Striving4Zen

Bethesda Sunscreen Soap, the first all-natural SPF body bar, promises to shield your skin even after you lather up. The multitasking soap contains a combination of protective, healing and moisturizing ingredients to leave you feeling safe, clean and soft all day long.

In the shower, the FDA-approved soap deposits an invisible layer of SPF 10 on skin to protect you from both UVA and UVB rays. Along with that, you'll get minerals, amino acids and 50+ vitamins (including A, C and E) to promote cell growth, reduce the signs of aging and sun damage, treat acne and feed dry skin.

While it's no replacement for your SPF 30 (we hope you're slathering it on!), the $8 soap provides a base protection to make sure you're fully covered.

Thanks Vital Juice Daily!

Labels: cool new product, innovative, soap, SPF, sun, sunscreen, UVA/UVB

A new restaurant will move New Yorkers one step closer to making the world outside the city truly unnecessary.

At the Homegrown Kitchen, which will open in June, all the vegetables and herbs used in the kitchen will be grown upstairs -- in an enormous, rooftop farm.

Anne Apparu, 32, the caterer behind the almost-self-sufficient eatery at 169 Bowery, is currently growing oranges, apples and purple asparagus.

"There's going to be lots of herbs, beans and produce. We will be very varied and have everything we want," she said.

With two entire rooftops, Apparu hopes to turn the setting into a real, working farm -- animals and all.

"I may have a few chickens and a baby goat," she said.

She plans to grow produce year-round.

NYPost

Labels: cool new place, garden, Homegrown Kitchen, innovative, NYC, vegetables

While some people have an innate ability to understand plants, not all of us were born with a green thumb. And now, with more folks turning to home gardening as a source of free produce and herbs (and potentially even longevity), we want to catch up.

Enter the EasyBloom Sensor, a user-friendly device that eliminates the need for trial and error.

Just put the sensor in your "garden" (whether that's your backyard or a pot on your windowsill) and it will gather environmental data like soil, light, temperature and humidity. After 24 hours, plug it into your USB drive and find out the best plants for that environment, how to care for them, and how to revive dying plants.

On top of that, the website lets you search an extensive plant database, make notes and log data to keep track of your progress. Before you know it, you'll find yourself with a living, breathing, and maybe even edible result.

Thanks!

Labels: cool new product, EasyBloom Sensor, garden, gardening, greenery, Holistic Health, innovative, plants

Another innovative idea tapping into the popularity of bottled water but making it sustainable!

Part sustainable water company, part art project, part philanthropic project, and completely curious. Boxed Water Is Better, is a boxed water company.

Started with the simple idea of creating a new bottled water brand that is kinder to the environment and gives back a bit - we found that it shouldn't be bottled at all, but instead, boxed. So we looked to the past for inspiration in the century old beverage container and decided to keep things simple, sustainable, and beautiful.

About 90% of the Boxed Water container is made from a renewable resource, trees, that when harvested in a responsible, managed, and ethical way serve as an amazing renewable resource that benefits the environment even as it's renewed. We're also giving 20% of our profits back to the resources our product is composed of - water and trees. Not only does it simply make sense, but we really enjoy supporting water and forestation organizations as it's part of our company's ethos and way of thinking to give back and participate.

Read more...

Labels: bottled water, boxed water, cool new product, eco-friendly, innovative, sustainable

Poor posture can lead to many overuse injuries and, on the vanity side of things, make you look shorter and 10 pounds heavier.

Since none of us can afford to have a Pilates instructor poke our spines into place 24/7, two physicians collaborated on the iPosture ($65). It is a small device that you clip to your bra, wear on a necklace, or stick on your upper chest with adhesive that vibrates when you slouch.

Surprisingly effective, the little electronic device, a bit over inch in diameter and practically weightless, contains a nanosensor. You set iPosture once you are in your desired posture, and when you deviate three degrees from that posture, the device vibrates, reminding you to correct.

As you can see, it's quite small. The iPosture is so unobtrusive, you don't feel it until you slump and the gizmo vibrates. The vibration is completely quiet, so nobody can hear it.

If you suffer from back, neck, wrist, or shoulder pain, iPosture can help by teaching you to stand and sit correctly. You can buy the device here. $65 seems like a lot for such a simple device, but not when you consider that the going rate in SF for a 55-minute session with an experienced rehab specialist Pilates instructor is $75 to $85.

Thanks Fitsugar!

