Before the age of 25, you have the skin your mother gave you. After age 25, you have the skin you gave yourself. Evidence for the truth in this skin care mantra can be seen in the faces of women all around you. Up until their mid-twenties, most women enjoy naturally vibrant, glowing skin. As the thirties approach, however, the skin begins to lose its elasticity and suppleness.Fortunately, there are certain preventative measures you can take to keep your skin looking its best. Furthermore, certain products (such as Clarisonic’s deep pore cleansing system) can help you uncover your most radiant skin. Make the skin care dos listed below a part of your daily skin care regiment in order to see radiant skin for decades to come. On the flip side, by avoiding certain harmful skin care no-nos, you can prevent your skin from looking wrinkled and tired as you age.Skin Care DosDo wear sunscreen. Everyone loves to feel the warmth of the sun on their skin, but remember that UV rays can cause wrinkles, sunspots and even skin cancer. Take care of your skin by applying sunscreen whenever you anticipate being out in the sun, even if only for twenty minutes. As a bare minimum, apply sunscreen to the face, chest, neck and hands, as the skin on these areas is generally the most sensitive to UV rays. A product such as Uber Dry Sunscreen SPF30 by Peter Thomas Roths.Do eat healthy foods. Food writer Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food advises readers to, “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Pollan’s simple, liberating approach to diet is certainly healthy for your skin as well. Vegetables and fruits are chock full of antioxidants, or special chemical compounds that break down cancer-causing free radicals in the body. Free radicals also cause cell damage to the skin. For healthy skin from the inside out, include colorful vegetables and fruits with every meal, and especially aim to ingest plenty of vitamins C, E, A and beta carotene.Do drink plenty of water. Water flushes out toxins and improves circulation. Drinking 64 ounces (eight glasses) of water every day will keep your skin looking soft and supple. Additionally, it’s good to have a couple of versatile moisturizing products on hand for those days when you know your water levels are low. For instance, after a night of heavy drinking, you might notice your cuticles drying out, causing painful, unsightly hangnails. This is a sign that there may be other areas of dry skin that need a little TLC.Rather than buying a whole shelf of separate moisturizers for occasions like this, it’s best to have a few go-to products that will perk up your skin every time. A product like Smith’s Original Rosebud Salve, for instance, can be applied to dry lips, minor burns and patches of rough skin, such as on the knees and elbows. And best of all, Rosebud Salve is easy to keep on hand for whenever a skin care emergency pops up, since it is packaged in a small, round tin.Do apply eye cream. The skin around your eyes is some of the most sensitive, delicate skin on the entire body. Take care of it (and avoid those telltale crow’s feet!) by applying a daily eye cream. In case you’re looking for a recommendation, check out Peter Thomas Roth’s Un-Wrinkle Eye, which consumer studies have shown reduced wrinkle size up to 72% in just 28 days.Skincare Don’tsDon’t smoke. If you need motivation to quit, just take some time to examine the skin of long-term smokers. Yellow, papery skin with plenty of wrinkles around the lips – this is what smoking will earn you. Quit. Today. Your skin will thank you for years to come.Don’t skimp on moisturizer. Moisturized skin is happy skin. Indeed, you’ll notice that just after applying moisturizer, your skin will naturally plump up – sometimes enough to fill in those pesky wrinkles. Apply moisturizer when your skin is still damp from your shower or bath – this will lock in moisture and keep your skin looking plump and healthy all day long. Body oil is an especially luxurious way to moisturize your skin. Like all oils, Patyka’s Absolis Precious Woods body oil creates a barrier layer that moisture cannot penetrate.Don’t be sporadic about your skincare. Cleanse and moisturize every day to offset the pollution and other toxins your skin is exposed to on a daily basis. Whatever skincare products you choose to apply, use them religiously. An investment of just five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening can make a huge difference for your skin over a lifetime.One way to encourage yourself to complete your skin care regimen is to invest in enticing products that make you excited about taking care of yourself. For instance, it’s hard to put off using a Clarisonic Mia skin care brush, when just one daily application of your Clarisonic brush leaves skin looking almost brand new. (The Clarisonic brush vibrates back and forth more than 300 times per second, which thoroughly cleans skin and leaves pores so open that they actually absorb other skin care products better.)In the end, your daily skin care choices will determine how youthful (or aged) you appear as the decades march on. Nurture your skin by following the dos and avoiding the don’ts listed above, and you’ll enjoy perfect, healthy skin well into your golden years.
