Antioxidants

Glowing Skin! Antioxidants keep your skin healthy by blocking out cell-damaging free radicals from pollution and UV exposure.  Aim for one serving of antioxidant-rich foods a day.

For example: 1 cup of berries, 20 pecans, a few cups of green tea. Also good: kiwifruits, prunes, artichokes, and pinto beans.

Beta-carotene

Silky Skin! The vitamin C helps produce skin-smoothing collagen.  Plus, beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A, which keeps your eyes and immune system strong. Aim for about 15 mg per day.

For example: 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes.  Also good: carrots, winter squash, spinach, and kale.

Calcium

Strong nails, teeth, hair, and bones! Aim for 1,000 mg of calcium into your diet each day.

For example: 3 cups of milk. Also good: low-fat dairy products like yogurt, and cheese. Go organic to avoid added hormones or antibiotics.

Healthy Fats

Supple skin & Shiny Hair! You’ll like the effects of consuming these essential fatty acids, particularly omega-3.  Healthy fats will give you a radiant complexion, shiny hair, and also decrease inflammation in the body.

For example: 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil a day. Also good: salmon, walnuts, avocado, and olive oil.

And on a more superficial note, sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your looks, causing dark circles or bags under your eyes, make your skin break-out, and give you an overall listless, washed out look that you don’t need any day, let alone on your wedding day!

The good news is, there are many natural techniques you can learn to get the beauty rest you need, whether you have difficulty falling asleep, waking up too often, or still feel tired when you wake up in the morning.

Create a Peaceful Sleep Sanctuary

1. Make your bedroom as dark as possible. Even the tiniest bit of light in the room can disrupt your internal clock.  Close your bedroom door, pull down the shades, get rid of night-lights, cover up your glow-in-the-dark alarm clock. Don’t turn on any light at all during the night, even when getting up to go to the bathroom. Wearing an eye mask may help.
2. Keep your room cool. Many people keep their bedrooms too warm, but the temperature should be no higher than 70 degrees F. Studies show that the optimal room temperature for sleep is quite cool, between 60 to 68 degrees. If you are too hot or cold, it can lead to restless sleep.
3. Your bed is for sleeping. If you are used to watching TV or doing work in bed, you may find it harder to relax and drift off to sleep, so avoid doing these activities in bed.
4. Sleep alone. Recent studies suggest that sharing a bed with a partner (or pets) can significantly impair sleep, especially if your bed mate is a restless sleeper or snores. If this is the case, you may want to consider a separate bedroom.

Preparing for Bed

1. Get to bed as early as possible. Your body does a majority of its recharging between the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. In addition, your gallbladder dumps toxins during this same period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into your liver, which can further disrupt your health.
2. Don’t change your bedtime. You should go to bed and wake up at the same times each day, even on the weekends. This will help your body to get into a sleep rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep and get up in the morning.
3. Relax. Make time for a relaxing bedtime routine, which could include meditation, deep breathing, relaxation CD’s, using aromatherapy or essential oils or indulging in a massage from your partner. The key is to find something  to help you release the tensions of the day.
4. Eliminate the bathroom problem. Don’t drink any fluids within 2 hours of going to bed, and go to the bathroom right before bed. This will reduce the chances that you’ll wake up to go in the middle of the night.
5. Eat the right foods before bedtime. Several hours before bed eat a high-protein snack, which will aid in melatonin and serotonin production. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. But don’t eat anything right before bed, particularly grains and sugars. If you do have something, snack on a small piece of fruit.
6. Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed. When your body temperature is raised in the late evening, and then falls at bedtime, it facilitates slumber. The temperature drop signals your body it’s time for bed.
7. Put your work away at least one hour before bed. This includes seating charts and those DIY centerpieces! You need to give your mind a chance to unwind so you can go to sleep feeling calm, not hyped up or anxious about tomorrow’s deadlines.
8. No TV or suspense novels right before bed. Anything that’s too stimulating to the brain will prevent you from falling asleep quickly. TV disrupts your pineal gland function. Instead, try reading something spiritual or uplifting, which may help you relax.
9. Keep a Journal. If you find yourself in bed with your mind racing, it might be helpful keep a journal and write down your thoughts before bed. Getting things out of your system will help you fall asleep.
10. Exercise regularly. Exercising for at least 30 minutes a day can improve your sleep. But don’t exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake. Morning exercise is the best if you can manage it.

For more advice, information, and further reading on the tips mentioned above, please read 33 Secrets to a Good Night’s Sleep by Dr. Mercola

• Increase life expectancy
• Lower a cancer patient’s risk of dying from the disease
• Lower a surgical patient’s risk of dying in the hospital
• Strengthen the immune system
• Decrease rates of schizophrenia, alcoholism and suicide
• A longer, healthier, more satisfying life

Well this magic pill is not something you’ll find at the drugstore, explains James Burg, Ph.D., an associate professor at Indiana University-Purdue, Fort Wayne, and executive director of the Healthy Marriages Sturgis program. And it’s not something you can swallow, inhale, or inject. It will take a little more effort than that… well, actually, a lot more effort. It’s called a Happy Marriage, and while it’s not a miracle cure or surefire way of preventing disease,  the benefits are really incredible.

