Most of us are adamant about keeping our bodies and minds healthy. But what about our surroundings? Doing your part and pitching in to help save our earth is just as important -- after all, what's the point of being fit if we don't have fresh air to breathe?

Now you can look good and save the earth at the same time. Prevention magazine recently assembled a list of their top eco-friendly fitness gear finds -- from wicking shirts made from coconut shells to shoes with recycled rubber soles, you're sure to find something that suits your workout and your budget. Check the list out over here.

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My son attended summer day camp this year, so I haven't had a break from lunch packing. As kids are apt to do, my son and his friends liked to trade items. I was always amazed at the packaging waste that would come home with my son -- a lot of parents opt for those individually wrapped items. They're convenient, sure. But they're expensive, and they have an impact on the environment.

When packing your child's lunch, keep their health and the health of the environment in mind:

• Use reusable packaging. For example, instead of individually packaged pudding, make your own in small reusable containers. It's significantly less expensive and there's very little container waste. Also, look for options like the Wrap-n-Mat that reduce throw-away packaging.
  
• Go meat-free. Meat production is hard on the environment, so pack veggie lunches as often as possible.
• Don't over pack. If your child throws away much of what you pack, your green efforts are somewhat mitigated. Pack what they need and no more.

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Taking care of our personal health is always a priority, and now taking care of the planet's health is a growing one too it so seems only natural to combine the two.

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Follow these three tips for buying better makeup brushes to give your beauty routine a boost and help the planet at the same time.

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Sometimes I don't know which one is worse: dealing with the bugs or dealing with the greasy, smelly, full-of-toxic-chemicals bug repellent! Thankfully there are natural ways to cope.

On April 20, in celebration of the April 22 Earth Day, families nationwide will celebrate our great planet by participating in the Green Apple Festival. If you live near one of these eight cities, you can plug into the music and environmental awareness that will be powering these simultaneous festivities.

Chicago: Lincoln Park Zoo
Dallas: Fair Park
Denver: City Park
Los Angeles: Santa Monica Pier
Miami: Bicentennial Park
New York: Central Park
San Francisco: Golden Gate Park
Washington DC: The National Mall

If you can't attend, do something instead to honor our Earth. Mix it up, like this post recommends. Enjoy a picnic in your favorite local park. Engage in a little eco-running -- tote a trash bag along on your neighborhood jog and pick up any litter you come across. Plant a fruit tree. Start our own compost pile, send a free e-card to friends and family, or simply get outside and marvel at the world around you. And by all means, eat a green apple. It's a Super Food, you know.

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When it comes to being healthy the term "green" has more meanings these days than it used to. We can be healthier by incorporating more greens in our diet and the planet can be healthier by our efforts to be "greener" in an environmental sense. The Daily Green put together a plan on how we can work on both in just 5 days, and all things considered there's really no reason we shouldn't all give it a shot -- the steps are amazingly simple. Things like going meatless one day per week and learning to recognize sustainable food labels aren't too complicated (it's just learning to do them regularly, right?).


Via Lifehacker

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Eating fish is good for you. Is it good for the environment too? Not always. But a growing number of aquariums and fish conversation programs are offering "guilt-free" guides to help you make the best choices when it comes to buying fish and other seafood.

Fish that are abundant, well-managed, fished, or farmed make the guilt-free list. According to the National Seafood Guide 2007, published by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, here are some of the keepers:

Arctic Char (farmed)
Bay Scallops (farmed)
Catfish (farmed)
Clams (farmed)
Mussels and Oysters (farmed)
Pacific Halibut
Rainbow Trout (farmed)
Salmon (Alaska wild)
Spiny Lobster (U.S.)
Striped Bass (farmed or wild)
Tilipia (U.S.)

Now this list is not exhaustive. You can find more information here. You'll also get a peek at fish that are both high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in environmental contaminants -- like anchovies, oysters, and sardines.

Note: Young children, pregnant women, and anyone who wishes to watch their mercury consumption should always avoid seafood with high mercury levels -- such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish.

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The environment, global warming, and going green are all things that are becoming more and more embedded in our every day lives, which is of course a good thing. We can all be a little more conscious in our global efforts, and even if it's just making the smallest change the great part is that it multiplies across the population and can end up really making a difference. I thought for today's Jumpstart I'd take the idea that sometimes all your stalled workout needs is something new in the way of clothes or equipment to help make it interesting again, and going eco-friendly is the perfect excuse to help soothe that pang of guilt that's been holding you back.