Business Loans In Canada: Financing Solutions Via Alternative Finance & Traditional Funding
Business loans and finance for a business just may have gotten good again? The pursuit of credit and funding of cash flow solutions for your business often seems like an eternal challenge, even in the best of times, let alone any industry or economic crisis. Let’s dig in.
Since the 2008 financial crisis there’s been a lot of change in finance options from lenders for corporate loans. Canadian business owners and financial managers have excess from everything from peer-to-peer company loans, varied alternative finance solutions, as well of course as the traditional financing offered by Canadian chartered banks.
Those online business loans referenced above are popular and arose out of the merchant cash advance programs in the United States. Loans are based on a percentage of your annual sales, typically in the 15-20% range. The loans are certainly expensive but are viewed as easy to obtain by many small businesses, including retailers who sell on a cash or credit card basis.
Depending on your firm’s circumstances and your ability to truly understand the different choices available to firms searching for SME COMMERCIAL FINANCE options. Those small to medium sized companies ( the definition of ‘ small business ‘ certainly varies as to what is small – often defined as businesses with less than 500 employees! )
How then do we create our road map for external financing techniques and solutions? A simpler way to look at it is to categorize these different financing options under:
Debt / Loans
Asset Based Financing
Alternative Hybrid type solutions
Many top experts maintain that the alternative financing solutions currently available to your firm, in fact are on par with Canadian chartered bank financing when it comes to a full spectrum of funding. The alternative lender is typically a private commercial finance company with a niche in one of the various asset finance areas
If there is one significant trend that’s ‘ sticking ‘it’s Asset Based Finance. The ability of firms to obtain funding via assets such as accounts receivable, inventory and fixed assets with no major emphasis on balance sheet structure and profits and cash flow ( those three elements drive bank financing approval in no small measure ) is the key to success in ABL ( Asset Based Lending ).
Factoring, aka ‘ Receivable Finance ‘ is the other huge driver in trade finance in Canada. In some cases, it’s the only way for firms to be able to sell and finance clients in other geographies/countries.
The rise of ‘ online finance ‘ also can’t be diminished. Whether it’s accessing ‘ crowdfunding’ or sourcing working capital term loans, the technological pace continues at what seems a feverish pace. One only has to read a business daily such as the Globe & Mail or Financial Post to understand the challenge of small business accessing business capital.
Business owners/financial mgrs often find their company at a ‘ turning point ‘ in their history – that time when financing is needed or opportunities and risks can’t be taken. While putting or getting new equity in the business is often impossible, the reality is that the majority of businesses with SME commercial finance needs aren’t, shall we say, ‘ suited’ to this type of funding and capital raising. Business loan interest rates vary with non-traditional financing but offer more flexibility and ease of access to capital.
We’re also the first to remind clients that they should not forget govt solutions in business capital. Two of the best programs are the GovernmentSmall Business Loan Canada (maximum availability = $ 1,000,000.00) as well as the SR&ED program which allows business owners to recapture R&D capital costs. Sred credits can also be financed once they are filed.
Those latter two finance alternatives are often very well suited to business start up loans. We should not forget that asset finance, often called ‘ ABL ‘ by those Bay Street guys, can even be used as a loan to buy a business.
If you’re looking to get the right balance of liquidity and risk coupled with the flexibility to grow your business seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor with a track record of business finance success who can assist you with your funding needs.
