Inspiration Sunday is a new series at the Healthy Writer blog. Every Sunday, we post a quote, anecdote, fact or other item that will inspire you to keep moving forward on your journey to becoming and staying a healthy writer."Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."-Louisa May AlcottLet us know what you think of this quote, this series, and if you have any suggestions...
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Smoked Fish Soup - Scottish Cullen Skink
Are you a fan of smoked fish? It is a way to add a lot of flavor with no extra calories. My dad is a huge fan. When I was brainstorming Christmas gifts for him this past fall – what do you get for a man who has everything he wants? – my friend Elise Hayes suggested I get him smoked salmon. At first, I was skeptical, but then I thought about it for awhile. He seems to get more and more nostalgic with every year he adds to his age. If I could find out what smoked fish was popular in 1950’s...
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tweeting good info
A while back Michelle started a Twitter account for Healthy Writer. In addition to tweeting about our posts here, she's regularly posting links to great information and articles she's finding online that would be of interest to our readers here. Recent links led to articles about how eating slowly can help you consume less and lose weight, rules for writing fiction (hey, we are writers), how we burn more calories sleeping than watching TV, and 10 free ways to lose weight. Check out the Twitter feed...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tracking, and retracking
One of the best weight-control tools I’ve found is to plan out my calories. For the week, as much as possible, but definitely each morning I enter what I plan to eat into my FitDay program so I can gauge where I’m at with calories, nutrients and because its a specific concern for me as a vegetarian, to make sure I’m getting enough protein. By tracking like this, ahead of the meal, I find I’m no longer starving at dinnertime and already at my projected calorie limit for the day. Or worse and what...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Health Benefits of Music
We've probably all used music to relax from time to time. My favorite relaxing tunes are some selections from music soundtracks and Celtic music like that of Enya. Studies have shown that music has many health benefits. For instance, listening to 30 minutes of the right music each day can lower blood pressure, according to research done at Italy's University of Florence. Researchers there found that test subjects on blood pressure medication further lowered their BP levels by listening to music...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Causes of Back Pain
I'm like many people who experience back pain from time to time. I attribute most of mine to hours at the computer, bad posture and lack of the proper exercise over time to make my back strong and occasional stress. So when I saw an article recently talking about back pain, I took the time to read it. It was surprising, and yet it wasn't, that back pain is the second-leading cause of doctor visits behind the common cold. The article, in Prevention, quoted Todd Sinett, a chiropractor and co-author...
Monday, February 22, 2010
Is This a Laughing Matter?
Walking to the metro with a bunch of folks after last week's Weight Watchers meeting, a guy who has lost more than 40 pounds turned to me and said, "I think I have to go see a physical therapist."All concerned, I asked, "Why?""To learn how to walk without my gut."OK. That was kind of weird. After a few moments, I came up with, "Well, change can always be difficult."He changed the topic, and we kept chatting. His statement kept gnawing at me though because I didn't quite get it. What a strange thing...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Inspiration Sunday
We are starting a new feature at the Healthy Writer Blog: Inspiration Sunday. Every Sunday, we'll post a quote, anecdote, fact or other item that will help inspire to keep moving forward on your journey to becoming and staying a healthy writer. "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved."-Helen KellerLet us know what you think of this new series and if you have any suggestions...
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
By Rachel KleinsorgeOne of the things I do to be a healthy writer is attend dance class twice a week. I love the way dancing makes me feel glamorous and strong, the way it lets me step outside of myself for an hour. However, I don’t love the way I have to squeeze in dinner between leaving my day job at five and arriving at the dance studio at six-thirty. With drive time, I have about 45 minutes to...
Friday, February 19, 2010
How I Broke My Digestive System*
By: Linda RohrboughOne of the things I discovered when I had weight loss surgery was my digestive system was broken. And I’d unwittingly helped to break it. They say the truth will set you free. My journey to this truth started one day after my surgeon and I decided to do a book together about the adjustable gastric band surgery. I’d been banded for over a year at this point and I was doing pretty...
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Anti-Support?
Last week I blogged about support teams. You know, those people who keep you motivated on this weight and writing journey. Family, friends, workout partners, critique partners, dogs, magazines, etc... We came up with a pretty solid list of support, didn't we? And it felt good. But what about the opposite? That anti-support? You know what I'm talking about -the roadblocks. Roadblocks that deter...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Olympics as inspiration
We don't have The Biggest Loser for a couple of weeks because of the Olympics, so I thought I'd talk about the Olympics today. I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics, always have been. I'll watch any Olympic event, summer or winter, but I'm a bigger fan of the Winter Games. I love figure skating, ice dancing, snowboarding, skiing, speed skating, you name it. And as much as the competition itself, I really love to hear the stories behind the athletes -- the stories of struggle and overcoming adversity,...
Get Rid of that Butt
We writers spend a lot of time sitting in our chairs at our computers (at least we should be), but a bad side effect of that is acquiring a less than firm posterior. Awhile back, I mentioned here that receiving regular fitness and health newsletters in our e-mail in boxes has been shown to help people stayed focused on their fitness and actually do something about it. At that time, I signed up for several newsletters from Prevention magazine's site. I've read lots of fun tidbits and tips, and one...
Monday, February 15, 2010
Am I Backsliding?
I've noticed an alarming trend the past few weeks. The amount of calories, or points for Weight Watchers followers, I'm eating daily is increasing while the amount of exercise I am doing daily is decreasing. This is not a formula for continued success with weight loss.I'm not sure why this is happening. I'm in the fourteenth month of my diet, my lifestyle change, my latest journey to become a healthy...
