That's Fit

Most women are familiar with body scrubs, even if they don't use them. Scrubs are designed to get rid of dead skin and rough patches, leaving you with skin that's smoother, healthier-looking, and more radiant.

However, certain types of scrubs are great for your body, but not your face -- and vice versa. Additionally, if you're working on a particularly dry, scaly area of skin, like your elbows or your heels, you need a whole other level of scrubby goodness to get the desired effect.

Check out the gallery to get schooled in Body Scrubs 101. There's a little homework involved in the form of DIY scrubs, but don't worry -- a successfully scrubbed post-bath body is all you need to get an A!

It's funny how different people are about their bath time routines. I have plenty of friends who like nothing more than to soak in a hot bath for half an hour, while others want to get in and out of the shower as quickly as possible. I fall somewhere in between -- there are times when my muscles are screaming for a hot shower, and I take a little longer than normal, but there are quite a few times I'm in and out in very little time.

What doesn't change, however, is my love of good products. What's a shower (or a bath) without a shampoo that smells amazing, or a soap that's totally invigorating? And, of course, it has to feel great on my skin.

Lately I've been hearing a lot about Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. The company has been around for 60 years, though only recently have they gone from being a cult favorite natural food store brand to being embraced by the masses. The products are completely eco-friendly and certified organic as well as fair trade certified. Besides all that goodness, there are over 30,000 words written on the labels of all the products epitomizing the founder's beliefs -- makes for good reading!

There are many reasons that fast food isn't exactly a healthy choice. Most items are high in fat. The calorie count is certainly up there, too. But, there's a new reason to avoid fast food -- sometimes the sense of humor of the staff is a little off.

OK. So it's not fair to generalize. But this one Burger King restaurant in Ohio has some employees with a seriously strange sense of humor. An employee thought it would be funny to take a bubble bath in the restaurant's large, stainless steel sink. Another employee filmed the soapy caper and other employees -- including a manager -- looked on. The video was posted on MySpace.com, but has since been deleted.

Burger King released the following statement: "Burger King Corp. was just notified of this incident and is cooperating fully with the health department. We have sanitized the sink and have disposed of all other kitchen tools and utensils that were used during the incident. We have also taken appropriate correction action on the employees that were involved in this video. Additionally, the remaining staff at this restaurant is being retrained in health and sanitation procedures."

I should hope so. After all, I don't think this is quite what was meant by the "employees are required to wash hands" policy.

How do naked push-ups sound to you? Well, let me tell you, I just got off the phone with a colleague and friend, Dr. Jose Antonio, Ph.D., FACSM, CSCS, Chief Executive Officer of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) and one of its co-founders. We were talking health and fitness when he brought up something a fellow fitness pro, Suzy Favor Hamilton does and recommends on a regular basis.

You got it. Naked push-ups.

Before showering each morning, Suzy -- an elite athlete, makes a habit of dropping and doing 20 push-ups. It's simple and it may sound silly, but getting down and earning a good shower each day seems like a great idea to me!

Naked push-ups are smart for two reasons. They create a habitual time and place for you to make push-ups happen. Second, it seems as they would force you to get in touch with your body at least once each day. Do you like the way your legs hold firm as you go through the motion? Could you work on trimming down your tummy so it doesn't touch the ground first? I imagine that naked push-ups would give most of us the motivation to choose the right foods and pursue even more exercise as the day progresses.

The American Cancer Society tells us that the hot dogs, burgers, and chicken we take on our picnics should be kept at 140 degrees F or higher and that our cold food should stay chilled at 41 degrees F or colder. Real Simple magazine weighs in on a few temperature matters too.

There are the basics: Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees F, water boils at 212 degrees, and it freezes at 32 degrees. But what's the ideal temperature for wine? Well, 45-50 degrees F for white wine and 60-65 for red. What about that relaxing bath that's calling your name? Water temp should be 96-104 degrees. Make it any hotter and you may break down your skin's protective barrier, which guards against pollution, germs, and bacteria. Who knew?

Did you know your fridge should be set between 32 and 40 degrees and your freezer should register at a big fat 0? Food will spoil faster in warmer temps, and the quality of food will change if it's too cold. What about green tea? Your water should reach 170 degrees. This is lower than what you need for black tea because green leaves burn more easily. An omelet? You want an internal temperature of 160 degrees. And when your day is coming a close and it's time for a little shut-eye, snuggle in at a nice 68 degrees. A good sleep requires your body temperature to drop by losing heat into the environment. Sticking your arms and legs outside the covers and removing your bedtime socks will help the heat escape.

Everyone knows a good bath can do wonders to relax and rejuvenate the body and spirit. Adding scented bath salts helps, too.