Labels: cool new product, innovative, iPosture, Pilates, posture

Several years ago Eric Childs was feeling overstressed and under the weather so his boss brought him a bottle of kombucha. Childs, who goes by Kombuchaman, quickly got hooked on the tart fizzy fermentation, and started making his own to save money. “It’s not this magic potion sent from above, but it does do wonderful things,” he told BB in a phone call.

In case you don’t down one after your daily yoga session, kombucha uses mushroom-like cultures to ferment tea and sugar into a slightly carbonated, slightly caffeinated drink with an almost vinegary flavor. At first sip it might not appeal, but converts swear to its benefits, and one of us here at BB swears by it for a hangover cure. “It does what the drinker needs,” said Childs.

This January Kombuchaman started bottling his Brooklyn-brewed Kombucha, using friends and family as guinea pigs for his recipe. He’s in the process of increasing his production capacity and is aiming to have it in local Brooklyn stores by late spring or early summer. He plans on selling a 16-oz bottle for $3, definitely less than the average price of what’s currently on the market, and it will be the only fresh, local kombucha available. Look for it under the Kombucha Brooklyn label, a slightly different name that the one he started out with.

If you can’t wait for the Kombuchaman’s bounty to hit local shelves, take a class with him at The Brooklyn Kitchen, and learn to make your own. Or, contact Childs through his website. He sells start-up kits for home kombucha brewers, and will answer questions and share tips for anyone who is already making their own. If you’ve found your version inferior to the store-bought stuff, take heart: Kombuchaman counsels patience: “It takes three of four brews to really get a consistent, tasty batch.”

Source

Labels: beverages, Brooklyn, cool new product, drinks, innovative, kombucha, Kombuchaman

With a few exceptions, few restaurants go out of their way to publish the nutritional information about their food, at least not in any obvious way offline. Much the way D+caf Test Strips have blown the proverbial lid open on caffeine content, however, Fatburgr is a new site that puts together in one place the nutritional facts about a variety of fast-food restaurants and chains.

Some 20 restaurants are currently listed on Fatburgr—including McDonald's, Subway and Chili's, for example—and more are being added every day, the company says. For each of them the site lists the calories, fat, carbs and fiber content for each menu item, and users can sort the list by any of those criteria. Listings can also be searched by food type, and all data is available by iPhone for those needing to make ordering decisions on the go. Fatburgr is free to use.

Besides equipping consumers with information that can help them stay healthier, of course, Fatburgr is also a nice example of what our sister site trendwatching would call transparency tyranny, leaving companies with nowhere to hide the facts they might prefer not be known. On that note, Fatburgr has even set up a "wall of shame"—though it's still empty—for restaurants that won't fork over their nutritional information. Restaurants around the world: Be prepared to open up the truth about your food, or this could happen to you! ;-)

Source

Labels: Calories, fast food, Fat, innovative, junk food, nutritional information, restaurants

Skinny Nutritional Corp ., marketer and distributor of Skinny Water®, announced today that it plans to introduce a line extension of beverages in early 2009. The new beverages will contain a proprietary natural sweetener derived from Stevia , and like Skinny Water, will contain ZERO calories.

"We have been working on launching new Skinny beverages that contain an all natural sweetener with ZERO calories," says Ron Wilson, President and CEO of Skinny Nutritional Corp. "Many consumers are looking for a great tasting, ZERO-calorie beverage that is 100% natural. We also believe that we can gain entry into many natural and whole food distributors and retailers throughout the country with these new beverages. We are always researching new trends in the functional beverage segment. In addition to the latest superfruits, health and wellness ingredients, and natural colors, we see Stevia-derived sweeteners as a breakthrough in the sweetener category."

Early this week, U.S. suppliers of sweeteners derived from rebaudioside A, a part of the Stevia leaf, announced that the FDA issued a no objection letter concerning the conclusion of an independent expert panel that highly-purified rebaudioside A is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a general purpose sweetener, including for use in food and beverages. These suppliers have also announced their intention to market all natural, ZERO-calorie sweeteners made with highly purified rebaudioside A.

Source

Labels: drinks, innovative, new product, Skinny Water, Stevia

The newest wrinkle in anti-aging treatments might make some youth-obsessed oldsters think twice about leaping into the treatment face first.

Vavelta is a clear liquid derived from baby foreskins, donated by mothers whose babies have just been circumcised. The liquid is injected into adult skin damaged by acne or burns.

The results look promising so far, but it's a bit early to get too excited. Vavelta, developed by a British biomedical company called Intercytex, is at least four years away from being available in the U.S. If it does win FDA approval, chances are Vavelta would be used only in the treatment of burns and acne, at least initially, a company spokesperson says.

