I’ve queried seniors about whether they feel “elderly.” Whether the respondent was 70, 80 – I even got to ask someone who was 99 – the answer was almost always identical, “I pretty much feel like I always have.’” [...]
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September 1, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Attitude, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Mental Health, Motivation, Wellness
 Leave a comment August 24, 2010
Posted by Carla René in: Accountability, Advice, African-American, Attitude, Biography & Memoir, Book Marketing Online, Book Review, Books, Business, Business Management, Cancer, Cap and Trade, Children, China, Climate Change, Commentary, Comments & Discussion, Communications, Communism, Community, Computers, Congress, Contributor's Audio/Video, Creative Writing, Current Events, Democracy, Democrat, Diet, Economic Crisis, Economics, Education, Energy, Entertainment, Environment, Environmental Issues, Faith, Family, Fiction, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Relations, Freedom, Freelance Author, General Topics, Geopolitical Events, Global Warming, Governance, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Heroes, History, Homeland Security, Humor, Inspiration & Motivation, Internet, Internet Advice, Interview, Islam, Journalism, Latino & Hispanic, Legal, Life Experiences, Lifestyle, Literature, Marketing, Marriage, Medical, Men's Issues, Mental Health, Mexico, Military, Minorities, Morality, Motivation, Music, Native American, Nature/Wildlife, Non-Fiction, Nutrition, Opinion, Personal Experiences, Philosophical Genres, Poetry, Politics, Publishing, Question of the Day, Recovery, Relationships, Religion, Republican, Rhyme, Satire, Self-Help, Sex, Short Stories, Social Aspects, Social Classes, Social Issues, Sociology, Spirituality, Sports, Technology, Television, Terrorism, The Economy, The Media, The Pundit's Corner, The Writer's Corner, Travel, Uncategorized, Website Instructions, Weight loss, Wellness, Women's Perspective, Women's Rights, Working Women, Workplace, World Issues, Writing Essentials
Leave a comment Begun back sometime in 2001, this book was originally a fluke of an idea… [...] August 18, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Children, Current Events, Diet, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Lifestyle, Medical, Nutrition, Weight loss, Wellness
2 comments The study suggested that we not only need to encourage healthy eating habits for young children, but also need to set a good example by refraining from making negative comments about people who are overweight. Children of course, are mirrors of us and they pick up our attitude, which results in bullying behavior. In effect, we indirectly teach our children to bully. However, there is a bigger picture. We need to remember that each and every person has habits about which he or she is not proud. The difference is that if over-eating is the habit, it cannot be hidden. It is on display for all to view. [...] August 11, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Accountability, Diet, Freedom, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Mental Health, Recovery, Relationships, Self-Help
Leave a comment This begs an urgent question: Do we control our thoughts and feelings or do they control us? In effect, are we victims to the synaptic firings and hormone-driven changes of affect; or do we create them to serve our needs? Who is the master — and who is servant? [...] July 20, 2010
Next week I will have a minor eye operation. Again. This is not something I want to do but have to do so that I will be able to see in the future. Like the breast cancer I almost had I can safely say going to the doctor for an eye exam caught it in time. But what about those of us who can’t go to the doctor? What about those of us who won’t go? Continue reading Taking Care of Your Life July 14, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Advice, Attitude, Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Mental Health, Motivation, Self-Help, Weight loss
3 comments With appropriate disclaimers admitted, if we accept that we are standing in our own way, it begs the question, “Why would we do that?” Why do we NOT reach further, dream larger, and believe better? The primary answer is: Fear; Fear of Success, and its dastardly sibling, Fear of Failure. [...] July 3, 2010
This is the Fourth of July, Independence Day, weekend in the United States. It is a time for cookouts and overeating. While we are dealing with all types of weight problems and health concerns here we need to remember something as we sat down to red, white and blue plates heaped with grilled food. Potato salad is not a green vegetable. Continue reading It Isn’t Really Salad June 23, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Attitude, Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Mental Health, Motivation, Self-Help, Weight loss, Wellness
Leave a comment When the baby boomers started being born shortly after World War II, the entire population inhabiting this third rock from the sun was 2.3 billion. Therefore, if we lived in 1947, and we were facing this same predicament, every single, solitary, person would need to be on a diet. [...] June 16, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Commentary, Current Events, Diet, Family, Health & Fitness
One comment In the Korean community I am told when one is looking for a job one says they are looking to eat. Finding work is considered a ‘belly issue’ for one must feed their family. Unfortunately we have another ‘belly issue’ to contend with- obesity. And what drives me crazy is the fact that while health experts say that carrying around too much weight can lead to heart disease most of the people I encounter on a daily basis in New York tend to have over-sized bellies to go along with their over-sized appetites for things that aren’t good for them. Continue reading A Belly Issue June 7, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: African-American, Attitude, Cancer, Commentary, Habit Change, Health & Fitness
9 comments In the early summer of 1970 while still a freshman in college, I participated in a racial/cultural experiment of my own making. Our dorm had the highest roof on campus and therefore a safe haven for young women who wanted to sunbathe in the underwear. It was before the advent of cute and colorful bras and panties so everyone sported underwear in immaculate cotton white. Black lingerie was for sluts and seduction, not always in that order. The problem was the rood was not that big and every girl on campus wanted to come there leaving little space for the residents of our dorm. One pesky group in particular came onto the roof in droves taking over the place as if their own. I had never sunbathed in my life or seen the need to. I was black and had been raised to walk in the sun without sunscreen, using an umbrella to shade me from the heat only on the hottest of days. But my sister freshmen and I decided that there was one way to get rid of those unwanted on our roof. I would start sunbathing with them and we would see what happened. Less than ten minutes after I stripped to my lily white undies the crowd started to thin out. When I pulled back the platinum band of the diamond wristwatch my grandfather had given me four years earlier and said: “Oh look. I’m browner already,” and a pale white friend said “You are so lucky” more girls left. They never returned and I never cared. I did this more for my dorm than myself, but I after doing it I understood race and color much better. I wasn’t supposed to have diamonds and I wasn’t supposed to sit in the sun. Continue reading Sun, Summer and Color May 19, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Attitude, Commentary, Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Inspiration & Motivation, Mental Health, Nutrition, Opinion, Self-Help, Weight loss, Wellness
