Quote for the Day

May 29th, 2007

“No matter how good you get, you can always get better, and that’s the exciting part.”
- Tiger Woods

Comments Please

Have you got any favorite inspirational quotes to share?  Share them at the comment link below. 

Who is Hungry Girl?

May 29th, 2007

I just discovered a weight loss, “healthy eating” website:  Hungry-Girl.com.  Here’s my evaluation of it.

What I love about Hungry-Girl.com

• I love the bio of the owner – see it here  She is truly hungry.
• I love her articles about herbs and whole foods – fabulous!
• I love it that she has fun and makes learning interesting and easy.
• I love it that she provides great tools – completely free!
• She’s tried all the weight loss diets so has the inside track on fad diets.  She can expose their soft under bellies!
• I just discovered this site today, so I’m sure there are more cool things about this site.

What I do NOT love about Hungry-Girl.com

• A lot of her recommended foods and recipes rely on nonfoods – artificial sweeteners, fake butters, chemicalized cuisine – yucky pooh!
• I guess that’s all I don’t like about it.

If you sign up to receive the daily newsletter, this is what you get:

Hey, Hungry Chicks…Sign up now for your DAILY Tips & Tricks… Each day you’ll receive tasty tidbits from the world of food and dieting. Monday is the day for all the latest NEWS HEADLINES, Tuesday get our picks ‘n’ pans in CHEW THE RIGHT THING, Wednesday is ASK HUNGRY GIRL day with advice straight from HG, Thursday’s WEEKLY WEIGH IN offers a revolving door of diet content and Friday’s GIRLS BITE OUT serves up survival strategies for the weekend ahead.

Thumbs Up

On the whole I give Hungry-Girl a thumbs up – just don’t get sucked into eating all the fake foods – unless you don’t mind your body saying, “Hey wassup?  What am I supposed to do with these chemicals?  Do I turn them into blood, bones, muscle tissue, or do I just stash them in your joints so you can’t bend over to tie your shoes?” 

Comments Please

What do you think about artificial foods? At the link below, tell us what you think.

Inspiration for Fathers and Families

May 24th, 2007

Have you seen the video about a father who had the courage and insight to know that his disabled son could have a better life . . . through his actions?   I always well up with tears of amazement and inspiration when I watch this video.   It makes me want to be a better person.

Did You Know that Being Nice is a Movement?

May 24th, 2007

Today was the day I learned that being nice is a Movement.  How could I have missed it?  Haven’t I seen people all around me being nicer?  Nope, I haven’t seen that but would love to. 

Here’s how the nice movement describes itself:

ImaNicePerson.com is a Movement.  Together we are going to change the World!!!  We have an interactive web community where you can share your Nice Stories about the nice people you know, the nice people you meet, and the nice things you see or have seen during your life.  Basically we’re tired of all the crime, violence, and politics we see and hear in the news, and we want to offer a positive alternative.  Those who join our site profess to being nicer and being more aware of the Nice things that happen around them during their daily lives. 

And there’s a book about being nice in the world of business:  The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness. 

Think of something nice you can say or do right now…and do it…or say it! 

Comments Please

Are you nice?  Do you work with nice people?  Do you have advice for being nice or nicer?  Comment at the link below.

Do you have a good doctor-patient relationship?

May 22nd, 2007

Many people are frightened by their doctor visit.  Are you one of these people?  This short video shows that through simple improved communications, you can overcome fear and make the doctors visit a more rewarding experience.  Even the best patients need to be reminded to take advantage of their doctor visit. This video is both entertaining and educational.  It is not your standard health education material.  I think you’ll enjoy it – even if you aren’t afraid of doctor visits.

Watch it here

Boost Your Productivity

May 17th, 2007

Today I discovered a fabulous gold mine of information about personal development.  Steve Pavlina has written hundreds of articles (all free to access) on a wide variety of topics you may find fascinating.  He writes about being super productive, living according to your values, attracting what you most desire, and a wide variety of other things.  Below, I’ve listed links to his series on boosting your productivity.  These will get you started in exploring this wealth of information:

Boost Your Productivity 
Boost Your Productivity, Volume 2 
Boost Your Productivity, Volume 3

Comments Please

Do you know of other good personal development resources?  Let us know by leaving a response below.

Are you insulin resistant?

May 9th, 2007

A colleague asked me the other day about insulin resistance.  Because it’s an increasingly prevalent health risk, I thought you’d like to know a little more about it.  Here’s a wee bit of information just to get you oriented to the topic.  At the bottom I’ve listed links to a wealth of additional information about this condition including information about carbohydrate cravings, glycemic load, and lifestyle changes that help turn this condition around. 

The unfortunate truth is that anyone can become insulin resistant — even if they are thin. We are all at risk in our society where we have access to a lot of refined carbohydrates (white bread, sugar, bagels, pasta, potatoes, Coke/Pepsi, processed foods with added fructose, etc.). In fact, most of us are likely to be somewhat sensitive to insulin. It is just a matter of degree. The more processed and refined food that we eat, the more insulin we require to metabolize it. The more insulin in our blood, the less responsive our cells become. As we age, this continual exposure wears out our tolerance for refined carbohydrates and reduces our sensitivity to insulin.

If you suffer from high cholesterol, high triglycerides, or hypertension, you should get checked for insulin resistance, regardless of your weight or age. If you have high blood pressure, it is likely that you are also suffering from insulin resistance. High blood pressure medication will not cure insulin resistance.

The good news is that insulin and glucose levels are very easily influenced by changes in lifestyle, exercise, and diet. If you are diagnosed with insulin resistance, there is a lot you can do to reverse its course.

>>read the article

Related articles on insulin resistance:

• Explaining food cravings
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• Preventing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
• Insulin control and the four food groups
• Using the glycemic index and glycemic load
• Micronutrient therapy for insulin resistance and diabetes
• Risk factors for diabetes
• Types of diabetes
• Complications of diabetes