I have a great disdain for phthalates. I have posted many times about this category of chemicals that are used as a plasticizer and strangely also used commonly in fragrances (both perfumes as well as fragrances/scents for products). All Garden Girl products are phthalate-free for the very reason that there is a lot of research popping up that points to phthalates being a very harmful chemical.

Well now there’s more research to point to the dangers of phthalates. On Monday, Reuters published an article regarding recent research on the chemical.

“Researchers from Turkey found higher blood levels of the most commonly used plasticizer, DEHP (the most common phthalate), in a group of boys with abnormal enlargement of the breasts — a common condition seen in up to 65 percent of adolescent boys called pubertal gynecomastia. The condition usually resolves on its own after boys get through puberty.”

The report goes on to say that boys with the highest levels of MEHP (another type of phthalate) were 25 times more likely to have breast enlargement. Yowzah.

The study was unfortunately very small, so there are many valid issues with the testing process. But it does add to the growing list of concerning information about phthalates. Exposure to phthalates can be from an almost unlimited number of sources, including: personal care products, paints, building materials, household furnishing, clothing, dentures, children’s toys, cleaning materials, insecticides, food, certain medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Ugh.

So until the chemical is banned, the best we can do is avoid what we can. Some tips: avoid using plastics with hot foods, keep them out of the dishwasher and microwave, and try to use alternatives whenever possible. Also – avoid soft plastic toys for babies that might get chewed on, and don’t microwave baby bottles to heat them. If at all possible, try to use glass baby bottles.

The problem with the holiday season, I think, is not necessarily that there is so much AMAZING and yummy food around all the time – it’s that there’s never enough time to burn off the calories. ‘Tis the season to run around like a madwoman so typically our days are packed with regular life plus all the extra activities that come with the holidays. That leaves little – if any- time to exercise and burn off those gingerbread cookies, chocolate + candy, and those incredibly yummy little pretzel-with-the-Rolo-and-M&M thingies.

So I was particularly intrigued by some tips in this month’s Prevention magazine for tips to make “Small Changes that take off Big Pounds”. Sounds good, right? They had 11 great tips, but many of them are the typical ones that you hear – keep a food diary (blech), limit high fat foods to once per week (really? doesn’t sound fun), and climb more stairs.

However, they did have some ones that were new to me – or an interesting twist on an oldie-but-goodie. Here are my favs:

1. Sign up for healthy newsletters. Apparently a recent study from Kaiser Permanente found that “people who received weekly e-mails about diet and fitness for 16 weeks substantially increased their levels of physical activity and intake of helathy foods while cutting back on trans and saturated fats.” Huh! I have a favorite – Deborah Enos sends a daily email (or is it weekly?) that is touted as taking only 20 seconds to read and it always has something interesting and helpful. You can sign up for it on her website: http://www.deborahenos.com/. I am also a big fan of the WebMD emails.
2. Walk 5 minutes more every day. This one is not new, but they had some interesting ideas – walk around the perimeter of the grocery store before you start shopping, move in place whenever you are on the phone, go through or around the entire shopping mall instead of parking next to the store you need.
3. Take 10 minutes to eat a treat. I should REALLY try this – I inhale sweets. They are a little over the top with this one, however, since they say “take a minute to smell it, look at it and think about it.” I dunno – I think that’s a bit odd. But taking small bites and chewing slowly is definitely something I’m going to try. They say that by taking more time to eat something you are more likely to feel more satisfied. You also might find that you are content after only a few bites.
4. Obey the 1 mile rule when doing errands. I would be even more gung-ho about this one were it not snowing heavily outside as I write this. But the concept is that you should walk briskly to do any errands that are 1 mile away or less. If that’s not feasible – then park in one location to go to multiple stores (good for when you shop in a town center). They say that Americans use their car for two-thirds of all trips that are less than 1 mile away. Yipes! I have to say – we live 1/2 mile from our town center and I love being able to walk into town to do errands or go out to eat.

The article in Prevention cited recent research from the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that “participants who made one small, potentially permanent change in tehir food choices and/or physical activity each week lost more than twice as much belly fat, 2 1/2 more inches off their waistlines, and about 4 times more weight during a 4 month program, compared with those who followed traditional calorie-restriction and physical-activity guidelines.”

Check out the article to read all of the tips. You never know – there might be a few that will help you get through this season made almost entirely of calories.

Today two friends forwarded me this link from an Op-Ed columnist in the NYT (thanks Melissa and David!). It’s right up my alley – and I thought it would be good to share.

