Protect Your Skin When You Go to the Gym

You hit the gym to improve the health and appearance of your body, but you might be inadvertently sending your skin into a tailspin. It’s no secret that showering after your workout is the number-one way to prevent body breakouts, but these tips can help you achieve and maintain a glowing, radiant complexion long after you head home.

The Skin Guru

by Leslie Baumann, M.D.

 

Proper prep

Not only does full-on foundation look silly when you’re working out, body heat causes pores to dilate and prompts your skin to produce extra oil. With makeup in the mix, you have a recipe for acne. Wash your face with a salicylic acid cleanser before you work out to clear pores of makeup and debris that can cause acne when combined with sweat and bacteria. If possible, do not wear foundation or color cosmetics when you exercise. And always wash your face again after exercising.
If going for a run or doing any physical activity outdoors, don’t forget the sunscreen. You don’t need extra moisturizer because your sunscreen and natural oils produced during exercise will hydrate your skin. If you are in a very dry or cold climate or will be subjected to cold wind, you should apply moisturizer over or under your sunscreen. Moisturizer can create a barrier that protects your skin from the potentially irritating salt in your perspiration and can protect your skin from the cold air. If you are in very harsh conditions, such as skiing in very cold weather, applying a layer of safflower oil, argan oil, or Aquaphor over your skin will protect it.
If you have rosacea, apply an anti-inflammatory mist followed by a moisturizer. Vichy’s thermal water mist can help alleviate redness thanks to its anti-inflammatory selenium. SkinMedica Redness Relief CalmPlex is a good choice layered over the Vichy thermal water prior to exercise.

Post-workout skincare

If your sensitive skin gets red (rosacea) and irritated after exercising, wash with an anti-inflammatory cleanser immediately after working out. (I like La Roche-Posay’s Rosaliac Cleanser.) You can also use SkinMedica Redness Relief CalmPlex or a cream that contains caffeine such as Replenix Power of 3 to help blood vessels constrict to counteract the flushing. If you have dry skin, argan oil is a wonderful antioxidant-rich post-workout moisturizer (but don’t use it before the gym as it can clog pores).

Ingredients to avoid

Although some skin types can benefit from moisturizer before exercising, there are certain ingredients to avoid, since they can lead to stinging and irritation, especially when you break a sweat. Glycolic acid, retinoids and vitamin C are the main offenders, and you should save these for nighttime or days you skip the gym so your skin can reap the maximum benefits. Avoid hair conditioners with isopropyl myristate because sweat can make the hair product drip on your skin and this ingredient is well known to cause acne.

Avoiding infection

Foot fungus, herpes, and warts are often transmitted in gyms. Washing your hands and body with GCP Skincare Cleanser  prior to exercise and after exercise will help protect it from these infections. Wear flip flops in the gym shower to decrease your risk of getting plantar warts and foot fungus that thrive in these warm, moist environments.

Clothing

Remove sweaty clothing as soon as you can. Wearing dry-fit and lightweight cotton will help prevent heat rash. If you get a rash from your sports bra or underwear, it can be due to the elastic band that becomes allergenic after multiple washings. Throw old sports bras and underwear away because newer pairs will not cause this irritation.
Exercise is good for body—and your skin on many levels. Simply following these precautions can help prevent skin problems, so you can look and feel your best!

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Go Fund Me

5K Run & 1 Mile Fun Walk 8/24/13

GET MOVING THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 24TH WITH THE 5K RUN & 1 MILE FUN WALK FOR GOOD HEALTH   Please join us in walking and running towards good health sponsored by of our community partner First Congregational Church, this Saturday, August 24th.  The Registration fee is $20.00 for adults and $10 for youth 16 and under.  The Registration, snacks and "Celebrity Warm Up" with Kymberli Campbell beginningat 8:00 AM!   All activities begin at First Congregational Church 105 Courtlandt Street, NE,  Atlanta, GA  30302   To register or for more information contact  Bette Graves Thomas or Walter Mitchell at 404.659.6255

Health Outreach at Atlanta Hair Show

Mentoring in Medicine and the American Heart Association wants to work with you to distribute healthy living information at the Bronner Brothers Hair Show in Atlanta. Over 25,000 women from all around the world will be in Atlanta from Friday, August 16th until Monday, August 19th. 

