Women’s Health Weekly Review: June 29 – July 5
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Osteoporosis
Some supercomputing experts at IBM’s Zurich Research Laboratory have helped to developed bone density “measurements with a large-scale mechanical analysis of the inner-bone microstructure” – ETH Zurich and IBM improve diagnosis of osteoporosis.
Menopause
Sleep problems associated with menopause vary among ethnic groups: “Compared with other ethnic groups, Caucasian women were more likely to report difficulty staying asleep”.
Pregnancy
I’m pretty sure we’re all aware of this by now – Eating junk while pregnant can harm your baby. Apparently some new research “suggests that poor diet may also cause long-lasting, irreversible damage in offspring from heart disease to diabetes”.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Finally, a better understanding of SIDS: New research sheds light on the molecular basis of crib death – possibly there are alterations in brainstem neurons that communicate using serotonin.
Children
Seizures in newborns can be detected with small, portable brain activity monitors
Resuscitation technique after brain injury may do more harm than good: “The current standard practice of giving infants and children 100 percent oxygen to prevent brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation may actually inflict additional harm”.
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Related Posts:
- Women’s Health Weekly Review: May 25 -May31
- Women’s Health Weekly Review: June 15 – June 21
- Possible role of FSH in osteoporosis.
July 4, 2008
Friday Favorites – 4th of July Edition
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Happy Friday and Happy 4th of July!
4th of July stuff
Since its the 4th I decided to start out with posts from blogs I read about the 4th. Amy Smith at MomTini Lounge listed some Fireworks Safety Tips – always good stuff to remember. A lot of people get injured this time of year.
Barbara Ling talks about how you can make money: 4th of July – Fun, Safe, Profitable … and Make Money Too?.
Tammy Lenski made her declaration of interdependence.
Other Safety stuff
Dr. Val asks “Do You Know How To Use A Defibrillator?” – I don’t. Probably something we should all know though.
Penguins
More evidence that global warming is killing penguins: Penguin Chicks Frozen by Global Warming?. GrrlScientist also wrote The Plight of the Penguins Predicts the Coming Plight of Humans.
Business and writing
Sharon Hurley Hall wrote about her experiences working with a team of writers and asks “Are You A Team Player?“.
And DazzlinDonna asks “What Is Holding You Back?“.
History
Who says history’s not important? Knowing a little can certainly help keep you from dressing foolishly! Erika Jurney nearly gave me a stroke when I saw her post: “Frankie say what? And other signs of the Apocalypse.” “Those who don’t remember history are DOOMED TO WEAR A T-SHIRT WHICH PROVES TO THE WORLD HOW STUPID THEY ARE.”. – don’t look if you don’t have a strong heart or at least a good sense of humor or taste in music!
That’s it for this week – kind of short. I guess a lot of people took off early for the holiday.
Have a great weekend!
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July 3, 2008
Interview: Sally of Aprovechar
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(This is the ninth in a series of interviews with the top women fitness bloggers I could find!)
Sally Parrott Ashbrook writes at Aprovechar where she’s decided to “take the full measure of my life to live it the best I can”.
Sally answered some questions about her blog recently:
1) Why did you decide to start your blog or how did you start it?
I had always tried to force myself into habits that I thought would lead me to weight loss and better fitness. A variety of influences converged to flip my way of thinking around in January 2007; I had this epiphany that if I focused on self-care as a whole, the weight could come off naturally and I’d be a happier, more self-actualized person in general. I felt giddy with the idea that I could reach goals I had long struggled with if I just took good care of myself. I started a private blog (one without my name and identifiers attached) to keep myself accountable, to give myself shared space to work through some of my emotional issues concerning weight, and to share my basic philosophy with others. By the summer of 2007, my worldview was pretty revolutionized by living out that concept of self-care. After I was diagnosed with food allergies and then celiac disease, I decided to out myself and write publicly about those issues in addition to fitness, food, and weight loss. Even though it doesn’t seem like a big deal now, for me to publish my full name along with my weight was a big deal for me initially! I talk about the concepts underlying my blog more in my first post on my blog.
2) What do you think is the biggest obstacle that keeps women from engaging in a regular fitness routine and/or from living a more healthy lifestyle in general?
I think the biggest obstacle probably varies from woman to woman. For me, there have been a few basic obstacles that I had to surmount.
