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Month: January, 2008

All Votes Should Be Counted – Even Florida Primary

31 January, 2008 (20:32) | blogging, election2008, life, news, politics, thoughts, women | By: Catherine Morgan

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All Votes Should Be Counted — by Catherine Morgan (cross posted at Care2 Election Blog)

I’m a disenfranchised voter in Florida, and happy to be voting today anyway. I have to admit, I’ve been more than a little annoyed with this whole Florida delegates don’t count thing. This morning was no different. Especially after I came across this post over at BlueBlogginClinton Breaks Pledge and Heads to Florida

Hillary Clinton along with all the other Democratic candidates pledged not to campaign in Florida, however Hillary will appear in Florida on Tuesday. How can anyone trust or believe what Clinton says. It’s obvious that Hillary doesn’t play or obey the same rules everyone else does.

Obviously, this person has a bone to pick with Hillary. And quite frankly, it very well may be obvious that Hillary doesn’t “play by the rules”. But, as a disenfranchised voter of Florida, I have a couple of things to say about this.

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Teens Driving and Twitchy Eye Syndrome

26 January, 2008 (17:35) | BlogHer, family, life, mommy bloggers, teens, thoughts, women, women bloggers, women's health, writing | By: Catherine Morgan

Teen Driving and Twitchy Eye Syndrome – by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

I’ve known this day was coming since the first day I held my son in my arms. The day he would start driving. I don’t know about other mothers, but this is sending me right to the edge of sanity. Since the first day (three weeks ago), I have had a constant twitch in my left eye. I don’t think it is a coincidence…I think it’s most likely an outward physical manifestation of my subconscious fears and anxieties over my son driving. I just made all that up, but you know what I mean, right? It’s what the doctor will put on my chart, just before they take me away in a straight jacket.

The best part is how my daughter keeps reminding me that in a little over a year, she’ll be old enough to get her permit too. Oh great! By then I’ll probably have twitches in both my eyes. Honestly though, how do parents do it?

The truth is, it’s not JUST that I’m a crazy, over protective mother. When I was in sixth grade, my step-brother was killed in a car accident…and up until that time in my life, I didn’t even realize that anyone other than ‘old people’ could die. I’ve since realized, that just about every senior class has at least one death caused by an automobile accident.

Years later, when I was a senior in high school, that person would be the girl who sat in front of me in accounting class. Then, about three years ago, my very close friend’s daughter was dating a boy in her senior class…and he would be the one. So, in my world, there is no pretending that these things don’t happen.

Even after all this, there is still a small corner of my brain that can still think rationally, and I know that both of my kids are probably going to be just fine. But, that doesn’t seem to stop me from worrying. And it hasn’t helped one bit with the twitch in my eye.

So, this post is my quest to try and find out how other moms cope with the stress of having a teen driver. It’s 2am here in crazy land, and both my kids are sleeping…I sure hope there are some moms out there blogging about this, I’d like to go to bed by 3am.

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Childhood Obesity: More Poor Children Overweight

23 January, 2008 (21:11) | BlogHer, children, dieting, exercise, family, food, Health, healthcare, life, mommy bloggers, nutrition, thoughts, weight loss, women, women's health, YouTube | By: Catherine Morgan

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Why are so many kids overweight? And, how can we help them? (cross-posted at BlogHer)

I just came across this new study about Why Poor Kids are Heavy, and I decided to do my post on it. It seems that so many more children are overweight today, than I remember were overweight when I was growing up. Childhood obesity has become an epidemic. Why is that? Could it be too much television? Video games? Fast food? Well, there are a lot of theories, and this new study only suggests that more studies need to be done. Typical.

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Are You Addicted To Sugar?

21 January, 2008 (17:49) | BlogHer, dieting, family, food, Health, life, nutrition, thoughts, weight loss, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

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Are You Addicted To Sugar? — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

My name is Catherine Morgan and I am a Sugar Addict. Yes, I admit it. Isn’t admitting you have a problem the first step towards recovery?