Register at https://mimoutreach.eventbrite.com/

need your help to:
Coordinate walking programs
Take blood pressure readings with an automatic machine
Distribute information from the American Heart Association

How to Eat Healthy When on a Budget By Victoria

Organic food is more expensive than a bucket of KFC. This is part of the reason why so many people are unhealthy. Becoming a paragon of health seems so difficult whereas sitting down and ordering in seems easy. It’s even harder if you’re on a budget as you simply can’t afford a lot of healthy food. This is no excuse to continue paying homage to McDonald’s though!

You can eat healthy on a budget. Here are some of the ways you can eat healthy without spending a lot of money.

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Whole Foods
Whole foods are foods which haven’t been processed. They’ve been harvested and thrown in a box, essentially. These are cheaper as they don’t go through the usual processes to add more flavorings and preservatives. As someone who is aiming to eat healthier, it’s better for you because you have full control over the ingredients. You don’t have to worry about anything which has been added to the recipe.

Whole foods apply to any type of food, such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Choose Cheap Proteins
Getting your daily intake of protein is the biggest expense as proteins are commonly associated with meats. Steaks are expensive and will leave a hole in your wallet. For day-to-day use, get your protein through cheaper alternatives like eggs and whey. It might not be as tasty but it’s much cheaper.

You should consider buying a variety of cheap proteins to take care of your daily intake. You need at least 1g of protein for every pound of body weight to maintain muscle. If you’re trying to gain muscle you’ll need slightly more.

Buy Frozen
A lot of healthy eaters never consider frozen foods. We’re often told these are bad because they’re less nutritious. Part of the reason for this belief is because we often criticize frozen food like fish sticks. It isn’t the freezing process causing the problems. It’s the fact the food was never healthy in the first place.

Frozen foods have a number of advantages to them. Firstly, they’re always prepared before being frozen. You don’t have to waste time cutting them and removing anything before they’re ready for cooking. They also have a longer shelf life so you can buy them in bulk. Frozen food is roughly half the price of fresh food. Buy frozen food in bulk from independent stores to take advantage of bulk discounts.

What a lot of people don’t know is frozen food locks nutrients in. The nutrient richness of fresh food declines over time, from the moment it’s harvested. Frozen items lock the nutrients in, so you can actually get more nutrients from frozen foods.

Buy Own Brand
Store brand items are not lower in quality. The only real difference between store brand and big brand is a lack of advertising. Once you get used to the taste of store brand you’ll wonder why you were paying so much for well-known brands before. The nutrient content is often exactly the same as their star-speckled counterparts.

Switch to Supplements
Supplements like fish oil can help you fulfill your need for vitamin B12 and other obscure minerals, but you shouldn’t rely on them. Yes, they’re cheap, but they don’t have any calories. You should only use these if you’re meeting your need for calories yet failing to meet your need for specific minerals.

Use the Seasons
Fruit and veg have different seasons. If you buy some strawberries in the winter it will cost a lot more than in the summer. Grocery stores need to import the strawberries from other countries when they can’t be grown in the US. This adds on to the overall price you pay. If you eat the same thing all year, you could be unwittingly throwing money away.

Work out the seasons for each of your favorite foods. Only buy these foods once they’re in season. It won’t seem like much. A few cents here and a few cents there. Over the course of a year, it would equal a few hundred dollars.

Calorie Dense
Buy calorie dense foods like potatoes and pasta. They aren’t necessarily going to fulfill your needs for vitamins and minerals, but they’ll fill your belly quickly. This method is ideal for smaller people who want to gain weight and bulk up. They’re full of carbohydrates the body can break down.

The problem with eating healthily is we all have the stereotypical image of eating lots of greens. Most green vegetables don’t have a lot of calories in them. They’re packed full of nutrients, but they won’t fill your belly. It’s why you would need to spend a lot of money to sustain a diet eating fruit and veg exclusively.

Tips: Get a good night's sleep, stay hydrated, exercise and, meditate before that big day at work http://t.co/2mjjIoo3jQ