Your skin absorbs 60% of what you apply to it. For those of us using coconut oil as a moisturizer, this means we’re getting some healthy saturated fat, a little defense against fungus and bacteria, and a bit of a metabolism boost. But consider all the toxicity we add to our body for the sake of beauty. Conventional makeup, hair products, nail polish and shaving cream are full of harmful ingredients including Diethanolamine and Triethanolamine (toxic, causes dryness of eyes, hair and skin) and Stearalonium Chloride (highly toxic, can cause allergic reactions) . You may want to have a look at this easy list of the top ten ingredients to avoid.
So what’s the alternative? Your local health food store will have all-natural, fragarance free products. As with food, always read the label – you should be able to understand everything on it. If you have questions, ask someone who works in the natural health care section. Googling “non-toxic makeup” will also lead you to sites where you can order your products online. Dollar-wise, yes, it’s more expensive than the five dollar bottle of Pantene from Safeway. But in the long run, your health is far more valuable. If you wouldn’t drink it, why would you massage it into your feet?
photo credit: Looking Glass
The skin is our largest organ, and yet it is one that so many of us forget to take care of as well as we should. We douse it with fragrances, lotions, and other beauty products that contain an amazing amount of chemicals, many of which have been proven to cause cancer (like parabens for example). The best way to nourish our skin is the same way we nourish the rest of our body–from the inside out, with fresh fruits and vegetables and plenty of good fats. There are also several ways to feed your skin from the outside too that are easy, cheap, and all natural:
Body Brushing: A wonderful way to detox your body, great for your lymph system, nervous and circulatory systems, dry body brushing is best done once a day to three times a week, preferably before taking a bath or shower. Using a loofah or natural bristle brush, and start at your feet. Brush toward the heart in circular movements for five minutes. After a few sessions you will notice a more natural glow to your skin, increased vitality, and a sense of invigoration, especially if done in the morning.
Masks: Our skin loves good food. Some wonderful masks that help nourish the face:
For dry/ sensitive skin: 1/2 an avocado mashed and mixed with ground oatmeal. The fat from the avocado nourishes the skin while the oatmeal soothes it.
For oily skin:Â a mixture of french green clay and pulverized strawberries or cranberries act to draw out impurities while giving your skin the astringent benefits it so needs.
For normal skin: A pina colada for the face! crushed pineapple and banana work wonders–the acid in the pineapple exfoliates the skin while the banana soothes and tightens.
Sea Salt Scrubs: These are yet another great exfoliant for all skin types. Adding a bit of almond oil to the salt keeps it smooth and glowing. The salt helps relax muscles and detoxes the skin. Adding herbs to the scrub is great too–lavendar to soothe, lemon or mint to invigorate, a pinch of cayenne on a cold day to warm you up, rosemary or calendula flowers to heal rashes or other skin problems.
Bug Spray: As the summer months approach, our thoughts turn to mosquitos and how to prevent their nasty little bites. Most bug repellents are literally awful for you. Natural prevention is the best recourse–taking 3 or 4 capsules of garlic and 100mg of vitamin B1 create a smell that repells mosquitos while avoiding sugar and fruit juice, to which mosquitos are naturally attracted can cut down on your victimization. Using certain essential oils—such as eucalyptus, lemon balm, pennyroyal, citronella, tea tree, and geranium also makes effective bug sprays. Simply add a mixture of the above to a water/witch hazel (3 parts water to 1 part witch hazel) solution and transfer to a spray bottle. Several naturopaths say using these oils works as well as commercial mosquito repellent.
Baths: Warm baths are highly underrated. They soften the skin, relax the muscles and release stress from the body, mind, and emotions. Plus you can add all sorts of wonderful things to them– milk to soften skin, sea salt to soothe sore muscles, a tea of herbs such as lavender, mint, rose petals, chamomile, lemongrass, orange rinds to leave you smelling sweet and and all natural.
photo credit: Dennis Wong
Some people love to exercise–they find running meditative, hiking relaxing and spiritual. They go to the gym daily and can’t live without it or faithfully bust out the exercise videos at home….And then there are the rest of us. “Exercise is boring,” we sigh, “it hurts. I don’t have time. I’d rather be relaxing…”
We know that we must exercise, that our bodies must MOVE, that it is an essential part of being fit and healthy and so we force ourselves into it, find a million ways to trick ourselves into sweating.