The treatment, which claims to be permanent, is different from skin fillers like Juvederm and Restylane because it contains tiny skin cells, called fibroblasts. The cells rejuvenate and revitalize damaged, aging skin from the inside by actually repopulating the lower skin layers with millions of healthy young skin cells.

Dermatologists on this side of the Pond find the idea intriguing - but say it still needs fine-tuning.

"The technique of injecting cells that make collagen, rather than collagen itself, is a very interesting idea," says Dr. Judith Hellman, a Manhattan-based dermatologist who specializes in various anti-aging skin treatments. "Normally, if you inject something into the body that is foreign, the body rejects it. But fibroblasts do not elicit such a reaction in the body."

Calling it "one step after stem cell," Dr. Eric Siegel, dermatologist and founder of the Millburn Laser Center in Millburn, N.J., says further tests on Vavelta are needed.

"There is a lot of potential downside to a treatment like this, such as infection," he says.

Mothers and babies are screened before the foreskins are accepted to be used in Vavelta, says a Intercytex spokesperson, adding that a Valvelta treatment costs the equivalent of about $850.

Noting that Intercytex is in talks now with the FDA about bringing Vavelta here, a consultant to the company notes that one foreskin makes enough cells for hundreds of thousands of treatments because the cells can be grown in cultures and then frozen.

While they're waiting for the viability of Vavelta to be decided by the FDA, wrinkle-conscious Americans can still try other unorthodox anti-aging treatments for the next few years.

Those who aren't squeamish about, well, poop, might take advantage of a one-of-a-kind facial that combines "sanitized" nightingale droppings with natural oils to hydrate the skin. Called the Geisha Facial -- it's been used by Japan’s geishas for centuries -- the treatment is said to break down dead skin cells and draw out any bacteria from the cells more gently than acid peels. Among the celebs said to have tried (and loved) the Geisha Facial is Victoria Beckham.

Another unusual celebrity beauty regimen is "cupping," an ancient Chinese acupressure method said to be favored by Gwyneth Paltrow. There's also leech therapy, reportedly used by Demi Moore to detoxify her body.

The rest of us can resort to more old-fashioned remedies.

"There are things you can do to keep your skin young as we age and the fibroblasts take a little nap, which means we have less collagen," says Dr. Flor Mayoral, a dermatologist who researches new anti-aging treatments. "Take antioxidants and vitamins, don't smoke, get enough rest and eat well. You may age a bit more slowly than your friends, but the truth is that we are all going to continue to age - if we are lucky."

Finally, there's the anti-aging remedy that no sun worshipper wants to hear about.

"I tell my patients, there are no miracles in any jars," says Dr. Siegel. "The best anti-wrinkle cream around is a very good sunblock."

Source

Labels: anti-aging, baby foreskins, innovative, skin care, Vavelta

OfficeMax Inc. founder Michael Feuer is back with another big idea, and this one has nothing to do with office supplies.
He is anxious to launch Max-Wellness, his newest retail venture. He and his business partner, Jared Florian, plan to create a chain of healthy living stores to capitalize on the fact that Americans are living longer, staying more active, taking better care of themselves -- and, yes, getting older.

Called Max-Wellness LLC, the stores will carry a range of products to salve, bandage or treat what ails you, from vitamins and supplements to walkers and exercise balls. In-store pharmacies will be run by a third party.

Feuer said his stores will offer more selection, better customer service and one-stop shopping convenience in a dignified and private setting.

Creating something targeted to baby boomers made sense to Feuer because boomers are redefining what it means to grow old.

"Sixty is the new 40, 50 is the new 30, and 30 is the new 20," Feuer said. "People do not want to live the same lives their parents lived."

Florian pictures Max-Wellness as "superstores for health and wellness products, without being the size of a superstore."

Full article

Labels: baby boomers, healthy living, innovative, Max-Wellness, new store

We all know sitting at a desk all day doesn't burn up the calories. There are simple ways to exercise at work, like disappearing into a restroom stall to do some squats, but what about getting some cardio? To work out while on the job, you might have contemplated a treadmill desk, but the size of both the price tag and the desk itself prevents you from asking your boss to spring for one.

