FitSugar

Strike a Yoga Pose: Foot to Hand

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:00:35 -0800

What's not to love about a forward bend? These poses feel so good after a run to lengthen the lower back and hamstrings - just the tight places that need a good stretch. If you liked the variation of the pose known as Big Toe Standing Forward Bend, since you hold your toes to pull yourself more deeply into the pose, then you're going to love this variation for the deeper stretch it provides while simultaneously giving your wrists a sweet release.

Sanskrit Name: Padahastasana
English Translation: Foot to Hand Pose
Also Called: Standing Forward Bend

Learn more details in this pose when you read more.

Begin standing at the front of your mat. Step your feet hip distance apart.
Take a deep breath in extending through your spine, and as you exhale, hinge at your hips, reaching your head out as you fold down. Lift up the front of each foot and place your hands underneath, palms facing up. You want your toes to press on the wrist creases. Bend your knees if you need to in order to place you hands in this position.
Keep your spine long, and if you can, try to straighten your legs.
Tuck your chin in, relaxing the back of your neck and releasing your shoulders away from your ears. Draw the top of your head toward the floor and your torso toward your legs by using your abdominal muscles.
Hold here for five deep breaths. Inhale to straighten your arms, and exhale to come up to standing.

Do you love talking about all things yoga? Then check out the Yoga Stretch and Tell group.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Camel

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:00:41 -0800

After hunching forward blogging all day my body craves backbends. Luckily for me, Camel pose is a staple in a yoga practice. Do this pose regularly to increase flexibility in your lower back, shoulders, and hip flexors but to also strengthen your quads and abs.

Sanskrit Name: Ustrasasana
English Translation: Camel Pose

Curious to know how to get into this pose? Then read more.

Kneel at the front of your mat, keeping your knees under your hips. Look back and make sure your shins, ankles, and feet are parallel to each other.
Put both hands on your hips, and gently arch back, just beginning to warm up your lower back and quads.
When you're ready, reach your right hand back toward your right heel, and then your left toward your left heel. Your hands are there for balancing support, so don't lean all your weight into them. Try to shift weight forward into your knees, which will also increase the stretch you feel in your belly and chest.
Lower your head behind you and stay here for five breaths.
Come up slowly and sit on your heels. Lean forward, releasing your lower back into Child's Pose.

Do you love talking about all things yoga? Then you'll definitely want to check out the Yoga Stretch and Tell group.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Arching Low Lunge

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:30:23 -0800

My hip flexors are one area of my body that could always use some extra attention. Here's a lunge variation, similar to Warrior 1, but with your back knee resting on the floor, you can really increase the stretch for the muscles on the front part of your back thigh. Arching your spine backward also offers a great stretch for the abs and shoulders; not to mention it strengthens your core and increases flexibility in your spine.

Sanskrit Name: Anjaneyasana
English Translation: Low Lunge Pose
Also Called: Arching Low Lunge or Grounded Warrior 1

Curious to know how to get into this pose? Then read more.

Begin in Downward Facing Dog. Step your right foot forward between your hands, making sure your knee is directly above your ankle. Lower your left knee to the floor.
Lift your torso and raise your arms straight into the air. Allow your hips to press down toward the floor to increase the stretch in your right hip and left hip flexor. From here, arch back, gazing at the ceiling or toward your hands.
Stay here for five deep breaths and then repeat this pose with the left knee forward.

Do you love talking about all things yoga? Then you'll definitely want to check out the Yoga Stretch and Tell group.

Millions of Unemployed Face Years Without Jobs

Roarman — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:42:41 -0800

Even as the American economy shows tentative signs of a rebound, the human toll of the recession continues to mount, with millions of Americans remaining out of work, out of savings and nearing the end of their unemployment benefits.

Economists fear that the nascent recovery will leave more people behind than in past recessions, failing to create jobs in sufficient numbers to absorb the record-setting ranks of the long-term unemployed.

Call them the new poor: people long accustomed to the comforts of middle-class life who are now relying on public assistance for the first time in their lives - potentially for years to come.

Yet the social safety net is already showing severe strains. Roughly 2.7 million jobless people will lose their unemployment check before the end of April unless Congress approves the Obama administration’s proposal to extend the payments, according to the Labor Department.

Here in Southern California, Jean Eisen has been without work since she lost her job selling beauty salon equipment more than two years ago. In the several months she has endured with neither a paycheck nor an unemployment check, she has relied on local food banks for her groceries.

She has learned to live without the prescription medications she is supposed to take for high blood pressure and cholesterol. She has become effusively religious - an unexpected turn for this onetime standup comic with X-rated material - finding in Christianity her only form of health insurance.

“I pray for healing,” says Ms. Eisen, 57. “When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got to go with what you know.”

Warm, outgoing and prone to the positive, Ms. Eisen has worked much of her life. Now, she is one of 6.3 million Americans who have been unemployed for six months or longer, the largest number since the government began keeping track in 1948. That is more than double the toll in the next-worst period, in the early 1980s.

Men have suffered the largest numbers of job losses in this recession. But Ms. Eisen has the unfortunate distinction of being among a group - women from 45 to 64 years of age - whose long-term unemployment rate has grown rapidly.