Of course there are countless products out there to choose from in the green fitness world, and thankfully the options are only increasing. So what is it that would make the biggest difference for you and your workout right now? Maybe it's a new top, new shoes, or something else? Here's a few things I found online to help get the wheels of inspiration turning!

Have you been making an effort to eat locally? Why? There are lots of reasons, but one of the biggest ones is the thought that the shorter the distance food travels to get to you the smaller the carbon footprint it leaves in the way of consuming fossil fuels. But measuring the environmental impact by "food miles" alone can be surprisingly misleading. Once other factors like production, water use, and harvesting techniques are put in the equation suddenly local isn't always better.

Case in point: lamb raised in the lush fields of New Zealand and shipped across the ocean by boat to England use four times less energy and environmental resources than lamb raised in British pastures, because there the fields are exhausted and the farmers use feed. And meat isn't the only product where it may be more energy-efficient to buy it from across the globe than from across town, similar situations were found for dairy and fruit.

Wow, what a mess. How are we supposed to know?

Via Slashfood

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Inflammation is the body's response to tissue damage and infection. There are many conditions that cause inflammation. Genetics play a role, so does the environment. Environmental factors include diet, exposure to toxins, germs, pollutants, and inhalants. Some people have a genetic predisposition to heightened inflammation which can cause them to have an illness such as rheumatoid arthritis. But a commonly overlooked cause of inflammation is poor diet.

Foods that cause inflammation are sugar, simple carbohydrates, and certain fatty acids and oils. To reduce inflammation avoid junk foods such as donuts, pastry, and sugared drinks. Insufficient consumption of fish, fruit and vegetables is as bad for human health as smoking.A diet that reduces inflammation consists mostly of vegetables and fish. In my opinion, the foods that cause the least inflammation and are the most anti-inflammatory are fish such as halibut and salmon, and all kinds of vegetables. Make changes slowly and accept the fact that there may be times when you binge on unhealthy snacks and foods.

There are many other herbs and nutrients that could be taken to reduce inflammation. For instance using curry and cinnamon when cooking is great. Use a variety of herbs and spices. Many of them have antioxidants and other beneficial compounds. For instance, curry has curcumin, rosemary has rosmarinic acid and ginger has vanillin and zingerone. All of these compounds have health benefits. Basil, bay leaves, cumin, chili powder, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, oregano, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic appears to protect against fungal and bacterial infections, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, blood clots and even cancer. Bee pollen, pomegranate, goji, mangosteen, graviola, green tea extract, and spirulina, are great herbs and additions to add to the body. A calcium supplement is recommended for postmenopausal women.

Cutting down or cutting out your sugar intake is a must to cut down on inflammation. Stevia, a no calorie natural herbal sweetener, is available in liquid or powder in health food stores. Reduce your intake of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin also.

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Moral Fervor is a clothing brand that aims to "combine clothing with art and a deep concern for humanity." They use only biodegradable packaging, all natural inks, and the latest in sustainable technology. They hope that their hand-drawn art designs spark discussion and spread awareness for social and environmental issues.

Moral Fervor was one of the first companies to use the fabric Ingeo -- which is made of corn, so it's 100% renewable and doesn't deplete the environment. They have used their fashions to tackle such issues as the growing "E-waste" problem of electronics releasing toxins like lead and mercury into the enviroment, and their latest line is inspired by the world's ever growing population and the dangers of genetically modified foods.

Started in 2004 by two friends with shared ideals, the new company has already gotten some serious attention. Although it's still small, and has only a few designs in each collection, the clothes look comfortable and very organic. Consisting mostly of t-shirts, they have designs for both men and women that average around $70 each.

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Virginia Young and Janie Lowe are artists who work with paint and realized how terrifically unhealthy it can be for individual humans and for the environment. They began experimenting with mixing paints that were not so egregious. They worked with clay, plasters, milk, and more in their quest for a healthier paint product.

The result of their quest is Yolo Colorhouse, a company that sells environmentally responsible paints that are free of Volatile Organic Compounds. On their website they explain: "VOC's are the solvents in paint which evaporate easily at room temperature –the stinky stuff, bad for people and the environment. VOCs are thought to be contributors to the depletion of the ozone layer, as well as contributors to poor indoor air quality."

Their luscious paint is VOC-free and can be ordered online. Or, as I did yesterday, you may be lucky enough to happen upon it in a retail setting where you can peruse the colors -- grouped in ranges such as Grain, Water, and Air -- in person. The artists made a very smart move by providing poster-sized actual paint color samples that retail for $4.99 each so you can test the colors at a much larger scale than that offered by the typical paint chip.

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