Fitness/Beauty - March

The Stress Monster

--- Sarah Luo/Christy Lin

        Stress is inevitable and it sucks hardcore. Sometimes it’s so bad that it’s unbearable, but there’s ways of coping that will really lessen the load; you just have to do it the right way. During midterm season and even tax season for those of you already in the workforce, stress is perhaps the first reason why your days are crappy. A lot of the time, stress comes from procrastination. Because you don’t want to do a specific project or assignment, you hold it off until the last possible day to do it and by the time it’s due, there’s not enough hours in the day to finish your assignment and...cue the stress.  

     Another reason stress comes along is because you’re super worried about something, be it a school project, a test/midterm, a job interview, a job presentation, or even something life related. With worry comes stress, and there’s just no way of escaping that. 

     One of the best ways to cope with stress is exercise. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a full blown one hour cardio workout, but even a little bit of moving and exercising to get your endorphins flowing is helpful. Taking a walk or run around the block will really give you a chance to breathe, relax, and escape from everything for a while. Also doing some yoga will really help you relax all the muscles in your body and really breathe properly. 

     For those who might need a way to blow off some steam because of stress, boxing is a great way to release frustration. When you’re able to hit something physically, you release all that pent up tension and naturally, your frustration decreases. 

     Most importantly though, make sure you pick an activity that you enjoy because a big part of releasing stress is that you enjoy what you’re engaging in. A lot of the time stress also comes from things that we dislike, so if you can do something that you like then the happy emotions will come very easily. Exercising to cope with stress shouldn’t be something you feel obligated to do so that you can release stress, rather it’s something you should go to because you like doing it and it makes you feel good. 

     Finally, if you don’t want to deal with stress at all, some good ways to prevent stress are time management (so procrastinators, beware), setting some small goals so that you don’t feel overwhelmed, not psyching yourself out (keep in mind what you can actually handle at once), and find a way to incorporate someone else while you’re doing something so that you keep each other on track and neither of you feel too pressured. 

     Stress isn’t impossible to prevent or cope with, you just have to take those steps to eventually deal with it. Don’t let stress ruin your day, make the stress monster go away!

     

Dealing with Acne

--- Lena Lam

     Acne sucks. For those of you who don’t believe me, I shall prove this bold statement with real life scenarios! This morning, you woke up with a zit on your face. The first thing you think (after “Gosh darn it! Noooo…” and dramatically shaking your fists at the ceiling, of course) is “Why?!?” 

     Here are some of the reasons you come up with on the spot: you’ve been really stressed lately, you already had acne to begin with, and this is just the newest addition to the…family, you ate a lot of fried, oily, spicy, and/or junk food yesterday, you forgot to wash your face (properly) last night, or karma.

From personal experience, you probably have acne because of one (or more) of those reasons. If not, there’s also this list of potential reasons: 

1. You prop up your chin/cheek with your hand a lot. The pressure you’re putting on your skin may cause it to break out. Also, most acne results from the buildup of dirt in your pores. When you’re touching your face, you’re putting all kinds of dirt on your face. Try not to touch your face in general. 
2. You’re overwashing/scrubbing your face. I just finished saying acne results from dirt/oil buildup in your pores. So, logically, getting rid of all of that dirt and oil will get rid of acne, right? No, it’s not that simple. Your skin still needs certain oils in order to be healthy. By overwashing/scrubbing, you’re stripping your skin of its essential oils. And, unfortunately, your skin tries to balance that out by secreting more oil. More oil equals more acne. 
3. You’re not drinking enough water and/or eating a healthy diet. I have found that most of the people I know who have clear, healthy skin are eating the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables a day. You could also try taking daily vitamins for about a month to see if that will help clear your skin. 
4. You don’t shower soon enough after you work out. Your sweat is not only food for bacteria, but it’s also another source of dirt/oil buildup in your pores. Also, use a clean towel to wipe away your sweat during workouts. I would recommend against using the same towel for more than one workout because you’re basically putting yesterday’s sweat and dirt back on your face. 

     There are other possible explanations for your acne, but when it comes down to it, here’s my general advice on how to deal with your acne: Know your skin. Notice what kinds of food lead to a breakout the next day. Moderation is important; whether it’s your diet or how you wash your face. Be consistent with how you treat your skin; if you’re going to start an acne treatment product, stick with it for at least a few months before deciding it doesn’t work.  

If you’ve taken all of the above reasons into consideration already and your acne still won’t go away, then you might want to consider using acne treatment products. But, keep in mind my advice to know your skin. Everyone’s skin reacts differently to the chemicals in acne medication. 

     I usually look for products with the active ingredients of benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. I’ve tried the AcneFree Clear Skin Treatment before. In my opinion though, it did not work as well as the Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Control Kit. I haven’t tried Proactiv before, but that is another example of an acne treatment kit. 

     You also have the option of creating your own system of treating your acne, which makes sense since your skin is unique. Choose which products you want to use, but my recommendations for the essentials are: face wash, acne medication (I prefer using just acne spot treatments), lotion, and sunscreen. The face wash gets rid of the dirt/oil in your skin, the medication deals with current acne and prevents future breakouts, the lotion restores the oils your skin needs, and the sunscreen makes up for the vulnerability the acne medication chemicals create. Whether you choose to use a regular face wash or one that has the words “acne control” is up to you; use what works for you. 

There are many different ways to get your skin looking the way you want it to. (For example, in my research, I’ve come across facemask recipes that involve honey and even, gelatin.) Acne sucks, but getting rid of it doesn’t have to. Notice how your skin works and do some research! (Oh, and if you have acne because of karma…you know what you need to do.) Good luck!