As we welcome a new calendar year, we reflect on what the past year has brought us. That’s how it goes right? So…. 2020…. How was that? 

For many, last year was a year of learning, of growth, of new experiences, although maybe not the experiences they had envisioned for the year. For others, it was a year of doubt, struggle, anxiety, and loss. But for most, it was a combination of all of this and then some. And, in reflecting about the year, the good and the bad, what can we do but try to move forward with a positive and hopeful attitude and have faith that this new year will bring more stability and health?

Many people make ‘new year resolutions’. We draw up a list of things we want to improve on or things we want to accomplish and then we hopefully get one or two of those things marked off the list before the next year. It’s a fun exercise and definitely a good way to evaluate what you like and dislike in your current situation. Some people make resolutions about their career, some about their health, but mostly it’s a huge combination. 

This year, may we suggest you go through that exercise, but also do one more thing - How about putting together a time capsule? This past year has been truly historic. It is worth memorializing these things and then revisiting them in 20 or 30 years. Here is a link to a free document you can print out and fill out. You can also just write your future self a letter about this time and open it in a few decades. 

Whatever you decide to do, remember this is a time to think about yourself. What can you do to enhance your life? Can you eat healthier? Could you exercise more? Should you incorporate some meditation into your daily routine? What past relationships should you revisit and maybe mend? Whatever you think is a step to a healthier and happier life should make it into your list of resolutions! Happy New Year and may it bring you peace, joy, and health!

Resolutions Template

Time Capsule Template

Have you had your Vitamin D levels tested lately? How were they? If they were low, don’t feel bad… Most people are deficient in Vitamin D. Even people that work diligently to keep their Vitamin D levels at a normal range have a hard time achieving that. But why?

As a society, we spend more time indoors. Imagine times when people had to work the land outside all day, when we herded livestock and fished and grew our own food. Back then, people were soaking up the sunshine most of the day. Today, a lot of us work indoors and we protect ourselves from the harmful UV rays. So, it is a catch 22: protect yourself from harmful UV rays but be Vitamin D deficient. How can we be healthy on both ends of that spectrum, especially during the winter time when our days are shorter? Easy, eat healthy!

We are what we eat. We’ve mentioned this before. You can increase your Vitamin D levels by consuming foods that are higher in Vitamin D. 

Here is a handy list of foods that are rich in Vitamin D:

• Eggs: 1 large egg contains about 40 IU of vitamin D

• Yogurt: 6 oz. contains about 20% of your necessary daily intake of Vitamin D.

• Seafood: Fresh fish, caviar/roe, eel, and cod liver oil are all good sources Vitamin D.

• Meats & Fats: Beef liver, pork, pork fat, and duck fat are all good sources of Vitamin D. 

Vegan Options:

• Fortified Tofu: Check labeling to see if it is fortified. 

• Mushrooms: This one is tricky and interesting. When grown under UV lights, mushrooms can absorb that UV and that will make them high in Vitamin D. So, in order to ensure you are getting the Vitamin D benefits, you need to know how the mushrooms were grown. If grown under UV lights, 3 oz. of mushrooms can contain about 400 IU of Vitamin D.

• Orange Juice: Fortified orange juice (must check the label) can give you about 20% of your necessary daily intake of Vitamin D. One cup of fortified orange juice contains about 100 IU of vitamin D.

If you have a hard time adding these foods to your diet, modern science has also been kind enough to make Vitamin D supplements that are easy to take. 

As with any dietary or lifestyle change, you should always consult your primary physician before altering your diet or taking any supplements. They will be able to test your Vitamin D levels and recommend the appropriate path for you. And hey, maybe you are one of those few lucky people that have normal levels of Vitamin D!

This month, we have focused on men’s health, and the best way to stay healthy is to be proactive in our health! Our current world is one that is very stressful, high paced, and very unforgiving when it comes to taking time for ourselves. Slowly, people have realized that adding self care to one's routine is essential in preserving your health and sanity. That goes for you guys!

Most of us have read articles and seen videos of how women can practice self care. There are pre-made mail order boxes you can send to someone or simply buy a subscription for yourself in order to ‘pamper yourself’. But what about men? Is it different? Do they need a different set of ‘self care’ routines? 

Well…. It depends! We are not a gender but a person - not all girls like pink and dolls, not all boys love contact sports and muscle cars, so, it’s not a one size fits all for anyone. That said, we have some ideas that we think you might enjoy doing!

1. Take a hike! Yes! Take a hike! The outdoors is a wonderful way to reconnect with yourself and to take time out of a fast paced society to breathe! Pack a lunch and eat out while you’re surrounded by nature!

2. Go fishing. Whether you’re sitting on a boat enjoying the silence all around you or you’re in the middle of a river fly fishing, it is another great way to connect with nature.

3. Take a long shower or a hot bath. Most human beings can benefit from this self care ritual. Get bubbles, a bath bomb, or simply some epsom salts to help your muscles relax.