There is, however, another way–or more precisely, other ways. From the wild to the wacky to the just plain common sense fun, here they are–brilliant and crazy ways to fit in fitness without even knowing you are exercising (who knows, you just might learn something hardly anyone else knows!)
photo credit: antony_mayfield
Join the Circus: When I was little I dreamed, like many children, of running away with the circus. Now I can. Circus workouts are springing up around the country and exercise physiology studies show that an eight week circus training course can improve overall body strength by up to 20% as well as burn 200-400 calories an hour. Workouts vary but most are centered around trapeze workouts, which strengthen the core, back, and arms and tightrope walking which tightens the core, legs, and increases balance. Both also increase flexibility. Along with these fun (and some swear sexy!) tricks, many circus workouts also train the brain and funny bone with juggling, magic tricks, and clown school tips. The workouts are so much fun and such a unique challenge, that you will often forget you are working out.
Hulahooping: In the last few years, classes in the childhood art of hulahooping have become popular. Using weighted hula hoops, the classes mainly work out and chisel the core and hip area but can also get the heartrate up for some fun cardio. There is one catch however–women are typically better hulahoopers than men–our hips are good for more than just child bearing it seems.
photo credit: Tony the Misfit
Retro-robics: The 80’s are back. And it’s more than just headbands and members only jackets out there–Eighties aerobics and jazzercise have made their own comeback! So if you enjoy bopping around in unitards and legwarmers and dancing to Cyndi Lauper and a Flock of Seagulls, these classes are for you. Some instructors are faithful to the exercises and others have updated them to be a bit kinder and gentler on joints and muscles, so ask around. And if you have enough friends interested, have your own retrorobics party–A million Jane Fonda tapes are still available on E-bay (I looked). Dress up, break out the Tab and wail out ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ to your hearts content.
photo credit: Marshall Astor – Food Pornographer
Strippercize: Alright, this one steps away from childhood memories a bit. For women who want to workout while learning some sexy skills. There are strip-aerobics, lap-dance oriented workouts, and the challenging but a wee bit dangerous (watch those spike heels ladies!) pole dancing courses for whatever strikes your fancy. Like the more sedate bellydancing, strippercize is great for both cardio and strength training–it works out your abs, back, arms, and legs as well as your machisma muscle. And it can also double as a valuable work skill in these hard economic times!
Unicycling: Often called ‘the best workout available on one wheel’ unicycling is a challenging skill as well as a great workout. It is hard to do and takes intense concentration, which is good for the brain, builds patience, and is great for weight loss, core strength, and the leg muscles. It also builds stamina and discipline. It helps that unicycling is also relatively inexpensive–the only cost being the machine itself. After that, learning comes from joining a unicycling club (they exist all over the country) and learning from fellow members. The comraderie of this relatively small group is great for the spirit and knowing such a rare skill is always a good ace up the sleeve. 
photo credit: ilvana *.*
Obstacle Courses: Used in gym class and the military for years, obstacle courses have now evolved to offer fun diversions while providing a whole body workout–rope walls and hurdles work out core muscles, climbing walls work on the arms, back, core, and endurance, cones and tires provide training in agility and cardio–all the while providing a challenge that is really fun. Creating your own obstacle course is easy as well–plan a jog past a playground and use the jungle gym or bicycle to a park and use your natural surroundings to test your agility.
photo credit: aussiegall
For the Navajo, as with many native cultures, the concepts of beauty and harmony are interlinked. Dis-ease comes when things are out of balance. This lack of balance can stem from universal forces such as elements and weather, problems within one’s community, or imbalance within one’s own self. The Navajo have a ceremony called “The Beauty Way” which heals an ill individual by restoring harmony.
photo credit: SuperFantastic
How many times have I spoken with a client or another interested individual about their own health concerns. “I’m overweight”, they say, or “I am exhausted”. It doesn’t take long before their pattern of imbalance is revealed. Our modern society is a recipe for disharmony. Long hours at work, fast food, fluorescent lighting, traffic, pollution…what we encounter on a daily basis sets us up for dis-ease. Western researchers are beginning to be able to quantify the effects of what they call “stress” but native people have understood this concept all along. Our bodies and spirits were build to rest in a balance. Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health will only thrive when we nourish each of these dimensions.
