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Anybody can suffer dry and itchy skin any time of the year but these skin conditions occur more frequently during the winter season. But there's no reason to get concerned over it anymore. We can't control the weather but there are simple things we could do to keep our skin healthy and protected from cold weather conditions.

In this article we will try to explain why our skin is more prone to drying during the cold winter season and how we can prevent it. Below are a few effective tips on how to treat dry skin and how you could keep your skin healthy the rest of the year.

Why does our skin dry during cold days?

Lesser humidity in the air and strong chilly winds during winter strike our delicate skin leaving it dry and itchy. This chips away at our skins natural protective layer exposing it to the elements. The skin is stripped of its oil or lipid layers making it dry and itchy. Little skin moisture is also transferred to the air aggravating dry skin conditions.

Use lukewarm water when taking a bath or washing your face

Avoid using cold water or even hot water when taking a bath or washing your face. Hot water only strips your skin's moisture and only makes it drier. For those who can't stand lukewarm baths during winter, make your baths a bit shorter to avoid exposing your skin to extreme temperatures.

This should be kept in mind even when merely washing your hands or feet. If your skin turns red then this is an indication that the water is too hot. It could only make the condition even worse.

Exfoliate regularly

Sometimes, no amount of preparation could adequately protect our skin from harsh winter conditions. Exfoliating regularly removes dead skin and helps rejuvenates tired skin. This prevents itching caused by dead, dry skin. This should be done at least twice a week since skin is more likely to suffer during the winter.

Natural ways of exfoliating includes using sugar or salts. These could be used to scrub dead skin off without the use of chemical based commercial products that could only irritate sensitive skin. The benefits of moisturizers are enhanced when skin is exfoliated regularly. You could also use coconut oils as a natural moisturizer to add that extra layer of protection and keep moisture trapped in the skin.

Moisturize

Moisturizers preserve and protect oils and moisture to keep the skin healthy. It's like an extra skin layer that keeps cold air at bay. Be sure to moisturize after taking a bath or washing your hands. Because there is less humidity in the air, skin moisture is easily lost in the air.

Get a Humidifier

You can't do much about the weather outside but there are few things you could do inside your homes to protect your skin. Humidifiers help maintain the level of moisture in the air. Low humidity makes it easier for moisture to escape the skin. You could use a humidifier or close doors and windows to prevent warm air from escaping.

Low moisture conditions are not only found in cold climate conditions but also in extremely hot desert conditions. If you feel that your home is too cold and there is not enough moisture then getting a humidifier prevents skin from further drying.

Proper hand and feet care

The best way to prevent dry and itchy skin is proper skin care. Use moisturizers at the first signs of dryness to prevent further skin damage. The feet are often one of the most neglected areas and many fail to notice this because they are hidden from the sight of other people. Using the same amount of attention to hidden skin areas like the feet helps maintain overall skin health. Simply moisturizing the feet and hands after washing could go a long way in preventing the occurrence of dry and itchy skin.

Avoid using strong and chemical based soaps

More emphasis should be placed in maintaining your skin's health than simply cleaning your skin by using strong soaps. Opt for soaps that are gentler and contain a good amount of moisturizers. There are also a lot of natural based soaps that don't contain harmful chemicals that only strip your skin of nutrients and moisture.

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While many people enjoy the taste of a diet soda now and again, new studies have shown that people that drink diet sodas or fruit drinks on a regular basis are more likely to be diagnosed with depression.

The study, which took place over more than a decade of time, looked at more than 263,900 U.S. adults who answered questions about the beverages that they drank.  Ten years later, these same people were questioned whether or not they had been diagnosed with depression.

Men and women who regularly drank four or more cans of any type of soda were 30 percent more likely to have been diagnosed with depression than those who did not drink soda at all.  Diet soda drinkers had a higher risk of depression : a 31 percent risk versus a 22 percent risk of regular soda drinkers.

If a diet soda drinkers, drank more than four cans of diet soda a day the percentages of depression skyrocketed to 51 percent.