Leave a comment Civility’s spotlight has lately expanded to include the overweight. We shake our heads and whisper to our “normal” friends, “It’s a shame that they don’t take care of themselves. I’d never let myself look like that.” We wag our fingers and click our tongues, satisfied that we are “better than that.” [...] May 16, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Current Events, Diet, Family, Habit Change, Health & Fitness
3 comments There are several commercials airing on New York television lately about a tax Governor David Patterson wants to put on sodas, special waters and juice drinks. The voice wants Albany to “stay out of our grocery baskets.” It says if they were busier getting rid of overspending they would not need to tax the little guy. The problem is the little guy isn’t so little anymore. He is overweight and careless when it comes to food consumption. It isn’t as if the state is taxing something that people need. They are putting a tax on non-essential junk drinks. In a sense they are trying to help the little guy get back to his right size. Continue reading The Overpriced and Overweight New York Grocery Cart April 7, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Attitude, Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Mental Health, Personal Experiences, Self-Help, Weight loss, Wellness
3 comments It’s unrealistic to assume you won’t screw-up now and then, especially if you’re trying new things. So without mistakes, there is no reason for adjustment, which means we’re not learning anything; therefore nothing changes. So, one could say mistakes are actually step one in improving our life. [...] April 6, 2010
Posted by seamus in: Advice, Attitude, Books, Business, Commentary, Current Events, Entertainment, Faith, Family, Freedom, General Topics, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Humor, Interview, Life Experiences, Lifestyle, Medical, Men's Issues, Motivation, Non-Fiction, Opinion, Personal Experiences, Publishing, Recovery, Religion, Self-Help, Social Aspects, Social Issues, Sociology, The Media, The Pundit's Corner, The Writer's Corner, Uncategorized, Wellness
21 comments Several months ago I woke up feeling odd (not strange for me). Got out of bed, took the old good morning pee, moved down the hall following the smell of coffee and then had to grab a gaudy table halfway down the hall to keep from falling. Not normal but what the hell. I [...] April 1, 2010
This morning as I left the house for the office I got my ego rubbed by a neighbor. I merely said “Good Morning” and he responded with “Thanks for reminding me.” I assumed he meant about the morning and the possibility of the day to come but he was only hesitating before he completed his thought: “Thanks for reminding me that all the pretty women are older.” Then he smiled and said “Have a good day” and went on his way. A pick up line? Maybe and for a women in my age range a good one. But I started thinking about something else: the pride we put in looking younger instead of being happy with the rewards of aging. And aging can be beautiful. Continue reading The Rewards of Getting Older March 26, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Accountability, Advice, African-American, Attitude, Children, Commentary, Diet, Family, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Uncategorized
3 comments Twenty dollars to feed a family of four dinner for a week. Steak is out, maybe one chicken if you’re lucky. Rice will be at every meal, if the price doesn’t go up again. And there won’t be any fruit when bananas, the only fruit your 3 year old will eat costs 79cents a pound. What can you give your family but what is affordable? Canned beans, boxed mac and cheese, spam, hot dogs, iceberg lettuce to suffice for the $2 a pound string beans. For breakfast you give the kids a treat of generic brand bright colored cereal that costs $2 a bag, since boxed cereal is unaffordable. Some days they have it without milk- look how much that costs. But they seem happy with the food they are getting and you are happy that you can put food on the table until the school sends home a notification that your child is overweight and is having trouble breathing while playing. You know you need to stop supplementing his diet with inexpensive treats whenever he gets an A or whenever he can’t get to go to special places like his friends. You use food to make him happy but that happiness is killing him. March 24, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Children, Commentary, Current Events, Diet, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Opinion, Social Issues, Weight loss, Wellness
Leave a comment Childhood obesity begins in adulthood. At first blush, that makes as much sense as the bumper sticker that proclaims, “Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your kids.” Of course, that placard is humorous; the wellbeing of society is anything but. The unvarnished truth is when we get down to brass tacks, children to not become obese by choice, but rather by the (in)action of adults. [...] March 19, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Advice, Children, Diet, Family, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Uncategorized
2 comments The title is self-explanatory. Most of us come here with complaints about everything from the weather to the government to the dog down the street. The problem is most of us just complain and don’t have suggestions. Recently I wrote about obesity because it has become a major topic of discussion in New York at this time. There is a desire to add a tax to sugary drinks in hopes that the increase in price while deter people, especially young people from consuming these empty calories. At the same time there is a campaign to not do this because of the hardship it would cause families when they shop. There have to be other alternatives and instead of just complaining I am suggesting one. If we want our children to be healthy change the school lunches and give them more recess time outdoors in the form of controlled exercise. Continue reading Posting Solutions, Not Just Complaints March 17, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Motivation, Recovery, Self-Help, Weight loss, Wellness
Leave a comment What began as extremely unfussy and obtainable intention – eating better and moving more – has erupted into a full-scale mega-production requiring learning how to cook differently, shopping with new eyes, rearranging schedules, altering relationships, and devising self-inflicting intimidating goals. Building such blockades makes the procedure ridiculously difficult and horribly unpleasant. [...] March 11, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Diet, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Medical, Mental Health, Nutrition
