My Top 10 Beauty Secrets

1. This is the number one most important beauty secret. (The rest are in no particular order.) Here it is: Beauty comes from within. It’s not about your size. It’s not about the shape of your face. It’s not about the color of your eyes, the length of your hair, or the clothes that you wear. Beauty comes from within. Have you ever met someone and with just one look at them you KNEW what a nice person they were? You can see it. You can see the kindness in their smile. The love that comes from inside them radiates outward. That’s beauty. And it has nothing to do with appearances. When I was little I would make faces sometimes at my mom and my grandmother when I was angry. “Be careful or your face will freeze like that,” they would say. There is actually a LOT of truth in that, although I don’t think that my mom and grandmother realized it. A beautiful person has a nice face because their kindness shows in the lines of their face. The expression we wear most often determines the lines that we develop as we age. The passage that most stuck with me when I read Eat Pray Love (forever ago) was this: “To meditate, only you must smile. Smile with face, smile with mind, and good energy will come to you and clean away dirty energy. Even smile in your liver.” Make smiling a habit. Smile constantly and for no reason. It’s hard to be unhappy when you’re smiling. You can’t help but feel happy when you’re smiling. Practice smiling when you’re cooking dinner, grocery shopping, brushing the kids teeth. It’s addictive, free, and anyone can do it.
2. Squeeze your stomach and your butt. Like 10 times a day. I’m not talking about stopping what your doing, putting on your workout clothes, and doing exercises. I’m talking about squeezing your stomach and your butt in the elevator, while you’re walking to your car, driving your car, standing in line, blending a smoothie. Make it a habit like smiling. I used to think I was the only person who did this, then I read it in The New Primal Blueprint, and I felt like I was very smart. 😂
3. Wear a bra. I hate to say this, because NOT wearing a bra is so in style right now, but as someone who is over 40, I can tell you how gravity is not going to be a friend to your breasts. Just sayin.
4. Take care of your face. Wear non-toxic makeup. Moisturize twice a day. See how HERE. I also follow the advice of the easy-on-the-eyes Rob Lowe, and dab moisturizer under my eyes and where I have wrinkles during the day. It also feels really good since I live in a dry climate.
5. Don’t forget your neck and chest. (When I say “chest” I’m talking about the skin that’s visible when you’re wearing a t-shirt.) As women we tend to get wrinkles in the middle of our chest. Moisturize your neck and chest the same way as your face. (See the link in #4)
6. Drink lots of water. Hydration is one of the most under appreciated steps to health and beauty. And it’s also one of the easiest. When you’re active or hot it’s also really important to get electrolytes. Coconut water (especially fresh or raw coconut water) is the best source of electrolytes.
7. Collagen and bone broth are also crucial for radiant skin, hair, and nails. You can put collagen in your smoothies and even coffee. There are more recipes for collagen and bone broth in my book, Easy Paleo Meals.
8. Get plenty of good fat. I talk about this in Easy Paleo Meals, but to shorten it here: you need good fat, like avocado, nuts, coconut oil, olives, and dark chocolate (there’s a more complete list in my book). Fat is satiating, meaning that you need it so that you don’t overeat. Also, get this: you need fat to lose weight or maintain your ideal weight because fat helps to balance your hormones and metabolism. Plus, fat reduces blood sugar and insulin levels, and is great for your nails and skin.
9. Exercise. Find something that you love and make it a habit. I’m personally obsessed with walking, whether it’s trails (I’m a trail hunter, and a coffee shop hunter, not that the two are related 😉 ) or walking in my neighborhood, or as a tourist. Maybe you love biking, yoga, pilates, or dancing. Being active is good for your health and it makes you feel good too. I joke that walking is my Prozac, but exercise really does release endorphins in your brain, literally making you happy.
10. Protect your face and chest from the sun. While getting some sun is crucial for your health, I recommend avoiding your face and chest, which are more susceptible to aging effects from the sun. Read my sun cover and vitamin D post HERE.

♥, Kelly