Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 339
May 26, 2011
What Would You Change If You Knew Your Lifespan?
I recently did a story on a new test from a firm called Life Length, which purports to predict someone's lifespan by using the science of telomeres. They are structures located at the tips of chromosomes; researchers have found people with shorter-than-average telomeres die sooner, although habits such as diet and exercise can make a difference.
I spoke with financial planners and behavioral pscyhologists who said knowing your longevity would make it much easier to prepare for retirement and other goals. The crux of financial planning is about figuring out how much you can spend now and how much you need to save for later. Since we don't know how long "later" is going to last, we can only make educated guesses, based on our parents' lifespans, family history of disease and the lifestyle choices (how much we eat, drink, smoke, exercise, and how we manage stress).
But let's say you took the test and found out you would likely die in your 60s, or 90s? What would you change? Would you change jobs, work less, work more, move to another city, travel more, end a relationship or invest more energy into one? Would you live a more frugal lifestyle, save more for retirement, go back to school or take a big risk, such as starting a business?
Take a few minutes and think really carefully about this.
Then ask yourself: Why am I not doing that right now?
It's crucial to be mindful of what gives us joy, what inspires "flow" in our work, what makes life worth living -- and how we will organize our time and financial resources to make those things a priority.
So it's not realistic to quit your job and spend your days surfing. But can you find efficiencies in your schedule and propose a little more flexibility to your boss so you can surf an hour or two more each week? Can you get a job at a surf company so you're engaged in work related to your passion?
Would you want to know how much time you have left? What would you change if you found out you had less time than you thought -- or more?
Stop Flirting with my Husband, Hussy! (as Betty Draper Might Say)
The reader's dilemma this week makes me feel as if I am watching an episode of Mad Men....from Season 1, before the characters heard about Betty Friedan or that new-fangled idea called feminism. A reader named Elizabethmg wrote:
Is it appropriate for a single woman (divorced) to spend the entire evening at a party (where she knows almost everyone there and could have easily mingled with others to have conversations) with one married man whose wife was also at the party? She followed the man around—where ever he stood/sat—and engaged him in a conversation. Before the married couple left the party, the wife confronted the single woman and let her know she was out of line with her behavior.
Elizabethmg asked: Who was out of line here?
OMG, as we say in the 21st century, was Elizabethmg somehow transported in a time machine back to a cocktail party thrown in 1960? I have to say it sounds as if every single actor in this drama was behaving like some kind of stilted throwback to an earlier era.
First, why is the unattached woman at the party being called out for being "divorced?" Does that make her extra-special bad? Are we to believe she is like some predator (cue the deep red lipstick) whose only goal in life is to snare Hubby No. 2? It's the year 2011, Elizabethmg, and for all we know, this woman may not be after romance here. Maybe she's gay. Or maybe she has just rekindled via Facebook a high school romance with an out-of-town boyfriend who couldn't attend the party. Or she could be a plastic surgeon whose main concern these days is how to rebuild the lucrative private practice she gave up after she married.
It's possible the single woman and the married man are just good friends. Maybe they're doubles partners. Or she could be feeling insecure because her "friends" are suddenly ostracizing her, and he's the only person at the party who doesn't act as if he's judging her for getting divorced.
That's one possibility.
Another is that the woman is making a play for the husband. Or that the two of them already are having a torrid, secret affair (although that's unlikely, given that she's blatantly hanging on him at a party instead of acting as if they barely know each other to throw people off the scent).
But here's the thing. If the woman is flirting inappropriately, it is up to the man, not his wife, to put a stop to the situation. Men are not like children. Well, some are, but you should try not to be married to one of those -- instead pick a husband who will behave like a responsible adult at a party, one who knows how to gently disengage himself from a hanger-on to whom he is not married. A simple, "Excuse me, I'm headed to the bar because I promised my wife I'd bring her another glass of wine," should get the message across. Another sure-fire flirtation killer: "Oops, I just realized I need to phone the baby sitter to make sure she got the kids into bed without a fuss."
If the husband is not behaving responsibly—perhaps, unaccustomed to such flattery, he is bowled over, or maybe he's even thinking, hmm, she is kind of hot, now that I think about it—then the wife can sidle over to the cozy twosome and address the husband lovingly: "How are you doing in this dark corner, honey? I've missed you." The wife can smile sweetly at the woman and say, "We were talking at breakfast about this old friend of ours we want you meet. He's unattached, and we think you two would really hit it off."
Later, in private, the wife can tell the husband that the situation made her uncomfortable and she'd appreciate it, next time, if he would nip such behavior in the bud (see above).