2 comments Our body can’t perceive the difference between “saber-tooth tiger stress” and the “IRS is on the phone for you” stress. All it understands is that something is a kilter; we are under pressure and it reacts to deal with the problem. [...] March 8, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Commentary, Diet, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, Health & Fitness, Uncategorized
3 comments The daffodils just phoned in a complaint. If they make an early appearance to the party they may die from the future cold. The birds sitting on my windowsill refuse to shut up. They are discussing their friends who flew south and are missing the fine weather. The trees have decided to wait to see how long this warm spell with last. Nature is being teased by a preview of spring in New York and we are all watching and waiting for the real thing. Continue reading A Tease from Spring March 3, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Biography & Memoir, Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Healthcare
One comment She was 6 feet 1 inches and weighed 411 pounds. These figures stick to my memory because I had never met a woman so large who could move so fast and be so full of joy. I met her in the 70s when the world was still determining the worth of a woman by her looks and this young woman, not even 20 years old, was so true to herself she did not care that she was not slim or small. She had a boyfriend, she had loving parents and she loved life. Continue reading An Obese Story March 3, 2010
Posted by Muhammad Cohen in: Business, Business Management, Cancer, Congress, Current Events, Economic Crisis, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Interview, Medical, Wellness, World Issues
Leave a comment While politicians fiddle and patients get burned, Americans’ best bet for affordable, quality medical care right now is in Bangkok. [...] February 24, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Children, Commentary, Diet, Education, Health & Fitness
Leave a comment Quiet as it is kept I love to bake and am pretty good at it. When my kids were in New York City public schools I participated in some of the bake sales to raise money for different school needs. Now bake sales are no longer allowed because of concern in the city about childhood obesity. But they can sell Doritos to raise money? Where is the logic in that? Continue reading Doritos Healthier than Brownies? February 22, 2010
Posted by Alan Caruba in: Commentary, Congress, Current Events, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Medical, Opinion
One comment Making Vitamins Too Costly for Your Health By Alan Caruba At age 72 I have been taking a full range of vitamin and mineral supplements for years. Even I find it amusing to open more than a dozen bottles every morning to extract vitamins A, B, C, D and E, along with zinc, potassium, selenium, and fish oil. On the advice of my physician long ago, I also take a low dose aspirin every day. I also take some herbal supplements. In early January I fell and broke my collar bone. A month later it was completely healed. I don’t get the common cold, although I do experience seasonal allergies that are controlled with anti-histamine. In sum, I am as healthy as a person of my age can hope to be. So why have Sen. John McCain (R-NV) and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) joined to introduce an amendment to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that would deny freedom of easy access to these vitamins and minerals that are now commonly available in supermarkets, pharmacies and other outlets at affordable prices? Why would they conspire to make dietary supplements such as purified fish oil seven times more expensive than it is today? Continue reading Making Vitamins Too Costly for Your Health February 19, 2010
When I was a kid Lent used to be a source of sorrow around the Catholic school playground. On the day before Ash Wednesday, we had to tell the nuns and teachers what we gave up for Lent. They kept a record of what we were supposed to abstain from so that there would be no backsliding while they were in charge. In those days Lent was a 24-seven six weeks of doing without. The candy most of us gave up came back to us in spades on Easter Sunday in the form of marshmallow chicks and chocolate bunnies. None of us thought of Lent as a good time to focus of losing weight since most of us weren’t overweight. Today with the rise of childhood obesity and most adults being one meal from needing to go to the fat farm, it makes sense that Lent could be the beginning of something great if only people would take advantage of it. Continue reading Lent and the Weight Thing February 17, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Attitude, Children, Family, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Mental Health, Motivation, Personal Experiences, Recovery, Relationships, Travel, Wellness
Leave a comment As I watched the drama, it dawned on me that this process of learning does not end when we move away from our parents. It is a sequence that presents itself continually: Frustration. Lesson. Acceptance. Progress. Repeat cycle as necessary until learned. [...] February 15, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Commentary, Current Events, Health & Fitness, Uncategorized
5 comments Silent Bob was not allowed to fly on Southwest Airlines because he did not fit into the seat. They have a policy of making those who do not fit comfortably into the 17 inches assigned to each passenger either get off or pay for an extra seat. Silent Bob has taken to Twitter to voice his complaints. He says he is not to fat to fly but if he too fat for one seat? Continue reading Is Silent Bob too Fat to Fly? February 12, 2010
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Advice, Children, Commentary, Family, Habit Change, Health & Fitness
Leave a comment Believe it or not I was a skinny little girl. I climbed trees, dug deep mud holes and ran with the boys. The only girls to play with in my neighborhood were my sisters and they were a few years younger and a whole lot prissier. Now being overweight I see that my youth was so different from the childhood of today. Once I became an adult and stopped moving a lot I lost the ability to fight off the pounds. But I played outdoors a lot as a child. I hated to see the rain. Where children today sit and stare, we baby boomers moved. Continue reading Take the Children Outside February 1, 2010
Posted by Bob Grant - Editor in: Comments & Discussion, Current Events, Environment, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Medical
Leave a comment Should there be a ban on smoking – if so – in what places or areas? We welcome your thoughts and comments. January 30, 2010
For the past three, or has it been four, days I have been confined to bed suffering from what is probably the worse head cold I have had in years. I haven’t been able to concentrate enough to write, edit or go to work. When I spoke to someone on the phone and they heard the voice of congestion they’d ask: “So, what are you taking?” If I didn’t answer with something they approved of they’d give me their ideas. Turns out everybody has their own cure for the common cold. Continue reading Everybody has a Cure for the Common Cold January 30, 2010
Posted by Bob Grant - Editor in: Attitude, Comments & Discussion, Current Events, Education, Family, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Sex
