Staying Safe & being Savvy in the Summer Sun

 via pinterest.com

Hello loves! How was your weekend? Decadent, enriching, inspiring, hectic, relaxing?

I managed to escape for the second time this year to the beach - you'd think with the amazing weather we've been having since early May that I'd have hit the beach more often right? It's only half an hour drive to reach the coast...Well, as much as I love being by the sea and going for long swims, I can honestly say it is far too hot & I'm no longer interested in working up a tan... cue gasp - shock horreur! Over the past few years, I have found sunbathing a little.... boring (unless I have a seriously good read), gimme a bit of beach V-ball action any day. Admittedly, ten years ago my outlook on sunbathing was somewhat very differently from now.

via mypinkcloud.tumblr.com

I'm pretty sure many of you are familar with the sun safety drill, know a fair bit about protecting your skin, lathering on sun cream and staying in the shade when the sun is at it's peak, but what do you guys really know about sun exposure, heat stroke or long term effects of sun exposure such as melanoma (deadly form of skin cancer) & premature aging of the skin? (I'm picturing Cameron Diaz' neighbour with the leather skin from There's Something about Mary... judder!)

A little vitamin D is good for you but there are dire & serious consequences when you've soaked up just a little too much sun, even when you have applied a generous amount of sun cream (and forgotten to reapply two hours later) and i'm not talking about short term repercussions of immediate sunburn either. 

via here

Sorry guys, not trying to freak you out here, just want you guys to be savvy and safe in the  sun. This weekend I remembered this one time and note, I was pretty good at being a sun worshipper, what with my olive skin... Even with factor 30 sun cream (which I'd applied a good hour before heading to the beach), an hour under the blazing sun, I totally weirded out a few hours later. 

As in verging on heat exhaustion/heat stroke, I was non-stop thirsty (even though I drank water throughout the day), irritable even though I felt completely shattered & I felt so damn hot (no sunburn either but my body temperature was off the charts). I drank a lot of water along with sports drinks (to replace lost electrolytes) & tried to rest, which helped, but I felt completely rubbish. 
If you're spending hours under the sun, be aware of the following symptoms:

Dizziness, nausea, dehydration, increased heart rate/breathing rate, vomiting and muscle cramps.

via here.

At this time of the year magazines and online blogs are in abundance of sun protection cream features, which sunscreen lotion is the best etc, and you have probably read them all, but how many of you actually comply with sun safety at all? 
Here's one a wake-up call read from Marie Claire magazine: "What I learned from Melanoma, experiencing skin cancer".
Sun exposure or none at all, keep an eye on your moles each month ideally to see if there are any changes. If you are fair skinned, have lots of freckles, or moles or even have absolutely no idea what the heck I'm talking about please visit this article about melanoma screenings, examining moles & abnormal mole images here via Cancer Research UK.

I also love this brilliant read from Glamour: "Still Tanning? 6 sunscreen mistakes 
leaving you vulnerable to skin cancer".

Sun Safety knowlege - A few facts: 

• "One in ten (Brits) believed that the sun in the UK isn't as strong as it is in more tropical climes and 20% of the public think you can’t catch the sun through glass." - DOH! - Yup, doesn't matter where you are, it's worth investing in a day cream with an spf of 15 minimum.
• "The poll of 1,500 women revealed that 22% do not wear creams to protect them from UV rays when they are abroad, as they do not think they sunburn, that it’s too expensive or that it doesn’t work.
• And worringly, almost half thought using after-sun would reverse some of the damage done to their skin by the sun. Eeeek!" Un-be-lievable!!! - via Cosmopolitan UK
• "An estimated 8,600 people in the U.S. died from melanoma last year"  - Totalbeauty.com
• You can still burn even though it's a cloudy day on the beach, don't underestimate the power of UVA rays, they'll penetrate through a glass of water loves!

So lovelies, enjoy the summer, but be safe and protect your hair & eyes too!
Oh and please for the love fo God, go easy on the booze - balance those yummy cocktails out with a glass of water in between! 

Sun Protection sources: boots.com

Getting to... Good form, Great health, Good fitness

No... this isn't some kind of New Year's resolution thing... this is inspiration & just a little reminder about looking after yourself! Your own personal health is so valuable guys! If you haven't had your annual wellness/health check up, book it in and sort it out.

I found this pretty useful for measuring food quantities via Pinterest, however, can't say I'm that much of a control freak when it comes to portions! I love my food!

I'm never one for strict healthy eating plans and I occasionally go off the charts when it comes to the sugar department. Do you any of you take care of what you eat and put in your body? Having moved to Greece, I cook pretty much everything from scratch now, I hardly ever buy anything tinned/jarred like I used to in the UK. I also make nearly all my own sauces and buy fruits/veg in season as there is no alternative here! Just wish some things weren't so darn expensive... I cannot get over pricey the supermarkets are here - on par with Waitrose and Marks and Spencers!

LOVED this chart... and hopefully it'll inspire me to pick up the right things I'm really missing! Bigger, readable version via here

Ah, running, I love feeling of freedom, speed, adrenaline and the fact that it's 'me time' when I run. Plus I get to think things over and also let things go. If you don't like running, find something else to do that gives you a natural high and gets you fit! Get your playlist sorted too - I can help with that... there's nothing like some good tunes to work out to.

