Tips For A Safe & Happy Summer

Summer’s back—and so is fun in the sun! But before you hit the beach or stage a friendly water gun fight in your backyard, keep in mind that ultraviolet rays from the sun can do a number on your skin; in fact, they are the most common cause of premature aging. Here are some simple ways you can protect yourself—and your loved ones—and still have fun in the sun.

Reduce Sun Exposure During Peak Hours
UV rays are strongest and most dangerous between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so the less time you spend outdoors during these hours, the better. That doesn’t mean you have to ditch out on all the fun. For instance, instead of heading out to the pool at 2 p.m., wait a few hours and go at 5 p.m. The sun will still be up and there’ll be plenty of light out. And don’t be fooled on an overcast day—you can still get burned because up to 80% of the sun’s UV rays can penetrate through the clouds. If you can, stay in the shade.

Cover Up
Be fashionably smart. Wear protective clothing that covers as much of your body as possible. Remember to cover your hair and head with a wide-brimmed hat. You might even consider carrying an umbrella for shade. The more protection you have the better off your skin will be.

Protect Your Eyes
Always wear sunglasses. Not only are they great for complementing your wardrobe, they also deflect harmful UV rays that reflect off of water, sand, and other surfaces. This helps reduce the risk of cataracts and other eye conditions. And, you won’t have to squint!

Apply Sunscreen
Generously. Don’t be shy. Apply a liberal amount of sunscreen evenly on all areas of the skin—and don’t forget your lips, nose, ears, neck, hands, feet, and head (if necessary). Do so at least 20 minutes prior to sun exposure and remember to re-apply every two hours, especially after swimming.

And Arm Yourself with Antioxidants!

What’s the big deal? Environmental assaults such as sunlight, pollution, stress, and even normal metabolism produce free radicals in our bodies, that can damage cells, alter DNA, and cause skin to age prematurely. Phytonutrients such as carotenoids and flavonoids—antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables, and plants—combat these free radicals and protect your body against cellular damage. So be sure to include lots of antioxidants in your diet. Your skin—and your overall health—will thank you.

Shaklee Products Can Help You All Summer LongIn addition to providing broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection, clinically proven Enfuselle® sunscreens contain triple-patented Vital Repair+ ® complex—a synergistic blend of seven targeted antioxidants that produces results much greater than the sum of each ingredient alone. In other words, it protects against premature older-looking skin. Plus, all Enfuselle products are paraben-free. Keep them at home and in your beach bag.

World Environment Day - Are You Committed?

In 1972, the UN General Assembly established World Environment Day (WED). It was created to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Today, June 5th is World Environment Day and it's an opportunity that the United Nations uses to encourage awareness of the environment and enhance discussion and political action.

Per the World Environment Day website, they are seeking to do the following:

- Give a human face to environmental issues;
- Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development;
- Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues;
- Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

These year's theme is "Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change". It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen later in the year, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests.

Climate change is an ongoing debate. But debate or not, making positive changes to preserve and improve our environment, can never be bad. So, go to the WED website and check out the TWELVE STEPS TO UNITE TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE.

The first step is Committment, what are you committed to doing to reduce your carbon footprint?

A Bamboo T-Shirt?

Yep, that's right. You read that correctly. A T-shirt made out of Bamboo. Who wudda thunk it? Well, a sustainable company who is also socially responsible in helping others, called Bamboomerangs, thunk it, they did!

I stumbled across this company and their website via mutual Twitter friends, and am really impressed with their philosophies and their product. They offer a T-Shirt made out of 70% real Bamboo and the remaining is made out of 30% organic cotton. Isn't that the coolest??!!

You've got to go to their website and read the Bamboo Facts. Like, did you know that a Bamboo grove releases 35% more oxygen than the same size stand of trees? Please go to their site for more interesting info.

The folks at Bamboomerangs also have a "One for One" policy. For every Bamboo shirt they sell, they give one away to someone in need. WOW, that just so impresses me!

I've placed my order for my first "sustainable" Bamboo T-shirt and look forward to more purchases in the near future. The Bamboomerangs folks say that the shirts run one size small, so I'm going to get that size thing straight, before ordering more.

Please be sure to check out their Website, share it with your friends, and let us know how you like their site and their product.