Did you know that you can easily make your own healing bath to combat whatever issues you may be having? DIY Life has posted about how to create a blissful bath, using herbs and essential oils targeted at fixing what ails you.

DIY Life links to a Third Age article which lists recipes and blends for muscle pain, colds and flu, insomnia and more. There are also good reasons to use Epsom salts in your bath, such as detoxification and replenishing your magnesium levels.

So learn how to make the perfect bath for you and begin healing.

My ideal workout scenario is as follows: Get out of bed, exercise, shower, fix myself up, and be done for the day. There's something about accomplishing my fitness feats first thing that helps power me through the day. Sometimes things work out this way although on most days, my morning routine has me coaxing little ones out of bed, into clothes, to the breakfast table, to the toothbrushes, and into the car for the ritual school drop-off. By the time I get to my treadmill or to the streets outside, I've been up for hours. Not ideal. But that's the way my life goes.

Regardless of when I work out, there's one thing standard about my routine -- the feel-good sense I get when all is said and done. And the scents that surround me when I'm clean and ready to take on the day.

Yesterday, I picked up this yummy peppermint body stuff at Bath & Body Works. I got one bottle of a body wash -- which just so happens to double as a shampoo which doubles as a bubble bath -- and I got one bottle of body lotion. Twisted Peppermint, this product line is called. And I'll tell you: It's sure to put a bounce in your step.

According to holisticonline.com, aromatherapy means "treatment using scents." It's a holistic way of caring for the body with pleasant smelling botanical oils such as rose, lemon, lavender, and yes, peppermint. Aromatherapy is used to relieve pain, care for the skin, alleviate tension and fatigue, and invigorate the entire body. Aromas can affect the mood, knock out fatigue, reduce anxiety, and promote relaxation. When inhaled, they work on the brain and nervous system through stimulation of the olfactory nerves.

My new aroma is certainly working on my brain. It's simply invigorating. Stop by a Bath & Body Works near you and ask for a sample. You'll see what I mean.

I decided not to wait to see if I get a gift certificate to a local spa for Christmas this year. Most of us probably need the stress relief before the holiday high point anyway. In January, just having a normal life has a therapeutic effect.

So, a couple girlfriends and I have set aside a few bucks for ourselves and have booked an appointment at this place. We're getting a Roman bath and a 15-minute massage. Should be the perfect refresher. The place is old school and far cheaper than many other options in our area. There are plenty of resources for finding something close to you, including this list of spas. Or maybe you'd like this one better. If you're traveling, try this international list.

If the budget simply won't allow self indulgence, try a tub soak with some lavender oil at home. But make sure to schedule it as an appointment so you're sure to make it happen amid the holiday hoopla.

Few things are as relaxing as a good long soak in a hot bath, but unless you're somebody who does it all the time (anybody?) you may not know exactly how to brew yourself the perfect experience. Some keys to a great bath include:

• Temperature 97º-99º is perfect. If it's too hot you're only stressing your system as your body tries to cool itself down.
• Music It's good for everything else, so why not your bath too?
• Lighting Lower the lights and if you can soak in candlelight. Lower lighting causes your brain to release melatonin, which helps you relax.
  
• Sink in! Sink down in the water as far as you can -- even until just your face is sticking out. The more of you that's in contact with the water the greater the overall benefit is.

There are even more great tips from Women's Health here, and I can say I am so totally inspired to do this!

We all want good skin, and we've all heard of countless different ways to go about getting it, but sitting in an enormous bowl of Ramen noodle soup? That's a new one.

A Japanese spa is offering just that: the opportunity to dip yourself in noodles to get a healthier glow. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending how you look at it!) it's not real noodles (just noodle-shaped spa treatments) but it is real broth. The pork-based broth contains collagen, hence the skin-enhancing benefits.

The treatment costs about $29 -- would you do it? I think I'll pass, and save my Ramen noodles for meals only.


Via Luxury Launches

Ahhhhhh! The healing power of ice. Almost two years ago I was involved in a really dumb auto accident, and life has been quite weird since. Lots of treatment, lots of shots, and lots of other strange efforts to cure what is simply diagnosed as a chronic muscle spasm in my low back. It's often crippling, but certain treatments seem to help for short periods of time. The last treatment wore off two days ago, and I've been left in pain once again. Today I decided that I had to do something, and apparently freezing my butt off... literally....was worth the try.

I also broke my right foot this past winter (I sound pretty klutzy right?) Putting my bruised and swollen foot in the ice pool at the fitness center I attend helped relieve a lot of pain. Now, this pool isn't just chilly. It's freaking FREEZING! Close to 30 degrees, I've been told. Painfully freaking freezing. It took every ounce of will I had back then to just keep my little foot in the water. Imagine how I felt today when my husband logically coerced me to go give it a try for my big back! He's crazy.

