The average home or office building is filled with hundreds of toxic air contaminants. For example, formaldehyde is found in foam insulation, as well as particle and pressed wood products. It is also used in consumer paper products that have been treated with resins, such as grocery bags, facial tissues and paper towels. Many household cleaning products contain formaldehyde as well.

Benzene is found in inks, paints, dyes, plastics, and rubber. Trichloroethylene (TCE) can be found in printing inks, lacquers, varnishes, and adhesives. No wonder many of us suffer from headaches, wheezing, sneezing, chronic coughs, and skin or eye irritations!

The good news is that plants have been found to dramatically reduce toxic chemical levels in homes and buildings with poor ventilation. Conducting 20 years of research, former environmental scientist Bill Wolverton, Ph.D., from NASA, tested household plants for their ability to clear toxins from indoor air.

Nature has provided an efficient system for this task: Microorganisms in potting soil use airborne toxins as their food source. Then, plant roots absorb the waste.

The plants recommended for most efficient air cleaning are the philodendron, spider plants, the golden pothos, palms, corn plants, snake plants, ivy, and the peace lily.

Choose at least one plant from the above list for every 100 square feet of floor space. Do not overwater, since extra dampness will harm the plant and may produce mold and mildew, further contributing to indoor pollution.

Lastly, another good reason to keep plants in our homes and offices is that plants are natural ionizers. The generation of negative ions makes us feel positive, happy, and refreshed. Who couldn’t use a little boost?

Visit http://nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com/ to learn more about my unique beauty- and health-enhancing massages, including incredible before-and-after photos of previous clients. To schedule your own facial rejuvenation facelift massage, call (212) 769-4722 or email thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Lisa Zimmer
NY Natural Facelift Massage
www.nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com
thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com
212.769.4722
New York City

Introducing Bentonite Clay: Nature’s Great Detoxifier

Every day we come into contact with harmful substances, whether through the inhalation of pollution from car exhaust or by ingesting the pesticides, herbicides and preservatives used on our food–not to mention the out-gassing of chemicals from furniture, carpeting and paint. This onslaught of toxins takes a toll on our health, often contributing to symptoms of fatigue, headaches, memory issues, mood swings, muscle and joint pain, and causing our organs to work overtime to deal with and discharge all of this. Luckily, nature produces bentonite clay, which is a great detoxifier from toxins and heavy metals. It’s perfect for a rejuvenating clay bath or a foot bath.

Greetings!

GINGER ROOT: YOUR WINTER SURVIVAL HERB

For many of us, winter is not our favorite season. The cold, damp days and nights make it difficult to stay cozy and warm. Luckily, there’s a warming and pungent herb that’s a great antidote to the winter chill: ginger! Used for at least two thousand years in China, ginger is used frequently in cooking since it serves as a supportive remedy to aid digestion. Ginger also helps to accelerate blood circulation due to its warming quality, and works wonders for colds by helping to break up stagnation.

Here are two great ways to use ginger root:

AS A TEA: Ginger tea bags can be bought in most Asian markets and health food stores. You can also buy the fresh root, peel it and slice it into 4-5 pieces. Place the slices into a tea cup and add boiling water. Let it sit for a minute and then enjoy. A warm, comforting treat!
IN COOKING: Ginger is good for digestion since it stimulates the digestive juices and strengthens the stomach. It can be especially helpful in digesting greasy foods. You’ll find it used often as a seasoning in Asian dishes such as stir-fries.
STIR-FRIED NOODLES RECIPE:
16 oz. of pre-cooked (about 80%) noodles
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 cup onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup carrots, thinly sliced
½ cup shredded cabbage
1-2 tablespoons organic soy sauce
1 teaspoon ginger juice
Place the sesame oil in a skillet and heat. Add the onions and sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the carrots and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add the cabbage and sauté for another minute. Add the pre-cooked noodles and soy sauce and mix. Add a small amount of water down the side of the skillet, cover and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Peel a small piece of ginger, finely grate and with your hand squeeze the juice out of the grated pieces over the noodles. Toss and serve.

