Thursday, 28 August 2008
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Is Sunblock Really All That Important?
by Mama Koala
The older we get, it's inevitable that there are more funerals to go to. Sadly, it's not only grandparents... I'm not yet 30, but I have several friends around my age who have had to say goodbye to a parent (or both parents) due to cancer or another disease. After going to a funeral for a friend's mom who died from skin cancer in her 50's, I finally realized the importance of sun protection. I knew it was important before, but unfortunately, it took a shocking event to make me realize that I need to be more committed to doing something about it. I usually wear some sun protection on my face when I go out, but I have yet to get into the habit of applying it on my arms and legs everyday. However, if I go to the pool or the park, I make sure to wear sunblock on exposed skin. I even tell my husband to do so now. (Is it just me, or do men seem to hate putting on lotion anywhere other than the face?)Ok, so sun protection is easy. All it requires is a tube of sunblock, and a little bit of determination to apply it. But what about other steps towards healthy living? How much of what we eat and do will affect our health later in life? I'll be the first to confess - I don't think enough of the consequences when I put junk into my mouth, deprive my body of sleep, and choose to watch a DVD instead of using that time to exercise.
Now that I'm a parent and I'm responsible for the health and well-being of another, I should be more responsible about my own health. It's hard to think about these things on a daily basis because I am still young, and my body can take what I do to it (or don't do to it). Anything convenient seems like a good option. But how about in another 20 years when Baby Koala is in college? I need to consider the future and be more intentional about how I live my days. I know that I can't control the future, or even my own health... but I can't deny that there are small steps I can take to be more healthy and do my part.
So now that I've let it out in the open, I hope I can commit to eating better food and exercising more often. Even a 20-minute session of Windsor Pilates (yes, the TV infommercial got me a few years back haha) would be better than nothing!
Do you think about the impact the decisions you make today could have on your health in the future? Anyone have any simple, easy-to-follow, healthy living tips for busy moms?
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Comments (9)
http://weblog.momaroo.com/mamajoyjoy/665531641/sun-safety.html I got to thinking about this awhile ago too.
My best tip is to always keep your fridge stocked with fruits. If you have fruits on hand for snacks, you're less like to dig into the big bag of chips. I'm not sure how good canned fruits are, but we always have some around if happen to not have fresh ones around.
I need to work on the exercise part...
I read a blog about skin cancer earlier this summer, and I started applying sun screen daily.
I know I am way late in commenting on this blog, but I wanted to stress how important it is to put on sun-block daily and to have your skin checked by a dermatologist at least once a year. My mother is in her early 50's and dying from stage 4 skin cancer that has spread to multiple locations in her body. It is heartbreaking to know that at 23 years of age, I am probably going to have to bury my mother, that she might not get the chance to meet her second grandchild.
My sympathies to the mom above.
I'd like to point out, however, that vitamin-D deficiency is beginning to run rampant in the US, and doctors are pointing to sunscreen as the culprit. Apparently, if you don't get enough sun exposure, it's bad for you, too. Our scientists are notoriously bad at saying what's good for us. You can pretty much depend on anything they announce on the evening news being disproven or modified within the decade.
So, my tip is that we don't know what the future holds. Why get stressed about the uncertain? Stress is proven to have negative effects on both our bodies and minds. Relax and allow yourself to enjoy what you have! I am convinced that I am healthier for the long run when I stop worrying about it and just live.
I'm trying to get in the habit of using sunscreen religiously. I've started using a face lotion by Neutrgoena with SPF 45 in t. Not only do I want to protect myself from skin cancer, but with all the money and time we women spend on trying to reverse the signs of aging, well preventing sun damage is one of the best ways to prevent early aging so that's yet another motivator.
I need to get better about always applying sunscreen to my arms and legs, though. Those get plenty of sun, too...
@eclectic_eccentric@xanga - You can get enough vitamin D by spending about 10 minutes out in the sun without sunscreen, 3-4 times a week.
Or you can just take a vitamin, or drink vitamin-D fortified milk. Those work just as well. The link between sun exposure and skin cancer is very well proven, it's not something that's up in the air or just hearsay. It's a leading killer these days, and one of the most easily preventable cancers. I'm certainly a huge advocate for not stressing about things, but I don't see getting into a daily habit of sunscreen application to be all that stress-inducing.
@SwissMama - Don't get me wrong! I wear moisturizer with SPF in it every day. (After all, if I do live to 100, I want to minimize wrinkles!) However, Skin cancer is usually only a killer if you have a family history or you routinely over-expose yourself. The amount of sun which is over-exposure varies depending on your skin type and color.
If (like me) you have no family history of any kind of cancer, have an olive skin tone, and (like most SAHM's) stay inside most of the day, there's nothing wrong with applying sunscreen only when I'm going hiking or to the pool. Obviously, if your mom has skin cancer or you burn from a 60-watt bulb, it would make sense to take more precautions. But for the majority of us, it really is just one more thing to stress about that we don't need.
I'm going to die of something eventually, and I would rather not spend my life worrying about things that might kill me. There are a lot more things that enhance my life and make it happier that I would rather spend mental energy on.
@eclectic_eccentric@xanga - I'm just not sure that's accurate. Yes, family history and sensitivity to sunburns are risk factors, but not having those doesn't mean you're not at risk. Even people with very dark skin get skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer, and accounts for HALF of all cancer cases.
I'm not saying stress about it. I don't spend time worrying or stressing out about dying of skin cancer. But I do try to wear sunscreen most days, if not every day, and I'm vowing to start getting my skin checked once a year to check for iffy moles. You don't have to wigg out about something in order to be mindful of the risks and take the righ precautions.
@SwissMama - I completely agree. I don't believe skin cancer runs in my friend's family, and her mom really did not spend that much time in the sun either. There's no way to control everything that happens in life, and therefore, no need to sit and worry about it... but what's the harm in taking measures to prevent known dangers, right?
@reasmom@xanga - I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. Not much else to say, but thank you for sharing your story to help the rest of us realize the dangers of sun exposure more clearly.
I dont believe in putting on sunscreen every single time i go out - which is every day a lot of the time-. I believe in eating very very well and Like to believe that our bodies were designed to do their jobs, fight off cancer's if we take care of them- Which of course, is not always so easy in this world of depleted soils and stressful living. I'd have to agree with Swiss mama that the vitamin D deficiency is a problem for children as well as adults and this affects us in many ways. and with that said i dont belive that taking a vitamin or drinking fortified milk is a good stand-in. I drink Raw and eat Raw dairy. Another thing I'm aware of is the stress and the not dealing with life's issues that can have much more affect on us than we might be inclined to beleive.
There has also been evidence that many popular sunscreens contain toxic ingredients. I definately am careful about the sunscreens i use when i use them or put them on my kids.