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Hearts, Flowers...Chocolate?
By Anne McFarlaneValentine's Day is one of those special occasions when it’s tough to stick to putting only healthy food in your mouth. So, I say, indulge a little. But don’t bring anything into the house that’s going to linger past Feb. 14. Ask for something red and naughty instead of chocolate from your significant other. I bet he’ll be happier with that choice, too.So, what to make for a special dinner for just the two of you? Here’s a recipe for Beef Stroganoff from Weight Watchers that I’ve...
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Tomato & White Bean Soup
The first soup my sister chose to make out of her cookbook 1 Stock, 100 Soups (written by Linda Doeser) was a tomato & white bean soup. Like every other soup we’ve tried from this book, it was yummy. It was also pretty easy to make, and it froze well.I should also tell you that the 1 Stock recipe that Linda provides in her cookbook is for Vegetable Stock. Have you ever made a Vegetable stock?...
Friday, February 12, 2010
What If Your Digestive System Is Broken?
By: Linda RohrboughYou’re struggling with your weight, right? Consider this. What if your digestive system is broken? What does that mean? What would it look like? Let me tell you what it looked like for me.* For starters, it meant no matter what I did, I was still hungry. I drank less water, avoided sweets, ate veggies until they were coming out my ears, cut carbs, worked out, and didn’t eat anything bigger than my head. But all I could think about is food, and not food that’s good for me....
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Who's In Your Corner
I realized today that I'm very VERY lucky. Yes, for a lot of reasons, but today's realization was for a specific one. I have an incredible support in my life. Because, lets face it, losing weight isn't easy. Maintaining weight isn't easy. Writing, for that matter, isn't easy. They all require a lot of focus, a lot of energy and a lot of motivation. And while we can probably generate those things alone, and do it quite well, its really hard to keep that going for the long term. Which is where...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Red Line, Yellow Line
Things got changed up quite a bit on The Biggest Loser this week. Allison first gave the contestants the good news that they'd be headed to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to train with Olympic athletes. Throughout the show, several Olympic and Paralympic athletes worked out with and gave tips to the contestants. Nutritionists at the center talked about the different types of meals and caloric intakes athletes had to consume depending on their sports.On the not-so-good news...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
A Good Night's Sleep
It seems like I always have a million things to do, and on many an occasion I allow that fact to make me stay up way past when I should be going to bed to get some sleep. I can do this for a day or two without too many ill effects, but more than that I begin to get fatigued, cranky, and more susceptible to getting sick. Getting a good night's sleep is such a simple thing we can do for our health, but I'd venture a guess a lot of us aren't getting the suggested 8 hours. We think about what we could...
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Snowed In? Time to Cook.
This past weekend, the Washington, DC, area was clobbered by a major snow storm. The local news stations had been shouting about it for days and days, and I knew I was going to be snowed in this weekend. What should I do?Now, my local writers' group had a writing challenge this weekend, and I could have done that, but I didn't know about that until Friday. I also have to balance my goals at times....
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Creativity in a Salad
Thanks Trish, Tawny and Michelle for letting me guest blog today. My name is Nancy E. Gibson, and I’ve been a member of Romance Writers of America for ten years. Two years ago, I decided to dedicate myself to living a healthy lifestyle. Losing 47 pounds and adopting other healthy habits like regular exercise has impacted my writing in many ways. Leading the list is the fact that I’ve experienced a significant increase in energy and more focused concentration. My renewed energy and concentration...
Friday, February 5, 2010
Here I Go Again
By Joan KayseI have to lose weight. I want to lose weight. I struggle to lose weight.These key statements will not be unfamiliar to those who swear every January to lose those extra pounds. I know. I’ve sworn that every January since high school.Trish invited me to blog when I posted to our Romance Bandits loop about joining the YMCA. I’ve been doing Weight Watchers on and off also and had managed to lose 15 pounds. I understand the program. I KNOW the program and I feel better when I exercise...
Thursday, February 4, 2010
What Time Is It?
I usually write every night from around 9 or 10 pm until 2 or 3 am. In part, it’s because it’s the only time of day that isn’t slam-packed busy, in part because it’s the only time it’s actually quiet in my house. It’s a time that’s worked out pretty well for me over the last 7 years.Except for one teensy problem. Nighttime is my challenge time. The lure of snacking timeThe snacks fuel my writing time.In other words, the one time of day that I’m most likely to make rotten eating choices, especially...
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
One Tough Cookie
This week's The Biggest Loser saw the return of the blue and yellow teams from their month-long stays at home, back on the ranch for a head-to-head weigh in to determine which team got to stay on the ranch. Even though Cherita and Victoria of the blue team lost a combined 63 pounds, they fell short of the yellow team's 76-pound combined loss. Sunshine lost 25, and O'Neal lost an eye-popping 51 pounds at home. I knew as soon as I saw him that he'd lost a good deal; it was that noticeable. By winning,...
A Month Without Soda
On Sunday, I hit Day 31 without any soda, which for me means Coke. As happened with previous times I'd given up soft drinks, the first week was the hardest. I craved Coke -- the taste, the sugar, the caffeine. But once I got past those cravings, it got easier. I think I only truly craved a Coke once or twice during the month once I got past those initial days. Once was last week while in San Antonio and eating at a really good pizza place (no worries, I only had two slices, and drank water). With...
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