.

1) Define your skin type. Press blotting paper onto your cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead. Oily skin will be oily all over; combination skin will be oily in the T-zone; dry skin will be tight; sensitive skin will look red.

2) Buy the basics. In the morning, counter sun with a lotion infused with antioxidants like vitamin C and green tea, plus a sunscreen. At night, fight fine lines and wrinkles with a lotion that has a retinoid or peptides.

3) Don't go overboard. Products designed to fight blemishes or wrinkles tend to be strong, which means piling them on may irritate skin. If you plan to apply a retinoid lotion at night, counter it with a mild cleanser.

4) Stick with it. Most antiaging products take at least three months to work, antioxidants require a couple of months, and bleaching creams about a month. Be patient- and diligent.

Remember, good skin care does not have to be overwhelming, expensive, or complicated. Begin with a simple, effective routine and home, then build on it by incorporating treatments from your dermatologist or esthetician.

Using sunscreen the right way

Summer is here, and that means long days in the Treasure Valley sun. Soaking up the rays can be fun, but don't let them harm your skin. Here are ten things InStyle magazine tells us we should know about sun exposure and sun screen.

1. Choose a formula. Look for broad-spectrum sunscreen with both UVA and UVB protection and an SPF of at least 15. iF you will be outside for a while, look for a product with physical blocks like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These create a better reflective barrier between skin and rays than chemical sunscreen alone.

2. Get a number. It also pays to understand the numbers: An SPF of 15 gives you 94 to 95 percent UVB coverage, while an SPF of 30 bumps up your protection to just 97 percent. Don't let a high number breed a false sense of security.

3. Give yourself time. Put on your sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before heading out the door so that the chemical ingredients have ample time to react with your skin and start working.

4. Reapply, reapply, reapply. Apply another coat after 20 minutes in the sun, then every two hours thereafter. These extra coats reduce UV exposure by 15 to 20 percent.

5. Get full coverage. It will take about a shot-glassful of sunscreen to cover you from head to toe. Apply clear formulas in particular in small, circular motions all over to make sure you don't miss a spot. A spray can help you cover har-to-reach areas.

6. Be safe. Bug repellant, body lotion and high temperatures are all potential saboteurs. And while you should use a water resistant formula if you'll be in and out of the pool, there's no need to take chances. Be safe and reapply after swimming, especially since toweling off can also remove sunscreen.

7. Are you sensitive? In the summer rethink your wrinkle-fighting regimen: Products with glycolic acis or retinol make skin photosensitive. Try a cream with kinetin instead.

8. Remember your eyes and lips. Don't forget a protective lip balm, since lips are also susceptible to sun damage. And if sunscreen bothers your eyes, try a designated eye cream with SPF 15 (it will contain fewer irritants).

9. Protect your face. Look for a smooth, comfortable formula that contains not only sunscreen but also hydrating ingredients. (this will save you a separate step of applying moisturizer in the morning.) Apply to a bare face, with makeup on top.

10. Tan safely. If you can't get over your hankering for a bronze, try sunscreen with self-tanner built in.

The best cardio for toning your arms

Cardio burns fat all over, but the following forms of cardio will give an extra boost to your arms.

1. Swimming. The water cools you off but also provides full-body resistance you don’t encounter on land. Your arms are key for propelling you forward, so you’ll sculpt strong, sleek swimmer’s arms while burning as many as 680 calories an hour.

2. Cardio machines with moveable handles. Focus on pushing and pulling with every stride. Start by doing 1 minute with arms and 1 minute without, then gradually increase. If your machine doesn’t have handles, bend your elbows and pump your arms as though you’re power walking.

3. Rock Climbing. Grasping overhead handholds gives your upper body a fresh workout, and you can blast up to 750 calories an hour as you figure out the best route to the top. Find indoor climbing facilities nationwide at indoorclimbing.com.

4. Kickboxing Classes. Throwing punches and jabs is a great way to get your heart pumping and melt up to 680 calories an hour.

5. Canoeing or Kayaking. Paddling down a river is the perfect family adventure- and it burns up to about 500 calories an hour.

6. Walking with poles. Studies show it can boost your calorie burn by more than 20% without making your walk feel any harder. Find poles and more info at walkingpoles.com.

Add a little resistance training in a few times a week and you’ll have tank top worthy arms in no time.

Get a natural glow for summer

A healthy, golden glow can restore youthfulness to our look, but baking in the sun is not the answer if anti-aging is on your list of concerns. Self-tanners are great, but must be used with cautioned. The goal is to look sun-kissed, not sun-baked. For a perfect summer glow, the following products get an A+.

For a Custom Tan

Try Physician’s Formula Bronze Booster Glow-boosting Loose Bronzing Veil. This bronzer has an adjustable dial, allowing you to control the depth of your tan.

For an Allover Tan

Try L’Oreal Paris Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion ($10, drugstores). This self-tanner provides a moisturizing, streak-free finish.

For Highlighted Cheekbones

Try Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess SunBlush Illuminator ($32, department stores). The pink and gold tones, when swooshed together, give you a flattering blush.

