Cavities, Fat and Wrinkles

We are all more than familiar with the addictive power of sugar. Despite the fact that increased sugar consumption has been associated with increased blood sugar levels, which can result in the storage of excess fat, studies have shown that the average American consumes about 150 pounds of sugar, per year. Talk about sweet nothings! (more…)

Natural Sexy vs. Science Sexy

Spy vs. Spy

The ‘Natural’ bandwagon is hugantic. It may not be the most sophisticated or fun at times, but damn, the hype that surrounds it is hella huge. Marketers have caught on to this trend, and are milking it for all it’s worth *squirt *squirt Yummy.

On the other hand, although science has helped us greatly, the term ‘synthetic’ has taken quite a hit at the expense of all things ‘natural’. People love to give the natural vs. synthetic ultimatum, but is it at all necessary? Can’t we all just get along?

Is‘Natural’ necessarily always good, and is ‘Science’ necessarily always bad?

Yes? No? Maybe so?

Science & skin care

With respect to skin care, rather than just assessing the situation stereotypically, perhaps taking a deeper look at the ingredients in the skin care products may be a more productive argument.

Natural Skin Care Ingredients

Natural is great. There is this feeling of wild abandon that accompanies the thought of ‘au naturel’. “Clean”. “Simple”.  ”Fresh”. “Good for you”.

However, as with everything else in life, ‘good’ things usually do not last forever. Under the right conditions, natural things are known to rot, decay, or otherwise disintegrate in quality. For example, with respect to plants, fruits, veges – typical sources for most natural skin care ingredients – there is only a small window that’s considered ‘prime for picking’, so one must take this into consideration, especially when a cleanser or moisturizer will typically sit on your shelf for at least 6 months, or longer depending on the product in question.

Things to consider for natural products:

~ Using natural ingredients directly

Of course there is the argument that you can just pick something off the tree and slap it on your face.

If you live in such a place where you can do this I truly envy you, for that used to be me. Womp. For the rest of us, we can hardly eat fruits and vegetables these days without being shot up with pesticides, so want to put that on your face too?

Remember, ‘natural’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘organic’. ‘Organic’ is the one where certain pesticides (not all) are required to be absent. No such is the case with ‘natural’, don’t believe the hype.

~ Nature differs from batch to batch.

This means that you can buy one batch of product that not only has a different colour from your previous batch, but the strength of the particular active ingredient can be different also.

This is not a leather bag we are talking about, where the value and character of the product is heightened by the fact that there is a huge ‘imperfection’ (their term not mine), for which you are expected to pay the not-so-little extra for. It’s not that kind of party with skin care; we don’t go out of our way to look for imperfections in products, but rather we try to minimize them.

In some products this lack of apparent quality control is not a deal breaker. If a product doesn’t contain any ingredients that are considered ‘active’ (read ‘results’) by the FDA, then it really doesn’t matter if you use a product or water.

However, in that expensive serum that derives it’s antioxidant function from those ‘berries’, it might be a problem if the super star ingredient, the Vitamin C say from the berries, is as effective as the ones in the serum that doesn’t contain Vitamin C. Yeah… might wanna check that.

~ Stability of natural substances outside of their environment

Talking about Vitamin C, it’s known to be a powerful antioxidant – it protects the skin from sun damage and helps slow down the physical signs of aging…  yadda yadda yadda, but it’s not very stable once exposed to air, a couple minutes max.

All that freshly squeezed orange juice you just made? Most of the good stuff (Dr. C) just poofed* vanished before you’ve finished mixing the ingredients together. I used to be called “Juice Mixer” in university (Chem. Eng.) by all the other engineers so, trust me, not that I’d like to recall the name calling but, I’d know

With this understanding, Vitamin C in it’s natural form is not going to do much for your skin sitting in a jar for a couple months. It’s usually also quite acidic in nature wherever it’s found (oranges, lemons etc.) so putting that right there on your face is its going to do an excellent job of stripping your skin’s protective barrier, dehydrating your skin and leaving it more susceptible to  harmful bacteria.

