This post will be a switch up from my usual food-based blogging. Over the past month and a half I feel I’ve made improvements with my eating habits, but not so much my physical activity. Aside from the occasional yoga session at home, I’ve pretty much stopped working out.
A gym membership is a little out of my price range at the moment and walking outside in 20 degree weather is incredibly unpleasant, so I decided to invest in some hand weights and follow some exercise routines on YouTube.
YouTube is a gold mine for at home exercise videos. I recently subscribed to Blogilates which has a ton of upbeat routines. The vlogger, Cassie, does everything from yoga to dance to pilates. And the best part about YouTube? It’s free! 🙂
Anyways, I went to Walmart to buy a couple of five pound hand weights. I didn’t spend a lot of time picking them out, I just went with the ones that looked easiest to grip.
When I got home I was about to rip off the labels when I saw this warning sticker:
“WARNING: This product contains one or more chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm.”
Seriously? A product that is used to improve or maintain one’s health contains chemicals known to cause cancer or bodily harm? Throughout my life I’ve tried to take preventative measures to reduce my risk of future diseases, like cancer. I don’t use tobacco products. I use sunscreen if I’m outside for long periods of time. I try to eat well. If our society is concerned about cancer and funding for treatments and a cure, there is absolutely no reason a product on a store shelf should contain harmful enough chemicals that it requires a warning label about causing cancer and bodily harm- especially if it’s a fitness product such as a hand weight!
If it were anti-freeze, fine. I get that some products are going to be dangerous no matter what, but a hand weight?! I’m sure the hand weight manufacturer could have found a way to develop it with non-cancer causing chemicals.
Needless to say these weights are going straight back to the shelves of Walmart.
I feel more frustrated than anything. We’ve all lost people we love to cancer. There’s no doubt it’s a terrifying disease. Since there is no cure (fingers crossed there will be one in our lifetime), I think the best thing we can do is take preventative measures.
Just for the heck of it, I Googled the quote on the warning label and found that under Proposition 65 a business is required to warn a person when they are knowingly and intentionally exposing them to a harmful chemical.
Could you imagine the illnesses that could be prevented if they put money into getting rid of the harmful chemicals that go into making products and invest in coming up with safer alternatives?
Also, here’s the full list of chemicals that are considered dangerous under Proposition 65: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/files/P65single062212.pdf
I guess the lesson I learned from this is to read labels and don’t always assume that a product as seemingly harmless as a hand weight will automatically contain safe materials.
Thoughts between pages 
Well said and AMEN to that!!!
It’s pretty crazy! When I saw the warning label I expected it to say something along the lines of ‘Speak with your physician before starting a new exercise program’ not that the hand weight material contained harmful chemicals!