shower-related stories
Easy Calorie Cutting, Americans' Dirtiest Habits and Abs Diet for Women - Links We Love
We all know that losing weight doesn't mean sticking to a leafy-greens-only diet, but when boredom and plateauing kick in, even cutting 100 calories can seem daunting. This week on AOL Health, we dish out easy ways to shave off 100 calories.
Know how often your peers wash their fresh fruits and veggies? Know how often they should? Or, how about the best time of day to shower? And how often everyone actually does? These recent AOL Health hygiene survey results reveal just how dirty Americans are.
Got six weeks? That's how long the Abs Diet for Women claims it'll take before your body shows the results of its diet program. Find out more about the Abs Diet and what our reviewer had to say.
Bye Bye, Blemishes and Bacne

Acne is a problem, and not just for teenagers. And it doesn't just happen to our faces, either. Form-fitting activewear like sports bras and cotton shirts that stick to your skin when you sweat can cause breakouts all over your chest and back. And then, there are the clogged pores that show up on your arms ... before you know it, you need to wear a turtleneck to cover all your problem areas!
Don't worry -- you don't need to use your fancy-schmancy face wash as a new shower gel to clear up the bacne -- Peter Thomas Roth Clinical Skin Care makes a Blemish Buffing Beads Body Wash ($36 for 18.5 oz) specifically designed to battle acne all over your body. No gym bag shower kit should be without it!Use on face and body -- it's super gentle, but effective. According to the website: "Salicylic acid clears up acne blemishes while a glycolic acid complex and oil absorbing ingredients help produce flawless, clear skin. Soft, ultra-fine jojoba beads ... help exfoliate surface dead skin cells without irritation, then ... help open clogged pores and emulsify the sebum that contributes to blackheads and whiteheads." Plus, it's smells awesome -- botanical, without being girly. But this isn't the only thing that will help you clear up your skin.
Daily Fit Tip: Take a hot shower
Fit Beauty: Body Scrubs 101
Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health
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!
Fit Beauty: Natural beauty products that make you feel great
Natural Products, Alternative & Green Health
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!
Naked push-ups
Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Healthy Home, Work/Home Balance, Womens Health, Celebrities and Entertainment, Cellulite, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
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.
Daily Fit Tip: Beware of the shower poof
Fit Beauty: Post-workout beauty
Generally speaking, if I go to the gym, I try not to plan anything immediately afterward. Ideally, I like to go home for a shower and get ready in my own bathroom, or at the very least, I'll take a full shower at the gym and get ready there. Either way, it takes some time for me to go from hot, sweaty mess to looking hot (or at least not scary).But then again, there are those times when you get out of work at 5:00, have plans to meet a friend around 6:00 or 6:30 for a bite to eat, and while your house is on the other side of town, your gym is between work and the restaurant. It would be a shame to miss out on a quick workout just because you don't have time to wash your hair and get all dolled up, right?
In that case, check out the suggestions below for overcoming common post-workout beauty complaints (courtesy of FitnessMagazine.com, with a few of my own suggestions added in for good measure).
Forsake the shower? Dirty hair is good for the environment
Sustainable Community, Diet & Weight Loss, Alternative & Green Health
But, as the brains are quick to point out, this isn't going to save the world or anything. In fact, the ozone in the air can interact with oil in dirty hair to produce other harmful chemicals. Still, washing your hair too often will waste water. Instead? Try to find a balance. Or, just shave your head.
Fit Beauty: Looking good despite a hangover
I tend to think that moderation is the best way to go when it comes to most things, including alcohol consumption. However, I'd be a liar if I said I always followed my own rule. We all overindulge from time to time -- sometimes it can be easy to get carried away when you're having a good time. Despite the resulting hangovers, life goes on and we all have to pay for our overindulging.
If you find yourself in a situation where you've woken up with a raging headache, nausea, red eyes (etc) and don't have the luxury of laying around all day recovering in front of the TV, here are some tips from AOL's All About You on how to look good if you're hungover but still have to go about your daily life.