4. Go through your closet and purge. Getting rid of clothes you don’t wear is a great way to feel great. Clutter is never a good thing and the feelings that come when you have decluttered and reorganized are peaceful and fulfilling ones. 

5. Do some physical exercise. Yoga is a great way to exercise while still being mindful and experiencing your breath in a different way. Weight lifting, running, biking, or boxing is another great way to release endorphins. 

6. Read a book. Put down your phone… better yet, put it away for a whole day, take a book, and read. Devour a book in a day! Keep all screens off and just go print for a day!

Whatever you decide to do, take the time and do it. It is easy for us to put off self care, but self care and taking that time off is what keeps us healthy, in mind, spirit, and body. 

As we near the end of a year, we want to reflect on a topic that sometimes falls between the cracks. Although there is a lot of awareness regarding women’s health and diseases particular to women like breast cancer, ovarian cancer, etc., conditions and diseases that are particular to men have long been addressed very quietly.

Our society is used to portraying men as strong and silent and frowning on anything that may indicate ‘weakness’. That is how their health was handled many times, and wrongly so. Being sick is not being weak. We put way too much pressure on ourselves and others for things that for the most part are out of our control.

Fortunately, through the years, we have learned how important it is for men to speak up about their health. Instead of seeing that as a sign of weakness, We applaud men for the awareness they bring to health problems faced by many but not addressed by some.

“Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. The Movember Foundation runs the Movember charity event, housed at Movember.com.” 

Some places call it Movember, others No-Shave-November. Personally I see men loving this time of year because many of them love the change in facial hair. Some end up keeping the facial hair afterwards! 

YOSEP is not just about women and their skin care. Men need to take care of their skin as well. Many young men go through some rough years with acne. A good facial cleanser is a must for anyone. Most men enjoy having less wrinkles and less signs of aging. The same way that women take care of their skin, so should men. It is the largest organ in your body and requires attention and love. 

This month, head on over to Movember and read a little about men’s health and the amazing things Movember is doing to contribute to research!

This month we did our first YOSEP Sweepstake to mark the launch of our two products, Yosep’s Enchanted 15 Day Treatment and Yosep’s Three Miracle Shots. For a week we held an Instagram and Facebook Giveaway Period and last week we selected a winner. 

Congratulations to Lidia Rodríguez Moreno from Toledo for your Three Miracle Shots prize! We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed creating this product! 

One of our core values is transparency. As such, we want to make sure that we share with you how our winner was selected. After participants entered the sweepstakes following the steps outlined in our Instagram, Facebook, and Blog stories, we used an application called EasyPromos to randomly select a winner. 

We would like to thank all who participated and helped spread the word. 

Join us next week as we dedicate some time to our male audience! 

The American Academy of Dermatology Association is celebrating National Healthy Skin Month! November is a time to take a look at what we can do to help our skin be in the best shape it can be. 

An article published by the AADA walks you through important steps to take in order to have healthy skin. At YOSEP, we are always focusing on giving you the best natural ingredients to ensure healthy results. Among the tips mentioned, these two simple steps should be taken daily in order to help your skin heal and stay healthy: 

• Face washing 101

• Protect your skin from the sun

When we were developing our Yosep 2 in 1 Face Cleanser, we wanted to make sure that the ingredients in our cleanser were gentle enough for all ages but effective enough to provide an efficient facial cleansing. A gentle, but effective, face cleanser is a must have for everyone. It helps remove impurities from our skin allowing our pores more breathing room. 

Some people worry about using a facial cleanser because they feel that it will dry out their face. YOSEP’s 2 in 1 Face Cleanser uses Olive Oil Peg-7 Esters.

• Olive Oil Peg-7 Esters: Derived from the fatty acids of olive oil, it is known for its softness and dermatological compatibility. Excellent cleansing properties. Proven to reduce irritation in the skin.

This wonderful ingredient provides excellent emollient, conditioning, solubilizing and co-emulsifying properties. It not only cleans but it also conditions. Cleaning should not result in dry skin. That said, some people need a little more moisture in their daily routine.

This month, while some places celebrate National Healthy Skin Month, think about adding these two steps to your routine if you don’t already do them and don’t forget to enter for a chance to win a Three Miracle Shots! Contest ends this Thursday, November 12, 2020.

Do you want to win a THREE MIRACLE SHOTS?

You only have to:

1. Follow us on Instagram and on our Facebook page.

2. Like the publication on Instagram and Facebook.

3. Comment by mentioning 3 people on Instagram and Facebook posts.

.... you can participate as many times as you want!

The giveaway will be open from today, November 5, 2020 until Thursday, November 12, 2020. The drawing will be held next Friday the 13th and we will announce the winner in our stories!

Sweepstakes rules:

• You must be 18 years of age to enter the sweepstakes.

• The sweepstakes is organized by YOSEP and does not belong to Facebook or Instagram.