Here's another, much cheaper option — an under your desk, wheel-less, mini exercise bike. You can stow this model, made by by Stamina ($49), under your desk and pedal with your feet without your co-workers knowing. Or you can place it on top of your desk to conspicuously work your upper body. You can adjust the tension to make it easier or more difficult, and it also comes with an electronic monitor to time your workouts. There are even protectors on the legs to prevent it from slipping on the floor. What a great way to burn some calories while working or watching TV.

Thanks Fitsugar!

Labels: exercise, great idea, healthy living, innovative, Stamina

First conceived by mother-daughter duo Judy Zimmer and Jocelyn Murray in 1996 and franchised in 2000, now has 70 locations, with more scheduled to open within a year, and plans to expand to Northern Europe. recently opened in Dillard's.

A mix between an upscale Manhattan loft and the production line of a factory, stores are the "drop-in spa." We sell small indulgences and self-pampering, and are bringing back the seemingly lost art of customer service.

Each product from 's wide selection—including phosphate-free bubble bath, mineral-oil free moisturizers, talc-free liquid powder, exfoliating salt scrub, spa tub-safe bath crystals, alcohol-free body mist, SLS-free shower gel, head-to-toe body wash and conditioners, anti-bacterial handwashes, and a full line of pet products—are custom-blended right in the store to customers' specifications.

With 200 fragrances to choose from, customers can create their own dream blend (gardenia and watermelon? We won't judge) or for the easily overwhelmed, fragrance menus of favorite blends are available. Customers can also select their products' tints, allowing them to simply choose a favorite color or create the perfect match for their bathroom's color scheme.

Think of it like a soda fountain for bath products: scented and tinted to your specifications, and mixed up in-store before your very eyes's. products safe for even the most sensitive skin. Most are paraben and SLS-free. We don't test on animals, either— only ourselves. And we only use the best.

On a mission to take over the world with smelly goodness, has recently stepped out of the tub and launched their Domania home line. Domania introduces the world's first custom-scented, multi-surface, anti-bacterial household cleanser, Clean Freak; a custom-scented odor neutralizer, Domain Spray; custom-scented Fine Linen Wash and Fabric Softener; and SLS-free Clean Freak Dish Soap.

Bath Junkie

Labels: Bath Junkie, cool new place, Cool Store, customization, innovative, NYC

Earlier this year we covered customizable energy bars from LA-based YouBar, and recently a similar contender out of the Midwest crossed our proverbial path.

Chicago-based Element Bars aims to give users a simple, step-by-step process for designing their own energy bars from scratch. Customers begin by selecting a chewy, oaty, crispy or datey "core" that defines the bar's texture and base. They can then add nuts, fruits and sweets as well as protein, fiber, Omega-3 and vitamin boosts. The site warns users if they have selected incompatible ingredients, and it will even recommend a mix for users who answer a few lifestyle-oriented questions. Meanwhile, a Nutrition Facts box is updated each step of the way to reflect the user’s current selections.

There's nothing we love more than seeing a good idea spread, and that includes virtually anything in the realm of customization.

Read more...

Labels: customization, Element Bars, energy bars, health trend, innovative, new product, Springwise

Good things really do come in small packages, as fans of the winning 100-calorie snack package will agree. Now a new UK company aims to upgrade the small-portion snack with natural and nutritious edibles delivered by mail in just the right sizes.

Graze encourages consumers to do just that by offering a wide variety of natural foods in snack sizes for regular delivery by Royal Mail. Consumers can select from three types of standard snack collections: the grazemini, which combines fresh fruit with dried fruits, nuts or seeds; the grazeclassic, which adds vegetable, savoury and bakery options to that mix; and the grazeluxury, which includes deli and sweet indulgences. Focused nutritional selections are also available, chosen by Graze's team of nutritionists for energy, well-being or workout enhancement. Whichever box style they select, consumers then tell Graze how they feel about the various food options in that mix—whether they like, love, or would like to try them.

Read more....

Labels: health trend, healthy snacks, innovative, new product, Springwise

What do you get when you cross an interior decorator with a cow?

1. Bovine design.
2. Trading Pastures.
3. SafePaint.

If you guessed No. 3, we’ve got no beef with you.

Made in small batches in Massachusetts and sold in twenty colors, the all-natural, milk-based paints come as a bag of colored powder (no, you can’t get high off it). All you have to do is add water and you’re ready to transform your decor.

Organic and biodegradable, they contain only environmentally friendly ingredients (milk protein, lime, clay, and earth pigments such as ocher, umber, iron oxide, and lampblack) and mix easily with a drill paint paddle or a portable kitchen mixer.

Created specifically as wall paints, they’re also safe for children’s furniture and toys.

