Just Ask David

Do you use a Fitbit or a weight loss app? These new fitness gadgets are revolutionizing the way we think of achieving our health goals. For the first time, we’re able to see our progress using these fitness tracking tools — which is encouraging when we don’t see instant results. Special guest Sarah Wells elaborates on how fitness trackers are helping more and more people realize and achieve their long-term fitness goals, especially those of us who are getting older or live sedentary lifestyles. Sarah is a personal trainer and a Strength and Conditioning coach, as well as being talented in a variety of sports. She’s written for publications such as LiveStrong, Volleyball Magazine, Sport Strength Newsletter, and more. Measuring Your Health with Fitness Trackers The fitness tracker is one of the greatest innovations in fitness technology in the past decade. Never before have we been able to quantify our physical activity with such ease and accuracy, and it’s making a huge difference. Now, people who want to become more active can actually set personal goals on their fitness tracker and track their progress. They’re perfect for people who want to take steps toward living a more active lifestyle. Setting Your Personal Long-Term Fitness Goals “The healthiest thing is to view exercise as, ‘Hey, I’m getting older. I need to take a long-term view of how I’m aging,’” Sarah says. “But that’s not going to happen overnight, of course.” Luckily, fitness trackers are able to quantify physical activity. It’s incredibly helpful to see how much progress you’re actually making, even if you don’t see the results in your physique. To stay up to speed with what’s new in fitness, check out the SAPT website or follow Sarah on social media.

Eating a balanced diet is easier than it’s ever been before. There are so many resources out there nowadays to help us eat healthier. There are even special diets that claim to not only help you lose weight, but to improve your body’s overall health from the inside — like paleo, gluten-free, or vegan diets. It can be pretty overwhelming for a beginner to find out where to start. Special guest Phoebe Lapine joins us to share her journey to a healthier diet and a happier lifestyle. She is best known for her award-winning blog, Feed Me Phoebe, where she shares a variety of healthy comfort food recipes for any diet. Phoebe has also recently released her first book, “The Wellness Project.” Comfort Foods Made Healthy for Any Diet Healthy comfort food? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Not to Phoebe. In fact, she embraces using healthy ingredients in her comfort food recipes to contribute to a balanced diet. In her own words, “a kale margarita is better than no margarita at all.” Plus, healthy comfort food recipes have more benefits than tasting great and being great for us. Phoebe cites changing her diet as the reason why her chronic health problems have made a shockingly huge improvement. Healthy Hedonism: the Art of Eating a Balanced Diet That Feeds Your Soul “The Wellness Project” encourages healthier eating by challenging readers to cut one unhealthy thing from their diet for just one month, every month. This method works so well because you’re introduced to how to eat a balanced diet without the pressure of being forced to indefinitely cut out the foods you enjoy. But in some cases, the effects of eating a balanced diet aren’t all positive. Although some foods are great to leave out of your diet, like alcohol or sugar, Phoebe invites us to ask ourselves, “What does it do for my spirit?” Sticking to a certain diet can be uncomfortable and force you to go outside of your comfort zone — that’s to be expected. But sometimes, cutting out our favorite foods in the name of eating a balanced diet can be downright distressing. For example, cutting out alcohol completely can seriously diminish some peoples’ social lives. — so Phoebe suggests treating yourself every now and then or looking for healthier alternatives — like kale margaritas. “I kind of let myself have a little wiggle room and consider where being too healthy or too extreme was infringing upon my ability to live life to the fullest,” Phoebe adds. To check out Phoebe Lapine’s healthy comfort food blog, Feed Me Phoebe, or buy her book, “The Wellness Project.”