Nicholas Kristoff’s column poses the very interesting questions: “What if breast cancer in the United States has less to do with insurance or mammograms and more to do with contaminants in our water or air — or in certain plastic containers in our kitchens? What if the surge in asthma and childhood leukemia reflect, in part, the poisons we impose upon ourselves?”

Giving the health care system an overhaul does sound like a good time to deeply evaluate our society’s exposure to chemicals and investigate all possible connections to health issues that are nearing epidemic levels – like breast cancer, asthma and food allergies, to name only a few. It’s time we give these issues the attention they deserve, and that we stop succumbing to the pressures of the incredibly powerful and even more dangerous chemical companies.

This is the time of year when everything seems to get dry and flaky. Even people who don’t typically have dry skin issue, suddenly the dry heat, the winter cold and the constant hand washing seem to take their toll. So here are a few of my favorite winter skin tips to keep you looking your best!

Hands

These guys seem to take the brunt of the abuse in the winter. So to keep them looking (and feeling) their best, try these quick tips:

• Keep hand lotion EVERYWHERE! I have it at our sinks, in my purse, the car and at my desk. With all of the handwashing going on, your hands will quickly look like they belong on the Winter Warlock if you don’t keep them happily moisturized. Hand it to You hand cream wins absolute raves from customers. The fresh clean scent from essential oils of lemon, lime and bergamot keep you smelling fresh and bright, while the antioxidants and rich butters and oils moisturize, protect and heal your skin. And it comes in 1 oz travel size (perfect for your purse or the car), as well as 4 oz jars and 8 oz pumps.
• Exfoliate once a week. Use Pucker Up sugar scrub to scrub away dry, dead skin and leave it moisturized and smooth. Follow immediately with hand cream.

Feet

Feet also take a lot of abuse, and let’s face it – even though they aren’t as visible, no one likes to have dry, rough feet.

• Use a quality foot scrubber like our Not So Rough foot smoother once a week after showering to scrub off the dead, thick skin on heels, toes and soles of feet.
• Every evening, refresh and hydrate your tired dogs with a rich layer of Zippity Do Dah peppermint foot cream. The natural peppermint oil rejuvenates feet and legs, tea tree oil fights fungus, and the aloe, shea, jojoba and hyaluronic acid deeply moisturize. Put on a pair of socks or our Tootsie Tamers cotton booties and wear them overnight, revealing soft and smooth feet in the morning. Nice!

Face

Clearly your face gets exposed the most to the wind and cold. That, plus the dry heat can make your skin look and feel dry and flaky in a flash. Check out these quick solutions:

• If your skin is oily but in the winter you find that your skin is flakier than normal, it might be a good time to switch to a gentler cleanser. If you’re using At Long Last, maybe try You’re Fresh for the winter months. Using You’re Fresh? Might be a good time to switch temporarily to Oasis for Faces. Also – definitely steer clear of cleansers with sulfates which can further dry out your skin.
• Exfoliate (ok – sensing a trend?). Check out Break Free (a fantastic all natural “at home peel” made from 3 fruit acids) or Starting Over (a creamy microderm scrub). Both will rid your skin of the dry flakies and keep it smooth and soft all winter long. Use 1 to 3 times per week.
• MOISTURIZE morning and evening – and any time in between that you find your skin is getting tight or dry. Our face creams – we have one for every skin type – come in 2 oz jars as well as .5 oz travel sized jars. Keep one in your purse or at your desk so you can reapply during the day if needed.

Lips

I don’t know about you, but it drives me crazy to have dry, flaky lips. Here’s what I suggest to fight that not-so-cute look:

• Hydrate your lips with a quality lip balm. Check out Garden Girl’s lip balms in fresh Minty Smooth or Berry Silky flavors. Rich jojoba and apricot kernel oils keep lips smooth and soft.
• If your lips start getting flaky and icky, exfoliate them (I know, broken record…) with either a clean face cloth or another trick – sugar! You can even do this when you are out in a restaurant or at the office (seriously – I have been this desperate!). Grab a sugar packet and head for the ladies room. Apply your lip balm and then rub a little sugar over your lips until they are smooth. (If you are in the comfort of your own home, scrubbing with sugar and olive oil works great as well.) Remove the sugar, then reapply lip balm. Voila! Sooo much better.

So face this winter season armed with great tips to keep your skin looking its best. Now, if I could just get my kids to do a couple of these too…