Contents - Winter Skin Tips
- Tip of the Week: Caffeine
- New Success Story: Kyle V.
- Recipe of the Week: Top Tiers Rice Salad
- Congratulations to the New Year, New You! WOWY™ Style Winners!
- New Year, New You—A Success!
"This thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down;
it's the staying down."
Mary Pickford
Winter Skin Tips
By Steve Edwards
Skin care should always be a concern, but in winter it's toughest. Both cold and wind can wreak havoc on your skin, drying it up and leaving you looking weathered and feeling itchy. And while there's less sun to worry about, chances are you're less conditioned to it when it's out. Those of you who spend time in the snow—nature's own high-intensity tanning bed—have even more to consider. Here are five ways to weather winter with your skin feeling as though you've just left the spa.
1. Don't shower too much. Soap and water does more than just wash away dirt. Soap removes natural body oils that do more than just protect our skin; they help us fight off environmental toxins. Our preoccupation with cleanliness can actually have an adverse effect on our health. Not that you shouldn't bathe, but doing it more than once per day is excessive, especially if you're not sweating profusely. And if your skin feels dry and itchy, it may be the last thing you need.
2. Take a bath. But add hydrating ingredients! I needed to get that out quickly before confusing you. While soap dries your skin, there are ingredients that added to a bath will help you hydrate. Baking soda works if your skin is very dry and itchy, but as a precautionary measure, choosing hydrating bath oil makes more sense. A perusal of any skin care aisle will provide you a myriad of options, a few of which will be discussed below.
3. Moisturize your skin daily. Try and do it as soon as you get out of the shower. Do your best to make this a ritual. Even if you're pressed for time, taking a minute to add moisturizer to your entire body is worth it, as your skin absorbs it best when warm and damp. You don't have to limit this to once a day—your skin can't get too much lotion—but after a shower is by far the most effective time.
Analyzing your moisturizer is an entire topic in itself, but here are a few guidelines to follow. Glycerin is the main ingredient in most cheap moisturizers and is greatly beneficial in healing minor skin abrasions. Various mineral oils are also high in the list of hydrating agents. Make sure that your moisturizer has these ingredients. Beyond them, you start to get more specific and expensive, but a glycerin/mineral oil-based lotion will do the trick.
Superfluous ingredients can be effective. The most common are various antioxidants: vitamins A, E, C, tea extracts, etc. Some effectiveness has been shown in testing, especially with vitamin A. Others you'll see are ALA (alpha-lipoic acid), coenzyme Q10, hyaluronic acid, collagen, and hydroxy acids. All of these show promise in some areas, but have not been thoroughly tested over time. Hydroxy acids actually exfoliate skin, making it more susceptible to sun damage, so sunscreen should be applied after using it.
The bottom line with moisturizers is that the simplest and cheapest do the trick. Fancier formulas may be better but allow your budget to determine this purchase and don't be dismayed if you can't afford the "best" bottle on the shelf. 4. Use sunscreen. Most of us are conditioned to add sunscreen while skiing or going to the beach, but daily sunscreen use on your face and neck should be practiced. Many facial moisturizers have sunscreen as an ingredient. Because they are more expensive, it makes economical sense to have two bottles of moisturizer, one for your face and neck, and one for the rest of your body.
And, oh, always carry lip balm and apply it regularly. The stuff's cheap, so keep a tube in your car, at your desk, at home, etc. 5. Exercise. Here I go again, championing the virtues of exercise, but nothing will give your skin a healthy glow as much as getting out and sweating. Exercise helps your body find a point of homeostasis. It's a regulator for all of your organs, the largest of which is your skin. So when your skin's feeling dry, brittle, and abused, nothing will whip it back into shape faster than an hour of profuse sweating.
For more on your skin, check out Denis Faye's article in issue #61.
Tip of the Week: Caffeine
By Steve Edwards
Caffeine aids sports performance for many people. Endurance activities are most affected, with runners being able to go longer without tiring, but studies have indicated shorter-duration activities also benefit. Large doses of caffeine are a banned substance by the Olympics. Some people do not benefit, and may suffer nervousness or have trouble staying hydrated, but if you're used to it, a cup or two of coffee before your run, ride, or workout may be beneficial.
New Success Story: Kyle V.
 | | Congratulations to our February Success Story!
"After the first 30 days I didn't see much change and I was a little frustrated, but I figured I'd go the rest of the 90 days. I did, and I'm proud of myself for that. My weight dropped from 160 to 148 pounds. My waist went from 33 inches to 29 inches. My body fat went from 20.1% to 9%. Now my energy level is always up, and I feel great." Click here to read the rest of Kyle's story. |
AFTER |
Recipe of the Week: Top Tiers Rice Salad 
"It can be a challenge to find interesting ways of eating chicken and brown rice sometimes," insists this week's recipe submitter, Tracy B. "Inspired by a dish from one of Seattle's Pike Place Market restaurants, I created this recipe to provide visual interest, flavor, crunch, and nutrition," she says. "Best of all, the ingredients reside on the top tiers of Michi's Ladder, hence the name."
Nice work, Tracy! We hope you enjoy strutting your new Beachbody T-shirt around the Emerald City.
Ingredients
1½ cups cooked brown rice (warm or cold okay)
6 oz. diced, cooked, skinless chicken breast (warm or cold okay)
2 cups red cabbage, shredded
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp. whole sesame seeds
Dressing
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 slice fresh lemon
Pepper and sea salt (to taste)
Combine brown rice, chicken, red cabbage, green onion, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Thoroughly whisk together dressing ingredients. Add to salad and toss. Serves two.
400 calories per serving, 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. (Nice!)
If you have a recipe you think is Beachbody material, send it to recipes@beachbody.com. If we publish it, we'll send you a free T-shirt
Congratulations to the New Year, New You! WOWY™
Style Winners!Thanks to all who participated in the January WOWY (Work Out With You) New Year, New You! contest. And congratulations to these folks, each of whom won a $100 Gift Certificate just for working out in WOWY during the last week in January:
- Monday, January 24th - alicia in Ontario
- Tuesday, January 25th - BluBird in Utah
- Wednesday, January 26th - B44T in Michigan
- Thursday, January 27th - DocEliza in California
- Friday, January 28th - jpsrolls in New York
- Saturday, January 29th - Daytona in Pennsylvania
- Sunday, January 30th - Johnny10 in Tennessee
- Monday, January 31st - rickw23 in Arizona
To check out all the winners, visit the WOWY New Year, New You! Winners page.
Click here to join a workout group, see who's working out, or to WOWY now!
New Year, New You—A Success!Beachbody would like to thank everyone who participated in our New Year, New You resolution campaign in January—almost 8,000 New Year, New You! resolutions were posted! And kudos to the 35 winners of the Daily Fitness contest! To make sure you stay on track, or if you have any tips or tricks for sticking to your New Year's resolution that you'd like to share with others, be sure to visit the New Year, New You! forum on the Beachbody Message Boards.
