Juicing For Your Skin

Juicing is great for your digestive health, but did you know it’s also great for your skin?

The vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables have benefits for your skin when applied topically, but they have even more benefits when ingested! Fruits and vegetables that contain A, B, and C vitamins especially help to increase circulation.

Better circulation = more oxygen to the skin = plumper, younger looking skin

Because beauty starts from within, keeping your digestive tract clean and clear helps reduce the buildup of gunk underneath the surface of your skin. To help keep you looking radiant this summer, here is a comprehensive list of juicing produce and their benefits!

Apple

• Contains flavonoids which help protect skin from toxins and UV rays
• High in potassium and vitamins A, C, and K
• High in Fiber

Bell Pepper

• Very high in vitamin C and carotenoids
• Contains phytonutrients that are packed with antioxidants

Carrots

• High in potassium and selenium
• High in carotenoids (your body converts these into Vitamin A!)

Celery

• Helps to clean out the liver and digestive tract
• Rehydrates the body

Cranberry

• High in antioxidants
• Anti-inflammatory and metabolism booster

Cucumber

• Natural diuretic, high in water content
• Contains vitamins C and K
• High in potassium

Ginger

• High in Zinc- an immunity booster
• Aids in digestion and stomach related issues
• Anti-inflammatory- calms inflamed skin

Goji Berry

• Highest vitamin C concentration of any food
• High in antioxidants
• May stimulate T-cell production

Kale

• High in fiber and carotenoids
• Anti-inflammatory
• High in iron content

Lemon

• Diuretic, helps reduce bloating
• High in vitamin C

Parsley

• High in antioxidants
• Helps reduce bloating
• Contains good amounts of vitamins A, B, C and E
• High in iron and potassium

Pineapple

• Natural acidic enzymes clean out the digestive tract
• Improves skin elasticity and helps hydrate the body
• High in antioxidants

Spinach

• High in B2 and B6 vitamins
• High in iron and potassium
• Anti-inflammatory

Turmeric

• Cleanses the liver and improves digestion
• Anti-inflammatory
• Evens out skin tone
• Helps to even out blood sugar

So there you have it! Check out our PINTEREST page for some great juicing recipes inspired by JUARA ingredients 🙂

Kombucha Cocktails

Kombucha

Everyone’s talking about it like it’s something new.

Kombucha has actually been around for over 2,000 years in the eastern part of the world. It is made by combining green or black tea, bacteria, yeast, and sugar and then allowing the mixture to ferment. The fermentation process causes a mushroom-like blob to form in the tea.

Although Kombucha is not exactly delicious (to say the least) it has been proven to provide numerous health benefits and is even aptly named “Health Tea” “Vitality Tea” “Miracle Tea” and “Elixir of Life” in various languages. It is so packed with antioxidants that we even use it in our skincare products! Kombucha’s uses are endless. Here are some of its benefits:

• Contains B Vitamins and Antioxidants

• Detoxes the liver

• Helps to prevent and aid in the management of arthritis

• Aids in digestion and digestive health

So with all of the benefits of Kombucha, how can we make it delicious and irresistable?

Cocktails!

Kombucha cocktails are all the rage on the ‘health scene’ this summer. Fruity, alcoholic, tangy, and packed with antioxidants and vitamins? Count me in! Of course, to write this article, I had to do some research on Kombucha cocktails… which was really a chore let me tell you. After much due diligence, here are some of my favorite recipes:

Strawberry-Ginger Kombucha Cocktail

 

Ingredients:

• 20 Medium Strawberries
• 3 Tbsp. Honey
• The Juice of 5 Limes
• 32 oz Ginger Kombucha
• 8 oz Vodka
• Ice
• (Optional) Candied Ginger

1. Combine strawberries, honey, and lime in a blender to create a puree

2. Into each glass, pour 1/4 of the vodka, 1/4 of the kombucha, and strawberry puree to taste

3. Add ice, stir, and enjoy!

Kombucha Peach Daiquiri

 

Ingredients:

• 6 medium peaches, sliced
• 4 Tbsp Agave
• 2 Tbsp Orange Juice
• 4oz Vodka
• 4oz Rum
• 8oz Kombucha
• Ice

Blend all ingredients, pour into glasses, and enjoy!

