Latest Hair Trends and Summer Hair Care

I was able to break away today for some much needed hair maintenance. I drove to my friend Cindy Cochran's Salon and Day Spa in New Castle, PA (an absolutely beautiful converted Victorian house) to freshen up my color and cut.
Cindy is just back from a business trip to New York where she got caught up on the latest looks. She shared a trend with me that makes it easy for anyone to pull off an updated style. I did what I could to keep the camera steady (I was trying to shoot both of us in the mirror and be her hair model for you...give me a little break, please! ha!) ...

I also asked Cindy about how to protect your hair from the summer sun, pool chemicals, etc. :

You can find more tips from Cindy in the Jen's Friends area of jenniferTVshow.com.
j.

Thoughts on Swimming Pool Safety From a Lifeguard

The kids had been counting down the days until the opening of the swimming pool that we go to; so I pushed aside my swimming suit insecurities, packed up the suntan lotion, put a smile on my face, and got everybody in the car.
I'm not a strong swimmer, and I get a little nervous at the pool, trying to keep constant watch over my no-fear children. I had my little Flip video camera with me and I asked an experienced lifeguard, Lauren, what she would want parents to know about making their children comfortable and keeping them safe at the pool.
j.

Fast Firming for the Arms

On my continuing quest to firm up mostly all areas of my body (!!), I love how a little tool called the Firming Band can quickly and easily help. I featured it on the TV show recently, and I show it to groups when I do presentations on How To Take Care of Yourself While You're Taking Care of Others. In ten minutes or less, you really can get a great strengthening and toning workout with the Firming Band. I've had some questions about how to use it, so I went out in my back yard and shot this little demo of some basic moves:

There are many other exercises that you can do with the Firming Band to target different areas of your body. You can print out the arm exercises and get more information about the Firming Band in the Take Ten with Jen area of our main web site.
j.

Do You Zumba? It's fast fitness!

When we had Zumba people in the audience for a show taping recently, I jokingly called them "Zumba Freaks". Turns out I was mocking what I didn't understand...now I'm a Zumba Freak! It's addictive!
Zumba is an aerobic form of exercise that uses Latin music and dance moves. It's high energy, it's definitely a workout (people in my classes who wear calorie monitors burn between 600 and 800 calories in one one hour class!)... but I love it most for the stress relief!
If you're looking for a fun way to get fit fast, give it a try. I go to classes with Maria at Club One, (You can see a class on our show this Sunday at 11. Watch a clip here). Connie at
Keystone Health Club, and Dani at Latin RhythmZ. Zumba's creator, Beto, will be in Pittsburgh to host a Master Class this summer. I will have the opportunity to introduce him and to interview him (watch for clips here). In the meantime though, we took a road trip to a studio in Wintersville Ohio to see Beto in action. Watch the clip below to see what it's all about and to hear a special hello from Beto. Please try to ignore the finger wiping the camera lens from time to time---the studio was steamy!



I went to Connie's early Zumba class this morning...such a great way to start the day...and before she ran off to do a Zumba demonstration at the Monroeville Expo Mart, I asked her some questions I though you might want to hear the answers to. Watch!
j.

Easy Family Reunion

The unofficial start of summer is officially this weekend!
Are you planning on gathering the family for a reunion this year? If so, I know of something that could help a lot with your planning and your budget...a FREE, fully-catered Family Reunion for 50 people at Idlewild Park & Soak Zone!
Growing up here, I have many fond memories of Idlewild Park and Storybook Forest. I have pictures of me and my sisters with the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe; and now I have pictures of my children with her! (wow)
Idlewild's Great Family Reunion Contest Contest runs through July 7, 2008. To enter, you have to create and submit a :30 video commercial to YouTube that shows what Idlewild means to you and your family. There will be one grand-prize winning famliy, and others will win season passes to the park.
You can get all the details and the rules here, but I wanted to make sure you knew about it!
j.

Girls Run to Build Self-Esteem

I was with hundreds of girls and their families in the rain early this morning for the 6th annual WonderGirls 5K at Sandcastle waterpark. The event goes on in other cities across the country as part of a national program called Girls On The Run, which helps pre-teen girls to develop courage and a commitment to stay true to their own ideals and values, and develop a strong sense of self; so that they can keep on a healthy, positive track as they grow.
I asked local Girls on the Run Coordinator Meredith Colaizzi what she would want to say to girls to and their parents to encourage them:

j.

Steelers Talk About Importance of Activity and Sportsmanship

My family and I went to the American Respiratory Alliance of Western Pennsylvania's Asthma Fair and Healthy Lung Village at the Coca Cola Great Hall at Heinz Field today. The ARA (healthylungs.org) joins with the Pittsburgh Steelers several times throughout the year to promote a healthy lifestyle... and this was one of those times!
I got to talk with #92, Linebacker James Harrison; and #3, Kicker Jeff Reed about the importance of activity for kids, and how to foster good sportsmanship. I love their thoughts, and I wanted to share them with you.
j.