Leave a comment Do you think their will be a cure for HIV/Aids? What should – or could – be done to prevent it? We welcome your thoughts and comments. January 26, 2010
Evening rush hour on the train is not just about getting home, it’s about getting a seat. Sometimes the trains are so crowded you have to wait until two or three pass before you can even board. Last week I was lucky enough to get on a train that wasn’t so crowded. For reasons that no passenger can explain the train was held in the station which meant more and more people would get on from connecting trains. With only a few stops to go I can’t afford to go to close my eyes. But the young man standing over me kept leaning down as if he was going to collapse on the floor into the fetal position caused me concern. He seemed so tired that I almost offered him my seat. Exhaustion, I decided after he kept falling into the passengers to the right and left of him, was not his problem. Continue reading Subway Story: Sleeping While Standing on the Train January 19, 2010
Love is the most powerful force in the universe (1 Cor. We celebrate love on Valentines Day. While that is January 19, 2010
Did You Know? Improving the quality of your health doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Simple is always best. Jesus never made anything complicated. Now there is certainly a difference between “easy” and “simple.” Something may be simple but it might not necessarily be easy to do. For me, breaking things down to their basic components simplifies them and I believe the following strategies will help you make 2010 your healthiest year – ever! You can work these into your life any way that works for you – include one a week or one each month in your life until you’ve worked them all in. There’s no set time here – there’s only ONE thing you must do – start! So, here are some simple 3-D living strategies: 1. Make God first priority: live out Matthew 6:33 which commands us to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. I suggest in your prayer time each morning that you intentionally set your purpose for the day and not just tasks you must complete. Set your spiritual purpose for the day as well (be patient with my boss or show kindness to my children) or whatever you choose. 2. Be a new wineskin: be teachable, open to learning new ways to do things. If you remain set in your ways and are not willing to learn, nothing will ever change. In the Bible we learn that fresh, new wine could only be put into new, supple wineskins. If it was put in stiff, hardened, old wineskins they would burst and the wine would be wasted. Continue reading 10 Simple Strategies for Your Healthiest Year January 7, 2010
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Mental Health, Self-Help, Weight loss, Wellness
Leave a comment Stop! Don’t do it! I know it’s the “new year,” that ritualistic period whereby we become fixated on ridding ourselves of that sluggish, bloated, overloaded blob-like feeling in which we wrapped ourselves for the previous two months. Whipped up by cartons of cookies and bags of breadstuffs; flavored by truckloads of turkey with gravy, ham with glaze, or both; coated in tankards of eggnog (with and without rum); we are just darn-near ready to put on the brakes and embrace our “new me.” It is a cultural happening. As ubiquitous was “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” last month are now the signs of this new year’s dawning. Full-page gift ads have converted to double truck spreads promoting six-pack abs and shriek, “Have the sexy glutes you’ve always wanted!” Even jolly old Saint Nick has shifted his routine. Two weeks ago, singing elves warmly patted their bellies after consuming plates of iced cookies. Today? Santa’s helpers wear sweatpants and can barely let forth a hum as they aspire to get heart rates into the target zone while pounding away on the treadmill in the new North Pole gym. Continue reading The only resolution that works December 20, 2009
My daughter Elizabeth and I attended an open house at the college she decided to attend. The dean spoke to the students and posed this riddle to them. “Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. Question: How many are left?” We looked at each other thinking – duh – that’s pretty obvious, there’s only one left – but here is what he said. [...] December 17, 2009
Posted by Bill Hazelgrove in: Current Events, Democracy, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Sociology, The Pundit's Corner
One comment Joe Lieberman needs to be bitch slapped. We need Hillary or someone to get in and fight for us now. The President is too remote, too Ivy League, too government by deal. As Keith Obermann said in a piercing comment, “there is a big difference between compromise and compromised. “With the loss of the Public Option, no Medicare buyi n and the ability to charge whatever they want for preexisting conditions, surely President Obama has gotten his hat handed to him and told to not let the door hit him on the way out. Insurance has won. The Republicans have won. The American people have lost because no one has fought for them. The case for a legislative victory becomes weak when we are the Poles who just lost the Danzig corridor in the name of appeasement. You can almost see President Obama on a carrier, “I have just secured healthcare reform in our time!” So we need Hillary. We need someone who will get in there and burn these namby pamby conservative Democrats to the ground and push the obstructionist Republicans to the side. We need someone not afraid to get dirty. Barack is looking a little too crisp these days, a little too polished while Harry Reid and the boys look like they have gone though a war. They have. They have had to fight without a commander. Mr. President, get in there and fight for us! Don’t take this watered down garbage that is now passing for reform. Make Joe Lieberman accountable. The man got a million dollars this year from the insurance companies. He is as tainted as any Tammany Hall politician ever was. Continue reading We need Hillary to bitch slap Lieberman December 15, 2009
The first person that ever talked with me directly about sex was not my mother or father (who probably expected me to remain a virgin until death) but our math teacher who discovered that most of the class had played a dangerous game of spin the bottle (with more consequences than a touch or two to private parts) one weekend at a birthday party. When he asked how many of us knew about sex we all raised our hands not wanting to be that one person in the 7th grade who admitted to being sexually ignorant. We discovered however that outside of street smarts passed down from supposedly knowledgeable older students we only knew where babies came from and what went where. Like the young people of today we did not really know about sex. Continue reading Teaching Young People About Sex December 10, 2009
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Diet, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Lifestyle, Motivation, Weight loss, Wellness
One comment Looking for something to help wind down at the end of a hard day clogging your arteries with Monster Pies? How about the McNuggetini? This festive drink (?) consists of a chocolate milkshake mixed with vodka, rimmed with barbecue sauce, and garnished with half a chicken nugget. “Hey bar-keep! Gimme a double will ya?” [...] December 2, 2009