• You can participate as many times as you want.

• No purchase necessary to participate.

October traditionally has pumpkins galore, not just because it is a garden seasonal at the time, but also because in many places certain holidays celebrate using pumpkins - Thanksgiving and Halloween! 

Pumpkins are not just beautiful and delicious, but also have many health benefits. Here are a few perks of including pumpkins in your diet:

• Rich in Vitamin A - This is important because Vitamin A can help strengthen your immune system

• Rich in antioxidants including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin - Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals and as a result protect your cells. 

• Contains Vitamins C and E - These two vitamins function as antioxidants and also help fight free radicals that could damage your eyes

• Low Calorie, Nutrient Dense, Great Fiber Source - One of the best foods and snacks when you want to eat healthy. This amazing squash is a weight management dream because it has less carbohydrates than similar foods, is right in fiber, and is made up of 94% water.

These are just some of the benefits of pumpkins. This amazing fruit/vegetable (botanists consider it a fruit while culinary experts think more of it as a vegetable) is a great addition to your diet. Here is a simple recipe from Once Upon a Chef to try at home. Click on the picture to go directly to the page and see a step by step picture guide. 

Welcome Fall, Welcome Autumn, Welcome Cool Weather! As Fall rolls around, I am reminded of how the seasons bring about so much change. Some get to see the leaves turn colors, the cool crisp air is a constant and the days are shorter. If you garden, you put your garden to bed, and you put in your fall bulbs. If you live in a warm weather climate location, you have milder changes but can still be reminded of this transition.

Some people tend to think that warm weather is the culprit of acne. When we sweat and our faces have dirt caked in with that sweat, it can clog up our pores. We don’t think about acne as a cold weather problem, but think again! We need to practice our cleansing routine daily, during the warm and cold months. Neglecting it can bring about more blemishes. During these cold months, we need to cleanse and moisturize, really moisturize!

Our 2 in 1 Face Cleanser is perfect for any skin type. It is very gentle without compromising its cleaning efficiency. Yosep’s 2 in 1 Face Cleanser has 5 active ingredients:

1. C13-15 Alkane: Powerful makeup cleaning properties, especially for makeup that is waterproof. Provides a soft and silky finish without an oily residue.

2. Babassu Oil Glycereth-8: Rich in lauric acid and one of the all time favorite skin care ingredients because it is perfect for all skin types.

3. Maris Sal: Salt derived from the Dead Sea of Jordan, rich in minerals that are essential for our skin. Stimulates cell growth and regeneration, acts as a firming agent and counters effects of free radicals in the skin.

4. Olive Oil Peg-7 Esters: Derived from the fatty acids of olive oil, it is known for its softness and dermatological compatibility. Excellent cleansing properties. Proven to reduce irritation in the skin.

5. Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate: Natural fatty acid with foaming qualities that are less intense than similar ingredients used in skin care products. Provides antibacterial properties.

This 2 in 1 Face Cleanser is also an important part of your daily routine given that most of us are wearing face masks when we go out now. The pandemic has brought about changes and with the usage of face masks, we have seen an increase in skin problems. Here is a great article by the American Academy of Dermatology Association that walks you through the steps to keep your skin healthier while mask wearing. They also include tips on what to look at when using a mask to ensure you minimize problems. 

“Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.”

National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Any person, whether they know it or not, has probably come in contact with at least one woman who has had breast cancer.

 “Every year, breast cancer kills more than 500,000 women around the world.” 

World Health Organization

And, although it is not as common, some of you may even know men who have had breast cancer. As I write this, I remember a young neighbor we had a little over 10 years ago. It was the first time I had ever heard of breast cancer in men. I must confess I didn’t know what to think of it at first. How can that happen? We always seem to associate that kind of cancer with women right? This man was young, in his late 20s / early 30s. He had already been through it once before and a few months after we met, he had a recurrence, which is the term for when a cancer that has been in remission comes back. Although it had been years since we had moved from that house, I ended up ‘googling’ him last year and sadly found out he had passed away. It was so shocking that it made me really think of how important early detection and immediate treatment is. Cancer does not discriminate based on age, gender, race, socio-economic status or geographical location. 

So, what can you do? You can remember to listen to your body! Remember to have a yearly physical and have your breast checked for abnormalities. Sometimes it’s easy for you to detect it because you know your body best. Other times we’re not quite sure what we’re looking for. Here are a couple of resources to help out: 

This site has several sections for breast cancer education including a free E-book: Breast Problems That Aren’t Breast Cancer. https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/educational-guides/

In this section of the Susan G. Komen website, you can read about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. 

https://komencolorado.org/about-breast-cancer/screening/signs-symptoms/

This page in the Susan G. Komen website has some information about breast cancer risks for men.

https://komencolorado.org/about-breast-cancer/screening/risk-for-men/

Remember: Stay active, stay healthy, be proactive about your care!