One was that I had a long-held belief that weight loss and fitness were all-or-nothing/success-or-failure activities when that just isn’t true. My usual way of dealing with exercise and weight loss was to jump headfirst into a program, get mad at myself for small failures, and then give up on it eventually. With my self-care, I took what was for me a radically new approach. From a diet perspective, I changed my diet gradually to a focus on fresh, local, organic vegetables, whole grains, and generally lean proteins. I didn’t (and don’t) count anything or specifically restrict anything, and I let myself have indulgences while I was (and am) still getting the maximum pleasure from them (which truly is usually just the first 1-4 bites). Exercise-wise, I started out walking daily after work; then a couple of months later, I started doing Couch to 5k 3-4 days a week. Now I usually work out 4-6 days a week for about an hour at a time—and I usually really enjoy it, but there’s no way I could have sustained that many work-outs at the beginning. Taking a gradual approach and letting my comfort level be my guide—but reminding myself that I was doing it for my own well-being—has kept me motivated and engaged in a way that none of my previous efforts did.
On the flip side, another obstacle I had to overcome was the idea that engaging in my own health was always going to be easy and pleasurable. I’ve written a good bit about finding the joy in what life has to offer you, and I do think that’s important. But I also think it’s important to recognize the opportunity cost of whatever you choose to focus on in your life. The fact is that our resources (money, time, energy, etc.) are finite. We really can’t have it all, and we will run ourselves ragged if we try. If we choose to focus on making health—and not just weight loss, which can come at the expense of health, but an overall healthy lifestyle—a priority, it will take time that we then cannot use for other activities. If we take an hour to make a homemade, healthy, tasty meal, that hour can’t be spent on cleaning house or watching tv or whatever else. If we take time to go work out, that means we may have a bit less time for our spouses or friends. I think finding support in that effort is important—for example, someone insisting she’ll make one healthy meal for the family instead of one for herself and one for others. (I heartily believe that if a mom is working on a lifestyle makeover, the family could probably use one, too!) But changing habits requires enormous reserves of energy (if not time as well), and I think it’s important for our overall health to recognize if the time and energy just aren’t there at the moment. I had a reader write to me and ask for advice about how she could eat healthier and exercise while she was coping with raising two kids alone and caring for a parent who had terminal cancer. In that case, while she could certainly work to make some small changes in the right direction, her energy was really already divided up into elements of her life that were very important, and it may just not have been the right time for her to try to divvy up her energy further to put a lot of it into being serious about weight loss.
And that brings me to my last primary obstacle, which was a huge one: I had to learn to take care of myself emotionally in order to live a healthier life. I used to mentally abuse myself about my lack of willpower, my lack of natural athletic ability, etc. I also used to eat, blindly, when I had emotional needs that were going unmet for some reason. I’ve discovered that when I treat myself empathetically, my life goes much more smoothly. I’ve cut out the negative self-talk, and if it starts up, I stop myself and remind myself that I’m doing the best I can and that I have much to be proud of—and I mean it. When I get a craving for food at a strange time or place, I stop, close my eyes, and ask myself what it is I really want. If it really is a cupcake I want, I might get one later that day. But more often than not, what I really want is a good night’s sleep, or a hug from my husband, or a friend who will listen while I rant. These days, when I stop and focus on what I need, I then try to figure out ways to fulfill that need. Sometimes that can be hard (like if I am at work and am craving a nap), but I talk to myself about getting what I need and remind myself that I will give myself what I need as soon as possible. (And I have left work a couple of times to go home and sleep when that is what I was desperate for!) When I am making sure my life is more emotionally fulfilled, the craving to overeat largely dissipates.
3) What do you consider to be the most unique or helpful thing about your blog?
My blog is an unusual combination of self-care issues, including weight loss, fitness, locavore eating, food allergies, and other things. The undercurrent of it is how to embrace your life to find or create joy, pleasure, comfort, and meaning within it. Readers tell me that they value that I’m willing to express what’s going on in my head and heart openly while also working to keep a focus on the positive. My goal is to be a support system for people in general but specifically for women who are working to take control of their health and their lives to create and maintain good lives for themselves. And, of course, as someone who maintains a gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free, dairy/casein-free diet, I want to be a resource for people who are seeking out how to have healthy, engaged, pleasurable lives as they cope with celiac disease and food allergies.
Thanks for interviewing me!
Thank you Sally for taking the time to answer my questions!
Please take some time and visit Sally’s blog: Aprovechar !
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Related Posts:
- Interview: JoLynn Braley of The Fit Shack
- Interview: Sally of InDenialHealth.com
- Learn from the best women fitness bloggers!
July 2, 2008
Interview: Angie Schumacher of Women’s Diet and Fitness
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(This is the eighth in a series of interviews with the top women fitness bloggers I could find!)
Angie Schumacher is a Certified Personal Trainer and writes a very informative blog at Women’s Diet and Fitness.
Angie answered some questions about her blog recently:
1) Why did you decide to start your blog or how did you start it?