Improving the quality of your health doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Simple is always best. Jesus never made anything complicated. Now there is certainly a difference between “easy” and “simple.” Something may be simple but it might not necessarily be easy to do. For me, breaking things down to their basic components simplifies them and I believe the following strategies will help you make 2010 your healthiest year – ever! [...] November 27, 2009
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Commentary, Congress, Democracy, Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Inspiration & Motivation, Lifestyle, Medical, Nutrition, Opinion, Self-Help, Weight loss, Wellness
2 comments Quoting Cassius, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves…” It’s easy to pronounce and pontificate about what “they” should do, it’s quite another little something to step to the platform, roll up our sleeves, and actually take action. Irrespective of legislation regarding “single payer” or “pre-existing conditions,” we must each make a difference in our own lives by establishing good health as a higher priority in day-to-day decisions. [...] November 23, 2009
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Motivation, Nutrition, Wellness
2 comments Although food is definitely a means by which we celebrate good fortune, I must note that nowhere is “stuffing oneself until sick” listed as a tradition. Quite the contrary, I would go so far as to say that uncomfortable, pained, hyper-expanded feeling that follows so many Thanksgiving celebrations actually detracts from the appreciative sense of gratitude one would hope to experience. Maybe, that’s one tradition we can drop this year. [...] November 18, 2009
Did You Know? 95% of all New Year’s resolutions are either forgotten or broken by “Blue Monday,” the third Monday in January? That’s a pretty discouraging statistic. Like you, I’ve seen all the suggestions to set goals instead of “making resolutions” – make them specific – measurable – give them a time frame. Honestly I don’t think it matters what you call them. Truthfully, while setting goals is definitely important and something I do, let’s consider something else. As 2010 begins, I suggest we simply build momentum. Apply it to your health, finances, spiritual growth, relationships and career. [...] November 17, 2009
Posted by Congressman Billybob in: Commentary, Current Events, Health & Fitness, Medical, Opinion
One comment A ‘Death Panel’ Surfaces November 17, 2009
Posted by Minnette Coleman in: Cancer, Family, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Medical, Wellness, Women's Perspective
3 comments The insurance companies are trying to screw us again. By us I mean women. Well mostly women. Some men get breast cancer too. Like Richard Roundtree, the one time Ebony model who was the original “Shaft” in the movies. And like the man who was in the room next to me last year having a mammogram when I had mine. He looked about 35. I was 57. Would he be dead now if the insurance companies had their way with a new study that recommends a change in testing for possible breast cancer? Continue reading The Distrubing New Study on Breast Cancer November 13, 2009
I believe it is NOT what you do from Thanksgiving to New Year’s that makes or breaks your fitness plan, but what you do from New Year’s to Thanksgiving!! What you consistently do, day in and day out is what really matters. Holidays are wonderful, fun times to enjoy with family and friends. We know there will be foods we don’t eat normally and most of us will overeat. Let’s just be honest! It’s more about making good choices when you can and keeping a balance. [...] November 11, 2009
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Mental Health, Motivation, Self-Help, Weight loss, Wellness
Leave a comment Watch what you say, it could become your life. Therefore, when we say, “I’ve lost my motivation,” it presupposes that motivation is some foreign entity residing in a distant land. Yet, we are the source of our motivation. [...] November 5, 2009
According to Mayoclinic.com, depression is one of the most common health conditions in the world? It is also expected to be the second leading cause of disability for people of all ages by 2020. It is a medical illness involving both the soul (your mind/thoughts and emotions) and the physical body. [...] October 29, 2009
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Attitude, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Motivation, Recovery, Self-Help, Wellness
4 comments Positive thinking is not blind, naive, magical wishing. I cannot rub a crystal ball, site solemnly my affirmations, and assume that all will go exactly as I foresee. It does not materialize nirvana. What it does is gives me a stake in my own outcomes; so my life becomes mine, for better or worse. [...] October 26, 2009
Posted by Bill Hazelgrove in: Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Politics, Social Aspects, The Pundit's Corner
One comment Seven Million. That’s what insurance companies are spending a week to defeat this healthcare reform. Now why would that be? Is it because they are just so sure they are providing us the best healthcare out there and no other system could better serve the American public than the one where insurance companies decided who will get healthcare and who wont? Is it the altruism that is near and dear to the heart of insurance executives who determine pre existing conditions and cut off people just when they need their healthcare the most? Is it because they are morally opposed to Obamacare and believe that socialized medicine is against our democratic ideal and they don’t want us to be duped into something that smacks of those socialists across the ocean? Or is it because they are making so much money off Americans at their most vulnerable point that they can afford to spend seven million a week and still generate enormous profits. Any industry that spends that kind of money to fight change is up to no good. On this we can agree. They are making so much money that they can blow twenty eight million a month to fight legislation that will give more Americans healthcare. This is evil. And we know it is evil. Somewhere people got inside the government and have gotten between the people and their elected leaders who job it is to protect the common good. We know this because of the one percent that is keeping all the money in this country now. We know this because Wall Street is giving away billions in bonuses again. We know this because forty six million people are without healthcare. Continue reading Seven Million Bucks a Week to Defeat Health Reform October 26, 2009
Government List of Things that Could Kill You
By Alan Caruba