Cosmoprof Beauty Supply is an international chain that sells exclusively to beauty and wellness professionals. Cosmoprof often has special deals and beauty products that have yet to hit the market. In other words, if you’re in the beauty industry, Cosmoprof is your version of the Emmys. Mary Bemis is here with us today to talk about Cosmoprof. She is the co-curator of Cosmoprof North America Discover Green Pavilion and the editorial director of Insider’s Guide to Spas. Mary is an award-winning journalist who has launched both American Spa and Organic Spa magazines. Cosmoprof Products Go Green The American consumer of today is a lot different from the consumer of the 80’s or 90’s — even the early 2000’s. Many of the beauty products sold at Cosmoprof today wouldn’t have had a fighting chance in our past economy. Cosmoprof products donning the labels “all-natural,” “environment friendly,” and “organic,” just wouldn’t be in demand back then. In the past, natural beauty products were always at odds with the consumer because many of us believe that anything “natural” couldn’t be grounded in science. We now have the better insight to see that’s just not true. Even products like aromatherapy are booming in popularity. “Talking about natural products, people didn’t want to hear it ten, twenty years ago,” Mary says. “The consumer’s really driving this market. Especially the ‘m’ word — Millennials.” To discover a store near you, visit Cosmoprof’s website. For more about natural beauty and wellness products (and to get recommendations to spa salons near you!) visit Mary’s website at Insider’s Guide to Spas.

We all want to be able to age gracefully and live active, independent lives when we get older. Nutrition and aging are deeply related, but many of us aren’t sure how to start a healthy diet — some of us have been eating mostly processed foods for years. On this segment of Just Ask David, we have special guest Anne Danahy here to speak with us about how to have a healthy diet as we age. Anne is a registered dietician and nutrition communications consultant, specializing in women’s health. Anne has also written dietary pieces for numerous health and nutrition publications. Nutritional Needs for Middle-Aged Adults Diet impacts how you age, not just in terms of health and disease, but also how you look and feel. There are foods and diet patterns out there that make us feel better — mentally and physically. Nutritional requirements for middle-aged adults are a bit different from that of younger adults. Our metabolisms tend to slow down when we age, making it easier for us to gain weight. But instead of focusing on eating less overall, Anne suggests focusing on what you can eat more of — the foods that can speed up your metabolism — in an effort to crowd out the food that slow it down. Healthy Diet Tips for Aging Gracefully There are thousands of diets out there, but many of the ones that have gained popularity in recent years demand that you cut out certain foods completely, like keto, paleo, or vegan diets. Still, Anne says that most diets don’t work — lasting health comes from real, long-term life changes. So what’s the best diet plan for older adults? What are the people who are aging gracefully eating? “They’re not necessarily vegetarian or vegan or anything like that, but just people who have a more balanced diet and include more fruits and vegetables and plants and whole grains and leave out the processed and fried food,” Anne says. To stay up-to-date with what she’s doing, follow Anne’s blog, Craving Something Healthy, or follow her on Twitter @CraveSomeHealth.

A couple times each year, a few of the fashion capitals of the world host a week-long event called Fashion Week. For those of you who don’t know, the entire fashion world tunes in every Fashion Week to get the scoop on the latest fashion trends directly from the most highly acclaimed designers in the world. Nykia Spradley joins us on this segment to talk about how New York Fashion Week trends are becoming more and more influenced by online and street fashion. Nykia is a beauty writer who has written for several renowned publications, including Essence, Marie Claire, and PopSugar. The Evolution of NYFW Runway Looks In the past, Fashion Week in New York City was a time when fashion designers and editors dictated to the fashion world what was in style for the season. But according to Nykia, all that’s changed. With social media changing the way we communicate with each other, it’s no surprise that it’s even forcing a progressive event like NYFW to evolve. Now, the designers at New York Fashion Week often take inspiration from the fashion trends they observe online. And in the era of individuality, everyone is making their own fashion statements on their social media accounts. Many of these fresh and undiscovered ideas end up on the runway during fashion week. NYFW Trends: From the Internet to the Runway Fashion designers aren’t getting New York Fashion Week style ideas from social media because they can’t do it on their own — they do it because recent online and street fashion is refreshingly different from anything we’ve ever seen before in the mainstream. Nykia says that the reason why social media fashionistas are influencing NYFW trends so much is that people are becoming less afraid to try new things when it comes to fashion. Maybe they’ll try something out today, but if they decide they don’t like it, they’ll just try something new tomorrow.  “People are driven by the Millennial mindset of just experimenting, having fun, and doing things that highlight your individuality,” she adds. To stay up-to-date with Nykia and check out her beauty tips, visit her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @nyksprads.