(Photography by Andres Ojeda of Mexico)

Making A Difference Memorial Day & Every Day

In addition to honoring the men and women who have given their lives for our Country, let's use this Memorial Day Weekend to make memorable improvements to our walk on planet Earth. There are numerous resources for ideas out on the internet, and many only cost your time and efforts!

We have a history because of the prices that have been paid, but what good is that price, if we don't value & maintain the fruits of it? We won't continue to have wonderful memories of "days gone by", unless we become better stewards of the planet in conservation, pollution reduction, waste management, etc. Let's improve our imprint on this gorgeous planet.

For some places to look, National Geographic has great group of videos for "Green Home Makeovers" tips. Each one is short and to the point.
Some of the video topics cover:

1. Bathroom Water Waste Reduction
2. Serene & Healthy Bedroom Remodels
3. Reducing Energy & Water Use In the Kitchen
4. Using Less Water & Energy In The Laundry Room

Other online resources and companies offer safe and non-toxic cleaning products for the home.

What are some of the steps you are taking to keep our planet sustainable?

Organic Baby Skin Care Products & Vitamins

On May 1st, Shaklee launched their new Shakleebaby and Shakleekids product line. And once again, Shaklee is leading the way on product disclosure with these great personal care and natural nutritional products for children.

One of their new products: Shakleebaby Gentle Wash, is 99% natural, contains 76% organic ingredients, pediatrian tested, no parabens, no artificial colors or fragrance, no 1,4-dioxane or formaldehyde, etc.

You can watch some short videos about the organic baby care products, as well as the natural multivitamins for children.

Also, Shaklee is running an offer which ends Friday, May 22, 2009, for new members with a qualified minimum order. Check the website for more information about this discount. Essentially, a minimum 50 PV (Point Value) of products in your first order, waives the $19.95 Member Fee and gives you 15% off of Retail pricing.

If, you'd like more information, you can contact me by just clicking on the "Click To Chat With Me Right Now" icon, below my profile in the right-hand column of this blog.

Click here for a link to a mini online catalog of these new products.

Not All Fruits & Veggies Are Created Equal

Ahhh, Spring has Sprung ! And with Spring, comes fruits and vegetables.... EVERYWHERE !!

With the availability of many gorgeous fruits and vegetables, a lot of us start looking to increase our daily intake of these wonderful natural products. Not just because they taste so good, but because we know they are good for us and most are low in fat and calories.

But, there's "the other side" of the story to these beautiful creations. And that being that usually all fruits and vegetables are treated with pesticides and some of them have a very high level of toxins, which can be dangerous to our health? Yes, there are also toxins in the cleaners we use, the air we breath, but today I just thought I'd focus on fruits and vegetables.

Some of them we can eat in large quantities and be happy about it, but some of them it is better to avoid eating non-organic because they can do more harm than good for our health.

Have in mind that organic produce doesn’t mean pesticide free. Organically grown fruits and vegetables are grown on better soils and have less pesticides level. Well, and these pesticides are less dangerous to our health, but they are still pesticides, maybe only better quality.

So as you can see, it is very important to know which fruits and vegetables are less desirable, (less beneficial to our overall health). If peaches, strawberries, cherries contain a very high level of pesticides, we have to think twice before buying them non-organic. Would you like to add more dangerous toxins to your system? I don’t. There are always other choices: you can buy organic only a smaller amount (if the price is high), you can buy local (if you know that the farm is small and they care about their produce), or you don’t buy at all.

So, to help you to remember why not all fruits and veggies are equal, here is a list of the “dirtiest” and the “cleanest” fruits and vegetables for 2009 based on an Environmental Working Group Survey.

In 2009 these fruits and vegetables you should buy organic:

1. Peaches 100

2. Apples 93

3. Bell Pepper- 83

4. Celery - 82

5. Nectarines - 81

6. Strawberries - 80

7. Cherries - 73

8. Kale - 69

9. Lettuce - 67

10. Grapes - Imported from outside U.S. - 66

11. Carrot - 63

12. Pear - 63

This is a list of fruits and vegetables you don’t have to buy organic:

Onion - 1
Avocado - 1
Sweet corn - 2
Pine Apple - 7
Mango - 9
Asparagus - 10
Sweet peas - 10
Kiwi - 13
Cabbage - 17
Eggplant - 20
Papaya - 20
Watermelon - 26
Broccoli - 28
Tomato - 29
Sweet Potato - 29
Grapefruit - 29
Honeydew Melon - 30

I first learned about this subject from reading my friend, Irina Wardes' blog. (Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition and Relationship Expert). She graciously granted me permission to use portions of her blog post, so I could pass this information along to others like you. Please go to her wonderful website and blog for tons of more great health information like this!

