smell-related stories
Sweaty Pits - Don't Sweat Em'
Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.
Q. When I go walking with my friends, I notice that I often sweat and it shows through the back of my shirt and armpits. I know sweating is good, but not when I'm the only one who looks like that while walking with other ladies. It is really embarrassing. What can I do? Lorraine
A. My dear Lorraine, I understand where your stress is coming from. Sweat is rarely considered womanly, pretty or delightful. The thought process on sweat makes regular folks think it's gross. Allow me to share my thoughts and experiences on the subject.
Gym Stink - How to Beat the Odor
Some gym girls stink. It's probably because they're not washing their gym clothes. Maybe it's their diet, or bacteria caught in the underarms. Regardless, Kristen at CafeMom shares some tips for helping these gals smell more like roses than funk.Don't Sniff at the Supermarket - You Might Gain Weight
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Smells have the power to make us purchase, especially if we're shopping on empty stomachs. When we sniff something appealing, the odor receptors in our noses send messages to our limbic systems, which control our emotions, memories, and sense of well-being. Freshly baked bread remind of you of the warmth of mom's kitchen? Well, then, you don't stand a chance.
And there you have it: Another reason to shop on a full stomach. Already we've got the lure of everything lining the shelves. Add the aroma of a batch of fresh bakery brownies, and you might as well just slap those calories on your thighs.
The spice of weight loss is ... spice
Want to drop a few pounds? Add some spice to your meals -- any kind will do, as long as it's low in calories. According to Fit Celeb, adding zero-calorie spices to your meals can help you lose weight. In fact, in studies, participants who did just that lost an average of 30 lbs in six months, compared to two lbs in the control group. Wow. The key to the weight loss was attributed to the aroma of the dishes -- taking a moment to savour the smell of the food was key to participants' weight loss.
A few things to keep in mind: Butter is not a spice, and neither is salt -- both will likely cause you to gain weight rather than lose it. However, be sure to stock up on healthy, flavourful spices like cinnamon, dill, rosemary, curry powder and so on.
What's your favourite spice?
Removing the stink
Any fitness buff or sports enthusiast will know what I mean when I say moisture-wicking fabrics have a stinky problem. Sure, they're wonderful when you're jogging or working out at the gym; they pull sweat away from your body instead of letting it cling to you like a cotton t-shirt does. But those moisture-wicking shirts and shorts and socks have a downfall... they are the pack rats of sweat. The same problem holds true for many sports uniforms. I know my son's nylon soccer uniform can come out of the wash with all the grass stains removed, but sometimes there's a lingering aroma quite different than the spring-fresh aroma my laundry detergent touts.
There are plenty of options for getting your workout clothes or sports uniforms looking and smelling perfectly clean. Specialty sports detergents are designed for performance fabrics. And other laundry additives can boost the cleaning ability of your normal detergents. Check out the gallery for some ideas.
4 wacky ways to lose weight
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
We know the standards when it comes to weight loss -- less calories, more exercise, lots of water, not a lot of junk food. Now check these out -- some unconventional ideas for losing a few pounds.Go Blue. The color blue functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, wear blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Then avoid all visions of red, yellow, and orange while you eat. Studies find these colors encourage eating.
Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall. Hang a mirror across from your seat at the table and you may eat one-third less than normal. Looking at yourself while you chow down will remind you of why you're trying to lose weight.
A nose for danger
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
In my family it's well known that my dad has a great "sniffer." He detests perfume so, of course, when I was in high school I wanted to wear perfume terribly! I remember buying some with a subtle scent, then putting on the tiniest bit imaginable while I was up in my bedroom. My father, from downstairs, shouted up to me to "wipe that stuff off!" It was amazing. While I don't think many people have a sense of smell quite as attuned as my dad's, it turns out that most of us can be trained to sense danger through our sense of smell. Scientists have determined that the human sense of smell can be trained to detect even subtle changes in smells associated with danger. Study volunteers were exposed to two grassy odors and none could differentiate between the smells. The volunteers were then given a mild shock during one of of the smells; after being given the shock they were all able to tell the difference between the two odors. MRI brain scans taken before and after shocks were administered showed a change in the olfactory cortex after the shocks.
It's official... the nose knows!
Pee tree
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
There's a couple of things you can pretty much count on when it comes to asparagus:
1) It will supply you with a variety of powerful antioxidants, including a healthy dose of glutathione;
2) It contains a good amount of folate, which has been shown reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer;
3) It contains certain amino acids that can help reduce water retention, something that can make you look a bit puffy, and;
4) It will make the pee of many people who eat it smell pretty funky.