Fantastic? No.

So then, on to the next one. 

Synthetic skin care ingredients

The word chemical is not a synonym for dangerous.

According to the Oxford dictionary, a chemical (noun) is a substance that has been prepared, or purified, (usually) artificially.

You can concoct something that is dangerous or, you can prepare something that is effective, yet harmless.

Of course, there are dangerous chemical substances, but there are also dangerous natural ones. Cyanide anyone? One sugar or two?

So, for example, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, is a very stable form of Vitamin C – one that is stable enough to be used in skin care products. The skin’s enzymes then work to break down this ingredient into ascorbic acid, naturally found in most fruits like citrus and berries, which has been found to inhibit the formation of melanin (pigment) as well as assist collagen formation. 

Doesn’t make sense to pay the extra for active ingredients that aren’t… active, does it?

However this form of stable Vitamin C doesn’t just morph into a stable by it’s lonesome, it is the end product of research and development i.e. it is born out of a laboratory, and such is considered to be ‘synthetic’.

Why use synthetic ingredients?

So sure, it’s not for everybody, but if the proverbial horse has already bolted out the gate, the skin situation has long surpassed ‘preventative’ and you are actually looking to treat clear and present skin damage, i.e. if you are looking for results, you are going to need to look a little further than mother nature to help you in your mission to ‘age gracefully’. 

So perhaps the best bet is to take the best of what nature has to offer, and combine it with the best of what science brings. It’s a win-win situation.

The products last longer, there is less wastage, the ingredients remain active and are therefore more effective, and you get the value for your money. Everyone’s happy.

Food for thought:

It’s like that chick who is so blatantly hot, so much is on display even Stevie Wonder can see it, vs. the librarian chick. Everyone knows the immediate benefits of the blatant hottie. You can milk it almost immediately and get a great high albeit one that is, more likely than not, short lived.

Now enter the librarian. Sure, there’s a good chance that you may not live on the same planet, but there is an even greater chance that you may get longer lasting, stable, surprisingly flexible benefits, that comes with intelligence.

Moral of the story? Never underestimate the librarian.

b FreakinFabulous

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Paunchy business

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The simplest way to cut calories is to cut your portions sizes. Period. Either eat less of what you’d normally eat, or eat on a smaller plate. Once.

Here are twenty ways you can enjoy the munch without growing a paunch.

Just a few calories that are cut in each, but when you think of the fact that these are simple cuts that you can do multiple times a day, it can definitely add up – ask your waist. How did it get there? Surely we didn’t set out to be round-around-the-middle in our spare time. The ish creeps up on you man.

Rather than cut out things entirely during the day and then binge on them when the stress hits you (usually at night) why not try substitutes instead? Sounds a hell of a lot more doable than deprivation; lets face it, if we had that kind of will power we wouldn’t be looking at our high-school pics longly, *sigh* now would we?

A few things to try:

1. Eat the fruit instead of drinking the juice

2. Have whatever you’re having on a whole grain sandwich instead of a bagel.

3. Order pasta with Marinara instead of Alfredo sauce.

4. Scramble 4 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs.

5. Remove the slice(s) of cheese out of the sandwich

6. Use mustard instead of mayo

7. Wherever possible, take beverages (tea, iced tea etc.) unsweetened

8. Ditch the mashed potatoes or fries as a side for a baked potato with butter (0nly)

9. Have sparkling water with lemon rather than soda.

10. Drain the heavy liquid from the fruit cocktail can before eating

11. Order the white rice rather than the fried

12. Eat the birthday cake without the frosting

13. Eat the brownie rather than the apple pie à la mode

14. Have the ice cream in a bowl. The cone is just extra calories

15. Use chicken broth (low-sodium is best) instead of oil to sauté meat and veggies.

16. Replace the oil or butter in cakes with unsweetened applesauce.

17. When preparing packaged foods that call for butter or oil, like rice and stuffing, use a broth instead.

18. Go for the medium instead of the XXL drink

19. Go for the grilled meats instead of the stewed or breaded ones. Actually, avoid anything breaded, they not only add more calories but the bread also absorbs more oil.

