Healthy beauty is the focus of our special section in this issue — which is our largest ever! While it may seem a little frivolous to worry so much about how we appear to others, I hope you’ll have fun learning about ways to make sure our attempts at looking good don’t inadvertently derail our health. From crushed-up bugs in nail polish to gluing mink fur to your eyelids, I think you’ll find these stories fascinating. We also have an excerpt from Leora Tanenbaum’s new book, Bad Shoes and the Women Who Love Them, which provides some insight into the pitfalls of women’s fashion-first, comfort-last footwear choices.
Perhaps our achy feet are partly to blame for the results of a new study, ironically named “America on the Move.” Researchers attached pedometers to more than a thousand Americans from all walks of life and found we’re ... well, not exactly on the move. In fact, at an average of 5,117 steps per day, we’re just 117 steps above being considered “sedentary.” The researchers compared the results to studies in Australia and Switzerland, finding those hardy souls average almost twice as many steps — nearly 10,000 — in their ordinary daily life. It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that our obesity rates are about double those in the compared countries.
Maybe a pedometer would be a good item to include in your holiday shopping this year? What better gift could there be than the prospect of a healthier 2011?

To your health!