I’ve never smoked, I only drink alcohol occasionally, and I’ve never done any kind of drugs…So, I can’t claim to know very much about addiction. However, if I didn’t have any sugar in the house, it wouldn’t be pretty. In the past I have been able to go “cold turkey” and stop eating sugar, and when I did, I felt great. It always took several days before I began to stop craving sugar, but once I got over the hump, it was no problem at all. The tough thing then, was knowing that I couldn’t even have a tiny morsel of a cookie, or the smallest sliver of a piece of cake…Because once I did, it was all over.

After not making a New Years Resolution, I’m thinking I might want to bite the bullet and give the “giving-up sugar” thing one more try. And, it appears I wouldn’t be alone…

How To Give Up Sugar For Good

Are you someone who can’t stop eating sugar, once you start? Are you plagued with constant food cravings, especially for sweets or refined carbohydrates, such as pasta, bread or potato chips? Do you eat sugar past the point of fullness? Have you struggled with your weight? Do you especially crave sugar in the winter?

. . . . .

I was a compulsive sugar addict for over thirty years.

I’m currently writing an ebook that will offer my tips and ideas for achieving and maintaining freedom from sugar. (You can contact me here to be notified for its release.)

. . . . .

In the meantime, here are ten tips that helped me give up sugar:

Crazy Cat Lady Blogging is going to Sugar Rehab

I’m on Day Five of a self-imposed “Sugar Addiction Rehab”. I’ve gone from wanting to eat my arm, to merely gnaw on my arm, to just a little licking. Seriously, this is teeth-gritting hard for me. I LOVE my sugar! I love my pastries! I love my cookies! I love my candy bars! I love my sugary chocolatey coffee beverages! But, I’ve gained yet another ten pounds since October and I felt dangerously close to being unable to tie my own shoes. So, here I am – an intervention of sorts.

From Ginger Lemon Girl, A Simple Sugar-Free Cake

Being sugar-free this month has been quite a limitation for me. Yet, I’m glad Michael and I choose do this. It’s a vivid reminder of how often, especially in the American culture, we satisfy ourselves with sugary foods. I think it’s an undiagnosed disease in this country. We medicate ourselves with sugar. I know I do. If I’ve had a bad day… If I don’t feel good… Even if I’m just tired… or if I’m vegging out in front of the tv… I often crave something sweet.

From the Fit Shack – Clean Eating Recipes

Besides recipes containing flour, I noted the following sugar ingredients in different recipes in the cookbook: sugar, maple sugar flakes, sucanat, agave, organic sugar, organic honey, and brown sugar. If you are addicted to sugar or sugar sensitive, you already know that you need to stay away from all forms of sugar, not just the ingredient spelled “sugar”, so you wouldn’t be able to use the previous ingredients (same goes for me – I get my “sugar” in fresh fruit, but always include a protein when I eat it).

Again though, if you do not have any issue with sugar cravings or overeating by eating sugar and flour and you simply want to improve your health by getting off the processed foods, then The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook would be excellent for you.

Fumbling Towards Geekdom — I’m Sweet Enough Already

I think my energy levels are a lot stabler when I’m not eating sugar. I used to always get very sleepy in the early afternoon, perk up mid-afternoon (which was when I usually ate some cake or chocolate) and get sleepy again around 4:30. I haven’t noticed this happening at all in the last few weeks.

Also See:

The Unsweet Side of Sugar

Recipe For Weight Loss

Weighing In On The New Year Dieting Frenzy

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at CatherineBlogs.com and The Political Voices of Women

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Hydration: Are You Drinking Enough Water?

15 January, 2008 (21:47) | BlogHer, children, dieting, exercise, family, Health, life, weight loss, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

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Hydration: Facts and Fiction — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

When if comes to hydration there are many more facts to report than fiction. I think the most important thing to remember about proper hydration is that, not all hydration is created equal. For example; one cup of coffee is not equal to one cup of water. That’s because coffee is a diuretic – so are many other beverages, such as tea and soda.

