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Healthy Living: Can Yoga Help Reduce Symptoms of Chronic Illness? — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

Back in March, I told you about yet another invisible illness that I’ve had the pleasure of being diagnosed with. Fibromalgia. It was also at that appointment where I learned of the 20+ pounds I had put on in less than a year. And it wasn’t like I was at my ideal weight before that time either. For the first time in my life, I actually weighed more than I did when I was pregnant. It was then that I decided I must begin to take eating healthy more seriously. Aside from not being able to fit into my skinny jeans, the extra weight was exacerbating all of my invisible medical problems.

Since then I’ve lost about fifteen pounds, and I’m starting to think there might be a chance that I’ll be able to finally get back down to my ideal weight. The main problem I’m facing now, is my inability to exercise. It’s not that I have an aversion to exercising, it’s because I also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (here are some videos that might help you understand), and one of the most devastating symptoms is something called post-exertional malaise. Basically, even though I need to exercise to be healthy and lose weight, just a little bit of exercise can make my fatigue and pain much worse.

I know that yoga would be the best type of exercise for me to try, and I’ve always wanted to try it. But, up until now, I thought yoga was the type of thing that would be too difficult to learn how to do on my own. And then I came across a book on yoga, that was written specifically for people with Fibromyalgia. I was a little skeptical at first, but I was also ready to give something new a try. So, I emailed the publisher, and asked them to send me a review copy of Yoga for Fibromyalgia: Move, Breathe, and Relax to Improve Your Quality of Life by Shoosh Lettick Crotzer.

When I received the book, I was happy to see that it was an easy read, and included many pictures of the yoga positions it was recommending. It’s not a book that claims to be a cure for Fibromyagia, but rather a book that aims to improve the quality of life, of anyone suffering with this debilitating illness. There are positions for reducing pain and fatigue, improving sleep, and maintaining flexibility. If you are living with Fibromyagia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I think you would find this book very helpful. I’ve only just begun to learn these yoga positions, but I intend to make them part of my personal healthy living program, and I’m hopeful that this will be just the type of exercise that will help me.

Here are some other BlogHers that are blogging about yoga…

From BlissChick - 8 Triggers For Centering Yourself

I started this week writing about becoming imbalanced over the weekend (which happened for a variety of reasons). I have spent the whole week getting back to myself, doing all the things I know I have to do to be in my center, to feel good and to be productive.

And this got me to thinking about reminders. Remembering to be centered. Remembering what is important. Remembering what we value and where we want to put our energy.

From Somebody Heal Me - Meditation & Yoga Can Reduce Migraines

Researchers speculate that yoga, meditation and deep breathing help prevent migraines by raising serotonin levels.

From BlogHer contributing editor Mipmup

The popularity of yoga is undeniable. Research varies, but it is estimated that from 15 to 28 million people practice yoga in the United States alone. And with good cause. Yoga “asanas,” or postures, benefit the body physically, mentally and spiritually. Besides keeping fit, yoga is being used to treat HIV/AIDS, depression, heart disease, cancer and anxiety disorders. So who’s blogging about it?

the accidental yogist, as the name implies, finds herself unexpectedly exploring yoga after a knee injury.

Notesgirl has written up a complete step-by-step yoga practice for digestion and stress relief.

the ohmtastic blog is the blog of the founder of ohmtastic lifestyle apparel. She has a useful post on reducing injury during practice.

Everything Yoga, the blog of a registered yoga teacher, posts about the “prenatal yoga trend.”

Are you blogging about yoga? Are you using yoga to help reduce symptoms of chronic illness? I hope you’ll let me know what you think in comments.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, and The Care2 Election Blog

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I have a love/hate relationship with my scale. — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

About eight weeks ago I posted about how I started a pre-diet. I was trying to get reacquainted with the taste of healthy foods, and wean myself off of sugar. As far as that goes, I feel like I’m doing pretty well, I’ve even lost some weight. At the time of the post I had lost about six pounds, and since then I have lost another six. I’m now down 12 pounds from my heaviest weight ever (not counting when I was pregnant), I know because that’s what my scale says. If it wasn’t for my scale I wouldn’t believe I’ve lost any weight at all, so for that reason, I love my scale. However, I also hate that the number is still so high. And, I hate that even after losing 12 pounds, I still have almost 30 to go.

But, it’s always a better idea to focus on the positive, so that’s what I’ll try to do.

