Author: Shawn

I am a practitioner of the martial arts and student of the Buddhist faith. I have been a Type 1 Diabetic since I was 4 years old and have been fighting the uphill battle it includes ever since. I enjoy fitness and health and looking for new ways to improve both, as well as examining the many questions of life. Although I have no formal medical training, I have amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding health, Diabetes, martial arts as well as Buddhism and philosophy. My goal is to share this information with the world, and perhaps provide some sarcastic humour along the way. Welcome!

Here We Go Again… ✈️

My eyes snap open and I check the time on my cell phone.  It’s 2:45 a.m.  My alarm was set for 3:00, but as usual I was unable to sleep much.  I sit up, cracking the multiple joints that make my body sound like a bowling ball rolling over a bag of Corn Flakes.  I slip on “Old Faithful”, a hooded sweatshirt I’ve been wearing at home for over ten years, and make my way downstairs, careful not to wake my family.

The added fifteen minutes is a blessing, as it gives me some added time to grab a shower before my pre-scheduled taxicab shows up at my driveway.  I grab a few sips of an energy drink and slip into a hot shower, letting the steam and scalding water rejuvenate me for the day ahead. My head is pounding due to the fact that yesterday, I received my lovely eye injections.

I double check my bags and ensure I have everything I will need for the days to come and pile everything at the entrance to my home.  I choose to check on my children and kiss my wife goodbye before getting my boots and coat on, thereby ensuring that I may get away without waking them.  I was wrong.

I slip out into the morning chill, and the first thing I notice is the absence of a breeze and a sky full of stars.  This is promising, I tell myself.  Clear weather always makes for a better flight. At only -4 degrees Celsius, the morning has a mild child but isn’t cold.  I bring all the cardboard recycling to our blue bin, anxious to burn through the remaining time before my cab arrives.  My wife steps into the kitchen, allowing me the benefit of another kiss and hug before I leave.  After all, it will be the last I see of her for the remainder of the week.

At 3:20 a.m., my cab driver calls me.  He can’t find my house, despite the address on the reservation, instructions related to an outside light being intentionally left on and the SUV in the driveway.  I tell him I will wait at the curb.  He picks me up, and apologizes for the confusion.  I tell him it’s no problem, and I climb into the back seat with my bags. I’m perfectly content to sit in pre-caffeinated silence for the fifteen-minute ride to the airport, but my driver begins asking open-ended questions about my flight and where I’m from that lead me to believe that he intends on indulging in idle chitchat.  I humor him and converse for a few moments until he shows me the very large Tim Horton’s coffee he grabbed himself on the way to pick me up.  Dick.

He drops me off at the “Departures” door of the airport and the fare is $27.00, which would ultimately allow me to make the transit from my home to the airport 22 times using my personal vehicle, given its fuel capacity and the distance.  I silently curse the cost and slip out into the morning chill before entering the building.  I obtain my boarding passes and make my way through the security checkpoint.  As usual, the screening agents hesitate for a moment and frown as I explain that neither my pump nor my bottle of insulin can go through the x-ray machine and that I will need a pat down as opposed to the machine.

The play structure in the newly renovated Regina Airport. My son would have a blast in this thing!

Then, I found myself sitting in an empty airport.  The departure gates have all been renovated since my last flight (which was only five months ago) and are now listed by number instead of letter. Weird.  The only good thing I notice is a brand new Tim Horton’s kiosk that will allow me to supplement the bit of energy drink I guzzled before walking out of my home.  I have at least another hour before my flight boards.  Here we go again; I’m headed to New Brunswick.

Apparently I’m the only one crazy enough to be here at 4 o’clock in the morning!

The first leg of my flight was reasonably uneventful. That is, until I reached Toronto-Pearson Airport… They then decided that “our gate is currently in use by another aircraft”, so we were waiting on the tarmac like a bunch of idiots! My thinking was, arrange it with the control tower to pull into a different gate, but what do I know? Well, I knew that it was currently 10:20 and the next leg of my flight was boarding while I was sitting in the first aircraft!

