The WELLalarm Blog

ChiWalking

Just about any kind of exercise that focuses on balance and alignment will get my attention. That's why ChiWalking piqued my interest. Marathon runner Danny Dreyer used the principles of the martial art T'ai Chi to create this new way of walking "based on the premise that all movement and power originates from your center, not your arms and legs." It's a gentler, smoother way of walking that helps you relax and improves your alignment, balance and strength. Dreyer claims it can even help prevent arthritis.

There are twelve kinds of walks broken down into four categories: physical, mental, emotional and metaphysical. Fortunately, none of these walks resembles any of Monty Python's Silly Walks. No, ChiWalking involves smaller changes, like tilting your body slightly forward, paying special attention to your body's alignment and posture, and taking slightly shorter strides. ChiWalking is about engaging your body and mind more fully while you walk. You walk smarter, so you get more out of your walk without unnecessary wear and tear on your joints and ligaments.

Dreyer has created an entire industry around the idea of ChiWalking and its sister program, ChiRunning. He has books and DVDs and he runs workshops and training programs. On the website you'll find a blog, a bulletin board, and a library of tips. ChiWalking also has a partnership with New Balance and recommends optimal shoes for your practice. I wish there were direct links between the shoe product codes and an online shop, but it looks like this may be in the works on New Balance's Website.

What's especially helpful about this program, though, is that it can help people at a variety of levels. If you're short on funds you could check the book out from the library and refer to the website. You can start light if you're a beginner or you can intensify your workout if you're an experienced runner. I love that this fabulous fitness program can work for many different people.

Find out what AARP Magazine, US News & World Report, and Examiner.com had to say about ChiWalking.

A barefoot toast to your longevity, and other links

I've got a lot on my mind these days... like these interesting health-related articles I came across recently. What's on your mind?

Ten is the magic number this week. I've found 10 ways to fit more walking into your life and 10 ways to sleep smarter and better.

You still have time to make that bikini work. Try out these 4 ab exercises for beginners.

Good news: Menstruation may help women live longer than men. So sit back and celebrate your period with a glass of wine, which may slow aging.

Ah, barefoot summer fun. Here's Parent Hacks with a method for removing splinters with tape. Then consider a few cures for leg cramps during pregnancy.

Website Review: Trusera

I read just last week that an interesting new social network was officially launched, Trusera It's an online health network where people can share their real-life experiences. The network's tag line is "the power of been there." The idea is you can find great, practical health advice from other people.

The founder of Trusera, Keith Schorsch, is a former Amazon executive. Just as I came upon the idea of WELLalarm through my experience with illness, Schorsch thought of Trusera while dealing with Lyme disease. Actually, he became ill on a trip to the Northeast and none of the doctors he saw in Seattle could figure out what was wrong. It wasn't until he told a friend about his symptoms that he hit upon his diagnosis. "Sounds like Lyme disease," his friend said. Sure enough, his friend was right. The doctors didn't catch it because Lyme disease is rare in Seattle.

Schorsch realized how valuable it is to have a network of people sharing information about health matters. I get that, too. That is why I find the Neuropathy Association to be an important resources, and it's why I applaud their efforts to increase the sharing of information by patients and caregivers via their website.

One thing I find both particularly interesting and slightly disconcerting, though, is the the way Trusera links you to other users through keywords that you input. To further explain, based on the information you provide (and you only have to provide as much information as you're comfortable sharing), the networks software links you with other people through keywords, rather than just by your condition. Therefore, you don't get defined by your illness, but by rather your keywords. While on the surface is this seems like a fabulous idea -- I mean, we're all much more than our current physical condition, right? -- there are some potential concerns.

For example, people may jump to conclusions about other people's conditions (or their own) based on their keywords (and many users' keywords will most likely be based on symptoms). This may also lead to patients self-diagnosising conditions, a concern of many doctors already have due to the increasing use of the Internet for healthcare information!

Privacy is, of course, another concern. Though Trusera has taken precautions to help users protect thier privacy (specifically, you can control your privacy and share your profile with just a small network of Trusera members or the whole community) buy using keywords instead of conditions people may accidently share more information than they are comforatble doing without realizing it.

The network has been in Beta for a while and has built up membership, but it will become a stronger tool the more people join. Just having browsed the website, it looks very user-friendly, even for non-techie types, and the design is warm and attractive.

On the other hand, you have to request a membership in order to participate. I was a bit taken a back that this request must include a statement "about a health or wellness passion, interest, or experience." This could be a bit daunting for the privacy-conscious person who may just want to take a look around before deciding to participate.

You can read more about Trusera in Mashable, The Healthcare Blog, Venturebeat, and on Trusera's own blog.

Keen Quinoa

Image from 101 cookbooks.

