“I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. What do you want? An adorable pancreas?” — Jean Kerr, American author and playwright.

For me, beauty starts with my skin and..from the outside in, works its magic.  Beauty IS art, its ever-changing..and for me, while  its definitely in the eyes of the beholder, it all starts with ME.

When people say “You look good!”..I believe its because my skin looks glowing…at least on my face!  (although I’ve never asked..gee, why do you say that?  Just take the complement and run with it!)

But skin is the largest organ in our bodies by far…and the one that faces the world every day – imperfections, scales, dark circles and freckles and more…

And, now that I’m approaching menopause,  I can’t seem to drink enough water – 8 glasses a day is a real challenge.  So, I have a hard time believing  I’m hydrating my skin enough.

My big question is:  with skin being our largest organ,  do we reap the benefits of drinking water to reduce dryness on the outer layer?

There is alot of controversy on this point.  Many experts refute that drinking water will hydrate the outer layer, or epidermis of skin.   Basically the moisture level of skin is not determined by internal factors. Instead, it is external factors such as skin cleansing, the environment, the number of oil glands, and the functioning of these oil-producing glands that determines how dry the skin is or will become.

Since the water moves through the body system rather quickly, the best solution is to treat the skin from the outside with a suitable and dry skin moisturizer or dry skin lotion. This forms an effective barrier to water loss from the skin.

When choosing your moisturizer, it may take some trial and error to find the right one.   And, if you’re not getting the results you want, try a new one the next time:

1. Note the first five ingredients. Look for common active ingredients, such as lanolin, glycerin, or petrolatum.  Glycerin is less likely than lanolin to cause an allergic reaction, she says. Also, pick a moisturizer that’s made by a reputable company.

2. Go for added sunscreen. Protecting your skin from harmful sun damage is one of the best things you can do to keep your skin looking young, so buy a moisturizer with a sun protection factor of at least 30. You’ll have to do some searching, but more companies are offering face and body moisturizers with sunscreen

3. Make it skin-type appropriate. The skin on your face is thinner and more sensitive, so it’s a good idea to use a different moisturizer on your face than you do on your body. Of course, choose one that’s right for your skin type. If you know you have sensitive skin, it’s always a good idea to look for a moisturizer labeled hypoallergenic. If you have oily skin, go with a light, oil-free moisturizer. If you have dry skin, get something richer. And if you have combination skin, go with a lighter moisturizer for your whole face and dot drier areas with a heavier cream.

Keep in mind that you may need a lighter lotion in the summer, and a cream or ointment in the winter.

Consider using a moisturizer with retinol before bed. Retinol is vitamin A for your skin and it works by increasing the speed at which your skin cells turn over – similar to a lufra.  You can find it over the counter or by prescription, but use it carefully as it may cause a skin irritation, red skin, or dry skin.

To find out more, you’re invited to join our conversation with our skin health expert, Dr. Deborah Sarnoff, renowned dermatologist  and member of the Eucerin SkinFirst Council, about how to keep your skin healthy.   She’ll tell you why and how what you eat and drink, as well as exercise and stress all can have an impact.  You’re invited to join Kelley and Cassie on July 12th at 11:30 am here.

Join us and make your pledge to keep your skin looking great! Proceeds from your click here will benefit HealthyWomen.org.

Padded cycling shorts, foldable tire tubes, CO2, custom fit road bike, sunscreen, headband…and more. If you like buying “gear” and “gadgets” you’ll love road biking!  Not only that, but the health benefits of cycling on a regular basis include greater cardiovascular strength and strong leg muscles.

Always ready to try a new sport, especially that I’m now “of a certain age”, you must know my bike riding track record is no more than what it was when I was six years old…down to the penny candy store and back.  Yet,  once I found out that not all people with leukemia are as fortunate as my newly-diagnosed dad,  I figured…the worse that can happen is that I am humiliated on my first hill and have to jump in the sag wagon, a version of a van taxi on a mountain.

The “give it a try” was instigated also by my sister, Kara.  Her reasoning was that we can’t cure dad’s chronic myelogenous leukemia,  but we can help find a cure or at least advance medical research.  Because thankfully, he was one of the lucky ones.  CML can be treated these days with a drug called Gleevec but that’s only been made possible because of fundraising championed and organized by patient advocacy and fundraising organizations like the  Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

So, we decided to do a Century together around Lake Tahoe…”America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride”.