When I got inside the airport, I panicked and ran like my life depended on it! Then these two douche-canoes were standing side-by-side on the moving platform, chatting like a couple of school girls with me panting behind them. I coughed and excused myself twice, but they just looked and carried on. I then jumped the barricade and ran along the regular floor, leaving them in my wake.

Fredericton Airport. Why is every airport I use undergoing renovations?

I reached gate D35 where my very short flight to Montreal was APPARENTLY in the process of boarding. When I got to the gate, everyone was still waiting to be called up! Not only were they late with starting to board (which was good, I guess) but my run in a heavy, black winter coat caused me to become sweaty and extremely uncomfortable. I touched down at Montreal-Trudeau Airport, made my connecting flight to Fredericton and touched down just shortly after 3:30 p.m. local time.

Once I was permanently on the ground, I was able to grab my rental vehicle and enjoyed an hour of travelling in a vehicle that I alone was controlling. Now, I’m sitting in my hotel room, trying to consolidate my thoughts before the business that brought me home for the second time in six months. Tomorrow should be interesting! On the plus side, I will get to see yet another friend I haven’t spent time with, in over a decade. ☯

In The Beginning, There Was Nothing…

I love the martial arts. I’m sure you likely guessed that from some of my blog posts, but martial arts as a whole has given me so much throughout my life, that I sometimes wonder how life would have turned out for me had I never stepped into that first martial arts studio. Like any story, the martial arts has its own story and its a very old one.

Depending on what style you study and what histories you’ve read, there are different sources of information in relation to this. Although some lists provide different information, the majority of them agree that the originators of martial arts as we recognize them, originate from India.

Kalaripayattu is often-thought to be one of the original martial arts and the progenitor of “modern” Kung Fu. This style incorporated punches, kicks, forms, weapons as well as healing techniques. Practitioners of this style were known to incorporate pressure points and it is believed to be one of the oldest ancient martial arts still practiced today, making it well over 3,000 years old. Based on its history, Kalaripayattu is attributed to bringing Kung Fu to the first Shaolin monks.

Malla-Yudda is another one that traces SOME of its lineage to India, although it also includes several regions in the surrounding subcontinent. Malla-Yudda is a form of combative wrestling, and included punches, kicks, pressure points, choking, biting and grappling. It was believed to be extremely violent and even though the original form is no longer practiced (officially), there are variations still used today, making this style of martial art over 5,000 years old!

I’ve focused on the two styles that share their origins from the Indian subcontinent because these are the styles that are believed to have been the progenitors of martial arts as we know them today. But there are several ancient styles that trace their roots to Greece, China and Korea. These styles are also many thousands of years old in some respects.

By contrast, believe it or not, karate is only a couple of hundred years old. As its current form exists, it really isn’t old by martial arts standards. Granted, most forms of karate, which originate out of Okinawa, owe their existence to Chinese Kung Fu. So, karate is unofficially several thousands of years old as well.

There’s plenty of reading out there for anyone who would be interested in learning more. Although it can only be taken with grain of salt, Wikipedia has some good entries with lots of information. The best part about all of this is that the story is still being written. Martial arts may never become extinct, as the nature of the world generally makes for a need for fighting arts. ☯

Gestate On A Little Information

I think we can all agree that pregnancy can be a wondrous thing. Although I can sympathize but not relate, there’s a certain magic behind knowing that you have a little version of yourself on the way; buying baby clothes, setting up a nursery and trying to explain to your 5-year old why he won’t be the sole child in the house are all challenges that can be as much fun as they can be stressful.