The makeup industry is growing in a big way. With self-taught YouTube makeup artists gaining a staggeringly huge following and all of the new technology available to us now, it’s a perfect storm for the latest makeup trends (and the makeup industry as a whole) to take innovative leaps. Today, we have special guest Cori Stoddard to give us an insider’s eye on the current state of the makeup industry. Cori is the managing editor at the highly acclaimed Makeup Artist Magazine. She’s been in the industry as a journalist for twenty years and has seen plenty of popular makeup trends come and go. Dark & Messy is “In” As a slight throwback to the “heroin chic” of the 90’s, smudged eye makeup, barebones foundation, and a dark color palette is what you’ll see on the runway this fall — but not without a little 2017 flair. Abstract, geometric shapes around the eyes are also becoming popular on the runway this season. Dark purples are a trending makeup favorite this fall, so try adding burgundies, plums, and maroons to your makeup collection. Makeup Technology Trends Although most of us probably think of makeup as something people wear to enhance their look, makeup plays a huge role in movies and television. The things we like to watch, from Game of Thrones to Saturday Night Live, all rely on makeup to enhance (or even create) the characters. In the past, we relied solely on makeup, prosthetics, and props to believably turn an actor into a character. Now, makeup is often paired with CGI to make a character really come to life. “Makeup artists are having to incorporate more of [technology] in their jobs,” Cori says. “A lot of filmmakers are saying, ‘Actually, I want this to appear as real as possible.’” Whether that means CGI or lifelike prosthetics, one thing is clear — the makeup trends in 2017 are inspiring plenty of outside-the-box thinking. To stay up to date with the latest makeup trends, visit the Makeup Artist Magazine website and follow Cori Stoddard.

In the past few years, the art of food photography has boomed along with social media. Everyone wants to share with the world the delicious food they’re about to eat. Today’s special guest has made a career of taking pictures of the meals she prepares for her family. Debi Traub is best known for her recipe and food photography blog, Simply Beautiful Eating. Simply Beautiful Eating focuses on creating beautiful dishes that are good for you, too. Debi credits her love and talent for cooking colorful, healthy meals to her 95-year-old mother — so you can just imagine how healthy her cooking must be! Healthy Eating: Eat With Your Eyes Debi calls meals that are low in nutrition, taste, and creativity as the three B’s: bland, boring, and “blech.” Whether we realize it or not, we eat with our eyes before we actually taste our food. We’re naturally drawn to dishes with bright, beautiful, colorful ingredients — and they tend to be quite nutritional, too. The meals featured on Simply Beautiful Eating are all of those things — flavorful, colorful, and healthy. In fact, many of the ingredients Debi uses for her food photography blog are picked from her husband’s garden. Go Organic or Go Home Fresh foods don’t just taste great, they also provide us with the maximum nutrients. Cooking with fresh, organic foods is a surefire way for your meals to be full of the things our bodies need — without the stuff it doesn’t. You can get fresh foods from the grocery store, but Debi recommends buying from a farmer’s market or growing your own produce. “One of my favorite things is to stand in that garden and pick out everything we can use in the kitchen,” Debi says. You can find Debi’s food photography blog and her fresh food recipes at Simply Beautiful Eating.

Jobs in the Makeup Industry are Changing The professional makeup artist industry is a lot different than it used to be. Gone are the days when amateurs’ only path to being a celebrity makeup artist is to go to beauty school and beg trendy fashion magazines for exposure. These days, YouTube and Instagram makeup artists are dominating the industry with their diverse, crafty, and creative ways of applying makeup. Social media is promoting a generation of self-starting makeup artists — all you need is talent and a few thousand followers. Our special guest this morning is Rose Hill, an award-winning celebrity makeup artist with an impressive portfolio — from the likes of Bill Clinton to Hugh Jackman. Rose is the founder of Make Up Crew and is most recently the professional makeup artist behind America’s Got Talent. Protecting Your Business as a Social Media Makeup Artist Being in the industry for so many years, Rose has plenty of tips for freelance makeup artists — like the importance of legitimizing your business beyond social media. “The best way to get work… you have to find out the rules and regulations of the state you’re working in,” Rose shares. In some states, professional makeup artists may be required to obtain certification, makeup insurance, and even a business permit. These weren’t even concerns for makeup artists in the past — they were typically hired by huge cosmetic corporations who took care of the fine print. Social media makeup gurus are essentially freelance makeup artists and need to be able to protect their rights. Want to learn more professional makeup artist tips and stay updated with Rose? Follow her on Twitter @RoseHillCrew or visit her website at www.MakeUpCrew.com

