I learn about how the body works thanks to the work I do. And after attending a session with Always to learn about their new advanced product (more on that later), I know a lot about adult incontinence should I or a friend ever suffer from this, I’m prepared with all sorts of helpful information.
That said, it is possible I do have friends who suffer from it. While it tends to affect older adults, it is something that young moms can suffer from, and a few of my friends are moms now. But AI, which is the involuntary loss of urine due to the loss of bladder control, is something that people often keep a secret. And I can’t say I blame them. No one wants to be known for not being able to control one’s bladder, but the good news is there’s a new, improved way to help you live more confidently with it..
How much do you know about adult incontinence? Here are five eye-opening things I learned that day from the people at Always.
An estimated one in three women over 18 years old suffer from AI. That’s a big number. Think about it: if you’re hanging out with nine of your friends, that means three of you may suffer from AI.
Adult incontinence affects not only older adults. The majority are aged 50+ but younger women can also be afflicted as a result of pregnancies. If you have a higher BMI, too, that increases the risk of experiencing AI, and conditions such as diabetes and MS also increase your chance of suffering from it as well.
AI doesn’t only mean what you likely think it is. Before learning about this condition from Always and doing some research, I pictured AI being a senior, say, sitting watching TV or out at a park and peeing themselves and entirely emptying their bladder because they didn’t get the notification from their body that they had to get to a washroom. AI can happen in many different ways, however. Maybe you’re laughing so hard or doing some intense cardio and the motion causes you not to be able to control your bladder and you pee a little. There’s also a form called urge incontinence, which is when you have a sudden, strong need to urinate and experience some involuntary loss of urine. This is also called an overactive bladder.
People hide their AI even from loved ones. I can see why women would feel ashamed to admit they suffer from AI. But I learned from Always that through their in depth research and interviews with AI sufferers that these women go to great lengths to hide their problem. They had women who admitted to lying and making up excuses in order to hide their AI from their grown daughters and grandkids. Always also discovered that two-thirds of women who suffer from AI don’t use an underwear product at all because of their embarrassment. And those who do use them? They hide away their AI underwear because the undergarments were plain unattractive.
If you suffer from AI, you now have a new undergarment option: Always Discreet Boutique. Because of their findings, Always set out to design a product that would not only help one manage the incontinence issue, but also improve the emotional aspects of it. Always Discreet Boutique takes four key components and improves on them: The core of the product absorbs three times the amount of liquid than the amount of urine one usually releases at a time. In terms of comfort, the Always Discreet Boutique design features channels in the absorbent material that distributes the liquid so that the panty feels dry and comfortable. Next, the colour: a subtle pink hue with some decorative printed embellishments; this is a panty AI sufferers can tuck into their lingerie drawer as they do not look like diapers in any way. And lastly, the cut; the panty has a low rise and hugs the body comfortably, so much so that even in snug-fitting clothing, the Always Discreet Boutique underwear is not obvious, no pantylines!
Having Always Discreet Boutique can make a world of difference for a woman who suffers from AI; I got to witness the change of attitude in the interviews Always conducted. These women look like they’re ready to step out and live life rather than hide away with their secret. If you suffer from AI, you may want to try out Always Discreet Boutique; it’s available now in stores. It may be the confidence booster you’ve been waiting for.
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.”
Watch this “Love Over Bias” film and tell me you don’t get a lump in your throat.
It was just released yesterday by Procter & Gamble, and is the latest installment of their “Thank You, Mom” campaign. Focusing on what the world could be if we saw one another through a mother’s eyes, the film comes now with less than 100 days to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 Opening Ceremony.
The theme this year of the campaign is about the prejudices and challenges athletes face as seen through their mom’s perspective, and is meant to encourage looking at what brings us together as people rather than what divides us. It pays tribute to the important role a mom plays as her child’s biggest support system and celebrates how a mom can see and believe in her child’s potential.
Two-timeOlympic medalist Michelle Wingshan Kwan is one of the athletes whose story helped inspire the campaign, and right before my phone call this week with Michelle to discuss “Love Over Bias” and the “Thank You, Mom” campaign, I watched the film and we immediately started talking about it.
