I like to think I take care of my skin. I use moisturizer and sunscreen during the day and a rich face cream at night. I began using eye cream at the tender age of 18, hoping my early start would stave off under-eye wrinkles (it hasn’t). I always wash my make-up off at night, no matter how tired or intoxicated I may be. I exfoliate with a light exfoliator cream two to three times a week. I read fashion and beauty magazine religiously, desperately searching for tips on how my skin can be the best it can be. But I’ve never gone for a facial or any sort of fancy skin-saving procedure, due to a mild, slightly irrational fear of going into the spa with my normal peaches-and-cream skin and leaving with lobster-red burned skin. Okay, this fear actually stems from a botched eyebrow wax several years ago, one that left me missing about five layers of skin above my eyes. My brows haven’t looked the same since this unfortunate incident but I decided it was time to move on and conquer my minor fear of facial-related spa treatments. So naturally I jumped at the opportunity to try microdermabrasion when Donna Courage at Relax and Renew Spa in Calmar offered me a chance to try it. Conquering my fears for free? Sign me up!
Courage assured me that people with sensitive skin shouldn’t be scared of microdermabrasion. Courage performed face and neck microdermabrasion on me, free of charge, and it didn’t harm my fair skin. Courage used crystal microdermabrasion on me but she also offers diamond microdermabrasion. After carefully cleansing my face and slipping a pair of tiny goggles over my eyes, Courage rubbed the crystal microdermabrasion tool over my face and neck. The crystals polish your face while another tube sucks up the crystals- kind of like a dentist tool. I did end up with a few crystals in my ears but it’s not a messy procedure. The treatment doesn’t hurt; it feels like a cat is aggressively licking your face. If you happen to have a fear of cats, imagine a small dog licking your face instead.
Courage also does a mini-facial after each microdermabrasion treatment. Courage applied a Dermalogica moisturizer with sunscreen on my flushed face and assured me that the redness would go away in about 10 minutes. Microdermabrasion removes the top layer of dead skin on your face so wearing sunscreen afterwards is a must. Overall, the entire process took about twenty minutes. My face stayed red for about an hour afterwards; like waxing, definitely do not try microdermabrasion an hour before a hot date or any other important life moments. A difference in my skin tone wasn’t immediately obvious but my skin definitely did have an extra glow afterwards. The next morning, my skin felt slightly softer, plus I just felt so darn lady-like and grown-up after my afternoon at the spa. Fear of facials conquered, thank you very much.
For the best result, Courage recommends a series of six microdermabrasion treatments, spaced one week apart. At $120 per treatment, or $480 for a package of five treatments, it’s not exactly inexpensive but it is cheaper than a face-life, or Botox. Microdermabrasion helps reduce fine lines, wrinkles, acne scars, enlarged pores and age spots by taking away the dead skin on the surface of the face, which also allows products to penetrate the skin more effectively. Although Courage said that twenty-somethings such as myself can benefit from microdermabrasion, I think anyone who already has nice skin could probably hold off on treatments until their thirties, unless they are willing to spend the extra cash now. Microdermabrasion is something I will definitely do when I’m a little bit older and (even) more paranoid about wrinkles and fine lines encroaching on my face.
There are at-home microdermabrasion kits available but I can’t see how they would be very effective. Plus, what sane person does the equivalent of sand-blasting their own face in their very own bathroom, sans goggles (or sans sight, depending on your aim)? While many brave souls test-drive other routine aesthetic procedures such as waxing or hair- dyeing at home, I’ve always preferred the comfort of having an expert perform any procedure that could potentially mess up my appearance (plus it’s always nice to have someone else to blame if things go wrong). Microdermabrasion is a spa treatment best done in the spa, by a trained spa technician who comes complete with goggles and years of practice.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
First Birds, Now Bears
Lately there has been a lot of discussion regarding how to best deal with animals encroaching on human territory. In July, Edmonton Journal writer Cigdem Iltan wrote an article on a hired gun in St. Albert whose target was not humans but, in fact, magpies. The response to the article was overwhelming. Some residents applauded the city for getting rid of the annoying birds who serve no real purpose in life. Other people felt that the culling of magpies was not only unnecessary but cruel. I felt divided on the issue; after all, the birds might be annoying but were they dangerous?
Now wildlife officials have killed 12 bears at a northern Alberta landfill. Some Conklin residents were apparently feeding the bears. Bears, once feed by humans, become used to it, and like all hungry animals, want the free meal service to continue. These bears were apparently no longer afraid of humans and posed a threat to the small community. The 12 bears that were killed didn’t flee but actually kept eating even as their dining companions were shot and killed.
