That's Fit

Sunglasses are important year round, but especially so during summer months when we tend to spend more time outdoors. When you shop for sunglasses, one of the things that makes a big difference in price is whether or not the lens is polarized, which might lead you to believe that polarized is better for your eyes. That's not entirely true.

You need to make sure that any sunglasses you purchase block UVA and UVB rays. Polarization has nothing to do with UV -- it simply prevents glare. And, while glare can cause you to squint (which can lead to eye strain and wrinkles), the glare itself isn't doing damage to your eyes.

Surfaces that tend to cause glare are pavement and water, so polarized is often preferred for driving and boating. Personally, I like polarized lenses for running outdoors, but I know other people who are bothered by the polarization, so if you're spending big bucks on glasses for running outdoors, make sure you're familiar with the return/exchange policy.

There's no stopping the hands of time. We're all going to age, and there's not a thing we can do to stop the process.

I don't know about you, but I'm happy to get older. The older I get, the better, in fact – because right now, I'm not too fond of the alternative.

If, like me, you want to keep tacking on the years, try these five Woman's Day magazine secrets for aging long into the future.

• Don't smoke. And avoid secondhand smoke. These two practices will help prevent cancer, heart disease, stroke, and lung disease.

• Do play. Working too much can increase your risk of high blood pressure and heart attack, so take a breather from work-related fatigue and stress whenever you can. Start this weekend.

• Don't eat fried foods or drink soda. Too much fast food and soda contributes to weight gain and can cause chronic inflammation, which prompts the entire body to age.

• Wear sunglasses and a hat. Protecting your eyes from the sun's UV rays will cut your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration -- it's the leading cause of blindness by about 45 percent.

• Get important health screenings. Get checked for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugars. Get screened for cancers of the skin, breast, cervix, colon, prostate, and more. Catch any of these conditions early, and you have a good chance of surviving them.

When things get hectic and crazed around my house, my old stand-by dinner is invariably whole-wheat spaghetti and marinara sauce with added veggies. It's quick, easy, always a hit with my son, and passable nutrition-wise. It turns out my "old faithful" dinner also has benefits for the skin.

Researchers have determined that antioxidants in tomatoes help protect the skin against UV rays. Lycopene, one of the antioxidants found in tomatoes, has previously been linked to a reduction in prostate cancer risk. The skin benefits are just the icing on the cake... or the sauce on the spaghetti. Participants in the study ate up to 55 grams of tomato paste daily. In addition to the UV protection, lycopene may also be linked with anti-aging properties.

Lycopene is found in many other red fruits and vegetables including watermelon, guava, and pink grapefruit.

Now there's a soap that gets you squeaky clean and protects you from the sun's harmful rays. The all-natural soap provides an all-over layer of SPF 10 protection.

SPF 10 isn't enough for a day at the beach or for when you're spending prolonged periods of time in the sun. But I think a soap that provides a good base layer of protection is a great idea. It's also a perfect low-level protector for days when your exposure to the sun is minimal. You can purchase the soap online for $8.

Despite our knowledge about the importance of sun protection, sunburns seem to be on the rise. The numbers of reported sunburns in the US rose roughly 2% from 1999 to 2004. Check out the gallery for additional ideas on how to protect your skin from the sun. And don't forget to go to AOL Body for more sun safe tips.

When I read about Nike Maxsight contacts today I thought it was especially interesting since I had just read this article on sunglasses versus UV contacts a few days ago. UV contacts are made to filter UV rays, but Nike Maxsight lenses take it one step further and throw a sunglasses-like tint into the lenses so you get all the benefits of wearing polarized shades but without the inconvenience of glasses that can fall off or get in the way during sports or athletic activities.

Available in two colors (grey/green for golf, running, training and amber for sports like tennis, baseball, football, and rugby), Fitsugar has some good pictures of what they look like compared to regular contacts if you're curious. And Nike is offering a free trial so you can see how big of a difference they make before committing -- I for one can't wait to try them!

I wear glasses and contacts, and I remember years ago thinking it was so awesome when I got my new box of contacts and noticed the little "UV blocking" logo on the corner. So do they work just as well as UV blocking sunglasses when it comes to protecting your eyes from harmful rays? The answer is NO, contact lenses don't provide enough protection to completely substitute them for sunglasses. In studies contacts were 10% less effective than sunglasses at blocking UV rays, and even that level of protection varied greatly from contact to contact. But contact lenses do have one thing that sunglasses don't: they cover your entire pupil and protect your eyes from light from all angles, including the sides.

Bottom line: Your best bet is to wear both -- combine UV blocking contact lenses with UV blocking sunglasses for the best protection.

It's all too easy to lose track of time when having fun in the sun during this time of year -- the time flies and before you know it you've burnt yourself to a crisp and not only are you suffering for days afterwards but there's the worry of what permanent long-term damage you've done to yourself in the way of wrinkles and risk for skin cancer. But becoming that neurotic person that re-applies sunscreen every 5 minutes and watches the clock all day is no fun either, so here's a good solution: get a watch that will automatically notify you when you need to reapply sunblock or get out of the sun -- that way you can relax and have fun and forget! Well at least until the alarm goes off.

The SunTimer is the ultimate UV detector in the form of a watch that you program with your skin type and SPF level, which it then uses to track your sun exposure to let you know when you've had enough. It has handy features like a lightening/darkening display according to light levels, and all the usual features like stopwatch and alarm.

So ... no. You don't want to chug-a-lug your bottle of SPF (although some of the coconut-scented stuff smells kind of yummy), but you actually can add skin protection by eating certain foods. While it doesn't replace the use of a high-SPF sunscreen, certain nutrients have been shown to help block ultraviolet (UV) sunlight.

• Studies show that carotenoids, found in red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables, have reduced sunburn in humans. Good choices include pumpkin, red bell peppers, butternut squash, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and cantaloupe.
• Perillyl alcohol found in tart cherries and peppermint leaves halted cancer formation in a study where human cells were placed under intense UV light.
• Lutein and xeoxanthin found in spinach, kale, chicory, collard greens, lettuce, and green peas stopped UV-induced cell growth in animals.
• The antioxidants found in green tea prevented DNA damage to skin cells exposed to light at a University of Wisconsin-Madison study.
• Limonene, found in oranges, limes, and lemons, was found to reduce skin cancer risk by 34% in a University of Arizona study.
• Fish oils protect against sunburn and DNA changes. Good sources include wild salmon, tilapia, and bay scallops.
  

I'm like anybody else -- I think tan just looks better. But I also believe the health risks associated with sun (or even worse: tanning bed) exposure is very real. I don't want to look wrinkled before my time, or get an easily avoided and potentially deadly disease like skin cancer, so I'm always looking for the latest and greatest in self-tanning products.

So naturally when I saw this article I had to take a look, and thankfully it doesn't sound like there's anything to worry about. Now if I can just find a tanner that never EVER streaks...