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6
Jun 10

Is Your Sunblock Safe?

Photo by mysza831 on Flickr

I long to be out in the sun with no work to be done.

-Irving Berlin

Is your sunblock safe?  A recent study trashes probably everything you thought you knew, and felt safe about, regarding your sunscreen/sunblock.  Apparently, many of the products we use to shield ourselves from the UV rays of our closest neighboring star contain “potentially hazardous ingredients.”  It should come as little surprise that ingredients with friendly sounding names like oxybenzone have been flagged, but now the FDA has vitamin A (included, apparently, in 41 percent of sunscreens) under the microscope.  The claim is that the derivative of this vitamin may “accelerate skin damage and elevate skin cancer risk.” Yikes.

In fairness, several products were rated very highly.  Recommend you check it out for yourself and see how your brand stacks up.  Link here…

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/full-report/

Nevertheless, I still feel more comfortable with the stuff on.  I’ve been using it religiously every summer for years, as I’m of the fairer skinned variety.  As far as life wellness and health goes, I’m far better off without a sunburn.

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4
Jun 10

Practical Wellness…And the Pareto Principle

Photo By D. Sharon Pruitt

Most days I’m pretty stretched for time.  Business…blogging…family…etc., are all components of my life that need my attention, and that I want to give attention to.  So how the hell do you fit health and wellness into that mix when it’s so easily shoved to the side in favor of something else?  You need to make the most of your time and focus on the stuff that works.

If you’re not familiar with the Pareto Principle (aka, the 80/20 rule) it pretty much goes like this: 80 percent of the results you get come from  20 percent of the actions taken.  So, as examples, 80 percent of a company’s sales come from 20 percent of its clients…80 percent of the wealth in America is owned by 20 percent of the population…and so on.

I don’t know why this works but it does, and for the purposes of this post we’ll leave it at that.  Onward…

So, applying this to your exercise regimen/workouts/yoga practice, you want to ferret out the 20 percent or so that gives you 80 percent of the results.  Identify and focus on the 20 percent items and you can eventually strip away the excess, shorten your workouts, and save time for the other  things in your life.  You’ll get 80 percent of the benefit in 20 percent of the time.

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2
Jun 10

Life Wellness Nutrition…And Dodging Sweet Tooth Temptation

Without fail it happens to me every day around 3PM…the craving for something sweet…and usually hangs around until about 7PM.  If you’ve spent any time trying to stick to eating along the lines I mentioned in a previous post, or any other diet for that matter, then no doubt you’ve experienced the same “phenomenon.”

Here’s the thing: you can’t dodge the temptation altogether.  For me it’s gotten easier to deal with the past few months as my sweets intake has gotten less and less.  When the feeling comes on I’ll usually eat a pear, or sometimes a Lara Bar to squash the urge to inhale a box of Munchkins.  Keeping plenty of water on hand usually helps as well, and eating enough “real” food during the day helps curb the cravings.

I usually keep stash of Lara’s with me at all times.  They’re not the perfect snack solution (wish they packed more protein) but they’re relatively inexpensive by bar standards, wheat free, have no preservatives, and travel well.  I’m on the road a lot and they come in handy in a pinch.  And eating one or two is usually enough to keep me from hard-charging the Taco Bell drive through.

Here’s another tip for putting the kibosh on the sweet tooth:

Try cooking at least one meal a day at home, rather than opting for the fast food option.  Among the many benefits of cooking your own food, you can put into it what you want.  The fast food option, while convenient, is usually laden with all the nutritional no-no’s.  But that’s no secret.

By the way, I’ll happily eat a donut or cupcake from time to time.  As long as I’m sticking within the confines of an 80/20 nutrition regimen (meaning 80% of the time I’m eating what I should,) and getting my workouts in, then I’m OK.  Truthfully, I don’t ever see a time when I’ll go completely doughnut-free.  Might work for some people, but I’m not a monk.  It’s about a balance of practical life wellness.

So…80/20 on the food, workout like you should, add in some willpower, and you’re on your way to weight loss and optimum health!  (Easier said than done, I know.)

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30
May 10

What NOT to Eat for Life Wellness

This is incredible.  The link I’m about to point you towards is to an article called “Harmful Drinks in America,” and it packs a wallop in full color.  The genius of this is that next to the picture of one of the “harmful drinks” they showcase its sugar equivalent.  Example: The worst beverage in America, according to the site, is Cold Stone’s 24oz. PB&C at 2,010 calories, 131 grams of fat, and 153 grams of sugar.  The sugar equivalent of this behemoth would be eating 30 Chips Ahoy Cookies!

I don’t know about you, but even at my most ravenously hungry I would never in a million years be able to take down this thing — but I would like to see the dude who could, if only out of curiosity.

As far as life wellness goes, this is an extreme example of what not to do, but it’s an effective graphic and enough to keep you on the primal path.  Think I’ll go have some spinach now.

Thanks to Mark’s Daily Apple for the head’s up on this site.

Talk to you soon.

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23
May 10

Why Daily Life Wellness…and Where do We Go From Here?

Great question.  What is this, after all?  Daily Life Wellness is first and foremost an informational site, or more appropriately, a place to hang out and discuss all things related to everyday life wellness.  Physical fitness, health and diet are all on the table for discussion — everything that makes you and me tick better during our everyday lives.

We’re most interested in the stuff that works…not the ethereal, head-in-the-clouds type of wellness that’s sometimes associated with the term.  So, above all, practical wellness is the rule.

Sure, that covers a lot of ground, and that’s as good a place to start as any.  As we head further down the path at Daily Life Wellness, we’ll hone in on topics that are important to you.

Next:  I’m not a doctor…don’t pretend to be…and have no aspirations of becoming one.  And I have no interest in discussing the conventional wisdom of the masses, either (food pyramid, anyone?…it’s baloney.).  I’m into talking about what’s working in my life, and hopefully, hearing what works in yours to add to the overall wisdom of this blog.  I will happily link to the stuff that I’m reading from other folks around the interweb.  There is a vibrant “undercurrent” of fitness and diet discussion happening right now around the world, much of it counter to everything you’ve ever heard.  Some of it a real eye-opener.

My goal for life wellness is to create an open environment for discussion.  By no means do I consider myself the last word in anything life wellness, but, just like you, I’m looking for the answers.

Welcome to Daily Life Wellness!

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