Proper hydration is essential to good health, and necessary for the prevention of dehydration

Signs and symptoms of dehydration include:

  • Mild to excessive thirst
  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Dry mouth
  • Little or no urination
  • Muscle weakness
  • Dizziness
  • Lightheadedness

Mild dehydration rarely results in complications – as long as the fluid is replaced quickly – but more-severe cases can be life-threatening, especially in the very young and the elderly. In extreme situations, fluids or electrolytes may need to be delivered intravenously.

Why is hydration so important for good health?

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How do you know if you are drinking enough water? And how much water do you need to drink?

Use this Hydration Calculator from About.com to help figure out how much is right for you.

Obviously, staying hydrated is essential to any good exercise program…I found an interesting recipe for making your own sports drinks at WebMD. It’s as easy as mixing one can of frozen concentrated juice with nine cans of water (instead of three).

Some say hydration is important for a clear complexion, others say this is just a myth.

Hydration and acne

Poor hydration causes the elimination system to become inefficient. When this happens the body starts eliminating waste and toxins through the skin. This can cause acne.

Poor hydration can also cause the skin oil to become thicker and increase the possibility of it getting trapped in the pores leading to acne.

So…It may be that needing 8 to 10 glasses of water each day isn’t exactly true. However, getting enough water each day is certainly an important part of overall health and wellness.

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Is Race and Gender Important To Voters?

14 January, 2008 (20:21) | blogging, election2008, life, media, mommy bloggers, news, politics, thoughts, women, women bloggers | By: Catherine Morgan

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Stop Talking About Race and Gender — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at Care2 Election and The Political Voices of Women)

O.k. – I’m bored with Clinton and Obama going on and on about the “race/gender” non-issue. Voters are going to vote on the actual issues (the economy, the war, healthcare, taxes, etc)…I am sick of hearing them attack each other over twisted words meant to sway voters with race and gender tactics. Just stop it! You too, Main Stream Media! Stop making this an issue, when it is not the least bit important to how these candidates will handle “actual” issues important to the American people. You are wasting critical time. Voters need to hear these candidates talk about what they will do to “heal” our country, not continue to add to the “fracturing” of it. So please…Just Stop It!

READ FULL POST AT THE CARE2 ELECTION BLOG

Also See:

Women To Play A Key Role In 2008 Presidential Election

Why I’m Still An Undecided Voter

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The Great American Health Challenge

12 January, 2008 (11:33) | BlogHer, dieting, exercise, family, Health, healthcare, life, mommy bloggers, news, nutrition, success, thoughts, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

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Healthy Living and The Great American Health Challenge — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

We’ve been talking a lot about making healthy lifestyle changes since the New Year. If you are one of the millions that wants to become healthier in 2008, you may be interested in this program…

The American Cancer Society is introducing an exciting new program on Thursday, it’s called The Great American Health Challenge. The campaign is designed as a comprehensive prevention and early detection program. It’s a simple program with four interactive tools to provide information and encourage healthy lifestyles.

The Great American Health Challenge is based on four simple things…

1) Check — Take a quick quiz that screens you for potential risk factors, and promotes early detection and treatment.

2) Move — Encouraging exercise by finding activities that are best suited for your lifestyle.

3) Nourish — Maintain a healthy weight, learn about healthy eating and get tips on diet and nutrition.

4) Quit — Information and tools to help you quit smoking.

So that’s it, four easy steps that could help you prevent cancer and heart disease.

You can also participate in BlogHer’s Good Health-A-Thon.

BlogHer’s Good Health-a-thon is all about what we can do, little by little, day by day, week by week and month by month to live healthier. It’s not a matter of saying “I’m going to go to the gym more this year” and then reviewing your progress in January of 2009, only to discover you haven’t actually used your gym card since mid-February.

Instead, the point of the Good Health-a-thon is to have each of us set simple, attainable, health-related goals for ourselves throughout the year. Our goals can be anything we want, but with the idea of broadening our definition of “health” well beyond calorie counting.

