I’m running the Chicago Marathon again (I ran it in 2014 and 2017) and you know what that means? Time to get my marathon manicure! It’s been a ritual of mine for some years now to get some great nail art before a big race.
Although I usually go with something inspired by looks on the fashion runway (I got this manicure for the 2014 Chicago Marathon) or a nail look I’ve seen online, this time around I went with a look that’s more directly inspired by the race.
Since I trained for this marathon with Nike Canada with Nike Run Coach Brittany Moran, I asked Tips Nail Bar to use the colours of the Nike Pegasus Zoom Turbo, and for a swoosh across the fingers of my left hand, such that with my fingers extended, the nail art looks abstract, but bring the fingers together and they create the Nike Swoosh. On the thumb, and on my entire right hand, an array of stars — the inspo for this is the four stars on the Chicago flag. (I’ll replace these detail pics with better photos once I have more time; busy packing and getting to bed early for Chicago right now!)
(The colours Leeanne Colley and Naomi Misu used are CND Shellac Mint Convertible, and Accent Gel Play in Hot Pink layered with Artistic Color Gloss in Owned).
I love the look — the minty green with the vivid coral is bananas and it’ll be a nice reminder during the race that no matter what time I cross the finish line with that all I can ask for is that I reach for the stars. And believe me, I have plenty of time during a marathon and most definitely do notice my nails as I make my way through 42.2 kilometres! But I’ll also be thinking about the things I learned training this season and hopefully all of the brutally hard work this summer will pay off.
October 4, 2018
Getting older makes me nervous. Plain and simple. I’m going to assume I’m not alone in this. Ladies, are you a bit stressed about aging, too?
But a recent roundtable I attended with a group of very successful women helped to ease some of that anxiety about aging. Assembled by Procter & Gamble Canada, the group of inspiring women included fashion expert Jeanne Beker, lifestyle expert Lynn Spence, dermatologist Kucy Pon, dentist Janet Tamo, and wellness expert Tosca Reno. Jeanne, who’s just turned 65, shared that she’s finding this time of her life exhilarating. “So many years, it was all about pushing forward and having to survive and going out there and getting it, we all need that drive, but this stage of our lives where we can sit back and see the forest for the trees, it’s a sweet time,” she says.
That sounds pretty incredible, doesn’t it? A little bit of a waiting-to-exhale moment when it comes to life…Here are the other useful nuggets of inspo I gathered from this powerhouse of women when it comes to taking care of one’s health and beauty.
1. Look to your meals as a way to nourish your body. “Each meal, I see as an opportunity to load myself with nutrients. Not “is it going to be chicken or steak tonight?” I look at food differently, as a way to flood my cells with nutrients.” says Tosca. She added that according to the World Health Organization, wellness is the presence of three lifestyle practices. “Eating clean, whole. nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods, exercise and emotional wellness,” she says. And while she noted that keeping moving physically is important, so is keeping your digestive system moving things along is key, too. And her tip for making sure you’ve got that down pat? Adding Metamucil and a shelf-stable probiotic (just open the capsule and add the powder right in!) to your smoothie is a simple way to make your smoothie instantly better for you.
2. Feed your skin vitamins, too. Eighty percent of premature aging is due to sun damage, says Kucy. And while you can’t undo all the sun damage to your skin, you can make sure your skincare has vitamins that’ll benefit it. Such as vitamin B3 (niacinamide) — it moisturizes, it’s anti-inflammatory, helps pigmentation, and prevents irregular skin tone; vitamin A, which you should use in the evenings, which will help repair some sun damage; and vitamin C, as this antioxidant will help neutralizing damaging free radicals. Where to get these vitamins? Well, Olay Regenerist is, as Lynn points out, affordable and accessible to most women.
3. Give your hair some TLC. Have you ever watched Lynn on TV and admired her shiny, voluminous hair? I know I have. Lynn swears by Pantene 2-in-1 products and its Smart Technology, which targets the areas it needs to treat and then washes out, but still leaves the hair nice and hydrated. She also makes sure to limit her use of heat tools by using a hair dryer that works efficiently so she can minimize the time it’s blow dried, and she finishes off with velcro rollers to build volume.