I'm a big fan of reflexology, Mr Perseus thinks it's really funny, but it works for me and can help with any minor health issues. Have you ever felt some niggly/painful bits when pressure is given on parts of your feet? Look no further than this little chart to identify some problem areas. You can give those areas a gentle massage, get someone else to to do it or find a reputable reflexologist to do all the work!

images via pinterest - some know sources include: Onedaybeautiful.tumblr, Gethealthygetsexy.tumblr

Beauty Awareness: Inflammation-not so kind for your looks & health

After reading the comments from my post last week on 'Barefaced Beauty', one of the comments struck a chord with me. I'm fully aware of what happens when you don't wear sunscreen or an SPF, which I always do. But what about the effects of air pollution against your skin? I don't wear foundation on a daily basis to protect my skin, although I probably should and perhaps I don't do enough to protect my skin enough, as the levels of pollution can be quite high in areas of Greece, particularly in summer.

I recently picked up on a brilliant article on ElleUK.com on Inflammation (there are many kinds that you ought be aware of) and the possible triggers, one being exposure to air pollutants!

I know that when you hear the word inflammation, you immediately think that it's something that you get from say an ankle sprain, a cut, a bruise, or gum disease, or injuries that you got through exercise, a spot breakout - you associate inflammation with the redness, pain, heat and swelling right? It's the healing process, where infection is cleaned out and tissue rebuilt right?

Well, there's much more to it luvvies! There is actually a kind of inflammation that exists in your body but in a deadly and silent way because it doesn't show up on your body as a wound or infection. Think of it as the stealthy 'chronic low level inflammation' because it can remain invisible for weeks, months or even years. The disease triggers can be read here.

Why should we be concerned? Well I'm no expert in this area and don't claim to be, but I wanted to make everyone a little more aware of the damaging effects and the yucky effects it has on your skin long term. Yeah, I'm talking wrinkles, eczema and acne plus more serious health issues too.


Inflammation can lead to the destruction of healthy cells and tissues on a more rapid level should the body trigger an inappropriate inflammation response. So what do you need to do to combat this?

• Exercise - cardio, yoga or pilates.
  
• Don't smoke
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Reduce stress - make small lifestyle changes if you do lead a busy lifestyle.
  
• Diet and increasing your intake of antioxidant-rich foods/drinks (Vitamin C, Green Tea). Eating low levels of Trans and saturated fats; increasing the amount of omega-3 in your diet (found in fish, fish oil and flaxseed oil); and increasing your intake of multicolored fresh vegetables and fruit can help keep inflammation in check. An anti-inflammatory diet should also be rich in fiber and low glycemic foods. It can be helpful to eat a lot of fish, beans, soy and nuts in the place of meat as sources of protein (- meat can be pre-inflammatory).
• Combat free radicals with an antioxidant-rich diet and skincare regime.
• If you're into pill popping then check out the Elle UK recommendations here. I don't think popping pills are necessarily the answer to everything, as diet plays a much more important role.

Ok, so I hope I didn't freak some of you out on a Monday, maybe this shoot of Giselle made for a good distraction! Have a great week beauties!

Images via FashionGoneRogue
Shoot featuring Giselle, shot by the awesome Regan Cameron

Sources:

Inflammation Awareness now

Skincare.net

ElleUK

Procrastinating; Shaping up for summer

image via Vogue, Hellas

By now some of you will have hit the beach at some point & flaunted your sizzling hot bikini bod.
I don't know if I'm the only one admitting this, but all those honed & toned bikini bodies & articles on Bikini Boot-Camp i've been seeing in all the glossies lately are kinda subconsciously screaming silently at me to get my ass in gear to get fit & healthy. Whilst i'm totally comfortable with the way I am, there's always room for self-improvement.
Oh and there's that great shot of Jennifer Aniston flying around on set of her new movie, 'Just go with it', her legs... arms... everything just looks really toned. Is it me or does this woman look better with age? She's as radiant as ever!

I've been telling myself I really ought to join a Yoga class here, although I'm struggling to find a Bikram workshop or join a gym (which really isn't my thing) but seriously, I've been procrastinating for... ooooh maybe a year and a half now and have done nothing, zip, diddly squat about it. The over-indulgence of ice-cream isn't helping either.

Serpentine Boating Lake, Hyde Park
via LondonTown

I used to love running in Hyde Park (great for people watching whilst being in the zone) or running around town, but in Athens, you just can't do that - pavements aren't made for walking let alone running (i'd wipeout in 5 seconds), the ridiculous scale of hills, i'd probably die running up one or trip & fall flat on my face running down one. A friend of mine who doesn't take to doing any kinda exercise at all, once told me, "the only time you ever run, is for the bus/train on the way to work or away from someone really bloody scary"... ok, then.

Right now, I just want to feel fitter (less sluggish and tired), aspire to be more active, maintain strength and vitality (so much more important than just looking good, but it sure is a bonus) and stop eating so late all the time- this is one thing I didn't get used to when i moved here. Dinner can be anything around 10pm-midnight... which results in me eating at least 5 times a day.

Deliciously Organised recently posted about cleansing, which is brilliant if you increase energy, clear your skin and basically rid your body of toxins.

So what's on the agenda for me? Organise the fridge so it looks a bit more like this for starters!!!

image via Glamour.com

Whilst I do actually eat healthily, cook everything from scratch - even hummus! My fridge is jam packed with the green stuff (plus a tub of feta - the size of my head and a huge watermelon) it's just not organised in a fashion that is appealing. I'm going try & pre-chop and organise meals so they're ready to go on a daily basis to save time. I'm one of those people who need variety everyday, so thinking ahead is necessary.

Ok, Work-out vids are a little cheesy i know..., but I'm going to share this Tracy Anderson Workout for Adidas (Gwyneth Paltrow's work out guru) with you. Its only 10 mins long, pretty easy going and you can build on the moves by increasing the reps.



For those of you who want to incorporate other kinds of exercise regime, check out this Bikini Body Quick workout tips by Marie Claire.

So ladies, what are you doing to shape up for summer? Or are you procrastinating like me!?