In 1983, after a deep recession, women in that range made up only 7 percent of those who had been out of work for six months or longer, according to the Labor Department. Last year, they made up 14 percent.

Twice, Ms. Eisen exhausted her unemployment benefits before her check was restored by a federal extension. Last week, her check ran out again. She and her husband now settle their bills with only his $1,595 monthly disability check. The rent on their apartment is $1,380.

“We’re looking at the very real possibility of being homeless,” she said.

Every downturn pushes some people out of the middle class before the economy resumes expanding. Most recover. Many prosper. But some economists worry that this time could be different. An unusual constellation of forces - some embedded in the modern-day economy, others unique to this wrenching recession - might make it especially difficult for those out of work to find their way back to their middle-class lives.

Labor experts say the economy needs 100,000 new jobs a month just to absorb entrants to the labor force. With more than 15 million people officially jobless, even a vigorous recovery is likely to leave an enormous number out of work for years.

Some labor experts note that severe economic downturns are generally followed by powerful expansions, suggesting that aggressive hiring will soon resume. But doubts remain about whether such hiring can last long enough to absorb anywhere close to the millions of unemployed.

A New Scarcity of Jobs

Some labor experts say the basic functioning of the American economy has changed in ways that make jobs scarce - particularly for older, less-educated people like Ms. Eisen, who has only a high school diploma.

Large companies are increasingly owned by institutional investors who crave swift profits, a feat often achieved by cutting payroll. The declining influence of unions has made it easier for employers to shift work to part-time and temporary employees. Factory work and even white-collar jobs have moved in recent years to low-cost countries in Asia and Latin America. Automation has helped manufacturing cut 5.6 million jobs since 2000 - the sort of jobs that once provided lower-skilled workers with middle-class paychecks.

“American business is about maximizing shareholder value,” said Allen Sinai, chief global economist at the research firm Decision Economics. “You basically don’t want workers. You hire less, and you try to find capital equipment to replace them.”

During periods of American economic expansion in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, the number of private-sector jobs increased about 3.5 percent a year, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of the Economic Cycle Research Institute, a research firm. During expansions in the 1980s and ’90s, jobs grew just 2.4 percent annually. And during the last decade, job growth fell to 0.9 percent annually.

“The pace of job growth has been getting weaker in each expansion,” Mr. Achuthan said. “There is no indication that this pattern is about to change.”

Before 1990, it took an average of 21 months for the economy to regain the jobs shed during a recession, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the National Employment Law Project and the Economic Policy Institute, a labor-oriented research group in Washington.

After the recessions in 1990 and in 2001, 31 and 46 months passed before employment returned to its previous peaks. The economy was growing, but companies remained conservative in their hiring.

Some 34 million people were hired into new and existing private-sector jobs in 2000, at the tail end of an expansion, according to Labor Department data. A year later, in the midst of recession, hiring had fallen off to 31.6 million. And as late as 2003, with the economy again growing, hiring in the private sector continued to slip, to 29.8 million.

It was a jobless recovery: Business was picking up, but it simply did not translate into more work. This time, hiring may be especially subdued, labor economists say.

Traditionally, three sectors have led the way out of recession: automobiles, home building and banking. But auto companies have been shrinking because strapped households have less buying power. Home building is limited by fears about a glut of foreclosed properties. Banking is expanding, but this seems largely a function of government support that is being withdrawn.

At the same time, the continued bite of the financial crisis has crimped the flow of money to small businesses and new ventures, which tend to be major sources of new jobs.

All of which helps explain why Ms. Eisen - who has never before struggled to find work - feels a familiar pain each time she scans job listings on her computer: There are positions in health care, most requiring experience she lacks. Office jobs demand familiarity with software she has never used. Jobs at fast food restaurants are mostly secured by young people and immigrants.

If, as Mr. Sinai expects, the economy again expands without adding many jobs, millions of people like Ms. Eisen will be dependent on an unemployment insurance already being severely tested.

“The system was ill prepared for the reality of long-term unemployment,” said Maurice Emsellem, a policy director for the National Employment Law Project. “Now, you add a severe recession, and you have created a crisis of historic proportions.”

Fewer Protections

Some poverty experts say the broader social safety net is not up to cushioning the impact of the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Social services are less extensive than during the last period of double-digit unemployment, in the early 1980s.

On average, only two-thirds of unemployed people received state-provided unemployment checks last year, according to the Labor Department. The rest either exhausted their benefits, fell short of requirements or did not apply.

“You have very large sets of people who have no social protections,” said Randy Albelda, an economist at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. “They are landing in this netherworld.”

When Ms. Eisen and her husband, Jeff, applied for food stamps, they were turned away for having too much monthly income. The cutoff was $1,570 a month - $25 less than her husband’s disability check.

Reforms in the mid-1990s imposed time limits on cash assistance for poor single mothers, a change predicated on the assumption that women would trade welfare checks for paychecks.