Pregnancy carries its own batch of potential complications, and the light knows that my family has experienced a good number of them through the births of both my sons. Having either of my children contract Type-1 Diabetes has always been a concern of mine, given that I have Type-1 myself. But ladies, you have a Diabetic concern all your own to worry about while carrying around your little bambino for nine months. I’m talking Gestational Diabetes…

I’ve covered the different types of Diabetes in previous posts, but this one is more common than most people think. Gestational Diabetes, or Maternal Diabetes as it is sometimes referred to, is a condition in which the body does not allow insulin to be processed properly during pregnancy. According to a post by WebMD, “During pregnancy, your placenta makes hormones that cause glucose to build up in your blood. Usually, your pancreas can send out enough insulin to handle it. But if your body can’t make enough insulin like it should, your blood sugars rise, and you get Gestational Diabetes.” (https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/gestational-diabetes)

As though there isn’t enough to worry about during pregnancy! One of the big issues with Gestational Diabetes is the fact that the symptoms often aren’t noticed or are attributed to the pregnancy and ignored. This can obviously be a big problem and can pose a risk for mom and baby.

So how common is it? Well, the best I could find was on the Government of Canada website, Canada.ca, which provided that approximately 54.5% of women in 1,000 pregnancies developed Gestational Diabetes between 2004 to 2011. This is an incomplete number, since the Province of Quebec does not contribute to the pertinent database required for a total National average. That being said, the percentages vary from Province to Province and Territory. This is likely due to differences in Provincial Health Care, environment and available resources. (https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/maternal-diabetes-canada.html)

Depending on the circumstances, Gestational Diabetes has two sub-types: one where it can be treated with diet and exercise and the second, which will require insulin injections or medications. Screening for this condition is usually done by your doctor once you’ve reached certain points n your pregnancy, but don’t be afraid to ask your doctor about it. Even if it isn’t time to test for it, they should be able to put your mind at ease.

Prevention involves the same golden toolbox that just about everything else does. Exercise (yes, even during your pregnancy), eat a healthy diet and make certain that you’re getting the pre-natal care you require. Exercise should be moderate at most and your doctor will be able to recommend/refer you accordingly. Ultimately, it’s just one more way that Diabetes affects the lives of many people and is one more hiccup in an otherwise happy experience. When the time comes to tell your child, “Do you know what I had to go through to have you?” hopefully Gestational Diabetes isn’t on the list! ☯

Imperfection Is Beautiful

I have these two porcelain statues that I’ve owned for almost twenty years. The statues are quite nice, and I’ve had them for what seems like forever. My parents purchased them for me way back then, thinking that both of the statues depicted Buddha. They can’t be faulted for that, of course. I’ve kept them with me for years, never quite knowing where to put them or how to store them. Since they’re reasonably delicate, I’ve decided that it may be time to part with and sell them to someone who can make use of them.

The two statues as they are currently advertised

I took half a dozen photographs of the statues and posted them to a buy-and-sell site that I am a member of. As is the case with most second hand merchandise, I expected very little payment for these, and posted them at $5 for both. They were without a doubt purchased for more than that, but considering the amount of time that I’ve held them, I felt that passing them on to someone else for such low price was justified.

Almost immediately, someone expressed interest. The way this site works, is someone will “express interest” and then message the buyer. We went through the typical back-and-forth involved with a second hand sale. I indicated what area of the city I lived in and the condition of the statues. The buyer seemed as though she was somewhat interested, but then asked if either of the statues had any chips on them. One of them does.

The statue containing a small chip. Can you see it?

I explained that the statue expressing happiness had a small chip on the left hand. The chip happened a long time ago and unless you know it’s there, you won’t see it. This ended the interaction as she stated she was no longer interested. I felt a pang of intense frustration at the fact that this random person would pass on the opportunity for something as trivial as a chip in the porcelain.

Once I allowed my frustration to pass, this interaction got me to thinking about how people deal with things that are different. It is the nature of life that no thing can ever be identical to one another. Life does not believe in straight lines or perfection, and there are inherent flaws in every aspect of life and all it contains.

Bob Ross once said, “It’s the imperfections that make something beautiful. That’s what makes it different and unique from everything else.” This is why we should embrace those flaws when faced with something that would otherwise be considered imperfect. I’m not saying that this concept applies to something critical. I wouldn’t suggest buying a new car that has all its windows busted out, or eating food that has a bite missing out of it because of a stranger. But when something has a harmless flaw, it should be easy to acknowledge the beauty in such uniqueness. ☯

Beginnings Are No Longer Humble

I have many fond memories of my time in karate; one of the most important being the very first day I stepped into class. I was wearing sweatpants and a dingy t-shirt. I had researched enough on what I was about to do to know that I was to take off my shoes and socks and bow at the door before entering. I had visited the dojo and observed a class the previous week, and was given some rudimentary guidance by a brown belt who was instructing during the teacher’s absence.