In a word: moovalous.

Source

Labels: innovative, living holistically, milk-based paint, non-toxic, safe paint

Tangerine Wellness is the leading corporate weight management program that helps companies lower healthcare costs by rewarding employees that achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

According to the Department of Health & Human Services, the majority of Americans are overweight or obese, and obesity is America's #1 health problem.

Obese individuals have 30 to 50% more chronic medical problems than those who smoke or drink heavily. They have increased risks for type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer, gallbladder disease, and other ailments. The effects of obesity are similar to 20 years of aging!

Tangerine has successfully completed dozens of implementations in over 25 states for manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, education, and government organizations. Tangerine has consistently produced over 2% of weight loss per program period with 60 to 80% employee participation. Additionally, Tangerine has generated significant body mass index (BMI) classification improvement, which translates into direct healthcare savings. Clients have seen as much as a 10% reduction in healthcare costs and a 5x return on investment annually.

Tangerine

Labels: health care, health trend, healthy living, innovative, Obesity, progressive companies, Tangerine, Tangerine Wellness

Not sure what to order at McDonald's? Ask the city's dietitian for help.

A new blog will take questions about how to eat out healthily at everywhere from a hot-dog stand to a corner deli, officials said yesterday.

"For instance, just ordering tap water instead of soda will save hundreds of calories a day - and several dollars," said Cathy Nonas of the Health Department. The blog will go up at nyc.gov/health later this week.

Source

Labels: blog, Calories, Cathy Nonas, eating healthy, innovative, NYC

With food grade quality ingredients, Intelligent Nutrients products are so natural, you could even drink them. Well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but it's a possibility.

The creator of this relatively new brand feels that what goes on our bodies should be just as safe as what goes in them. Each hair, skin, and body product developed by the company is certified organic and contains a mega anti-oxidant blend that's packed with a punch, including black cumin, pumpkin, red grape, red raspberry, and cranberry seed oils. This all kinda sounds more like the basic components for a festive Thanksgiving dinner, not a spray-on hair detangler.

Founder Horst Rechelbacher explains on the website,

We’ve merged food science and cosmetic chemistry to create a new paradigm in beauty. We called it Nutritional Chemistry—it’s based on using only certified organic food-derived ingredients—substances the body recognizes and readily assimilates as nutrients in the body.

The company also plans to add more products to the collection, such as: body, skin, pet, baby, and home care brands, as well as my favorite — love therapy. Do you know what other environmentally friendly was founded by Rechelbacher?

Source

Labels: Aveda, beauty, innovative, Intelligent Ingredients, natural products, new product

Any of Alabama's more than 35,000 state employees will be charged $25 per month for insurance that's usually free if they're too fat and don't work on losing the extra weight by January 2010, the Associated Press reported Monday.

While other states reward workers who meet criteria for what's considered healthy, Alabama would be the first state to penalize those who qualify as obese. The monthly charge would apply to any state employee with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or greater who "doesn't make progress" in slimming down, the wire service said. The state has yet to determine how much progress an employee would have to demonstrate.

A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. A person who is 5-feet, 6-inches tall and weighs 220 pounds would have a BMI of 35.5, the AP said.

The wire service cited statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that Alabama ranks second in the nation behind Mississippi as the state with the biggest weight problem. Nearly one-third of Alabamians are obese.

The director of Alabama's State Employees' Insurance Board said that a person with a BMI of 35 to 39 faces about $1,750 more in medical expenses each year than a person with a BMI of less than 25.

Alabama already charges a premium to state workers who smoke.

Source

Labels: great idea, health trend, innovative, Obesity, study

Pitching the next great idea to prospective business partners, investors, service providers and fellow entrepreneurs just got easier with Vator.tv — a new venture that combines online video and networking. Based on the proverbial elevator pitch—the notion that you should be able to sum up a new business venture in the few minutes it takes to ride an elevator—Vator.tv is an online marketplace for new ideas.

Here's how it works: users sign up for a free account. Create pitches for their ideas, projects or businesses by uploading video, images, PPT or PDF files. Choose to share pitches with a personal network or the entire Vator.tv community. The website includes tips on creating compelling pitches, such as how to pack the most punch into a three-minute video clip.

Launched in June 2007, Vator.tv has some big names behind it, including angel investors Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, Richard Rosenblatt, former Chairman of MySpace, and Georges Harik, a former Google executive who helped build Google's AdSense technology.

Source

Labels: entrepreneur, great idea, innovative, Vator.TV