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Lie to Me: Real Women Tell Us Why They Fib to Their Doctors

You may consider yourself an honest person, but we all lie a little bit. (If you say you don’t, then congratulations; you’re now officially a liar.) Whether it’s assuring your best friend that yes, her drastic new bleached blond pixie cut looks great, or telling your boss that you definitely didn’t get that 2 a.m. email, we all fib a little bit, whether it’s to protect our loved ones or ourselves. But why do we lie to our doctors? They’re not our friends, family or employers, and they only have our best interests in mind. Still, we lie. More »

How To: Fad Diet Your Way To A Promotion

Remember the episode of Friends when Rachel starts smoking so she can bond with her boss over cigarette breaks and get ahead in her career? Things haven’t changed…much. Today’s career strivers are cozying up to their managers through seemingly healthier but no less extreme methods: Fad diets.

Could commiserating over cashew milk help you nab a promotion? We weigh the pros and cons of a few popular ways to impress your boss: More »

I Need A Diet From Negative Public Health Messages

I’ve always wondered what it must feel like to watch an obesity-related story on the news and recognize yourself in the B-roll footage of random fat people walking around the mall or eating ice cream cones. Does it shame you into changing your ways? Perhaps. But I’m guessing it probably just sends you back for another scoop.

Same thing with health department ads featuring glasses of soda in the form of liquid lard, or a closeup of a woman’s back fat rolls. The message? You’re fat! You’re disgusting! You should be mired in self loathing!

It’s exhausting. It’s demoralizing. Pass the biscuits. More »

6 Ways Living Like the Jersey Shore Cast Is Bad for Your Health

MTV’s Jersey Shore is the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, and I shamelessly confess to my crime of being an avid viewer. However, my reactions to the cast members’ antics has progressed from an amused: “Whoa, I can’t believe Snooki and Vinny made out in the hot tub,” to: “Whoa, I’m afraid that Ronnie may actually physically harm Sammi.” As the show has progressed, the risky behaviors of cast members seem to have become more pronounced, or maybe it’s just that as their drinking-clubbing-fist-pumping schtick has become a little stale, I’m paying closer attention to all the stupid, unhealthy things they do. So, here’s a breakdown of six ways that living like a Jersey Shore cast member is hazardous to your health: More »

5 Ways to Spring Clean Your Life, Not Just Your Closet

When you’re cleaning out your closet in preparation for Spring, wood cardigans and dust bunnies aren’t the only things you need to ditch. Spring is all about rebirth, making it an excellent time to reexamine your life and reboot the areas that aren’t working. Cleaning your dirty bath tiles is important, this year, try figuring out what’s really holding you back from optimum health and happiness. Here are five simple ways to spring clean more than just your closet: More »

Real Ways to Deal With a Breast Cancer Diagnosis In the Family

In her practiced everything’s-going-to-be-fine teacher voice, my mom recently called and told me that the doctor had seen something in her mammogram. Something that required further testing. My mom told me that she wouldn’t find out the results for several days, but that it was probably nothing.

The next day she called me as I was heading out of work to meet a friend and told me that she had breast cancer. The doctors caught it early, but it was still there — the C word.

Holy crap, cancer?! Is she going to be okay? What kind of treatment will this entail? Mastectomy? Chemo? Radiation? What about recurrence? Is this hereditary? Not to sound selfish, but are my sister and I doomed to get breast cancer, too? What about my little nieces? What will I do if something happens to my mom? More »

I’m a Vegetarian, Not Your Mortal Enemy

I’m a vegetarian, and that’s one of the least interesting things about me. (Or so I hope.) Still, whenever I’m at a party, out to dinner with someone new, or even trying to pass a particularly aggressive grocery store employee handing out samples, the questions come. You’re a vegetarian? Why? How long have you been one? Do you eat seafood? Cheese? How do you get protein? How can you live without bacon? Are you going to throw paint on me for wearing a leather jacket?

Look, I’m not telling you what to do — I just don’t want to try the pork sliders or split the calamari appetizer or sample the bacon caramel corn. I’m not interested in meat. That doesn’t mean you can’t order the porterhouse. I don’t mind one bit. More »