Archive for September, 2011

WINTER-READY SKIN

Cold weather's coming whether you're ready or not. We asked a dermatologist for winter skin-care tips, and the products he recommends most to patients

Posted by Cary Carr on 9/30/2011 at 3:37PM | 1 Comment

Photograph by Christopher Robbins

Fall and winter are right around the corner, and it’s not just your wardrobe that needs a change. The bitter cold can give your skin a serious beating, so before you pick up your pumpkins and start that Christmas list, here are a few tips to update and improve your skin-care regimen. (And FYI, excessive amounts of Halloween candy won’t help.)

Steven Greenbaum, a Jefferson Hospital dermatologist and director of Center City’s Skin and Laser Surgery Center of Pennsylvania, says that as it gets colder outside, our skin’s moisture gets pulled out, often times leaving it dry.

So to keep your skin soft to the touch, stay hydrated from both the inside and outside: Drink plenty of fluids and find a good moisturizer. Since skin is less oily in the winter time, you’re better off picking products that are less harsh in order to maintain some moisture. Greenbaum recommends Lubriderm, Cetaphil and Aveeno—all brands that won’t break the bank.

“You don’t have to spend a bundle to keep your skin looking good,” he says.

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CIRCUIT BREAKER WORKOUT: NO GYM REQUIRED

A trainer-designed workout you can do at home in just 15 minutes

Posted by admin on 9/30/2011 at 12:15PM | No Comments

Let’s face it: Sometimes you just don’t have time to get to the gym. Not to worry—we’ve got the perfect workout to get your heart racing in just 15 minutes. And guess what? You can do it almost anywhere.

We shared the Circuit Breaker Workout with our Office Challenge contestants over here. Happy sweating!

Want to follow the Office Challenge fun? Join the Twitter conversation by using the hashtag #BWPOfficeChallenge. And follow us at @bewellphilly.

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TO DO: PHILLY GIRLS IN MOTION SCAVENGER HUNT

Practice your sleuthing skills while racing through Philly

Posted by Kathryn Siegel on 9/30/2011 at 10:10AM | No Comments

Enjoy girls' day on the town, PGM style.

Calling all female adventurers: Test your brains and brawn with the Philly Girls in Motion scavenger hunt. You and your partner will solve clues to find a series of checkpoints, racing your way along either the three-mile University City course or a five-miler downtown.

Philly Girls in Motion works with local communities to promote physical activity and well-rounded nutrition for young women, encouraging a healthy body image and self esteem. Healthy Bites Cafe will provide nutritious snacks for a post-party at World Cafe Live featuring music, wine and beer from 3 to 6 p.m.

$70 per two-person team, October 16, 2 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street, 610-357-7446.

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THE CHECK-UP: YOU EAT WHAT YOU SEE FIRST

Turns out, most people aren't so much picky as lazy when it comes to what they'll eat

Posted by Emily Leaman on 9/30/2011 at 8:03AM | No Comments

Photograph from ThinkStock

• You are what you eat, right? Or so the saying goes. Well apparently, you eat what you see first, according to a new study from researchers at Cornell. People are three times more likely to eat the first thing they see when they open their fridge or pantry than the fifth thing they lay their eyes on. Chalk it up to the power of visual cues if you want, but I’m gonna bet a touch of laziness comes in to play somewhere here, too: It’s there, right in front of me, I don’t have to move anything to get it—so fine, I’ll eat it. Please, by all means, put that instinct to good use; arrange your refrigerator so the carrots are front and center, for example. And the cookie jar on the counter? Swap it for a fruit bowl.

• You’ll never guess what Thai doctors are using to detect cervical cancer: vinegar. And guess what? It looks like it’s working.

• In other news, the “yogasm.” It’s real, ya’ll.

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RUN: PHILLY HEALTH CARES 5K

Get outside this Sunday to support high school athletics

Posted by Kathryn Siegel on 9/29/2011 at 3:07PM | No Comments

Support a local high school's athletics at a 5K this weekend

If you’re looking to enjoy the sunshine this weekend after some recent rainy days, sign up for the fourth annual Philly Health Cares 5K, benefitting Overbrook High School. Before the first race was held back in 2008, the school was unable to purchase new athletic equipment for sixteen years. Proceeds from this year’s event will continue to support the school’s sports programs and keep student athletes on their game. Food, drinks, and a goody bag will be available for all runners at the finish of the Boathouse Row route.

$25, October 2, 9 a.m., #1 Boathouse Row, Kelly Drive.

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‘ANNA REXIA’ HALLOWEEN COSTUME IS SICKENING

Have you ever wanted to dress up like anorexia nervosa for Halloween? Yeah, us either

Posted by Lauren McCarthy on 9/29/2011 at 2:33PM | 2 Comments

Oh, Halloween. How we miss the days when you were synonymous with grade-school parties, haunted houses and extreme sugar-highs. Now, instead of picking out which color Power Ranger we should be (the pink one, always), women are expected to throw on some lingerie and call it a costume: “Sexy Kitty,” “Sexy Nurse,” even “Sexy Sarah Palin.”

