7 Habits for Healthy Skin

1. Practice Deep Breathing
Shift your body's balance of oxygen versus carbon dioxide in favor of energizing, stress-squashing oxygen by doing slow, controlled breathing exercises. Here are three good ones.

How often? Aim for twice a day.

2. Get Active
Release the repressed anxiety trapped inside you by putting your body in motion for 30 minutes or more.

How often? Do something -- anything -- every day, because exercise only tames stress for a maximum of 24 hours. So to reap the most benefits, you need to do it daily. If you prefer, tuck 10-minute pockets of activity into your day -- at lunch, after dinner, right after you get up and the house is still quiet. Find ways to sneak fitness into your schedule.

3. Beat the Foods That Beat You
Reduce the allure of sugary, fatty foods -- which are as bad for your skin as they are for the rest of you -- by eating more lean protein: fish, eggs, poultry, low-fat dairy foods, and even walnuts. Use this list of good-for-your-skin foods that can help lower stress and fight wrinkles, too. Also, try to be more aware of what you reach for -- and how much you consume -- when you're stressed.

How often? All day, but especially early on -- morning protein helps curb afternoon cravings.

4. Focus on the Good Things
Pick up a notebook you particularly like, and at the end of each day, make a list of things for which you are truly grateful. Or write down three things that went well, and why.

How often? Nightly, as part of your winding-down routine.

5. Stretch Out Your Sleep
Make it a goal to sleep as many hours as you need to feel alive and productive the next day -- all day.

How often? Every night.

6. Take a Time-Out
For most of us, life is so hyperscheduled and speedy that we never do absolutely nothing. It's rare to set aside time to simply be -- no agenda, no demands, no plan. (Just like a real vacation. See if you're due for one.) Find a comfortable, quiet spot to sit for 10 to 15 minutes every day, stop all your hustling and bustling . . . and simply, by yourself, be still.

How often? Try for once a day.

7. Cuddle
Enjoy a little intimacy.

How often? At least once a week.