Fruit Nutrition Facts
Apple nutrition facts: Apples are a good source of vitamin A and C and ward off colds and infections. They are powerful blood purifiers and benefit the blood and lymphatic systems.Apple juice is a wonderful cleanser, great for a weight loss diet and useful as a general tonic.One medium size apple as around 100 calories.Grapes, fresh pineapple and kiwi fruits are fabulous for your skin. Grape nutrition facts:Grapes are often used in elimination and weight loss diets because of their powerful cleansing action and their ability to stimulate the metabolism. The high magnesium content promotes good bowel movement and proper kidney function.Grape juice is also a good blood and liver cleanser and eliminates unwanted uric acid from the body. Grapes are high in potassium, which aids kidney function, strengthens the heartbeat and keeps the skin looking fresh and healthy.Grapes are well known for cleansing the system. Dark grapes are high in iron, which makes them good blood builders. A hand full off grapes on your weight loss diet is a good snack.There’s around 100 calories in 1 cup of grapes.Pineapple nutrition facts:Because of their high vitamin C, content pineapples are considered to be a protective fruit. The juice is good for reliving constipation and poor digestion and the combination of vitamin C. Acids and enzymes make pineapples highly eliminative and a great boost for detox diets.Pineapples can also be used to soothe sore throats. Beta-carotene, folic acid, potassium, iodine, calcium and magnesium are some of the nutrients found in pineapple. Kiwi nutrition facts:Kiwi contains twice the amount of vitamin c than oranges. They are also rich in potassium, which helps to stave off colds and flu. Kiwi fruits should be firm but not hard. Lemon and Lime nutrition facts: Lemons and lime are very high in vitamin C. They contain up to four times the amount of citric acid as oranges or grapefruit.This high citric acid content is very good for getting rid of toxins. Lemons are also good for soothing sore throats and are widely used for colds and flu. Mango nutrition facts: Mangoes are one of my favourite. They are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and potassium. The riper the mango the more beta-carotene it will contain. They are great blood cleansers and bodily disinfectants and can be helpful to throw off body odour. Orange nutrition facts: Oranges are one of the richest sources of vitamin C. they help to protect against a variety of conditions, from colds and flu to heart disease and strokes that gives them very high health ratings. Their nutrients help prevent premature wrinkles and saggy skin.When juicing peel the skin but leave the pith on as this is where all the good nutrients are. Other nutrients include vitamin A and the b-complex vitamins, bioflovonoids, pectin, amino acids, potassium, zinc and phosphorous.Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron, so a glass of orange juice a day can actually double the amount of iron available for use in the body. The high citric acid content in oranges is the most effective in cleansing the gastrointestinal tract and eliminating toxins and acid waste in cells. For this reason, orange juice is often included in eliminative diets. Banana nutrition facts:Whenever I’m shopping and I feel hungry the first thing that comes to mind is a banana. Everyone I know likes their bananas a little different. I like mine ripe with freckles on, some like them soft and very sweet, others when they’ve just turned. If you boil them when they’re green you will get more iron from them at that stage.Bananas are very nutritious, they contain vitamin C and dietary fibre. They have no fat or cholesterol. The vitamin C that they contain helps the body defend and heal against infection.Potassium is the mineral in bananas that builds muscles. Having a banana before taking part in any physical exercise will give you that instant boost and energy.The body burns off calories from carbohydrates more easily and quickly than calories from protein or fat. They are free from sodium and very rich in potassium. A banana and a glass of water can keep you going for two hours before feeling hungry.1 medium banana has around 100 calories. Pear nutrition facts:Pears have a high content in vitamin c and B vitamins and the minerals potassium, phosphorus and iron, pear juice is good for the digestive system, and helps to normalise the bowel. It is a valuable addition to elimination diets because of its mild diuretic and laxative effects. Pears are one of the best urinary and gastrointestinal cleansers because of its high level of pectin. Strawberry nutrition facts:Strawberries are also a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene potassium, calcium and iron. With their cleansing values they are good for eliminative diets too. They are