July 2010

  • The Mind-Body Connection: Part II

    By sarajean on 7/31/10 2:21pm
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    But I know it’s one of those things where if I knew what I was missing, I would be devastated. And I know enough to know that I’m missing out on so much in life. I’ve never tried throwing paintballs, for example. I haven’t played a sport since I was 16—and even then, it was only for a year. I’ve never tried a martial art, I enjoy dancing on occasion but have never really learned how to do it well, and I would much rather lie around with a book than take a walk. I’ve always been that way; even during family trips—camping, reunions, whatever—I would bring a book. The other kids would bring bikes, fishing poles, and other playtime equipment; I brought stacks of books, or notebooks and pens, or drawing materials. I’m not saying that there is nothing wrong with these activities; on the contrary, they are so very worthwhile and awesome that I’d like to share them with everyone in the world.

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  • The Mind-Body Connection: Part I

    By sarajean on 7/31/10 2:18pm
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    Earlier this week, I experienced a rare moment of epiphany—which has left me with some problems to solve. Though certainly grateful for the amazing realization (which should have seemed obvious to me—don’t we all look at our epiphanies and think, “Why didn’t I already know this?” Maybe we did but we just couldn’t admit it to ourselves…), I now feel like I need some help in acting on it. Maybe you have the answer I need.

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  • It's Now Possible to Get Admitted to Med School W/out a Science Background

    By becksta on 7/31/10 12:21pm
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    Medical SchoolMedical School

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  • How to Live to Be 100

    By sarajean on 7/30/10 5:06pm
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    Do you stress over antioxidants, striving as hard as you can to incorporate superfoods into your diet? Do you work out every day, refrain from smoking and drinking too much—maybe enjoy a glass of wine a day for its health benefits—and try to be as healthy as you can, hoping to live to be 100?

    You still might not make it past 90, friend.

    Of course, you still could—and more power to you for trying! By living a healthy lifestyle, you’re probably happier and healthier anyway, so even if you don’t live to be a decade, you’ll still enjoy the years you are here (not to say you won’t if you don’t do those things, of course).

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  • 10 Things NOT to Do in Public

    By Anonymous on 7/30/10 12:47am
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  • The Idiotic New Food Pyramid

    By erika on 7/29/10 1:42pm
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    As much as I disliked the old governmentally prescribed food pyramid, at least it made a kind of sense.  The new food pyramid (I'm inclined to put it in "scare quotes" and call it a "pyramid," but I shall refrain) is so clearly the work of a bureaucrat, it makes me want to bury my head in my hands.  It's so bad, it should come with its own Powerpoint presentation.

    For one thing, the original food pyramid WAS a pyramid.  You had different sizes of blocks which stacked on top of each other.  To make a pyramid.  It made logical sense, and visual sense as well.  

    Okay, so the base of the pyramid was this gigantic slab of grains.  Which was sacrilege to the carb-haters.   But what would you expect from the United States Department of AGRICULTURE?  That's what they're for - to get you to eat plants.


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  • Ban on BPA in Baby Products a Small Step Toward Human Health

    By sarajean on 7/29/10 7:59am
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    The banning of bisphenol A (BPA) in one single state is not a whole lot to celebrate. The optimist in me wants to say, “Yay! If California can do it, the rest of us can, too!” Unfortunately, I am feeling much more pragmatic today, and given the fact that California has routinely passed laws that support the environment, health, children’s issues, and plenty of other things I care about over the past couple of decades (at least) that my state still has yet to even give a damn about, I’m not going to hold my breath.

    And the chemical is still being allowed to be manufactured. The ban, recently passed by the California House of Representatives, is part of the Toxic-Free Babies and Toddlers Act—which, as you might guess, means that the chemical is only being banned from materials meant for people ages three and under.

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  • Indy Writer seeking reviewers

    By Anonymous on 7/27/10 5:02pm
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    I have written a Fantasy Trilogy and the first volume is now available on Amazon, but only on Kindle.  A free Kindle for PC app is available there and the first 70 pages of my novel are available to anyone with the app as a preview.  There are hundreds of other free titles there that are complete. I would greatly appreciate any who takes the time to read the free preview and see if they are interested.   If you know who Bran, Pug, and Fitz are then you will like my novel.                                                                      &nbs

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  • Mastering my metabolism

    By CindyLu on 7/26/10 12:41pm
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    refreshment? or poison?refreshment? or poison?Jillian Michael's book, "Master your Metabolism" is just what I've been looking for.  I've been so confounded and kind of depressed about how easy it is to gain weight back.  It feels like if I just look at the wrong food, I gain 5 pounds.

    Her book is based on the idea that our hormones get so "out of whack" from toxins in our food and environment, that our metabolism slows or screeches to a halt.  She personally was having problems keeping weight off until she met with an endocrinologist to discuss one of her clients (that she was training), and realized that her hormones were off too (hormones such as insulin, thyroid hormones, estrogen, progesterone, etc.). 

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  • 5 ip, 1 h, 0 bb, 11k

    By jemanji on 7/24/10 3:49am
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    Bet you've never seen a guy strike out the side, three innings in a row, and get yanked after five for it?  Me either.