Yet as jobs have become harder to get, so has welfare: as of 2006, 44 states cut off anyone with a household income totaling 75 percent of the poverty level - then limited to $1,383 a month for a family of three - according to an analysis by Ms. Albelda.

“We have a work-based safety net without any work,” said Timothy M. Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “People with more education and skills will probably figure something out once the economy picks up. It’s the ones with less education and skills: that’s the new poor.”

Here in Orange County, the expanse of suburbia stretching south from Los Angeles, long-term unemployment reaches even those who once had six-figure salaries. A center of the national mortgage industry, the area prospered in the real estate boom and suffered with the bust.

Until she was laid off two years ago, Janine Booth, 41, brought home roughly $10,000 a month in commissions from her job selling electronics to retailers. A single mother of three, she has been living lately on $2,000 a month in child support and about $450 a week in unemployment insurance - a stream of checks that ran out last week.

For Ms. Booth, work has been a constant since her teenage years, when she cleaned houses under pressure from her mother to earn pocket money. Today, Ms. Booth pays her $1,500 monthly mortgage with help from her mother, who is herself living off savings after being laid off.

“I don’t want to take money from her,” Ms. Booth said. “I just want to find a job.”

Ms. Booth, with a résumé full of well-paid sales jobs, seems the sort of person who would have little difficulty getting work. Yet two years of looking have yielded little but anxiety.

She sends out dozens of résumés a week and rarely hears back. She responds to online ads, only to learn they are seeking operators for telephone sex lines or people willing to send mysterious packages from their homes.

She spends weekdays in a classroom in Anaheim, in a state-financed training program that is supposed to land her a job in medical administration. Even if she does find a job, she will be lucky if it pays $15 an hour.

“What is going to happen?” she asked plaintively. “I worry about my kids. I just don’t want them to think I’m a failure.”

On a recent weekend, she was running errands with her 18-year-old son when they stopped at an A.T.M. and he saw her checking account balance: $50.

“He says, ‘Is that all you have?’ ” she recalled. “ ‘Are we going to be O.K.?’ ”

Yes, she replied - and not only for his benefit.

“I have to keep telling myself it’s going to be O.K.,” she said. “Otherwise, I’d go into a deep depression.”

Last week, she made up fliers advertising her eagerness to clean houses - the same activity that provided her with spending money in high school, and now the only way she sees fit to provide for her kids. She plans to place the fliers on porches in some other neighborhood.

“I don’t want to clean my neighbors’ houses,” she said. “I know I’m going to come out of this. There’s no way I’m going to be homeless and poverty-stricken. But I am scared. I have a lot of sleepless nights.”

For the Eisens, poverty is already here. In the two years Ms. Eisen has been without work, they have exhausted their savings of about $24,000. Their credit card balances have grown to $15,000.

“I don’t know how we’re still indoors,” she said.

Her 1994 Dodge Caravan broke down in January, leaving her to ask for rides to an employment center.

She does not have the money to move to a cheaper apartment.

“You have to have money for first and last month’s rent, and to open utility accounts,” she said.

What she has is personality and presence - two traits that used to seem enough. She narrates her life in a stream of self-deprecating wisecracks, her punch lines tinged with desperation.

“See that,” she said, spotting a man dressed as the Statue of Liberty. Standing on a sidewalk, he waved at passing cars with a sign advertising a tax preparation business. “That will be me next week. Do you think this guy ever thought he’d be doing this?”

And yet, she would gladly do this. She would do nearly anything.

“There are no bad jobs now,” she says. “Any job is a good job.”

She has applied everywhere she can think of - at offices, at gas stations. Nothing.

“I’m being seen as a person who is no longer viable,” she said. “I’m chalking it up to my age and my weight. Blame it on your most prominent insecurity.”

Two Incomes, Then None

Ms. Eisen grew up poor, in Flatbush in Brooklyn. Her father was in maintenance. Her mother worked part time at a company that made window blinds.

She married Jeff when she was 19, and they soon moved to California, where he had grown up. He worked in sales for a chemical company. They rented an apartment in Buena Park, a growing spread of houses filling out former orange groves. She stayed home and took care of their daughter.

“I never asked him how much he earned,” Ms. Eisen said. “I was of the mentality that the husband took care of everything. But we never wanted.”

By the early 1980s, gas and rent strained their finances. So she took a job as a quality assurance clerk at a factory that made aircraft parts. It paid $13.50 an hour and had health insurance.

When the company moved to Mexico in the early 1990s, Ms. Eisen quickly found a job at a travel agency. When online booking killed that business, she got the job at the beauty salon equipment company. It paid $13.25 an hour, with an annual bonus - enough for presents under the Christmas tree.

But six years ago, her husband took a fall at work and then succumbed to various ailments - diabetes, liver disease, high blood pressure - leaving him confined to the couch. Not until 2008 did he secure his disability check.

And now they find themselves in this desert of joblessness, her paycheck replaced by a $702 unemployment check every other week. She received 14 weeks of benefits after she lost her job, and then a seven-week extension.

For most of October through December 2008, she received nothing, as she waited for another extension. The checks came again, then ran out in September 2009. They were restored by an extension right before Christmas.

