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Women in a locker room

Avoiding Locker Room Germs

So how’s this for a first world problem?  We are constantly being warned about dangers of obesity.  In fact, it seems we cannot put on the tv or  social media without seeing pictures of people on treadmills, eating green vegetables and  practically bursting with health. The message is obvious, exercise is important and we need to incorporate it into our lifestyles.

However, no matter how healthy we are, virus and bacteria horror stories seem to pop up almost as often.  Whether it be an outbreak in a food chain or a child on a slide at MacDonald’s, it seems evident that we must also place avoiding germs high on our list of priorities.

And therein lies our dilemma:  the gym locker room.  We’ve heard so many horror stories about what happens in this place.  There seems to be a disagreement about locker room etiquette.  From inappropriate bodily emissions to naked toenail cutting, the potential for picking up some kind of bacteria seems almost unavoidable.  So what options are there for the health obsessed germophobe?  Should we choose to be sick and skinny or disease free and fat?  Here are some things we can do to keep ourselves protected in this hotbed of germs.

Keep Your Jellies On
Because the shower and locker room  tend to be  warm and damp, they are great places to find to mold, algae and fungus.  These villains  find their way around the locker room mixing with sweat, skin cells, and urine.  (And don’t think that shower floor has never been urinated on)  Barefooted athletes in the gym locker are a prime target for Athlete’s Foot and other catchable infections.  Cover those feet!

Don’t Stuff Your Sweaty Clothes in Your Gym Bag
Jack Foley, ATC, director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer at Lehigh University says,”If you’re tossing warm, damp gear in your gym bag after a workout, you’re allowing germs to have a free ride home in a perfect petrie dish. ” (Quite an  image, no?) A better idea is to bring a clean plastic bag with you for dirty clothes and wash them when you get home  and, while your doing that, try tossing in your gym bag every other time or two or use disinfectant wipes to clean it inside and out.

Don’t Drink from the Water Fountain
This seems like good advice in the locker room and not.  According to the cleaning business, Coverall, a water fountain can have 2.7 million bacteria per square inch per spigot.  BYOW. (Bring your own water.)

Wash Your Face and Hands
Letting sweat and grime fester on your face is not going to do anything to help your acne problem.  And,before you wash your face, wash your hands.   After touching the handlebars on the stationary bike in spin class, you don’t want to know what kind of germs and viruses are your hands may be carrying.  Your hands are the most common culprits for transferring bacteria between surfaces, so keep ’em clean!

Bring Your Own Towels
Ah!  The pleasure of drying off with a nice clean towel after a good hot shower.  Not so fast!   Some gym employees have a habit of using the same containers for dirty and clean towels which aids in the spread of E. coli and MRSA.  Bring two antimicrobial towels from home, one for wiping sweat, the other for post shower and you will be the coolest (and cleanest) kid at the gym.

Woman playing golf

Round the Year Skincare for Golfers

Let’s review the facts.

Golfers spend a lot of time in the sun. The average time for a foursome to play 18 holes is four hours.It’s also recommended that if golfers play regularly if they are serious about improving their game.  In fact, as of 2011, golfers played an average of 58 rounds a year.  Do the math and that works out to a lot of time outside.

The majority of golf players are male.  Even though the popularity of the Ladies PGA tour grows every day, and we love you, Maria Sharapova,  77.5% of golfers in the U.S. are male.  And the average age of golfers in the U.S. is 54.  Now, ask yourself this, honestly, how many men do you know who are over 54 religiously apply sunblock?

Men over the age of 40 have the highest annual exposure to UV radiation and the majority of people diagnosed with melanoma are caucasian meant over 50. According to an article in Golf digest, dermatologists believe the odds of skin cancer are worse for golfers and it is likely that a higher percentage of golfers have skin cancer than the 20% reported for the US population.   According to Dr. Michael Kaminer, “Some golfers, it’s like they’re going out of their way to get skin cancer,” and he plays golf.

But just because you’re not in the average demographic for golfing, it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy golf, and just because you are not a female millennial, you do not get an excuse for being ignorant about skin health.  So, let’s agree that golfing and taking care of your skin is not mutually exclusive! So listen up golfers:  here are some round the year skincare tips for golfers.

Use Sunblock Every Time You Play
Make sure to go with at least SPF 30 and make sure it says “broad spectrum”  on the label.  This way you know you are getting both UVA and UVB protection.

Woman playing golf

Wear a Hat, Long Sleeves, Pants and Sunglasses
The Skin Cancer Foundation says to wear one that extends 3″ ALL THE WAY AROUND; that means, no baseball caps or visors.  (Something tells me this may be a problem.) Wearing pants and long sleeves are very helpful in keeping the sun off.  If you are really too hot for sleeves, Nike and Under Armour make sun sleeves.  Try to get them with at least a 30 UPF.  and don’t forget to rock the SGs.  Make sure you choose a pair that blocks 99-100% of the sun.  OK, so now that you’re bundled up, let’s go play some golf.  No, only kidding, but statistics show that most golfers are college educated, so use those brains!  Stay away from the sun.

Re-Apply Sunscreen Every Two Hours
Sweat, moisture and time can all effect the strength of sunscreen. Check around the 8th or 9th hole to see how long it has been since your last application.

Schedule an Early or Late Tee Time
Try to avoid putting between 10 and 4 when the sun is strongest.  Take advantage of twilight rates, or predawn hours.

Find Shade
Trees are not really the most common features on golf courts, so a golf cart may be a good idea. The cart’s awning will provide some sun relief. If you must walk the court, try and stand in the shadiest place possible when not teeing off.  You will be cooler as well.