20. Have a glass of wine rather than 2 beers.

So the solution? Be present when you are having your meal. There are lots of little ways to cut calories if we take the time to think rather than just inhale.

Doable? Absolutely.

FreakinFabulous

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Photo credits: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Fellas | Pass on the Pretty

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So that sweaty palm, don’t-know-your-own-name, why-are-you-stuttering, do-you-know-you-just-walked-into-the-counter-that-doesn’t-move? questions that often flood my mind in certain, shall we say ‘social’ situations  might just be a more serious man thing than I thought.

I’m referring to that phenomena where otherwise normal-looking guys act abnormal something fierce in the presence of intelligent, successful, beautiful (highly subjective yes, but for the sake of argument we will leave well enough alone) women.

If I think about it long enough, I can see why there is some anxiety – there is always some sort of increased blood circulation activity involved when engaging in something/ someone new, but who would have thought that it’s the kind of stress that can mess with your health?

There’s a study that came out of University of Valencia in Spain that has found that the degree of stress that a guy can experience in the presence of a “hat daaaaymn!“-looking  stranger can be so bad it can lead to heart problems, particularly if he considers the female in question to be out of his league — which, might I add may not be a stretch with the caliber of women these days, or is it the caliber of men? Either way, as a result this may happen a lot more than we think.

The Daily Mail likens this feeling of anxiety similar to diving from an aircraft.

*Say what?*

Is it that serious? Poor boobears, Awwww. Hopefully word gets around so these same ‘out-of-your-league’ women would take more care in crushing your heart into itty bitty pieces. Wishful thinking I’m sure. Anyways, moving on.

As if increased stress levels wasn’t bad enough, it has been reported that the cortisol levels increase even higher, leading to the probability of heart attacks and strokes.

But wait! It doesn’t end there, the party has just begun mis amigos.

Even if my guy managed to soldier through the near heart failure and his nagging persistence pays off thereby manifesting itself in a long-term [stress] relationship with the heavenly being, the continuous “chronic levels of cortisol” that follow can (paradoxically I might add) lead to… impotence.

*Whatchu talkin’ ’bout Willis?*

No I didn’t make that up.

The experts remarked, and I quote:

“Exposure to physical or psychological stresses for a long period of time may cause chronically elevated cortisol levels that can have adverse effects on health as it worsens various disorders, such as myopathy, adult-onset diabetes, hypertension and impotency”.

Yikes.

So in addition to the fact that you already think she’s out of your league, there is now alleged data to support a possible gadget malfunction. Noice. Way to land the hottie.

This sounds like a vicious cycle.

**Enter Beautiful Stranger**:

Stress -> High cortisol levels -> Impotency -> Stress

Sounds like the definition of Bad Romance. For the sake of his swimmies, seems like it might really be in Alejandro’s best interest not to call GaGa’s name.

So is the answer then for guys to stick to ladies in their own ‘league’? Or maybe better yet, date down?

Har har. Fat chance, seeing that with the male species, it seems as though the brain isn’t usually the organ that wears the pants.

Must suck rocks though fellas.

Hush.

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b FreakinFabulous

Photo Credits: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Paging “Me”

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We have but one life to live.

Sometimes it rocks and sometimes it downright sucks; Just how much of either we feel in this life depends more on our outlook than on our circumstances. 

The key to learning how to deal with others is to have a very good understanding of ourselves.

To understand where we are coming from, where are are going and moreso where we will not be found.

To get it straight that other people’s issues, challenges, thoughts and opinions of us (and the world at large) are not a reflection of us, but rather a reflection of where they are in their life.

How we see the world is in our control. Ultimately, to be happy in this life, we must find our own integrity, self-love, and peace by way of liberating ourselves from responsibility for the unhappiness of others.

