Reboot & Revive
What Exercise Reduces Stress?
Author: aliyanali
The Truth About Raw Kale
Why You Shouldn’t Eat Raw Kale
Why I don’t and won’t diet
My Holiday Suncare Routine
How to Prepare Your Skin for Sun Protection
Hello Everyone! In this post, I am sharing my skincare routine from when I am on holiday in the sun. I am a big skincare and beauty products fan, as you know – although the first time I did a full face of makeup, I was 28 years old! But that is a story for another day… I have always invested in products for my face, and I continue to do so. As a student, I spent less on alcohol and saved to buy my favorite moisturizer from Lancôme. Interestingly, the most expensive ones are not always the best, but more on this topic soon! When I am in the sun, I always protect my skin. First, I wear SPF, and second, I always wear a hat. As we all know, the sun damages the skin and gives you wrinkles and pigmentation. My skin is on the dry side, and I am genetically prone to pigmentation, so I always try and test products. Here are my tips for ultimate protection from the sun:- A week before going in the sun, I give my skin a good exfoliation and a hydrating or brightening mask [ you can check out my video where I show you my favorite face masks on YouTube]. Like L’Oreal face mist as I know I will be putting my body in the sun but not my face.
- Do not scrub your face a few days before going away and during your stay. Indeed, scrubbing the face makes the top layer of your skin thinner, hence more prone to sun damage.
- In the morning, apply a moisturizer with SPF in it. I like using Zelens daily defense cream, which has an SPF 30.
- Let the moisturizer sink in for a couple of minutes (or more), and then apply a generous layer of mineral sunscreen. Mineral sunscreens are a total barrier against the sun. The ones which aren’t mineral are activated when the sun hits your face and are chemical-based. I find them less effective. Mineral sunscreens protect you better, I find. At the moment, I am using Coola’s mineral face SPF.
- I like applying a tinted moisturizer on top, which has SPF, too (one can never overdo the sun protection!) so I don’t look “white.” It gives you a nice glow, as mineral SPFs tend to make you look a little whitish. Currently, I like using La Mer because it has reparative properties.
- Finally, when I return from holidays, I make sure to do a nice facial at home or a salon, as sunscreen tends to clog up the pores. It is important to exfoliate to remove all excess product from your pores and get your skin bright and glowing!
The Healing Diaries: Earthing
What is Earthing?
Earthing, also known as grounding, is a simple yet powerful practice of physically connecting your body to the Earth’s natural energy. When you walk barefoot on natural surfaces such as grass, sand, soil, or stone, you absorb the Earth’s subtle electrical charge, a natural, balancing energy that supports your body’s systems. The Earth carries a gentle, continuous flow of free electrons. When our skin comes into direct contact, these electrons interact with our bodies, helping neutralise excess positive charge and reduce internal inflammation. Scientific research suggests that grounding may lower stress levels, improve sleep, stabilise cortisol, enhance circulation, and support recovery from pain and fatigue. Modern life often keeps us disconnected, insulated by shoes, concrete, and technology. Earthing helps reconnect you to nature’s electromagnetic field, restoring balance on a physical and energetic level. Even a few minutes a day spent barefoot outdoors can help you feel calmer, more centred, and more alive. Incorporating grounding practices alongside the Eat Burn Sleep anti-inflammatory lifestyle enhances overall well-being, supporting not just the body but also the mind and nervous system. Reconnect, recharge, and let nature rebalance you.What are the Benefits of Earthing?
The benefits of Earthing are plenty:- inflammation-reducing
- improving sleep
- immune boosting
- wound healing
- reducing pain and stress
- increasing blood flow
- general good health and vitality.
Tapping into the Memories of the Beach
I started looking into earthing nine years ago, a couple of years after being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. I was trying different diets, testing other things to get better, as I remembered vividly the fantastic feelings I felt every day we spent at the beach as a child in Morocco. We would spend our summers barefoot, running around, swimming in the sea, getting sun on our skin, and sleeping like logs.Why Does the Beach Make Us Feel so Good?
