Have you ever walked into a gym and seen the same physically fit people working out everyday? These are often the people who exercise, stay away from fattening foods, consume vitamins and minerals and, therefore, tend to look and feel good.

There are a lot of avenues to look younger, such as tummy tucks, liposuction, face lifts, and all kinds of anti-aging products, such as wrinkle creams and Botox. However, according to our local experts, the key to being beautiful is not with makeovers and enhanced medical technology; it all begins with being healthy.

David Alan at The Beauty Salon on Soledad Canyon Road, tells us that beauty and health differ from person to person depending on the individual’s situation. “You need to eat properly,” he says, but “health is based on the individual, according to their body.”

To stay healthy, Alan advises some familiar habits, such as eating the correct foods and exercising to help watch weight and fight chronic disease. But Alan also brings up the contribution that good personal hygiene and regular visits to the dentist and doctor add to your everyday health. You should avoid consuming alcohol in large quantities or using recreational drugs, he says, which could seriously affect your short-term and long-term health. “Of course there is a relationship between health and beauty,” says Alan. “Without good health you don’t look very good.”

Getting one’s body moving is a mainstay for good health, where beauty is a by-product, according to Louise Becker, owner of Butterfly Life, a 30-minute workout center near Boot Barn in Canyon Country. “Number one, I think if you’re more physically active, you feel better about yourself and there’s a glow,” says Becker. “There’s nothing like physical fitness for your bone density, strength and self-esteem.”

There is a lot of truth to “you are what you eat,” considering that food has a lot to do with your physical appearance. Vitamins and minerals can help clear up skin tones and acne, reduce weight gain, and assist with growth of teeth, hair and nails. According to the National Institute of health there are 13 essential vitamins that are necessary for the body to function. They are vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, pantothetic acid, biotin, and finally, folate. Along with eating well it is important that people drink lots of water.

One of the Santa Clarita Valley’s beauty experts, Rosemary Murphy of Beyond Harmony Med Spa in Canyon Country, says skin is the largest organ in your body, and it is nourished by the foods you eat. She suggests a balanced diet, including nutrition from all parts of the food pyramid. Nutrition can help you keep great hair and beautiful skin, she says.

As seen, there is a strong relationship between health and beauty. Regardless of one’s attitude about artificial makeovers, eating the right foods, consuming the right vitamins and minerals, exercising daily and having good hygiene contributes to both health and looks.

“Beauty starts on the inside. You need sleep and water is essential,” Murphy reiterates. But she reminds us of an even more poignant point: “Beauty comes from the heart.”

Dr. Carolyn Griffin of Back to Health Chiropractic Center treats pain injuries, diseases and disorders. “You need to be healthy on the inside to be beautiful on the outside,” she says. “Health is the ability to perform those activities that are not only essential to life, but are essential to achieve our hopes and dreams, increase our level of happiness and to have the energy and capacity to easily handle all the strains and stresses life hands you. Beauty is the light that radiates from a person.”

Kathleen at Kenneally Acupuncture tells us there are many types of acupuncture treatments, and its main purpose is to activate the body’s self-healing process, relieve pain, increase blood circulation and relax muscles. “Health is the physical feeling of being well; you appear happier and your energy is good,” she says, and beauty is “the outer reflection of how someone is feeling on the inside.” When treating people with face acupuncture she is attending to the entire body. “Their eyes get brighter, it improves the texture of the skin, and treats the whole system by treating places where their system is out of balance,” Kenneally explains.