Greetings!

Happy New Year

A new year means a new you. It’s an opportunity for new beginnings, promises and experiences. In the meantime, you’re probably detoxing from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Need help? Here is an exercise to help dissolve any lingering post-holiday stress. Try it; your neck and shoulders will thank you!

1. Start by turning your head from side to side. Turn first to the right, and then to the left. Take note of how far you are able to turn your head.
2. Use the palm and fingers of your left hand to grab the top of your right shoulder muscle (known as the trapezius), and lift. As you grab and lift the muscle, continue turning your head from side to side. Turn left first, and then right. Repeat this pattern 4-5 times. Keep in mind that most people’s shoulders are very tender to the touch. By practicing this exercise, tenderness will diminish over time.
3. Repeat this process on your left side. Use the palm and fingers of your right hand to grab and lift your left shoulder muscle while turning your head from side to side. This time, turn to the right first, and then to the left.
4. To test the new flexibility in your neck, turn your head from side to side as in Step 1. You should now be able to turn your head much further than before.

Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year.

Enjoy!

Visit http://nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com/ to learn more about my unique beauty- and health-enhancing massages, including incredible before-and-after photos of previous clients. To schedule your own facial rejuvenation facelift massage, call (212) 769-4722 or email thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Lisa Zimmer
NY Natural Facelift Massage
www.nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com
thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com
212.769.4722
New York City

Greetings!

A Stress-Free Holiday 

It may be hard to believe, but the holiday season is upon us once again. Between your regular workload, holiday parties, shopping, and family obligations, you may be feeling stressed, tired, frazzled, and overburdened. Try the quick survival exercises below to stay fresh, alert, and clearheaded.

We’ve all heard the saying, “he’s got brains where he sits.” According to Oriental Medicine, there is a brain-butt connection. The first exercise uses this connection to stimulate your brain by stimulating your bottom!

Exercise #1: Using your fists, simply pound on your butt for a minute and you’ll be surprised at how quickly your brain wakes up. You will feel alert and energized. Try this a few times throughout your day.

Exercise #2: This exercise is called “cross crawl,” from a series of “brain gym” exercises. It helps the right and left hemispheres of the brain, known as the emotional and logical sides, work in sync with each other to keep you more focused and balanced. Perform this exercise while sitting or standing: lift your right thigh up a foot off the ground and move it toward your chest, while tapping that thigh with the palm of your left hand. Then do the opposite side, lifting your left thigh up, moving it toward your chest, and tapping with the palm of your right hand. Do this for three minutes, alternating between sides.

Exercise #3: Take a 15 minute walk outdoors to clear your head. It is best to walk empty-handed to allow your hands to naturally swing back and forth as you walk. The swinging of the arms helps balance both sides of the body.

I hope you all enjoy the tips. Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season!

Visit http://nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com/ to learn more about my unique beauty- and health-enhancing massages, including incredible before-and-after photos of previous clients. To schedule your own facial rejuvenation facelift massage, call (212) 769-4722 or email thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Lisa Zimmer
NY Natural Facelift Massage
www.nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com
thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com
212.769.4722
New York City

Greetings!

Solutions for Sweet Cravings

By 3:00 or 4:00 p.m., many of us feel that our cognitive abilities are not as sharp as they were earlier in the morning. You may feel a sudden urge to slump over your desk and a strong desire for a nap. In other words, your blood sugar is taking a nosedive. You reach for your favorite candy bar to give it a quick spike, since sugar enters the bloodstream rapidly. But the crash quickly follows the fleeting sugar high, and, as if on autopilot, you devour a second candy bar.

So what would be a better substitute to enter your bloodstream more slowly and keep your blood sugar elevated evenly while helping you remain alert?

My personal favorite choice is a good quality sweet, such as a cup of carrot juice: sweet, refreshing and satisfying.

