Feature: Beauty and Health Part 2 |

You may remember Part 1 of this feature in which I introduced you to Leisa. Well, now I’m going to feature the girl that introduced me to Leisa – my friend Cheryl Baldwin!

Cheryl is the founder of Existential Healing Holistic Services and is a Certified Natural Health Practitioner (CNHP) and a level II Reiki practitioner. She provides relaxation therapies, holistic health treatments as well as many other services all in promotion of health and wellness.

I don’t know about you, but I am definitely in need of some balance in my life! Many of you may know that I suffer from migraines pretty often. I try not to take any medication for it but sometimes I just have no other choice. I would love to be able to visit Cheryl more often as the one shiatsu session I had with her was better than many of the registered massage therapy session I had in terms of relieves my tension and stress. Holistic therapies like those Cheryl practices can not only reduce stress but combat illness, strengthen immunity and provide more long-term restorative health benefits.

Cheryl working her shiatsu magic on me in her treatment room

I asked Cheryl to tell me a little bit about her journey:

Growing up I was always passionate about animals and the environment which led to an interest in studying biology and ecology in university (I attended the University of Western Ontario)
From a young age I had a strong desire to help create balance in the world
Once I began studying holistic therapies at Transformational Arts College my focus shifted towards finding inner and outer balance in my own life using holistic therapies
Now I am passionate about creating a better world, one person at a time, by assisting my clients to find their own unique inner and outer balance through holistic therapies or what I call ‘existential healing’

image taken from Existential Healing

So how does balancing ourselves relate to beauty? (Since this is a beauty blog after all!)

Inner & Outer Balance = Inner & Outer Beauty

· Inner balance begins with good nutrition, the food that we eat becomes the building blocks for our bodies, eating well is an important part of looking well

· Staying hydrated is very important to both inner balance and outer beauty, our body composition is 70% water, the skin is just one part of the body that needs plenty of moisture to stay flexible and supple

· For skin with a healthy glow be sure to look after your lungs and liver; quit smoking, moderate your alcohol intake, limit excess fatty foods and try to minimize your exposure to the many toxins prevalent in our environment (pollution, food additives, hormones, harsh chemicals etc)

· Healthy fats are best embraced! Unsaturated fats found in fish, avocado, olive/flaxseed oil etc help boost your bodies fat-burning capabilities while lubricating your system to create healthy skin & nails, flexible joints, better digestion and bowel movements and less inflammation. This translates into LOTS of inner AND outer balance as well as beauty!

· Try to avoid beauty products containing harsh chemical additives (especially petroleum products which are toxic and prevent product absorption), stick to shopping for brands that use natural ingredients and are cruelty-free

· The scalp is the most highly absorbent skin on the body, be very cautious about the kinds of products you use on your hair and scalp, try to use natural products with no chemical additives

· Chemicals in our home and beauty products, additives in our foods and other environmental toxins all combine to create heavy toxic burdens that our bodies cannot cope with, only store, within protective layers of fat. Toxicity compromises our immune systems and slows down our metabolism, making us more susceptible to sickness and weight gain; compromising our outer beauty considerably

· Wherever possible look for organic, sustainable, free-range and ethical products, inner balance is key to outer balance. As you find balance, so shall the world! As your beauty shines forth, so shall the worlds

Thank you so much Cheryl for taking the time to share your knowledge with my readers