We trained for over 14 weeks to strengthen our legs, lungs and heart for this “century” ride.   The bottom line is that I learned so much from the coaches support, knowledge and experience with endurance training – as well as from their unrelenting attitude that we bikers were the engine behind the research – and the thousands of other novice, intermediate and advanced bikers who decide they can make a difference by fundraising money for this ride.

With the $4,500 I raised by reaching out to receptive and generous friends and donors,  LLS paid for my roundtrip airline ticket to Lake Tahoe, as well as two nights hotel.  The real gift is this: they also provided me with top rate bike coaching for the 14 weeks that we trained for this event.  Since I live in Connecticut,  our training rides consisted of  riding 25-65 mile routes on early Saturday mornings from March through May.

It’s really true what the coaches say “if you can bike the routes we plan for you…you’ll be prepared for Tahoe!”.

Together, my husband, Julien,  my sister, Kara, and I rode the hilling, windy, hot and oxygen-light terrain with 2,000 other LLS bikers on June 6th starting from near the Embassy Suites Hotel.   In total, just the three of us raised 13,000.00 for LLS – a mere drop in the bucket for research purposes, but, the collective LLS riders  in Tahoe raised over $6 million!  More than 75% of money raised goes to drug research and patient care for the many types of blood cancers for which there is STILL no cure.

Does this interest you at all?

I would recommend charity bike riding to mid-life women and am looking to establish a group women nationally – with the LLS as our coaches and supporters. Their superb organizational and coaching skills are unsurpassed and their dedication to finding a cure is contagious!

The benefits?

The benefits included getting stronger legs and a stronger cardiovascular system.  The biggest benefit for me was knowing with every ride that I was giving hope to a cure for the millions of patients and future-patients with blood cancers.  I get a knot in my throat when I think about the stories of patients.  And, I am grateful that bikers, years ago,  were able to fundraise so – today, my dad can just pop a pill to manage his condition.

I also have a myriad of new friends who shared an adventure with a common and elusive goal.

Kelley’s well care tip:

“how not to feel old..on a bike!“

OK. It’s almost summer, and barreling down a luge looks icey… but inspiration is season-less:))

You’re invited! Tune in and ask questions as Kelley and Cassie talk with Anne Abernathy, aka Grandma Luge, here on our radio show Friday, May 21st at 12:30 p.m.

Not exactly sure who Anne is? Anne is a six-time Olympic luger who has broken boundaries, records, and stereotypes throughout her career. Anne began competing in the Olympics at age 33, an age when most other luge athletes retired. Her career spanned 26 years. She is the first woman to qualify for six Winter Olympics and, despite battling through major life threatening injuries, cancer, and numerous knee surgeries, she has made multiple comebacks and become a fixture in the sport.

Before her first Olympic appearance in 1988, Anne was diagnosed and treated for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Although the cancer returned several times during her sports career, Anne tried to keep it hidden from the public through three Olympic appearances until it was revealed in a front-page article of the Washington Post prior to the 1998 Nagano Olympics. These were the days before Lance Armstrong broke the stigma of cancer making athletes ‘less than.’

During her career as a luger, she also suffered a serious accident resulting in a brain injury that caused significant medical problems. Within a year of therapy and rehabilitation, she was able to return and qualify for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Anne is in the Guinness World Records book as the oldest woman ever to compete in the Winter Olympics Games. She broke the record first in the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics and again in Torino in 2006.

In 2010, Anne joined TENA, maker of bladder protection products, to let women know about the  “Be Tenacious” campaign and is inspiring women to face this common condition head on and to speak out and seek solutions. As an older athlete in her sport, when Anne experienced bladder control issues she faced a challenge of which her teenage peers were unaware and one that many of her contemporaries were reluctant to discuss.

She now hopes to be a resource for other women and to bring the condition to the forefront of women’s conversations. For more information on bladder control issues, as well as a wide range of other health topics,  go to HealthyWomen.org

How do women find the time to “do good” these days and have fun?

Enter Mary Jo Wallo.

Mary Jo Wallis is your basic renaissance woman.  In addition to surfing, snowboarding and running her own investment company in San Diego she has taken on the mantle as a national leader to Fight Frump (and Give Back!), or do “Altruism with Attitude!”  How, you ask?  Yes the sports play a role but there’s also her vision as co-creator of The Blue Thong Society, a national social and philanthropic women’s organization that’s grown since its inception in 2006 to 300 chapters and 5000 members.