A more readily available solution might be a piece of fresh fruit, a handful of walnuts, peanuts and raisins, or pumpkin and sunflower seeds. As we enter the colder weather, I would also suggest chestnuts. I love eating roasted chestnuts hot and straight out of the oven. But when I’m on the go, I buy the pre-cooked, shelled chestnuts and eat them right out of the bag. So filling and satisfying!

Adding more cooked sweet vegetables such as squash, carrots, parsnips and cauliflower into your diet will also help curb sweet cravings. The longer these sweet vegetables are cooked, the sweeter they become. Luckily, they can all be found in abundance at this time of year.

Bon appétit and wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Visit http://nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com/ to learn more about my unique beauty- and health-enhancing massages, including incredible before-and-after photos of previous clients. To schedule your own facial rejuvenation facelift massage, call (212) 769-4722 or email thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Lisa Zimmer
NY Natural Facelift Massage
www.nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com
thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com
212.769.4722
New York City

Greetings!

Hot Water Self-Massage

The skin is our largest organ, and it’s also a good reflection of our overall health. To keep my skin soft, supple and clear, I enjoy doing a daily hot water self-massage ritual. It is invigorating, yet relaxing and calming at the same time. It is also known as a traditional Japanese skin rejuvenator.

Instructions:

1. Fill a sink basin with the hottest water you can tolerate. Using a 100% cotton washcloth, dip the cloth into the hot water, wring it out and then fold it over twice to retain the heat.
2. Applying light pressure, rub your entire body with the cloth in a back-and-forth motion. Periodically dip the cloth back into the water to reheat it as it cools down.

Benefits:

1. Opens the pores to release toxins and draw out fat that collects beneath the surface of the skin. That is why you will notice the water turning a murky color after a while. Occasionally, you can add fresh water to the basin. At first, your skin may appear drier because the fat is gathering under the skin before it can discharge. Since it takes 28 days for skin cells to renew themselves, in 28 days you will have healthier skin. Your skin will keep improving over time.
   Note: Using a loofah or a brush is not recommended for this treatment. The softness of the washcloth opens the pores, while the hardness of a loofah or a brush closes them. Our objective is to open them to allow for the release of toxins and fat.
   This treatment also should not be done while taking a shower. Long, hot showers are not recommended for extended periods of time since hot steam encourages the loss of minerals. This treatment greatly opens the pores, so we want to discourage the loss of minerals.
2. Activates circulation of blood and lymph.
3. Invigorating, yet soothing at the same time.
4. Promotes healthy skin.

This hot water self-massage technique can also be used on the face, but do so with caution, using cooler water and lighter pressure.

Enjoy!

Visit http://nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com/ to learn more about my unique beauty- and health-enhancing massages, including incredible before-and-after photos of previous clients. To schedule your own facial rejuvenation facelift massage, call (212) 769-4722 or email thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Lisa Zimmer
NY Natural Facelift Massage
www.nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com
thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com
212.769.4722
New York City

It’s September and the summer is rapidly coming to an end, though not without a last hurrah. Some of its hottest, steamiest days are still with us, and the mosquitoes are out in full force.

I was reminded of this yesterday when a mosquito made its way into my bathroom while I was replacing an old window screen. I ran frantically for my purple plastic fly swatter, eager to avoid becoming his prey. He won the first round with a disappearing act, nowhere in sight. But the battle raged on, and eventually I caught sight of him, and with a swift motion of my wrist he went right to mosquito heaven.

The incident triggered a distant memory of the days when I was a commercial print model. One night I was awakened by the sound of a mosquito buzzing around my head. I buried my head under the covers and hoped for the best-not to get bitten, and not to suffocate!

