” Do you believe in what you see? ” A line taken from today's Free Friday tune. It's a downtempo 80 rpm song with a cool vibe. At 4:32, it's nicely placed in a profile coming out of a climb.
An interesting fact: this British duo named themselves after a night club in Honduras!
Enjoy ‘In the Waiting Line' from the Simple Things album by Zero 7:
And here's a fun remix for your free soundcloud download:
You know how it can be challenging as Indoor Cycling Instructors to convince those in the weight room that it's important to cardio train in addition to lifting?
Sometimes it's the same way for me about skin care, sunscreen and convincing people of our skin's importance in general.
I worked with an instructor other day that wanted to do something about her age/ sun spots. I was excited to see her and had great products in mind that would help reduce her current spots and prevent new ones from forming. When I mentioned sunscreen was the #1 thing she could do to prevent new spots from forming, she said, “No way, I never have, and never will wear sunscreen”.
Hmmm, I wondered. Why no sunscreen, ever? (Too psychological for me to figure out). But I did wonder…if we thought about caring for our skin like we do our cardiovascular system, it might hit home.
So, here's a quick look at our skin:
-It's our largest organ and needs to be taken care of!
Age spots, sun spots, or any new unwanted skin occurrence, is a sign of trauma and onset of skin weakening. Just like we would address high blood pressure/ sugar, weight gain, chest pain, etc., we need to address noticeable changes in our skin. A note here: if you recognize a new mole, change in an old mole, or any troublesome spot that won't heal, please consult your doctor immediately.
– It's the first line of defense against pollution into our body!
The ‘invasion' if you will, of pollutants- free radicals, elector-magnetic rays, UVA and UVB rays and all the other unidentified pollutants flying around. I used to scoff a bit at this pollution thing (living in Minneapolis and all), but I don't anymore. All I need to do is look at my car after it's been parked all day downtown Minneapolis. The build up is rather amazing. It didn't take long to correlate the fact that this build up was also happening to me…us…on our skin. Yikes! If our skin is compromised through years of abuse (as mine has been), it can't do a good job of protecting us against pollutants getting into our system. The good news is it's never too late to help it repair and restore itself- much can be done. We can also use products to add additional protection. These products do not have to be expensive to do a good job.
-It's complicated and has many facets:
The top layer of our skin is the epidermus and the layer underneath it is the dermis, followed by the subcutaneous layer.
Our skin is our biggest organ.
Cosmetic products work at the dermal/epidermal junction (DEJ). This is significant because, at the DEJ, the bloodstream and lymphatic system is not affected. (However, cellular renewal and transformation is still greatly effected at the DEJ.) Prescription (Rx) products work beyond the DEJ, going into the bloodstream and lymphatic system. For all intents and purposes, we will be discussing cosmetic products working at the DEJ here at PRO/STYLE.
As I tell my daughters, it is SO much easier (and less expensive) to prevent aging (i.e. compromising our skin) than it is to reverse aging (which is possible at different levels depending on the damage).
We have such an amazing and unique opportunity to be in the elements practicing and honing our trade. Whether it's biking, running, walking, swimming, skiing…whatever we're doing, I'd love to hear from you about what's worked and hasn't, what you love and don't, or any questions you have.
And, as always, let me know what you'd like me to post about. Thanks!
Please contact me: amyjo@groupfitnessradio.com, or comment below.
Slapping up 6 coats of paint in 24 hours allows one to listen to many playlists (I am ‘un-nesting': meaning painting over the yellow/ orange and turquoise blue walls Abby and Carly chose for their bedrooms, now that they've moved out). Among the artists I listened to this week:
-Imagine Dragons- Calvin Harris- John Mayer- Toby Lightman- Tristan Prettyman – Bruno Mars- Lorde- Justin Timberlake- Frank Ocean- Yuna- Everything But the Girl- Alex Claire- Vicci Martinez. An eclectic list and I'm pretty sure I kept the cement guys putting in our new sidewalk guessing!
Out of that list comes today's music suggestion by Tristan Prettyman. It's a quick flat road called ‘Bad Drug' that's already in my profile/playlist for Saturday. At 89 rpm's and 2:50, I'm going to use it as we ramp up out of our warm up.
