this time ~ this space

The fibromyalgia I suffer from means that pounding the pavement is not healing exercise for me. In fact, I had to give up running and high impact aerobics because the result was joint pain and swelling from leaking synovial fluid. That’s why I’m always on the watch for fitness programs that I can modify to suit my limitations.

One that caught my eye came from Shape Up Like Spiderman

Well, with the superhero workout below, you can shape up like Spider-Man, too. But these three activities aren’t for the weak. If you’re a beginner, start slowly and work your way up to this challenge. Try these three times weekly.

Peter Parker push-ups:
Start on the floor in traditional push-up position. Keep your abs braced and your body in a straight line, parallel to the floor. Slowly lower yourself down, and as you do, bring your right knee toward your right elbow. Try to rotate your knee so it is outside your elbow, keeping your foot off the ground. Hold for 5 seconds, pushing through your chest, shoulders and triceps, and then return to the starting position. Aim for 5 to 10 push-ups per side.

Superhero side planks:
Side planks will help build your core strength, which is important for balance and dexterity. Start by lying on the floor on your left side. Then lift up on your left elbow so that your hips are off the floor and your entire body is in a straight line. Hold for one minute and then repeat on the right side. That’s one set. Aim to do three sets on each side.

Spidey sprints:
To do your best Spidey imitation, you need to be built for speed. Get outdoors for this one. The goal is to do 10, 100-yard sprints. Be sure to warm-up first with some jogging and half-paced practice sprints, then pick up the pace. Sprint as hard as you can — go, go, go, go, go! Record your times and see how you improve each week. At the end of each sprinting session, take a little walk to keep things loose and then get in some nice stretches.

Maybe you can handle the whole enchilada or maybe you will need to modify the Spiderman work out to make it suit. In my case I’ve cut the push-ups down to 2 per side but the rest of the work-out I can cope with as is.

Last summer I had my hair cut hair ultra-short. What a liberating experience that was! But, as summer progressed and a heat wave ensued, I quickly found that it became really dry and brittle. I began to search online for dry hair care tips and I wasn’t disappointed with the results.

This summer I went ultrashort again. However, I decided to go for an all over darker colour. I love it and I intend to protect my new “do” from sun damage. How about you?

Most of us caught on a long time ago to the damage too much sun can do our skin. But how many of us ever stopped to consider the same could be true of our hair?

Hair, like skin, needs to be shielded from sun damage. So if you know that your hair is going to be subject to long-term sun exposure and dehydration, then you should take measures to ensure it remains healthy. And if your hair has been subject to chemical processing, then it will be more susceptible to sun damage since the hair shaft has already been weakened.

Special tips for great summer hair care:

Basics: It is vital for the maintenance of healthy hair that you do at least one (or all) of the following: cover up using a hat or a scarf to provide added protection for your scalp, use styling products that have an SPF spray built into them, and/or have specific hair treatments designed to strengthen the hair.

Deep conditioning: Exposure to sunlight and the elements can dry hair out, particularly if your hair is chemically treated. Put back the moisture with a deep conditioner that contains keratin, jojoba oil, and other hair strengtheners and moisturizes.

For deep conditioning, use a shower cap and cover hair with a towel; this uses the heat from your head to help products penetrate. You can also give locks a quick pick-me-up with a specialized hot oil treatment. Of course, leave-in conditioners also give provide a boost and help protect against thermal damage when heat styling. So if you can’t give up your blow dryer then use a leave-in conditioner designed to protect your hair when blow drying.

Swimmingpools: If you’ve been swimming in chlorine, chances are your hair color is taking on a green cast. Check out beauty supply stores for products that remove chlorine or ask your hairdresser for help. Above all avoid using hair color products that contain metallic salts (most of these are for covering gray and are for guys). Two preventive tricks: wet your hair before swimming–it’ll absorb less chlorine. Since chlorine is a copper-rich bleach, rinsing with Club soda after a dip helps eliminate it.

• Products that advertise that they “replenish” are designed to add moisture. The voluminizing and luminizing products are designed to add body and shine, but may not add moisture. Be sure to read all ingredients on the hair product.
• Prevent static electricity in your hair when you shampoo by applying a rinse out conditioner that adds moisture and shine. Alternatively apply a “leave-in” conditioner after towel drying hair.
• If you normally blow dry and use hot curling tools every day, try and give your hair a break during the summer. Consider letting your hair air dry or take time out from curling. Hair braided when wet will air dry into beautiful waves.
• On weekends or at night dab a good deep conditioner (for hair that is exposed to the sun) or a good jojoba oil on the ends and frizziest parts of your hair.
• Pin it up or wrap it in plastic and sleep on it. Using this method will restore absent moisture that adds to the frizzies. It will also prevent heavy conditioners from weighing down your hair since the conditioner will be localized only on the trouble spots.
• If you unexpectedly find yourself at the beach without a hat or SPF for you hair, use sunscreen made for your skin. When you get home be sure and use a deep-cleansing shampoo. It may not be the best solution in the world, but it could very likely save your hair from sun damage.
• When the summer heat is hottest contain potential frizzies by wearing your hair up in a bun, knot or braids.

References:
The Damage Sun Can Do To Your Hair
Hair Boutique Tips