This association between marriage and health was first reported in the ’70s, with evidence accumulating that suggests powerful health benefits, at least for men. Check out this statistic: Heart disease may reduce a man’s life expectancy by six years, but bachelorhood takes 10 years off a man’s expected life span.(So I take that to mean that marriage adds 4 years to guy’s life?)

According to researcher John Gottman,  “If it is a good marriage, the benefits are equally as great for women as for men; for men, just being married confers a tremendous amount of benefits.”

The obvious question: And what if it’s an unhappy marriage?  Well that could increase the chances of illness by 35 percent!  But this is a bridal website, and we’re looking forward to all of you having a wonderful, happy, healthy marriage, which you are committed to working on every day! And our statistics say that “working on a marriage every day does more to promote health and longevity than working out at a health club.” So skip the gym and go out for ice cream with your spouse (just kidding… kind of)!

Statisticians Bernard Cohen and I-Sing Lee, compilers of a catalog of relative mortality risks, were quoted, “Being unmarried is one of the greatest risks that people voluntarily subject themselves to.” So, while marriage is not a magical cure-all, it does seem to be the best thing going.

Congratulations on your marriage, and here’s to a long, healthy life!

Info from this article from Bliss Marriage and Parenting Seminars.

Image from psychologytoday

Just as the willingness of a once-small number of consumers to seek out (and occasionally pay a premium for) organic produce is now changing the face of food production and consumption, we believe that we – and more importantly, you – can drive meaningful change in the world’s product-consumption habits, purchase by purchase.

Factors that make a product “sustainable” are assessed as follows:

1. The materials used must be environmentally responsible (recycled and/or recyclable, organic, biodegradable, non-toxic).

2. The manufacturing process must be ecologically sound (efficient use of energy, materials and other resources, such as using a renewable energy source).

3. The labor employed must be treated fairly and provided safe, healthy conditions in which to work. (Must come from fairly-traded sources or low-impact sources such as FSC-certified forests).

Check out some of the beautiful, environmentally responsible objects available at Branch, including furniture, such as this chair made of 100% recycled plastic, and room divider hand-made from FSC-certified wood and cotton rope:

Looking for some pretty objects to liven up your decor? Try these Bubble Pitcher + Cups
made from recycled glass stock, processed using wind power. Or treat your feet to the Seat Slice: Pink rug, handmade from 100% virgin wool felt.

For your kitchen, I love these 100% organically-grown bamboo bowls and serving pieces!

If you are having an event that requires disposable paper goods, try these biodegradable options:

Want some decorative pillows? Here are a few pretty options, made from hand-stitched linen and cotton or 100% reclaimed ultra-suede:

Dress up your bed in a 320 thread count, organically grown, cotton duvet, printed with non-toxic water-based dyes.

What wedding registry would be complete without a few sets of towels? At Branch, you get to wrap yourself in 100% sustainably harvested beech wood fibers! 9 pretty colors to choose from!

Start growing your own plants, spices, and veges! Get started with Branch’s “Egg plants” and “Garden in a Bag” options, including basil, oregano, chives, sage, red pepper, lavender, mint, dill, strawberry, parsley, English Thyme, and cilantro.

Some of the items pictured are pricey, but there is a page for Gifts under $30 and Gifts under $100. Happy Shopping!

Want to be a gorgeous bride? AisleDash offers five beauty routines you can start right away, so that you can be “radiant and lovely on the Big Day.”

1. Exercise and get enough sleep:We all know the benefits of exercise, but in the pre-wedding rush, many brides forget how important sleep is in maintaining your body’s natural balance. Exercising, adequate sleep (as well as eating right and drinking plenty of water) will contribute to a peaceful state of mind, a trimmer physique, and a glowing complexion.

2. Visit a doctor: if you have skin problems, you might want to see a dermatologist who can recommend a new skin care product or procedure. Book your appointment in advance to make sure you have plenty of time to reap the benefits.

3. Stay out of the sun: A sun-kissed glow may look pretty, but dark suntans are out of style. If you still want a hint of color, try a self-tanner… but don’t experiment the day before the wedding!

4. Get your brows in shape: Beautifully sculpted brows can transform your face. If they’ve been misshaped, they will need time to grow in correctly, so find a stylist who can help you grow them and shape them. Three months should be enough time to do the trick.

5. Treat yourself right:  A massage may sound like a luxury, but a relaxed bride is a lovely bride. Not only that, massage therapy can help reduce stress, improve posture, boost your immune system and decrease anxiety.