Health
AP Week
With the last six weeks of school upon us, testing season is sneaking up, and so is a whole lot of stress. Stress leads to clogged pores, and clogged pores lead to acne. Acne can make you feel insecure and never seems like it will go away. Here are three recipes for face masks that will help clear your face up:
Dry Milk Mask
Make a mask by mixing 1/4 cup powdered milk with enough water to form a thick paste. Thoroughly coat your face with the mixture, let dry completely, then rinse with warm water.
2. Egg Masks
If you have dry skin that needs moisturizing, separate the egg and beat the
yolk. Oily skin takes the egg white, to which a bit of lemon or honey can be added. For normal skin, use the entire egg. Apply the beaten egg, relax and wait 30 minutes, then rinse.
3. Brown Sugar/ Coconut Oil
Use equal parts brown sugar and coconut oil to form an easy scrub, apply it on your face in gentle circular motions, let it sink in for a few minutes and wash it off with warm water.
-Alyssa Kunkel (4/18/17)
Spring Edition
Spring has sprung! But you know what also has sprung? Allergy season. Here are some tips to avoid getting too sick with this spring weather.
Go Outside. It might seem as if you should stay inside with allergy season upon us. But that is the opposite effective. If you stay inside during allergy season, you never build up an immune system to the pollen in the air. Yes, it might start out miserable, but if you want to be able to go outside, it is worth getting used to.
Revitalize your exercise routine. It is now nice outside, which means there is no excuse for laziness. Getting outside and working out will improve productivity, increase appetite in the good way, and produce endorphins which make you happy.
Know what to eat. Foods can help with allergies as well. Foods like apples, citrus, red grapes, greens, fish, and nuts help gain vitamins and help inflamed eyes and face. Know what your foods do to help you and know what foods hurt you. Binge eating is never a good idea, try for a more diverse meal full of proteins and greens.
Use these tips to put some spring in your step this season.
-Alyssa Kunkel (4/3/17)
Spring Break Special Edition
Spring break is coming next week and that means NO SCHOOL. However, it is not a good idea to do absolutely nothing over break. Try and challenge yourself to make a more productive you. These tips will help you come back to school healthier and more willing to learn.
Tip #1: Drink lots of water. If you are going on vacation or just sitting at home, you will be tempted to purge and drink soft drinks or other sugar filled beverages. These will make you have less energy and can cause you to break out near your mouth area. A healthy ratio is 1 to 1, for every non-water drink, drink one glass of water.
Tip #2: Stay active. It might seem fun to sit at home and play videogames, or lie in the hotel room and do nothing all day, but that is not such a good idea. It is important to get outside and be active during a break so you aren’t putting on extra weight or becoming lethargic. Taking a nice walk is even enough to activate some endorphins.
Tip #3: Don’t skip meals. Not having a set schedule can cause sporadic eating habits. Make sure you don’t forget to eat on break. It is important not to binge but not eating can cause even more problems or not eating real meals. A bag of chips for dinner would not be considered a meal. Make sure you eat real food for meals.
Tip #4: Don’t stress out. Spring break is a time to relax and be the best you. Don’t spend it stressing over school or work. Try and get all of your homework done at the beginning of break so you aren’t doing it last minute the night before. Relax and feel good over break.
-Alyssa Kunkel (3/6/17)
De-stress
The first AP mock exam is this Saturday and with this season of work and review coming quickly, stress is inevitable. However, there are some tips and tricks to help destress and become more productive.
Exercise. Any form of exercise will stimulate endorphins and help you to have a more positive outlook. I usually do 30 squats, 15 lunges on each leg, and a one minute plank before bed. This helps me both fall asleep quicker and wake up more energized than before.
Drink water. Water helps detox the body and allows all of your body functions to work properly. It will also help with acne, which appears often in stressful environments. I like to drink sparkling water personally, but it is an acquired taste.
Get plenty of sleep. Stress causes people to procrastinate which makes most students go to bed late when they have to wake up early. Make sure and set a time to do all homework that allows a proper bedtime. 6-8 hours of sleep is healthy for the body, and it will help keep a positive attitude.
Eat healthier. Stress might tempt you to eat junk food all the time, but it is important to control eating habits in times of high stress. Stress eating is very unhealthy and there is nothing worse than feeling overwhelmed and also feeling yucky inside.
These tips won’t cure stress, but they sure can help you cope with it.
-Alyssa Kunkel (2/22/17)
Yogurt/Milk and Honey Mask
Being in High School can be very stressful, and when there’s stress, there’s acne. One of the best treatments for acne that I have found is natural face masks. Normal cleaners have chemicals that dry out your face and leave your skin without the natural glow that it used to have. Here is my favorite mask recipe that uses regular household food items:
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon plain low-fat or full-fat yogurt or milk, anything but skim
- 1 tablespoon of natural, raw, honey
Directions:
Let yogurt or milk come to room temperature so you don’t get a chilly shock when you put it on your skin. Mix 1 tablespoon of milk or yogurt with 1 tablespoon of honey. You can apply the mixture with a cotton ball or cotton pad, but just using your hands works fine as well. Make sure it covers your face thoroughly Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Wash your mask off and use a washcloth to gently scrub in a circular motion, getting rid of loosened dead skin. Once you’re finished, moisturize.
-Alyssa Kunkel (2/7/17)