Now, I'm the girl who grabs a jacket when the temperature drops down to 75 degrees. Born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, I simply don't do cold very well. I knew this ice bath deal was going to kill me. Nonetheless, like a crazy person I drove to my health club purposely to become a member of the Polar Bear Club. Terrified yet hopeful, I kept driving in the right direction. Got in the locker room, and threw on the old bikini. Fun. Fun.

I posted on an article once before about the cancer-causing chemical 1,4 Dioxane being present in many personal care products like shampoos, body washes, bar soaps, etc. It's definitely not a completely new concept that our showers and baths are full of dangerous by-products, but I can't help but be bothered by the fact that although I'm grateful people are reporting these things, what exactly can we do about it? We got the bad news already, give us some ideas for solutions!

So I was encouraged today when I came across this link on how to find the safest and healthiest products -- finally something useful! And not only can I make a point to buy shampoo, make up, and other products with the "lowest concern" rating, but having lists like this out there for consumers may help motivate the manufacturers to give this issue some increased attention. So where does your favorite shampoo rank on the list?

My grandmother was getting urinary tract infections one right after the other and we kept trying to figure out what was the culprit. We were cutting out her coffee and soft drink consumption and her sugars/sweets which was making her pretty darn grumpy. She complained that she had been consuming those favorite drinks and sweets all her 94 year long life and that was not causing it. It seems that when we changed her daily routine of showering to bathing because of safety reasons to keep her from slipping in the shower, we were the ones giving her urinary tract infections. It seems her sitting in the soapy water was causing her to get these infections and that is something that is pretty common. Especially in children who seem to do more bathing and love bubble baths.

So with advice from the doctor, this is helpful hints that he passed along. Do not put bubble bath, shampoo or other special bubble bath soaps into the bath water and do not let a bar of soap float in the water. When bathing, do not wash the genital area with soap. Water will suffice. Limit bath time to 15 minutes including soaking in the beginning and when you start washing with the soap, get rinsed and get out as soon as you can. He also suggested that she urinate after bathing. A few non bath related items to help cut down on these type infections is to drink plenty of liquids, especially water, to keep the urine light colored and to only buy loose fitting white cotton underpants to wear.

Children seem to pick up lice at school no matter what you do to keep them washed and groomed. Lice can be spread by hanging coats, scarves, and caps together or using someone else's comb, brush, etc. They live on the clothing (especially in the seams), travel to the skin once a day for a meal, then back onto the clothing. So even if you properly bath every day, you still can get lice from being exposed to clothing where is is taking refuge. Lice live about 30 days, and the female lays about ten eggs a day. The tiny eggs (nits) are laid at the base of a hair shaft. As the hair grows, the nits are carried upward and can be seen. They look like tiny black or rust-colored spots at, or near, the base of the hair. They can even be found on the chest, beard, and eyelashes.

Here are some natural ways to get rid of lice without putting harsh chemicals on their heads, hair, or bodies. Heat combs and brushes to 151o F. for 5-10 minutes and then soak them for an hour in 2% Lysol solution. Launder clothing and bedding in hot water. Things that you cannot wash like pillows, put in a plastic bag or sack for 10 days. Soak the place on the body for 30 minutes in very warm, soapy, water. Hot vinegar or a 50-50 vinegar/water mixture applied to the scalp will loosen eggs, so they can be vigorously combed out of the hair with a fine-toothed comb. Garlic compresses can be placed on the scalp for 2 hours and then thoroughly comb hair. Mayonnaise smothered on the hair and wrapped in plastic can smother the lice and then you shampoo them out. And don't forget to vacuum carpets frequently and properly dispose of the vacuum bags or dirt from the canister so that the lice and eggs do not get back into the house. Whatever method you use, keep in mind that there is a 14-day cycle for lice and their eggs so you must work intensely for a little over 2 weeks on your body, clothing, and home if you are to have success.

Way back in the old days (in 1985) the FDA recommended voluntary limits on a carcinogenic by-product called 1,4-Dioxane that was commonly found in soaps and shampoos. That's more than 20 years ago that the dangers of the chemical were first widely known, yet today it is still found in the vast majority of our shampoos and bath products. This could be due the fact that the companies don't have to add it into the products for it to be there (it's formed as a by-product during the manufacturing process), and that there are no actual laws or tests required for monitoring levels (hence "voluntary limit").

Bad news: 18 out of 18 products tested contained some level of 1,4-Dioxane. Good news: most of the products tested were well below the recommended limit. Bad news: 1,4-Dioxane penetrates the skin. Good news: It evaporates quickly and most of the products it's found in are washed off quickly.

See the full article for some of the products that rated highest and lowest in 1,4-Dioxane levels.