The shape of things

Sometimes we push ourselves too hard. I did just that last night. On Monday night I went to the gym and did a cricuit workout and then lifted weights focusing on my lower body. My calves were pretty achey from the circuit, but I stilll did calf raises and other strength training exercises targeting that muscle.

I was sore, naturally, yesterday and so when I finished work I did a tough run and then pilates. I actually had to sit out a few of the exercises in pilates that targeted the calves because THEY HURT. When I got home, I noticed that I could barely walk. In fact, I wobbled all night. My husband had a lot of fun making fun of me.

I did some stretches but nothing seemed to ease the pain and all night I was uncomfortable during sleeping.

It seems as if I strained my calf muscle. It happens to most people every once in a while and if it every happens to you here's how to treat it: R.I.C.E. - rest, ice, compression, elevation.

I'm at work so there really won't be too much elevation or compression. But I am keeping my walking down to the bare minimum as well as applying mineral ice to the area to give it some relief.

I went on Web M.D. to get some more tips on treating muscle strains. read the article here.

Some tips that stood out:

• Don't apply heat to the strained muscle as it can actually cause it to swell more. You should wait until the swelling has decreased to apply heat.
• Don't do any activities using the strained muscle until the pain has completely gone away (looks like I shouldn't run this evening...)
• Ice the area for 20 minutes for every hour that you are awake.

Just remember to be careful and to listen to your body. I should have eased up on the run and maybe skipped pilates last night, but I didn't and I'm paying for it.

Every year about two times during the year the fashion industry has about a month of back-to-back fashion weeks in NYC, London, Milan, etc. And it seems like inevitably the discussion of young and thin models returns to the mainstream media and then quickly fades away. 

A lot of times these articles consist of "they are too thin, they are too young" and that's about it. But today I read an interesting article in the NY Times Style section about thin and young models. This sentence was at the end of the article, and I love it:

"It will be worth reminding the fashion industry that there is good science demonstrating that when you starve an animal, you make it a lot more vulnerable to self-abuse."

Basically the article looks at the same topics - the models are getting younger and thinner - but then it divulges into the nasty habits that models take up - as part of the job. Obviously to be that thin, you diet. And when you diet - unhealthyfully - you want to supress your appetite so you smoke. And studies have shown that smoking is a gateway drug. So next you take some Vicodin, which is ultimately a painkiller, but also has the great (note the sarcasm) effect of supressing appetite. And THEN you turn to the steroid Clenbuterol which is used by athlets and HORSES! to reduce body fat. EEK. 

(Source: Mat Szwajkos/Getty Images)

Which ultimately leads us back to the sentence - starving them makes them vulnerable to self abuse. 

Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying that the fashion industry needs to do a 360 and only let size 20 models down the runway. That's not my point. And I also don't think they should ban size zeros because it could unfairly target girls who are a size zero and also have a healthy bmi.

My point is that there is obviously no regulation of these young and mostly uneducated girls and there needs to be. No matter how sexy and sultry they look on the runway - a lot of them are 16 years old - and if at 16 years old I had been modeling, flying around the world meeting fabulous people and partying, I definitely would have needed SOMEONE to ground me and say, Stephanie - you need to clean up your act or you won't last long in this life. 

Ultimately, we should want these young girls to "last long in their lives" more than in their short-lived careers (having an 8 year career in modeling these days is basically unheard of). What are your thoughts?

Crocs craze has hit America by storm. If you don't know about these plastic shoes, you've probably been living under a rock. The craze has also affected kids who wear these shoes everywhere! WebMd talked to some doctors of podiatric medicine and school principles about the safety of these shoes.

Jenifer Garner's cute little daughter sports the crocs trend. (Source)

They talk about where kids should wear crocs - and more importantly where they should not. If you're a mom or if you know some croc-loving kids, you may want to pass this article on to make sure your little ones are wearing the proper footwear.

So where should they and shouldn't they be worn?

Activity OK for Crocs?

Gym Class No

Hiking No

Walking to and from class Yes

Recess No

Going to the beach Yes

Going to the pool Yes

After-school sports No

Boating Yes

Walking on a cold winter day No