About a year and a half ago, I got involved in an online group called Body For Life- Women Only, a google group. I had hit a plateau and was having a hard time trying to make changes in my body. I was online searching for anything and everything that would help me find the “answers”. I found myself being overwhelmed with the information and still not knowing what to do. It was then that I thought to myself that I be there are lots of other women out there with all the same problems…too much information and not knowing what to do with it. So I decided to take what I DID know and put together a website, just for women, to help them get all the health and fitness information they needed all in one place. I put together www.womensdietandfitness.com and decided to do a blog along side, to be able to interact with my website readers and thought it would also be a good way to keep them updated on the latest information. Hence, the blog: www.womensdietandfitness.com/WDF
2) What do you think is the biggest obstacle that keeps women from engaging in a regular fitness routine and/or from living a more healthy lifestyle in general?
I think all women have their own thing, whether it be lack of motivation, their busy lifestyle or just not feeling like they are important enough and taking care of everyone else first! What I always say is, “If you take care of yourself FIRST, you will be able to take care of everyone else so much better!” A lot of women think that it takes hours to workout and lose weight or whatever their goals may be, but in all actuality, it can take less than 45 minutes 3x per WEEK! Split that up into 6 days and you only need about 15-20 minutes per day! Now who doesn’t have that???
3) What do you consider to be the most unique or helpful thing about your blog?
Unique? Well I don’t know if I would consider it unique, but it does come from the heart and my passion of providing women to build a long and healthy life!
Please take some time and visit Angie’s blog: Women’s Diet and Fitness !
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Related Posts:
- Interview: JoLynn Braley of The Fit Shack
- Interview: Crabby McSlacker of Cranky Fitness
- Interview: Lauren of laurensfitness.com
July 1, 2008
Interview: Kelly Mills of Fitness Fixation
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(This is the seventh in a series of interviews with the top women fitness bloggers I could find!)
Kelly Mills writes at Fitness Fixation – fitness with a sense of humor!
I asked Kelly a few questions about her blog recently:
1) Why did you decide to start your blog or how did you start it?
I started Fitness Fixation for several reasons, but one of the main ones was that I was dying to see more humorous writing about fitness and exercise from people who still managed to cobble together a workout schedule. I just got tired of reading the sort of preachy, faux-girlfriend-y, chipper fitness articles I found in most magazines. “You can shed pounds by doing leg lifts while you pump gas!” That kind of crap. The truth is that exercise is hard and sweaty and you often feel like *thrpppth* while you are doing it, but there’s also big rewards that come with being in shape and I wanted talk about all that at the same time. And I also figured people might take some comfort in the fact that I am not a born jock, I was totally un-athletic for most of my life, and fell in love with exercise totally by accident. It’s easier to see possibility when the person you are talking to knows what it is like to feel hopelessly unfit and convinced they’ll never enjoy physical activity. Plus I needed a forum to do lots of swearing.
2) What do you think is the biggest obstacle that keeps women from engaging in a regular fitness routine and/or from living a more healthy lifestyle in general?
I suppose the easiest answer to this is many women don’t feel they have the time to exercise, but in truth we usually manage to make even a little bit of time for the things that make us happy. I actually think it might be more that the payoff isn’t good enough, and lots of women only think they *should* do an hour on the stairmaster rather than *wanting* to do an hour on the stairmaster. And I don’t blame them, it sounds really dull to me. I got into running because I have this really forceful friend who convinced me to wake up at ungodly hour and run with her, and this happened to coincide with me having an infant at home and I was just dying for time for myself and some adult conversation. From there I eventually got lots of benefits out of running–stress relief, weight loss, time for myself, feeling better in every way, etc.–and then found more physical activities I enjoyed. I’m still always fighting my own inertia, but now it feels worse not to exercise than to just do it and I know I’ll be over the moon when I’m done. And my activities, like kickboxing and crazy weight training classes, make me feel strong and badass so I drag myself to them even when I feel lazy.
People sometimes tell me they admire my discipline, but there’s not much nobility to it. If I don’t work out, I feel like crud, and if I do it, I feel better. It’s quite self-serving. Maybe women just need to be a little more self-serving. Hell, I’m just guessing. Women are all complicated, you know.
3) What do you consider to be the most unique or helpful thing about your blog?
Fitness Fixation is primarily unhelpful and if you don’t like the f-word, you’ll detest it. And lots of it is just me whining about fitness stuff and ranting and being very neurotic and grumpy. But sometimes other people write for me, and they are smart, and the commenters are often quite funny, and I can guarantee you I don’t pretend to know any more than I do and I’m very much myself there. So if you are into that sort of thing, you might like it. Oh, and I talk about hoo-hoos and other subjects that remain taboo in other places and yet are endlessly fascinating for someone like me with the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old. Plus we give out free makeovers. I totally made that last part up. The only thing given out free on Fitness Fixation is a bad attitude. But that is in unlimited supply.
Please take some time and visit Kelly’s blog: Fitness Fixation !
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Related Posts:
- Interview: Angie Schumacher of Women’s Diet and Fitness
- Overcoming Underearning: Book Review Part 5
- New cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines for women
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