With the presidential announcement that H1N1, the “swine” flu, is now officially a national emergency, plus reports out of the CDC that not enough vaccine is available, I thought it might be helpful to provide a list of things that the government says could kill you. Right up there at the top is, of course, (1) global warming. President Obama and Al Gore says the entire planet is going to resemble a toasted marshmallow at a Boy Scout jamboree if we all don’t stop driving cars, manufacturing things, generating and using electricity, et cetera. And that goes for you, too, China and India! Next is (2) smoking. It is an incontrovertible fact that everyone in the graveyard nearest to you who ever smoked is dead. The government, which used to make a lot of money from tobacco taxes, is dead set—no pun intended—against anyone smoking. This used to be a matter of personal choice, but now it will get you thrown out of arenas, restaurants, offices of all descriptions, and just about every other public place. Those who insist on still smoking are going to die. At some point. Another thing that will kill you is (3) guns. It is a matter of complete consternation that the 90 million or so gun-owners in America are not all dead! The government wants to take away their guns in order to protect them from shooting themselves, their family members, and possibly someone trying to break into their home or apartment. Apparently criminals have not paid sufficient attention to government warnings and insist on using guns, whenever possible, in robberies and drug deals gone bad. Continue reading Government List of Things that Could Kill You October 26, 2009
My world is full of people coughing sneezing and looking amazingly ill. And thats just a ride on the subway. Whenever someone sneezes I say a short prayer. My prayer is to stay alive and well. My prayer is that no one in my family, including me, gets the flu. But that of course is not going to happen. Continue reading Flu Fears October 24, 2009
Posted by Congressman Billybob in: Commentary, Health & Fitness, Humor, Life Experiences, Medical, Personal Experiences
Leave a comment Oxygen and Old Age October 23, 2009
It’s always best to take advantage of seasonal and local produce available to you. While we all love those tender spring vegetables in a delicate pasta prima vera, winter vegetables are no slouch! Here are just a few you may want to include in your winter meals. [...] October 21, 2009
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Children, Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Mental Health, Nutrition, Weight loss, Wellness
2 comments When I’m bored, I want to eat. When I’m sad, I eat. When I’m angry — you got it. You know, there are people who, when they’re bored, they read a book? When they’re sad, they call a friend; and when they’re angry, they take a walk. There’s a clinical term for that kind of personality: it’s called “skinny.” [...] October 12, 2009
Posted by Alan Caruba in: Commentary, Comments & Discussion, Current Events, Democrat, Governance, Health & Fitness, Medical, Opinion
5 comments The Swine Who Live to Scare You By Alan Caruba
For a very long time I have made my living as a business and science writer. That profession tends to make one fond of facts. It’s the reason my blog’s URL is “facts not fantasy” and why I call it “Warning Signs.” It is the reason I founded The National Anxiety Center in 1990 as a clearinghouse for information about “scare campaigns designed to influence public opinion and policy.” We live in a world of competing lies, all swirling around us and generated by government and what are now called “non-governmental organizations.” These NGOs suck at the government’s teat or insert themselves into larger organizations such as the United Nations in order to steer them in directions that will fatten their purses and wallets. These are the swine who live to scare you because they know this is the way to benefit from your ignorance, gullibility or because you will not take the time to check out the “facts” they are telling you, using them like cattle prods to make you and others move in the direction they want. All of which brings me to the Swine flu or its more politically correct name, H1N1. It is another variant of the flu that goes around the world every year. Do you remember the Bird Flu that was supposed to kill millions, but didn’t? Or what about the regular seasonal, but unnamed flu that kills an average 36,000 Americans every year? Continue reading The Swine Who Live to Scare You October 10, 2009
It wasn’t my connection to chocolate bars that bothered me last winter. To me chocolate was a food group and even when dieting it was included in my eating plan. Ask anyone who has gone through Weight Watchers and they will tell you the point is to learn how to eat and to get rid of the ‘diet’ i.e. denial mentality. You have to learn how to eat the things you love in moderation. I made a daily attempt to write down what I ate and sometimes added the time that I ate so I could figure out why I ate. The problem last winter seemed to be I couldn’t get enough food and I didn’t know why. Continue reading Anguish and Food October 7, 2009
Posted by TimKellis in: Advice, Book Marketing Online, Book Review, Books, Communications, Current Events, Education, Family, General Topics, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Lifestyle, Marriage, Men's Issues, Mental Health, Motivation, Non-Fiction, Philosophical Genres, Relationships, Self-Help, Social Aspects, Social Issues, Spirituality, The Media, The Pundit's Corner, The Writer's Corner, Wellness
2 comments
 Carl Jung Now here is another brain teaser for your therapist, or should I say mind teaser, the notion of curing someone with depression. Sadly, this is one of the most common causes of problems in marriages, and while we look for help from the professionals they take advantage of that vulnerability with a platform that doesn’t get to the root causes of depression. All the while, we spend about $12 billion a year on therapy and $15 billion on pharmacology drugs to treat “mental illnesses”, particularly depression. I even find it hilarious that there is an ad on TV promoting a drug called Abilify that begins by stating that 2/3rds of people suffering from depression still have depression symptoms after taking traditional “medicine”, in essence admitting the inability of the medical approach to curing people. After all, our “mental illnesses” are biologically based, hence the medical approach to a “cure”, and there is really nothing that can be done mentally. But there was a psychologist who actually did cure people, the one-time heir apparent to Freud by the name of Carl Jung. I refer to Jung as the greatest psychologist who ever lived basically because of the fact that his objective was to cure his patients. Let me relate to you one of his patients whom he did cure, a patient suffering from depression. Ironically, the professionals of his day actually diagnosed her with Schizophrenia. Boy I can imagine the response from the professionals if I would have titled this post “Curing Schizophrenia”, because as most people realize after 100 years of propagating the biology conclusion, Schizophrenia is incurable. Continue reading Curing Depression October 4, 2009
I didn’t enter this world with any specific attitude towards the medical profession, so any opinions I now hold are entirely its own work. As a child, especially as a child of the 1950s, you were used to adults paying you scant respect. For them, you as a child were merely a semi-trained adult. Consequently, they did not bother to disguise their underlying nature from you, and any child could have told you who were the deep-down kindly people and who were the rest (many animals can provide a similar service to this day). However, even against this bleak landscape of general disdain, the medical profession stood out like the Spanish Inquisition. I could describe their collective attitude in one word – arrogant – or I could describe it in many – curt, rude, brutal, uncaring, cold, clinical, threatening, vain, pompous – but the overall message was clear: “You are not important. I don’t really have time for you and you are certainly not worth my time, but even though you don’t deserve it, I suppose …..” Continue reading Are all doctors Faustus? October 3, 2009
