It’s the holiday season and MenScience is taking a moment to acknowledge our troops and learn a thing or two about how men in the military look their best without wasting time.

As part of our ‘Men of MenScience’ series, we’re showcasing USMC 1st Lieutenant Richard Adams. Rich is a Student Naval Aviator, and at 25 years old, his career in the military is promising. He’s on the path to doing what he loves (and what most guys have only seen in action-packed war flicks) – flying helicopters. “I’m livin’ the dream.” Rich jokes.

But there is a kernel of truth behind that offhanded remark. At a young age, Rich was interested in all-things-mechanical. His enjoyment of commanding a vehicle, coupled with growing up in an F-15 flight path, sparked an interest that led him to take flight lessons in high school. “I was in the cockpit of a private plane before I could drive a car. It was very cool. When it came time to decide what I wanted to do for a career, it was a natural choice to want to fly for the military.” he says.

During college, Rich completed Officer Training in Quantico, VA. After graduation, he went through extensive flight instruction, and is now in his final stages of intense classroom and hands-on training specific to helicopters. He’s prepping to earn his wings in 2010.

Once pinned, he’ll be flying solo. The purpose of a Marine aviator is to support the troops on the ground. “It’s satisfying to contribute and make a difference on the battlefield.” he says.

On-duty, Rich’s day starts early, often rising at 3:30 AM to report to work by 4:30 or 5. With long days, pre-flight briefings, the flight itself, and then a debrief, keeping on a physical workout program can be difficult. “I run a lot because it’s quick, easy, and effective.” While working out, Rich concentrates on endurance and strengthening exercises. “Core muscle building and cardio are my focus. I run 3 miles every other day and add in weight training where I can.” For the military, the point of exercise is to attain optimal fitness and be prepared physically, rather than for looks.

Personal hygiene and appearance is not something taken lightly on-the-job. Personnel are expected to always look their best, shave daily, maintain a short haircut, and be clean. These strict standards are designed to command respect and uphold the integrity of the uniform, which means weekly haircuts, daily shaves, and sometimes more than one shower a day. “We touch and feel the aircraft…that means you get hydraulic fluid, oil, even jet fuel on your skin. Washing is constant.” All that washing can dry skin, hence the importance of good skincare habits and products.

"The core values of the Marines are summed up in our motto, Semper Fidelis. Literally, it means ‘always faithful’. The values of honor, courage, and commitment are something that we live by and I’m proud of that. I’m happy that I get to do something I enjoy while contributing to the greater good of the country." he says.

If your skincare routine gets to be too complicated, you won’t stick with it. Much of what makes skincare effective is long term techniques that improve the overall quality of the skin over time.

Sloppy, unkempt appearances are unacceptable in the military as well as in most other careers, and good personal hygiene is a must at work. Here are a few quick and effective techniques you can do in 10 minutes or less (most can be done while in the shower!) to give you a noticeable improvement in your appearance. No matter what your career, use these skincare tips given by active military personnel to help save time while keeping up appearances:

• Be effective when cleaning your face. Multi-task by using a facial cleanser that contains buffing beads. You can use a face scrub like the MenScience Microfine Face Scrub up to 4 times per week to revitalize and clean your face in less than a minute. Keep a bottle in the shower, and try not to use bar soap on your face. It’s too harsh for facial skin. A bonus: an exfoliating buffing scrub is an excellent skin prep for shaving because it’ll help you avoid ingrown hairs and obtain a close shave.
  
  
• Shave in the shower. After shampooing your hair, dab the shampoo suds onto the shaving mirror to defog it. Lather up your face with a foamless shaving formula like MenScience’s Advanced Shave Formula, and then wash your body with a body wash that has glycolic and salicylic acids to remove dead cells and impurities. Allow a few minutes for the shaving formula to soften up beard whiskers. When ready to shave, use our MenScience Shaving Guide to get the closest possible shave. Rinse and get out!
  
  
• Plan accordingly when moisturizing. Sun can wreak havoc on your skin, and a serious burn can cause you to look bad for days. Use a skin moisturizer daily as well as sun protection. If you’re going right out into the sun, use a sunblock that has moisturizing and antioxidant ingredients in place of a daily facial moisturizer.
  
  
• Keep the haircut simple. Consider a short get-up-and-go haircut. Less wash time, less dry time, and very little styling is involved. Use a carefree styling product, like hair pomade, that allows you to arrange hair in a natural style and move on.
  
  
• Use a facial cleansing mask a few nights per week. Slather it on, wait till it’s dry (about 10 minutes or less) and rinse it off with warm water. It’ll remove the impurities in your skin and leave it feeling soft. Do this a couple times a week as a maintenance maneuver and you’ll spend less time overall working on your facial skin.
  
  
• Maintain the skin on the rest of your body. MenScience Advanced Body Lotion is a high-performance moisturizer that absorbs immediately, leaves no residue, keeps your skin polished and smooth, and has absolutely no scent.

Prone to breakouts? Treat problem skin with a comprehensive acne treatment that can keep acne at bay.

During the holidays, vacation time, or when you’re on-leave, it’s easy to let personal appearances fall by the wayside. You deserve to skip a few shavings or hairstyling! Just be sure to make time for a “back-to-work” clean up before starting back by following a facial regimen. If you live in a cold and dry environment read more about how to care for your facial skin in the winter by reading this article.

There are two major benefits to regular exercise and good nutrition; a well-toned body and the great feeling that goes along with it. This winter, strategically alter your exercise plan to keep you working out and making progress toward your physical goals.

The best exercise plans encompass the following components:

1. Cardiovascular health: Exercises that work your cardiovascular system help keep your heart and lungs in shape. Try running, swimming, rowing, or cross country skiing to add cardio to your workout routine. You don’t need to spend your life at the gym, but consider getting a cardio workout at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes each session working at a medium intensity. You should feel and see the results within a couple of weeks. Try a supplement with green tea that will give you extra help and the energy you need to burn more calories.
   
   
2. Strength training: Building muscle mass gets harder as you age, plus your body tends to lose about 2% of your muscle mass per year from normal aging. That’s why it is important to regularly work your major muscle groups. Focus on bigger muscles to burn more calories and consider taking a natural supplement like the MenScience 24 Fit System that can support your goals to build muscle and be fit. Check out these additional MenScience tips to build a better body.
   
   
3. Flexibility: Running and weight lifting can actually reduce your flexibility if you don’t make a point to include stretching into your workouts. Save yourself from painful injuries by doing at least 15 minutes of stretching exercises twice a week. And always do a few stretches before getting on the treadmill or weight machine at the gym.
   
   
4. Nutrition: Make sure you eat at regular intervals. Avoid the unproductive cycle of starving and binging, and stay away from sugars and too much alcohol. Keep focused on lean protein, complex carbs, and produce, as well as good fats in moderation. A combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates as soon as you finish exercising is the best way to replenish your body and encourage muscle building. As many doctors have confirmed it’s important that your body gets sufficient Omega-3 fatty acids, so consider taking a supplement.
   

Talking about the types of foods to eat and avoid is easy, but actually doing it can be tricky. If you want to find out the Top Ten Power Foods for Men, see our interactive presentation on this topic.