Since it's the most fun topic out of the four, that's what I'll address. The pee issue.
Strangely, this scent-chaing affect that asparagus has on urine does not occur in all people. Even more strange is the fact that there is also a segment of the population who cannot smell the funky scent given off by asparagus-laced urine. It is believed that only those with a certain gene can cause the break down of chemicals inside the asparagus that causes the scent, and only those with the proper gene can smell the results of that chemical breakdown.
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.
Operation vanilla cupcake
Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements
I'm a Yankee Candle junkie. Every time a coupon arrives in the mail, I head right out and redeem it. Burning scented candles is one of my favorite feel-good practices. A little aroma therapy is just what I need to warm my spirits.Today I bought three news flavors -- black cherry, peach, and vanilla cupcake. The cupcake one -- which smells exactly like its intended scent -- is what inspired me to write this post because it hit me as potentially odd that I grabbed this mouth-watering candle when I don't consume sweets (headaches and a desire to eat healthy drove me away from them). And then I realized: Smelling vanilla cupcakes is enough. I don't need to eat them. I guess it could have gone the other way -- my candle could have sent me right to the bakery for the real deal -- but it didn't. And as I sit here right now, cupcake aromas swirling around me, I am completely satisfied.
If scents alone do the trick for your sweet cravings, check out Yankee Candle and all this delicious fragrances this company has to offer.
Scents that make men swoon
Diet & Weight Loss, Men's Health
Folk wisdom suggests that various aromas are sexually enticing, says Dr. Alan Hirsch of The Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. Because no data previously existed on this very topic, Hirsch set out to investigate the effects of 30 odors on penile blood flow. What he found was that each odor produced an increase in flow in each of his 31 subjects. But some odors, and some combination of odors, increased arousal more than others. Here are the winners.
- Lavender and pumpkin pie together increased the median penile blood flow by 40 percent.
- Doughnuts and black licorice increased arousal by 31.5 percent.
- Pumpkin pie and doughnuts: 20 percent.
- Orange: 19.5 percent.
What will you be serving your man tonight?
7 reasons we eat -- hunger not included
- Time
- Sight
- Smell
- Variety
- Temperature
- Refined Carbs
- Alcohol
Think twice about using that air freshener...
Air fresheners are big business these days -- in my grocery store almost a half of an aisle is devoted to all the different styles and scents of air fresheners and air sanitizers. But how healthy are they? Last week the National Resources Defense council released a study that shows that most air fresheners (12 out of the 14 they tested) contain controversial chemicals called phthalates. Phthalates have been linked to health issues such as cancer, developmental abnormalities, and fertility. And although the U.S. doesn't regulate phthalates some other countries do, which is a little disconcerting.
Even if there isn't any "proof" that phthalates are dangerous, I for one will be making an effort to use one of those 2 brands that tested negative for them: Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher and Renuzit Subtle Effects.
The Daily Turn On! Sniff your way to a fit life
Life is too short not to be fully "tuned in." The Daily Turn On! is designed to wake up your senses, all six of them: smell, taste, touch, hearing, sight and intuition! Everyday The Daily Turn On! with That's Fit Life Fit expert Laura Lewis will awaken your mind, your body and your life!Did you know ... Your sense of smell can directly impact your physical, mental and emotional well being. As a matter of fact, smell is one of the most important senses. Smell travels directly to the limbic system, the most primal area of the brain. This area is where emotions, memory and behavior are controlled. Smell influences mood, memory, emotions, choice of mate, the immune system, as well as the endocrine system.
What we sniff truly empowers or weakens our mental, emotional and physical state. A bit of lavender will calm the savage beast. Jasmine will calm and perhaps get you "in the mood" for romance. And the essential oil of lemon has been known to increase accuracy in data entry by up to 54%! The good news? Any scent will turn more of your brain on! Even while you are sleeping!
Turn On your senses ... Wake up to a fit life!
Avoid smelling bad this summer: Find an antiperspirant that works
Whether you're left with embarrassing wet spots, white residue, or worse yet body odor, there's nothing worse than an antiperspirant that doesn't work. And this time of year when sweating can happen just from sitting outside in a lawn chair it's as important as ever to have reliable underarm protection. So do you have an old-standby that never fails you? It seems like most people would have their favorites that work for them, but if you're making changes in your lifestyle and are getting more active you're 'old standby' might not be doing the trick anymore. Check out this article from iVillage -- they road-tested all the popular drug store brands and give the low-down on each one. Or if you're reading this and have your own opinions please share!
