4. Create a budget and regimen for your dental health. Discoloured teeth are seen as a sign of aging and your teeth will darken with years of smoking and drinking coffee and red wine. The strategies to maintain a healthy mouth, though, are simple. Start with planning a budget for your dental health. “People budget for their hair, but hair grows back, teeth don’t,” says Janet. That’s so true, and good oral health over your lifetime is so essential, it should have its own budget. As for how to use that budget? Crest Whitestrips will immediately make your teeth look healthier and more beautiful. Invest in an Oral-B electric toothbrush, as it has been proven to better remove plaque. And lastly, floss daily as it helps to remove bacteria from your mouth. Did you know most dental conditions are preventable?
5. Exercise can fit into even the busiest of schedules. People often ask Tosca if she spends hours at the gym and she tells them she doesn’t have hours to spend. Thirty minutes performed at 65 percent maximum heart rate is far more effective than spending hours at the gym, she says. Women in the baby boomer demo need to hit metabolic catalysts and target large muscle groups, that is the glutes, core and and quads, so that your burning fat at a faster rate all the time. Her fave? Rebounding. Fifteen minutes on this mini trampoline is the same as running 30 minutes on land, she says.
And when it comes to all of these lessons, it’s important to remember that taking care of yourself inside and out doesn’t have to be an all-consuming, overwhelming task. “Do the doable thing,” says Tosca. “Once you’ve done that thing, the next thing becomes easier. Do it 10 times in a row, and now that’s a new habit, and you can move onto the next one and commit to the next doable thing.”
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November 21, 2017
If there are two things I do a lot of it is travelling and blow-drying my hair. My work calls for me to go out of town a fair bit (even though I am cutting back on it as I know I need more time at home), and as for the blow-drying, since I work out regularly and sweat a lot, I’m frequently showering twice a day (to get ready for the day and then again post-workout), and that often calls for blow drying twice a day.
You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about these two things as going hand in hand, and that’s because I’ve been testing out the brand-new Panasonic Nanoe™ Compact Travel Hair Dryer, and this little addition to my beauty toolkit has helped me out with both my time on the road and at home.
I never used to travel with a hair dryer and never really understood the point of travel hair dryers–after all, don’t all accommodations have a hair dryer in the room? But now having traveled regularly for the past six years and having been forced to use the often terrible ones at hotels (you’d be surprised at how many places still offer the old-fashioned weak ones that are attached to the wall and look like a Flowbee) I’ve paid for it with bad-hair days. This is why I’m now making room in my carry-on for the Panasonic Nanoe Compact Travel Hair Dryer. It’s not a big deal to bring it along, since it’s so compact thanks to being foldable.
So now I can rest assured I have the right tool for the job when I’m away from home. This powerful 1,400-watt hair dryer is lightweight, and its Nanoe™ technology helps minimize damage from brushing (which is helpful since I find my hair can often feel dry and damaged, I think because of all the shampooing and heat I expose it to). The proprietary Nanoe™ technology draws water from the air to fortify hair with moisture-rich particles that reduce the damage caused by everyday brushing, leaving hair smoother and shinier. Since using this dryer, I’ve noticed my hair is a little more brilliant and less parched.
It has so many other great features going for it, I often reach for it first even at home instead of my non-travel/usual hairdryer. It comes with a quick-dry nozzle that puts out both strong and soft airflows so you can get the job done faster–and if you know me at all, you know very well how I’m often rushing last minute to get out of the house, so I can definitely use any tool that helps me get ready quicker. If I’m on time for events or meeting with friends, well, that’s thanks to precious time saved with this impressive little hair dryer.
I can’t quite say I’ve come to love the routine task of blow-drying , but it’s definitely less of a chore, and you always feel more confident when heading out the door on a good-hair day, am I right?
The Panasonic Nanoe™ Compact Hair Dryer has an MSRP of $99.99 and is available at T&T Supermarket locations and at Panasonic.com.
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August 1, 2017