See: Week One

Other recent BlogHer Health and Wellness posts you might be interested in…

Body Image, Dieting, and Your New Years Resolution

Weighing In on the New Years Dieting Frenzy

Four Tips That Could Prolong Your Life

Ten Random Tips For Weight Loss

Journey To Physical Fitness and More

Fitness: It Changed My Life

Curvy Moms Are Brainier

Beans Are A Great Choice For Good Health

Online Diet and Fitness Tools

How Do You Choose To Diet?

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at CatherineBlogs.com and The Political Voices of Women

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Women Hold The Keys To The White House

10 January, 2008 (22:08) | blogging, BlogHer, election2008, family, life, media, mommy bloggers, news, politics, thoughts, women, women bloggers | By: Catherine Morgan

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Women Will Play A Key Role In 2008 Election — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at The Care2 Election Blog and The Political Voices of Women)

The presidential campaign has taken an interesting turn in the last few days. It’s finally become apparent to the media, the pundits, and the candidates, what has been obvious to women all along…Women hold the key to the White House, ignore them and you shall be locked out.

How important will the “women’s vote” be in the 2008 presidential election? The answer – It’s going to be more important than anyone can even begin to imagine. If that fact hadn’t been abundantly clear before now, it certainly should be after Iowa and New Hampshire. Obama won in Iowa with the majority of women voting for him there, and Clinton won in New Hampshire with the majority of women voting for her there. When all is said and done, the next President of the United States will be coronated not by the media, but by the women.

In 2004, 8.8 million more women voted than men, that number is going to be even greater in 2008.

So, do your homework candidates. This election is not about race, gender, or tears…It’s about the issues, especially the issues that are important to women voters. You will need a message that resonates with all women voters…all colors, ages, income levels, married, single, soccer moms, and single moms. Don’t feel bad men, women ultimately want what’s best for the country, so that includes you too. And NEWS FLASH…Just “pandering” to the women is not going to do the trick, we can actually see through that.

NOTE TO CANDIDATES: Now might be a good time to check in with Lisa Stone of BlogHer about the BlogHer’s Voter Manifesto. FYI…Women who blog not only vote, but they influence other voters. With that said, you may also want to check out The Political Voices of Women, where a list has been compiled of over 300 women blogging about politics and the election. And, don’t forget to check out our very own Care2 Groups, with millions of members, many of whom happen to be women.

So, what are some of the women of the blogosphere saying about the events of the last few days? Here is a little sampling…

READ FULL POST AT The Political Voices of Women

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Four Tips To A Long Life

10 January, 2008 (10:48) | BlogHer, children, dieting, exercise, family, Health, inspirational, life, news, nutrition, positive thinking, thoughts, weight loss, women, women's health | By: Catherine Morgan

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Four Tips To A Long Life — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

I was surfing the health and wellness news trying to decide what to post on tonight, and I came across this Reuters article… Four Health Changes Can Prolong Life 14 Years. Who wouldn’t want to prolong their life by 14 years?

So, would you make a “resolution” to make four lifestyle changes, if it would increase your life by 14 years? Better than a New Years Resolution, this would be a “Life Resolution”.

What are the four changes to a longer life?

1) Stop Smoking

2) Eat Five Servings of Fruits and Vegetables a Day

3) Exercise

4) Limit Alcohol Consumption

The lifestyle change with the biggest benefit was giving up smoking, which led to an 80 percent improvement in health, the study found. This was followed by eating fruits and vegetables. Moderate drinking and keeping active brought the same benefits…

Well, that seems pretty simple. While we’re on the subject, why not surf around for some other ways to live longer?

Reducing Stress is a good place to start…

There are few things that cause you more stress and worry than your weight. If you gained a few pounds over the holidays, don’t panic…..yet. According to an article (reprinted below) about a study published last November, people who are a little overweight actually live longer.

Could you live longer if you walked faster? Apparently so…

New research following 500 older people for nearly a decade found quicker walkers were less likely to die. Nine years after initial gait speed was measured, 77 percent of slow walkers had died, compared to only 50 percent of medium speed and 27 percent of fast walkers.

