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25 posts tagged pause for prevention
PAUSE FOR PREVENTION // Hormone Disruptors
In case you missed it: Dateline NBC aired a great segment this week on toxic chemicals and hormone disruptors in our homes and everyday objects. The clip shows NBC News’ Andrea Canning raise and lower her body levels of thalates, triclosan and BPA, which are linked to breast cancer, by modifying the lotions, make-up, soap, plastic containers and canned foods she used in a 24 hour period.
Pay attention to what you put in your body, people!
Here is the Dateline NBC clip: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/dateline/51320243#51320243
PAUSE FOR PREVENTION // Eating On The Go?
Our educational booth is on the road close to 100 days out of the year. Being on the road means eating on the go, which can easily lead too some pretty gnarly dietary choices.
So our Pause For Prevention tip this week is to BE PREPARED! Whether you’re traveling or have a jam-packed work/life schedule be prepared by starting to plan & pack healthy snack options to get you through the day. Stash them in your bag, car, or at the office to ensure that you’re getting the nutrients that you need. This will also help eliminate the urge to grab fast food or skipping meals because you’re just “to busy to eat”!
Our favorite snack packs include anything from fruits like bananas & apples to carrot sticks, organic almonds, raw granola, organic cheese sticks, or even a little Greek yogurt! To stay hydrated & to eliminate plastic usage on the go, we also pack our B4BC stainless steel water bottles.
So be good to yourself & plan ahead!
PAUSE 4 PREVENTION // Are You In Shredding Shape?
The snow is flying, but are you in “shredding shape”? Strength, balance, agility, and endurance are not only important in helping you improve your mad skills on the hill this season, but they’re also important for preventing injuries. Check out this great article from FitSugar to see what the pros are doing to improve and stay healthy on the hill….http://www.fitsugar.com/Snowboarding-Workouts-From-Olympic-Snowboarders-20457917?_nz=32
PAUSE FOR PREVENTION // What’s up with SUP?
Get on the SUP hype! Standup paddle surfing is ever-growing and gaining popularity quickly. Try your hand at paddle surfing and experience an awesomely fun full body workout. Don’t live near the ocean? Fret not, for where there is water, there is the potential to SUP. Try a lake or river (we haven’t done it in a swimming pool yet, but who’s stopping you?).
SUP boards are also super buoyant, so they are pretty forgiving, making the sport fairly easy to get the hang of. And don’t SUP alone! Take a friend out with you, or even share your board with a furry companion. SUP is an excellent way to be healthy and get active, just add water!
Interested in a new board? Our friends at New Surf Project (NSP) have created a B4BC SUP line whereas a percentage of the proceeds from each board sale benefits B4BC programs. Check them out here.
This weekend we’ll be in Wisconsin at the Midwest Standup Paddle Festival, so stay tuned for SUP updates! There will be demos and clinics to help you get on board!
PAUSE FOR PREVENTION // Soy Safety
Soy causes some confusion when it comes to its link to women’s health. Consuming soy products has been said to reduce breast cancer risk, but too much soy is thought to increase risk. So where do you draw the line between healthy and unhealthy soy intake?
Soy can have a healthy and possibly protective role in women’s diets when eaten in its whole or minimally processed form in moderation. This means eating no more than 1 to 2 servings per day of soybeans, edamame, tofu, tempeh, miso or soy milk.
However, consuming much more than 1 to 2 servings of soy, and eating processed soy products or supplements like shakes, chips, bars, powder and fake meat products may be harmful, especially if you are already at high risk for breast cancer.
Avoid soy products that contain the words “soy protein concentrate”, “soy isolate”, or “isolated soy protein” on the label, and choose organic products that have not been genetically modified (click here to read more about GMOs).
Read more about soy safety at Breast Cancer Defense, and enjoy your soy in a smart way!
PAUSE FOR PREVENTION // Check One, Two
Vans Warped Tour 2012 kicks off this Saturday, June 16! B4BC will be joining the tour on select dates starting with next week’s stop in Irvine, CA on the 21st. Stop by to visit our educational booth and learn how to Check One, Two!
If you won’t be making it to the tour, here is your mid-month reminder to do your breast self exam (BSE). Need a refresher course? Click here for step-by-step instructions and watch a demo video to see how it’s done. Remember that the best time to do a BSE is 10 days after the start of your period.
Early detection is the most important tool you can arm yourself with, so be sure to get and stay acquainted with your body because no one knows it better than you do!
P.S. Is it just us or do the Warped gods look like they’re about to check one, two? Click the pic for tour dates and more info about Vans Warped Tour.
