Happy Sexbolt Saturday, everyone!

I have a feeling that for some of you, hitting the bars and lounges is on your To-Do list for this evening, am I right? And for some of you, hooking up might also be on that very same list.

Well, let me say that it’s only because I care about you and your reputation that I’m informing you it has now been proven as a scientific fact that the oft-feared “beer goggles” are really for real. Really.

The scoop? When people have been drinking, others appear more attractive to them. And not just members of the opposite sex. Nope, when heterosexual subjects who had been drinking were shown photos of same-sex folks, they also rated those people as being more attractive. I guess now we know why Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” became an instant bar fave, eh?

While this info is not really all that surprising (considering t-shirts that beckon you to ‘Keep Drinking Until I’m Hot’ have made the rounds for years), it’s still pretty cool that the medical community recognizes this phenomenon and now we feel a little more vindicated for having succumbed to the force of the all-mighty beer goggle once or twice.

So have fun this weekend, my sexy friends. Just be sure you and your designated driver (and hottie-checker) work out some sort of signal if your find your eyes becoming a little fuzzy before a hook-up.

Cheers!

In our frantically-paced society, it’s not uncommon for you or someone you know to withstand some sort of sleep deficit. In fact, 40 million Americans suffer yearly from chronic sleep disorders, and an additional 20 million complain of occasional sleeping problems. That’s a bit staggering. And the fact that those who function regularly on too-little sleep are more susceptible to car accidents, high blood pressure and possibly even heart disease or stroke does not make sleep deprivation any rosier.

So what’s a tired soul to do?

Pay to take a nap. In a pod.

That’s right, a new craze called nap pods are hitting the scene, and for about a buck a minute, you can pay to be temporarily transported to dreamland in the nap pod of your choice.

Going with the alpha pod leaves you with a spa-like experience, since it releases aromas and has a heated, vibrating bed, a CD player and headphones. In essence, the real world around you just disappears. The energy pod, on the other hand, reclines and has headphones with music piped in.

I’m sure by now most of us know the benefits of a power nap. But is a midday rest worth spending money on? Those who have tried the pods insist it’s a more refreshing nap, in part because of the solidarity of it, and totally worth the moola.

I must say, I’d be tempted to try it. But I can’t say I’d snooze in a pod with any regularity. How about you?

Story source (with photos of nap pods)

It’s just like the old paper cut saying: The smaller the cut, the worse it hurts. With shaving, the smaller the nick, the worse it bleeds. Unless you gash yourself wide open with a brand new razor,then…

Anyway, it happens to all of us. We shave, we nick. But here’s a quick tip on how to stop the bleeding in a hurry:

Step 1: Use a cotton ball or swab to dab a little witch hazel onto the cut. Witch hazel is a natural astringent which tightens surrounding tissues and slows bleeding.

Step 2: Hold an ice cube or ice pack to the nick. The coolness helps to clot the blood.

See, easy right? I told you.

So this, my dear friends, has been your Healthbolt Happy Living Tip of the Day. You may now go forth and de-fuzz without worry.

Guess what shoppers? Your habits are making both your brain and bod happy!

Image details: Couple carrying shopping bags served by picapp.com

If you think shopping belongs in the Summer Olympics (or Winter, for that matter), do we have the news for you! Seems that browsing and buying gives more than your credit card a workout - it’s good for the human body and mind, too!

How so, you ask? We’re happy to share:

* Conversing, haggling and all-around interacting with other folks forces you to think and act quickly

* Comparison shopping strengthens the brain’s math and reasoning capacities

* Positive visual stimulation keeps the brain engaged and feelings of happiness present

* Walking from store to store, bending and stretching for items, and carrying all those packed-to-the-gills shopping bags counts as exercise, which releases mood-boosting chemicals - the same ones which protect you from age-related side-effects like memory loss.

Great news, huh? Of course, maxing out your credit cards and agonizing over purchases can also lead to stress, so try to keep your shopping on the fun side for maximum benefit.

So, what are you waiting for, people? Go get your shop on! I know I am!!

Could applying lip gloss increase your risk of skin cancer?

Image details: Head shot of woman wearing sunglasses served by picapp.com

Lip gloss: it’s a woman’s staple. For some guys, too, I ’spose, but who am I to judge?

Anyhoo…the use of lip gloss tragically misleads many a person into thinking their lips are protected while out in the sun. Well guess what? They’re not.

In fact, the same super shininess that makes lip gloss lip gloss, can actually be quite detrimental by inviting the sun’s rays right onto your kisser. Think of it as hoisting up a magnifying glass to your lips in the middle of the Sahara. Not cool, right?

Now while no links have actually been made between lip gloss and skin cancer, it is safe to say that when heading out onto the boat or beach this summer, packing an SPF-enhanced lip balm, rather than a shiny sun-seducing gloss, may make good sense. For the best protection, look for a balm with SPF 30 or greater.

And by all means, use sunscreen everywhere else, too, people! Sheesh.

Have fun.

For more medical-y reading on this subject, head to MSN.com

Did you know May is Skin Cancer Awareness month? It surely is. And to draw even more awareness to what has become an increasingly pertinent issue, the Beauty & Style channel here at b5media (where I also write) will be hosting a Theme Day centered around this very issue.

Tuesday, May 20, will see links from many of the wonderful blogs over at Beauty and Style, each offering up creative ways on how to protect your skin and raise awareness. Once the collaborative list is posted on the main b5 blog, I will come back here and add the link. Until then, enjoy this post focusing on two celebrities who have made skin cancer awareness a mission of theirs.

And we hope to see you milling around Theme Day tomorrow for some great ideas to care for your skin in style.

***

It’s true, skin cancer is not all that fun to talk about. But it is vitally important we do talk about it. And having two Hollywood A-listers at the helm of skin cancer awareness is a step in the right direction.

