Six Great Tips For a Better Morning

Posted by Dana Ramos, author of the best-selling book: The Skin Regime; Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin. 

Even your Mondays can be better if you start off your day off feeling—and looking—great. Here are six tips for how to wow your mornings.

1. A great day starts the night before: First of all, you need to get enough sleep. Skip binge-watching the Housewives (spoiler alert--they’re fighting again). Turn in early enough to get what your body requires and avoid late-night alcoholic drinks because your sleep will be less complete, plus, you’ll be left with a hangover or sluggish feeling in the morning. To be sure your skin will look great in the morning, always thoroughly cleanse and moisturize the night before (see below for some product suggestions). Sleeping with makeup on or clogged pores overnight will create skin problems you surely do not want!

2. First thing you do when you get up in the morning—hydrate your body and skin. Drink a full glass of fresh water and another after a few minutes to flush out stomach acids and get your digestive system moving. Then, enjoy your morning coffee (drinking acidic coffee on an empty, un-flushed stomach could cause stomach upset). Wash and rinse your face with cold water to close your pores. If you shower in the morning, try to finish with a cold-water rinse to wake you up—at least on your face if not your full body. Hydrate with a great moisturizer and don’t forget to use sunscreen for all-day protection from the sun and man-made lights (studies in recent years has revealed that indoor light can cause some light-exposure damage, too!)

3. If you haven’t the time or inclination to exercise in the mornings, at least take a few minutes to take a few deep breaths and stretch for a few minutes to get your blood and energy circulating.

4. Your best breakfast: Protein with whole fruit, such as yogurt or eggs or a protein drink and an apple, orange or peach. Protein powders are a super way to get a lot of oomph in a low-calorie way (see below for some suggestions). Bananas are not the best choice of fruit, and fruit juice is NOT counted as whole fruit! Studies have shown how important protein is to give you sustained energy and natural sugars with fiber in fruit provide vitamins and a metabolic boost.

5. Brighten your eyes. Even if you don’t wear makeup, having bright, clear eyes will brighten your whole face. Use moisturizing drops such as Bausch and Lomb’s Soothe drops, or one with redness-reliever like those made by Visine, and apply a little concealer on the upper and lower lids in a one-shade-lighter tone that your skin tone will do wonders. One great trick used by in-the-know makeup artists: Using a flesh-colored eye-liner on the inside of your lower lid will instantly brighten your eyes and make them look more refreshed and youthful. You might need to experiment with a few to find the right shade for you; I have found colors made by Sephora and by Mac work great for me.

6. Put on a smile before heading out: Studies have shown that smiling even if you don’t feel like it can elevate your mood by releasing feel-good hormones.

Some products to help you start your day:

Protein powders: Protein powders based on whey protein are inexpensive and popular and you can find them in many health food stores. Rice protein, egg white protein, vegetable protein and soy protein powders are also available and you can explore them all on Amazon and health-food websites.

Multi Vitamin and Mineral Supplement: Even if you eat a perfect diet - and who really does that - you aren't getting everything your body needs. Make sure to take a quality supplement. Jen's go-to is 90 Essential, Beyond Tangy Tangerine 2.0.

Cleansers. A good all-around cleanser even for sensitive skin is the Gentle Cleansing Lotion. For more exfoliation power, try the Basics 3-in-1 Cleanser with fruit acids and scrubbing beads.

Hydration: The Advanced Care Moisturizer is non-comedogenic and great for sensitive skin, too. If you have acne-prone skin, mix your moisturizer with some Glycolic lotion.

Sun Protection. Check out the Cotz sunscreens—they won’t clog your pores and will protect your skin from all kinds of light damage (the number one cause of skin aging and skin cancer).

Night-before extras: Wake up to smoother skin by exfoliating with the Diamond Dermabrasion with Lactic acid. Or give yourself a hydrating mask the night before with the Apple Stem Cell Caviar Extract Hydration Mask.

Where can I buy Dana's Book?

The Skin Regime; Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin, available as a Kindle download or Buy paperback to buy your paperback copy from Platinum Skin Care. You can also read the first chapter--FREE--by click here to read 1st chapter.

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