very high in sodium, it helps keep you youthful, and their content in potassium is also good for the skin. Potassium and iron helps to strengthen the blood. The high levels of beta-carotene and vitamin C helps to keep of colds and fights infections and to prevent cancer and heart disease. Peach nutrition facts:Peaches are a good source of beta-carotene. They also contain vitamin C some of the B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. Peach juice is wonderful for alkalinising and cleanses the intestinal tract and encourages good bowel movement. Drinking pear juice will improve your skin and eyesight and help prevent against cancer and heart disease. Apricot nutrition facts:Apricots are exceptionally high in beta-carotene compared with all the other fruits; therefore they stand out as cancer fighters. They can help prevent cancer of the lung, oesophagus, stomach, bladder and throat, and their high Vitamin C also protects against colds and flu. Blackberry nutrition facts:Blackberries, a rich source of vitamin C with good amounts of beta-carotene, B vitamins, vitamin E, and the minerals potassium, calcium and magnesium, which makes them invaluable in cases of heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure and premenstrual tension.Blackberries also have a high iron content, which makes them one of the finest blood builders. Mixes well with prunes. Cranberry nutrition facts: Cranberry juice is used for its healing properties as a natural diuretic and urinary tract cleanser. Cranberries are a source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, quinine, iron and potassium. The quinine helps to maintain the health of the bladder, kidneys and prostate and has been found effective in preventing prostate cancer. The high vitamin C and beta-carotene content helps ward of colds and flu in the winter months. Grapefruit nutrition facts:Grapefruit belongs to the citrus family, which includes lemons, oranges, limes, tangerines, clementines and sultanas. Grapefruit is also high in vitamin C are good for warding of colds, and helps prevent bleeding gums.Grapefruits are also a good source of beta-carotene, phosphorus, calcium and potassium. High levels of pectin are found in the white pith. It’s known for controlling cholesterol levels and helping with digestive problems.Bioflovanoids are also found in the pith and have a protective effect on vitamin C anti-inflammatory properties and protect blood vessel capillaries. Prune nutrition facts:Prunes are a variety of dried plums and are widely used as a natural laxative. Prune juice is just as potent as the whole fruit and a much healthier way to treat constipation than using synthetic laxatives. Raspberry nutrition facts:Raspberries are good cleansers especially of mucous and catarrhal conditions. They are natural astringents and can help sort out stomach problems and gum disease Raspberries are high in vitamin A and C and provide useful amounts of potassium, calcium and magnesium, which make them invaluable in cases of heart problems, fatigue or depression. A raspberry juice cocktail before meals stimulates the appetite and aids digestion. Papaya nutrition facts:The one thing that distinguishes papaya from the other fruit is its amazing digestive properties. Papayas are rich in papain, a protein- digesting enzyme, which is so effective that it is used in meat tenderisers and digestant.It’s good for stomach ulcers and fevers and many people believe papayas are a great rejuvenator, combating premature ageing. Also they have the ability to restore a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria, after the use of antibiotics.It makes an effective laxative and cleanser to the liver, kidneys and intestines and has the ability to dissolve excess mucus in the body.Papayas are rich in beta-carotene vitamin C and E and the minerals calcium, phosphorus and iron. Melon nutrition facts:Melons belong to the same family as cucumbers. They both have a cooling effect on the body. Melons are an excellent fruit for juicing because of their high water content, which makes them first class diuretic, and good kidney cleanser and skin purifier.As in many other fruit and vegetables most of the nutrient lie in the flesh right next to the skin, so be careful not to lose this part when peeling. There are many varieties of melons to choose from including cantaloupe, honeydew, galia and watermelon. Cantaloupes are the most nutritious and are high in beta-carotene, vitamin C and digestive enzymes.They are highly recommended by the American Cancer Society as a healthful agent against intestinal cancer. Watermelons have the highest water content and are great natural diuretics as well as being packed with skin-enriching minerals such as zinc and potassium.Melons should be eaten alone or on an empty stomach as it ferments very quickly in the stomach.