First, I have finally gotten over the sugar hump, and I’m not craving sugar the way I used to. I even made my world famous chocolate brownie cake with my daughter, and wasn’t tempted to eat any of it. That’s a pretty big deal for me. I’ve also stopped eating junk food, and I’ve stopped eating late at night (for the most part). Another thing I do, is always keep several bags of vegetables, and microwavable diet entrees in my freezer, for when I need a quick meal.

My daughter has been a great help by not asking me to buy cookies and ice-cream when we go shopping. It’s amazing how much easier it is to avoid eating junk, when it’s not in the house. Instead of ice-cream with chocolate sauce, she is now happy to get no sugar added ice-pops, and low-fat granola bars. We also had the opportunity to try something new. Skinny Cow sent us two boxes of Skinny Dippers, and they are very yummy (and only 80 calories). We both love mint chocolate chip ice-cream, so the mint Skinny Dippers were are favorite.

So, that’s what I’ve been up to for the last several weeks. I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself, and I’m not starving myself. I guess what I’m doing could be called a diet, but I’m sticking with calling it a pre-diet for now. Once I hit a plateau, and I’m not continuing to lose weight, I’ll kick it up a notch and go on an actual diet. For now, this is working for me, so why mess with it?

Have you been trying to lose some weight? How much do you want to lose? Have you been having any luck? What kind of things have been working for you? Are you calling it a diet?

Other bloggers dieting…

Michelle ~ mother & scrapaholic…

So, some of you may have noticed my weight gain over the past few months… well, I’ve officially decided to do something about it. I don’t believe in “dieting” as in starving myself to death, but I do realize that I’ve got to make better nutritional choices. I’m also going to weigh myself weekly to track progress and post the results on my blog. (Hopefully, having to be accountable will help me beat any cravings for big fat fudge brownies or cool ranch doritos or Debbie’s “little Debbie bars”, etc!)

The Diet Naked Blog

Big Fat Deal

Dieting Battle

Down Home Dieting

Vickie’s Voice

Lilly Hydrangeas Blog

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

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Is It Possible To Eat Healthy on a Budget? - by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

With the value of a dollar going down, and gas prices going up, the ability to make healthy food choices is getting more and more costly. Now that we are spending more money at the pump, we have less to spend at the grocery store, and many are resorting to just buying the cheapest food they can get their hands on. The trouble with that is…The cheapest food is most likely also going to be the least healthy food. And this isn’t just about the money, or the food. It’s about your life, and the life of your family.

It’s not just speculation anymore, we now know that poor eating habits and obesity, are directly related to serious health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Even more troubling is the rate at witch our children are becoming obese, and developing adult medical conditions in childhood. But, what can we do? Is it possible to eat healthy on a budget?

The answer is…Yes. It’s not always easy, but it is possible. Here are some links to women who are blogging about eating healthy on a budget.

Student Mum has a post on How To Feed Your Family For Less…

Feeding a family is done best by a family. Involve even the youngest members of your family in all aspects. They will feel they are appreciated and valued, and they will be learning valuable life skills at the same time. The phrase, “A family who play together stay together,” can be related to cooking and eating. Cooking a meal together can be great fun and eating together, especially in the evening, allows us all a chance to share our day, our thoughts, our ideas or our plans.

This is from MommyK at The Great Walls of Baltimore…

When a friend of mine went to her doctor in early January for her yearly physical, he had bad news for her. Her blood sugar was up, her cholesterol was in the high range, and she had gained ten pounds in the past year. He told her she needs to lose weight or face serious health risks. Frightened by the prospect of diabetes and heart disease, she immediately overhauled the way she cooks and eats. Since then, she’s lost that ten pounds she gained last year and she feels better than she has in years. In fact, there’s only one downside to the new eating plan. Buying healthy food has taken a big chunk out of her grocery budget.

Stacy from Parent Traps also has a post on Feeding Your Family For Less…

Choose generic or store brands of healthy groceries, such as whole-grain cereal and frozen vegetables. Look high and low for them—the most costly options are shelved at eye level. Buy fresh produce in season. Try local farmers’ markets for fresher, less expensive options. Frozen vegetables are healthy and even more affordable than fresh produce, and you can get out-of-season vegetables less expensively.

Amanda from Mrs. W’s Kitchen has a post on Food Budget Issues…

Build menu plans based on what’s on sale at local grocery stores. Check those sale flyers! I find it’s useful to spend that $1.50 for the Sunday newspaper (we don’t purchase regular paper delivery) for the flyers and coupons. Most big-chain grocery stores also publish sale flyers online.

