Topic: healthy living

Sadie Nardini Keeps It Real In Yoganonymous Interview

Everyone’s favorite badass yogi Sadie Nardini talks about her Midwestern roots and her newly shaved head.
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The #SexyShred Fitness Challenge: Proving Social Media Can Spur Healthy Living

Social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and all those other crazy-addictive sites) is an increasingly prevalent aspect of modern life. More and more, it’s criticized for making us “lonely” and less connected to the real, physical world around us. At their worst, online communities can encourage bullying and even eating disorders, but in some corners of the internet, social media is embraced as part of a healthy lifestyle, helping people thrive. Feminista Jones, an avid social media user and sex-positive feminist blogger, started her own health and fitness challenge called the #SexyShred. Her goal was to create a supportive, inclusive community for people looking to live healthier lifestyles using social media. Inspired by the community she’s created, I asked Feminista Jones a few questions about the #SexyShred, its creation, and how social media can spur us all to lead healthier lives and make healthier choices. More »

Before Rihanna: Celebs (And A U.S. President) Who Injected Vitamins

A photo tweeted last month by Rihanna with her arm hooked up to an I.V. drip has exacerbated reports that Hollywood’s latest health fad is “the party girl drip,” a cocktail of B and C vitamins and minerals like zinc and magnesium taken intravenously. But Rihanna is far from the first U.S. celeb to inject vitamins. Here are a few other famous Americans (including a U.S. president) who liked to hit the vitamins C and B-12 a little too hard. More »

Hope For Alzheimer’s: Early Diagnosis Helped Mimi Steffens Combat The Disease

Mimi Steffens was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease about six years years ago. Since then, the 83-year-old retired math teacher has published a book on county school houses in Pennsylvania, started a support group for other early-stage Alzheimer’s patients, and shown improvements on certain tests that measure cognitive ability. As a volunteer and voice for the Alzheimer’s Association, she presents a surprisingly hopeful picture of what the future of living with early-stage Alzheimer’s could look like. More »

In Miss USA 2012, Healthy (And Smart) Ladies Abound

The 2012 Miss USA pageant airs tonight on NBC, broadcasting live from Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. The pageant’s website features the contestants dressed in elaborate Roman goddess getups—leaning languidly against pillars or being escorted by a bevy of buff Romany soldier types—as part of this year’s “Garden of the Gods” theme. But in real life, our contestants are anything passive dainty beauty queens: We’ve got award-winning athletes, nurses, dentists, med students and passionate health advocates. Click through for more about some of these healthy, smart and seriously driven ladies.
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Safe Sunscreen: The Top 3 Things To Look For

Sunscreen used to seem simple; not anymore. Turns out that some of the very stuff you slather on to protect yourself could actually up your cancer risk; higher SPF doesn’t necessarily mean more protection; and protecting against UVB rays alone isn’t enough (not for warding off skin cancer or warding off wrinkles). So what should you be looking for in a sunscreen? It mostly comes down to these three things More »

7 Bone-Boosting Habits You Absolutely Must Adopt To Fight Osteoporosis

May is Employee Health and Fitness Month, but it’s also about a million other cause-months that we think are important. Like, for example, National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month–which we take pretty seriously because, here in the U.S., about 10 million individuals already suffer from osteoporosis, and about of half women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to the highly-preventable disease. Regardless of your age, it’s never too late to start thinking about your bone health. More »

Lesson From Kashi Controversy: ‘Natural’ Doesn’t Equal Organic Or GMO-Free

Kashi cereals is taking grief from customers for using non-organic and genetically modified ingredients in its ‘all-natural’ cereals and snacks. The dustup started after Rhode Island grocer John Wood put up a sign alerting customers that he’d stopped carrying Kashi products after learning the company used soy from soybeans inserted with a gene to protect them from the herbicide Roundup. Kashi—a line produced by processed-food conglomerate Kellogg—describes its foods as “all natural,” on packaging and the company website. And it is—at least according to legal guidelines. More »

Health and Hygiene Advice From 1919

At the thrift store this weekend, I picked up a copy of a book from 1919 called Hygiene And Health, written by Indiana college professors Charles P. Emerson and George Herbert Betts. The book is aimed at elementary school kids, so we are not quite the intended audience. Nonetheless, I think you all might enjoy some pearls of health wisdom from 1919. Click through for how often to eat each of the great groups of food (that would be “milk, eggs, cereal grains, vegetables, fruits, meats, sweets and pure water,” obviously); why our food should be “palatable” and our meal times “cheerful;” bad habits to avoid with your hair; and why to avoid iced drinks at soda fountains between meals. More »

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Diets Decoded: The Macrobiotic Diet

Here’s what I (thought I) knew about the macrobiotic diet: a) It’s a lot like veganism, b) except you’re supposed to avoid “nightshade” vegetables like potatoes and eggplant, and c) there’s some sort of philosophical component to it. Turns out, however, that while the macrobiotic diet emphasizes whole foods and ample veggies, macrobiotic eaters aren’t necessarily vegan, or even vegetarian. To learn more about macrobiotic eating, I turned to nutritionist Jonathan Bechtel, owner of the health supplement company Health Kismet. Bechtel says macrobiotics is a “fantastic diet if done well,” and “adoption is easier than one might presume with the right information.” Oh yeah? Well, then, let’s get informed. More »

Poll: What’s the Longest You’ve Gone Without A Drink?

Poll: Whatâ��s the Longest Youâ��ve Gone Without A Drink?

Hey, drinkers: What’s the longest you’ve gone without alcohol? April is “Alcohol Awareness Month,” according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Deborah wrote earlier this week about the difference between moderate/healthy drinking and having an alcohol problem (a post I deliberately avoided). This got us discussing the longest we’d gone without drinking. And we’re not sure what’s normal, so we thought we’d ask you all. More »

8 Spring Cleaning Tasks You Shouldn’t Skip

You can skip dusting your door tops or whatever it is your mother told you to do each spring. But some out-with-the-old/in-with-the-new tasks are worth it, for your health or peace of mind. From tuning up your bike to washing reusable grocery bags and stocking the bar, 8 easy and mostly eco-friendly spring cleaning tasks to keep in mind as you prepare your home, body and mind for spring. More »

Quitting Smoking, Week 3: How Bupropion Is Helping Me Not Miss Cigarettes

I’m happy to report that I made it another week in my quest to quit smoking without any relapses. I’m actually amazed at how little I’ve thought about cigarettes at all—even grabbing a drink in a smoky bar didn’t set me to pining. I think the bupropion pills I’m taking must be making a difference, because it can’t naturally be this easy for your brain or body to get over a long-term smoking habit. So for my quitting smoking chronicles this week, I thought I’d explore a little further just how bupropion works to help people quit smoking. More »

Quitting Smoking, Week 2: Cold Turkey Vs. Nicotine Replacement

My first week quitting smoking was not totally terrible, but that’s because I still smoked about one cigarette each day. Last week got off to a bad start, but ended with me being a Paragon of Willpower. And (gasp) even learning something in the process. More »

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