Attaining health is not about following some set, rigid prescription of rules. It’s not about eating only salads or meat to lose weight, or exercising 3 hours per day at the gym. It’s about being gentle with yourself and giving yourself what you need. Some days, finding balance means foregoing the exercise and relaxing on the couch.
What does walking in beauty mean to you? Our culture is so sped up that we tend to think of “feeling good” as “getting high” – on food, drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, gambling, or any other experience we can use to get a quick hit. But what touches your heart and makes it sing? What makes you feel peaceful and joyful? Here’s some of my best weight loss advice: I can talk to you till I’m blue in the face about protein at 5 hour intervals, but the best way to attain physical health is by taking a walk in the Beauty Way. How can you be gentle with yourself today?
photo credit: kevindooley
Building on the idea of making my program accessible to anyone at anytime, I have included a fitness routine that can be done at home, at the hotel or on the road, without weights or equipment. This simple set of steps adds resistance training to the program, which complements the aerobic nature of brisk walking, running or hiking.
This routine was inspired by a routine offered by Dan Millman, author of numerous works, including, Way of The Peaceful Warrior, in a workshop that he presented that I attended.
With this protocol, you can achieve great results in a short amount of time. There is a 5-minute version, a 10-minute version and 15-minute version.
5-Minute Home Fitness Routine
Step one:
Standing tall and relaxed, gently bend down to touch you toes, or towards your toes, hold for a few seconds then, beginning with your tailbone, bend yourself back up, with a slight bend in the knees. Sequence the stretch up with your arms for an opposite stretch towards the ceiling or sky. Hold for a few seconds. Repeat this low to high stretch four more times.
Step two:
Simple push-ups. If you are not here yet, you can do a modified push by pushing from your knees. Do ten, or as many as you can do with realistic effort. You can increase the difficulty by putting your feet on a chair and elevating you legs and pushing that way.
Step three:
Squats. Standing with feet slightly wider than shoulder width, place your hands on your waist, put a subtle arch in your back and allow your neck to be free while you face forward as you squat until you knees form a 90 degree angle, then bring yourself back to standing. Repeat the squat ten times. If these are difficult, stand in front of a chair and use the back as a support while you do the squat. I hold my four year old when I do this to make it more difficult; you can borrow a four year old from your neighbors if it is too easy! Ha ha ha!
Step Four:
Simple sit-ups. Use caution for back safety.
5 crunches: Get a mat or a blanket for your back. Lie down and bend the knees so that you legs are propped up. With the arms crossed across your chest, bend forward but do not pull yourself all the way to your legs, instead focus on your abdominal and make a small arch with your upper back and body.
5 leg lifts: Now lie back straight on the floor. Lift your legs a foot of the floor and hold for a 5 count. Bring them back to the floor and rest for a 2 count. Repeat four more times.
photo credit: orangeacid
The very first signs of spring are upon us here in Colorado. The crocuses are coming up in my front yard, the green shoots are just appearing on my bushes and trees and Daylight Savings Time is only twelve days away–hello 7:00 o’clock sunsets! Oh, and I am eyeballing the closets in my house, getting ready for the total Spring Cleaning. With my mind already on cleaning, I read a statistic in an article by Mark Haymand M.D. that really hit home for me– he writes, “A recent study of umbilical cord blood found 287 toxic chemicals, 217 of which are toxic to the brain and nervous system. And that is what infants are exposed to even before they take their first breath. These toxins include mercury, lead, PCBs, BPA, phthalates, plasticizers, flame retardants and more.” This reminded me that Spring is a great time to clean, not only our houses, but the homes that are our bodies, allowing us to lead healthier and lengthier lives and pass on that purity to our children.
Some great ways of cleansing your body of toxins this year:
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography
Eat Organic: It might be a bit more expensive, but committing to eating only foods that haven’t been sprayed with pesticides is an immediate way to cut your exposure to toxins. On average those of us who eat conventional fruits and vegetables consume over a gallon of neurotoxins per year due to pesticide use. Some fruits and veggies are worse than others–one conventionally grown strawberry exceeds the FDA limit of pesticides for an adult person for the whole year while cantalope and watermelon are less toxic. Another great benefit of organic produce (especially if locally grown)–its packed full of more nutrients than its chemically showered alternative.