Their daughter has back problems and is living on disability checks, making the church their ultimate safety net.

“I never thought I’d be in the position where I had to go to a food bank,” Ms. Eisen said. But there she is, standing in the parking lot of the Calvary Chapel church, chatting with a half-dozen women, all waiting to enter the Bread of Life Food Pantry.

When her name is called, she steps into a windowless alcove, where a smiling woman hands her three bags of groceries: carrots, potatoes, bread, cheese and a hunk of frozen meat.

“Haven’t we got a lot to be thankful for?” Ms. Eisen asks.

For one thing, no pinto beans.

“I’ve got 10 bags of pinto beans,” she says. “And I have no clue how to cook a pinto bean.”

Local job listings are just as mysterious. On a bulletin board at the county-financed ProPath Business and Career Services Center, many are written in jargon hinting of accounting or computers.

“Nothing I’m qualified for,” Ms. Eisen says. “When you can’t define what it is, that’s a pretty good indication.”

Her counselor has a couple of possibilities - a cashier at a supermarket and a night desk job at a motel.

“I’ll e-mail them,” Ms. Eisen promises. “I’ll tell them what a shining example of humanity I am.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/business/economy/21unemployed.html?sq=... New Poor&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=all

Challenge 4: Fitness Journal

Yogaforlife — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:46:41 -0800

Saturday, 10:00 am: two friends join me for Ashtanga Yoga: Primary Series at my local yoga studio. Duration 1.5 hours.
Saturday, 7:30 pm: Take my two dogs for a 25 minute walk.

Sunday, 7:30 to 9:30 am: Work out to dvds. Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, followed by Core Rhythms Lower Body Sculpt. Finish with an hour of yoga (home practice of Primary Series.
Sunday 5:30 pm: Take my two dogs for a 35 minutes walk. They pull a lot - so I think this counts as strength training too!

Monday, 4:00 pm: Do full Primary Series at my local yoga studio. Duration 1.5 hours.

Tuesday, 5:30 am: Do Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and follow up with some yoga.
Tuesday, 12:00 pm: Do half Primary Series at my local yoga studio. Duration 1 hour. My yoga teacher instructs me on "homework" to help loosen my lotus more, i.e. strange torture that feels extremely awkward. I'm to practice this after my regular yoga practice.
Tuesday evening: Took dogs for a walk (again counts as strength training - their 125 pounds versus my 110 pounds holding them back!)

Wednesday, 6:00 am: Opted not to work out but rather took my puppies outside so I could chase them in the fresh snow from last night's snowstorm. Spent a half hour playing with them before getting ready for work. Cardio exercise? I certainly got sweaty and out of breath.

Plans for rest of the week:
Wednesday, 4:00 pm: Ashtanga Yoga, Full Primary Series (1.5 hours) at my local studio.
Wednesday, evening: hubby and I plan on doing a half hour of gentle yoga stretches tonight before we shower - he's feeling stiff today.
Thursday, morning: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, Core Rhythms Lower Body Sculpt.
Thursday, Lunch time: half primary series(1 hour) at my local yoga studio.
Friday: Full primary series + intro to secondary at 6 pm at my local yoga studio (2 hours?). Not sure if I will work out in the morning.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Bound Extended Side Angle

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:00:57 -0800

Although yoga poses vary between different types of yoga, Extended Side Angle is a basic standing posture you'll see in most any class you take. This pose strengthens your legs, and makes you feel bold, yet relaxed. We've already tried the variation of this pose known as Twisting Extended Side Angle, so here's another variation you can try. I like this one especially because it opens the shoulders and chest.

Sanskrit Name: Baddha Utthita Parsvakonasana
English Translation: Bound Extended Side Angle Pose
Also Called: Bound Side Angle

To find out how to get into it read more.

Begin on your mat in Downward Facing Dog pose. Step your right foot forward between your hands, and rise up into Warrior 1.
Open your hips, arms, and chest into Warrior 2 pose.
Lower your right shoulder as low as you can in beside your right inner thigh, and reach your right arm underneath your hamstring. Reach your left arm around your lower back, and bind, holding your left wrist with your right hand.

Draw your upper shoulder back as far as you can, and gaze into the left corners of your eyes. Try to stack your shoulders, and lengthen through your spine as you draw your belly in.
Stay here for five breaths. Then come back to Down Dog and repeat this pose on the left side.

If you love yoga, you're not alone. Meet other yogis in the Yoga Stretch and Tell community group.

