Category: health

June 2, 2016

Get Summer Ready Skin with Ureadin

Dry, cracked and itchy skin. Maybe feet that sound like sand paper rubbing against the floor when you rub your foot against a surface. Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Our entire family suffers with dry and itchy skin, myself being the worst. Over the years we have dealt with eczema, psoriasis on the arms and general dry, scaly skin on our legs from swimming. For myself, if it is not dry, red and blistering skin on my arms then it is cracked, rough feet (my family teases me saying that my feet literally sound like sand paper polishing the floor – brutal right?). I am extremely hard on my feet, I am on them all day at work and I love walking around barefoot especially during the summer months and this really shows in my feet. The dryness can quickly get out of hand as you can see below:

Disgusting right? A part of me cringes when looking at this picture and an even greater part of me can’t believe I showed this to you! Honestly the dry, scaly and flakes happen so quickly it is unbelievable. I have to keep a strict foot care routine in place in order to stop and prevent this from happening.

So how do I reverse my feet (and stop this from happening) from looking like this and prevent the all over dry skin in the summer?

Read on to get summer ready, fresh skin and feet. You can follow these simple steps to get ready for summer:

Skip the hot showers! Instead shower every other day in a cool to warm shower as the hot water will actually strip your skin of oils and make it drier. Baths tend to have the same effect as hot showers, so try to avoid them when your skin is very dry. Before I hop in the shower, I also like to gently dry brush my skin with a loofah, it helps to wake up my skin and remove any dry, loose skin before I hop in. I like to work in circular motions from distal regions to closer to the centre of my body (so hands to shoulders, feet to tops of thighs).

After you hop out of the shower, pat dry your skin (never scrub dry) and while it is still moist you should use your moisturizer to help lock in the moisture. You need to be careful when choosing a moisturizer because not all are made the same and some can actually make your skin drier. For us, using the Ureadin Lotion 10 was an obvious choice. The lotion contains Urea Isdin and Dexpanthenol, both of which work together to retain moisture in your skin. Even my husband noticed the huge difference in his own skin. He loved how soft his feet were feeling from using the lotion. You can definitely use this lotion all over you body where your skin is dry, tight and itchy without irritation.

Soak those tender feet! If you have extremely dry feet like me, take some time daily to soak them in the tub in warm water. Not only will this give them some relief to sore achy feet, it also helps to exfoliate the dry skin away. It is important to follow this up with a quick exfoliation with a pumice stone and a moisturizer designed for dry feet, like Ureadin Podos. This specially designed formula uses lactic acid to exfoliate and then emollients like Shea butter to re-hydrate the skin. You can actually expect to begin to see results in three days!

I have been using Ureadin Podos on my feet for the last three weeks and I love the difference it has made in my heels, toes and the balls of my feet. It instantly soothes the dry, sore skin on my feet while improving the look and feel of my feet. This is the difference in my feet over the last three weeks:

My skin is brighter, the cracks have healed and they are definitely not as rough. They are much smoother to the touch and I am not embarrassed to wear sandals.

If you are heading out swimming, pack the moisturizer. Swimming can really dry out your skin with all of the chemicals, so make sure you are applying both sunscreen and moisturizer. The Ureadin spray on moisturizer was a blessing for us. It was easy to pack and even easier to apply. You literally spray on and it dries on its own within seconds (which when you are struggling to get moisturizer on a child this is definitely a win-win for any parent). It has a light scent (almost reminded me of baby powder) and is suitable for all skin types. So no more worrying about carrying different creams for different skin types.

Keep hydrated! This is so important – you really need to ensure you are in taking an adequate amount of water throughout the day especially if you are sweating.

Preventive care is so important to prevent painful, dry and cracked skin – especially now that we have almost reached summer. How do you help prevent and soothe dry and cracked skin?

If you would like more information or would like to purchase the Ureadin Hydration line of products, head over to their website now to get more information and purchasing details.