Posted by cmusico in: Advice, Attitude, Biography & Memoir, Economic Crisis, Economics, Faith, Family, Finance, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Humor, Inspiration & Motivation, Journalism, Life Experiences, Motivation, Nutrition, Personal Experiences, Recovery, Relationships, Weight loss
One comment This month marks a rather large milestone in my life — it’s the official one-year anniversary of my real-world independence. This time last year, I moved into my apartment in Jersey City. Sure, I stayed in the dorms at Seton Hall University, but I always went home for the summer. This was different, though. This time I was moving out for good. In that time, we’ve seen a lot go on in the world around us. Our economy collapsed, the Mets collapsed (again), the Phillies actually won the World Series, the Steelers won another Super Bowl, we had our first black president, and about 3,000 celebrities passed away. Personally, I’ve seen a lot happen as well. I’ve lost about 20 pounds, seen my job transform in good and bad ways, and learned a whole lot about how strong and resilient I can be when necessary. I’m a big believer that a lot of the events that happen in our lives do influence how we act with regard to our finances. Here are eight of the most important lessons that I’ve learned in the past year — and lived to tell you all:
September 30, 2009
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Attitude, Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Mental Health, Motivation, Weight loss, Wellness
Leave a comment Oh yes, once in a while, something great does cross my computer screen, and it’s worth telling others about. The RULES FOR BEING HUMAN, by Cherie Carter-Scott, fits that bill, consisting of ten brilliant lessons on how to manage your time on Planet Earth. [...] September 23, 2009
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Attitude, Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Inspiration & Motivation, Motivation, Personal Experiences, Self-Help, Weight loss, Wellness
2 comments From the moment she entered the jet, I could tell she did not want to be there. In addition to apologizing each time her overloaded “Big Brown Bag” banged someone in an aisle seat, she was having difficulty navigating her excessive size down the skeletal-sized aisle. I knew the other passengers were thinking, “I hope she doesn’t sit next to me.” Plane seats are not known for roominess, and having someone else’s bulk overspill into one’s limited area was not something for which anyone eagerly plunked down a few hundred dollars. My overweight past flooded to my forethought and I remembered being the recipient of “that look” in the other passengers’ eyes when I used to enter an airplane. I avoided eye contact; my method of signaling to each traveler, “Don’t worry. You’re safe. I’m not sitting next to you.” Finally, I would locate my seat (God forbid it was a center seat). I’d smile and meekly point to the location into which I was supposed to compress. My neighbor would smile weakly, rise, and let me pass. After I settled in, he would reclaim his territory and – although he would usually try to hide it – I would notice a subtle, but definite, slight tilt in the opposite direction from me; trying to retain as much space as possible for himself. All of those memories swamped my consciousness now and I knew what this woman walking the aisle was experiencing in this moment. Continue reading An Effort Either Way September 21, 2009
While enjoying the last few days of summer in New York I had the chance to do a little shopping and ended up, naturally, in a book store. After deciding that I was not yet interested in Dan Brown’s latest venture or interested in the remainders tables I headed for the restroom. As is the case in most bathrooms for women there was a line. But there was also a woman at the sink watching her hands in what appeared to be enough latter to cleanse a small child. She was humming “Happy Birthday to you” as she scrubbed and scrubbed, the water flowing until the suds were all rinsed away. With a paper towel that she had tucked under her arm she turned off the faucet. She backed out the door never touching another thing. Was she preparing for surgery or had she come across something so awful that its mere appearance suggested germs? Thats when I remembered that doctors and hospitals are suggesting that we wash our hands thoroughly though two choruses of the Happy Birthday melody in order to kill germs on our hands. Its one way to save ourselves during this flu season. Continue reading Washing Your Hands September 21, 2009
Did you know, prayer is the most basic mind-body therapy known to man? In fact, even though some experts are only realizing how important your spirit is to your physical health now, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, believed that the moral and spiritual aspects of a person’s life affected their health. [...] September 21, 2009
You take between 18 and 26,000 breaths every day! You require 88 lbs. of oxygen daily – it is the most critical chemical in your body. Your brain alone requires 25% of the oxygen you take in. Breathing is the only bodily function which can be done either consciously or unconsciously. The average person uses only twenty percent of their lung capacity. Increasing oxygen content in all the cells of the body can produce dramatic changes in general health and mood. [...] September 21, 2009
Posted by AMusico in: Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Personal Experiences, Weight loss, Wellness
Leave a comment We are so used to being surrounded by sound some of us cannot stand to be without some type of noise – whether it’s the television or radio in the background, a CD or static and nature sounds from a “white noise” machine. If you pay attention, you’ll find there are very few (if any) places where you escape intentional sound – stores, doctor/dentist offices, restaurants, gas stations, public rest rooms – they all seem to have music piped in. [...] September 18, 2009
Posted by TimKellis in: Advice, Book Marketing Online, Books, Communications, Current Events, Education, Family, General Topics, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Inspiration & Motivation, Life Experiences, Lifestyle, Marriage, Men's Issues, Mental Health, Non-Fiction, Personal Experiences, Philosophical Genres, Relationships, Self-Help, Social Issues, The Media, The Pundit's Corner, The Writer's Corner, Wellness, Women's Perspective
7 comments   Equality: The Quest for the Happy Marriage If you would like to get your therapist’s head spinning ask him or her what it means to be cured and watch as your therapist struggles to answer that question. The unfortunate reality is the psychology industry, with its biological foundation, has not yet defined what it means to be mentally cured. What makes this notion even more amazing, is the rest of us as a society knows the answer to this question, to be happy with yourself. To clarify, though, individual happiness has nothing to do with the level of wealth or looks, but is an internal quality where the individual finds balance in his or her perception of self against the backdrop of the rest of society.