This feeling of wellness likely comes from a mix of factors, such as movement, sunlight for vitamin D, magnesium from seawater supporting sleep, earthing, fresh air, and happiness. Being outdoors restores balance to both body and mind; around 80% of children’s neurotransmitters and 60% of adults’ are produced in the gut, showing how closely our mood and health are connected. When you’re grounded, you can almost feel the Earth recharging your electromagnetic field. Flying has the opposite effect, so a warm bath afterward is a perfect way to reset your system and bring your body back into harmony.Kick off your Shoes to Connect to the Earth
Whenever I am in the countryside or by the sea, I take off my shoes and get my kids to take them off. Even a walk in the park helps invigorate the mind, body, and soul. Go barefoot when you can. As I said, this is all we did at the beginning of time. We walked everywhere barefoot and slept on the ground. Because we live so far away from the ground, it is essential to reconnect when possible. There’s a growing body of research about how losing contact with the earth could contribute to illnesses and imbalances in the body due to missing out on electron transportation. Electrons from the Earth may be the best antioxidants, with zero adverse effects. This is because our bodies evolved to use them over eons of skin/earth connection. Disconnection from the Earth may be an overlooked contribution to physical dysfunction. A lack of these earth antioxidants could contribute to chronic fatigue and weakened immune systems. It certainly lifts moods!Nature is a Wonderful Healer
I try to swim in the sea as much as possible (except when it is too cold!) and feel the positive effects on my system. I advise everyone to practice earthing whenever they get a chance, too. Why deprive ourselves of the fantastic effects of what a barefoot walk on the grass or beach will do? There is no downside to a good plunge in the magnesium-rich sea, as it makes us feel good immediately! The psychological and physical benefits of relaxing in the park or on the beach are incredible. I realize that this all depends on your current climate, but if it is accessible, I urge you to partake in earthing regularly at your earliest opportunity. Have a truly wonderful day!Listen To Paleo
For health inside and out from Keeping it real by Caroline & Sophie in Podcasts.
What is a PALEO diet?
My Wake Up Make Up Guide
A Step-by-step Guide to My Morning Makeup Routine
Fight Inflammation Naturally
My Interview with Nedi: Fighting Inflammation
This is an interview about fighting chronic inflammation with a dear friend of mine – Nedi. We covered quite a bit, but here’s some snippets:Why An Anti-inflammatory Lifestyle?
For over 10 years, I tried and tested many diets and lifestyle changes. All in order to heal my autoimmune issues, ulcerative colitis, and auto-immune hemolytic anemia. An anti-inflammatory lifestyle turned out to be the answer to my issues and, in fact, to most health issues. Indeed, a full array of diseases stem from inflammation: heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, neurological diseases, auto-immune diseases, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, etc. I told Nedi what my typical day entailed and included some anti-inflammatory meals. Here are some more recommended anti-inflammatory recipes from Eat Burn Sleep: Coconut & Chia Pudding Dairy-free Scrambled Egg Chicken Marbella Paleo Olive & Rosemary Bread Banana & Blueberry Nice Cream Brazilian Prawn Stew I hope you enjoy reading it! Interview with Healthy with NediIs there a BEST diet?
Fastest Way to Reduce Inflammation In Your Body
Reduce Inflammation Fast!
Yalda Alaoui explains how you can reduce chronic inflammation in your body fast, naturally, and keep it off for the long term.THE HORMONES DIARIES: Reducing PMS
- SLEEP. I can never say it enough, but sleep is the biggest healer. Sleep regulates hormones, mood and lack of sleep will always worsen health struggles. I regularly take an essential amino-acid called L-Tryptophan which helps with sleep function, mood, immune system, circulation, nervous system, and digestion.
- Magnesium citrate or glycinate. A deficiency in magnesium has been shown to increase PMS symptoms. Around that time of the month, many women suffer from constipation due to the rise in estrogen. Magnesium citrate powder has a mild laxative effect, so this side effect can be beneficial too.
- Evening Primrose Oil has been shown to help balance our hormones. Taking it regularly can help PMS.
- Fish oils, DHA in particular. Omega 3s decrease inflammation in the body and DHA is beneficial for hormones. A study has shown that women in Japan tend to store less fat thanks to the higher levels of DHA in their bodies due to their high fish consumption. If you are looking to try for babies, DHA helps with the development of the brain and eyes in fetuses.
- Decrease your consumption of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and increase your intake of water to fight off water retention. Increase your intake of green leafy vegetables such as spinach and swiss chard. They are loaded with magnesium. The fiber in these vegetables also helps move excess estrogen through the intestinal tract. Estrogen dominance during the luteal phase is often a cause of PMS symptoms
- Increase your consumption of good carbs. The reason why you crave sugary foods is that they raise your insulin levels which in turn raise serotonin levels and lift the mood. Have some good carbs like ripe bananas, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash. Check out my basic good carbs soup recipe in the eat section.
- Exercise. Take it easy on your body and do walks, gentle sessions of stretching/yoga/pilates exercises at home rather than strenuous classes.
- If despite all the above your PMS symptoms continue, acupuncture can be very helpful.
- Be kind to yourself. I find that I tend to be hard on myself, like many of my girlfriends. We want to be amazing at all times, be the best mothers, friends, look good, be in a good mood, exercise regularly, etc. But that isn’t realistic and it is important to treat ourselves like we would treat a friend. With kindness, support, and understanding.