Blog — Health & Fitness

Acne was thought as a simple skin condition caused by the congestion of dirt and dead skin. However, this view has transformed; Acne is understood to be the result of an inciting health condition. Whilst most pimples clear up in a week of just over, larger acnes tend to require the intervention of a health care professional. Not so simple now.

It is no surprise that the nature of this condition can also be the source of its prevention and cure. Good news however is that there are steps you can take to reduce the severity of acne and tools you can use to possibly clear it all up.

Check your diet

According to a recent article from Providr.com, acne in different locations on the body can be explored by holistic medicine which teaches several things about this subject.

Let’s imagine this, acne which is situated around the lower half of the body. This includes your legs and glutes. These acnes are most likely caused by skin tight clothing which makes breathing difficult. This way, moisture and air is trapped against the skin. However, if switching to a more breathable underwear or pants fabric doesn’t prove effective in a week or so, the problem might be due to an unbalanced diet.

Another location on your body is your arms, scalp or head. Acne is on these areas is caused by the build-up of oil and moisture. This can be easily addressed. All you need to do is to change your clothing, hats or cosmetics for something less absorbent. Make sure there is no room for build-ups.

If acne is situated around the neck or jaw areas, this is more likely a reflection of overactive adrenal glands or perhaps too much sugar in the diet. Yes, I know that we all love our sugar, however, it is good to note that everything in excess can have a detrimental effect to out health. Pimples along the shoulders can indicate stress while acne around the stomach area may indicate an unbalanced sugar level.

Acne on the back may be caused by stress or a dysfunction in the digestive or nervous system. Digestive issues, poor diet or even an unbalanced diet (too heavy in spicy food or cold drinks) can also cause acne on the chest.

Finally, vitamin deficiency can cause acne on the elbows. Similarly, Keratosis pilaris (harmless skin condition) can cause acne.

Acne Cures

Acne extractors are used to pull out things that are inside the pimple. By putting pressure on the contents of the blackhead, the extractor expels its contents.

Acne extractors are used by doctors professionally but they could also be used effectively by yourself. Yes! Extractors can be a DIY gadget. They are cheaper and provide the same results. Kovira’s Acne Extractor Tool does the job for you effectively and effortlessly.

Acne affects more than 80% of adolescence however, it can also occur later in life. Whilst a major cause for acne seems to be an overactive immune response to the presence of Proprionibacterium acnes, the bacteria. This response generates cells which promotes inflammation to flood the skin. This is where the pimples will eventually form.

The good news is that your favourite foods such as chocolate or greasy foods have been cleared of their association as acne causers. This is according to recent science reports. 

Experts however, now recommend that people seeking to cure or prevent acne naturally should eat a balanced, low-sugar diet which is high in whole foods such as nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables, fish and red meat.

Note that intense scrubbing or exfoliating of the skin can irritate the skin and this can increase inflammation and worsen acne. Harsh cosmetics, cleansers and moisturizers can be detrimental to your skin’s health.

I was never the skinniest guy; neither was I the biggest guy. None of those mattered to me at the time. As I grew up, it suddenly clicked! I don’t want to be the skinniest guy! Neither do I want to be the biggest guy. I just want to have abs, chest, shoulders, thighs in proportion that I can feel comfortable in. Yes, I wanted to be ripped.

To be ripped, I tried most tips fitness instructors and bloggers would provide. Tips such as ‘cut out the carbs in your diet’, ‘eat less fast food’ ‘watch what you eat’, ‘do cardio’ blah blah blah. I am sure many of you have come across these types of advise at some point in your search for being ripped or loosing weight.

Now don’t get me wrong, those tips can benefit you but only for as long you continue to keep up the discipline. Literally, if you stop the regiment, you will revert back to what you used to be like. So what is the alternative?

Well, it is a good thing I know myself. One thing I sure do enjoy to do is eat and I eat every time I see food that interests me. To keep this post short, I will delve right into what I did and still do to maintain my physique.

No.1 THING I DID - Fixed how frequent I ate

I did not fix what I eat, I fixed how frequent and the portion of my food. Yes! I decided to cut down on my portions. From a young age, I was known for eating huge portions (usually rice).  Now, I eat 5-6 times a day in smaller portions. So I would eat breakfast at 9am, then eat again at 12pm, then at 3pm, at 6pm and finally at 9pm. I do try not to eat any later than 9pm because that’s when my body is less active.

However, I realised that eating so frequently throughout the day was somehow increasing my metabolism rate. Here is how it works. You eat less frequently, your body isn’t constantly breaking down molecules to obtain energy and thus, remains weak and takes longer time to break down molecules. Eat more frequently, your body is constantly breaking down molecules and thus, your metabolism proves strong to do its task quickly. Therefore, all energy from each food is being transferred to your cells when you are the most active. This way, excess nutrients does not get stored up as fat.

This is a long term solution to maintaining a great physique and it is something you need to understand.

No.2 THING I DID - Signed up to a gym

I signed up to a gym. Took me a while to get into the working out spirit. After countless number of losing motivation, I stuck with it with determination. Thing is, when I got through the initial obstacle of no motivation, I realised that I felt uncomfortable not working out. The initial stages of you working out would feel really hard but you just have to stick with it and get through that first barrier to the promised land (flowing with milk and honey) where you begin to enjoy working out and beating your personal best every now and then.

I signed up to a gym and only did weight training. My goal was to build muscle and stay shredded. I don’t enjoy cardio but I do enjoy playing football (perhaps that helped, but I haven’t played football in about a year now). Here is my routine: - Monday (Chest), Tuesday (Back and Abs), Wednesday (Legs), Thursday (Shoulders) and Friday (Biceps and Triceps).

NOTE: When lifting, you put pressure on your joints. therefore, it is crucial to use a good form when lifting or use some support sleeves and equipments. I would recommend using some of these; Knee Sleeves, Knee Wraps, Elbow Sleeves or even some Weight Loss Bands for an optimised result.

No.3 THING I DID - Surrounded myself with support

Finally, I surrounded myself with people with similar minds. The popular saying says ‘show me your friends and I will tell you who you are’. The people you surround yourself with daily influences you in one way or the other.

By surrounding myself with people who had a goal, people who signed up to a gym (preferably the same gym), by people who eat frequently but in little portions, by people who didn’t eat out much of the time. By surrounding myself with these personalities, I was able to receive encouragements and motivation indirectly. This was crucial most especially at the early stages of my gym routine. 

Losing weight isn’t all about eating less, in fact I believe that eating less is merely a quick solution to the problem and for a long term solution, training your metabolism proved to be the best way to go. The three things which I did to stay in shape worked hand in hand and none is more important than the other. You need the mental and the physical aspect of fitness in order to overcome your deficits.