Kombucha Sangria

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle of your favorite white wine
• 1 Orange, sliced
• 1 Apple (green or red), sliced
• 2 cups mixed berries
• 16oz your favorite flavor Kombucha

1. Combine wine and fruit into a large pitcher. Put into refrigerate and let sit for at least 4 hours

2. Pour out into glasses, add a splash of Kombucha, and enjoy!

Massage: From Bali to your Living Room

Bali is the spa capital of the world.

A beautiful, serene, tropical atmosphere. Warm air and soothing music. Massage, facials, aromatherapy, body wraps- you name it, they do it. 

But during the weeks that you’re not relaxing on a beach in Bali, how can you bring that serenity into your own life? How can you experience that kind of bliss in your own home?

JUARA products are inspired by the spa rituals and botanicals of Indonesia. We’ve combined luscious ingredients like candlenut oil and illipe butter with super foods like turmeric and goji berry to bring you efficacious treatments that can be used at home. As luxurious as our creams and masks are, however, there’s one aspect of the spa experience that we can’t bottle up:

Massage

Did you know that over 50% of Americans get massages regularly? With the blossoming of homeopathy and alternative medicine, massage is becoming a staple in our lives. Massage offers a vast array of benefits including:

• stress reduction
• anxiety relief
• muscle relaxation
• increase in circulation
• enhanced immune system
• lower blood pressure
• better mood

The best part of massage is that it can be done at home! Because this week is “Everybody Deserves a Massage Week”, we’ll be posting our favorite massage tips daily.

Today’s Tip: Setting the Mood

Whether massaging yourself or trading off massages with a loved one, mood is key. Designate a quiet time when you won’t be interrupted (30 minutes or more is ideal) and create an inviting atmosphere. Here are a few of our favorite ways to create a stress-free space:

• Turn down the lights and ensure that the room is a comfortable temperature
• Turn your cell phone off (or, better yet, put it in another room)
• Light candles or put out a diffuser in your favorite scent. Aromatherapy specialists recommend lavender, eucalyptus, rose, chamomile, and vanilla for stress relief.
• Put on a bathrobe and slippers (it will make you feel like you’re at a spa!)
• Put your favorite body cream in the microwave for 5 seconds to heat it up. Warm cream is definitely better than shockingly cold cream on sore muscles.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for another massage tip!

Boredom: Let’s Fight it for July!

July is National Anti-Boredom Month

Wait… what? Why is there a month for that?

Well, did you know that chronic boredom is a relatively recent diagnosable phenomenon? Yup. While boredom is a common emotion for children, it generally occurs less in adulthood… until now.

 

Many studies show that with the rise of portable technology and social media (aka the society of ‘now’), adults’ attention spans are growing shorter and shorter. This decrease in attention results in an increase in boredom!

 

While being bored once in a while is okay, and can even lead to greater creativity, chronic boredom is a gateway for a slew of other negatives, including:

• anxiety
• depression
• anger/frustration
• disengagement/ disinterest in personal relationships
• over-eating

 

So why are we bored? And what can we do to get un-bored?

Because we are constantly stimulated by texts, tweets, emails, instagrams, status updates, pins, etc. more than a few minutes of quiet work or ‘nothingness’ makes us feel bored. We have so many easy ways to keep ourselves occupied (but very few of those options include leaving our computers or phones) that when faced with free time we’ve forgotten what to do!

But Do Not Fear!

This month’s collection of JUARA Fit Summer Fun tips will get you off the couch, away from the phone, and back to being excited about sunshine and fresh air! Check in with us every Thursday for a new idea to try out on your next day off 🙂