Since the bear cull, there has been considerable aftermath. And if you thought people were pissed off about the magpies of St. Albert, you should see how they are about the bears of Conklin. So far, the majority of people responding to the Journal’s initial article on the bear culling were disgusted at what transpired at the Conklin landfill. Many people question why the bears were shot and killed instead of relocated to another area. The problem is once bears become accustomed to being feed, their location ceases to matter. They will seek out food anywhere they can get it. Bears are not like our forgetful friends, the elephants; bears have memories and will not forget that where there are humans, there is food to be found. Bears that are used to being fed will associate humans with meal time. Do you really want to be the poor, unfortunate soul who goes for a walk by the town landfill, only to become the equivalent of a cartoon ham in a bear’s eye?
Yes, the bears needed to be shot. It was too late for them to change their ways and they posed a serious threat to the residents of Conklin. But it wasn’t the bears’ fault. The residents of Conklin, wildlife officials and the Alberta government should have taken steps to prevent this avoidable massacre. The dump should have been fenced long before the bears ever stepped foot on it. Currently, landfills are not required by law to be fenced. The Alberta government needs to introduce legislation that would require all landfills to be fenced. Yes, bears might eventually tear down the fence but a fence would make access to the dump more difficult and therefore, less desirable to the bears. People must learn that it is never okay to feed a bear. Not only does it teach the bears to associate humans with food, making it more likely that bears will seek out humans; it also makes bears less fearful of human contact and more likely to roam around populated areas. Alberta schools should teach students the proper way to deal with bears and what to do if one encounters a bear face-to-face. I would have no idea what to do if I saw a bear up-close. Luckily, I hate camping and have never been to Conklin, so my experience with bears is limited to the Bernstein variety found in children’s books.
The public needs to stop focusing on the death of the 12 bears and instead start demanding that steps are taken to ensure that a major bear cull never has to happen again. Alberta’s black bear population still stands strong at 40,000. We can protect those bears by not allowing them to become habituated. First of all: people, stop feeding the damn bears. They are not goats at a petting zoo and they are not starving. Next, ensure that you know what to do in case of a bear encounter, so that wildlife officials don’t have to shoot a bear to stop it while it is the middle of eating you. Third step: write your local and provincial governments asking for any landfills in your area to be fenced. The Conklin bears didn’t deserve to die but had to be killed to protect the residents of Conklin. Steps must be taken to avoid a reoccurrence of this sad waste in the future.
Now wildlife officials have killed 12 bears at a northern Alberta landfill. Some Conklin residents were apparently feeding the bears. Bears, once feed by humans, become used to it, and like all hungry animals, want the free meal service to continue. These bears were apparently no longer afraid of humans and posed a threat to the small community. The 12 bears that were killed didn’t flee but actually kept eating even as their dining companions were shot and killed.
Since the bear cull, there has been considerable aftermath. And if you thought people were pissed off about the magpies of St. Albert, you should see how they are about the bears of Conklin. So far, the majority of people responding to the Journal’s initial article on the bear culling were disgusted at what transpired at the Conklin landfill. Many people question why the bears were shot and killed instead of relocated to another area. The problem is once bears become accustomed to being feed, their location ceases to matter. They will seek out food anywhere they can get it. Bears are not like our forgetful friends, the elephants; bears have memories and will not forget that where there are humans, there is food to be found. Bears that are used to being fed will associate humans with meal time. Do you really want to be the poor, unfortunate soul who goes for a walk by the town landfill, only to become the equivalent of a cartoon ham in a bear’s eye?
Yes, the bears needed to be shot. It was too late for them to change their ways and they posed a serious threat to the residents of Conklin. But it wasn’t the bears’ fault. The residents of Conklin, wildlife officials and the Alberta government should have taken steps to prevent this avoidable massacre. The dump should have been fenced long before the bears ever stepped foot on it. Currently, landfills are not required by law to be fenced. The Alberta government needs to introduce legislation that would require all landfills to be fenced. Yes, bears might eventually tear down the fence but a fence would make access to the dump more difficult and therefore, less desirable to the bears. People must learn that it is never okay to feed a bear. Not only does it teach the bears to associate humans with food, making it more likely that bears will seek out humans; it also makes bears less fearful of human contact and more likely to roam around populated areas. Alberta schools should teach students the proper way to deal with bears and what to do if one encounters a bear face-to-face. I would have no idea what to do if I saw a bear up-close. Luckily, I hate camping and have never been to Conklin, so my experience with bears is limited to the Bernstein variety found in children’s books.