Have you tried quinoa? "Quin-what?" you ask. Quinoa, pronounced "keen-wah," is a seed that looks and acts like a grain. It's a complete protein, is loaded iron, is a great source of fiber, and is gluten free.

Best of all, it's delicious. It has a nutty flavor and a light texture similar to couscous only fluffier. Quinoa really shines in salads -- just cook, add chopped veggies and herbs, olive oil, and lemon, and you've got a nutritionally complete dinner. You can find quinoa at health food stores or online at Organic For Max, Eden Organic, Living Tree Foods, and even Amazon.

To cook, cover quinoa with water in a pot. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff before serving.

Quinoa salad

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup baby arugula

2 scallions, finely chopped

5 fresh apricots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup toasted pistachios, roughly chopped

2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice from 1 lemon

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper to taste.

This works best if you make it a few hours before dinner. After cooking quinoa, let cool a little for about 5 minutes and then pour over arugula to wilt it a little. Just before serving add other ingredients and stir well. Enjoy! Makes 2-3 main-course servings.

If arugula is too bitter for you, substitute with chopped spinach leaves. If you're feeling spicy, add some red pepper flakes as well.

Image from NPR.

This NPR article on quinoa has some great looking recipes.

Here's a recipe for vegetable fried quinoa with links to more quinoa recipes.

Try quinoa with black beans and tomatoes.

Quinoa can be as simple as this big bowl with some of your favorite vegetables.

For a completely different quinoa experience, try Ancient Harvest Quinoa Polenta.

Mineral makeup

Now that summer is here I've been hearing all about mineral makeup and how it can give you that sun-kissed glow. Does it live up to its claims, and how does it treat your skin?

It all depends on the ingredients list. Many cosmetics use titanium dioxide, which is anti-inflamatory. It's also is non-comedegenic so won't clog pores. Beware of mineral makeups containing a lead and copper byproduct, bismuth oxychloride, which can irritate skin and cause cystic acne. Check out the non-mineral ingredients as well. Does the titanium dioxide hang out with no-good synthetics like parabens? You may want to put the bottle back on the shelf.

 

I've tried Philosophy's Supernatural and I liked the effects; that said, I am sad to report that it contains bismuth oxychloride! Supernatural didn't irritate my skin (not yet, anyway), but I'd still like to try other kinds of mineral makeup.

 

Naked Minerals Cosmetics are paraben-free.

Everyday Minerals are free of parabens and Bismuth oxychloride. In fact, they list their ingredients online. Don't you love that?

 

Beauty Bliss Cosmetics does not use busmuth oxychloride or mica (which can also irritate skin).

 

 

 

If you want to read reviews of mineral makeup there's a blog called The Mineral Makeup Blog. I think it's a great resource for finding out how well different mineral makeup product work, but I'd still keep checking those ingredient lists as well!

Get a free Naked Minerals™ mineral foundation and Kabuki brush, a $ 100.00 value - FREE.

20% off Beauty Bliss eye shadows.

To DEET or not to DEET

It's officially summer! And don't the bugs know it. When it comes to repelling insects, DEET has long been the most effective tool. But there is that little problem of DEET being a toxic chemical, harmful to the environment and possibly irritating to your skin. And wouldn't it be fabulous if insect repellent smelled better?

I've been looking into some alternatives to DEET-based insect repellent. According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, there are no botanical-based substitutes that last as long as DEET does. However, soybean oil was found to last 94 minutes.

Bite Blocker uses soybean-oil with coconut and geranium oil. Our editor and mosquito-magnet Adriana has been using Bite Blocker this summer and loves it!

The Centers for Disease Control recommends using insect repellents that contain oil of lemon eucalyptus, picaridin, or IR3535 (3-[N-butyl-N-acetyl]-aminopropionic acid) as the active ingredient.

So, which insect repellents contain these important ingredients?

 

Repel(R) uses oil of lemon eucalyptus.

 

Cutter Advance has picaridin, which is not irritating to skin and also scentless.

Avon's famous Skin-So-Soft line contains IR3535. Their Bug Guard also contains picaridin.

Remember, when using DEET-free insect repellents be sure to reapply frequently!

Consumer Reports has a handy guide to DEET-free repellents.

I love my MBT Shoes!

Have you heard of MBT shoes? I have been living in mine since 2005 and simply adore them for a plethora of reasons.

MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. The shoes are inspired by the athletic African Masai tribesmen, but Swiss engineer Karl Müller got his first inkling of the shoes during a visit to Korea. Walking barefoot over paddy fields seemed to alleviate his chronic back pain. Upon his return home he started working on a shoe that would mimic the sensation of walking barefoot through sand.

Müller designed a shoe with a thick, curved, layered sole. The shoes distribute your weight equally through the foot, which should reduce pressure on your hips and knees. They also throw off your balance a little, so you're constantly working your core muscles areas (abdominals, buttocks, rear thigh, and lower leg). According to the literature, you even get a workout while standing still in your MBTs because they give the sensation of rocking backwards.