So, yes, the wife was out of line to publicly humiliate the single woman by confronting her at a party and making her feel even lonelier and more alienated than she already does after going through a divorce.
Agreed? Or no? What would you have done in the same situation?
(image via The Guardian)
May 25, 2011
USDA Revises Cooking Temperatures for Meat
You've likely heard that the USDA has revised their recommended safe cooking temperatures for a variety of cuts of meat. The one that is really causing a stir is pork. Previously, the USDA recommended that all cuts of pork be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, but the new recommendations say it is safe to consume after cooking to 145 degrees Fahrenheit for medium.
Pork Chops with Tangy Rhubarb Chutney
What hasn't changed is that all ground meat should still be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit for maximum safety.
Do you follow the USDA guidelines and use an instant read thermometer when you cook meat?
Related:
Ask the Expert: Is Pork Really Safe at 145F?
10 Recipe Ideas for Pork Tenderloin
Memorial Day Weekend Style With Free Shipping!
Look chic and pulled together no matter what your plans are this Memorial Day weekend!
Here are a few great items that you can incorporate into your weekend ensembles--or they can simply serve as inspiration!
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Trish Becker necklaces: $190, $190 and $80
Mar y Sol totes (Endless.com): $85, $98 and $89
Rickshaw Design kurtas: $70 each
DV by Dolce Vita sandals (Endless.com): $54, $61 and $65
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Spring Street earrings: $20, $30 and $28
Baggu totes: $8 each
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5. Lands' End
Shop online now and receive free shipping plus $20 off orders of $75 or more
Happy Memorial Day weekend!
Hot and Healthy! Inside the Spa Treatment Everyone's Talking About
In case you haven't heard, the hot new thing to do at a spa, is, well...really hot. Specifically, hammams (a.ka. Turkish steam baths; the word hammam derives from the Arabic for "heat") are sweeping the nation.
Just ask SpaFinders magazine, which actually singled out hammams as the hottest trend of the year in late 2010. (With good reason—spas from coast to coast have been ribbon-cutting their newly-built hammams; Trump Soho has a Moroccan-influenced one, and The Mandarin Oriental in Las Vegas just began pampering clients at their Turkish hammam, and there are plenty of others at less hefty price points, too.)
Featuring heated stone slabs and intensely exfoliating rub-downs, hammams are a favorite of the worldly and the weary—as well as anyone who likes their indulgent spa-time to do double-duty as a bit of a cleansing experience.
So what exactly IS a hammam? Is it as healthy as some claim? How is it different than the old-style steam sauna your dear old grandpa favored?
I recently got some answers from Caitlin Conn, skin care director at Exhale Spa, which has 18 locations around the country. Besides their cult-favorite Core Fusion classes (I LOVE them!), three lucky Exhale locations (Atlanta, Miami and Boston) just introduced hammam treatments. Conn answered my most burning (ha) questions about the whole experience:
Q. What are the health and beauty benefits of spending time in a Hammam?
A: There are a few health and beauty benefits that result from spending time in a hammam. Hammams are heated between 106 and 110 degrees F. Traditionally there is a thorough, full body exfoliation that sloughs off the skins outer layer of dead, dull skin. This shedding of the outer layer unclogs pores, keeps skin clean, and helps reduce acne breakouts.
When a person's body is in contact with the warmed stone slabs inside the hammam, it raises the core temperature of the body. This increased warmth induces perspiration which helps the body cleanse itself as it clears bacteria out of surface layers of the skin and from the sweat ducts. The process of sweating also helps improve circulation from the blood vessels dilating, and gives the skin a fresh look and feel. Although often claimed, it is difficult to pinpoint and scientifically prove that toxins such as heavy metals that we absorb from the environment and foods we eat leave the system through perspiration.
Q. How does this kind of heat differ from the heat in a wet or dry sauna— the places that many people are familiar with from gyms, etc?
A. This could be a very involved and technical answer, but the main distinction is in a Hammam is that it is neither intense dry heat as found in a sauna nor is it overwhelming moist heat as found in a steam room. The hot room of a hammam will feel pleasantly warm but should not overwhelm upon entering the space.
The main difference is the element of radiant heat that is coming off of the warm stone slabs. When you lay your body down onto the warm stone slabs your body absorbs the heat and your core temperature will slowly rise as a result.
So, are you ready to feel the heat? Or would you rather stick to sweatin' it out in the sauna?
Legs, Cheekbones, Sense of Humor: Which Is the Last to Go?