Two fabulous celebs, Kristen Bell (of Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Marcia Cross (of Desperate Housewives) are two pretty ladies who have sworn to shun the sun and get their glow elsewhere (or not at all).

Ms. Bell signed on to the Glow in the Dark campaign, sponsored by Jergens.com. Jergens will donate $1 for every similar pledge made by the public toward The Skin Cancer Foundation. Jergens, of course, is quite well-known for their Natural Glow self-tanning products.

And the gorgeously porcelain Ms. Cross is embarking on her second year as the spokeswoman for the Olay and ASDS-sponsored program which offers free skin-cancer screenings during May, June and July. For more info on these screenings, which are held at participating dermatologist offices, visit skincancertakesfriends.org.

It’s really quite scary how skin cancer can affect the palest of pale and the tannest of tan. It’s not choosy. So you need to be. Make one of these fabulous celebs your sun-care role model and consider taking part in one of these programs today.

Oh, and remember to spread the word…and the sunscreen.

Images: Newscom

You know when there is a book being marketed to the children of moms undergoing plastic surgery that the world we live in has changed…drastically.

Now, you will never, ever find me saying that plastic surgery is wrong. That is a completely individual choice, and one I would never even rule out for myself. But what you will find is me noting my surprise that there is a need for such a book.

Dr. Michael Saulzhauer, the author of “My Beautiful Mommy”, due out this Mother’s Day, drafted the book’s manuscript after seeing moms with their kids in tow during plastic surgery consultation appointments. He believed the kids viewed the surgery as scary, and wanted to assure them that their Mommy would be even more beautiful than ever - she just had to deal with some bandages and a few owies first.

Some supporters say the book will help explain why Mommy would choose to go to the doctor and to have surgery when she isn’t sick or hurt. And with the rise in the amount of “Mommy Makeovers” (tummy tuck and breast implant combos), surely this is something more and more kids are left wondering about.

Now while I applaud Dr. Saulzhauer’s efforts, I am stunned that mothers are taking their children to consultation appointments. I’m all about sharing special moments with my kids and I know that keeping secrets is “bad”, but aren’t there just some things in life that are better left to more mature audiences? Do we not do enough to force our kids to grow up too fast that now we need to expose them to how to fix their imperfections, show them all that’s “wrong” with Mommy, and pretty much ensure they’ll be scarred for life when they see their mother strip down to her skivvies (or less) in front of another man (if the surgeon’s male, of course). Just my two cents there.

So, what do you think of all this? Of plastic surgery in general, about the book, or about toting kids to plastic surgery appointments? Let us know.

Just the news you wanted to hear to start your week, right? Sorry, but it’s true. Stress can, in fact, cause your hair to gray.

Why? Stress hormones like cortisol can mess with melanocytes (simply, hair cells). Suddenly, the cells have trouble surviving and/or producing the pigment that keeps your hair its original color. Hence, those pigments disappear and out pops a gray (or white) hair.

Naturally, controlling stress is a good defense in this type of situation, but that might not always be possible. Eating foods rich in the amino acids lysine and arginine can help provide a drop in stress, however, so if you’re feeling a bit on edge, grab some peanuts and a carton of yogurt. These superfoods can get you halfway to the recommended 3 grams of lysine and arginine that Slovakian scientists found to be so effective in reducing the hormones responsible for stress.

Either that, or there’s always hair color.

Leeches - nature’s blood-suckers - have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years.

Egyptian medics believed that by sucking out the bad blood, leeches could help cure patients of everything from fevers to flatulence.

And in medieval Europe, leeches were so commonly used by the the medical profession that the physicians themselves were called ‘leeches’.

Today, leeches are often used in plastic and reconstructive surgery because of their anticoagulant properties which help fights against blood clots.

In other words, leeches really do have a place in the world of health and medicine.

But leeches as a ‘beauty treatment’ ?

Who would have thought ?

Not many of us until Demi Moore let slip that she recently participated in ‘leech therapy’ to cleanse and detoxify.

Talking on The David Letterman Show last month, she said…

“I’ve always been somebody looking for the cutting edge of things that are for optimizing your health and healing, so just a week ago I was in Austria doing a cleanse and part of the treatment was leech therapy.”

“These aren’t just swamp leeches, these are highly trained medical leeches.”

Okay! 

Is she serious ??

Sounds more like an April Fool’s prank to me.  

This is definitely one beauty therapy I’ll not be suckered into trying…

Spring is here and summer is around the corner. That means swimsuit weather and the ongoing quest for a flat belly.

But not to worry. Help is at hand and it’s name is MUFA or monounsaturated fatty acids. They might be fats but they are good ones and according to some reports, able to help you lose fat, especially that irritating belly fat.

So meet the MUFA’s - oils, nuts and seeds, avocados, olives, and chocolate. They all contain the good fat that will, with one serving on any of them at every meal, apparently help you reduce belly fat and inches around the waistline.

Sounds so easy. Prevention magazine seems to think so. Check out their Flat Belly Diet page and you’ll be inundated with recipes, articles, and success stories. There’s even a ‘virtual belly flattener’ that you can use to see how you’d look at your goal weight.

Crabby over at Cranky Fitness points out that ‘Prevention makes some annoyingly optimistic claims about this diet: “No exercise Required” and “Slim Your Mid-section Almost Automatically” are just some of them’ and that the ‘picture of four ecstatic women cheering about their incredible results’ look way too happy. (Crabby, I’m with you on this - I too think they’re ‘fake-happy’)

Still, I’m all for this amazing Flat Belly Diet if it gets rid of some of that stubborn fat. Not only will it make picking a new swimsuit so much easier, I’ll also be a whole heap healthier.