Here are Ten Tips For Aging Consciously and Successfully

As our population ages, our society is finally recognizing that old age is a gift. Despite some of the negative images in the media, it really is possible to embrace our elderhood as a creative and spiritual journey.

People who have aged successfully share common characteristics.

There is no question that most of our lifestyle choices are what will determine whether we age in good physical and mental health or fall prey to sickness and disability. Although it may be a cliché, moderation is the key in everything. By practicing moderation and following these ten tips, you too can be a “long-liver” and, more importantly, enjoy your elder hood in the process.

See the Ten Tips For Aging Consciously and Successfully

If those ten tips weren’t good enough for you, here are ten more — 10 Tips on How to Live Longer and Happier

Well, there you have it.

No excuses for not living longer now.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at CatherineBlogs.com and The Political Voices of Women

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Weight Loss – The All You Can Eat Diet

4 January, 2008 (15:25) | blogging, dieting, exercise, family, food, happiness, Health, inspirational, life, nutrition, positive thinking, success, thoughts, weight loss, women | By: Catherine Morgan

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Happy New Year everyone! This is one of my most popular posts, and since everyone seems to be talking about dieting and weight loss, I figured now was a good time to re-post. Hope you like it.

THE-ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT DIET PLAN — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself)

You heard right. All you can eat. And it’s not a gimmick. How can that be? All you can eat diet? No diet is all you can eat? Well you are right, and wrong. No starvation or quick fix theme diet, is ever going to be an all you can eat diet. And we all know there is no pill or powder that allows you to eat anything you want and still lose weight. So, what exactly is an ALL YOU CAN EAT DIET?

Most diets have you starving, or at least hungry most of the time. If you do happen to lose weight on one of these “fad” diets, you just end up gaining it all back and then some. Worst yet, many of us go on these diets because we know it would be better for our overall health if we lost some of our excess weight. We might want to lower our blood pressure, control sleep apnea, prevent diabetes, just to name a few. But, what we end up doing by following “fad” or starvation type diets, is put ourselves at greater risk for health problems.

So, why do we do it? Why do we spend millions on books, pills, and powders that are generally 100% proven to be ineffective. Well, I don’t know the answer to that. But, it might have something to do with the fact that, “keeping” you at an ideal weight can’t be the goal of these multi-million dollar companies, or there just would be no more money to made.

Not only is this an ALL YOU CAN EAT DIET. But, it is also not going to cost you one penny to get the secrets. Because, I’m going to just tell you. The truth is, you already know it. It’s just that we have been programed to think that dieting is some kind of big deal, and if we don’t do it just right we will fail. Well, that is just wrong.

The one way you will lose weight, without risking your health and in fact becoming a more healthy person. The one way, is to eat healthy foods. That’s it. Two simple words; HEALTHY FOODS. What ones? Any and all of them. What is healthy? Basically, anything that isn’t full of sugar, fat, and sodium. Fruits, vegetables, whole wheats, fish, lean meats, milk, cheese, nuts. The list goes on and on. By now we all know the difference between the healthy foods and the not healthy foods. There is no trick, no gimmick. Just stop eating the processed foods that are full of sugar, fat, and sodium; and start eating healthy foods that aren’t.

Throw away the unhealthy foods and the unhealthy diets, and say hello to healthy foods and healthy living. No need to limit yourself. It will take a bit longer, than starvation, but results will last much longer. Once you start eating healthy foods, you won’t have cravings for sugar and salt, you won’t need to binge eat, and most of all you won’t be hungry all the time. You will be on your way to a leaner, healthier you.

No need to make it complicated, just go shopping and get all the healthy foods you want, and start eating them. You can even use the Internet to look up healthy new recipes for the foods you like. Best of all; it’s ALL YOU CAN EAT, ALL THE TIME.

Yum.

ALSO SEE:

Six Tips To A Healthy Diet Plan

3 Easy Steps To Get Started On Your Diet

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