What Does Gluten Free Mean? As we grow more health-conscious, gluten free diets are becoming more and more mainstream. But what is gluten free, and why have gluten free diets grown so much in popularity the past few years? K.C. Cornwell is with us today to talk about what it means to live a gluten free lifestyle. Through her consulting firm, California Pomegranate Co., K.C. develops gluten free recipes for several restaurants, food brands, and wineries. So why would anyone want to be gluten free — what’s the big fuss about? Gluten is a protein that is in many of the wheat-based foods we eat. Gluten tends to be sticky and is even used as a bonding agent in some beauty products, like lipsticks and conditioners. Some people aren’t able to fully digest gluten, and can even get sick from it. Why Go Gluten Free? “I’m not one of those people who thinks everyone in the world should be gluten free,” K.C. says. Indeed, some digestive conditions can’t handle breaking down gluten, but a gluten free diet can be beneficial for anyone. Gluten can be difficult to digest, even for people with perfect gastrointestinal health. “When we talk about gut health… and how the up to 80% of your immune system is in the gut… making it easy for your GI system to work currently makes it easier for [it] to produce [other hormones].” For more information on gluten free recipes and living a gluten free lifestyle, visit K.C. website at www.gfreefoodie.com.

Beauty Blogger Meets Academia Are the ingredients in expensive, luxury skin care and makeup better than those in cheaper brands? Rachel Anise joins us today to make a case for both drugstore and luxury cosmetics. Rachel is the editor-in-chief of the highly acclaimed luxury beauty blog, the Beauty Professor and is also a full-time Communication Studies professor in the Los Angeles area. After scoring a publishing deal with a fellow professor, Rachel discovered her love of writing to an audience. By becoming a luxury beauty blogger, Rachel’s academic and beauty worlds converged so well that she found her calling. How Effective are Luxury Cosmetics Really? Rachel’s blog is dedicated to giving honest reviews on beauty products, specifically luxury brands. Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, and Burberry Beauty are just a few of the designer luxury brands that grace her blog. “Luxury brands aren’t necessarily better than drugstore brands,” she says. Rachel cites her allergy to lanolin, a common beauty product ingredient, as the initial reason she was drawn to more expensive cosmetics. “To me, their limited nature makes them, in addition to their price, ingredients, and company, a luxury brand.” For honest reviews on designer cosmetics and clothing, visit Rachel’s website at www.beautyprofessor.net.

Learning how to maintain a healthy diet can be a long and frustrating process. Eating healthy is a lifestyle, and it’s not going to work if you don’t change your habits. Our special guest, Jared Koch, is here to talk about how you can adopt a healthier lifestyle without giving up what you love. Jared is the founder of Clean Plates, a digital healthy lifestyle brand. Learn How to Eat Healthy and Never Go Hungry When it comes to nutrition and healthy eating, many of us have to relearn everything we know. It’s possible to eat delicious, healthy foods without giving up the pleasure of eating well. Many of us have difficulty learning how to stay motivated to eat healthy — we’re counting calories to lose weight and feeling like we’re starving in the process. But there are plenty of ways to eat healthy and still be full when you finish your meals. Healthy, nutrient dense foods are typically low in calories but will make you feel fuller quicker. That way, you can pick a nutrient-rich entree or two that will fill you up without totally giving up some of the foods you love. Foods that are healthy are more accessible than ever makes it easier. Bio-individuality Healthy eating plans for weight loss are infamous for their varied results. One healthy eating meal plan may help one person lose 25 pounds, cause another person to gain 5, and help another lose 50 (and gain 75 back). But the key is in finding a healthy eating lifestyle plan that works for you. “We’ve all been trained to think about nutrition and healthy eating as a one-diet-fits-all approach,” Jared says. “Every diet will work for some people and not for others. There’s no one perfect way to eat.” To learn more about heart healthy eating (and for quick healthy eating recipes), visit Jared’s website at www.cleanplates.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