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800

The Biggest Myths About Skin

salimen — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:53:59 -0800

#1 Cleansers with anti-aging ingredients don't work because you rinse them off right away.
Some anti-aging cleansers-particularly those containing glycolic acid-can actually improve skin tone and texture with just a little bit of contact. Don't rush through your time at the sink, though. "To guarantee absorption, massage your cleanser into your skin for about a minute before rinsing it off," Day says. You could also alternate your regular cleanser with premoistened cleansing wipes. "Many of them contain anti-aging ingredients like alpha hydroxy acids, and they're a great alternative since you don't rinse them off at all," says Jeannette Graf, former assistant clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center.
#2 Home microdermabrasion is no different than a grainy scrub.
Besides the fact that they're both exfoliants, microdermabrasion and scrubs have little in common. "Grainy scrubs are often made up of coarse, rough particles, which can be too harsh for sensitive skin," Day says. "Microdermabrasion kits are just as-if not more-effective, but they have fine, even particles and are much less aggravating." Plus, the kits often contain soothing, hydrating ingredients.
#3 If using glycolic peels or microdermabrasion kits twice a week is good, then every day is better.
Yes, you can have too much of a good thing. "Using these products too often might make your skin feel smoother temporarily, but it can be very irritating in the long run," Waldorf says. And the more you do it, the harder it will be to restore your skin's health. "These products work only if your skin has time to recover in between. If not, it will lose its protective barrier and become weak and dull," Day says. Even if a kit suggests daily use, "I still tell patients to use them no more than twice weekly-your skin simply doesn't need it," Waldorf says.
#4 Over-the-counter creams can't build collagen in the skin.
Actually, over-the-counter retinol (along with prescription retinoids) is able to increase the collagen in your skin by promoting the regrowth of new cells at the skin's deepest level. And now there's news that some other over-the-counter products have been proven to stimulate collagen, too. "We used to think that peptide particles were too big to penetrate, but now some companies attach them to other molecules, such as lipids and liposomes, that are able to get through," Waldorf says. The same is true for antioxidants. "Scientists have discovered ways to attach them to liposomes, which can easily penetrate the skin," Graf says. The only downside: "It takes much longer to build collagen with an over-the-counter cream than it does with a prescription," Waldorf says
Nothing short of a scalpel can firm sagging skin.
Creams that stimulate collagen "can help a bit," says Waldorf, but "once the skin really starts to lose elasticity, it needs fillers such as Restylane, Juvaderm, or Radiesse, or radio-frequency treatments such as Thermage, to reverse sagging."
#5 You need separate products for acne and anti-aging.
It's actually quite possible to hit these two birds with one stone-especially if that stone is a retinoid. "Prescription retinoids such as tretinoin and tazarotene are potent acne medications as well as the gold standard for topical anti-aging," Waldorf says. "They sweep away the dead cells that cause whiteheads, blackheads, and clogged pores, and they increase cell turnover and collagen production." And while retinoids were once thought to fight only the signs of sun damage, "we now know that they can fight genetic aging too," Waldorf says. "This is great news for women who do protect themselves from the sun but still have some lines." As for over-the-counter options, "products containing lower-strength retinol can still be effective against aging and acne-ridden skin," she says.
#6 Expensive means better.
True-in the case of handbags, sheets, and flat-screen televisions. But inexpensive anti-aging products can work well, and they could even be better. "Expensive products may have great packaging and marketing, but they do not necessarily have more science backing them up," Waldorf says. Case in point: "A clinical study in the February 2006 issue of Dermatologic Surgery showed that Aveeno's Soy Moisturizer is a more effective anti-aging treatment than StriVectin"-a stretch-mark cream turned wrinkle reducer-says Jeanine Downie, a Montclair, New Jersey, dermatologist. One guideline is to "stick to labels that you know," Waldorf says. "An obscure product might say it contains certain ingredients, but you can't be sure of what you're getting or how effective it will be."
#7 The more anti-agers you layer on, the better.
Smearing on product after product might make you think you're doing the utmost for your skin, but it isn't worth the effort-or the money. "The more treatments you use, the more likely you are to develop an allergy or irritation and have no idea which product caused it," Waldorf says. "Plus, the products won't work as well. A balanced approach is best-focus on a couple products with the ingredients your skin needs most." For the majority of people, that's "a lightweight antioxidant serum followed by an SPF-infused moisturizer in the morning and a retinoid followed by a moisturizer (or a moisturizer with retinol) at night," Waldorf says.
#8 Anti-aging creams work better at night.
Like vampires, some anti-aging creams work best when the sun goes down-but not all. "Any anti-aging cream that contains retinoids, peptides, AHAs, or BHAs should be used at night," says Graf. "While you sleep, blood flow to the skin increases, the PH level decreases, and the protective barrier is weakened. These ingredients work best under these conditions." Other anti-agers are crucial during the day. "Antioxidants and SPF are key for daytime," Graf says.
#9 If a cream isn't showing results in a few weeks, move on.
#10 Tingling, redness, and flaking are normal side effects of anti-agers.
Put down the ice pack and step away from the concealer. It's mainly certain alpha and beta hydroxy acids and old-school prescription retinoids that "cause some redness, scaling, and itchiness when you first start using them," Waldorf says. And to a lesser degree, vitamin C products and anything in a gel base can be irritating, too. We used to think that irritation meant it was working, but "now we know that it can be just a bad side effect," Graf says. "In fact, anti-agers work much better on healthy skin that isn't irritated." Gentler formulas, such as prescription Retin-A Micro, cause minimal irritation. And some anti-agers, such as peptides, aren't irritating at all. If you do experience mild redness or peeling, usually all it takes to calm the skin is reducing the frequency of application, a little restraint, and daily SPF. If you have an excessive reaction, see a doctor. "When I prescribe a retinoid, I recommend that patients use it twice a week for two weeks. Then, most women can use it every other day or even daily," Waldorf says. Retinoid-treated skin is more prone to sunburns, so "a daily dose of SPF 30 or above is vital, too," says Day. And while it may be tempting to slather on retinoids, "just a pea-size dot for your entire face is enough," Day says. "Retinoids are not soothing night creams-a little goes a long way."
#11 If you use retinoids on your face, you can't get an upper-lip or eyebrow wax.
Nothing-not even retinoids-should stand between a woman and her mustache. To prevent burning or peeling, "anyone using retinoids, alpha hydroxy acids, or beta hydroxy acids should lay off them for two days before the wax and two days after-and let the waxer know what you're doing," Waldorf says. "Right after the wax, apply a 1 percent hydrocortisone cream to the area to reduce irritation." Gentler anti-agers such as peptides and antioxidants do not affect waxing at all.
#12 A sunscreen with SPF 15 can prevent wrinkles.
SPF 15 isn't enough to keep you crease-free-no matter how diligently you apply it. "SPF 15 gives you just 93.5 percent protection from UVB rays; SPF 30 gives you 97 percent protection; SPF 45 gives you 98 percent protection; and so on," Downie says. To protect yourself from the UVA rays that cause collagen and elastin damage and melanoma, be sure that it includes "either stabilized avobenzone [such as Helioplex], Mexoryl, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide," says Waldorf. Two good sunscreens: Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF 55 with Helioplex and Burt's Bees Chemical-Free Sunscreen SPF 30, which contains titanium dioxide.

