Mom Bod: 5 Tips to Improve Skin Health

I workout a few times a week with a few other girls, during our workouts we have been talking about loose skin and recovering after having kids quite a bit. Our trainer suggested using supplements to help skin health. That got me interested in other things I could do to tighten the skin so today I am sharing more about that as well as some things I have done in the past that I had success with. And before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, I am not an expert on the subject ;)

1. Eat healthy to improve skin elasticity

According to LiveStrong.com, we should be eating foods rich in vitamin A,C,D and E.

Vitamin C for collegan and elastin. "Your skin needs optimal levels of vitamin C to stay firm and elastic because this vitamin is essential for producing collagen and elastin. Aging and exposure to sunlight or pollutants deplete the amount of vitamin C in skin, while consuming vitamin C boosts its levels"

Foods to incorporate: Sweet peppers, oranges, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, strawberries, and cantaloupe.

Vitamin E for Antioxidant protection "Reactive molecules known as free radicals are produced when skin is exposed to sunlight or other environmental stressors. Vitamin E neutralizes free radicals before they harm skin cells in the skin's barrier. Since sunlight and free radicals also damage collagen and elastin, antioxidant protection helps maintain skin's strength"

Foods to incorporate: sunflower seeds, wheat germ, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts and vegetable oils, such as safflower, sunflower, corn and olive oil.

Vitamin B and D for skin health. "Vitamin D helps regulate the growth of new skin cells. Since new cells form the skin's protective barrier, they hold in moisture and maintain flexible skin. You also need vitamin B-12, folate and vitamin B-6 for their ability to lower blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine may block enzymes essential for the normal meshing of collagen and elastin"

These vitamins should all come from a normal healthy balanced diet.

2. Work Out

According to Skin Biology and the National Institutes of Health, both aerobic and weight-bearing exercise can tone your muscles and tighten your skin.

3. Tightening Creams

There are probably thousands of "firming" creams on the market. After I had Liv I had great success with the Esthederm Absolute Firming Cream, so this is the one I am going to recommend. I felt like it reduced the cellulite on my thighs significantly. So this time around I am trying that along with some other products from their "Slimming" line.

Note, that these products are not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women so make sure to talk to your doctor.

4. Massage and Cupping

Experts say that one of the main causes of cellulite is poor circulation, the Healthy Exercise World website reports, which reduces essential nutrients to the area and weakens the skin's connective tissue. This is what causes the broken or dimpled appearance. Massage, as well as cupping, can increase blood flow and help evoke an anti-aging response.

I did a previous post on cupping, click here to read about more of the benefits from cupping.

5. Skin brushing

I first hear about body brushing a few years ago from Goop. I immediately incorporated into my routine. This like massage can help with blood flow. Brush dry or damp skin using a body brush with firm, but not overly coarse, bristles. You can find a skin brush just about anywhere, this is the one I have.