For Additional Hydration

Try Almay Smart Shade Bronzer ($9, drugstores). This rich, creamy formula glides on white, then transforms into your perfect personal hue.

For a Bargain

Try E.L.F. Allover color stick (eyeslipsface.com) on your eyes, lips or cheeks to add a hint of tint- at just $1, you’ll get serious bang for your buck.

Shrink your belly with foods that prevent or eliminate bloating

Belly Bulge is a good way to zap your confidence; especially when it comes to summertime and swim suit season. While many people suffer from belly fat, some of you might simply suffer from “belly bloat”.

One of the worst culprits for this problem is a slow digestive system- a problem that commonly affects women, especially as we age.

According to Prevention magazine, recent research suggests that you can now get your digestion moving and beat the bloat with a few easy menu and lifestyle changes.

Put all of these ideas into effect now, and you will feel slimmer, sexier, and more confident in time to enjoy the entire summer.

Eat These:

Two kinds of fiber. Constipation distends your belly. One easy way to get rid of constipation is with a good breakfast cereal that guarantees your body a daily dose of fiber. This will get your digestive system within a day or so and help to keep it that way. The best breakfast cereals to do this job are cereals with both insoluble fiber (from bran) and gel-like soluble fiber (from psyllium). The types of fiber work together to pull water into your colon and speed up the elimination process.

Suggestion: Eat 1/3 cup of Kellogg’s All-Bran Buds every morning.

Potassium-Rich Foods. Foods such as bananas and potatoes help your body get rid of excess water weight, minimizing your middle. The extra fluid is typically present because the two main minerals that control the amount of water in your body- potassium and sodium- have gotten out of balance. If your sodium level is too high, your tissues hold on to fluid. You can restore this equilibrium by increasing potassium intake to about 4,700 mg per day. To achieve this, you need to consume about 4 ½ cups of produce daily, especially produce rich in potassium.

Be careful though. Food is a safe form of potassium but supplements are not. They can cause potassium to build up in your body and lead to abnormal heart rhythms and even heart attacks.

Suggestion: 1 medium baked potato with skin, 1 medium banana, 1 medium papaya, ½ cup steamed edamame, ½ cup tomato sauce, ½ cup cooked spinach, 1 medium orange.

Yogurt with Probiotics. Research published in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics shows than an imbalance of bacteria in your belly can cause your digestive system to slow down and your belly to puff up. But yogurts than contain live bacteria, or probiotics, can help reduce this.

Suggestion: A daily 4-ounce container of low-fat or fat-free yogurt containing live, active cultures.

More fluids. Drinking a sufficient amount of water supports the other ways you’re trying to flatten your belly. Aim for eight glasses of water each day plus fluid-rich foods like fruits and vegetables.

Suggestion: Tap water is an excellent option because it has no calories, salt, sugar, or additives. And it’s free!

Don’t eat these:

Sodium. Sodium makes you retain water which puffs up your belly. You should eat no more than 1500 mg of sodium each day.

Suggestion: Stop salting your food at the table. When cooking, try Mrs. Dash, which is sodium-free instead of salt. Be sure to check the sodium amount of the label of pre-packaged foods. These are usually high in sodium.

Candy, Soda, and Gum. When air from any source reaches your digestive system, you experience it as gas and a bloated belly. Eating or drinking quickly, sipping through a straw, sucking on hard candy, or chewing gum can make you swallow air.

Suggestion: Chew slowly with your mouth closed. Avoid all carbonated drinks. The fact that they are diet does not free your from a bloated belly!

Sugar Alcohols. Low-cal sweeteners (found in flavored waters, low-carb, diabetic, and sugar-free foods) are not completely digested. They are fermented by bacteria in the large intestine causing gas and diarrhea.

Suggestion: Check food labels to avoid these sugar alcohols. Common ones are sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and lacitol.

Raw Produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy, but they’re also high-volume foods that take up room in your stomach, distending it.

Suggestion: Spread fresh produce consumption over the day, so at any sitting you’re not eating more than one-third of the recommended daily total of 4 ½ cups. You can also shrink product by cooking it.

NEVER run out of TAIslim

Not a good idea. Somehow, my shipment didn't come in before I ran out (I guess I gave too many trials away) and now I feel lost. I guess the only way to truly appreciate how good the benefits really are is to go without it for a few days. I'm really looking forward to my next case. Until then, I'll be picking myself up off the floor every morning searching for some energy....

still going strong

Okay, I know. I've been a slacker. Between spring break, traveling, and house guests, I have neglected to post my progress with TAIslim. But things are still going very well. In fact, after using the product for a month, I can officially say that I'm convinced. I feel more energetic, youthful, happier, and not to mention, I'm finally back into my size 2 jeans (without having to improvise the button with a ponytail holder.) I did notice that midway through the month I began wondering if it was definitely working. But TAIslim seems to be a steady way back to health. I feel like my eating habits have truly changed with the help of TAIslim.

I hope it's going well for all of you who are using it. I'll continue to keep you posted.