The next morning, grateful that I was still breathing, I stumbled into the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face, and looked in the mirror. I was horrified. Overnight my nose had transformed into a bulbous, red, inflamed mass. That son-of-a-bitch mosquito! I was scheduled for a photo shoot the following day. My metamorphosis would have worked splendidly in a cold medicine ad, but I was doing an ad for a hotel. My character was supposed to be happily vacationing with her two young children, and I was mortified by the idea of startling them with my bright-red nose.

Luckily, my natural home remedy solution to mosquito bites came to the rescue, and that’s what I’d like to share with you today. I grabbed a scallion from the fridge and sliced the white part on a vertical angle, allowing me to easily squeeze its juice onto my nose.

Later, I tore off a piece of the scallion and let it stick there. Every once in a while I repeated the process. Two and a half hours later, there was no indication of a bite. I was so relieved! I love scallions, so I always have a fresh supply on hand. I use them as a garnish, toss them into salads, and they’re a key ingredient in my favorite tahini-scallion dressing.

If you’re ever bitten, be sure to try this solution. But ideally, you won’t get bitten in the first place. How? In the past I’ve used commercial mosquito repellents with unsatisfactory results, so I turned once again to the kitchen cupboard. I found that applying vinegar to exposed limbs keeps mosquitoes away.

They are attracted to sweet skin, and not acidic skin. Now you can enjoy the outdoors without fear, and I promise it won’t make you smell like a salad!

Visit nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com to learn more about my unique beauty- and health-enhancing massages, including incredible before-and-after photos of previous clients. To schedule your own facial rejuvenation facelift massage, call (212) 769-4722 or email thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Lisa Zimmer
NY Natural Facelift Massage
www.nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com
thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com
212.769.4722
New York City

Welcome to my first newsletter. I’m very excited to be sharing my personal beauty and health tips, which I have found to be effective over the years. Enjoy the tips! See you next time.

Picture this: you were up late working to meet an important deadline-or maybe you stayed out way too late, having so much fun that you lost track of time. You over-drank and OD’d on the salty bar snacks, forgetting about work the next day. When you got home, you convinced yourself it was fine to skip your nightly skincare routine, and, if you’re a woman, maybe you also went to bed with your makeup on. Sound familiar? Maybe all too familiar?

The next morning the dreadful alarm goes off, bright and early, resisting your attempts to snooze it or smother your smartphone with your pillow. Sooner or later you shuffle into the bathroom with one eye open, splashing cold water on your face. The moment of truth: you open both eyes and catch a glimpse of your reflection; dark, puffy under-eye circles and all. It isn’t pretty. You’re wondering, how am I going to make it through the day?

Try these two simple, five-minute massages to rescue and rejuvenate tired and puffy eyes in a pinch, and then stay energized throughout the day.

Beauty Tip #1:

1. 

   Figure 1

   Vigorously rub your hands together in a back-and-forth motion 36 times to generate heat and energy.

2. Place your hands over your face to bathe it in their soothing warmth for half a minute. This feels especially nice over the eyelids.
3. Using your index finger, begin at the inner corner of your eye socket ridge (Figure 1). Press down and release. Then move to the next spot, continuing to press and release as you follow the eye socket ridge to complete a semi-circle, ending up at the outer corner of your eye. You may do both eyes at the same time. Repeat 9 times.

Beauty Tip #2:

1. 

   Figure 2

   This exercise helps wake you up and keep you alert throughout the day.

2. Using your thumbs and index finger, grab the top outer ridge of the ear while lifting, rolling and pulling down the ear towards the back of the head (see Figure 2). Continue down your ear, ending at the lobe. Do this 3 times; both ears at the same time.
3. Repeat whenever you need a pick-me-up.

Visit nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com to learn more about my unique beauty- and health-enhancing massages, including incredible before-and-after photos of previous clients. To schedule your own facial rejuvenation facelift massage, call (212) 769-4722 or email thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Lisa Zimmer
NY Natural Facelift Massage
www.nynaturalfaceliftmassage.com
thenaturalbeautyqueen@gmail.com
212.769.4722
New York City