Have you ever made the drive to the gym, walked past the check-in guy who use to greet you by name when you came more frequently but now looks at you with that quizzical, “I know that I know you, but have no idea from where” look, made the long trek to the locker room and opened up your bag only to realize you forgot some of the most pivotal tools needed to enjoy your gym experience?

In 2016, people are busier than ever. With work, kids and trying to find time for long-gone facets of years-past like “social events” and “hobbies”, getting to the gym can be incredibly difficult. It can be especially difficult when we find we don’t have the necessary tools upon our gym arrival.

Think of the gym as a job.

 Like any job, it can be a total nightmare, or it can be completely fulfilling and even fun. This all depends on your mindset and your tools to complete the work.

 Just like a construction worker should never show up to a job-site without his toolbox, you should never show up to the gym without the tools you’ll need to enjoy and maximize your gym experience.

 Here’s a list of the five most important tools to put your best foot forward at the gym.

Water: Nobody enjoys standing in line, especially when that line is being held up by extremely sweaty people at the gym drinking fountain. Bring your own water bottle to have on you at all times. Less time taking water breaks at the water fountain = more time working.

Headphones: Listening to music, or having some other form of stimulus while you work out, can be one of the most enjoyable parts of exercising. Studies have shown that listening to music during your work out can provide a welcome distraction, up your effort, put you in the zone, and provide you with a beat that can function as a way to set your pace during cardio. Bring the tunes to help you bring your best effort.

Workout Clothing: Have you ever run six miles in jeans? Hiked a mountain on the stair-stepper in high heels? Would you ever want to? Probably not. Necessary clothing like shorts, tennis shoes, sports bras, or other flexible and breathable clothing designed for exercise are a must when your packing your gym bag.

A Plan: One of the most important tools to enjoying your time at the gym, and getting the most out of it, is to enter through those doors with a plan. What muscle groups do you want to exercise today? What workouts will help you to work those groups? How much time and how many reps should be spent on each workout?

Deodorant: Let’s cut to the chase. Sweating is GOOD. Not only is it a constant reminder of how you are bettering your body during your workout, but it is actually good for you and your skin. That’s why you should always make sure to bring a deodorant, and not an antiperspirant. Antiperspirants attempt to stop you from sweating while deodorants simply eliminate some of the negative effects of sweat (such as odor).

Lucky for you, we’re kind of experts in the deodorant category. You won't find any harsh chemicals or aluminum in Lavilin deodorants. They utilize plant extracts and oils to help address odor without interfering with the body's natural ability to remove toxins/sweat.

So the next time you find yourself heading out the door for the gym, remember these five tools not only to maximize your time and effort, but to make sure your body is being taken care of throughout your entire workout.  

No matter how old you are or how well you treat your skin, there’s one thing women everywhere constantly strive for when it comes to beauty regiments: we all want our skin to look younger.

We try skin creams, detoxes, and diets, but when that doesn't work, we revert to botox, face lifts, or skin tightening lasers to achieve the results we can’t seem to get on our own.

But what many women lose sight of in the never-ending journey toward younger-looking skin, is this: what is the point in having skin that looks younger, if the things that you do to achieve the look makes your skin feel older?

Instead of lasers, scalpels, or toxic masking makeups and creams that may make your skin look younger in the short term, here is the tried-and-true threefold method toward making your skin look—and more importantly, feel—younger in the long term.

1)Protect

So one of the most effective ways to make your skin look and feel younger is simple: keep it protected. The number one culprit your skin needs protecting from is, you guess it, the sun.

The sun’s UV rays are what cause photo-aging, which means premature aging of the skin caused by repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

Photo-aging causes wrinkles, age spots, and even makes your skin lose its elasticity. Make sure to protect your skin with SPF lotions and keep your skin covered from direct sunlight when the UV rays are at their strongest.

2) Activate

These days, most women see the path to younger looking skin as an expensive one. They think that the only way to get younger looking skin is to pay for immersive skin care therapy, or in some cases, surgery or other procedures.

But what if we told you that one of the best ways to keep your skin looking, and feeling, young is absolutely free?

Exercise makes your heart pump faster, circulating more blood throughout your body, and that increased circulation carries oxygen and nutrients to skin cells from your head to your toes.