A must read (and also print out)…

Alanna Kellogg wrote one of my all time favorite BlogHer CE posts - Family Finance: How To Save Money On Groceries

She also did a follow-up post - How To Save Time and Money at the Grocery Store

Also See:

Mommy Points - High Price For Healthy Food

Nina Smith — How To Eat on a Shoestring

We Are What We Eat

Menus4Moms — Frugal Meal Planning

The Coupon Mom

So, the bottom line is. It’s not easy, and it will take a little extra work…But, you can eat healthy on a budget. Do you have any tips, stories, links, or recipes? I would love for you to share them with us in comments.

BlogHer Health & Wellness Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

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I originally posted this about a year ago, on BlogHer (where it has had over 17,000 hits), so I thought it deserved an encore. Here goes… Alli: “The Diarrhea Diet” — by Catherine Morgan

I’m not going to try to sugar coat it, I’m an opinionated person. Back at the end of May when I saw an article about an over the counter diet pill being approved by the FDA, and peddled by a pharmaceutical company, my skepticism antenna went into overdrive. The result was a post I did the same day on why you should just say no to diet pills, which included several links of other recent drugs the FDA and pharmaceutical companies had claimed to be safe, and later were taken off the market. In my opinion this happens much too often. And the main thing that sets me off is, it seems to be all about money. (Shocking! Not so much.) The FDA takes money from the pharmaceutical companies to “study” and approve their drugs, then the pharmaceutical companies make millions (even billions) off the American people, then voila, the drug that was once “safe” is no longer safe. It’s a very interesting phenomena.

Glaxo’s Avandia Fuels Arguments For Tougher Drug Laws — The study, released May 21, showed that Avandia, the world’s best-selling diabetes pill, increased the risk of a heart attack 43 percent. Members of Congress are questioning the Food and Drug Administration’s handling of evidence of side effects since the drug won U.S. approval in 1999.

The Avandia report has reignited complaints by Congress that the FDA is too lax in monitoring drug complications after a product is on the market. The agency previously was criticized for failing to act on heart dangers linked to Merck & Co.’s Vioxx painkiller before it was withdrawn in 2004, and for missing suicide risks linked to antidepressants. — read full article

Call me crazy, but it is troubling to me that the FDA considers a drug that basically induces diarrhea as a safe and effective means of weight loss. Sure, you can argue that the drug is blocking fat from being absorbed and a side effect of that is causing diarrhea…but really…semantics. Right? Don’t we consider people that are using drugs to induce diarrhea as suffering from Bulimia, and in need of medical and psychological help? What about this…Lets say that a pharmaceutical company came out with a drug that induced vomiting, does that mean if the person is not sticking their finger down their throat they are not sick, they are just dieting? If that’s the case, maybe someone should consider repackaging Ipecac into pill form, and marketing it as the newest diet plan. Is it really that much of a stretch from where we are now???

Now that you know how I feel about it, lets take a look at some of the facts about the (not so) new diet pill. Then you can tell me how you feel about it.

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Health News: DASH Diet Saves Lives, Healthcare Crisis Affecting Prescription Co-Pays, Breast Cancer Screening.

Are you interested in lowering your blood pressure? Reducing your risk of heart disease? If so, you may want to consider the DASH Diet.

When compared to a typical America diet, women following a DASH diet were 24 percent less likely to have a heart attack, and 18 percent less likely to have a stroke. This is a pretty big deal, especially considering that the number one cause of death in women is heart disease.

Diet Reduces Heart Attacks, Strokes.

A large study offers the strongest evidence yet that a diet the government recommends for lowering blood pressure can save people from heart attack and stroke.

Researchers followed more than 88,000 healthy women for almost 25 years. They examined their food choices and looked at how many had heart attacks and strokes. Those who fared best had eating habits similar to those recommended by the government to stop high blood pressure.

The plan, called the DASH diet, favors fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and plant-based protein over meat.

Women with those eating habits were 24 percent less likely to have a heart attack and 18 percent less likely to have a stroke than women with more typical American diets.

From WebMD

A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat has long been touted as heart smart. Now, increasing evidence suggests that a similar diet reduces blood pressure and decreases a woman’s risk for heart attack and stroke.

Scientists reporting in the April 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine have found that healthy, middle-aged women who closely followed the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet have lower rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than women who do not follow such diets.