Know your Fish: Mercury poisoning is a serious issue. Almost fifteen percent of adult American women have toxic levels of mercury in their bodies. We all know that fish is a healthy alternative to red meat, but staying away from highly toxic big fish such as swordfish and albacore tuna and sticking with wild caught salmon or sardines can really make a difference. A good rule of thumb–the bigger the fish, the more mercury–as mercury accumulates in fatty tissue and all those big fish have eaten littler fish that have eaten little fish…etc.
photo credit: ellievanhoutte
Okay, so call me vain but one of the main reasons why I try to eat well and exercise–in addition to the fact that I like to be healthy, happy, and energetic–is because I care about lookin’ good. Don’t we all? And yet for all of the good I do myself with whole healthy foods, meditation, yoga, exercise, and medicinal herbs I realize that every day I slather my scalp, face, and body with toxic chemicals that cause cancer, immunotoxicity, allergies, and possible birth defects. Today I found cosmeticdatabase.com, a great website where you can type in the names of hair and skin products and they will tell you what dangerous chemicals are present and give you suggestions for safe shampoos, moisturizers, deodorants and such. Or keep a small list in your bag so that when you are shopping you know what to look out for–here is a list of common chemicals in our beauty products that are toxic to us:
Fragrances. Each fragrance can have up to 600 different ingredients which are not required to be listed on the label. Even if you’re not sensitive to fragrances, it’s wise to avoid them because they often have hazardous ingredients and there’s no way of knowing if they do.
Preservatives. Many preservatives contain or release formaldehyde which is a carcinogen, neurotoxin, irritant and sensitizer. These include DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl urea, Diazolidinyl urea, quaternium 15, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate and bronopol (2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol). Other preservatives that may also cause reactions include the parabens, methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone.
Talc. It may contain carcinogenic contaminants and products containing talc, including baby powder, should never be used on babies and children.
Artificial colors. Many of them cause cancer. Most of the D&C and FD&C colors are derived form coal tar, a known cancer-causing agent. 
Silica. By itself, silica is not harmful, but it’s often contaminated with crystalline silica which causes cancer. Manufacturers are not required to list contaminants so you’ll never see it on the label.
How big of a threat are contaminants to you and your family? From 1978 to 1980, the FDA analyzed 300 cosmetic samples for carcinogenic contamination. Forty percent of the samples analyzed contained carcinogens. Things actually got worse the next time they analyzed cosmetic samples. In 1991-92, they found that 65% of the cosmetic products sampled contained carcinogenic contaminants. More Recently, in 2004, the Environmental Working Group evaluated the ingredients in 7,500 personal care products for safety. They found that “nearly 70% of all products contain ingredients that can be contaminated with impurities linked to cancer and other health problems.”
Polysorbate 60 or 80, polyoxyethylene, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, PEG, anything ending in “-eth,†such as sodium laureth sulfate. These ingredients may be contaminated with cancer-causing 1,4-dioxane, which is easily absorbed through the skin. Again, manufacturers are not required to tell you about the contaminants.
Diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA). These two ingredients are found in many cosmetic and personal care products. Even though they don’t cause cancer by themselves you should avoid all products that contain them because DEA and TEA can react with nitrites to form nitrosamines which can cause cancer. The tricky thing is that nitrites can be present as a contaminant and not listed on the label. So there’s no way of knowing whether or not a product with DEA or TEA ingredients is contaminated with the cancer-causing nitrosamines.
Propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate. These are common ingredients in shampoos and they’re both toxic. Propylene glycol is a skin irritant which causes kidney and liver damage. Sodium laurel sulfate causes genetic damage.
Steering toward ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ beauty products is no guarantee of safety–many of these are contaminated as well. It definitely pays to do the research–some conscious companies have signed a pledge not to use any carcinogenic ingredients in their products. A list of these companies can be found on Cosmetic Database, along with companies that do not test on animals.
Alternatively, making your own beauty products can be the perfect answer to the dillemma of what to use–many are cheap, nourishing, easy to whip up and good for the skin, hair, and environment. Everyday ingredients such as avocados, nuts, oatmeal, honey, kale, blueberries, mangoes, green tea, bananas, and eggs are all useful and wonderful natural beauty ingredients.
All Natural Beauty has a great website chock full of recipes and local Boulder herbalist Brigitte Mars has a wonderful book Beauty by Nature about creating the most radiant you naturally, inside and out.
photo credit: flikr
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