Miguel Ruiz’s, a Mexican author, best summarized this concept in his workbook as a companion, The Four Agreements, (featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show if that does anything for ‘ya).

See below the four agreements that he urges us all to make with ourselves:

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

— Miguel Ruiz

His other works include The Voice of Knowledge, Prayers, and The Mastery of Love. 

Thanks Camz!

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What is your skin cancer risk?

Noone is immune to skin cancer. However some factors make some people more prone to skin cancer than others. Calculate your sun safety using the following guide:

Do you:

1. Have Blonde hair?

2. Have Light coloured eyes?

3. Freckle easily?

4. Burn before tan?

5. Have many moles in areas not normally exposed to the sun?

6. Experience/d blistering sunburns?

7. Live in a tropical climate?

8. Family history of skin cancer?

9. Work outdoors during the spring and/ or summer?

10. Spend a lot of recreation time outdoors?

Assign a value of 1 to each “YES” answer and then check the guide below.
 

Results:

7-10 – High Risk

4-6 – Medium Risk

1-3 – Low Risk

Of course, this is not a complete or absolute risk, as there are many other risk factors including age and gender.

Wear a broad spectrum sunscreen daily, one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays – a minimum SPF 15 on the face.

Always be aware of any new abnormal looking growths on skin particularly those parts that are exposed to the sun. Those who have a lifetime of sun exposure should be particularly vigilant. Make note of any unusual lesion(s) and/ or mole(s) and speak with your doctor/ dermatologist about it/ them.

Early detection is key.

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Relationships | Foul Romance

Joe was sharing an experience that he had the other day. He was going deep sea diving but before he even hit the water he could not help but think that all the fish had died in the ocean. 

“Should I say something?” he asked.

I mean I know what I’d do. Speak up and ship on the hell out of that piece.

But, I understand that this is a sensitive issue. That’s like having to answer your girl’s question “Does this make me look fat”. Your answer should be that either it does or doesn’t, but nothing more. Nothing about the fact that with her ‘natural’ curves she shouldn’t be wearing that, or nothing about horizontal stripes. Nothing that descriptive.

Or for example, answering your man when he asks if he’s the best that you’ve had. Tricky? Indeed. But at least whether you answer it truthfully or not you don’t have to smell it. Ew. 

The way I see it, if you choose to keep your reaction to yourself, your libido surely will speak. For some of us this is more obvious than others, isn’t it Jr.?

So I say if it’s a fling; you are never going to see this individual again and you don’t want to say anything, reach for the phone explain “Damn” you forgot something and bounce. Otherwise, keep it missionary and get it over with quickly. I wouldn’t take the time to figure out if it’s just a bad day, because as far as one night stands go you gotta bring it or you get left behind. No hard feelings. No long talking. Anything that frowses or limps on Hit-it-and-Quit-it night needs no explanation. 

But if you are in a long term relationship or are are having ‘something’ with the individual, unless you want to live through that hell for the rest of your time together, it may be best to say something. 

Now ladies and gentlemen I’m no doctor, so I can’t diagnose this, but my layman point of view would be that seeing some sort of person who specializes in that area would be a good idea, especially if it’s a condition that’s persistent.

I have absolutely nothing to back this up, but from what I’ve learnt in life, everything is correlated. Assuming that it’s not an STD, it’s possibly harmless. If it’s something that just ‘popped’ up maybe it’s :

- Diet related.
Garlic and onions maybe? I’ve also read that asparagus can bring on the funk as well. A diet rich in fruit acids like pineapple is thought to keep the smell pleasant, but as far as if this is scientifically proven I have no idea. 

- That time of the month.
Lets just say not only the personality gets thick during PMS.

Then too, if you are getting it in with your girl regularly unprotected, (*side eye* but no judgements), remember that your spunk is living matter and, like any other protein, it stinks when it starts decaying. So… it could be your fault guys.