The Going Rogue Index

amybdk — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:00:15 -0800

Sarah Palin didn't put an index in her book. So we made one for her.

By Christopher Beam
Posted Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, at 10:52 PM ETSource

When Sarah Palin's 413-page autobiography, Going Rogue: An American Life, hit stands Tuesday, readers discovered the governor's most mavericky move yet-that the book lacks an index. So Slate has compiled its own. Just print out this index, paste it into the back of your copy, and start skipping around! (And yes, the page numbers are real.)

Alaska________autumn bouquet of, 1________robin's egg sky of, 2________superiority to Lower 48 of, 1-413

Baldwin, Alec________preference for Stephen over, 314

Biden, Joe________gaffes of, 278________pre-debate stretching regimen of, 296 accidental reference to as "Senator O'Biden," 289

blinking, not, 198

Blitzer, Wolf________approval of mother of, 351________implicit disapproval of, 351

Builder, Tito the, 305

Bono, nondescript conversation with, 301

books and magazines, references to________A Conflict of Vision, 385________Animal Farm, 27________Buck, Pearl S., 180________Bible, the, 15 ________Cookbooks, 15________Lewis, C.S., 27________Nash, Ogden, 15________National Geographic, 27________The Pearl, 27________Ranger Rick, 27________Reader's Digest, 15________Seagull, Jonathan Livingston, 27________Service, Robert, 15________Sports Illustrated, 27________The Wonderful World of Oz, 16

cap and trade________brilliant suggested renaming of as "Cap and Tax," 390________characterization of as "environmentalist Ponzi scheme," 391

capital letters, unorthodox use of________"Patriots," dedication page

Clinton, Hillary________accusation of whining of, 287________invitation to coffee of, 287

Community organizing, actual responsibility lackingness of, 65, 242

Couric, Katie________"repetitive, biased questions" of, 271________unfair editing of interview with, 273________condescension of, 276________things I could/should have said to, 274-5________things I could have done instead of talking to, 279

crowds ________unexpected size of, 266________insistence on lingering with, despite objections from campaign staffers, 268

debate, vice presidential ________poorness of preparation for, 281-5________answers they made me give during, 281________answers I wanted to give during, 282________wink during, N/A

"Democrat," usage of as adjective, 155, 227

dialogue, implausibly recreated, 2, 53, 74, 151, 161, 179, 188, 217, 235, 318, 358, 375

diet________forced by Steve Schmidt to go on, 284________Steve Schmidt needs to go on, 285

eBay________attempted selling of jet on, 147________fudging of original claim that I did sell jet on, 147

e-mail, hacking of, 263-5

exclamation point, usage of, 4, 26, 120, 121, 122, 138, 150, 199, 207, 222, 223, 225, 233, 239, 241, 276, 302, 307

evolution________skeptical views of, 217________________use of word "Neanderthal" despite, 30, 172

"experts," wrongness of, 254, 289, 336, 375, 392

Facebook________citation of as example of laudable free-market enterprise, 400________utility of for calling out haters, 400

Ferraro, Geraldine________kinship with, 295

food, Alaskan________halibut tacos, 1________reindeer sausage 1________caribou lasagna, 218

foreshadowing, dramatic, 25, 28, 44

God ________belief in, 22________rewards from________________children (implicit), 23________________Todd Palin, 34________________job for Todd, 50________conversation with, 173________master plan of, 176________inability to make mistakes of, 185________letter written in the voice of, 185-187________deliberate causation of premature birth of Trig of, 195

