As a holistic esthetician and integrative holistic health coach I can tell you with certainty that the most important kind of beauty comes from within. When you feel well and balanced inside, it shows in your body! And, unlike the impossible beauty standards that are constantly thrown at women on social media, true, balanced beauty is simple to achieve.
This holistic lifestyle guide will provide you with the little lifestyle tweaks and insight into the less-is-more attitude that can help you embrace natural, holistic living at its best. My intention is to assist you in creating a lifestyle that is rooted in nature, providing JOY to all the systems of your beautiful body.
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Primary food is more than what is on your plate. These are the basic needs that we often think of as optional. The key practices, like healthy relationships, regular physical activity, a fulfilling career, and a spiritual practice, that fill your soul and satisfy your hunger for life. When primary food is balanced and satiating, your life feeds you, and what you actually eat to nourish your physical body, while important, is secondary.
Does your life feel abundant and satisfying? Let’s take a quick wellness review to check in with your inner life, so you can identify areas where you can provide your holistic self with greater nurturing and care.
Do you feel mostly satiated, full, and content with your life? Or are there areas in which your soul needs more nourishment? Don’t be discouraged if you have a lot of low numbers—this just means you have a lot of opportunity to fill your life with the happy and beautiful, and that you are going to feel so much better soon!
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Pull out a pen and paper, and rate 1-10 how you feel today in each area, with 10 being Very Fulfilled and 1 being Neglected or Starving.
Now that you know where you need a little more love and balance in your primary food—the areas of your life that feed your soul—it’s time to look at secondary food. This refers to what is actually on your plate.
You’ve heard the term “eat the rainbow”? It’s true! Rainbows are beautiful and highlight the life-giving balance of sun and rain, and it’s the same with the foods you put into your body.
02. Secondary Food
The colors of fresh fruits and vegetables are more than pretty. They serve a nutritional purpose. When you eat the rainbow, you don’t have to stress so much about specific nutrients. Just focus on balance and variety in the colors of your food. The protective benefits of all those important vitamins and nutrients follow naturally.
At mealtime, at least half of your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables. Pay attention over the next few days to keep track of what colors are on your plate. You don’t have to have every color at every meal, but over the course of the day you should be getting fruits and veggies in several different colors. If you find that a particular color is underrepresented, find some new foods you can try on your next shopping trip to fill in your rainbow.
We’ve talked about healthy practices to nourish both your soul (primary food) and your body (secondary food). This is where that inner beauty comes from and radiates through your countenance. But we also want that youthful glow that comes from caring for your skin— that important organ that, for many of us, feels like the protective barrier between our inner self and the person we show to the world.
A yearning for smooth, vibrant skin is not superficial! In fact, the health of your skin is a strong indicator of your overall health. Your skin can often tell you how other areas of your body and mind are doing, so it’s important to care for it and pay attention to what it tells you.
for radiant Health & Skin
Internal Healthy Practices
Find a quiet spot, set a timer and start with just 5 minutes. Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly so you can better connect your mind with your body. Allow your mind to wander, and notice the thoughts passing through without judgment or attachment. Meditation is a beautiful tool to help you move out of overthinking and its detrimental effects on the body, and towards a more intuitive, intentional life.
Meditation resets your nervous system so quickly! Just 5 minutes a day will change your life. I promise.
When you are stressed, you carry the signs and symptoms in your body. Your facial skin suffers when the body is held rigidly, resulting in restricted blood flow. This can cause pain and discomfort, and it also makes the skin lose its glow. As you calm and restore your nervous system through meditation, you will begin to discover that not everything needs or deserves your energy.
Nothing promotes a natural glow quite like a good workout. Sweating is so good for your skin, keeping your glands in optimal condition. Blood, lymph, and good energy should move fluidly and harmoniously for that beautiful skin radiance—and moving your body is the best way to achieve it. Not to mention that physical movement also provides endless benefits for your mind, body, and spirit.
If you struggle with exercise, it’s possible that you just haven’t found a form of movement that you really love. Consider trying something new. Consider yoga, Pilates, weight training, cycling, swimming, walking, running, dancing, etc.
One of the most damaging effects of sugar is that it makes your skin look prematurely aged. Sugar breaks down collagen and elastin – the proteins that give your skin shape, structure, and firmness. When this occurs, your skin may start to look wrinkled, saggy, dry, and dull.
Chronic sugar consumption creates low-grade inflammation throughout the body, and prevents your skin from healing properly and showing its true vibrancy. If you are experiencing inflammatory skin concerns or seeking to brighten the radiance of your complexion, start with reducing your sugar intake.
Choose low glycemic foods that do not spike blood sugar. Sugar is sneaky, and it often hides where you might not expect it: in complex carbohydrates, packaged juices, and certain fruits and dried fruits. It doesn't matter if sugar is artificial or natural. It still affects blood sugar, which has a cascading effect on both the skin and hormones.
If sugar is a serious challenge for you, try crowding out sugar by adding healthier options. (Eat the rainbow, remember?) When you fill up on healthy options, you won’t reach for sugary foods as often, and you’ll eventually find that you crave them less.
The skin is primarily comprised of different proteins that are built from the inside, using whatever nutrients are available. Vitamins such as A, C, E, K, and the B vitamins (primarily biotin and niacinamide) are key building blocks, in addition to the full spectrum of amino acids. Your diet (secondary food) should include vitamin- and antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables (which you’ll get from eating the rainbow), plus complete proteins, such as pastured meat and eggs.
Did you know that your skin only receives about 10 percent of the water you consume internally? The liquid you drink first goes to hydrate your internal vital organs, and by the time it reaches the skin, it’s kind of like two-day-old leftovers. So, while it is necessary to hydrate from the inside, it is also extremely important to hydrate on the outside with topical products containing humectant ingredients that bring moisture into the skin, like aloe vera gel and vegetable glycerin. Herbal steams, hydrosols, and compresses are also a great way to hydrate.
Water is important, but it is only useful if it stays in the cells. Water loss happens when there are not enough lipids present in the cell membranes or on the surface of the skin to prevent the water from seeping out or evaporating. Therefore, you want to get enough lipids in your diet and topical skincare regimen to seal in moisture and ensure healthy function.
Eat a diet rich in essential fatty acids. Foods such as nuts and seeds; dark leafy greens; small fatty fish like sardines, anchovies, and wild-caught salmon; and pastured beef, chicken, and eggs are all good sources of essential fatty acids. Topically, choose products that contain fixed oils – lipids cold-pressed from the nuts or seeds of plants, such as olive oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, or shea butter.
Just as processed food containing health-harming synthetic chemicals should be avoided, the same is true for mass-produced synthetic skincare products. Most conventional skincare products found at drugstores, department stores, and even many spas contain ingredients that are not compatible with the human body. They can cause irritant and allergic reactions on the outside and contribute to body burden on the inside.
Holistic beauty recognizes that physical beauty shouldn’t come at the cost of physical health. Nor does it need to. There are many natural and organic beauty products that will nourish your skin without harming the rest of your body. Choose products that are made with as many recognizable plant ingredients as possible and contain no synthetic fragrances.
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