The makeup industry is just one of many markets that have been transformed by the internet and social media in recent times. Sheila Arkee is this morning’s special guest, and she’s here to talk about the makeup industry boom in the last few years, thanks to social media. Sheila has over 15 years of experience as a professional makeup artist and is the owner of the blog, Painted Ladies. Makeup News Spreads Faster Than Ever Before the internet and social media became accessible to virtually everyone around the world, makeup news and breakthroughs traveled a lot more slowly — via commercials and magazines. In the past five years, the makeup industry has experienced tremendous growth. From celebrities to internet makeup sensations, everyone can promote their favorite new makeup brands and products to the entire world. Now, we don’t have to rely on the makeup recommendations of our family and friends — we can make an educated decision ourselves by just hopping online. How Has the Makeup Industry Changed? Everyone is more educated about makeup quality in general because of how quickly people can exchange ideas through social media. From professional makeup artists and makeup lovers alike, everyone is more conscious of their makeup ingredients and how well a product suits their skin. Both corporate and independent makeup brands are making their products more accessible to a larger audience — that’s because our makeup needs have been heard on social media. Many professional makeup brands are being more inclusive and releasing foundation lines that suit almost all skin tones on the spectrum. “I love learning about makeup,” Sheila says. “I know from what I’ve learned from meeting people on social media, it’s a way to bring people together. It’s nice way to share our passion for something creative… it’s just very exciting to see, not just as a makeup artist, but as a makeup lover.” For makeup tips and ideas, visit Sheila’s website at www.painted-ladies.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Being a mother is hard, and there isn’t a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all answer for questions about balancing parenting with other aspects of your life. Our special guest today is Heather Brown, the blogger behind the mommy lifestyle and self-care blog, My Life Well Loved. Heather is here to talk about how to balance the joys of motherhood with other aspects of your life. A Balanced Lifestyle is a Healthy Lifestyle Many of us are finding that living a balanced lifestyle is impossible when there’s just not enough time in the day to do everything we need (and want) to do. Life is all about balance. A life out of balance is not a life that is being enjoyed. A great way to juggle all of your responsibilities and bring some balance back into your life is making lists of everything you need to is to make lists of what you need to do that day. As you check off another task from your list, it really helps you get back into the rhythm of life and feel like you’ve accomplished something today. Self Care is Not Selfish Being a mother means there will be times when you have so much on your plate that you’ll struggle to make time for yourself. As much as you love spending time with your kids, plenty of us feel guilty for hiring a babysitter for the night, no matter how badly we need a break. But if we don’t allow ourselves to take a breather, many of us end up stressed and spreading ourselves too thin. “If I don’t pour into myself first, then I can’t pour myself into my friends and family that I love so much,” Heather says. “I have to do that self-care first.” There’s nothing wrong with taking time out for yourself to recharge. If you’re pressed for time during the week for self-care activities, make it a priority to do something you love at least once a day. Being a mother is the hardest job. Want to learn more about juggling motherhood and a healthy, balanced lifestyle? Read Heather’s blog at www.mylifewellloved.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

The effects of processed foods on our health are becoming a real concern these days. It’s hard to avoid processed foods when our lives are becoming busier and more fast-paced. But processed food products have been proven to cause the growth of “bad” bacteria in our stomachs. Our special guest, Alex Caspero, is here to talk about the importance of gut health and how it affects our overall health. Alex is the owner of the award winning blog, Delish Knowledge, and the author of Fresh Italian Cooking for the New Generation. Gut Health Healthy bacteria in the gut occurs in our bodies naturally and helps us fight off infection. But when bad gut bacteria outweighs our healthy gut bacteria, the risk of gut permeability and inflammation rises significantly. Healthy probiotic foods, like sauerkraut and yogurt, promote the growth of this good bacteria. Eating fermented foods can improve gut health, which is proven to strengthen your immune system. It’s no wonder probiotics and healthy gut bacteria are hot topics in the health industry lately. Healthy is Beautiful Bad bacteria in the gut from eating processed foods can cause inflammation, particularly of the skin. Adding more non-processed, healthy, whole food options to your diet has been proven to be essential in healing the gut and reducing overall inflammation — including acne. Gut health and acne are very much connected. After changing to a healthy whole food lifestyle, many of Alex’s clients have seen a noticeable improvement in their acne. “I’m really interested in that connection between beauty and diet,” Caspero says. “When you think about the fact that 70-80 percent of the immune system is housed in our guts, it really is hardly a surprise that what’s living there is gonna make an impact on our overall health, including outward health.” For more on how to transition to a better diet for gut health, visit Alex’s blog at delishknowledge.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.