I walked up the stairs to the second level of the gymnasium where class was held (it was actually the ground floor, but since my home town is built on the side of a mountain in Northern New Brunswick, the entrance is in the basement) with a grim determination to give it my all and to improve my health. I walked to the entrance of the dojo and noticed about two dozen students milling about, stretching and chatting about their weekend. I bowed respectfully at the door and when I raised my head, the crowd had parted and there stood Sensei…

Now, what you need to understand is that I was something of a smart-ass kid… Some of you are likely thinking that sentence could lose the “kid” and still be accurate. And you would be right. But my point is that I had a sarcastic streak that not many parents and adults shared or enjoyed. My mouth got me into trouble often enough that sometimes I paid a price for my words. Enter: Sensei.

That’s why when I saw that the head instructor of the school was a man with whom I had some “verbal” interactions, I slowly back-stepped and tried to retreat from the building. No such luck. Sensei looked up and saw me at the entrance and asked if I was trying out. I replied that I was. He motioned me to enter and assigned me a yellow belt to help me stretch out properly and learn some of the basics I would need to make my way through the class. Thus began a lifelong journey that I’m still working on, more than three decades later.

Every person has a story. Every story has a beginning. Sure, all those stories start the same way: with one’s birth. But speaking strictly about martial arts, the beginning of one’s story, regardless of the reason for joining, should be some guidance. Someone should be taking the time to show you some of the rudimentary basics, stances and strikes that you’ll be using during class so that you don’t become overwhelmed or confused.

Depending on the size and composition of the school you train with, this is no longer always the case. I recently saw a young girl in her teens walk into the dojo I train with, and she was accompanied by her mother. They introduced themselves and the mother sat on the bench and the girl just stood there. Class was scheduled to start in a matter of minutes.

I approached and instructed that she should remove her socks. Her mother objected to her being barefooted. I explained that some of the techniques we would be doing could cause her to slip and injure herself, should she wear socks. Especially since her balance and coordination for martial arts had not yet been developed. I asked if she did any other physical activities, to which she replied that she had done dance. I took a few moments to explain where she would be lined up and to simply follow along with the people in front of her. Bow when they bow, kick when they kick, so on and so forth…

Had I not spoken with her, this girl would have been left to her own devices and ignored, as no one else in the class seemed keen on approaching her. I couldn’t help but think that this was a horrible way to begin one’s first class, and thought back to how different my experience would have been had I been in those same shoes. She lined up based on instruction given to her by one of the senior belts and class began.

I know I have often picked on Millenials. Hell, I think a lot of society bashes on them a great deal. They come by some of it honestly. And Generation “Z” is proving to be no better. Not everyone fits in these categories, but what I observed that night was teeth-grinding and painful to watch. This young girl had six students and instructors in front of her, with plenty of opportunity to mimic and follow along.

She spent a good majority of the first hour simply standing in place, watching. Sometimes she would try something, only to throw her hands up and turn to look at her mother. She seemed unable or unwilling to perform even the simplest of movements, including squats and stretches that anyone could be able to do. Considering I had my beginnings in karate with an instructor who would not have permitted ANY student to sit still during training, it was painful to watch.

I wonder how different HER experience might have been, had one of the senior students approached her and took her in hand when she first arrived. Had she been shown some of these basics one-on-one before the start of class, some of it might have seemed less foreign and strange. Or perhaps it’s the change in behaviour and expectations that accompany the younger generations of today. It’s hard to tell.