Check out all of Tristan's tunes on SoundCloud. Not only is she beautiful to listen to (and look at- she's a former Roxy model), but most of her tunes are free to download! Thanks Tristan.
Okay, we may not be screaming for it, but we might be silently screaming about it because:
We've heard enough about SPF to last us a lifetime.
We didn't wear it, the damage is done (although we know we can stop further damage) and we just don't like the stuff.
We've given in…and we're wearing it, but we hate it because it's shiny and it feels terrible.
We're currently exhausted from trying to apply it to some kind of child/ children in our life, or are still exhausted from the memory of chasing said child/ children around the yard to apply dreaded sunscreen.
We are guilt ridden because we've run out and know we must replenish in the next 24 hours or something very bad is sure to happen.
Thankfully, I'm not going to extol the virtues of sunscreen. As Fitness Instructors and active people, we know them. And, if you're like me, and didn't use it when you were young(er), the benefits of using sunscreen (and the side effects of not using it) are very apparent in life as we know it today. Plus, I just hate the look and feel of a sunburn!
So…because I've been on a long quest for a face sunscreen- one to wear faithfully on a day to day basis that doesn't make me look like a ‘shine ball' and feel like I want to scrape it off with a putty knife, I thought it would be useful to share what I finally found:
Clarins UV40HP is so light, I can't feel it after I put it on. And, bonus….I don't shine. This stuff sells like hotcakes at Nordstrom where the Cosmetic Department ‘inter-sells'. This means the staff sells between cosmetic lines, so they really sell what they love and what works for their clients. Titanium Dioxide is the sunscreen ingredient (natural vs. chemical) and cantaloupe extract is among the plant ingredients for nourishing the skin. Not only does UV40HP give sun protection 40 from UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays, but also free radical and elector-magnetic (i.e. cell phone, computer, lights, etc.) protection. Best of all, it comes in 4 options: UV40HP Untinted, UV40HP Light, UV40 HP Medium, UV40 HP Dark. It's $40 for the untinted and $42 for the tinted. The tinted is beautiful, for most, as a substitute foundation! I've been using mine since April, so it's lasted over 5 months.
Here are a few of the face sunscreens I've tried and not liked at all (not complete by any stretch):
–Neutrogena Ultra Light, Ultra Sheer: It wasn't either ultra light, or ultra sheer, but it was ultra shiny! My Dermatologist swears by Helioplex, an ingredient in this, so I gave it a shot. I do like the body spray sunscreen though.
–Lancome Bienfat UV50+ Super Fluid: No thank you! It left a white gray cast on my face that would not rub in and it was shiny, thick and greasy feeling all day. Yuck. I put it on my body to use it up before a bike ride and John said, “Why do you look all pasty like a mummy?”
–Skinceuticals Daily Sun Defense SPF 20: I do like this for outside protection (riding, swimming, boating, etc.) It's too thick and shiny for everyday use however.
Have you found a sunscreen you love? Or, at least one you can tolerate and use daily? Let us know and comment about it. Is there anything you'd like to talk about here at PRO/STYLE? Please let me know: amyjo@groupfitnessradio.com.
*I receive no compensation from anyone for writing this, including John 🙂 . If I do in the future, I will happily reveal that information. You can reach me: amyjo@groupfitnessradio.com
All it takes is a 22 year old to keep me out of my box. Today we have another suggestion thanks to ‘Abby is listening to…..on Spotify'. This song has been a good surprise for my group as I lead them out of a moderate climb. They are accustomed to another moderate road, but not this profile! I take them out of a 74 rpm climb into a 99 rpm sprint match with their neighboring rider. It's fun and gets them interacting a bit without being too invasive (they don't really like ‘buddy' work, but do enjoy a bit of friendly competition). This tune has a pulsing 99 rpm beat, but is not overwhelming with loud vocals, so they can talk and encourage each other through the 3:47 sprint.
I hope you and your class will have as much fun with Drake's ‘Hold On, We're Going Home', as we have. You may also shock them a bit by having Drake in your playlist. I know I did. If John picks this tune up, his class will definitely know he's using OPM (other people's music)!
” Do you believe in what you see? ” A line taken from today's Free Friday tune. It's a downtempo 80 rpm song with a cool vibe. At 4:32, it's nicely placed in a profile coming out of a climb.
