That's Fit

It's inevitable. You go to the gym before work, shower, and put on your slip-on shoes. But then, halfway through the day, there's a distinct funk coming from beneath your desk -- you've got some stinky feet!

There are plenty of solutions, like wearing shoes with socks, or pouring powder into your shoes. However, I've found something better -- Verikira's Paraben-free Fresh Feet Foot Crème. It's 82 percent organic and contains vinegar, which is one of the best cures for funky feet you can find. But your feet won't smell like vinegar -- it also uses essential oils of patchouli, tee tree, thyme, basil, geranium, and cinnamon.

The best part? It totally works! I put it on in the morning, and then, whether I work outside, sweating in my dirty sandals, or hit the gym, soaking my gym socks with sweat, my feet don't stink. And, at the risk of entering TMI territory, let me say that this has never been the case for me.

I won't to lie to you -- I don't generally spend a lot of cash on makeup. I buy what you find at the drugstore, and even then, I look for a sale. My reasoning is simple -- I've never used something high end that felt like it was worth the price. If it's not all that different, why would I pay more?

There are reasons to pay more -- being particular about the ingredients is one, and of course, if it's can't-live-without-it amazing, I'm happy to save my pennies. But first, I need to know it's worth it.

I received samples of von Nature's Mineral Makeup Eye Colour, Sunset Light Face & Body Shimmer, and Magnolia Powder Foundation in the mail, and busted out my brushes immediately. For someone who is so involved in fashion and beauty, I have embarrassingly little experience with mineral makeup because it tends to cost more, and without trying it, I wasn't willing to spend the extra cash.

There are chemicals everywhere in our every day life. Though some are absolutely necessary from a public health standpoint -- chlorine to sanitize drinking water, for one -- others have been linked to certain health issues.

Though it's impossible to avoid chemicals altogether in our modern world, there are steps you can take to reduce your own "chemical load," or the amount of chemicals that you carry around with you in your body. At Mark's Daily Apple, they recently suggested 8 different ways to reduce you chemical exposure in your day-to-day life.

We gave up household cleaning solutions several years ago in our house, because they'd often trigger my asthma. Instead, we use a variety of natural ingredients like vinegar (great odor absorber), baking soda, and good old hot, soapy water. When I smell a chemical fragrance or cleaner now, it doesn't smell "clean" to me, it smells toxic.

Want to learn more? Check out this NYT article on how to reduce chemicals and make your home more environmentally-friendly.

We've made tremendous progress in the fields of food, health and technology since the Victorian era. And yet we're not nearly as healthy overall as we were then. What gives?

Recent research is showing that not only did people live longer in the late 1800s, but they had strong immune systems too. Of course, there are several differences in the average Victorian diet compared to ours. Here's a rundown:

• They ate more, around 4,500 calories a day for men and 3,000 for women.
• But they also burned more calories, spending their working hours doing hard manual labour.
• Salt, sugar and tobacco weren't as readily available, and were rarely consumed.
  
• They ate between 8-10 servings a day of fresh fruits and veggies.
  
• In fact, all their food was fresh. After all, they didn't have fridges.
  
• They consumed lots of yeast, in both breads and beer. Yeast helps strengthen the immune system.
  

Want to know more? Read the full article over here.

Remember how happy we all felt when Lay's introduced Baked Potato Chips? I do. It was a feeling of relief for me. I had given up chips in lieu of a hard fit body. Fair exchange I thought! But then, there was this company telling me that they weren't going to fry all of their chips anymore, and yes ... there would be a healthier version for people like me. Yahoo!

Once again, snack lovers get to rejoice. The LesserEvil brand snack company has created an amazing variety of popcorns and krinkle potato sticks to make just about everyone drool. Most single servings contain about 110 calories of which about 20 come from fat. Not bad!

The Classic Kettle Corn is the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and thank goodness my bag was a single serving. If it weren't, I could have devoured nine! It was better than any of the junky stuff they sell at carnivals for sure! The Black and White Kettle Corn made my children's "movie night" here at home an even more special event. Good news for me ... I didn't feel the slightest bit bad about giving it to them. The Zesty Pizza Krinkle Sticks were odd to my husband and I though. Why? Because we could not figure out how they made them taste exactly like pizza! It was both weird and wonderful at the same time.

Alternative medicine may not always works as effectively as traditional western medicine, but they can't harm you, right? Not true. Recent studies recently found that one in five Ayruvedic medicines contains poisonous metallics like lead, arsenic and mercury.

Of hundreds of Ayurvedic remedies purchased from 25 different websites in the USA and India, 21% contained detectable levels of at least one of these metals, and of that 21%, half had higher levels than would be considered healthy.

Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient practice that promotes overall health using a balance of medicine, meditation, exercise and diet, and while it can be part of a healthy lifestyle, it's always a good idea to talk to your doctor first before taking any kind of remedy, natural or not.

Well this is one of those subjects, that I, even with all of my degrees and such ... I just can't wrap my head around explaining it perfectly to you. I guess that's what links are for!