I’m hoping this young lady will stick it out long enough to develop the solid effort required for her to reap the full benefits of martial arts. But the lesson here is that if anyone new walks into your preferred sport or workout environment, take the time to chat with them, guide them and show them the basics. You’ll make the experience much more immersive for them. And if you’re the one coming into something new, make it worth your while. Push yourself and give it your best effort. Not only are you worth that effort, it’s the least you deserve. ☯

Put Some Oomph In Your Ouch! 🎶

Music is awesome. It has the means to allow a person to express themselves in a very unique way. Music also has the means to reach every person. There are so many types of music that there is always at least one genre that appeals to any given person. Music can also communicate. There are few genuinely universal ways of communicating, but shaking your booty to great music is well understood anywhere in the world.

Music can also play an important role in how your workout plays out. It’s no secret that having an awesome playlist and some sick beats (I promise never to use that term again) can improve your workout and make you push harder towards a wicked sweat. So, why is this? IS it just our imagination? NO. There are actually some measurable reasons why music can help improve your fitness.

According to an article by the Huffington Post, “Listening to music while exercising can release feel-good chemicals – such as dopamine and opioids – that may boost your mood, dull pain and make you less tired […]” (https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/how-music-affects-workout_n_55d746a3e4b0a40aa3aaa9da?ri18n=true) If this is true, than having some music blaring while you workout is definitely beneficial.

Some other theories include the fact that music is a distraction. If you are distracted from the agonizing shin-splints keeping you from completing your 3K-run in record time, you’re more likely to push hard and keep going. Speaking from experience here, folks! Another theory is that good music, or rather what may be good to you, will help increase your confidence. This causes us to push harder.

No matter what the reasons, and no definite evidence has been found despite many studies, you can’t argue that having your earbuds in while you push yourself adds a definite plus to your workout. Think about it. When was the last time you went to a gym that DIDN’T have at least some of the people wearing headphones or earbuds? And it’s almost a sure guarantee that fitness locations will usually have music playing on the intercom system. Unless it’s one of those heathen locations that have a sporting event blaring, but that’s an entirely separate problem.

My current karate school even uses music during the warm-up portion of the class. This is a bit of a controversial thing, considering that most martial arts schools include an aspect of discipline that doesn’t include having Metallica blaring while shadow boxing! But I’d be lying if I said that the addition of music didn’t get even the laziest of students moving a bit better.

So whatever your reasons for doing so, crank up the tunes. Whether it’s to make you feel better, distract you from the now or simply helps you follow along with a beat, it can be nothing but beneficial. Unless you work out to country music. Then you’re just asking for trouble. You know who who are! ☯

Don’t Try To Walk In Others’ Footsteps

Life is pretty dynamic. If you don’t wake up in the morning wondering what the day will bring, you’re not facing it head-on the way you should. Life also doesn’t care about your plan. I’ve said that more times than I can count, to more people than I can remember. No matter how well you plan, life will usually find a way to throw a wrench into your gears. Although it’s important to have goals, plans aren’t always ideal.

“You Don’t Always Need A Plan. Sometimes You Just Need To Breathe, Trust, Let Go, And See What Happens.”

– Mandy Hale

I was talking to an old friend of mine, some time ago. He was in his 30’s, single, still had debt and hadn’t met any of his goals. He was pretty disappointed and hard on himself, and he was of the opinion that he was “behind in life” because of these things. He had a good career-level job and was saving up nicely, but the missing aspects that he considered societal expectations weighed on him.

I tried explaining to him that his life was exactly that: his life. And there was no expectation to follow any kind of set expectations where life was concerned. Every person is different and so is the manner in which their lives will play out. All the so-called rules that say you should be married and settled down by a certain age are made up.

“Although No One Can Go Back And Make A Brand New Start, Anyone Can Start From Now And Make A Brand New Ending.”

– Carl Bard

My friend is now about to get married, owns a house and is building a family. It took him longer than he PLANNED, but he’s still reaching his goals. And that’s what’s important. There’s no need to be so hard on ourselves. As long as we keep trucking forward and working towards goals, life will keep you exactly where you need to be. ☯

It’s A Big Fat Lie! 🍫

Obesity is fast-becoming one of the biggest problems in North America. According to a report written by Stats Canada, “In 2018, 26.8% of Canadians 18 and older (roughly 7.3 million adults) reported height and weight that classified them as obese. Another 9.9 million adults (36.3%) were classified as overweight – bringing the total population with increased health risks due to excess weight to 63.1% in 2018.” That’s a pretty horrible statistic! That means that more than half and almost three quarters of the Canadian population falls under a category associated with obesity. Scary.