Going rogue, actual instances of ________handing phone to McCain for a radio interview without permission, 252________expressing regret about pulling out of Michigan, 298________distancing self from $150,000 wardrobe purchase, 317________Todd going onstage on Election Night despite being told not to, 337

Hasselbeck, Elizabeth________"bold and talented" nature of, 315

haters, named________Andrew Halcro, 116________"falafel lady" Andree McLeod, 117________The Huffington Post, 238

haters, unnamed________Ashley Judd, 134________"town crier," 117________Andrew Sullivan, 238________David Corn, 305

Hunting and/or fishing, 10, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 25, 29, 31 (before school), 44, 49, 55, 165, 166, 177, 327, 379

Johnston, Levi________single, unnamed reference to as Bristol's "former boyfriend", 375

journalists, top sources for________a defeated former Palin opponent, 236________a maniacal blogger, 236________the "falafel lady," 236

Kerry, John, elitism of, 181

Lieberman, Joe, 285-6________advice from, 286

life, observations about________"Life has a fascinating way of coming full circle," 131

"maverick", various forms of, 90, 252, 299

mavericky decisions, examples of________not using corporate jet, 130________firing personal chef, 133________not spending time on the Juneau cocktail circuit, 140

McCain, Cindy________elegance and beauty of, 210________inaccuracy of "ice queen" reputation of, 221

McCain, John________first meeting with, 210________discussion of candidacy with, 220________final conversation with, 336________characterization of as "my friend," 380

meat________preference for, 18________deep question about: "If God had not intended for us to eat animals, how come He made them out of meat?" 133

media________getting things wrong, 203, 233, 237, 238, 276, 342, 378________getting things right, 246________liberalness of, 270

"midnight sun," 1, 22, 149

miracle, Election Day prayer for, 331

mistakes________betraying Todd's stepmom by not backing her for Wasilla mayor, 87________not making a bigger issue of Rev. Wright, 307

moose, 18, 20, 31, 113, 134, 270

music listened to________Toby Keith, 105________Black Eyed Peas, 114________"an old LL Cool J remix," 114

names, origins of________Track, 53________Bristol, 57________Willow, N/A________Piper, 76________Agia (puppy), 137________Trig, 185

"nerd," characterization of self as, 37, 149

Obama, Barack ________impressive but empty oratorical skills of, 227________"staggering national deficit" incurred by, 388

Palin, Todd________ownership of 1972 Ford Mustang by, 34________quiet maturity of, 34________manly physique of, 352

philosophers, citation of________Aristotle, 63________King, Martin Luther Jr., 86________Paine, Thomas, 146________Pascal, 22________Plato, 24________Twain, Mark, 397

policy, preference for over politics, 156

politics-as-usual, 3, 5, 6, 70, 72, 109, 119, 144, 156, 183________(See also status quo, 5)

prayers________answered________________boyfriend, 33________________job for Todd with British Petroleum, 50________not answered________________winning debate with Joe Biden, 295________________winning 2008 election, 333

pregnancy________descriptions of________________"I porked up," 50________________"ready to calve," 51________________"more nauseated than usual," 171________________"starving for king crab and scallops," 192________________feeling contractions during Texas speech, 194________reaction to own________________"Holy geez!", 171________reaction to Bristol's________________"Truthfully, I was devastated," 207________campaign's advance knowledge of, 214________campaign's botched handling of, 234

"progress," usage of as transitive verb, 64

pundits, idiocy of, 44

Reagan, Ronald, 3, 12, 45, 46, 47, 59, 124, 158, 216, 297, 384, 386, 387, 391, 394, 400________(See: USS Ronald Reagan, 394)

resignation________ethics complaints that led to, 352________FOIA requests that led to, 354________agonizing over, 375-6________announcement of, 377________characterization of as "not retreating" but "reloading," 377, 383

Rock, Kid________approval of as "pro-America" with "common sense ideas", 300

running (exercise)________Refusal of campaign to let her engage in, 285________Injury incurred the one time she is allowed to engage in, 291

Russia, proximity of Alaska to, 275________map proving it, pre-index page

Salter, Mark________willingness to engage in fisticuffs of, 213

Sarkozy, Nicolas________prank call from impersonator of, 326________Schmidt's "screaming" reaction to, 328

Saturday Night Live, 26________watching of, 26________longtime admiration for, 26________excitement to go on, 308________comparing belly sizes with cast of, 311________transcript of moose rap on, 312

Scheunemann, Randy________likeability of, 228________willingness to defend Palin of, 319

Schmidt, Steve________bald head of, 212________24-hour sunglasses-wearing of, 212________unlikeability of, 212________conniving, back-stabbing machinations of, 318-21

science, inadequacy of to explain existence, 47

sentence, actual ________"As the soles of my shoes hit the soft ground, I pushed past the tall cottonwood trees in a euphoric cadence, and meandered through willow branches that the moose munched on," 102