Mary Jo joins Real Women on Health! as our featured guest this week, where she’s going to talk about The Blue Thong Society, give tips on what women can do to “Fight Frump!” by finding like-minded women and giving back, and tell us how BTS  was born.  A hint: it all started at her 50^th birthday when a friend noted that it could be time for the gift of a red hat.  Mary Jo laughed and said a blue thong was more her style…..and the rest, as they say, is history!

We’ll also hear from clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine and private practitioner in New Haven, Connecticut.  Dr. Mary Jane Minken, widely known in the field of gynecology and as a leader in women’s health education both inside and outside the medical community, is giving a couple of minutes of her time to talk to us about powering your pelvic core….

Join Kelley Connors, host, Real Women on Health! with Cassie, Mary Jo and Dr. Mary Jane Minkin,  this Wednesday, May 12th at 8 pm – 9 pm EST streaming live on your computer or, if you live near Fairfield County, Connecticut  listen “on the AM dial” at 1350/1400.

Our show is sponsored by Zestra, essential arousal oils, a patented blend of botannicals that is clinically proven to improve desire, arousal and satisfaction for 70% of women.  Check this out and use promo code ZPASS5 at check out!

Self-acceptance and self-esteem are closely related…and arises as you learn that you are perfect with all your  accomplishments, victories, and … vices.  Self-acceptance is as essential to one’s well-being as water is to a blooming flower.   Have you ever re-framed your “inadequacies”  and lack of self-acceptance into a humor and candor….where laughter has a place in healing and well-being?

Move over Candace Bushnell… and meet Amy Cohen, a New York Times Best-selling author of “The Late Bloomer Revolution”.   Amy says it well here, “I like to think of myself as a late bloomer, one who will, however, late come into bloom.   Although when, and if, I bloom remain a mystery.   I wish I knew how to speak a foreign language fluently.  I wish I knew how to cook a simple roast chicken, or that I had read the Idiot whose main character sounds like someone I can relate to.

By 35, Amy learned to ride the bike of her life.    Click here to take the Late Bloomer’s Quiz and join “The Late Bloomer’s Revolution”.    And, try your guess on our last question of the Late Bloomer’s Quiz here to talk with us.

Speaking of living life on our terms…learn what’s going on “inside the beltway” and take control of your healthcare with our radio show’s Washington, DC correspondant, Robin Strongin.   A true woman’s advocate with the connections to make it happen, she reveals the knowledge that will empower us women to become our own best health and wellness advocates.

Robin is the founder of Disruptive Women in Healthcare, a thriving blogging community of high powered women who are driving innovation in healthcare with thought-provoking ideas and commentary on the nation’s challenges.   This week,  she’s disrupting the status quo with a grasp on why you can’t take clinical trial information at face value…what you need to ask your doctor to stay in control of your health and well-being.

Join Kelley, Cassie, Robin and Amy on Real Women on Health! live talk radio this Wednesday, May 5th at 8 pm – 9 pm EST on your computer at www.wstcwnlk.com streaming live or, if you live near Fairfield County, Connecticut  listen “on the AM dial” at 1350/1400.

Our show is sponsored by Zestra, essential arousal oils, a patented blend of botannicals that is clinically proven to improve desire, arousal and satisfaction for 70% of women.  Check this out and use promo code ZPASS5 at check out!

We’re a culture that mixes sexy and boobs.  So, can a woman feel sexy without breasts?

For breast cancer, and other, survivors, the question sounds just as practical as  provoking.  Breast cancer is the most common kind of cancer affecting women, except non-melanoma skin cancer.  It’s commonness increases with age  and with more targeted treatments available today, women are living longer with cancer.

But the effects of treatment remain.  In some cases, women choose to have their breast removed as prevention… while others have no choice and must have surgery and chemotherapy. Regardless of the path a woman chooses,  cancer wreaks havoc on her “sensual self”.   From the toxic effects of chemotherapy on hair and skin to the disfigurement of breast removal, how do women regain a sense of sensuality?

And, what about sex?  Does sex have a place in living with cancer?

Sensuality and sexuality and what happens after cancer are vital questions for women coping with cancer today.

Because the loss of sexual desire after cancer has more than one reason behind it, restoring libido or “desire” often requires more than one solution.   It’s not at all just about boobs for many women.  And, sometimes the desire for sex remains strong, however, the physiological effects of cancer treatment itself interferes with performance or pleasure.