Yesterday afternoon I was walking down the street when I saw a beautiful woman of a certain age. Maybe she was in her late 70s, maybe mid-80s, who knows. All I know is that she had the most amazing cheekbones. Imagine Sophia Loren, but older and with gray hair and definitely not a movie star. After the woman walked past me, I remembered a magazine article I read years ago that said a woman's cheekbones are "the last thing to go." Now, I once read a different magazine article that said a woman should be grateful if she has nice legs, because—as everyone knows—legs are "the last thing to go."
But are legs or cheekbones really the last thing to go? What about nice wrists? Pretty fingernails? A nice smile? Or how about a sense of humor!?!?!
I'm taking an informal poll. Which do you think is "the last thing to go?" (And extra credit if you can define what "last thing to go" means exactly!):
• legs
• cheekbones
• nice wrists
• pretty fingernails
• a nice smile
• a sense of humor
• happiness
• a vindictive personality
• romantic love
• love for your fellow man
• trust
• the ability to wear attractive shoes
• the ability to forgive
• hope
• good handwriting
• need for caffeine (maybe that's just me)
• need for a glass of wine at the end of the day (ditto)
• the ability to laugh at yourself
• faith
• none of the above
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May 24, 2011
What's the Difference Between Organic and Made With Organic Ingredients?
As if grocery shopping wasn't hard enough. When it comes to shopping for organic products, there are multiple labels, and each of them has a slightly different meaning, or in some cases, no meaning at all.
Here's a primer on which terms to look for:
U.S. Department of Agriculture 100 Percent Organic
This is the number one label to look for. It applies to all types of foods and means that produce was grown without any synthetics, animals were fed organic feed, and prepared foods were made with 100 percent organic ingredients.
Organic
This applies only to packaged foods, and it means that at least 95 percent of the ingredients were organically grown. The remaining 5 percent of ingredients must be approved for organic farming by the USDA.
Made with Organic Ingredients
Once again this is for packaged foods, and means that 70 percent of ingredients must be organically produced.
Natural
This term actually has no regulation so seeing it on a package is just a marketing technique.
How often do you buy organic foods?
Related:
10 Organic Foods That are Worth the Money
Summer Protection: For Your Locks
People always talk about SPF when you're out in the sun, but I'm always worried about my hair. How about you? The frizz and the dryness are not so cute. Not too long ago, I spoke with stylist Marcos Diaz at ION Studio NYC and asked him to share some summer tips on how-to keep your mane looking shiny and smooth during this humid season.
Real Simple:
What product do you recommend to prevent hair from drying out in the face of sun, salt water, and heat?
Marcos Diaz: Products to use to keep hair healthy during the summer are a light leave-in conditioner or a serum. Regardless of which one you go with, try to concentrate product mainly on the ends since that is the area most susceptible to damage.
RS: If you don't have a hair product on-hand, what is another option to keep hair healthy through the summer?
Diaz: Another quick way to keep dryness and damage at bay is to use Sun Tan lotion...it's something that one usually has on hand during the summer and it's great at protecting ends from chlorine, salt and dryness.
RS: For our readers who want to give their heat styling tools a rest, what is a quick go-to option that you use on models?
Diaz: Sometimes when I'm on location shooting, I'll set hair by braiding it and putting a styling lotion or texturizing spray in it. When I take out the braid it leaves a nice wave and gives hair a ton of movement.
RS: What are your two favorite products, that could be used with the options you suggested?
Diaz: These are two products that would work...
For a light leave-in conditioner try:
SU's Conditioner Moisturizing Softening Leave In Conditioner
To buy: $27, davines.com for salons
For a texturing spray try:
SU's Defining Texturizer
To buy: $21, davines.com for salons
I love the leave-in conditioner tip, I've been doing that lately with all this arid weather and it's helps seal any split ends, in addition to adding some shine to my otherwise dull hair. What some of your summer hair solutions? Share below!
Related Links:
6 Great Summer Beauty Products
May 23, 2011
A Foolproof Way to Arrange Flowers
If you struggle with making your bouquets look picture perfect, this smart little product, the Easy Arranger, might be just right for you. It creates a guide in your vase (that's hidden by the blooms) so you'll know exactly where to place each stem.
Here's a step-by-step of how to use the Easy Arranger:
And the price is just right. Depending on the size, the Easy Arranger costs $4 to $5. What do you think? Would you use this to help your blooms look better?
Related:
10 Tips for Better-Looking Bouquets
Vineyard Vines Launches Swimwear
Our favorite preppy clothing line--Vineyard Vines-- is expanding poolside with the launch of their first ever swimwear collection!
As of today, you can browse and purchase the small collection of separates on the Vineyard Vines website. Many of the bikini and tankini pieces can be mix and match for a bit of a preppy twist!
What do you think?