I wanted to discuss one psychological problem to demonstrate my point, the notion of alcoholism. Modern medical definitions describe alcoholism as a diseaseand addiction which results in a persistent use of alcohol despite negative consequences. The Journal of the American Medical Association defines alcoholism as “a primary, chronic disease characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking.” According to Wikipedia it is estimated that 9% of the general population is predisposed to alcoholism based on genetic factors. In other words, alcoholism is defined as a biological disease defined by the genetic makeup of the individual. Alcoholics Anonymous’ basic text, known as the “Big Book,” describes alcoholism as an illness that involves a physical allergy and a mental obsession. And of course the mental obsession occurs because of the biological makeup of the brain. Because of this definition there is no attempt on the professionals part to “cure” the alcoholic. In fact, the 12-step program in AA basically teaches people that they have a disease and must give their lives up to God to manage their disease, despite the fact that the fourth step involves clarifying those experiences from the past that have caused the mental problems in the first place, in what is called the “moral inventory”. Continue reading Curing Alcoholism September 16, 2009
Posted by scottqmarcus in: Diet, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Lifestyle, Medical, Nutrition, Weight loss, Wellness
2 comments Due to the long lifespan of people and the rigors of the diet, studies of calorie restriction in humans are ongoing and have yet to show that people live longer. Nonetheless, thousands of individuals now follow calorie restriction diets, hoping to discover what Ponce de Leon did not. [...] September 15, 2009
Posted by cmusico in: Advice, Attitude, Current Events, Diet, Economic Crisis, Economics, Habit Change, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Motivation, Nutrition, Recovery, The Economy
Leave a comment I have a confession to make: I really do enjoy watching television. So imagine my happiness that NBC’s The Biggest Loser is premiering another season tonight at 8 p.m. EDT. Say what you will about the show — that it exploits overweight people, etc. — but I choose to look at it more optimistically. Essentially, people who have fallen off the health-and-fitness track in life are getting another shot with some of the best resources available to take steps toward a life-altering change. I sincerely believe there are similarities — six to be exact — between The Biggest Loser and your personal finance journey. 1. To progress toward an end goal, you must determine your starting point. September 13, 2009
Posted by AMusico in: Diet, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Medical, Nutrition, Spirituality, Wellness
Leave a comment Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a group of symptoms indicating a malfunction of the bowel. Unlike celiac disease discussed in last week’s email, this is not an autoimmune “disease.” It is a “syndrome” which means a group of symptoms, the most common of which are cramping, abdominal swelling, discomfort or pain, spastic contractions of the colon, bloating, gas, whitish mucus in the stool, diarrhea, and/or constipation. [...] September 13, 2009
Posted by AMusico in: Diet, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Medical, Nutrition, Wellness
Leave a comment Celiac disease is one of the most common chronic health disorders in the western world. It is also one of the most under and mis-diagnosed. Until recently, medical schools taught that celiac disease was relatively rare and only affected about 1 in 2,500 people. Recent studies and advances in diagnosis show that at least 3 million Americans, or about 1 in 133 people have celiac disease, but only 1-in-4,700 is ever diagnosed! So what is celiac disease? It is an autoimmune disease that is caused by the genetic inability to digest gluten, which is the protein portion of many common grains – particularly wheat. This undigested protein then attacks the body’s immune system causing inflammation and damaging the small intestine. Damage to the small intestine results in the inability to absorb nutrients from your food, leading to malnutrition. While celiac is considered a “digestive disorder” and the “classic” symptoms include weight loss, chronic diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain, here’s the kicker – there are often a wide variety of symptoms that seem to be unrelated to digestion. They can range from anemia, dementia, infertility, bone pain, weakness/fatigue, mouth sores, dehydration, back pain, tooth enamel defects, irritability or depression. Many people who have been diagnosed with celiac disease actually report no symptoms at all! Continue reading Gluten: Friend or Foe? September 13, 2009
In researching and writing about Candida, the scriptures in the Old Testament, particularly those in Exodus and Leviticus which talk about making offerings of cakes made without yeast came to mind. Yeast in these scriptures referred to sin. While having a yeast infection or overgrowth of Candida in no way indicates sin – it was telling to me how easily this fungus can invade our lives, much as sin can and does! Back to the original subject, which is how to rebalance your system and get the good bacteria to outnumber the bad as it is supposed to. Here are some simple things you can do: Continue reading Getting Rid of Candida September 13, 2009
Posted by AMusico in: Diet, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Medical, Nutrition, Wellness
Leave a comment While the title of this article is a play on the first few words of an old Tony Orlando song, Candida is no laughing matter. Candida albicans is a common, fungal form of yeast that lives in a moist, warm environment. It’s believed that Candida is present in at least 90% of people. It grows most commonly on the mucus membranes of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts in our bodies. However, it can grow almost anywhere in your body and cause problems. [...] |
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Sadness, Self Control and Sugar
Some years ago I learned to change my eating habits so that I wouldn’t tip the scales like a great whale. My sweet tooth was my problem. Although I love vegetables and could eat salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner, having something sweet like candy or cookies or cake. . .okay I have to stop because now I am salivating. Something sweet was always a reward for a job well day, a day that was good or plain old dessert.
Then I learned that sugar could help get you through sadness. Not only did I have to change my eating habits but I had to learn self control. Continue reading Sadness, Self Control and Sugar