The public needs to stop focusing on the death of the 12 bears and instead start demanding that steps are taken to ensure that a major bear cull never has to happen again. Alberta’s black bear population still stands strong at 40,000. We can protect those bears by not allowing them to become habituated. First of all: people, stop feeding the damn bears. They are not goats at a petting zoo and they are not starving. Next, ensure that you know what to do in case of a bear encounter, so that wildlife officials don’t have to shoot a bear to stop it while it is the middle of eating you. Third step: write your local and provincial governments asking for any landfills in your area to be fenced. The Conklin bears didn’t deserve to die but had to be killed to protect the residents of Conklin. Steps must be taken to avoid a reoccurrence of this sad waste in the future.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Exercise Annoying and Hard, but Still Essential to Life
I have a confession: I don’t exercise enough. I do exercise in random, guilty spurts, meaning that one week I’ll be super-healthy active girl out-and-about town on my pink bicycle and the next week I’ll be perma-glued to my desk or couch with my laptop (hey, newspaper columns don’t write themselves, you know).
There are plenty of reasons not to exercise. It’s expensive (anyone who has ever bought so much as a headband at Lu Lu Lemon knows that workout clothes aren’t cheap), it’s time-consuming (how can one jog and follow Gossip Girl at the same time?) and it’s difficult (unless you are already in shape and in that case, why would you exercise?).
Still, despite all these compelling reasons, physical activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. We all know that regular physical exertion plays a huge role in achieving or maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of many diseases including heart disease and cancer. Unfortunately, exercise is something that many people still avoid. Some people may avoid exercise in a defiant attempt to buck the system. Others avoid exercise because they are shy about working out in front of others or simply don’t know how to use any of the equipment at the gym. But most people avoid exercise simply because they are too busy to fit it into their schedules (In the battle between early morning workouts and sleep, workouts rarely win).
Regular workouts are something we all need to start making time for, no matter how tired or busy we may be. According to Stats Canada, 23.1 per cent of adult Canadians were obese in 2004. That’s about 5.5 million people with a Body Mass Index over 30. In the same year, 36.1 per cent or 8.6 million Canadians were considered overweight.
Being overweight runs all sorts of risks including diabetes and sleep apnea. Not to mention that it’s harder to find clothes that fit. But if the thought of poor sleep and not being able to fit into next season’s skinny jeans aren’t enough to motivate you, here’s a statistic that might: more than two million Canadians now have Type Two diabetes. And the number of people being diagnosed with diabetes just keeps getting bigger, not unlike Canadian’s pant-sizes.
Adults need to increase the amount of physical activity they squeeze in each day, not only for themselves but also for the next generation. Children learn from example. We all need to ensure that we’re setting a good example for the little ones by exercising and eating properly. Parents can’t assume that their children are learning about nutrition in school because the majority of schools don’t cover proper eating besides a quick look at the Canada Food Guide and trust me, it doesn’t sink in at that age. It’s hard enough for adults to comprehend a proper serving size when it comes to food so how can we expect a five-year-old to do it? Parents need to be pro-active about teaching their kids proper eating and exercise habits a young age because child obesity rates are rising at a terrifying rate. Throughout the world there are more than 22 million children under the age of five who are overweight, according to the IFIC. And the amount of school-aged children who are overweight is more than seven times that amount.
In 2006, the Canadian government introduced the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, aimed at making athletic programs more accessible for families who otherwise may not be able to afford them. The tax credit is a good step towards encouraging children to be more physically activity and all families should take advantage of it. Children in school don’t physically exert themselves enough in gym classes to hit the recommended 60-90 minutes of exercise a day. Parents need to ensure their children are getting enough exercise by enrolling their children in team sports or any physical activity such as swimming lessons or dance classes. Helping your child find a physical activity they love will help ensure they continue to make physical activity a part of their routine for the rest of their lives.
We can all stand to exercise more. Even walking 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of obesity-related health problems. As for me, you’ll be seeing a lot more of my pink bike around town. With you, the reader, as my witness, I will make exercise a part of my regular routine instead of something I do sporadically out of guilt. Consider it a belated summer resolution.
There are plenty of reasons not to exercise. It’s expensive (anyone who has ever bought so much as a headband at Lu Lu Lemon knows that workout clothes aren’t cheap), it’s time-consuming (how can one jog and follow Gossip Girl at the same time?) and it’s difficult (unless you are already in shape and in that case, why would you exercise?).