In contrast, people who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were 10 percent less likely to be diagnosed with depression than non-coffee drinkers.

While a family history of depression and stressful life events are some of the biggest predictors of depression, the study focused primarily on frequent beverage consumption of sweetened drinks.

More research will continue to be done on diet and fruity drinks, but in the mean time anyone diagnosed with depression should always continue to follow their doctor's orders and prescriptions.

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We've all seen the avocado at the grocery store or at your favorite Mexican restaurant, but doctors are now stressing the importance and benefits of the avocado that go far beyond being just an ingredient in guacamole.

Some of these benefits include:

- Avocados have been shown to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer.

- Avocados have more of the carotenoid lutein than any other popular fruit. Lutein protects against macular degeneration and cataracts, two age-related eye diseases.

- The high levels of folate in avocado are also protective against strokes. People who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower risk of stroke than those who don't.

- Avocados are the best fruit source of vitamin E, an essential vitamin that protects against many diseases and helps maintains overall health.

- Avocado is high in oleic acid, which has been shown to prevent breast cancer in numerous studies.

- The vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and glutathione in avocado are great for your heart.

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Even though nearly everyone makes a New Year's Resolution to get healthy and exercise more, with the hustle and bustle of the New Year many people often lose track of time and don't stick to either of these resolutions.

Fortunately, there are plenty of exercises that you can do if you only have a little bit of time in your day to do them.

These “mini workout sessions” not only allow you to be physically active during your busy day, but they also help to alleviate stress and provide consistency in your sometimes crazy life.

 

If you have 10 minutes,

Warm up with one to two minutes of brisk walking, then alternate two minutes running with 30 seconds walking.

If you feel good, gradually increase the speed of your run segments. Repeat three times. Jog easy for one minute to cool down.

If you're stuck in the house, walk briskly from room to room and up and down stairs. Every minute, jog in place for 20 steps.

If you have 15 minutes,

 

Walk gently up and down a flight of stairs two or three times to warm up.

Then run up one flight and walk back down. Repeat four times, take a one-minute walk break on a flat surface, then continue the sequence as time allows.

If you're in a stairwell, run up two flights of stairs, walk down, repeat, then take a walk break.

If you have 20 minutes,

On an out-and-back route, walk for one minute, then alternate 30 seconds walking with 30 seconds running for three minutes.

For the next six minutes, run/walk using any ratio you wish. At the 10-minute mark, turn around.

For the next nine minutes, run/walk whatever ratio you'd like, but pick up the pace during the run portion.

Cool down for one minute.

If you have 30 minutes,

Walk for two minutes, then alternate 30 seconds walking with 30 seconds running for six minutes.

For the next 20 minutes, alternate jogging for one minute, running a faster pace for one minute, jogging one minute, walking one minute. Repeat the sequence five times.

Walk or jog two minutes to cool down.

Good luck with these “mini” winter workout sessions and here's to keep at least one of those New Year's Resolutions!

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It's only the size of your thumb, but your thyroid controls three main aspects of your life - your waistline, your mood and your energy level.  Located between the voice box and the collar bone, and wrapped around your windpipe, your thyroid helps to control your energy levels.  The gland, shaped like a butterfly, pumps out a hormone that regulates both your metabolism and body temperature.  It also works with nearly every system in your body to help keep you on your toes : both mentally and physically.  But, thyroid disorders are on the rise and of the 25 million Americans with thyroid disorders, the majority is female.

Fortunately, we can check ourselves to make sure that our thyroid is the proper size, as an enlarged thyroid may mean that you are producing too much or too little hormone. You should do this self-test once every two months:

1. Hold a mirror in front of you and focus your gaze on the lower front area of your neck, right above your collarbone.

2. Tilt your head back, moving the mirror along with you.

3. Take a medium-size sip of water.

4. As you swallow, watch your thyroid area, checking for any unusual bulges or protrusions. (Note: Don't confuse your thyroid with your Adam's apple, which is farther up.)

5. If you see anything suspicious, go to your doctor.