I went to the dentist today and now I feel like a hypocrite. I go on and on about how to protect your skin so that it can be as healthy as possible, but then I neglect other parts of my body! I have been forgetting to floss, so my hygeinist today was unhappy and now my entire mouth is swollen. I’ve had so many fillings in my life that it’s ridiculous. It’s not like I don’t “know” I need to floss - I just don’t do it enough.

Prevention
Unfortunately I didn’t get the greatest genes when it comes to the health of my teeth, but a little prevention goes a long way! If I just remember to floss daily, I’m sure that will save me thousands of dollars in future dental bills, plus it will make my cleanings less painful, and prevent horrible fillings. And I’m sure my teeth will look better in the years to come! The only good thing I do is get cleanings three times a year (rather than once or twice a year) since my teeth need it.

Skin care works the same way! A little prevention will save you thousands of dollars in beauty creams, possible plastic surgery (if you go that route to get rid of wrinkles), and most importantly it will possibly prevent skin cancer, the most common cancer in women. So wear sunscreen every day and don’t spend a lot of time in the sun! There are all sorts of other anti-aging tips I’ll write about soon.

Motivation
The problem I have, which is probably the same for a lot of people, is that I get lazy and unmotivated if I don’t see benefits from what I’m doing. When I floss I don’t see any changes in my teeth, although I know my gums are getting healthier. Young people can tan all they want and look fabulous, so even though they “know” they can get cancer, it doesn’t seem real, and they don’t have wrinkles to show them that the sun will ravage their skin eventually. I didn’t start wearing sunscreen until I saw my first wrinkle! Working out is the same way for me. I get easily discouraged since I want to see results immediately, even though I know that’s not possible. And taking vitamins and putting antioxidants on your skin is another form of blind faith - even if you don’t see any results, you know that you are probably helping your body.

How do you keep yourself motivated to be as healthy as possible?