Let's just put it this way, a combination of: fruit, gas, fermentation, constipation, pelvic rotation and inflammation can be causing your back pain. I don't think this article will provide the answer to everyone's back pain, but for some ... maybe so!

The article even suggests that a "pooping situation" or "lack of pooping situation" might be responsible for weight gain. So! Without further a-doodoo, click here.

Most of the gum available on the market today is made from synthetic materials, and, while that isn't necessarily a problem for many of us, it might be a bit disconcerting for folks who strive to eat as naturally as possible.

Glee Gum is one of the few chewing gums available made from chicle, the original source of gum. The use of chicle in chewing gum goes back to the late 1800s, but aside from being historically interesting, this natural gum has another benefit -- chicle is still a very important part of the economy in many rainforest areas. It's harvested by cutting into trees just deep enough to release the sap, but not so far as to cause any permanent damage to the trees, allowing these parts of the rainforest to be profitable without being cut down.

This gum is made from all natural ingredients and comes in a variety of flavors -- in fact, there's even a "Make Your Own Gum" option, which could be a fun project to do with your kids. Glee Gum contains no artificial preservatives, flavors, colors, or sweeteners, so if you want to chew on something you can feel good about, this might be just the thing!

Fitness isn't just about body fat and muscle mass. For many of us, being fit inside counts, too, which means trying to make the best possible choices from day to day -- best for ourselves, our families, and our planet. And it can get tiring sometimes, trying to determine whether you're better off purchasing sustainable Product X from Company A or slightly-used organic Product Y from Company B, but sustainable shopping just got a bit easier with WorldofGood.com.

WorldOfGood.com is an Ebay community that strives to be "your source for everything People Positive and Eco Positive." They want to provide a place where people can "create positive change through commerce, as part of a global community."

More and more people are interested in the effects their purchases make -- knowing you're buying items that meet your philosophical needs can bring you great peace of mind. If you want to see just how big an impact simple spending habits make on the world at large, check out the Smart Cart quiz. You'll be amazed (and slightly horrified, if you're anything like me!).

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Nutrition expert, Elizabeth Somer, and I recently sat down in New York City at the Prilosec OTC round table event to chat about aging without feeling or looking OLD! She tosses out tons of great advice about living well, living long and looking hot while doing it. The interview was fun and her books are great!

View Elizabeth's books below:

See more training videos at SportsHealthExercise.org on the Active Health Network!

It's funny how different people are about their bath time routines. I have plenty of friends who like nothing more than to soak in a hot bath for half an hour, while others want to get in and out of the shower as quickly as possible. I fall somewhere in between -- there are times when my muscles are screaming for a hot shower, and I take a little longer than normal, but there are quite a few times I'm in and out in very little time.

What doesn't change, however, is my love of good products. What's a shower (or a bath) without a shampoo that smells amazing, or a soap that's totally invigorating? And, of course, it has to feel great on my skin.

Lately I've been hearing a lot about Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. The company has been around for 60 years, though only recently have they gone from being a cult favorite natural food store brand to being embraced by the masses. The products are completely eco-friendly and certified organic as well as fair trade certified. Besides all that goodness, there are over 30,000 words written on the labels of all the products epitomizing the founder's beliefs -- makes for good reading!

As a family, we like to get outdoors and enjoy natural surroundings. But there's one part of nature that we don't enjoy -- bugs. Whether buzzing in your ear or nibbling at your ankles, bugs can quickly ruin an outdoor activity. There are plenty of bug repellents out there -- effective ones at that -- but if spraying yourself or your family down with chemicals isn't your style, consider this homemade insect repellent bar instead.

You'll need to gather a few items, some likely from a health food store, but after that, putting the bar together is fairly quick. I'd make several at once, I think, then store them in handy places like the car, my backpack, the beach bag, etc. Though I'm certain a homemade bar won't repel bugs as well as a chemical spray, the peace of mind you'll get from using something natural and non-toxic might be worth a bite or two.

• Mix baking soda and water to make a paste, and apply to the sting.
• Lay a fresh slice of onion or garlic on the area, or eat them instead.
• If you can find them, plantain leaf or calendula flower can also be rubbed on the wound.

Before trying any of these, however, the stinger needs to be carefully scraped out (not pulled!). If you're allergic to bees or think that you're having an unusual reaction, forget the natural remedies and get medical attention -- pronto!

Ever read the ingredients on your beauty products? Our friends over at The Beauty Brains recently did and found that one Oil of Olay product contained a surprising ingredient--Butane, aka that stuff that goes into cigarette lighters.

But is washing your face in butane safe? The brains seem to think so -- while it's not ok to wash your face in lighter fluid, having butane in your face wash isn't a problem. Butane is used as a propellant in aerosol cans, and that's about the end of it's use. Once it's exposed to air, it quickly evaporates and most likely doesn't even end up on your face.

Interesting, huh? The Beauty Brains have lots of inside info to share -- head on over there to learn more about your beauty products.