“Our study provides, to our knowledge, the strongest evidence to date on the long-term benefits of the DASH diet in the primary prevention of CVD among healthy subjects,” writes Teresa T. Fung, ScD, of Simmons College, Boston.

National dietary guidelines promote the DASH diet as an example of a healthy eating pattern. The diet comprises plenty of fruits, vegetables, and plant proteins from legumes and nuts, and moderate servings of low-fat dairy products. It is low in meat.

Also See:

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Weight Loss: Getting Reacquainted With Healthy Food — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

For the last few weeks I’ve been making an attempt at eating healthy. And usually this is where I would tell you that I’ve failed miserably. But, I’m happy to report that I have actually been doing pretty well. I think it is in part because, around the same time I decided that I couldn’t afford to gain another pound, I got an email from Elaine Magee. Funny how we get what we need, just when we need it. Anyway, Elaine is the Healthy Recipe Doctor at WebMD, and she wanted to tell me about her newest book Food Synergy. Even better, she said if I wanted a copy she would send me one. The timing couldn’t have been better.

I’m not sure if it was the book or my total fear of gaining another pound, but I’ve actually lost about six pounds. It’s not that her book is a diet plan or anything…It’s really about eating healthy, and that’s what is so great about it. The book reinforced a lot of what I already knew, but also explained how different food combinations actually work to prevent disease and promote wellness. Not only is the book informative, but it is loaded with great recipes.

Evidence is mounting that certain components in the food we eat and drink (minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals, fiber, smart fats, etc.) interact to provide our bodies extra disease protection and a higher level of health. This advanced nutrition science is called food synergy.

Food synergy is like adding 1 plus 1 and getting 4 or 6 instead of 2; the total is greater than the sum of the individual parts (or nutrients).

From WebMD - At The Healthy Recipe Doctor - Top 10 Food Synergy Super Foods

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Three Tips For Living Healthy — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at Qvisory)

1. You are what you eat, and it is never too late to start eating healthy. Every day, try your very best to put healthy foods and plenty of water into your body. When you have a choice between something healthy and something not healthy, go with the healthy choice. But, don’t be too hard on yourself on the days you fall back into old habits. There is no rule that says you have to be perfect to be healthy. Even if you are eating healthy 50% of the time, that is still better than not at all.

If you are one to never go for the healthy choice, then start today with a commitment to eat one thing that is good for you (just one thing that you would normally not eat), and do that for a week. After a week, start eating two things that are good for you. Continue to gradually migrate toward healthier options. Before you know it, you’ll be eating healthy half the time. And, that’s a great start.

You can start today, loving yourself and your family enough to stop poisoning your body with unhealthy foods. Heart disease is the number one killer in our country and 80% of heart disease is due to eating an unhealthy diet that leads to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Start today, and take a bite in the right direction. Your heart will thank you.

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BlogHer Health & Wellness Blog Roundup — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

Tonight I am surfing the BlogHer Health and Wellness Blogroll. So many great blogs, I wish I could tell you about every one…But you could always do a little surfing yourself.

So, in no particular order, here are eleven blogs that are new to me.

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Top Three Tips For Eating Healthy — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at Qvisory)

I am a firm believer that the number one thing any of us can do to promote good health…Is to eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Regardless of your weight (even if you are thin or at an ideal weight), it’s important that we all try to eat healthy. Unfortunately, that is sometimes the hardest thing for many of us to do.

It can be overwhelming for someone with “questionable” eating habits to make the changes necessary for good health. But, it’s also the best thing you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and chronic illness. So, what can we do? Well, I recommend you take it slow, and not put too much pressure on yourself.

Don’t decide today to make radical changes in your eating habits. If you do that you are setting yourself up for failure. Instead, let’s look at what I believe are the top three changes you can make that won’t be hard for you to stick to. Once you have conquered these three things, you will become empowered to continue taking a step at a time toward healthier eating habits and a healthier life. So, let’s give it a try.

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Healthy Living: Motivation, Dieting, Yoga, and (hopefully) Success - by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer Health and Wellness)
Successful Healthy Living - How I’ve change my life through motivation, dieting, and yoga.

Well, not really. It sounds like a good plan though. The truth is…I have no motivation, I haven’t been able to stick to a diet in years, and yoga is just another four letter word to me. When if comes to healthy living…I’m slowly but surly becoming the poster child (middle-aged woman) for unhealthy living.

So, I started this post thinking I might find some motivation to stop eating so much ice-cream and cookies. And then I came across this…

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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? — 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: 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?

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.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at The Political Voices of Women

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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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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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