The topic is one plagued by the medicalization of women’s health, the lack of communication between the healthcare professional and patient, societal taboos around sex and women’s bodies, poor communication between intimate partners and lack of understanding of the impact of cancer treatment.  In fact, in the beginning, women may feel guilty that they are thinking about anything other than “surviving” so the question of  “What’s going to happen to my sex life” is left outside of any medical setting.

Since women don’t talk about it with healthcare professionals, Real Women on Health! will open up the dialogue with Lisa Martinez, former Executive Director of the Women’s Sexual Health Foundation, on Wednesday evening 8 pm EST on local radio WSTC 1350/WNLK 1400 or live streaming on the web at www.wstcwnlk.com.

Lisa Martinez is a consultant and educator on women’s health issues and was the Founder of The Women’s Sexual Health Foundation. As a registered nurse and an attorney, she is a leader in the area of women’s health.  She has appeared on CBS News LA and ABC, and has been interviewed on various NPR programs. She has served as a source for multiple media concerns including CBS, The Wall Street Journal, Self, More Magazine, and Discovery Health.

Our radio show is sponsored by Zestra, essentail arousal oils, a patented blend of botannicals  clinically proven to improve arousal, desire and satisfaction in 70% of women.   Please click here to learn more about Zestra and use this code:  ZPASS5

]]> http://realwomenonhealth.com/2010/04/26/a-taboo-explored-cancer-sex-and-intimacy/feed/ 2 http://realwomenonhealth.com/2010/02/08/803/ http://realwomenonhealth.com/2010/02/08/803/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:36:15 +0000 admin http://realwomenonhealth.com/?p=803

It’s not all in your head, it’s not a sign of age, nor is it even a lack of interest: About seventy million American men and women have problems in the bedroom. Join health psychologists Dr. Robert Fried and Dr. Lynn Nezin to learn about the eating plan for sexual vitality.

Sexual function requires an adequate arterial blood supply to the endothelium, or inner cell lining of arterial vessels. The endothelium produces the gas nitric oxide, or NO, that relaxes the blood vessels and increases blood flow not only in the heart but, importantly, in the sex organs.

Damaged endothelial tissue impairs blood flow during sexual arousal, and SAD (the Standard American Diet) is particularly damaging to the endothelium. Impaired blood flow is associated with sexual dysfunction in both men and women.

Tune in to hear more about cardiosexual nutrition as we discuss “Great Food, Great Sex: The Three Food Factors for Sexual Fitness.’’ Our plan focuses on three Food Factors that help supply the body with the ability to synthesize NO, as well as provide important sources of antioxidant-rich foods to help lower LDL, or “bad” cholesterol that can cause plaque to build up in vessel walls. Learn how to plan delicious, healthy meals that can take you from the kitchen to the bedroom.

Join Kelley and Cassie with Drs. Lynn Nezin and Bob Fried, this Wednesday, February 10th @8:30 pm EST. And, sign up to join our community on our home page, and get the top recipe that Lynn and Bob recommend you try out for this Valentine’s Day!

Robert Fried, Ph.D., is a New York State licensed clinical psychologist, professor of biopsychology and neuroscience at Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), and Doctoral Faculty in Biopsychology and Neuroscience, CUNY. As the former director of the Stress and Biofeedback Clinic at the Albert Ellis Institute for Rational and Emotive Behavioral Therapy, NYC, Dr. Fried taught the stress-reduction techniques he developed to his private and corporate clients. In addition to University teaching duties and his clinical practice, Dr. Fried, as consultant to the “nutraceuticals” industry, has developed a number of widely sold sexual vitality-enhancing dietary health products.

He is the author of a number of book including his most recent, “Human Sexuality” (Whittier, 2010), and “Great Food, Great Sex” with Dr. Nezin (Random House, 2006), “The Arginine Solution” (Warner Books, 1999), and his popular stress-reduction book, “Breathe Well, Be Well” (John Wiley, 1999). In addition, he has authored several textbooks and more than fifty scientific journal articles.

Lynn Nezin, PhD, holds a doctorate in clinical health psychology. She is a senior strategic planner at Medicus Life Brands in New York City. She is the former assistant to the president of the American Health Foundation. Dr. Nezin’s research includes body image in older women, nutrition in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and physician-patient interactions. She is a former marathon racewalker and certified personal trainer.

While everyone is talking about how you can make 2010 your best year ever, I invite you to restore yourself.

