Are Avocados the New Wonder Fruit?

My Mom bought a ton of Avocados the other day with the hopes that I would make my famous guacamole. Four days have passed and I keep walking past them, still in their skins. I can’t help but think about our amazing moisturizer, WAKE UP CALL, every time I see an avocado, which got me thinking about other uses for the fruit. Yes, avocados are fruits.

With a little googling I discovered a wealth of uses and benefits of avocados. They’re not just for Mexican food anymore.

Health Benefits:

  • Avocados lower cholesterol because they contain high levels of beta-sitosterol.
  • They also contain high levels of folate which aids in stroke prevention and heart attacks.
  • High levels of vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and glutathione will keep your heart healthy.
  • Avocados also have carotenoid lutein, which help to prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.
  • Similar to Olive Oil, avocados have Oleic Acid, which can be beneficial in warding off cancer, specifically breast and oral cancers.

Skin & Hair Benefits:

  • Highest level of sterolins, which is wonderful for dry or dehydrated skin
  • Avocado oil increases collagen in the skin
  • Avocado can help repair damaged hair and mimics our own oil secretions.

Don’t be shy-eat them or mash them up for your skin and hair. The avocado is a wonder fruit!

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A Few Ways to Try and Stay Healthy….

Since it is cold and flu season, I thought I would continue on with a few tricks to keep yourself healthy. Although, I am writing this holed up in the guest room at my parent’s house. My Dad has been coughing and sneezing and I am fighting something yucky off….

The truth is you can be as careful as possible and follow all the rules on how ‘not to get sick’, but if you’re due for it-you’re going to get it. That being said there are still a few tips that may help you. Wash your hands after everything! Don’t touch your face, nose or mouth, this is the quickest way to get germs. Stay hydrated and limit your sugar intake. If it is cold outside cover your nose and mouth. If you start to feel like you’re getting sick, pop some vitamin D and C. I’ve been loading up and I think i’m winning the war.

Yesterday my Dad told me that the most common way germs are passed around a restaurant are through the water pitcher.  Apparently most pitchers are cleaned in the PM after the restaurant has closed-that means the same pitcher is used throughout the entire day and night. When waiters go around and fill your glass up they are also unknowingly giving you everyone else’s germs. Every time a pitcher touches a glass it can pick up other people’s saliva which carries germs and ends up on your glass….yuck. Your best bet in a restaurant is bottled water or skip it all together.  Another scary restaurant fact is that when you take something home in a doggy bag, you should always ask to box it yourself at the table.  Once you send your food away, it can come into contact with numerous hands (germs), not to mention anything airborne.

Stay healthy friends!

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Fly Healthy

I travel very frequently and know all the perils of air travel, but after reading an eye opening article in Women’s Health I may invest in some hand sanitizer. Here are a few of their tips and mine to follow during this busy travel holiday season.

Flying at 37,000 feet can wreak havoc on your skin due to the low humidity in the cabin. I always drink a ton of water the day before I fly to try and hydrate. While in-flight I continue to drink water, which usually annoys the person sitting next to me because I have to goto the bathroom so much….. Invest in a facial mist (travel size only please) that you can spritz onto your face during the flight.  I usually do not wear much makeup when I fly either, instead I will apply a heavy moisturizer ( WAKE UP CALL is my favorite) and let it set like a treatment.

Now that we have our skin under control let’s get to keeping healthy in flight. There are 200 other people using the bathroom, GROSS. The odds of one of them having a virus is very high. WASH your hands and use hand sanitizer. I am usually not a big proponent of hand sanitizer but on planes it is a must! Norovirus, made famous in the news by making entire cruise ships sick, can linger in the bathrooms of airplanes. Door handles, faucets and even the flush button can have this extremely contagious virus hiding on them. Whether you choose a hand sanitizer or hand wipes make sure it is an alcohol based product.

What about jet lag? Some people are more prone to it than others and I find that trying to stay on your regular schedule helps. Eat when you get hungry and rest when you are tired.  Your body is a lot smart than you give it credit for.  Sunlight plays a major role in jet lag by helping you body and brain adjust to time differences. If you leave the west try to avoid sunlight in the morning but enjoy some in the afternoon and vice versa going the other way.  Again your natural rhythm and schedule is always the best. Listen to your body.

Don’t forget about your circulation.  On long flights make sure to get up and walk around and stretch a little.  Sitting for a prolonged period of time can cause stiffness and in some rare cases even a blood clot.  If you are prone to circulation issues try wearing compression socks.  I wear these to warm up before a race or marathon and when I fly. They are very warm and they keep your blood circulating. My favorite are Zensah in hot pink!

Travel safe this holiday season and please write in to us if you have any fun or informative travel tips to share!  

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