What was it like when you first saw “Love Over Bias”?
Michelle Kwan: “I was crying, I had the same reaction [as you], had a lump in throat. It really hit home for me, seeing this incredible ad and this incredible campaign, “Love Over Bias.” shared Michelle, “Being able to partner with pg and being able to share my story, and for the athletes to share their story of obstacles and challenges depicted in that film…”
“My mom was there through thick and thin for my skating career and I saw how much sacrifice and how much my mom gave up to make my dreams come true, I’m talking financial means, too, Juggling multiple jobs, putting a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and then to dream of Olympic ice skater? There’s no task too large for my mom. Mama Kwan was like, ‘If you want to be an Olympic ice skater, let’s do it.” That’s what my mom instilled in me, if you want something, you go after it, so this campaign is that chance to thank all moms out there for believing in our dreams and being our number one fan.”
What were some of the challenges you faced?
“Looking back to the early years, not being able to afford fancy costumes, and my mom sewing my costumes, making them because we couldn’t afford them. I felt extra special, actually, not that I couldn’t buy this amazing custom costume but because my mom made it. I was very fortunate to have a costume at all. Even making it to national level with a used pair of skates because that was the only thing my parents could afford; competing in a borrowed dress. I could go on and on about the financial shortcomings of my family’s situation but my mom, both parents, were like, “If this is what you want, we’re going to be a little scrappy along the way but just keep dreaming, keep doing it, keep working hard.”
As a teen, you understood all of that, rather than feeling like, “why do I have to use secondhand skates?”
“I understood it, I saw the lack of sleep, my parents driving to and from ice rink at 5 in the morning, us skating for three hours, for them to be watching us for three hours and then us going to school and picking us up, and meanwhile they’re juggling finances. I remember my grandparents asking my parents, like almost criticizing them, “Why are you wasting time and money on figure skating, it’s silly,’ and, you know, my parents never wavered, they let me have the opportunity to participate. I remember many times I thought it would the end of any skating dreams, and it would’ve been devastating–that’s the thing that I look back on and my mom was always “Ny baby girl wants to do this. I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen.’”
Can you share any particular struggles that come to mind from when you were competing and how your mom was your biggest support?
“Different times of wanting to give up, and having won a world title and saying how am I going to win again, moments that you think you can’t improve. That was when my mother was always there. Even when I fell three or four times at a national championship, she said, “I’m so proud of you,” and I was like “What?!” “Yeah, you couldn’t have tried harder, you couldn’t have done anything different.’ That is something that is so special, when you have the mom touch, telling you to hold you head up high, that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
How would you say this has contributed to making you into the person you are now?
“There are so many life lessons you learn through sports. Over 90 percent of women i CEO positions, over 90 percent have participated in sport so these it’s transferable–to be a good athlete, working with a team, having that grit, focus and determination, those are things that you need to excel at sport but also a way to succeed outside of sport,”
In case you’re wondering, when I spoke to Michelle on Tuesday, her mom had not yet seen “Love Over Bias.” “I can’t wait to watch it with her. She’s going to love it,” said Michelle.
Kudos to P&G for helping to shed light on the biases and struggles that many of us face and how that can hold us back from reaching our potential. Bringing these issues to light and inspiring discussion can only help to move the world to a better place. Want to learn more about the campaign and the athletes involved (including Gus Kenworthy, Aja Evans, Elana Meyers Taylor and Kehri Jones, all pictured below with Michelle)? Visit www.loveoverbias.com.
I know for me, after watching the film and chatting with Michelle, my mom coming to my childhood dance recitals and gymnastics classes came rushing back to me, and, like Michelle’s mom, my mom sewed me outfits, not skating costumes, but the most stylish coordinated outfits (there were a lot of fun pink prints—my mom always let me choose the fabric)…
…and there’s that lump in my throat again…
So, who else is calling their mom right now after watching “Love Over Bias”?