Why?

It’s hard to heed advice like “reinvent your life” when you’re exhausted from the holidays and anxious about yet another year ahead.  It’s overwhelming to feel that everything in your life could use a “change”. Consider restoration as a pathway to a state of health, soundness, or vigor.

As I choose restoration this year, I’ll share with you my one BIG tip to guide you on your own pathway to restoration:

B: Be open to making your first yoga class of the year (or your life!) the beginning of  restoration in your life.

Yoga can help you become open to restoration by helping you relax and gain clarity.  A regular practice has many health benefits that are proven – especially those that relate to stress management.

Need convincing?  If you’d like to know the health benefits of yoga, do some research beforehand.

I:  Invite a friend to a yoga class that you found particularly inspiring and beneficial in mind and/or body.   If the friend is resistant, let it go.  This is also part of yoga practice….acceptance.   There may be a better time later…or, perhaps someone else you can invite?

G:  Go to a yoga or mind/body event in the next two weeks to kick off 2010.   I’d like to invite you all (if you’re in the metro NYC area), to a restorative yoga class this Saturday, January 9th with Rita Trieger whom I met last year through Elements Yoga in Darien, Connecticut.

Rita Trieger is the founder and editor-in-chief of Fit Yoga magazine, as well as the author of Yoga Heals Your Back (Fairwinds, 2005), and Tranquil Mind, a meditation and yoga CD. A nationally known and sought after teacher, Rita incorporates many different traditions into her inspiring and challenging flow-style classes. She is also a certified Relax and Renew (restorative yoga) teacher as well as a Reiki practitioner. Rita lives, practices, and teaches yoga in New York City, and in Connecticut at Elements Yoga, Stamford Hospital’s Health and Fitness Institute and the Bennett Cancer Center. More recently, Rita has been hired as the stress management facilitator for the newly established Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness, also at Stamford Hospital. Her dedicated students are truly a testament to her genuine, spirited style.

Check out Elements Yoga in Darien, CT for more information on new classes, workshops and retreats.  They have a really great retreat coming up in Jamaica in March 2010 you’ll want to find out about!

A recent New York Times article, “My Brain on Chemo, Alive and Alert”, held my feet to the fire to recognize the routines in my life I sometimes abhor.  Only good health affords us the priviledge of ignoring gratitude and bliss in favor of blurred images of how we spend our precious time here.

That’s why, when Marisa at HealthyWomen told me about Mary Beth Maida, a breast cancer survivor, and her book, “Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls”, I knew I had to bring her story to you all.  Like Lisa Martinez says, “we are all survivors of breast cancer” since we know more women each year who are diagnosed with this condition, threatening to affect one in eight women over a lifetime.  That’s way too common but the good news is that more women are surviving today, based on earlier diagnosis and earlier, better treatments.

With that said, women’s health research shows and personal experience magnifies the fact that personal empowerment is absolutely key for women surviving breast cancer.   Enter Mary Beth and her partner Debbie Kiederer, a dynamic and passionate duo who have just launched Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls – the first-ever community dedicated to women who want to look and feel their best while they deal with the side effects of cancer treatment.  They believe that every woman dealing with cancer deserves to look and feel as close to normal as her energy and her spirit will allow.

Marybeth Maida is a journalist and breast cancer survivor who has worked in television, film and web for more than 20 years. She is Chief Operating and Strategy Officer for Public News Service, an independent, state based network dedicated to producing news in the public interest; President of the Beauty Foundation for Women’s Cancer Care, and vice president of the Red Bank Borough Education Foundation. Marybeth lives in New Jersey with her husband and children.

Debbie Kiederer is a 25 year veteran of the retail cosmetics industry, a digital strategist, and Founder and Principal of ChalkDust Consulting. She is an executive board member of the Hunt Hill Farm Trust, Skitch Henderson’s Cultural Center; an advisory board member of the New Canaan YMCA Diving Parents’ Association; board member of the Beauty Foundation for Women’s Cancer Care, and a
member of Cosmetic Executive Woman (CEW) and the Metropolitan Executive and Professional
Registry. Debbie lives in New York with her husband and children.

Join us on September 26th at 9:30 am EST for our on-line health salon and radio show “Beauty Pearls for Chemo Girls” with Mary Beth and Debbie and bring your friends.   Support for our friends and our family members surviving breast cancer is what Real Women on Health! is all about!