Finding My Best Self

As a young family, we spent a good part of our formative parenting years living in New York City. I think about our experiences there and refer to them often because of how much we learned through the different perspectives we were given every day.

The Bay Area and Manhattan couldn’t be any more different than they are in many ways, but there are also some parallels that struck me and continue to enlighten me on a regular basis. We learned different ways to travel and get around without a personal vehicle, but the most challenging was finding activities and sports during the cold winter months. We found indoor soccer fields and basketball courts, and most importantly (for me anyway), there were plenty of indoor lap pools accessible to the whole family, but they certainly didn’t compare to our outdoor California pools.

Finding an exercise regimen has been a bit tricky for me over the past ten years. I spent my late teens and early twenties in a healthy routine of swimming laps nearly every day, but quickly fell off that wagon once I became pregnant with Jack. I tried for years to get back into an organized schedule, but I found that the highly chlorinated and muggy experience of indoor pools in NYC was more of a deterrent than encouraged by the exercise itself. The kids mostly refused to swim in the indoor pools, and eventually we stopped going all together.

After four years, we were eager to get back to our beautiful Bay Area weather, and once we did we began swimming again as a family immediately. Though the process of being in the chlorine so often dramatically affected my skin through the dehydrating elements, there’s really nothing that could keep me from spending that time with the kids in the pool and picking back up the exercise routine that I love the most. My skin was almost always dry, cracked and itchy no matter how often I applied regular lotions.

After finding Curel Hydra Therapy wet skin moisturizer, many of the deterrents and concerns about my skin’s health were resolved as the moisturizing effects of this product made such a difference. Along with it’s hydrating properties, applying the Hydra Therapy while my skin is still wet from the shower seems like a magic trick-almost immediately I noticed a difference with the way my skin felt and looked.

I spent much of 2016 developing and working towards a goal of maintaining an exercise routine of swimming laps upwards of 5 times per week. I noticed significant changes in my energy levels, stamina and mood, but those came with the price that my skin paid for being in the chlorinated water so often.

Curel Hydra Therapy wet skin moisturizer made a significant change in my skin; I went from being itchy and uncomfortable to feeling healthy and flexible, even in shorts or a skirt. Not only am I confident going into the pool daily, but I also look forward to the extra time spent playing in the pool with my children, too. We are fortunate that our lifestyle and local climate allows for ample swimming time during the year, and now that three of four of our children can swim it makes it even more fun and enticing.

I’ve been so proud of my accomplishment of maintaining a workout routine, but also grateful for the effects of the Curel Hydra Therapy wet skin moisturizer that allows me to spend as much time in the pool as I want, without affecting my skin adversely. The kids certainly appreciate that time with me as well, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

I have partnered with Curél to share how I break the rules of dry skin. Please visit here to learn more about Curél Hydra Therapy and how you can end dry skin for good.