Take a cold shower -- it's good for your mood
Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
Cold shower? Just the thought of it makes me depressed. But there's a perfectly reasonable explanation behind it, right? Apparently, cold showers can stimulate your body's repair and recovery systems, which can promote healing within the body. You know, come to think of it, I once spent a month in Thailand in a guest house where there was no hot water, and I never felt depressed once -- though that probably had more to do with the beach life.
Anyway. You should talk to you doctor first before taking cold showers if you have a heart condition or are suffering from clinical depression.
(via Fitsugar)
Are cold showers good for your health, or bad?
I love hot showers -- probably a little hotter than is good for me actually. I don't know that I have taken an actual cold shower ever, although often in the summer months I'll take what I'd call "cool" ones. But aside from all the jokes that guys make about 'needing a cold shower,' have you ever thought of taking one for your health? Or how about instead of a cold shower a cold foot soak? This interesting article over at Natural Health suggests that alternating cold and warm foot soaks is like a mini strength-training session for your insides. The cold water (around 70º) constricts and tightens vessels, while the warm water (around 100º) loosens and expands them. Asking them to adjust quickly makes them stronger. I'm guessing alternating cool and warm showers would do the same thing, but obviously that's not so easy. So are you buying this? The science seems sound enough to me, but then it also strikes me as more than a little unnatural.
Fit Beauty: Looking after your skin during the harsh winter months
During the summer months plenty of lecturing goes on about looking after your skin by wearing an SPF lotion and drinking lots of water to stay hydrated. The result, for most of us, is that we look pretty darn good all summer. Later on when the plummeting temperatures and harsh winds of winter settle in, many of us aren't so well prepared and spend months suffering with chapped lips and dry skin. I know that by February my legs start to take on the appearance of a scaly fish, and are also often itchy and sore.
There is no reason, however, why your skin can't look as good in the winter as it does in the summer -- as long as you're prepared to look after it, that is. This piece recommends concentrating on what you put in your body, as what you eat will be reflected by how you look on the outside. According to the article, a diet full of fish, beans, nuts, whole grains, leafy green veggies and flax seed oil (which is full of Omega-3 fatty acids), will help ensure your face -- and the rest of your body -- continues to look fresh during weeks of nasty weather.
Naturally though, there are a number of ways to take care of you skin that have nothing to do with what you're eating. Some of the tips on winter skincare listed here include:
Ask Fitz! Your Fitness Questions Answered
Healthy Habits, Womens Health, Ask Fitz!, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.
Q. I feel like a 'treat-aholic'. How do I cut out junk food forever? Mary-Kate
A. Hey Mary-Kate. Thanks for the question. Treats are tasty, but they take their toll. Don't they? I'm not an extreme kind of trainer. I normally recommend keeping the not-so-good for you snacks to under ten percent of your daily consumption. Can you do that? Would you be able to ensure that throughout the day you choose plenty of fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grains, and non-caloric beverages? If so...just pick one favorite treat per day and enjoy the heck out of it.
If though, having one treat sends you on a binger...you may want to gradually cut them out almost completely. I imagine you have a specific list of 'treats' you prefer each day. Make a detailed list of them and then set your goal to delete one each week. For example. Your treats may tend to be: muffin in the morning, chips at lunch, 100 calorie snack pack of cookies in the afternoon, and frozen yogurt after dinner.
Start by ditching the morning muffin. Replace it with Light Wheat toast and sugar free preserves to let you start the day with something sweet yet healthy. Do the same for the rest of your treats weekly, and you'll slowly wean yourself away. And just FYI, I believe in having cake on your birthday. Cutting anything out 100% often leads to insanity. Don't do that to yourself. My best to you, Fitz.
Q. What's up Fitz! Do I really have to wear shoes in the gym shower? What are the odds I'll catch Athlete's Foot? Jackson
How dangerous is YOUR shampoo?
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?






















