7 tricks to keep your skin glowing Feeling saggyskinned and tired within? Here are seven surprising tricks to keep your skin at the pink of its health You may have heard how shunning the sun does wonders for your skin or how stress releases hormones that worsen acne, eczema and other skin conditions. But a round up of the latest research around the world tells you new ways to keep your skin radiant. Here are seven easyto-follow ways of retaining the shine on your face: Revive your face When your face feels dull and exhausted, rejuvenate it and brighten your face with this simple skin patting technique using the soft pads of your fingertips. As your eyes are likely to develop eye-bags due to fluid retention, start at the top of the cheek bones. Pat with your fingers quickly towards the nose, then back to the cheek bones in an upward motion, coming around to the temples and upward across the brows. After that, apply some moisturiser using upward strokes, moving up the neck to the jawline. Purse your lips as you tap at the outer corners of the mouth and then on the cheeks. Soon, you will notice your skin turning into pink, which is essentially a rush of oxygen that's brightening and tightening your face. Sleep straight Your best bet for smoother, wrinkle-free skin is to sleep face up, on your back. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, sleeping in the same position can lead to wrinkles that don't disappear once you're up. Also, sleeping on your side increases wrinkles on the cheeks and chin, while sleeping face down gives you a furrowed brow. Rub-a-dub-dub Not only does it feel great, a facial massage can help stimulate your skin's fibroblasts (connective cells) to release collagen and restore some of the elasticity that gets lost with age. But don't pay someone to do it. Just five minutes a night, massaging in your favourite moisturiser, using tender, sweeping movements, will have just the same effect. White bread dread To avoid spots on your skin, keep away from white bread. Although doctors say diet has no bearing on acne, a recent Australian study showed that a L o w - G l y c e m i c Index Diet helped decrease spots. This means swapping white refined carbs such as bread, cereal and pasta for wholemeal varieties.

Sunscreen secret Studies show that right-handed people put more sunscreen on the left side of their body than their right and vice-versa. This means important areas miss out on adequate sun protection. Try swapping hands during application to ensure more even coverage. Red wine's fine Grapes contain resveratrol, which is one of the most powerful anti-ageing antioxidants yet discovered. Studies suggest it can help maintain a youthful complexion by fighting damaging free radicals. A small glass of red wine every other day will boost your intake. Don't overdo it though, for obvious reasons. Wish on a fish At the end of it all, fat is what maintains healthy skin. In particular, getting more of the essential omega-3 fats found in salmon and other oily fish can help keep skin supple and ease conditions like eczema. US dermatologists even credit omega-3s with reducing skin inflammation that is responsible for sagging and wrinkles. One to two portions a week will boost your intake.

Working on weight loss? Then you probably want results -- fast. Let me save you some time: skip the fad diets. Their results don't last. And you have healthier options you can start on -- today! You can safely lose 3 or more pounds a week at home with a healthy diet and lots of exercise, says weight loss counselor Katherine Tallmadge, RD. How to Lose Weight Fast If you burn 500 more calories than you eat every day for a week, you should lose about 1-2 pounds. If you want to lose weight faster, you'll need to eat less and exercise more. For instance, if you take in 1,050 to 1,200 calories a day, and exercise for one hour per day, you could lose 3-5 pounds in the first week, or more if you weigh more than 250 pounds. It's very important not to cut calories any further -- that's dangerous. Limiting salt and starches may also mean losing more weight at first -- but that's mostly fluids, not fat. "When you reduce sodium and cut starches, you reduce fluids and fluid retention, which can result in up to 5 pounds of fluid loss when you get started," says Michael Dansinger, MD, of NBC's The Biggest Loser show. Diets for Fast Weight Loss Dansinger recommends eating a diet that minimizes starches, added sugars, and animal fat from meat and dairy foods. For rapid weight loss, he recommends focusing on fruits, veggies, egg whites, soy products, skinless poultry breasts, fish, shellfish, nonfat dairy foods, and 95% lean meat. Here are more tips from Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet : Eat vegetables to help you feel full. Drink plenty of water. Get tempting foods out of your home. Stay busy -- you don't want to eat just because you're bored. Eat only from a plate, while seated at a table. No grazing in front of the 'fridge. Don't skip meals. Keeping a food journal -- writing down everything you eat -- can also help you stay on track. "Even if you write it down on a napkin and end up throwing it away, the act of writing it down is about being accountable to yourself and is a very effective tool for weight loss," says Bonnie Taub Dix, MA, RD, author of Read It Before You Eat It . Besides jotting down what you ate, and when, you might also want to note how you were feeling right before you ate it. Were you angry, sad, or bored? We often focus so much on foods and calories, but our emotions are a huge part of our eating habits. If you see a persistent pattern in your emotional eating, please consider talking to a counselor about it. They can be a big help in finding other ways to handle your feelings. It's time to move more! Losing weight requires close to an hour a day of moderate exercise, one study shows. Plan to do cardio and strength training. "Cardio burns the most calories, so it is ideal for fast weight loss, but afterward you need to include a few hours a week of strength training," Dansinger says. To burn the most fat, try to break a sweat after your warm-up and keep sweating for the entire hour, Dansinger says. If you're not exercising now, and you have a chronic condition or a lot of weight to lose, it's wise to check in with your health care provider first. They'll be rooting for you! And they'll make sure that you're ready to work out. Pace yourself. Don't do too much, too soon -- work your way up to help prevent injury. One way to step up the intensity is to do interval training -- brief bursts of high-intensity, followed by a more mellow pace, and repeating that pattern throughout your workout. "Interval training allows people to work harder without having to spend the entire time at the higher level, and over time, the more you do it, the easier it becomes to burn more calories," Blatner says. Fad Diets and Crash Diets I know how tempting diet crazes can sound, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. You hear about stars who did it and look incredible. But remember, if a diet plan sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Also, please skip any programs that promote detoxification pills, laxatives, fasting, or potions, and any that promise weight loss faster than 2-3 pounds per week. The truth is that cutting calories below 1,050-1,200 per day is counterproductive, because you need strong muscles to be able to exercise effectively. "When you eat too few calories, you lose fat but also precious muscle, which is the worst thing you could do because it slows your metabolism and makes it more difficult to increase exercise intensity or duration," Dansinger says. Fad diets also set you up for failure by depriving you of what you want. You can't eat like that for long, and it's too likely that you'll rebel and end up back where you started. You deserve better than that! So by all means, attack your weight loss goal. Put it on the fast track. But please, do it right so you set yourself up for lasting success.