There are some obvious problems and exceptions with this total, however. As I’ve written about before, the first problem is with a tool known as BMI. BMI, or Body Mass Index, takes a person’s weight and divides it by the square of the person’s height. Unless assessed by a health professional, the readings can provide a false shadow on an otherwise healthy person.

For example, I happen to have a BMI of 32.1, which falls under the obese category. Anyone who has ever seen me in person could definitely confirm that I am not obese! BMI fails to take body mass, age, muscle and pregnancy or bodily changes. This means that if you visit Dr. Google for your BMI calculations, you’ll likely starve yourself into depression thinking that you’re obese!

The reason I bring up obesity is because I read a post by a fellow blogger who discussed this very thing. I took note of the fact that he wrote that obesity can be a cause of Type-2 Diabetes and I sincerely appreciated the fact that he took the time to make the discernation. Especially since obesity DOES NOT cause Type-1 Diabetes. You hear that, world? OBESITY DOES NOT CAUSE TYPE-1 DIABETES!!!! (Takes deep, calming breaths…)

Just to clarify, even if I’ve done so multiple times before, Type-1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body destroys the insulin-producing cells in one’s body, preventing the processing of glucose. It can have a genetic component and has often been referred to as “Juvenile Diabetes” due to the fact that most sufferers are diagnosed quite early in life. That being said, it is possible for a person to contract Type-1 Diabetes much later in life. My father is an example of this.

Type-2 Diabetes is essentially an increased form of insulin resistance where the body still produces insulin, but the body is either “less” able to use it or unable to do so. Obesity has been directly linked as a factor behind this insulin resistance, which is why people so readily associated obesity with Diabetes.

Although there have been some studies related to wether or not obesity has any effect on someone with Type-1, it’s almost the opposite for the two types… Type-1 Diabetes can LEAD to obesity, of a number of different reasons. Obesity is one of the direct causes of Type-2 Diabetes. Make sense?

One of my biggest pet-peeves is how many times I’ve told someone I have Diabetes, only to have them look me up and down and say, “But you’re not fat!” One does not necessarily have anything to do with the other. It’s important to make the discernation between the two types and use them correctly.

Last but not least, here’s the page to Stats Canada and WebMD, if anyone wants to check them out ☯:

Swimming In The Benefits!

I brought my son to a public swimming pool, yesterday afternoon. He enjoyed that pool party for his classmate so much a couple of weeks ago, that I thought it would be a great way for us both to get some exercise and burn him out for the night. It would have been nice to snap a photo or two of the fun, but you DON’T want to be that adult taking photos at a public pool!

Swimming is often an overlooked activity by most people, because it seems rather inconvenient. You have to pack swimwear and towels, go to a specific location to swim (especially if it’s winter) and you need to worry about getting properly dry and dragging a bunch of wet things with you when you leave. But is that really any different than working out at a conventional gym? If you said yes, there’s something wrong with your workouts. Unless you have a full gym in the basement of your home (a slight tinge of jealousy over my brother-in-law’s basement comes to mind) then you still need to pack or wear workout gear, go to the gym’s specific location and if you aren’t soaking wet when you finish your workout, then you aren’t pushing hard enough!

Spending time in a pool can have a number of benefits, from a health and fitness standpoint. If you happen to be swimming with my son Nathan, I guarantee that you’ll lose track of the number of calories you burn. And that’s the nice thing: you’re burning through calories while having so much fun that you don’t notice it.

You work just about every muscle group. Even if all you’re doing is splashing around with your kids, working your way around under water requires the use of just about all your muscle groups, making for a great workout. It’s also a very low-impact way to workout, since the water takes a portion of the weight off of your back and joints.

The increased heart rate will improve your heart and lungs, and will help to reduce stress while improving your flexibility and mobility. That last one is particularly important if you need to maintain your fitness level through an injury like, oh let’s say… shin splints! The low impact will allow your injury to heal while still allowing you to burn calories.