Seward, William H.________mockery of for purchasing Alaska in 1867, 12________ultimate vindication of, 13

shaking things up, locations of________city hall, 72________state house, 128________"across the entire state," 123

skeletons in closet, only________D in college, 214

slogans________"Positive-ly Palin", 64________"New Energy," 86________"Change," 112________"New Energy for Alaska," 119________"Take a Stand," 119________"Greenies. Grannies. Gunnies," 129________"Country First," 269

snowmachine, 17, 18, 34, 44, 47, 83, 125, 187-9, 302________Todd's injury on, 189

speech, Republican National Convention________characterization of as "a team effort," 239________line-by-line rehashing of, 240-6

speech, election night________painstaking drafting of, 332-5________Schmidt forbidding delivery of, 336________added humiliation of having to physically hold it, rolled-up, onstage, 336

sports metaphors________running, 27, 204________softball, 32________basketball, 41________dog racing, 70________hunting, 344

Stevens, Ted________road trip with, 89

Stone, Oliver________Refusal to shake hands with, 313

tax cuts, benefits of, 46

terrorists________Obama palling around with, 306________________regret over inability to talk more about, 307

"Trig Truthers," 238, 347

Troopergate, 201-204, 246________Failure of press to comprehend, 203

turkey, on-camera killing of, 345

upbringing, hardscrabbleness of, ________sewed own clothes, 16________baked own bread, 17________stacked own firewood, 17________unheated, unfurnished family room, 26________didn't ask for money from parents, 32

"Up-do," explanation of, 231

Wallace, Nicolle________disloyalty of, 256________incompetence of, 256________friendship with Katie Couric, 272

wardrobe________disdain for cost of, 230________$150,000 price of, 314________unfair media reaction to, 315________absence of Palin responsibility for, 317

Warren, Rick________praying in the shower with, 302

Wasilla, notable nicknames for________Home of the Iditarod, 64________Duct Tape Capital of the World, 66

wedding________simple city hall-style of, 49

food served at (Wendy's), 49________cost of wedding ring ($35), 230

Wurzelbacher, Joe "the Plumber," 304-7

"you betcha" ________revelation of as not actually Alaska's state motto, 309

My dogs

Halloween31 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:17:37 -0800

My first dog was a bedlington terrier named Archibald. i got him for my fourth birthday and after 20 years he passed away. I was blown away. After spending 20 years with a dog he not only becomes your best friend, but also a part of the family. When he died I thought I didn't want another dog for a while, but after 2 years I really really wanted another dog. I looked around and decided to get a fox terrier. I did not know about Cesar Milan back then so I got a high energy dog and was not really prepared for that. Going to pick out Luca was so much fun. Three pups running around in garden and trying to tackle each other when they could. Luca was very calm so when the day came to take him home I though this was going to be easy. The first time I left him alone he broke out of the bench and decided to destroy every shoe he could find. He is a master in getting all the insides out. You do learn to clean up everything this way. Come christmas Luca thought that the gifts under the tree were also meant for him. He wanted to beautify himself and unwrapped the bodylotion. Bit the tube so that all the lotion came out. He smelled great for weeks. He is also a big fan of lipgloss and especially if it's in a little case or tin. He can open up the tin or case and just lick all the gloss out. Luca is very high energy and extremely protective of me which means no other dogs are allowed near me which is quite a challenge when you take him out for walks.
After 4 years I was still in love with the breed of bedlington so started looking around and found a breeder. I was in luck, she was just about to have a litter so I got put on a waiting list. In January she called me and had the litter and another stroke of luck there was a puppy there for me. After the pups were 4 weeks I could come and visit them so that afternoon I was surrounded by 4 beautiful puppy's who were trying to get my attention. I had the choice between two males. I chose Lance, he was the smallest and the names together were just so cute. Now with bedlingtons there is not much difference between them they are almost all the same in temper. Always very happy and calm. They can get over excited, but that usually happens once a day with what I call crazy 5 minutes. He just runs around the house and jumps from couch to couch barks and ends up on the bed just spinning and barking trying to dig his way to china.
Bringing Lance home was a bit of a task. I took Luca for a long walk trying to lower his energy and then introduce him to Lance. In the beginning he thought Lance was toy so he was very confused when he started to see that Lance was doing things on his own. The first months I had to keep an eye on both of them. Luca weighs 12 kilo and Lance back then was just 2 kilo. Next to that Luca can be a bit clumsy and in your face so when he saw Lance he didn't really get that you need to be gentle with a puppy. For a split second i thought it wouldn't work out, but one night i had some people over to come and see the new baby and Lance wasn't having any fun so after a while he made sure to let us know that he didn't wanted to be held anymore. Luca stepped up to the plate. He started checking Lance out to see if he was ok. After that they were perfect together.
Now we're nearly 3 years later now and both are thick as thieves. The only difference is when I go out and have to leave the dogs behind for a couple of hours Luca still goes on the rampage and tries to find things he can destroy and Lance just curls up on his comfy chair and relaxes. He falls asleep and when I come home I have the best of both worlds. Luca jumps up and down behind the door (think doctor doolittle) and Lance takes at least 5 minutes before he comes and looks for you stretching out and still a bit sleepy.
I have my high energy dog and my mellowed out one and both of them together work great!!