Lifestyle Switches to Make for Better Skin
It can be hard to change behaviours that you’ve learned over many years, but just a few small changes to your lifestyle can make a huge difference to your body and mind. Your skin is often the first part of your body to show the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle, but you can minimise these with some simple substitutions to your diet, grooming routine and daily life.
Of course, all this is easier said than done. It feels like every Monday is the start of epic changes to make your skin look and feel better, but come Monday night the need for the usual creature comforts comes creeping in. Don’t fret though, we’ve got a few simple ideas for changes you can make that feel easy but make a huge difference over time.
Ditch: The Sofa
Replace With: The Great Outdoors
As we move further into spring, it's time to move out of that great sofa crevice you’ve worked so hard to define into your exact shape. Keeping active throughout the year is great for your body and mind and can actually make a huge difference to your skin. When you are active you sweat, and when you sweat you get rid of the build up of toxins in your body.
Not just that, but exercise and movement can stimulate your lymphatic system which in turn helps to boost your immunity to illness. When your lymph nodes are blocked, they can swell and turn into a condition called lymphedema which ends with inflammation of the skin – the best way to drain the lymphatic system is through physical activity. Try and keep your body moving over the colder months, even if the sofa is calling your name.
Ditch: One Cup of Coffee
Replace With: A Cup of Tea
Ok, so we understand that coffee is often the (figurative) lifeblood that pulls you out of bed in the morning. Often, after one coffee we continue topping ourselves up over the course of the day. It’s long been thought that coffee is a diuretic that causes dehydration, but some studies show that it’s not strictly true. While it doesn’t dry out the skin, it is often the first port of call for a hot beverage. However, there are tons of other hot drinks that can have real benefits to your body.
Green tea (which we love so much we use in some of our products) is rich in a polyphenol that is thought to create a powerful antioxidant which can protect and soothe your skin.
You don’t have to stop at green tea either – chamomile, jasmine, dandelion, and ginger tea all have properties that could make a difference to the appearance of skin. Plus, they taste great and don’t have a stimulating effect on your body.
Either way staying hydrated throughout the day with lots of water and caffeine free hot drinks is a great way to boost the skin’s natural radiance.
Ditch: White Bread
Replace With: Wholegrain or Wholemeal Bread
White bread, pasta, and rice are all delicious but they’re not always the best for you. If you can, switch to wholemeal and wholegrain versions of these three things to help reduce you sugar intake and up your fibre. White bread, as well as normal pasta and rice, often contains higher levels of refined carbohydrates which pushes up your sugar, which may cause inflammation.
With wholegrain foods, there is more fibre which reduces the speed that glycose is released into your body, as well as more vitamins and minerals. Your bread journey doesn’t have to stop with wholemeal either. Rye, sourdough, seeded and gluten-free bread could make a ton of difference to how you feel on a daily basis.
Ditch: Bad Fats
Replace With: Good Fats
Sometimes all you need in life is some seriously bad fat. Pizza, pork crackling, a huge slab of chocolate. Sometimes, the happiest moments in life are deep fried or baked. But all these tasty things contain omega-6 fats and trans fats which are terrible for your insides and outsides.
Try and up your intake of monounsaturated fats, found in things like nuts, olive oil, and avocados, which can help your skin. Basically, your skin is made up of cells and each cell has a surrounding wall which is called the phospholipid bilayer. This layer takes in your dietary fat which it uses to plump up the skin, plumping it up. Other foods with high good fat content include fresh fish, seeds and nuts, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and some soy products.
There’s a place in everyone’s diet for a treat or an every-so-often indulgence. Making the switch to healthier alternatives just makes that hard earned treat even more special. It’s about finding a balance.
Ditch: Dairy
Replace With: Dairy-Free Alternatives
We promise we’re not trying to hurt you by suggesting you ditch ice cream, chocolate and cheese (oh no, not cheese!) but there have been some studies on the link between dairy and skin breakouts. Although scientists are still working out what the connection may be, but some theories include the thought that dairy cows’ milk contains artificial hormones which can throw our own hormones off balance. Some people think that when we mix milk with all our other processed and refined foods, it changes up the levels of insulin in our bodies.
Either way, there have been many testimonials from men who gave up dairy and noticed better skin and, with so many dairy-free alternatives these days, you might as well give it a try. Almond, coconut, and oat milks are increasingly popular and are made to have a similar consistency to dairy milk, so your cup of tea can be just as tasty.
Ditch: Not Bothering
Replace With: A Better Skincare Routine
At Bulldog Skincare, we understand men. Some guys think that in order to upgrade their skincare routine they need to buy four hundred products and set aside hours in the morning to use them all. Well, we can tell you it’s a lot easier than that.
Choosing a simple skincare routine means defining your skin type and just using the products that have been designed to treat those specific issues. For example, if you have sensitive skin, take a look at our Sensitive Range. All the products have been formulated for men and contain ingredients like baobab and oat oils, as well as willow herb. They cleanse and refresh the skin without leaving it extra sensitive.
Similarly, if you have oily skin and you think you can’t moisturise because it will make it worse, just choose something made for oily skin. We’ve got a moisturiser and a face scrub formulated to take care of oily skin by minimising the excess oil that causes the shine. We formulate it with black charcoal to help exfoliate, as well as juniper and witch hazel.