Still, despite all these compelling reasons, physical activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. We all know that regular physical exertion plays a huge role in achieving or maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of many diseases including heart disease and cancer. Unfortunately, exercise is something that many people still avoid. Some people may avoid exercise in a defiant attempt to buck the system. Others avoid exercise because they are shy about working out in front of others or simply don’t know how to use any of the equipment at the gym. But most people avoid exercise simply because they are too busy to fit it into their schedules (In the battle between early morning workouts and sleep, workouts rarely win).
Regular workouts are something we all need to start making time for, no matter how tired or busy we may be. According to Stats Canada, 23.1 per cent of adult Canadians were obese in 2004. That’s about 5.5 million people with a Body Mass Index over 30. In the same year, 36.1 per cent or 8.6 million Canadians were considered overweight.
Being overweight runs all sorts of risks including diabetes and sleep apnea. Not to mention that it’s harder to find clothes that fit. But if the thought of poor sleep and not being able to fit into next season’s skinny jeans aren’t enough to motivate you, here’s a statistic that might: more than two million Canadians now have Type Two diabetes. And the number of people being diagnosed with diabetes just keeps getting bigger, not unlike Canadian’s pant-sizes.
Adults need to increase the amount of physical activity they squeeze in each day, not only for themselves but also for the next generation. Children learn from example. We all need to ensure that we’re setting a good example for the little ones by exercising and eating properly. Parents can’t assume that their children are learning about nutrition in school because the majority of schools don’t cover proper eating besides a quick look at the Canada Food Guide and trust me, it doesn’t sink in at that age. It’s hard enough for adults to comprehend a proper serving size when it comes to food so how can we expect a five-year-old to do it? Parents need to be pro-active about teaching their kids proper eating and exercise habits a young age because child obesity rates are rising at a terrifying rate. Throughout the world there are more than 22 million children under the age of five who are overweight, according to the IFIC. And the amount of school-aged children who are overweight is more than seven times that amount.
In 2006, the Canadian government introduced the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, aimed at making athletic programs more accessible for families who otherwise may not be able to afford them. The tax credit is a good step towards encouraging children to be more physically activity and all families should take advantage of it. Children in school don’t physically exert themselves enough in gym classes to hit the recommended 60-90 minutes of exercise a day. Parents need to ensure their children are getting enough exercise by enrolling their children in team sports or any physical activity such as swimming lessons or dance classes. Helping your child find a physical activity they love will help ensure they continue to make physical activity a part of their routine for the rest of their lives.
We can all stand to exercise more. Even walking 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of obesity-related health problems. As for me, you’ll be seeing a lot more of my pink bike around town. With you, the reader, as my witness, I will make exercise a part of my regular routine instead of something I do sporadically out of guilt. Consider it a belated summer resolution.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Chequebooks bad; online banking good
I don’t know how to balance my chequebook.
In fact, I don’t even have a chequebook.
Nor do I know anyone my age that does have a chequebook. And if they did have one, they wouldn’t know how to balance it either.
Is this lack of chequebooks a sign of my generation’s fiscal irresponsibility? Or is it merely a sign that technology has taken over the world of money? Like many people I know, I do the majority of my banking online. Every few weeks I look at both my bank accounts from the comfort of my own home and one of two things happen: A) I smile and let out a little sigh of relief when I realize I have enough money to cover my credit card bill or B) I freak out when I realize I don’t have as much moola as I previously thought.
Am I giving you the impression that I am irresponsible with money? Don’t worry; you are not alone if you believe Generation Y (anyone born from the mid 1980’s to the early 1990’s) is incapable of handling their own money responsibly. You may even be right. A study for St. George’s bank in Australia showed one in four Generation Y-ers do not budget or save their money, as noted recently in the Edmonton Journal. Maybe this study shows that my generation doesn’t bother to think about their long-term financial well-being.
However, it’s likely the study did not take into account that Generation Y-ers think about money in a different way than their parents and grandparents. We don’t need a balanced chequebook to tell us how much money we have in the bank. We are capable of being constantly aware of our financial situation because of a genius, environmentally-friendly invention called online banking. While older generations seem to fear any technological advancement in banking such as ATMs, debit cards and online bank statements, Generation Y has learned to embrace the idea of no longer being a slave to an ugly, cumbersome chequebook.
Online banking has made chequebooks unnecessary, if not completely obsolete. For one thing, I have enough crap to carry around in my purse; I don’t need anything else cluttering up my handbag. Online banking is also more convenient. As a writer, I spend approximately one-half of my time at my desk, starting at a computer. Other people in Gen Y do this too but most of them have no such excuse for spending half their time hunched over a laptop. Still, between laptops and Smartphones, most of my generation has easy access to the internet at all times, which makes online banking a breeze. And most banks have their websites set up to make customers jump through a series of online hoops to access their accounts.