Disclosure: I am part of the Intega Influencer Campaign and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

June 1, 2016

The Better Sleep Month Project

I think we can all agree that sleep deprivation is felt by so many of us, whether it be in the early parenting stages when you are living on two to four hours of sleep or later on when you have multiple commitments to work, family, extra curricular activities and more. We live in a society where we are constantly on the go, our minds never stop and this has in turn harmed our sleep patterns and in turn our overall health. How many of you are miserable after not getting a good sleep at night? I know I am! I can’t concentrate, I am sarcastic and snappier – all of which I don’t want to be.

I know for myself that there are many nights I can not turn my mind off. I am constantly going through lists to see whether I have done everything that I needed to do and the worst is just as you are about to fall asleep you remember that one thing you forgot and bam! I am now officially up and worrying about something I can not even control. Learning how to put this thoughts and troubles on the back burner is key to a good night sleep.

Casper (the makers of the innovative sleep set including mattress, sheets and pillow) are invested in insuring you sleep soundly every night. Casper created the perfect mattress combination after hours of testing (and by real people!) and developed a mattress that combines latex, memory and support foam. This combination provides just enough give but still leaves you feeling supported. Top this off with their sheets and pillows with breathability, softness and strength and you have a win – win situation! Casper gets it – in order to have a healthy, productive day we need a sound sleep. So how do we achieve this? Here are some key problems that have been identified and solutions to them:

This is me in a nut shell. My mind never stops, I am constantly worrying about something, going over lists, etc. So now I have started a physical to do list where I can scratch off items as I complete them and I check it around 7:30pm for the last time of the day, then I take a bath listening to nature sounds and then it is cuddle time with the kids. This has really helped me with calming my mind down during my busy days. I allow myself the reassurance that I have completed everything I needed to do, I give myself some much needed me time and then I spend quiet moments with my kids.

I have suffered with anxiety for years and this kind of ties into my problem of the busy mind at night! Yoga has definitely helped me with my anxiety in the last six months forcing me to focus on my breathing and the movements. Even moving through simple sun salutations while listening to calming music makes a world of a difference to me at night. I forget about the stress of the day as I concentrate on deep breathing and stretching fully through the movements. Or if you are really into it, try a Pranayama app to help with deep breathing and meditation exercises. My kids laugh when I put my app on but I love it as I have to really focus on breathing fully in and exhaling completely.

How many of us have laid there at night, praying for sleep to come as we scroll one more time through Facebook or Pinterest hoping this will help us fall asleep. The key here is to put the distraction away aka your phone, your iPad or any other hand held device (hard for so many of us – especially those who work from home). But it is key to getting a better sleep, our phones distract us and keep us up longer at night.

Invest in your sleep – this means purchasing a comfortable mattress. It seems simple but so many times we put other things in front of our own personal comfort. There is nothing better than laying down in a comfortable, welcoming, soft mattress. Your body and mind will thank you!

These are just a few tips to get you started on your Better Sleep Month Project, what tools do you utilize for ensuring a good night sleep?

March 7, 2016

Take Back Your Life and Gain Confidence While Dealing with SUI

Take Back Your Life and Confidence While Dealing With SUI

As women, we are led to belief that our bodies need to be perfect, that the body image outside of societal norm is wrong and that we should be ashamed of our bodies if they don’t function the so-called ‘normal’ way. But the real definition of normal ranges greatly from woman to woman and body type to body type. We need to let go of the societal image when seeking help for women’s health concerns, especially with an extremely common condition called Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI).

My first experience with SUI came while I was pregnant with my second son. I had gained quite a bit of weight and the first few times it happened, I was in so much shock, I just ignored it. I did not want to believe my body had betrayed me and I most certainly did not want to talk about it with my husband or doctor (how do you even begin to have those conversations??). Instead of confronting my fears and seeking help, I suffered in silence and tried everything I could to ignore and control others from noticing it.