Plus, exercise makes you sweat, and sweating is the best way possible to dispel toxins not only inside of your body, but also on your skin.

So, remember to get good exercise as often as you can. You’ll not only feel better, your skin will look better, too.

 3) Replenish/Repair

 Although protecting and activating your skin through exercise are incredible ways to protect your skin and prevent skin damage, they’re simply not enough to bring skin back to its former exuberant luster.

For that, we do need products.

Contrary to many skin care regiments, revitalizing your skin isn't about how many products you use, it’s about using the right ones. Think quality over quantity.

When it comes to choosing skin care products, make sure the ones you choose not only hydrate, but also nourish your skin and elasticize your skins very structure.

The last thing you want to do is to use a product that makes your skin look younger for a day, only to have it feel older for a month. Look for natural ingredients, such as jojoba seed oil, and other organic ingredients like the ones found in Lavilin products.

Lavilin’s skin care products offer a revolutionary technology that incorporates 25% active organic oils to produce phenomenal results.

Their products are suitable for all skin types, rich in minerals and vitamins, protect cell membranes, and of course, combat skin aging.

By now, many people are already aware of the amazing skincare benefits of a little nut-derived natural skin treatment substance called Jojoba oil. For those that aren’t, Jojoba oil is a liquid wax that’s extracted from the nut of an indigenous North American shrub.

The benefits of Jojoba oil are by no means a new discovery. Native Americans such as the O'odham peoples of the Sonoran Desert have long used Jojoba oil to treat their hair and skin. What they found, and what many researchers have seen since, is that Jojoba oil has a multitude of incredible benefits to preserving and treating skin.

Here are the top five out of many amazing benefits of using Jojoba Oil for your skin…

1. Moisturizing and softening

What makes Jojoba unique from a scientific standpoint, is that its chemical structure very closely resembles an oily secretion produced naturally by human sebaceous glands called sebum.

Sebum is used by the body to lubricate and waterproof the skin, so Jojoba oil imitates sebum in the sense that it locks in moisture and creates a barrier from elemental factors like excessive sunshine and dry climates.

Jojoba oil is therefore a great natural substitute to chemical-heavy lotions and moisturizers for hydrating and protecting dry skin, and incredibly, accomplishes this without leaving behind an oily residue.

2. Controlling oily skin

One of the downsides to the body producing sebum is that oftentimes the body produces too much sebum.

Excess sebum = excess skin oil, and in addition to the unappealing aesthetic problems of oily skin, it can also lead to bigger problems like dermatitis.

Jojoba oil can actually reduce oiliness by regulating sebum production in a process that essentially sends messages to the body.

When skin remains well hydrated by a protective layer of Jojoba oil, the sebaceous glands read this, and respond by producing less sebum in those areas. For this reason, applying Jojoba oil to the skin can actually reduce the skin’s overall oiliness.

3. Treating symptoms of dry skin

Dry skin can be itchy and flakey, and tends to look just as rough as it feels.

Jojoba oil has the ability to treat these painful symptoms by hydrating the skin and locking in moisture to alleviate dryness, reduce redness, and relieve irritation of the skin.

4. Alleviating Sunburn

Perhaps one of the most well-known benefits of Jojoba oil is its ability to alleviate the symptoms of sunburn.

For the same reasons that Jojoba oil works great for moisturizing and softening skin, it also does an incredible job of treating skin damaged by the sun.

Not only does Jojoba oil have moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties, it also contains vitamin E and B-complex vitamins.These vitamins can help skin to repair and regenerate, so the oil is a perfect way to treat skin after too much time in the sun.

5. Anti-aging benefits

In addition to its ability to moisturize and treat damaged skin, another huge benefit of Jojoba oil is its powerful anti-aging property.

It all comes back to sebum. As we age, our sebaceous glands produce less and less of the oily substance, and therefore, our skin and our hair tends to dry out as we get older.

By playing the role of sebum and moisturizing skin after the body has stopped producing its normal amount of sebum, Jojoba oil keeps natural oil levels constant and keeps the skin young and supple.  

So what’s the most effective application?

The best place to find Jojoba Oil in its most effective form comes by the way of Lavilin Jojoba Gel Cream, the 2014 Beauty With A Conscience Award Winner.