PAUSE FOR PREVENTION // Is There Plastic In Your Food?
There is a lot of awareness about what plastic food packaging does to the environment, especially with the recent L.A. plastic grocery bag ban, but have you thought about what that plastic might be doing to your food and your body?
Check this out:
In a study published last year in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers put five San Francisco families on a three-day diet of food that hadn’t been in contact with plastic. When they compared urine samples before and after the diet, the scientists were stunned to see what a difference a few days could make: The participants’ levels of bisphenol A (BPA), which is used to harden polycarbonate plastic, plunged — by two-thirds, on average — while those of the phthalate DEHP, which imparts flexibility to plastics, dropped by more than half.
Harmful hormone disrupting chemicals have been found in foods such as apple juice, baby formula, butter, instant noodles, beer, wine and more. Chemicals can transfer into from food prep gloves, plastic packaging and bottles, ink used on labels, the plastic used to wrap produce and many more.
The trouble is, there is not a lot of information about these chemicals, how dangerous they are, and exactly what foods and food packaging they are found in. It is important to be informed and aware of what you are putting into your body though.
For more information, read the full article from The Washington Post.
PAUSE FOR PREVENTION // Stop Suffering From Social Jet Lag
In the same way that travelling across time zones upsets our sleep schedule and causes jet lag, so does our 24-hour society. Between our work, personal and social lives, there simply are not enough hours in the day to accomodate all of our demands, which is why we often steal those hours from our sleep allotment. Too many early mornings and late nights upsets our bodies’ circadian rythym, resulting in “social jet lag.”
“Social jet lag,” according to Dr. Ojile, is essentially what happens when you adjust your sleeping schedule to accommodate your lifestyle, and “your body’s biological rhythm gets out of sync or out of phase with your daily schedule.”
The lack of sleep will show itself not only in those dark circles, but also on your figure. For every hour of sleep discrepancy experienced, individuals are 33% more likely to have a high body mass index. In order to boost wakefulness, your body increases your appetite to compensate for the sleep deprivation. Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the key breast cancer preventatives, so depriving yourself of sleep could also mean depriving yourself of health.
The obvious solution to this dilemma is to sleep more, however that is often easier said than done. Here are some tips from Self that can help improve the sleep you do get, however.
- As much as possible, stick with a consistent bedtime and wake-up time.
- Avoid excessive time in bed or napping.
- Eliminate pre-sleep habits that invoke hyper-arousal (no more bedtime pillow fights!).
- Avoid caffeine within several hours of bedtime and alcohol at bedtime.
- Reserve your bed for sleep.
- Remove technology from your bedroom: TV, computer, iPad, iPhone, e-readers, etc.
- Exercise in the late afternoon.
For more information about the causes and symptoms of social jet lag, read the full article at Self.
Nighty night!
PAUSE FOR PREVENTION // Breast Cancer Fund
Today we’re highlighting our friends at the Breast Cancer Fund. Last week we had the honor of attending their Heroes Celebration Gala, marking 20 years of leading the way in identifying and eliminating the environmental causes of cancer.
Among their many awesome feats, the Breast Cancer Fund’s “Cans Not Cancer” campaign has recently succeeded in encouraging Campbell’s Soup to implement a BPA-free policy in their soup packaging. Why does that matter, you ask?
Exposure to BPA, used to make the epoxy-resin linings of metal food cans, has been linked in lab studies to breast and prostate cancer, infertility, early puberty in girls, type-2 diabetes, obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Now that your chicken noodle will be sans-BPA, Mmm Mmm Good will be a whole lot Mmm Mmm Better! How rad is that? For more information about this campaign, read the full article here.
B4BC has raised funds for the Breast Cancer Fund throughout the years, but we are super stoked to enter into an official partnership with them in the coming months. More details on the way. In the meantime, head to their website to learn what you can do to curb your cancer risk!
PAUSE FOR PREVENTION // What You Should Know About GMOs
Genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs, are created by inserting a gene from one species into another to create a new version of a food species that would not be found in nature. GMOs can have negative effects on your health and the environment. It is important to be aware of the effects of GMOs, as well as what foods are genetically modified. Problem is, GMOs do not necessarily have to be labelled as such, and it can be impossible to know what you’re eating.
Educate yourself by visiting Organic Authority to learn more about the bad effects of GMOs.
Wish you knew how to spot GMOs? We do to, and so does California Right to Know. Their campaign has successfully earned a spot for this issue on the November ballot, and if successfully passed, grocery retailers will be required to label food that is produced with genetic engineering. Learn more about the campaign here, and defend your right to know.