This clearly did not work. I kept believing it would get better after giving birth to my son (it just had to) but instead it became worse. SUI was beginning to affect my life so much that I did not want to go yoga out of fear of leaks; I had to ensure I was constantly wearing a liner just in case and if I forgot to wear one; I was clenching my legs shut out of sheer fear alone. This had such a negative toll on my mental health, I was so unhappy and it showed in my self-confidence and self-worth. I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t want to get dressed up and I most certainly did not want to exercise in public because of my shame. That was when I knew I had to stop this vicious cycle and only I had the power to do so.

My first step was letting go of the perfect body image I had in my mind, I had to let go of expectations and embrace my body for what it was. Sure it leaked but the more I accepted this, the easier it became easier to seek help. I found I wasn’t alone and I actually had someone to talk to my fears about. Taking the time to reach out to your doctor is key as you need to make sure there are no underlying factors causing SUI symptoms such as a bladder infection. My doctor made me feel so comfortable and she even shared her own stories.

The next step is to take charge of your health, surgical options are definitely not a desired treatment plan for most (at least not in my case) so start with the basics, such as losing weight, exercising, taking bathroom breaks, using a panty liner.

Even these simple steps can sometimes not be enough and that is where Poise Impressa comes in. Poise Impressa is an intravaginal device that helps to manage SUI. It works by pressing against the urethra which helps stop urine from leaking out, eliminating the need for liners and being self-conscious about a smell or that anyone would notice that this has happened to you.

I was really curious about the actual design of the Impressa, how would it look and how to insert it. I was surprised to see that it is just slightly longer than a tampon, slightly wider and inserted the same way you would a tampon by pushing the device from the bottom which inserts the Impressa into the vaginal canal. This gave me so much relief as I get nervous using tampons sometimes – I worry about string length, if it will be difficult to insert or hold the device to insert. The insertion was simple and I had no problems with that part.

At first I felt conscious of the Poise Impressa being in place as I could feel the pressure it placed towards the front of the vaginal wall and I wanted to keep checking the strings and making sure it was in place properly. But this pressure is a good sign as the device was doing what it should be doing by putting slight pressure on the urethra to prevent leaks. Soon I found that the more I kept moving, it quickly became forgotten and it was just there similar to the same feeling of a tampon being present. It did not interfere with any of my daily activities from work to yoga to walking the dog. It remained in place all day and I put it to a daily challenge for the entire week by not wearing a panty liner – to my surprise (and relief!) I did not have one leak. This was pretty impressive for such a small device.

The Poise Impressa comes in three different sizes so if Size One doesn’t fit properly or starts to displace then simply try the next size up and so on until you hit size three. Remember, all of our bodies are different! Let go of any expectation and ensure the size is comfortable, fits properly to your body and does the job. You can wear the Impressa for up to eight hours and you do not have to remove it if you have to urinate which is a bonus. If I had to remove it every time I went to the bathroom I would be going through them like crazy! Removal is simple and does not hurt, I was worried once it expanded it would be difficult to remove but with the slightest pressure on the strings, the Impressa popped right out and in the garbage it went.

I am a number person and I found these statistics shocking. Clearly women are embarrassed and uncomfortable talking about a common problem that has easy solutions to help you manage it.

SUI Statistics:

75% of Canadian women experience SUI when they sneeze.
72% of Canadian women experience SUI when they cough.
More than 4 in 10 Canadian women experience SUI post pregnancy or childbirth.
72% of women aged 45-54 feel self-conscious as a result of SUI.
59% of Canadian women feel self-conscious.
53% of Canadian women feel embarrassed.

Now that you know you aren’t alone, it is so important to seek the help you need. Talk to other women, talk to your doctor and try Poise Impressa as a step to controlling your SUI symptoms.

Have you ever dealt with SUI? What have you tried that seems to be working? Would you use a device like Poise Impressa?

Disclosure: I received a sample of Poise Impressa in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

February 18, 2016

What Would You Do With A Fifteen Months Left to Live Diagnosis?

Life can be unpredictable at best. We have moments of routine, of everything going right and sometimes out of nowhere we are hit with a monumental diagnosis that changes the course of our lives. This is what happened to Heather Von St. James when at the age of 36 she was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma.