Another reason Gen Y prefers online banking is that checking your account online is not only faster than going to the bank, it allows us to avoid all human contact while dealing with our money. It’s not that we don’t enjoy the company of the bank teller and every other person sneezing and coughing in the bank line-up, it’s just that we enjoy our own company more. We’re busy people. Besides, staying at home to bank online is much more pleasant than getting a H1N1 flu shot, I imagine.
But the best reason for using the online banking system that every major bank offers is that online banking is more environmentally-friendly. Anyone who sets up an online bank account can check their balance and do transactions online. This eliminates the millions (if not billions) of little paper receipts that are given out not only at the bank teller but also after every ATM transaction. Some banks also allow customers to sign up for e-statements, meaning that they won’t receive a huge, bulking paper statement in a thick envelope every month. Banking online is a small but easy step in reducing the amount of paper we waste every day.
Generation Y’s refusal to bend to old conventions, such as owning and balancing a chequebook, is not just another thing we do in an attempt not to grow up to be our parents; our lack of chequebook prowess is also a way for Gen Y to fight the continuation of Gen X’s horrific complacency with unnecessary paper waste. This does not mean we are burying our heads in the proverbial sand when it comes to our financial situation; it means we are taking small steps towards saving our planet. Join us, won’t you?
In fact, I don’t even have a chequebook.
Nor do I know anyone my age that does have a chequebook. And if they did have one, they wouldn’t know how to balance it either.
Is this lack of chequebooks a sign of my generation’s fiscal irresponsibility? Or is it merely a sign that technology has taken over the world of money? Like many people I know, I do the majority of my banking online. Every few weeks I look at both my bank accounts from the comfort of my own home and one of two things happen: A) I smile and let out a little sigh of relief when I realize I have enough money to cover my credit card bill or B) I freak out when I realize I don’t have as much moola as I previously thought.
Am I giving you the impression that I am irresponsible with money? Don’t worry; you are not alone if you believe Generation Y (anyone born from the mid 1980’s to the early 1990’s) is incapable of handling their own money responsibly. You may even be right. A study for St. George’s bank in Australia showed one in four Generation Y-ers do not budget or save their money, as noted recently in the Edmonton Journal. Maybe this study shows that my generation doesn’t bother to think about their long-term financial well-being.
However, it’s likely the study did not take into account that Generation Y-ers think about money in a different way than their parents and grandparents. We don’t need a balanced chequebook to tell us how much money we have in the bank. We are capable of being constantly aware of our financial situation because of a genius, environmentally-friendly invention called online banking. While older generations seem to fear any technological advancement in banking such as ATMs, debit cards and online bank statements, Generation Y has learned to embrace the idea of no longer being a slave to an ugly, cumbersome chequebook.
Online banking has made chequebooks unnecessary, if not completely obsolete. For one thing, I have enough crap to carry around in my purse; I don’t need anything else cluttering up my handbag. Online banking is also more convenient. As a writer, I spend approximately one-half of my time at my desk, starting at a computer. Other people in Gen Y do this too but most of them have no such excuse for spending half their time hunched over a laptop. Still, between laptops and Smartphones, most of my generation has easy access to the internet at all times, which makes online banking a breeze. And most banks have their websites set up to make customers jump through a series of online hoops to access their accounts.
Another reason Gen Y prefers online banking is that checking your account online is not only faster than going to the bank, it allows us to avoid all human contact while dealing with our money. It’s not that we don’t enjoy the company of the bank teller and every other person sneezing and coughing in the bank line-up, it’s just that we enjoy our own company more. We’re busy people. Besides, staying at home to bank online is much more pleasant than getting a H1N1 flu shot, I imagine.
But the best reason for using the online banking system that every major bank offers is that online banking is more environmentally-friendly. Anyone who sets up an online bank account can check their balance and do transactions online. This eliminates the millions (if not billions) of little paper receipts that are given out not only at the bank teller but also after every ATM transaction. Some banks also allow customers to sign up for e-statements, meaning that they won’t receive a huge, bulking paper statement in a thick envelope every month. Banking online is a small but easy step in reducing the amount of paper we waste every day.
Generation Y’s refusal to bend to old conventions, such as owning and balancing a chequebook, is not just another thing we do in an attempt not to grow up to be our parents; our lack of chequebook prowess is also a way for Gen Y to fight the continuation of Gen X’s horrific complacency with unnecessary paper waste. This does not mean we are burying our heads in the proverbial sand when it comes to our financial situation; it means we are taking small steps towards saving our planet. Join us, won’t you?
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