    ..............

    86 pitches and done.  Corroborates our suspicion that Swamp-Thing is battling through a bit of fatigue. 

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  • National Drive-Thru Day

    By sarajean on 7/23/10 9:16am
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    Saturday July 24 is National Drive-Thru Day, a day meant to encourage people to use the drive-thru for their convenience. But do we really need an excuse to sit on our butts and buy more junk food that we don’t need, wasting more gasoline while we idle? I think not. In fact, it seems like every day is drive-thru day—and it’s not limited to food, either. Gas stations, dry cleaners, and plenty of other services have drive-thru windows as well. How about instead of a drive-thru day, we instead spend the day both not using the drive-thru as well as making plans on how to not use the drive-thru in the future.

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  • The nutrition books arrived...

    By CindyLu on 7/22/10 11:27pm
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    The Jillian Michaels books that I ordered on Half.com arrived today!  I'm so pumped.  I have felt so lost lately as to what to eat, and not eat.  Hopefully these pieces of literature will have the scientific information that I crave... do's and don'ts of eating based on scientific evidence.

    Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since I logged into fitday.com and started graphing my weight and logging the food that I eat.  Fitday also allows you to set a goal of any amount of weight loss in any amount of time, but they don't recommend that you try to lose more than 2 lbs. a week.  When I logged in on July 9th, I set a goal of 20 lbs lost in 2 months.

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  • I've cut soy from my diet and feel great!

    By CindyLu on 7/21/10 1:28pm
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    Cut soy from my diet too?  I've already cut out coffee (yes, after writing the article about how wonderful it is), soda, and artificial sweeteners.  Now, I've added soy to the list after reading a small part of Jillian Michael's book, "Master your Metabolism" in a bookstore.  I've ordered the book, along with the cookbook of the same name off Half.com and am anxiously awaiting their arrival.

    I really like her premise that most health issues, including many things associated with being overweight, can be solved by balancing your hormones (insulin, thyroid hormone, estrogen, progesteron, etc.).  I didn't get to read very much in the short amount of time that I was in the bookstore, so I'm really excited about learning more when the books arrive.

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  • 10 Things to Do with Blueberries

    By sarajean on 7/15/10 3:45pm
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    July is National Blueberry Month, and for good reason: blueberries are in season all across the country, ripe and fresh and on sale. The foods are considered one of nature’s biggest superfoods, filled with antioxidant super-ninja powers—or, at least, plenty of nutrients. To incorporate blueberries into your summer meals, here are ten things to do with the small blue fruits.

    10. Add Them to Cold Foods

    What better way to cool off during the summer than by adding blueberries to your cold foods like ice cream, yogurt, or iced fruit drinks?

    9. Freeze Them in Ice Cubes

    For a festive summer look as well as a surprise taste when your cubes start to melt, freeze some blueberries in your ice cube trays. One or two per cube should work fine.

    8. Stick to Your Diet

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  • Getting fit is "hip"!

    By CindyLu on 7/15/10 12:12pm
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    Jeff and I in 1982Jeff and I in 1982So many people that I know live healthy, fit lives.  One of my friends on Facebook took a poll for an assignment and asked, "What' the average number of minutes you work out in a week?"  So far, she has 14 replies... (looks like 240 minutes is the average right now).  That's more than I thought would have answered.

    Nearly everyone is realizing the importance of being fit and healthy, and the benefits, such as feeling better and living longer.  Television reality shows about losing weight, such as "The Biggest Loser" are big hits.  Getting fit to our generation is the same as stopping smoking in the 70's.  Just as they realized how bad smoking is for you, we've realized how terrible being overweight is for us.

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  • Crystal Bowersox and Her Amazingly White Teeth

    By becksta on 7/8/10 6:21pm
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    Crystal Bowersox and Her Amazingly White TeethCrystal Bowersox and Her Amazingly White TeethFormer American Idol contestant Crystal Bowersox is one lucky girl- she just got her teeth done for free. A Cosmetic Dentist from New York admired her singing talents, but felt sorry for her when the media criticized her for her teeth and sent her a letter offering a multitude of services for free, including teeth whitening and gap-filling. The letter promised he wouldn’t make her teeth perfect like every other Hollywood celebrity because that’s not who she was. (I don’t know about you, but her teeth in this picture don’t seem all that flawed to me.)


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  • Confessions of a Recovering Caffeine Addict

    By msarko on 7/7/10 10:41pm
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    Caffeine is, by far, the most popular psychoactive compound consumed by humans. It exists in significant quantities in some of our favorite foods and beverages, including coffee, tea, chocolate and the soda-related kola nut. We've been downing the stuff since the Stone Age and today the average American adult consumes at least one caffeinated beverage a day. Caffeine isn't a particular dangerous substance, but it's not without its risks. It is a physically addictive stimulant that, when taken in sufficient quantities on a chronic basis, can lead to some pretty nasty health problems. There was a time when I consumed an unhealthy amount of caffeine every day and this led me to a struggle to curb my habit that lasted for two solid years. Here's the basic science and the subjective experience of caffeine addiction.



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