While I have my doubts regarding the real value of MBTs for firming up one's derrière, I have found them to be invaluable in helping me compensate for some of my lost reflexes. I also strongly believe that they have helped me improve my posture.

I ordered the MBT MWalks in Orange in early April and found the cut significantly more narrow than all the other styles I own and also less comfortable. That said, they are really adorable! Since then, I've read comments on the Web that there are problems with the new designs. Hopefully the company will work out these flaws as they try to make the shoes more attractive.

Some people find MBTs a bit funny looking. In the past few years the company has significantly expanded the number of styles from the original debut line, the sport style. I think they have done a great job in creating a mix of styles that appeal to a wide range of customers. Several of their leather shoes, for example, look very much like a classic leather tie shoe. The MBT Black Leather Tambo Boots are on my back-to-school wish list for the fall!

Now if they could only invent some nice heels...

In the meantime, I think the original shoe designs are excellent and I am right now ordering a brand new pair of my all time favorite MBT's: the MBT Sports High in Black.

If you are interested in buying yourself a pair here are some fabulous coupons:

MBT coupons on Bodytrends.com/Walkers Warehouse

Coupon Code: Twenty - $20 off discontinued styles

Coupon Code: Fitsugar - $20 off discontinued styles

Coupon Code: MBTdeal - 10 percent off

Coupon Code: 15% off all non-full-priced MBTs

MBT Coupons for Bliss Store

Coupon Code: WCARD08 - 20% off

3rd and 4th contest winners!

I would like to apologize as we have been remiss in announcing two more contest winners! Sonya Keller and Lisa Gordon! Congratulations!

We will announce the 5th contest winner on schedule this Sunday!

Attack of the killer tomatoes

Last year it was spinach; this year it's tomatoes. Just in time for summer salads, tomatoes are being pulled from grocery shelves in the wake of salmonella poisoning outbreaks dating back to April. The scourge is nation-wide and difficult to trace.

The suspects? Raw red plum, raw red Roma, and raw red round tomatoes.

According to the FDA, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes with the vine still attached have not been linked to the salmonella outbreak. You can check out the list of states that, as far as we know, are not sending out contaminated tomatoes (which means you should be able to eat plum, Roma, and red round tomatoes from these states).

Your best bet? Buy locally and seasonally. This most recent case of widespread food poisoning is yet another product of our too-large, under-regulated food distribution system. When our food is grown on giant factory farms and shipped from all over the globe it's all the harder to make sure it's 1) grown safely in the first place and 2) not contaminated on its way to stores and restaurants. The current administration and Congress have been too slow to enforce and properly fund real food safety measures.

Those of us with tomato cravings can try growing our own if we have garden space. Or we can go to our local greenmarket and ask the farmers there about how they grow their tomatoes and how they avoid contamination. Buying local isn't a guarantee, but it reduces your risk. It also comes at a cost: the tomatoes I bought this weekend at the greenmarket were $2.00 each! What about people who can't afford to local, organic produce, or who don't live near good markets?

Unfortunately, food safety issues hit people with the least amount of choices the hardest. This is why we need food safety policy we can all count on.

Read more about the tomato salmonella outbreak on WebMD and the Washington Post blog, The Checkout.

Image via The Kitchn.

Eco Spas

Using natural botanicals in spa treatments is nothing new, but according to Nora Isaac's article "Eco Paths to Exfoliation" in the New York Times, the locavore movement has recently seduced spa culture. More and more spas are getting in on the eco-friendly game, and that includes sourcing treatment ingredients from local produce.

Alas, James E. McWilliams, the author of A Revolution in Eating: How the Quest for Food Shaped America, says “Maybe ‘green lite’ will turn into ‘green heavy... But the most environmentally-friendly thing we can do is reduce our consumer spending dramatically, and a spa is a dramatic luxury expense.”

Oh all right, and I suppose it's not very eco-friendly to go jetting off to a spa far from home, either. But if you're going on vacation anyway, or if you really, really need some TLC for your overall health, might as well go eco, right? Here are some spas around the country (some from the Times article) where you can find green treatments.

Cliff House Resort and Spa, Ogunquit, Maine

Naturopathica, East Hampton, New York

Stoweflake Mountain Resort, Stowe, Vermont

ESSpa Kozmetika Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sundara Inn and Spa, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

El Monte Sagrado, Taos, New Mexico

The Crossings, Austin, Texas

Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, Sonoma, California

Auberge du Soleil, Napa Valley, California

Eco Bliss, Los Angeles, California

Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, California

To find more green spas near you try Eco Spas and Ideal Bite.

Images from Cliff House Resort and Spa.