Earth Day Festivities in California

The "Govenator", attended multiple Earth Day events on April 22nd. One such event was the planting of the one millionth tree in Pleasanton, CA.

Shaklee Corporation, along with it's sales force and customers, had made a commitment three years ago to plant one million trees through a program called, "A Million Trees. A Million Dreams™" Campaign . Earth Day was the culmination of that project, when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai, and Shaklee Chairman and CEO, Roger Barnett, planted the one millionth tree.

"A Million Healthier Lives In 2009" is now Shaklee's newest campaign. It is the Company's sincere attempt to empower people to better their financial situation, while improving the environment simultaneously. Shaklee CEO, Roger Barnett's speech at this event, is available on California's website.

You can view the entire article and video from the event from this post. Also, to read more about Shaklee's environmental accomplishments, please check here.

Founded in 1956, Shaklee is the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral certification and totally offset its C02 emissions, resulting in a net zero impact on the environment. This is a company that "walks the walk".

Swine Flu aka H1N1

Some people that I know, believe that all the commotion about Swine Flu (H1N1), is exaggerated more than the reality of the situation. Of course, none of these folks that I know, are experts in the health arena, nor am I! But, it never hurts to be proactive when it comes to your health. So, I looked around for some basic, common sense, information on this topic.

My first questions was, "What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people"? After all, I'd like to know what this invisible beast looks like. Per the CDC (Center For Disease Control & Prevention), the symptoms are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

Emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention in children included:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

Emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention in adults included:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

What you can do to protect yourself?:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

As I mentioned above, being proactive towards your health, is the best medicine that anyone can practice. Common knowledge these days, tells us that the foods that we consume don't provide enough natural supplementation that most folks need. That's why it's a good idea to research and consider natural health supplements to improve one's overall health. Additionally, a good immune booster wouldn't be a bad addition, especially with everything going on right now. Lastly, don't forget to separate/remove yourself, from as many toxins as you reasonably can.

Plastic Straws - Baby Steps That Will Make A Difference

A few weeks ago, I was sent an invitation on Facebook to join a Group called "No Plastic Straws (Plastic Straws are For Suckers)". I checked out the Group's description and thought that this was a worthly group to be associated with, and so I joined.

Now, some of you reading this may think that it's really no big deal whether one uses a plastic straw or not, but this is just another one of those "baby steps" that can, in the long run, make a huge positive impact to our environment and planet. Already, joining the Group has actually helped me be more conscientous about plastic straws.

Last week, the husband and I were out for dinner, and a plastic straw (with plastic wrapper), was provided to me during our meal. Not only was a plastic straw provided for my water, but also for my adult beverage, (I like the foofoo drinks).

In the past, I would of automatically tore open that wrapper and popped my plastic straw down into my glass. But not this time, as I remembered my new consciousness regarding plastic straws. Believe it or not, I was able to drink my strawless beverages without any problems !

The below is the beginning of the "No Plastic Straws (Straws Are For Suckers)" Group description. Please take 5 minutes to go to their Group and read the entire thought process. We really can make a difference, one straw at a time:

"What would happen if everyone who ordered a drink politely added "And no plastic straw, please!" ? What would happen is this...". Please follow this link to read what could happen.

Cheers!

Let Earth Day Be Every Day

Well, as I write this Earth Day post, I am moved to reflect more on this designated day's meaning. And as I do, I am humbled to think that every day is Earth Day. For, without an Earth, there wouldn't be ME !

So, I'd like to share a link to an inspiring Earth Day video that I received this week. There are tidbits of thoughts and perceptions of many people in the video, about what being environmentally conscious means to them.

Some of the comments that really stood out to me were:

- Ripple Effect
- Take Responsibility For Yourself
- Do 1 New Thing For The Planet Each Day
- The Environment is Us
- Ethical Lifestyle
- Be A More Thoughtful Consumer
- Be A More Thoughtful Human Being
- We Are Borrowing The Earth
- What Are We Leaving Our Children?

Please view the short video and let's continue to make everyday: Earth's Day.