Now, costume manufacturers have gone to a new extreme. New York’s Village Voice newspaper found a shop in Manhattan that was selling a costume called “Anna Rexia.” Get it? The literal Halloween embodiment of anorexia nervosa.

The costume, which the shop dropped from its website (and apparently from shelves) earlier this week, consists of a tight black dress emblazoned with a white-glitter skeleton, a tape measure for a belt, and an “Anna Rexia” name-tag, in case you didn’t get the joke—all for the bargain-basement price of just $49.99 (we jest, of course.) Oh, and the costume comes in plus sizes, too.

Is this sickening to anyone else?

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REEBOK ON THE HOOK FOR $25M FOR FALSE CLAIMS

The feds say Reebok's toning shoes don't work like they should—or, well, at all

Posted by Emily Leaman on 9/29/2011 at 12:29PM | 1 Comment

Tsk tsk, Reebok. The Federal Trade Commission announced yesterday that the shoe company is on the hook for a whopping $25 million in customer refunds for making false claims about its EasyTone shoes, which promise to shape your legs and butt as you walk. Alas, what seemed too good to be true probably was.

Although Reebok agreed to pay the piper, the company hasn’t actually admitted that its shoes don’t work. Reebok simply settled to “avoid a protracted legal battle,” a spokesperson told the New York Times.

No word yet if the FTC will go after any of the other shoe companies who make similar products and lofty fitness claims. But I imagine that right about now, outfits like Skechers, New Balance and others are shaking in their sneakers.

Oh and for the record? We were wary of Reebok’s EasyTone apparel long, long ago. Just sayin’.

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FIRST-TIME FINISHER: DOES A RUNNER’S DIET MATTER?

Annie talks nutrition—you know, in between bites of cherry pie and Krispy Kreme doughnuts

Posted by Annie Monjar on 9/29/2011 at 11:26AM | 4 Comments

Yes, please.

Be Well Philly’s Q&A with running superstar (and Philly native) Phil Clark left me with an uneasy feeling in my gut.

Or wait—that might just be gnawing hunger.

“When you called, I was just finishing a lunch that will probably be my biggest meal of the day: a salad of spinach, carrots and tomatoes with pumpernickel bread and quinoa,” he said, cavalier, in the interview. “It’s about eating less of everything, no matter what it is. Every pound of you that there is not, is three pounds of pounding you don’t have to endure. So as a runner, it’s in your best interest to be lean.”

So … it’s not in my best interest, then, to keep my peanut butter intake at a steady 1.5 jars per week? Not a good idea, in fact, to inhale bags of Trader Joe’s trail mix like an industrial-strength Air Vac? Not  necessary to report to coworkers that while the raspberry tart and cherry pie on the conference room table are a bit dry, the cupcakes and Krispy Kremes are as decadent as ever?

Is it just me, or did running just get way less fun?

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RIDE: ANNUAL POLICE SURVIVORS BIKE RIDE

Enjoy some city cycling and contribute to the Survivors Fund

Posted by Kathryn Siegel on 9/29/2011 at 10:37AM | No Comments

Support fallen officers' families at the Poice Survivors Bike Ride

Show your appreciation for Philly’s protectors by joining the second annual Police Survivors Bike Ride [PDF] on October 16th. Choose between a slow 40-mile route from Center City to Norristown on the Schuylkill River Trail, or a tougher 56-miler. Both rides will begin at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5 on Spring Garden Street. At the finish line, help yourself to a picnic-style lunch and hang out at the free block party. All proceeds from this event will be donated to the Lodge’s Survivor Fund, supporting loved ones of officers killed in the line of duty.

$75, October 16, 8 a.m., Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5. 1336 Spring Garden Street.

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THE CHECK-UP: DON’T EAT THE CANTALOUPES (OR PORK, OR BEEF)

More food recalls than you probably care to know about—today's health headlines

Posted by Emily Leaman on 9/29/2011 at 9:17AM | No Comments

• You may or may not have heard that a listeria outbreak is afoot. The culprit? A cantaloupe crop from a Colorado farm. So far, 13 have died and 72 people have become ill from the bacteria, which can cause food poisoning and trigger more serious conditions in more vulnerable populations (i.e. babies, the elderly). Experts expect instances of listeria illness will continue to rise through October, reports NPR. Check out the article for some practical ways to avoid contamination. And please, don’t eat cantaloupes any time soon.

• Oh, and? A Pennsylvania company has issued a recall on 5,550 pounds of pureed pork because it may contain—wait for it—metal.

• Fine. One more. Tyson’s recalling 131,300 pounds of ground beef due to a possible E. coli contamination.

Ok, so let’s recap: We can’t eat cantaloupe, pork or ground beef. What the heck are you having for dinner tonight?

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