Theme Park Preparedness

The kids had their school day at Kennywood Park today. It was rainy...it was cool...we ate much more junk food than normal (Kennywood does have some good new healthy choices---we had great watermelon and salads; it's still hard to resist those potato patch fries though)...the kids loved it!
With five children, I have learned that it really pays off for me to spend a few minutes to think about and pack a bag (filled with things we may or may not need) for the day.
I think of it as my Mary Poppins Bag, because it seems that I can reach in and pull out almost anything we need for almost any situation.
I bring:

• a small first aid kit with water-proof Band-Aids - not just for cuts---good to have for blisters from park-walking, etc.
• anti-bacterial hand wipes - which I used today to wipe off tables and hands, to wipe a little bit of "ride grease" off of my daughter's leg, and to hold on my youngest son's lip, which he bit on the jack rabbit ride (poor baby).
• small bottles of water - water's healthy, and it's good to have some of your own to save time and money on drink stops.
• sunscreen
• lip balm
• sugarless gum - can satisfy a sweet tooth, and has way fewer calories than a funnel cake!!!
• little two-way radios - we have four that can all work on the same channel, which is great to keep in touch quickly when the group splits off for a bit.
• socks - how nice not to have to walk around with wet feet after water rides!
• cameras - I took our little Flip---which I love--to get some video, and a small digital camera.
• a little notebook and pen - how many times do you run into an old friend and have nothing to use to jot down their contact info?
• cash in small bills - to make paying for games faster and easier. Decide on an amount you want to spend, get that amount in $1 bills, and when it's gone, no more games.
• some business cards - you just never know who you might run into.
• umbrellas that fold up to only about 7 inches - wow were those great to have today! I got mine at Target---bright yellow, which made it easy to keep an eye on everybody.

I am able to fit all of this in a medium sized zippered tote bag that is made of durable, water-resistant fabric and has comfortable shoulder straps. It has a zippered pocket inside where I keep my keys and cell phone. It also has a little coin purse that hooks onto a loop inside, so it's easy to find. I still have room in the bag to load in small stuffed animals and other park souvenirs.
After you get a bag like this set up, it's easy to maintain. I keep mine stocked most of the time, so that I can grab it and go to soccer or baseball games, too (I add snacks if we're going to a game). You can of course customize your bag to fit your family's needs. I hope this list will help to get you started.
j.

Some Events/Organizations That Could Help You

It's only Monday, but I'm looking forward to some events I'll be at this weekend. The organizations involved offer lots of great tips:

SATURDAY, MAY 17th - The American Respiratory Alliance of Western Pennsylvania Asthma Fair and Healthy Lung Village
(left: my family and me at last year's event)
This is going to be held at the Heinz Field Coca-Cola Great Hall in downtown Pittsburgh. It features important information and testing needed to diagnose and manage asthma. It's also just a fun day with activities for kids and families, appearances from Pittsburgh Steelers, and more! If you're not in the Pittsburgh area and you can 't come and join us, visit HealthyLungs.org for helpful info.

• SUNDAY, MAY 18th - The 6th annual Wondergirl 5k
  This is going to be held at Sandcastle in West Mifflin, PA at 9:00 a.m. (although groups gather earlier).
  This event is tied in with a wonderful national organization called Girls On The Run which works to educate girls on self-esteem issues and more for a lifetime of healthy living.
  

Take Care of Yourself!

Fifty million people in this country are caregivers. Most of them are women caring for a sick parent or child. Caring for healthy family members and friends is also a job that requires a lot of energy.
We do it because we love it. We wouldn't want it any other way, but too many women are putting themselves on a back-burner and it's having serious negative effects.
We're not eating right. We're not getting enough sleep. We're not getting enough exercise. We are disorganized. We are stressed. Experts say the stress alone involved with being a caregiver can take ten years off of your life! As a caregiver you have doubled your risk of developing depression!
The good news is, you have the power to turn all that around. You CAN take care of yourself while you're taking care of others. I want to help you to do that.
Here at my house, I take care of my husband, my five kids (ages 10-3), My father-in-law (who moved in with us after my mother-in-law died of cancer) and my step-daughter.
In coming blogs, I'll share with you other elements of my life that challenge my ability to find some time to take care of myself (I started a new business); and more importantly for you, ways that I have found to be able to steal ten little minutes here and there for myself that help me to work toward a longer, stronger, healthier life for me and my family.
I've gotten some of these tips from the incredible experts I've had the chance to interview over the years...some from friends and family members...some from people who watch our TV show, or read our newspaper articles, or visit our web site (jenniferTVshow.com)... and I'd love for you to share your tips with us, too.
Looking forward to staying in touch.
j.