Heather’s Story

In 2005, at the age of 36, and only a mere three months after giving birth to her daughter Lily Rose, Heather was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. People who have been exposed to high levels of asbestos are more likely to be diagnosed with this kind of cancer. Pleural mesothelioma develops in the lining of the lungs and the chest wall. Upon learning this life-altering diagnosis, Heather and her husband embarked upon a search to find the best mesothelioma treatment care available. Their search eventually led them to Dr. David Sugarbaker, a renowned mesothelioma surgeon at the Boston-based Brigham and Women’s hospital.

Today, Heather is a remarkable ten-year mesothelioma cancer survivor and has made it her mission to help other mesothelioma victims around the globe. She works to share her personal story to help spread hope and awareness for others going through this, in hopes that one day no one else will have to.

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a serious cancer and is mainly caused if you’ve been exposed to asbestos fibers. There is no safe amount of exposure. The smallest amount of asbestos can cause sever issues later on down the road as it did with Heather.

Causes of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is mostly attributed to exposure to asbestos, which can happen in the workplace, home or by chance. People can also become exposed through second hand exposure, like Heather, completely unknowingly.

Symptoms (from Mesothelioma)

coughing up blood
anemia
trouble swallowing
pleural effusion
trouble breathing
vomiting and nausea
bowel obstruction
blood clotting disorder
chest pain
weight loss

Treatment

Due to the rarity of the disease, finding treatment and research in this area is difficult, only 3,000 people a year are diagnosed in the US (Mesothelioma). Treatment does include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Heather Von St. James has just celebrated being 10 years cancer free! An amazing moment for her and her family – one I am sure they were never too sure would happen. If you are or know someone who is suffering with Mesothelioma, head over and connect with Heather. Do not feel like you are alone, Heather is here to help share her journey and be a part of yours.

November 13, 2015

Make Time For YOU at Lunch Time

I get it. We are all super busy, we have time constraints at home, work, school and just life in general. Multi-tasking is a skill that many of us have had to learn just from pure necessity! As I am currently writing this post, I have my Consumer Behaviour tutorial playing in the background, my lunch half eaten on my desk, answering the odd back line calls while answering resident questions. And this is my break and I am trying to juggle five different items and none of them are relaxing (except maybe this post because I love writing!). Not much of a break right?

And statistics prove that I am not alone:

70 per cent of workers take a lunch break that is 30 minutes or less
20 per cent of millennials take fewer than 15 minutes for lunch, as compared to 11 per cent GenX
More than half of all workers wish they could take a nap during lunch, with millennials leading the way over Gen Xers (57 per cent vs. 46 per cent)
49 per cent feel they would snack less and make better meal choices if they took a lunch break

This survey was conducted by Subway Canada and while it scares me, I am not shocked by it. More and more we are giving up dedicated ‘us’ time (aka lunch break) to get work done. We try to pack in as much as we can, in as little time as possible.

But of course this means more than just losing a lunch time break. It has negative mental and physical health consequences. We are clearly making poorer food choices so that we can eat quicker, we are not eating slowly (I know I now ‘shovel’ food in my mouth so I can keep typing), we are sitting more (which has its own health problems) and not giving our minds the mental break it needs.

So how do we fight the working at lunch time battle?

Get up and go for a walk. Take fifteen to twenty minutes of your hour lunch break and get outside. You will feel better for this plus you are getting the blood flowing through your legs again.
Eat healthy! Make better choices, pack and time your snacks so that you are not munching aimlessly throughout the day.
The survey by Subway Canada also found that most workers report they would prefer to reach for a sandwich piled high with meat and veggies (27 per cent) before a greasy burger with a side of fries (21 per cent), last night’s leftovers (21 per cent), a salad with mixed greens (16 per cent) or snacks from the vending machine (3 per cent). So keep this in mind when making take out options! How will you feel after eating a greasy (but quick) meal.
Put away work. I mean it, cover it, hide and log out of anything work related for at least ten to fifteen minutes. It will do your mental health wonders.

How do you fight the never-ending battle at lunch time to make time for you?