It goes without saying, even if I’m saying it, that anyone with Diabetes needs to closely monitor their blood glucose levels while swimming. Often, your blood sugars can start to drop suddenly, especially if you’re caught up in the fun. When going to a public pool, I always arrange to keep my gym bag close by. It contains fast-acting glucose, my glucometer and my cell phone, which allows mw to test my blood sugar through my Freestyle Libre.

Last but not least, it’ll fire up your hunger and make you tired. This is a good sign that you’ve had a god burn and can retire to your home for a rest. One of the first things Nathan told me as we were towelling off to leave was, “Daddy, I’m tired…” Yes! He’ll be sleeping early tonight… No such luck. He got his second wind and was his typical destructive self.

Swimming can be beneficial in all sorts of ways and do nothing but good for the body. I spent most of my life living in the East Coast of Canada where i could spend the entirety of my summer, swimming on beaches, rivers and lakes. It was glorious! If you do swim outdoors, be sure you know how to swim and are aware of how to swim in bodies of water that may have currents and other dangers. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong. So get out there and dive in; the water’s fine! ☯

Winter Freezes Everything But The Sun ☀️

When the cold weather hits, everyone bundles up when they head outdoors. It can be really easy to forget that even though it may be -40 degrees, the Sun is still up there, blazing bright and true. Although a bit of natural sunlight can be beneficial to help your body generate the dose of Vitamin D it requires (see yesterday’s repost from June 2019), too much exposure to sunlight can be bad for you. I am referring to, of course, tanning.

Getting a tan is a practice through which the skin on a person becomes a darker shade due to exposure to UV Light. The body responds by producing melanin in order to prevent further damage from UV radiation. In the past, getting a tan was evidence of social status, having travelled to sunny destination or good health. But nothing could be further from the truth. The fact that the result is your body TRYING TO PROTECT ITSELF is a sign that tanning is bad, m’kay?

There are different ways to get a tan. The first and most direct, is natural sunlight. This basically involves exposing your flesh to the Sun. Pretty simple, right? The next is through the use of a tanning bed. This involves laying or standing in a specially constructed booth that exposes you to UVA rays, causing the production of melanin and darkening the skin. The last is a spray tan. Spray tanning is done by well, spraying yourself. A chemical called Dihydroxyacetone is misted against the skin, which in turn reacts with the body’s naturally occurring amino acids to turn the skin a darker shade.

Although this is a topic that has been widely debated in recent decades, and public opinion has gone back and forth, tanning is not good for you. The DHA mist used in spray tanning has no evidence of being harmful to the body. Okay, fair enough! But any form of tanning that causes the creation of melanin has been proven to be exceptionally bad for you. And it all begins with that very first tan…

If you tan your skin, you will cause a number of complications that you definitely want to live without. According to an article posted by WebMD, tanning is known to be a cause of Melanoma, which is a cancer of the skin cells. Tanning will also cause the premature aging of your skin, or what doctors refer to as “photo aging”. Other sources suggest that damage is caused with the very first tan and that being tanned does NOT prevent potential sunburns. Getting a “base tan” does nothing to help you.

Here are some good articles that cover these points in greater detail, should you want to have a read:

The point I’m making today, is that people tend to associate sun burns and sun exposure with the summer months because most people spend more time outdoors. But the Sun’s rays shine on, regardless of the season. The Sun’s rays will reflect off snow and ice and exposed skin can still suffer the same effects. So while you’re out and about in your winter wonderland, or if you’re crazy enough to be running during the snowy months like I’ve been, make sure to cover up and protect yourself accordingly.

For people with Diabetes, tanning exposes you an increased risk of dehydration and hypoglycaemia. You’ll also be at greater risk of excessive sweating, dizziness, headaches, nausea, increased heart rate and cramped muscles. Last but not least, I’d like to point out that tanning is actually defined as treating an animal hide in order to make leather! That should tell you all you need to know about what it’s doing to your skin. ☯