"Weeds" star Elizabeth Perkins on living with diabetes and her natural beauty tips
SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
"Weeds" and "Big" star Elizabeth Perkins has great natural beauty tips. She juggles them while living with diabetes.
Elizabeth Perkins has the best natural beauty tips.
How does the star of "Big," "About Last Night" and "Weeds" look ageless?
"It's called being happy and loving yourself for who you are," she insists. "It's also about not taking life so seriously."
Perkins says that her happiness was almost derailed by a serious medical diagnosis.
"When I was diagnosed with diabetes I felt like, 'This is the end of the road for me.' What I came to learn was it was just the beginning of an amazing experience."
This brings us back to the topic at hand: beauty.
"I look this way because I eat better these days and I exercise more. Those are truly the best beauty secrets besides water and not tanning. The more you take care of yourself, the better you will look and feel. That's the true beauty secret."
The 52-year-old native of Queens even takes that up a notch.
"If you make taking care of yourself a family affair then everyone will be healthier for it," she says.
ELIZABETH PERKINS ON LIVING WITH DIABETES
Her new campaign called "Diabetes Co-stars." It honors those special people in your life who help you manage the disease.
"We're making a documentary about it and holding a nationwide casting call cheering on the people living with diabetes."
You can go to the website diabetescostars.com to nominate someone special in your life who helps you deal with diabetes or has had the biggest impact on your diabetes journey. Or you can share your story of how you inspire a loved one living with diabetes.
"I feel very passionate about this campaign," she says. "We need to honor the people who cheer us on and support us while also offering us strength.
Her costar has been her husband, famed cinematographer Julio Macat. Living with diabetes hasn't been easy.
"I felt so alone and isolated after I was diagnosed and no one should feel that way," she says.
Perkins was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2005. She admits that it wasn't an easy time for her.
"It was very overwhelming to me. I'm someone who tends to isolate and keep to myself," she says. "The truth was I wasn't sure how to manage diabetes on my own.
"Once I started opening up and seeking support, I realized that I needed a co-star on my journey."
Perkins really needed a hand from her family after they got over the initial shock.
"My diabetes came as a surprise to both of us and our family," says Perkins. "There is nobody in our history with diabetes."
"Once I reached out to my family, I learned to cook differently for all of us. I started to exercise more and work on lowering stress levels."
She also learned about managing diabetes. For her this has meant taking daily insulin with a pen-like shot. "I had to become aware of the side-effects like low blood sugar, which can be a real serious thing.
"The important thing is to have these conversations with your doctor," she says.
She insists that help is key.
"Once you can be open about your diabetes, you can rise to the challenge of managing it," she says.
NATURAL BEAUTY TIPS AND DIABETES
Perkins says that she made several changes that helped her look and feel healthier.
"I've always eaten healthy," she says. "But I'm much more aware of what I put in my mouth and how it affects my blood sugar.
"I don't want to eat that Chinese food or cake," she says. "If you have someone in your life helping you with your diabetes they won't eat that either, which makes a huge difference.
"My family doesn't just sit there eating pie while I'm eating sliced apples," she says of her husband, plus kids who are in their 20s.
"Their support is invaluable."
As for upping her exercise, she says that moving smarter was key.
"For me, it wasn't about the amount of exercise, but the consistency.
"Everybody has to do their own thing," she says. "For me, it can be just taking a nice walk, but I make sure to do it every single day. That's the best secret. You can't buy in a jar what exercise will do to make you look beautiful."
For more information: diabetescostars.com
"Weeds" and "Big" star Elizabeth Perkins has great natural beauty tips. She juggles them while living with diabetes.
Elizabeth Perkins has the best natural beauty tips.
How does the star of "Big," "About Last Night" and "Weeds" look ageless?
"It's called being happy and loving yourself for who you are," she insists. "It's also about not taking life so seriously."
Perkins says that her happiness was almost derailed by a serious medical diagnosis.
"When I was diagnosed with diabetes I felt like, 'This is the end of the road for me.' What I came to learn was it was just the beginning of an amazing experience."
This brings us back to the topic at hand: beauty.
"I look this way because I eat better these days and I exercise more. Those are truly the best beauty secrets besides water and not tanning. The more you take care of yourself, the better you will look and feel. That's the true beauty secret."
The 52-year-old native of Queens even takes that up a notch.
"If you make taking care of yourself a family affair then everyone will be healthier for it," she says.
ELIZABETH PERKINS ON LIVING WITH DIABETES
Her new campaign called "Diabetes Co-stars." It honors those special people in your life who help you manage the disease.
"We're making a documentary about it and holding a nationwide casting call cheering on the people living with diabetes."
You can go to the website diabetescostars.com to nominate someone special in your life who helps you deal with diabetes or has had the biggest impact on your diabetes journey. Or you can share your story of how you inspire a loved one living with diabetes.
"I feel very passionate about this campaign," she says. "We need to honor the people who cheer us on and support us while also offering us strength.
Her costar has been her husband, famed cinematographer Julio Macat. Living with diabetes hasn't been easy.
"I felt so alone and isolated after I was diagnosed and no one should feel that way," she says.
Perkins was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2005. She admits that it wasn't an easy time for her.
"It was very overwhelming to me. I'm someone who tends to isolate and keep to myself," she says. "The truth was I wasn't sure how to manage diabetes on my own.
"Once I started opening up and seeking support, I realized that I needed a co-star on my journey."
Perkins really needed a hand from her family after they got over the initial shock.
"My diabetes came as a surprise to both of us and our family," says Perkins. "There is nobody in our history with diabetes."
"Once I reached out to my family, I learned to cook differently for all of us. I started to exercise more and work on lowering stress levels."
She also learned about managing diabetes. For her this has meant taking daily insulin with a pen-like shot. "I had to become aware of the side-effects like low blood sugar, which can be a real serious thing.
"The important thing is to have these conversations with your doctor," she says.
She insists that help is key.
"Once you can be open about your diabetes, you can rise to the challenge of managing it," she says.
NATURAL BEAUTY TIPS AND DIABETES
Perkins says that she made several changes that helped her look and feel healthier.
"I've always eaten healthy," she says. "But I'm much more aware of what I put in my mouth and how it affects my blood sugar.
"I don't want to eat that Chinese food or cake," she says. "If you have someone in your life helping you with your diabetes they won't eat that either, which makes a huge difference.
"My family doesn't just sit there eating pie while I'm eating sliced apples," she says of her husband, plus kids who are in their 20s.
"Their support is invaluable."
As for upping her exercise, she says that moving smarter was key.
"For me, it wasn't about the amount of exercise, but the consistency.
"Everybody has to do their own thing," she says. "For me, it can be just taking a nice walk, but I make sure to do it every single day. That's the best secret. You can't buy in a jar what exercise will do to make you look beautiful."
For more information: diabetescostars.com
