Beauty Is Skin Deep

“Beauty is skin deep.”  I’ve heard this all of my life.  It refers to the appearance of beauty, but alludes to true beauty lying beneath the surface.   Humans have an innate desire to be beautiful.  If you don’t believe me, tune in to cable TV and you will find entire programs devoted to makeovers, extreme makeovers, nips and tucks, and plastic surgery on every conceivable body part or feature.

I don’t begrudge anyone who can afford the luxury of erasing the lines of time.  I would be the first in line for a tune-up, if I had the means by which to indulge.  I was reminded of this last week when I borrowed an inverter from a friend, to relieve a back issue.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this contraption, it is a stretcher type of thing on which you strap yourself.  It will turn you upside down in varying degrees.   Its purpose is to lengthen the spine, allowing decompression of the vertebra.  If you have nerves caught between the discs, it will most likely free them, providing you with pain relief.  I stretched out on the platform and with one flip of my body everything was where it should be.  My abdomen was flat and my breasts were up where they belong.  If only I could learn to walk around on my hands, I would look twenty years younger.

Cosmetics improve our appearance, that’s for sure.  Hair care products, eye solutions for contact wearers, nail polish, perfumes, deodorants, body lotions, and various and sundry body products all work together for the common good of making us look our best.  But, is the beauty going deeper than the surface of the skin?  Honestly, I hadn’t really thought much about it until recently.  Little did I know there are multiple organizations involved in research and are proactive in demanding FDA regulation of all of these products.

The concern is for the chemicals that are in them, which are being absorbed into the body and are purely toxic.  One of the main chemicals is called phthalates (pronounced pha-lates).  According to the Toxic Free Legacy Coalition, www.toxicfreelegacy.org/safecosmetics, these phthalates are used as additives in our cosmetics, perfumes, plastic toys, and automotive products.  The mere fact they are using the same chemical in automotive products that they are using in my face products, revs my motor.  Just so that you can check the labels, DEP, DBP, and DEHP, are the forms used in cosmetics, fragrances, and nail polish.

So what’s the big deal?  “Phthalates are endocrine disruptor chemicals.  Phthalates can impair reproduction and development, alter liver and kidney function, damage the heart and lungs, and affect blood clotting.  Boys are especially vulnerable to the effects of phthalates as they impair development of male reproductive organs.” according to the article on the web site.  They have also been linked to breast cancer and found in breast cancer tumors. 

Phthalates, along with other chemicals are common in our personal care products.  They are making us sick!  These chemicals are causing birth defects in our unborn children!  Baby shampoos and lotions are loaded with these toxic chemicals. 

So, what can we do about it?  Here are some suggestions from the Environmental Working Group:

• Contact your state legislator to ask them to get toxics out of children’s products, including baby lotions and shampoos.
• Join one of the organizations on our Working Group and get involved with their Safe Cosmetics activities.
• Read the label before buying personal care products and avoid potentially harmful ingredients.
• Support companies that have pledged to use non-toxic ingredients.

The Environmental Working Group can be found on-line at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com .  Here, you can also find a list of products, which are rated according to toxicity.  Basically, I was able to research the specific products that I use, and the effects of the chemicals on my body.  This site provides safer alternatives for us as well.  I strongly encourage you to check it out and become informed of the risks of using some personal care products.  Doing a Google search on “toxic cosmetics” will produce a vast array of information for us.  We need to become pro-active in assuring that we can lather up, smell good, and look good without worrying about polluting our bodies

 

It appears that beauty may be skin deep, but what lies beneath can do us bodily harm. 

Group Cycling Burns Max Calories

Group cycling allows all fitness levels to ride in the same class.  The intensity of the workout is fully controlled by the participant.  These bikes are special.  They aren’t the average, run of the mill bike that you see on the cardio floor in a gym.  Instead, they are made for this specific type of activity.  All parts of the bicycle are adjustable to the rider.  A knob to control the tension of the bicycle is also operated by its rider, therefore allowing them to determine how hard they want to work.

 The typical group cycling session, also known as spinning or RPM, is anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour in length.  The distance traveled is approximately 10-15 miles.  The journey is a fun and varied one.  Sprints, jumps, hovers, climbs, and surges are among the movements incorporated to arrive at the destination.  Some instructors use visualization to ride a course, while others just pump away in rhythm to the music.  Though the bicycles don’t actually move or go anywhere, you can rest assured that you feel that you have traveled a great distance by the end of the session.

From the time the pulsating and familiar music begins to play and the pedals start moving, everyone is singing and having a great time.   Cycling tones everything from the waist down and burns maximum calories.  The average calorie burn in a group cycling class is 750.  That’s a pretty good workout, wouldn’t you say?  That’s about 250 calories more than walking at a brisk pace for the same amount of time. 

I realize that biking or group cycling isn’t for everybody, but it could be just right for you.  You don’t need any special equipment, just a good pair of shoes and some clothes that you don’t mind sweating in, because sweat you will.  Regardless of the new activity that you choose to do, remember the Nike slogan, “Just Do It”. 

New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions!  Have you made any yet? 

The first one that most of us make is to lose the extra pounds we added during the holidays.  This generally includes the promise to begin, or get back to an exercise program. 

Fitness facilities add more classes to accomodate the New Year’s rush.  I will be teaching an extra class from January to March, in an effort to avoid the fights that erupt from cycling class overflow, and not enough bikes for everyone.

Why March?  Because, this is when these enthusiasts burn out or lose interest.  They never seem to get that fitness is a lifestyle, not a quick fix.

It takes commitment to get and stay in shape and most of us simply are not willing to make the effort required.  We have a mindset that exercising consumes vast amounts of time, and isn’t fun.  This is so far from the truth.

I believe that one reason we don’t commit is that we aren’t doing activities that we enjoy.  Let’s face it, if we don’t like it, we aren’t going to do it.  So, the key is to find something that we can sink our teeth into, figuratively speaking, and get moving.  It doesn’t have to include walking on a treadmill, or using other machines.  It can be dancing to your favorite tunes, swimming, callisthenics, anything that gets you off your seat and on your feet.

Watch for future blogs that will include some Get Fit Tips.

Happy New Year!