I just came across this post on The Happiness Project: Resolutions Not To Make For Your New Years Resolutions. So what kind of resolutions should you NOT make? Resolutions that aren't fun!
That got me thinking about what kind of health-related resolutions I could make that would include fun. What do you think? What are some resolutions you're thinking of making to improve your health? Is there a way to make them fun?
Last week I was delighted to find out that Wellsphere had nominated me as an "Everyday Hero!" This is part of Wellsphere's Yes, We Care! Campaign to show appreciations for people who help, support, and care for others.
Wellsphere is a health-oriented social network site and a lot more. You can join different communities, create your own Wellpage connecting you with health knowledge from medical professionals and other Wellsphere participants and find health resources like gyms near you. They also have several Welltools, like healthy menu options when you eat out. I'm amused by the WellPrize crown you can give yourself for meeting a health goal.
I don't know that I'll use all of the tools and resources on Wellsphere, but I do really like many of their ideas. Most of all, I love the personal stories you can hear on the Yes, We Care page. Scroll down and play the video.
Thanks, Wellsphere!
Now that fall is here I'm looking for new room fresheners.
For small spaces like the bathroom I find I can keep a potent candle around and I don't even have to light it for the scent to fill the room. Sandalwood says fall to me. It can be a bit overpowering, but keeping it unlit sends out just the right amount of scent. I'd love to stock a Diptyqe Sandalwood candle
Paddywax makes a great sandalwood candle
I just read about Shoyeido incense on Eco Salon. By the way, I found their post on avoiding toxins in fragrance helpful.
I love all the new oil diffusers because they smell and look wonderful. I may try the Archipelago Botanicals Excursion Collection Fragrance Diffuser
Of course, you can make your own air fresheners. Here is Apartment Therapy's guide to DIY air fresheners for fall.
(Image via Cooking for Monkeys)
Are we really already looking at Labor Day Weekend? Where did the summer go? Here are some timely links I found that may ease your transition into fall.
Vital Juice reminds us that the warm weather isn't over yet with a list of workout tips to take into fall.
Next time stress has you reaching for the Häagen-Dazs, try these tension-taming foods instead.
For those of you heading off to college, here is some food and financial advice for college students.
Parents, you may be interested in Healthy Living's series, America's Healthiest Schools.
If you're looking for fun, healthy lunches to pack for your kids, check out the adorable bento lunches from Cooking for Monkeys.
For my pregnant friends, a conversation with ObGyn Sarah Maddison about what you can and cannot do while pregnant. I love that the writer quotes that Adam Ant song, "Don't Drink, Don't Smoke, What Do You Do?"
Are you worried about maintaining your health on a smaller budget? ABC News brings you Five Ways to Spend Less and Stay Well. (Via Fit Sugar)
How long have people been writing about the path to happiness? How many joyologists have you seen on television? How many life coaches have published books on seeking happiness? I cannot even imagine. However, I just found a fascinating new blog that sifts through them all called The Happiness Project.
Gretchen Rubin writes about her experiences as she gathers these various philosophies and reports on "what works and what doesn't." The Happiness Project is also soon to be a memoir published by Harper Collins in late 2009.
Gretchen is not being the least bit ironic or mocking with this project; this is an earnest, sincere project. But she is also a critical thinker who does not peddle in platitudes or treacle. She pulls from many different sources, like Tyler Cowan's Discover Your Inner Economist. What does economics have to do with happiness? Read the post. In fact, Gretchen can pull together Alicia Silverstone, G. K. Chesterton, and St. Therese of Lisieux in a way that completely makes sense.
Wednesday is Tip Day, with posts like 9 tips to make TV-watching a source of happiness and 17 tips for coping with a medical catastrophe. I was happy to read that Gretchen sends out a monthly newsletter with highlights from the blog. I may sign up for that.
Best of all, Gretchen believes everyone should have a happiness project. That will take considerably more commitment than reading her newsletter, but it is an intriguing idea. What do I have to lose? Meanwhile, I leave you with Gretchen's Twelve Commandments, which I love:
1. Be Gretchen.
2. Let it go.
3. Act as I would feel.
4. Do it now.
5. Be polite and be fair.
6. Enjoy the process.
7. Spend out.
8. Identify the problem.
9. Lighten up.
10. Do what ought to be done.
11. No calculation.
12. There is only love.
Have you hear they made a new pill that substitutes for exercise?
Now don't get too excited. The pill -- actually, two different pills -- have only been tested on mice and are not yet available for humans.
Here's what people are saying about it.
The New York Times points out the difference between the two pills and discusses alternate uses for the drugs.
I love Crabby's thoughts on the pill on Cranky Fitness. Cheating? Yes! Intriguing? I'm afraid so.
According to an article in Scientific America, "the pill may also be useful in treating debilitating muscular disorders such as muscular dystrophy as well as metabolic diseases such as diabetes, because it also appears to help the body use and remove sugar from the blood more effectively."
Wired's coverage of the story includes misgivings by Darrell Neufer, a professor of sports medicine specializing in cellular energy systems at East Carolina University.
Science Daily mentions that the drugs could be used as a new treatment and prevention of human metabolic syndrome, obesity and its harmful consequences.
Finding Dulcinea states the obvious: mice are not men.
Ransom Riggs at Mental Floss doubts that a pill could replace all of the benefits of exercise, especially the mental benefits.
This article in the Huffington Post should extinguish any lingering hopes that the exercise pills are the next get-out-of-exercising-free card.
And now for something clear on the other end of the spectrum, have you ever considered the high price of raising an Olympian?
Lance Armstrong has been busy since retiring from competitive biking. The seven-time Tour de France champion and cancer survivor founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support cancer patients and has joined other athletes to found Athletes for Hope, a charitable organization that promotes charity works among professional athletes. He has also created an online health and fitness resource called Livestrong.com.
Livestrong.com offers articles, online tools, and community for people seeking a healthy lifestyle. The website is divided by topics: Get Healthy, Be Active, Eat Well, Find Balance, and Stay Young. Within each topic you will find related articles, advice from featured experts, and tools like an ovulation counter and a symptom checker. Each topic is divided into subtopics. (I'm wondering, though, what an article on colicky babies was doing under Senior Health instead of in the Family subcategory under Find Balance...)
Beyond the topics, you can search for various support communities under Groups and find help through Forums.
The most useful tool in Livestrong.com is The Daily Plate. Using this database you can find nutritional information about different foods and also find out how many calories different activities burn. Then you can track your progress with a food/exercise journal. Daily Plate also provides healthy alternatives; the focus is not just on the temporary goal of weight loss but about adapting a healthy lifestyle.
A search for guacamole brought up a long list of recipes. I selected one and got the recipe along with a nutritional information box, similar to what you would see on a food package.
Apparently "Taco Bell Nachos" is a popular item. When I looked it up I found nutritional information along with a list of healthier choices from Taco Bell. This strikes me as a half measure towards a healthier lifestyle. While I understand the need to meet people where they are, I also think this is an area where Livestrong could challenge its members to aim higher. Perhaps other fast-food choices could be listed as "better" and recipes using fresh ingredients for the same dish could be listed as "best" choices.
Armstrong brings a sportsman's sense of adventure to goal setting with his Dares section. I love the idea of calling a goal a dare! I think this adds an element of excitement to lifestyle changes that can get tedious and mundane. Under the Dare section you can set goals, track your progress, and connect with people with the same goals.
Livestrong.com has a lot of content that doesn't necessarily go deep but does cover a lot of ground. I like that you do not have to sign in or join in order to take advantage of the articles and most of the tools. I think this is a fabulous resource for anyone working towards a healthy lifestyle!
