The Effects of Chlorine and How To Protect Yourself While Swimming

Hello!

Over the past few months I've added swimming twice a week to my cardio routine as the apartment I moved to has an indoor pool! I had forgotten how much I absolutely love being in the water but unfortunately not the effect it has on my hair and skin! While I will always prefer swimming outdoors I live in Canada and for most months out of the year that just isn't possible!

Chlorine is often added to water to reduce the growth of microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses. While this is great for keeping a pool clean it can start to eat away at the natural oils covering and protecting our skin and hair thus making them susceptible to dryness and damage. The chlorine can eventually break the bonds of our hair making it brittle and even react with the pigments in our hair, essentially bleaching it down to the "natural" colour of keratin itself. In addition it can cause irritation and redness to our eyes.

Now this is no reason to give up on swimming! In my opinion swimming is one of the best forms of cardio there is, giving you a full body workout without strain on the joints and burning mega calories!

Here are 5 simple ways I protect myself while swimming!

1. Rinse off  with a cool shower before entering the pool - We want to remove any sweat, deodorant, soap etc... that is on our skin as the chlorine can react with the proteins found in these organic compounds and create gases that can cause a rash, this will also help to keep the pool clean meaning less chemicals used in the first place. Another reason is that our skin and hair will act like a sponge and absorb this "clean" water and saturate it before it has the chance to absorb the chlorinated pool water. Remember that cold water closes hair cuticles and hot water opens them so keep your shower cool!

2. Put coconut oil on your hair and skin - This will act as a barrier to keep the natural oils protecting our skin and hair from being eaten away by the chlorine thus keeping our skin hydrated and hair strong.

3. Wear swimming goggles - If I'm swimming laps I have these bad boys on to protect my eyes, it saves me from having red, itchy eyes and from rubbing them non-stop in the pool!

4. Wear a swimming cap - Again, if I'm swimming laps not only does this improve my time ;) but it makes a huge difference in the damage done to my hair. While water does still seep into my cap it is not nearly as saturated and still protected by my shower and coconut oil. With these three things I have successfully kept my hair pink and healthy!

5. Have a shower after your swim - This is a no brainer! Rinse away all the chlorine before it has a chance to (further) soak into your skin and hair.

Is there anything else you do to keep your hair and skin looking and feeling nice while swimming regularly? If so, let me know in the comments below!

Peace and Happiness,

Jules

What I Eat In A Day! [Vegan] 2

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the lack of posts! We have officially sold our house and are moving into an apartment soon! We are super excited for this new, simpler chapter in our lives. Anyways, this is what I ate today!

I drank a full glass of water before each meal and throughout the day.

Rise and Shine

My day starts with a refreshing glass of water with half a lemon (I fill this glass with water twice).

- 6 Calories, 4g Carbs, 0.1g Protein

*If there is one thing I do daily, it's drink my lemon water in the morning!

3 Peaches

- 114 Calories, 0.6g Fat, 27.9 Carbs, 2.4g Protein

Breakfast

Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Coconut Sugar & Half an Apple

- 396 Calories, 6.1g Fat, 68g Carbs, 12.1g Protein

Morning Snack

Blueberries

- 166 Calories, 0.8g Fat, 42g Carbs, 2g Protein

Lunch

3 Oranges

- 186 Calories, 0.3g Fat, 45.9g Carbs, 3.6g Protein

Green Juice ** First Time trying this! Very quick and easy!

- 188 Calories, 0.8g Fat, 43.4g Carbs, 3.4g Protein

Afternoon Snack

Baked Fries (2 Potatoes) with a dash of salt and vinegar

- 331 Calories, 0.2g Fat, 74.4 Carbs, 8.6g Protein

Supper

Vegetable Chili (Homemade)

- 525 Calories, 2.5g Fat, 100g Carbs, 25g Protein

Evening Snack

Cucumber

- 32 Calories, 7.2g Carbs, 1.2g Protein

Days Total: 1944 Calories, 11.3 Fat (2%), 412.8 Carbs (86%), 58.4g Protein (12%)

* I used S Health to find the nutritional information.

As previously mentioned, I never track calories or macros on a regular basis! Although looking at my totals today I might try to up my fat and total caloric intake! I always I eat until I am full and do not restrict at all. I think it's most important to eat a wide range of healthy and colourful foods throughout the week than to focus on one particular day.

It's been really fun doing these "What I Eat In A Day" posts! It's very interesting to see how things change or stay the same!

What is your favourite food or meal? Please be sure to leave it in the comments below!

Peace & Happiness,

Jules