I’ve also read that it can be possibly linked to smoking or having multiple partners. Apparently the privates no likey too much mixing and mingling between the proteins. That thought alone can bring on the frowz.

I’d say that maybe it’s a latex allergy but if it funks before you even get it in, I’d second guess that. 

Some other common things you can ensure, well common to me I guess, are:

- Wear clean undies daily. 
- Wash genitalia daily. Even if, for whatever reason, you don’t shower daily at least clean up the privates.

Ladies some particular no-nos:

– Extended wearing of thong underwear.
Two different types of bacteria going on down there, don’t want to mix them up. 

- Mystery fabric.
It just can’t breathe in lycra and other fabric that’s difficult to pronounce. Polyester underwear with spandex leggings is not a good idea. Nothing can breathe in that.

- Excessive douching.
Dries out area and removes good bacteria, or so I’ve read.

But in general, getting checked by a doctor is your best bet, even if it’s just to rule out that it’s not an STD in hiding. I mean Valentine’s Day is coming up and all, lets keep it fresh. 

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Ooops! | Short Hair Mistakes

Short hair is all the rave. More than a cut, short hair is a personality, one that you can’t fake and have to get just right. In the right cut, short hair can be an effortlessly chic, no brainer. However, not all short cuts are created equal. The right short ‘do for you will depend on many factors including, but not limited to:

- The shape of your face

- Your social lifestyle

- The natural texture of your hair

- The thickness of your hair

- Your wardrobe

- Your personality

- Your bank account balance/ stylist hookups

for example.

If you are thinking about making the transition to short hair, or even if you’ve already made it and find some difficulty in maintaining it, check out some of the tips below on what to avoid:

1. Blunt cut on curly hair

It may look on ‘fyah’ when you are in the salon, but when you walk out and that humidity hits you can end up looking like the poodle down the street.

With curly hair, there’s no telling where the chips will fall when the natural curl instinct kicks in after it’s first wash, meaning you will never be able to wash your hair and make a dash (lounging around at the beach/ pool perhaps), or engage in any activity where humidity is involved, including being anywhere outside when it rains. eeek!

To keep the unkempt poodle look, try a short cut that is layered. The curlier the hair the less layered it should be though, because the more curly the hair the greater the shrinkage, and the more likely the ‘layers’ will turn into a ‘mullet’. Not cool.

2. Too blunt. 

Too helmet gear-ish. Kinda-sorta like wearing a masculine cut jacket WITH super spongy shoulder pads, this look is overly severe. Blunt AND straight AND stiff is just about the recipe I’d say.

This only works on the runway I’m afraid, where , to the average human being, almost everything else looks like it’s made for another planet.

Even if it’s a blunt cut, soften by adding some layers, or by removing some of the weight from the ends by using the texturizing process.

3. Wrong proportions

Find the right proportions. If you are voluptuous avoid cutting hair too close to the scalp to avoid looking like a pin head. Likewise, if you are petite avoid overly layered, voluminous hair, which would make you look top heavy.

4. Lack of maintenance

Not keeping up with a chic short cut is a clear sign of a Diva wannabee. Short hair needs to be cut every 4-6 weeks depending on your rate of hair growth as well as the cut. If you have neither the time nor the money to keep up with this, go for a layered cut instead that would be more forgiving when your hair grows out.

5. Not styling 

Short hair needs to be styled daily, especially if you’ve opted for a style that the hair you were born with doesn’t follow, naturally. Depending on your cut and hair texture ‘styling’ can be anywhere from following with mousse after wetting every morning to full hundred breaking out the flat iron. 

Consult with your stylist on the styling routine required by the cut on your hair before making the commitment.

6. Over accessorizing

Ladies, short hair is already chic. With short hair your face is put on front street. Don’t mask it with dangly earrings AND a glittery bandeau AND loud makeup AND a necklace – too much.

Choose one accessory to focus on. 

**Where applicable, the tips above go for male or female – so long as you have hair that needs to be both maintained using some cutting device and styled.**

Snip away!

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