Woman drinking tea

There's a Tea For That

You decide to do the afternoon date. You’re really not that sure about this guy, or gal, so you want to meet at a neutral place.  You decide that no alcohol should be involved and that this not to be an expensive place.  A costly dinner may leave you feeling beholden to him/her and you want to be prepared to split the check if necessary.  He/she suggests a trendy tea house in your neighborhood. You will meet there.

You arrive at the place.  He/she asks you what you would like. You look up at the menu and are horrified.  There are at least 50  different brands of tea and you haven’t heard of half of them.  What do you do?  If you order the plain tea, will you appear too boring, not enough of a risk taker, or should you order something you never heard of? Will he/she think you want to dive into bed with him/her If you order something too exotic? What will your tea say about you? What if you order something you hate  and have to “accidentally” spill it when he/she goes to the restroom?  Well, have no fear.  Here is a small guide to the different types of tea and their benefits.

Black Tea
Making up about 75 % of all tea consumption, black tea is made from the leaves of the”camellia sinensis” plant, which are rolled and fermented.  It has a slightly bitter flavor and contains the most caffeine, about 40 mgs a cup. (May not want to have too much on the first date.)  It is packed with antioxidants called theaflavins and thearubigans which can lower cholesterol.  Research shows that drinking three of more cups of black tea will reduce the risk of a stroke by 21%.

Green Tea
Because the leaves used in green tea are heat treated and dried right after they are picked, the fermentation process is halted.  This gives it a more delicate flavor than black tea.  Green tea contains about 25 mgs of caffeine per cup.  Perhaps most commonly associated with health benefits, green tea contains catechins known to ward off everything from cancer to heart disease.  A daily cup can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by 10%.

oolong tea

Oolong Tea
Fermented for a shorter time than black tea, oolong tea has a richer taste.  It has about 30 mgs of caffeine per cup and may aid in weight loss and contains an enzyme that dissolves dietary fat.  One study showed that women who drank oolong tea burned slightly more calories over a 2 hr period than those who drank water.  (Got your new workout routine?)

White Tea
White tea has a mild flavor and less caffeine than other varieties, about 15 mgs. It does wonders for the cardiovascular  system, fights cancer and may help people with diabetes, improving glucose tolerance and reducing bad cholesterol.  FYI:  Loose tea may contain more antioxidants than tea in bags.

Flavored Tea
Yum! Flavored tea generally has the health flavors of the others, but if flavored with superfruits, like blueberries (Blueberry tea?  Anyone had this?) may have even more antioxidants.  But, a word to the wise, skip the bottled varieties.  They notoriously contain extra sugar and are watered down, reducing the health benefits.

So, now that you know the skinny, what will you choose?  Which type of tea are you?  Let us know!

Woman buying sandals in a shoe store

Flat Sandals And Foot Health

Marilyn Monroe once famously said, “Give the girl the right shoe and she can conquer the world.” I hardly think this is disputable. From time immortal, women have had seemingly unnatural relationships with their shoes. But most of the time, when we speak of these obsessions, high heels come to mind. Unfortunately, heels have their limitations. They make our legs look fabulous, but by the end of the day, the agonized looks on our faces might scare away all comers no matter how fab our gams look. Let’s face it! We need our flats. Six-inch stilettos may be just the thing in the nightclub, but not so much for the supermarket (although I have never seen Beyonce at Ralph’s.) But, that’s okay. There are some really cute and cheap flats right? Ballet flats, flip-flops, jelly shoes and sandals are really fashionable for that sexy comfortable Sunday afternoon look. In fact, even Victoria Beckham, who once said,”I can’t concentrate in heels”, was spotted wearing brogues at the start of the summer. So, it’s a win-win right? Comfort and fashion. Wrong!

According to Dr. Nichola Dunne, director of Douglas Orthotics, “People think that they are doing the right thing by wearing flats, but they don’t realize how much damage they can cause.” Although they may be better for our balance, flats have no arch support, fastening straps or shock absorbing materials. They can cause friction to the heel , Achilles tendon, and toes that can lead to blisters and callouses, and, commonly cause flat feet. In addition, the damage may not stop may not stop at the ankle Back, hip and knee pain are often attributed to wearing flats.

Plantar Fascitis
You may have heard about this on late night infomercials. Plantar fascitis is the swelling of the tissue that runs between the heel and the foot. It can be caused by weight gain or, you guessed it, unsupportive footwear. The HSE estimates that this condition affects one-tenth of the population. Says Dunne,”Each September, every second person who comes into the clinic has plantar fascists after spending the summer in sandals or flip flops.” (Are you regretting all those sandals sitting in your closet waiting to be worn?)

What Can You Do?
Buy your shoes in the afternoon. Your feet may be a little swollen from daily activity and will give you a more accurate expectation of how your shoes will fit on a daily basis. Stretch calf muscles daily to avoid tendonitis and try rolling a ball under your foot to relieve pain. And as for choosing our shoes, is there any middle ground? Should we ship out all our sandals to the Salvation Army, or is that too cruel? Chris McCarthy ,manager of Foot Solutions says, ” Not all flats are bad. A good shoe should have a cushioned base and be shaped to support the arches….The heel counter…behind your heels , needs to be solid and not tilt in or out. Proper shoes will support the heel bone to keep the foot flat and prevent pain.” And NO FLIP FLOPS!! According to the experts, these are an orthopedic disaster. They can cause pain, permanent damage to your toes, screw up your posture, slow you down, expose your feet to infection and could be made of toxic materials. In other words, if you are looking forward to walking comfortably for the rest of your life, avoid these at all costs.

So go forth, choose wisely and have fun conquering the world!

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